Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 1x02 - "Maps and Legends"

[TheMadCloner]

My own theory:

Elements within the Federation opposed to helping the Romulans intentionally sabotaged the androids on Mars to destroy the fleet there, which successfully stopped the Federation operation to evacuate Romulus. They were aided by elements within the Zhat Vash, who were willing to sacrifice a large portion of their population in order to pin the blame on synthetics and stop the Federation from building more androids.

The Zhat Vash's hatred of synthetics will be revealed to be due to the fact that Romulans were actually synthetics created by the first "enlightened" Vulcans, who were able to somehow perfect the technology needed to transfer emotion, and used the synthetics as a "reservoir" for their suppressed emotions.

Bruce Maddox, in his research into synthetics, stumbled upon this secret and was able to perfect the technology himself to create perfectly organic synthetics.

It will also be revealed that the supernova was intentionally triggered by the Zhat Vash, because the entire Romulan "genome" has degraded over time as the Vulcans who created the first synthetic Romulans were not able to perfect the technology needed for perpetual natural reproduction - i.e. the species is slowly mutating and dying. The supernova was a cover to hide the fact that a significant portion of the Romulan population had already perished due to this. They need Maddox and they need Soji because these two represent their best hope at survival of their species. They had hoped the attack on Mars would force Maddox out of Starfleet and into their hands - while it did the former, he escaped before they could capture him.

Maddox is aware of all of this and is actually somewhere working on a solution to help the Romulans, even though they don't know he is. Soji/Dahj were his first prototype solutions. At the end it will be revealed that Soji is pregnant with Narek's child, who will be the first genetically healthy organic synthetic Romulan/Human hybrid to be born, which unites the two groups in a way no one could ever imagine.

I'm very likely wrong, but it would be hilarious if I wasn't.

 

[Thanos007]

Pretty sure Oh is a Vulcan. Head of Star Fleet Intelligence or at least their Romulan desk. Maybe in charge of Earth security? I got the vibe that she knew Rizzo was a Romulan but was using her and her brother for her own ends, whatever they may be. I could be wrong and she believes Rizzo is just SFI.

 

[ISS-Magnum]

She had an IDIC symbol and a Kir'Shara on her desk.

You ruined the party!

 

[Tomalak]

Yeah, but he didn't actually have it! His post says "it's not to the point it was in AGT yet." But it was at no point in the episode.

No, he did have it, and old Picard was clearly suffering the effects in AGT. He stumbled over his words, he was irritable, frustrated and angry, his memory was failing.

Geordi thought he was off his meds and was humouring him, it was only Data who took him seriously.

The great thing about that version of the character is that Picard - with an essence of his younger self - battled through their skepticism to become the captain he was. He couldn't just order his crews to follow him like his two younger versions could. He had to fight hard to make them understand.

 

[Gonzo]

There is still one big question.

If the Zhat Vash were behind the attack on Mars that is understandable due to how many synths they had there which made it a fair target in their eyes.

Why did they choose that particular moment to strike, when the Rescue Fleet is in orbit around the planet, was it their intention to kibosh the rescue or was that an unintended consequence, we saw them attack Mars in the flashback but not the fleet above.

Why not wait until the rescue fleet has left, the attack would have been even easier with no ships in orbit to help and Mars would have been almost defenceless with a skeleton crew, what is so important about that particular day, did something happen elsewhere to trigger it, did something go wrong and the synths activate too soon.

Why would the Zhat Vash want to stop the rescue, it makes no sense and they must have known it would have a knock on effect due to the rescue fleet being in orbit, or was there something/someone on Romulus they wanted destroyed, was it just a power grab after all once Romulus and the old system is burned away.

Perhaps there were some synths on board the rescue fleet and the Zhat Vash didnt want them anywhere near Romulus, its a possibility but it feels weak to me as the planet was doomed anyway.

How far ahead was it all planned, were some of the workers on Mars also Zhat Vash agents or were the synths hacked remotely.

What was the final trigger for the attack and who decided what that would be.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Wow that was a quick 45 minutes.

They really did build a worker class of andorids/synths. Federation starships built by Android slave labour. Holy shitballs.

Looks like someone overrode F8 when the attack began rather than him acting alone.

"Cheeky fuckers" I love that Irish Romulan ex-Tal Shiar woman.

Not entirely sure what's happening on the Borg cube. Are the ex-drone workers there by choice or slaves?

Really liking the diversity of aliens everywhere.

Is the "Romulan Free State" is the surviving Romulan government?

Wow that admiral hates Picard. She was trembling with rage. 2 old people yelling at each other.

The new Starfleet uniforms look much nicer up-close, with the ST'09-style texturing on the coloured portions.

Starfleet infiltrated by Romulan whatever-whatever-double-secret-android-hating agents? Okay cool. Why do they hate synthetics? I wonder if Vulcans are perfect synths, and it was some kind of synthetic revolution that initiated the schism. Surak was perhaps the Noonien Soong of the Vulcan people.

