Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 1x06 - "The Impossible Box"

[Alexander Corrino]

I think there is absolutely no chance the show ends like that - it is clear that this is set up to provide a show that does not rely on Starfleet and to give a different perspective.

If I were in charge I'd have the end bring in a hopeful scene, like Jean-Luc looking at Starfleet Command where things have been going down that indicate that everything just might be okay again - but he himself won't be involved in it. However, he can still walk away (maybe with his doggo pal Number One beside him) with a smile because he knows the next generation (ba-dum-tssssh) will see to it that things go back to the way they should be.

 

[picardjean-luc]

If I were in charge I'd have the end bring in a hopeful scene, like Jean-Luc looking at Starfleet Command where things have been going down that indicate that everything just might be okay again - but he himself won't be involved in it. However, he can still walk away (maybe with his doggo pal Number One beside him) with a smile because he knows the next generation (ba-dum-tssssh) will see to it that things go back to the way they should be.

Given that 'Discovery Season 3' is supposed to be about

Spoiler

the slow downfall of the Federation over a period of 800 years,

I think things would only go downhill after Picard and his motley crew finish their mission, rescuing and resettling Soji and her people, getting rid of the main villain (Zhat Vash or a resurrected Borg threat), etc.

I think those in charge of the Federation will continue to turn it inward and starts making more bad decisions, resulting in a bunch of member's homeworlds seceding from it (some after a civil war) until

Spoiler

it is left with just 6 members by the time Burnham & Co appears in the 31st (or is it 32nd?) century.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I think things would only go downhill after Picard and his motley crew finish their mission, rescuing and resettling Soji and her people, getting rid of the main villain (Zhat Vash or a resurrected Borg threat), etc.

I know that this is where things are supposedly going to end up, but DSC's future is many many years ahead from where we are "now". But yes, this whole "incident" with the Romulans could be seen as the first time where things went wrong - and set a precedence for many other times where things will no doubt go wrong again (since history tends to repeat itself, sadly), leading to that particular future. But that one should be a thing for DSC to explore, not PIC. imo, at least.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I suspect that the series Picard will end on a note like Asimov's Foundation, where Picard, the man, has established independent institutions that will preserve the values and strengths of the Federation to allow them to be preserved through chaos and, if necessary, reconstituting the Federation in the future.

(Edited because my addled brain wrote Federation too many times)

 

[Gov Kodos]

I suspect that the series Picard will end on a note like Asimov's Federation, where Picard, the man, has established independent institutions that will preserve the values and strengths of the Federation to allow them to be preserved through chaos and, if necessary, reconstituting the Federation in the future.

Foundation, that would be an interesting take. The Romulan supernova creates this social chaos, populations and politics shift. It would be ironic that needing to adapt so much leads Picard and the Romulans to create that new Federation.

 

[StarMan]

I sincerely hope Discovery S3 does not tie in with the events of Picard. Trek has only just broken out of the prequel rut it's been stuck in for the past 18 or so years. Let's not start imposing limitations on what Picard can or cannot do based on what Discovery says happens from their vantage point in the future.

I suspect part of the reason they've flung Discovery so far into the future is to allow both series to do their own thing without bumping into each other, freeing the writers up to be unencumbered by any canon / continuity barriers.

Let's also bear in mind that the time between Picard and Discovery S3 is huge - about triple the age of the Federation in Picard's time.

 

[JoeZhang]

The time period of Discovery is further away from the TNG period than the current day - this is not an accident.

Anyway the realities of selling the streaming rights to different media groups means that that the chances of the two shows connecting are next to zero. One of the first questions Amazon will have asked "Does any of this rely on the netflix show?"

 

[Gonzo]

I sincerely hope Discovery S3 does not tie in with the events of Picard. Trek has only just broken out of the prequel rut it's been stuck in for the past 18 or so years. Let's not start imposing limitations on what Picard can or cannot do based on what Discovery says happens from their vantage point in the future.

I suspect part of the reason they've flung Discovery so far into the future is to allow both series to do their own thing without bumping into each other, freeing the writers up to be unencumbered by any canon / continuity barriers.

Let's also bear in mind that the time between Picard and Discovery S3 is huge - about triple the age of the Federation in Picard's time.

