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Picard: "Just Like Other Sci-Fi"

Danny99

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Through five episodes, I have been reading a lot of the same complaints about Picard, that it is too negative, too much like a lot of current sci-fi that is negative for the sake of being negative, that this was "not their Trek." One person I engaged with said Picard has been portrayed as an old hobbling man, struggling to stay relevant.

Frankly, its becoming frustrating to read. These are the same people that continue to dump on Discovery for pretty much the same thing. Kurtzman and others have "hijacked" Trek to make their own show. And oh my goodness, they're using lens flares!

I for one have loved seeing the flawed characters of Picard, including Picard himself. It is more interesting to watch them and have their personal demons haunt them instead of getting over it in the span of an episode. This has been one of the most interesting casts we've had in Star Trek as a whole since DS9. Would you rather watch Neelix and Harry Kim? Or Mayweather and Hoshi?

Another thought is that the Federation couldn't be evil. I don't like them being evil, but not because they shouldn't be, but because it has been done to death. Section 31 has been a part of three series and I really hope they abandon the idea for a Section 31 series. And how many crazy admirals have we seen doing things under the table? It is a collection of hundreds of species and while they all can be together in an ideal of doing good in the universe, the idea that everyone is going to agree all the time is bad writing and handcuffs any drama.

We are seeing that Starfleet's decision to pull back, after sticking their collective noses in so much, has begun to create a power vacuum of sorts. Places like Free Cloud existed in the Star Trek universe, but were never going to be recognized on cable TV like they are on CBS All Access.

People are also worried that we are going to get a junk ending to this first season because we need to wrap up this storyline. Are people expecting Picard season two to be a completely new storyline with him getting a starship and it will be just like TNG? I don't think we'll have an end to this storyline, even if Picard does find Soji, for a while. It will just keep growing and moving forward.

That's my rant. I've had issues with the writing (mainly Narek's sister and Commodore Oh), but I am not going to hate Picard for the simple reason that it is moody.
 
I just complained in the latest episode thread that ST Picard is full with angst.
I do not mind ST going in dark places, as long as it is not only about dark places.
ST Picard is still in the half of the season and it might give us a "happier" or more optimistic end who knows.. but the 2 current ST shows are quite dark and grim (especially Disco) and focus on wars, conspiracies, big villains and lots of anti-heroes with dark and traumatized pasts.
Personally I miss the space exploring and the optimism.
In any case, I do enjoy Picard very much, Imho it is a more balanced show than the other one.
 
I think this is just a different part of the universe being explored, and that’s fine by me so long as that other part is both there and still considered valid too.

Frankly, I’m disturbed at how a lot of the brighter future is presented. I’m all for the evolved humanity but not the inane humanity. It’s about choosing to be good, not not yet having the opportunity to be bad. Starfleeters shouldn’t be excellent because they’re ubermenschen but because they try hard and help each other out.
 
Frankly, its becoming frustrating to read. These are the same people that continue to dump on Discovery for pretty much the same thing. Kurtzman and others have "hijacked" Trek to make their own show. And oh my goodness, they're using lens flares!
It is quite tiresome. One big part of fandom is just recognizing limits and when to take a break. Fandom is exhausting.
 
I came across a YouTube channel after the latest Picard episode that blew my mind, and not in a good way. Some guy was complaining that Star Trek has been hijacked by a matriarchy, Patrick Stewart is a sellout, and so forth. I don't understand how Star Trek of all things gets co-opted as something that is supposed to represent white male power.
 
Great thread. Good posts. By and large trekbbs has been a site I can count on for balanced, thoughtful opinions about new trek.
 
I came across a YouTube channel after the latest Picard episode that blew my mind, and not in a good way. Some guy was complaining that Star Trek has been hijacked by a matriarchy, Patrick Stewart is a sellout, and so forth. I don't understand how Star Trek of all things gets co-opted as something that is supposed to represent white male power.
Unfortunately, a sign of the times we live in.

Hopefully things will bounce back to the middle in the next decade or so.
 
