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Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 1x03 - "The End is the Beginning"

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I see its up on Amazon Prime just before I go to bed in the UK.

Do they really release it at 12am? What's the point? Why aren't they releasing it this morning or at the same time as US?
 
Yep. There's a theory with some Bond fans that Connery was supposed to cry over Domino's reaction to her brother's death and wore sunglasses to hide his tears.
 
Gonna predict it right now: the actual Jurati is either dead or captured, the Jurati on board is either a Romulan in disguise or a synth.
 
Gonna predict it right now: the actual Jurati is either dead or captured, the Jurati on board is either a Romulan in disguise or a synth.
Or Oh mind-melded with her and she's been brainwashed.

There is a shot in a December 2019 trailer that shows what looks like that.
 
Well, wasn’t that quite brilliant?

Loved every moment of Rios, and I see him becoming a fan favourite as the show goes on. Seems to have a great story that will get told over time.

In the opening scene, it was somewhat painful to see Picard genuinely shocked that Starfleet willingly accepted his resignation. If Picard never wears the Starfleet uniform again, it will genuinely leave me feeling a little sad as to how his career with Starfleet ended. I like it, as a viewer, but it will certainly make watching TNG and the movies feel a little bittersweet, knowing how it ends for him. I guess that’s true of all shows and films though.

Soji’s activation appears to be happening in a much different way to Dahj, and it feels like she’s actually been programmed to carry out some of the actions she is doing right now, so clearly Maddox has placed her on that ship for a reason. I’m now starting to think that the mother we have seen both her and Dahj to is not real, however, so either her mother was NEVER real or it’s just been some sort of holographic illusion in these two particular moments.

Not sure if I missed something when Soji passed out? Do we think her conversation with her mother triggered something to put her to sleep, in an almost calming way to get her off the subject and avoid anything that could fully activate her?

Raffi is hella intriguing. She genuinely has legitimate reason to feel ill will toward Picard, which is a brave and interesting choice by the writers, given Picard’s status with viewers. That Starfleet pushed her out after Picard’s resignation was surprising - I’d love to find out a bit more as to why they took that action, rather than just transferring her to some dead end assignment, if they were wanting to hush her over the evacuation plans.

I’m loving the work they’re doing with the Romulan’s on this show. Already, it feels like their culture has been fleshed out an incredible amount after just three episodes, and I’m all in on this mystery as to how that one former drone knows who Soji is, and why her ships assimilation apparently caused a series of events that cut the cube off from the collective. Honestly, I’m loving this stuff.

I’d long thought that the suspicions of a link between Dahj/Soji and the Borg Queen were probably well off the mark, given what we had started to officially find out, but would that former drone’s knowledge of Soji suggest that there IS a link to the Queen, or at least the Borg, that the drone is only aware of due to her time in the collective?

Loved the action scene at Picard’s home, and the lack of music throughout it. I’m with those who thought the scene was going to have Picard’s friends die, so full credit to the director for how she put this together. There felt like real stakes in this scene, the kind that have only really started to see in Trek since it returned in 2017, for me.

I’m in love with this cast, by the way. Everyone is really bringing it. For me, after just three episodes, early signs are that this is the best set of actors we have seen assembled for a Trek show, out of the gate. DS9 fans might have a fair issue with that statement, but I’m not sure anyone else could - this cast is superb from top to bottom.

Last shoutout goes to Narek. I was so sure that he would be the main villain on this show, but now I’m starting to doubt that belief. Guess that means they’re doing their job!

This is really good television, never mind good Trek. Any Trek fan who is watching this show, and criticising it, honestly need to go back to the old shows with the same glasses they’re using to watch Picard through, because there is now way anyone can tell me that the first three episodes of any of the other shows (pre-2017) are better than what Picard has given us.
 
I see its up on Amazon Prime just before I go to bed in the UK.

Do they really release it at 12am? What's the point? Why aren't they releasing it this morning or at the same time as US?
Usually just after 11pm they release it.
 
Yep. There's a theory with some Bond fans that Connery was supposed to cry over Domino's reaction to her brother's death and wore sunglasses to hide his tears.
Moderator's Log, Stardate 2002.06: Through means yet to be determined, I seem to have been transported to a strange parallel universe where Sean Connery's James Bond would be moved to tears over the death of a man he never met.
 
This show is spending SOO much of its time on mystery boxes and a very protracted set up that it (almost) never finds the chance to just be...fun. Entertaining. Funny. Interesting. It’s all just absurdly detailed exposition.