 

[Gonzo]

Pretty sure Oh is a Vulcan. Head of Star Fleet Intelligence or at least their Romulan desk. Maybe in charge of Earth security? I got the vibe that she knew Rizzo was a Romulan but was using her and her brother for her own ends, whatever they may be. I could be wrong and she believes Rizzo is just SFI.

The Commodore outright states that she knows Rizzo is a Romulan.

Rizzo may end up being killed by her own brother.

Someone posted earlier complaining about him bedding Sonj for information and control, it can go both ways though cant it.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

The thing about the Romulans hating advanced A.I.s actually makes sense imo.

Looking back to the first real visit to Romulus in "Unification", there were no advanced computer systems or replicators anywhere around.

There were even people with food stands selling soup...

 

[Mojochi]

Are recaps even necessary? In the old broadcast days, people could have missed the previous episode and had no chance to find it. By the very nature of streaming shows, if you missed the last episode you could just watch it whenever you want.

Well, they can be useful if you don't remember any important detail of the previous episodes.

I suspect in modern productions, it's more an attempt at selective memory refreshing, or directed viewing. If specific plot points, which haven't been addressed significantly, or recently are going to be present in the current episode, & they think people might get lost without a reminder, then they can gear the recap to feature the previous stuff that connects, or they just want to have a snazzy way of saying" We're getting into some more of this, this episode"

Which is pretty silly. This is Star Trek. Does anyone really think the people watching THIS show somehow need help in recalling plot points. I'm remembering plot points from 30 years ago

 

[Skipper]

I suspect in modern productions, it's more an attempt at selective memory refreshing, or directed viewing. If specific plot points, which haven't been addressed significantly, or recently are going to be present in the current episode, & they think people might get lost without a reminder, then they can gear the recap to feature the previous stuff that connects, or they just want to have a snazzy way of saying" We're getting into some more of this, this episode"

Which is pretty silly. This is Star Trek. Does anyone really think the people watching THIS show somehow need help in recalling plot points. I'm remembering plot points from 30 years ago

Homer Simpsons:
"(gasps) The lava being! That's why they showed a clip of it on 'previously on'!."

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[Gonzo]

I suspect in modern productions, it's more an attempt at selective memory refreshing, or directed viewing. If specific plot points, which haven't been addressed significantly, or recently are going to be present in the current episode, & they think people might get lost without a reminder, then they can gear the recap to feature the previous stuff that connects, or they just want to have a snazzy way of saying" We're getting into some more of this, this episode"

Which is pretty silly. This is Star Trek. Does anyone really think the people watching THIS show somehow need help in recalling plot points. I'm remembering plot points from 30 years ago

They are trying to bring in new and younger viewers who may not have seen much Star Trek at all before Discovery and Picard.

IT can be quite tricky getting the balance right when you have two opposing demographics, those who eat, sleep and breathe Star Trek and those who dont really know much about it.

 

[StarMan]

My own theory:

Maddox is aware of all of this and is actually somewhere working on a solution to help the Romulans, even though they don't know he is. Soji/Dahj were his first prototype solutions. At the end it will be revealed that Soji is pregnant with Narek's child, who will be the first genetically healthy organic synthetic Romulan/Human hybrid to be born, which unites the two groups in a way no one could ever imagine.

I'm very likely wrong, but it would be hilarious if I wasn't.

Hmmm. I dunno if Sela (Tasha Yar's daughter) throws a spanner into that theory. I don't know if I *like* the idea of Romulans = organic synths theory, but it'd be a very bold and audacious turn to take.

 

[Gonzo]

Hmmm. I dunno if Sela (Tasha Yar's daughter) throws a spanner into that theory. I don't know if I *like* the idea of Romulans = organic synths theory, but it'd be a very bold and audacious turn to take.

Its extreme but viable and requires them to be advanced enough to procreate with actual humanoids.

I dont think we are at the point of it being likely just yet, still the extreme zealotry of the Zhat Vash means it is going to be something major when its revealed, what it will mean for the Vulcans and Romulans remains to be seen.

Could it finally trigger reunification, is that what the Zhat Vash are really afraid of.

 

[J.D.]

Wow that was a quick 45 minutes.

They really did build a worker class of andorids/synths. Federation starships built by Android slave labour. Holy shitballs.

Looks like someone overrode F8 when the attack began rather than him acting alone.

"Cheeky fuckers" I love that Irish Romulan ex-Tal Shiar woman.

Not entirely sure what's happening on the Borg cube. Are the ex-drone workers there by choice or slaves?

Really liking the diversity of aliens everywhere.

Is the "Romulan Free State" is the surviving Romulan government?

Wow that admiral hates Picard. She was trembling with rage. 2 old people yelling at each other.

The new Starfleet uniforms look much nicer up-close, with the ST'09-style texturing on the coloured portions.