I came across a YouTube channel after the latest Picard episode that blew my mind, and not in a good way. Some guy was complaining that Star Trek has been hijacked by a matriarchy, Patrick Stewart is a sellout, and so forth. I don't understand how Star Trek of all things gets co-opted as something that is supposed to represent white male power.

This feels like a "Dave Cullen" production. I remember him ranting on Discovery being too politically correct because it had a female protagonist and Georgiou as the first captain. A lot of his videos are like that.
 
Yeah enough with the strong female characters. More of this please.

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Picard is a great show but it really doesn't feel like Trek. They really did go all "Logan" for it and I don't mind them doing this from time to time. I was one of the biggest Tarantino movie supporters out their but at some point I do hope the franchise embraces optimism again, just not some of the crazy Roddenberry vision rules he came up with for TNG.



Jason
 
I've had issues with the writing (mainly Narek's sister and Commodore Oh)

That is my only issue too, don't like the way those characters are written and acted. Otherwise the series is fantastic.

I don't understand how Star Trek of all things gets co-opted as something that is supposed to represent white male power.

When is this white (male) nationalism nightmare is going to end?
 
Picard is a great show but it really doesn't feel like Trek. They really did go all "Logan" for it and I don't mind them doing this from time to time. I was one of the biggest Tarantino movie supporters out their but at some point I do hope the franchise embraces optimism again, just not some of the crazy Roddenberry vision rules he came up with for TNG.



Jason


I see nothing in any of DSC and PIC that doesn't embrace optimism overall. And honestly, we had over 750 hours of stuff that "felt like Star Trek" and fandom turned its back on that, and said it was stale and played out.
 
I came across a YouTube channel after the latest Picard episode that blew my mind, and not in a good way. Some guy was complaining that Star Trek has been hijacked by a matriarchy, Patrick Stewart is a sellout, and so forth. I don't understand how Star Trek of all things gets co-opted as something that is supposed to represent white male power.
I for one welcome our Fenris Ranger Borg Dominatrices.
 
I see nothing in any of DSC and PIC that doesn't embrace optimism overall. And honestly, we had over 750 hours of stuff that "felt like Star Trek" and fandom turned its back on that, and said it was stale and played out.

I think Picard might end on a optimistic note but right now they are playing Picard's ethics as being either naïve or worst as being something only wealthy priviledged can have. Which is not really to far off from how the real world actually works but it does sort of go against the Trek idea that somehow humans will figure out how to find away to grow past that stuff. Also I don't think optimism is something that you can't make work these days because others shows do it while still being relevant. Orville,Lost in Space,The Flash,Legends of TOmmorow,Stranger Things for example. To me if Trek stays cynical to long it will hurt the franchise in the long run. Things like "Picard" and what I was hopping the Tarantino movie would have been are these sort of darker takes you do time to time to change things up but overall I still want Trek to have a more positive view on humanity and our future.


Jason
 
I think Picard might end on a optimistic note but right now they are playing Picard's ethics as being either naïve or worst as being something only wealthy priviledged can have. Which is not really to far off from how the real world actually works but it does sort of go against the Trek idea that somehow humans will figure out how to find away to grow past that stuff. Also I don't think optimism is something that you can't make work these days because others shows do it while still being relevant. Orville,Lost in Space,The Flash,Legends of TOmmorow,Stranger Things for example. To me if Trek stays cynical to long it will hurt the franchise in the long run. Things like "Picard" and what I was hopping the Tarantino movie would have been are these sort of darker takes you do time to time to change things up but overall I still want Trek to have a more positive view on humanity and our future.


Jason

I don't think these new versions of Trek have lacked optimism. I think they've show tales where cracks in the dam exist, and the characters have to rise up and hold to their ideals.

It's really too early to tell with PIC. There's more to all this than just "The Federation are a-holes now" I think. I think the serialization hurts some fans perspective, because the individual episodes aren't / can't be as uplifting and positive every week. The format lends itself more to protracted struggle to be overcome in the end.
 
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