The season has now arrived at what you’d consider the end of the first “act” of ordinary television. And, I know, I know “10 hour movie, blah blah blah.”

but there’s a reason real movies aren’t ten hours long. It would be punishing to endure a single narrative stretched to that length.

We’re in the Peak TV era and that means a lot of serialized storytelling, which, in general, is a great thing. But this show represents the worst possible downside of that kind of storytelling.

Episodes that have no identity of their own and (for the most part) no internal structure. Just puzzle pieces of a whole. This is especially frustrating when you have opted for the “one a week” strategy (which, while I still vastly prefer, is all wrong for this kind of storytelling.)

The season may yet prove to be worthwhile in the end. But there are some episodes of Star Trek (across several different series) that I’ve re-watched literally dozens of times. No one is ever going to want to re-watch these episodes, there’s just no point.

3 episodes in and “picard” already feels like homework.
 
Or Oh mind-melded with her and she's been brainwashed.

There is a shot in a December 2019 trailer that shows what looks like that.
This would tie into my theory that Oh is indeed a Vulcan Starfleet officer gone bad and using the Zhat Vash for her own ends. Yes maybe Romulans can mind meld in theory too, but honestly I don't think they'll say "Oh right Romulans can mind meld" when it's associated in the general audience perception as a Spock/Vulcan thing.

I say Oh is indeed a Vulcan, albeit a traitorous one who likely sabotaged synths to destroy Romulus, and now hypocritically uses those same surviving Romulans to hunt down the only androids capable of discovering her crime through their powers.
 
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Well, it's official, we'll be passing by a third of the season soon, & to be honest, I'm kind of bored by this. I hope we're at least past the getting to know you stuff :sigh:
 
Loved the episode, unlike last week it flowed nicely.
Absolutely love the series. Can't wait for the next episode.
All the new characters/actors are great.
The scene of La Sirena going to warp preceded by TMP music was great.
I expect we see Seven in the last scene of next episode.

I have no clue where they are going with the Borg cube story line but I am intrigued. Normally I would worry the writers will mess up the long story arcs, but I trust this Chabon led staff.
 
I gave it a 7. It's still entertaining but it's slowing down. Episodes seem way too short. I think that's a combination of actually having a short length and relatively little bit of content in each. I'll still be here watching each week, but the pacing is off.

Rafi being upset at Picard for getting fire is silly. I suppose she was just upset and not thinking rationally.

Seems like exploring the cube could be cool and adventurous, but they've made it fairly dull.

LOL, basically a Romulan SWAT team broke into Picard's place and three unprepared people fought them off. One of whom is elderly. Yeah, they've all got experience, but imagine that happening with a real life SWAT team? Nah, me either!
 
LOL, basically a Romulan SWAT team broke into Picard's place and three unprepared people fought them off. One of whom is elderly. Yeah, they've all got experience, but imagine that happening with a real life SWAT team? Nah, me either!
I think it's likely the whole attack was staged to insert Agnes, likely brainwashed via a mind meld by Oh, into the group.

Also, although the Spock mention would remind fans of Unification, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Picard worked with Spock during early supernova evacuation efforts. The prequel comic said Picard was in Romulan space working with the Romulan senate. I find it unlikely he wouldn't catch up with Spock.
 
I gave it a 7. It's still entertaining but it's slowing down. Episodes seem way too short. I think that's a combination of actually having a short length and relatively little bit of content in each. I'll still be here watching each week, but the pacing is off.

Rafi being upset at Picard for getting fire is silly. I suppose she was just upset and not thinking rationally.

Seems like exploring the cube could be cool and adventurous, but they've made it fairly dull.

LOL, basically a Romulan SWAT team broke into Picard's place and three unprepared people fought them off. One of whom is elderly. Yeah, they've all got experience, but imagine that happening with a real life SWAT team? Nah, me either!
Perhaps maybe, the "...episodes seem way too short", because you are subconsciously enjoying them and the time seems to flow by quicker?
 
Rafi being upset at Picard for getting fire is silly. I suppose she was just upset and not thinking rationally.

As I said upthread, Michelle Hurd let slip the backstory of her character on The Ready Room. She was kinda a fuckup and a drug addict prior to Picard, who rescued her to a great degree. Therefore it's not so much that Picard was personally responsible for her downfall, as it is without him there to set a good example and keep her out of trouble everything unraveled quickly.
 
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