Starfleet infiltrated by Romulan whatever-whatever-double-secret-android-hating agents? Okay cool. Why do they hate synthetics? I wonder if Vulcans are perfect synths, and it was some kind of synthetic revolution that initiated the schism. Surak was perhaps the Noonien Soong of the Vulcan people.

Oh no, I cannot imagine Spock being a super Android

 

[TheMadCloner]

Hmmm. I dunno if Sela (Tasha Yar's daughter) throws a spanner into that theory. I don't know if I *like* the idea of Romulans = organic synths theory, but it'd be a very bold and audacious turn to take.

Its extreme but viable and requires them to be advanced enough to procreate with actual humanoids.

I dont think we are at the point of it being likely just yet, still the extreme zealotry of the Zhat Vash means it is going to be something major when its revealed, what it will mean for the Vulcans and Romulans remains to be seen.

Could it finally trigger reunification, is that what the Zhat Vash are really afraid of.

It's definitely a "way out there" theory, but I like being bold haha.

I have some scenes all played out in my head too. Like the one where Picard finds out half the Romulans killed in the supernova were dead already. Or the one where they run a genetic test on Soji's unborn child and realize he/she is perfectly healthy genetically, with no signs of the degradation that every other Romulan child has. Or the one where Narek sacrifices himself (killing his sister) to save Soji and their unborn child.

Soji/Narek's child will be different than Sela because both of them are synthetics and procreate to reproduce a genetically healthy synthetic.

 

[Lord Garth]

Yeah, I mean, what, does Picard think he's saved the planet and the Federation itself several times or something?

Every story has two points of view. Let me put it another way. Let's say you leave your job (the reason doesn't matter, let's just pretend you did). Then, one day, you're on the local news (let's say something happened in the area and they corner you for an interview) and you trash talk where you worked (just for the sake of argument). And your former boss sees it. Do you go in the next day and say you want to come back? And what do you think he or she would say if they saw the news the other day? Is it going to matter to them all the years you'd been at your job or what you've done before? No. What matters is what you've done now. What matters is what you've done for them lately. What matters is if you're still able to show a united front. Are you going to make them look bad?

Or let's try this one on for size. This is just an example. I stepped down as a moderator over 10 years ago. Let's say I was interviewed on YouTube by Ketwolski or Jessie Gender or Steve Shives on YouTube. Let's say it's because they wanted my take on Discovery and Picard. And then I trash-talked TrekBBS right on there. (Just so we're clear, none of these things have ever happened) So let's say I say, "I stepped down because it was no longer TrekBBS!" Then the next day, I go to T'Bonz and say "I want to come back! Make me a moderator of X forum! Then I'll do this, this, and that!" Do you think it's going to matter whatever I might've done for the board before? No. She'd look at what I said on that YouTube Channel that thousands of people just watched.

Erm, you realize that in AGT Picard wasn't suffering from the disease and he actually was traveling through time.

I do, and you took what I said out of context or you might've misunderstood. I'm talking about from the point of view of the other characters, just like with the previous example.

It's possible that in Irumodic Syndrome you have delusions. They would've thought he was having delusions. They would've thought what he was actually experiencing wasn't really happening because it might be a common trait with Irumodic Syndrome.

The vivid dreams Picard is having and the outbursts could be the early onset of Irumodic Syndrome.

 

[Gonzo]

It's definitely a "way out there" theory, but I like being bold haha.

I have some scenes all played out in my head too. Like the one where Picard finds out half the Romulans killed in the supernova were dead already.

Soji/Narek's child will be different than Sela because both of them are synthetics and procreate to reproduce a genetically healthy synthetic.

There are some serious hurdles for it to be viable now or in the past but this is scifi so anything is possible.

Its going to be the same kinds of issues faced in NuBSG over compatibility between the species no matter how much alike they seem on the outside.

I dont think it will be a case of all Vulcans or all Romulans are synths though, more like it got to the point nobody could tell either way and something bad happened.

 

[Gonzo]

It's possible that in Irumodic Syndrome you have delusions. They would've thought he was having delusions. They would've thought what he actually thought what he said was really happening actually wasn't because it might be a common trait with Irumodic Syndrome.

The vivid dreams Picard is having and the outbursts could be the early onset of Irumodic Syndrome.

I am not yet convinced about Picards Irumodic Syndrome, his dreams are far too specific to the needs of the moment for it to be just that, need to see more.

 

[Search4]

Don't care about books. The process of entering and leaving the Federation shouldn't be as easy and capricious as signing up for Netflix.

I hear you just cancel your subscription to the Federation. And then in a bit they offer a free trial. Oh wait that’s CBS. It’s canon!!

 

[ITDUDE]

A+
Solid 10. Love this show!
And hey, Georgi and Worf definitely alive! Doesn’t look too good for Crusher thought...
Couple fucks and a shit as today’s profanities felt totally normal, not like Discovery. Felt like how people in the future would actually communicate. Love the slow burn of Picard, hate the waiting between episodes...