They could end up being connected, it will always be on the table as long as Burnham has the suit and Georgiou has to return to the pre TOS era.

Do Burnham's actions have something to do with the Supernova, that suit is very powerful, or is the Supernova a response to something Burnham has done or will do.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Ah, now I see. Alcoholism here I come.

Actually, having looked things up after the fact, I guess she'd be a Space Gen Z-er. I dunno what the hell their bag is yet.

Interesting. I've been expecting, or hoping, that this series will end with a renaissance of the Federation and Starfleet's ideals, with Picard as the moral authority figure-- either as Commander Starfleet or the Federation President.

I'm not seeing that. The show made a point of removing Picard from his Federation/Starfleet bubble...I don't think it'll be about ending up back there. If he effects change, it'll be from without.

 

[Gonzo]

I always thought that an mutual defence alliance was the way that the Alpha/Beta quadrant powers would go.

We saw movement towards that goal for the Klingons as early as the original films and the rescue would have done the same for the Romulans, it could still be recovered however once the real reason and culprits are unmasked.

Of course that also means that there will always be some who will do everything they can to stop it from happening.

Picard is currently acting outside of Starfleet and the Federation but his actions will no doubt have great impact on everyone in the Alpha/Beta quadrants, especially once Starfleet realises it has been played.

It will result in an overturning of the ban on AI at the very least, with the Federation actively helping former Borg drones along with it.

 

[The Old Mixer]

We were around page 80 this time last week. Do more favorably received episodes generate less discussion? Or did the premature episode 7 business steal some of this one's thunder?

 

[Alexander Corrino]

We were around page 80 this time last week. Do more favorably received episodes generate less discussion? Or did the premature episode 7 business steal some of this one's thunder?

Probably a mixture of both.

 

[Gonzo]

We were around page 80 this time last week. Do more favorably received episodes generate less discussion? Or did the premature episode 7 business steal some of this one's thunder?

Yes that does seem to be how it works from what I have seen, it also tends to trigger fewer additional threads as well due to fewer members feeling the need to vent.

Mind you a bit of thunder was stolen by the 1x07 thread.

 

[Hythlodeus]

We were around page 80 this time last week. Do more favorably received episodes generate less discussion? Or did the premature episode 7 business steal some of this one's thunder?

there's no drama this week. no "OMG, they killed Icheb". "OMG, they recast Maddox", "OMG, Picard is a moral Mary Sue... and also a dick!"

 

[JoeZhang]

Something to note - this weird idea that the Federation is about to fall to pieces in the Picard era is a weird fan creation and has absolutely nothing to do with MC's view of the Federation:

Federation downfall?" What Federation downfall? The Federation is still very much alive and well and home to trillions (quadrillions?) of safe, housed, fed, educated citizens with the potential to lead fulfilling lives. There was a crisis 15 years ago, in the wake of the costly Dominion War and the Romulan emergency, which had a negative impact on the lives of many people, including most of our principal characters, in one way or another, during which Starfleet (and by extension the Federation) did not acquit itself well - in Picard's eyes. From Admiral Clancy's viewpoint, which is likely the mainstream view, Picard's attitude was unrealistic, quixotic, and even dangerous. She may be right! They may both be right, and both wrong. But that was fifteen years ago, and the Federation is still going strong. Perhaps in the eyes of some it lost its luster, its air of invulnerability, its claim to the moral high ground, a process that began during DS9 times. That is hardly a "downfall", though.

 

[Gonzo]

there's no drama this week. no "OMG, they killed Icheb". "OMG, they recast Maddox", "OMG, Picard is a moral Mary Sue... and also a dick!"

I have seen a few accuse Picard of hubris which is understandable but I think its more along the lines of him being a bit of a dinosaur, Starfleet and the Federation changed around him and instead of adapting he just went full denial.

At least until the day he offered his resignation and it was accepted, when he was finally forced to face the truth.

 

[Hythlodeus]

I have seen a few accuse Picard of hubris .

not just ordinary hubris, though. Sheer fucking hubris!

 

[Gov Kodos]

Something to note - this weird idea that the Federation is about to fall to pieces in the Picard era is a weird fan creation and has absolutely nothing to do with MC's view of the Federation:

Federation downfall?" What Federation downfall? The Federation is still very much alive and well and home to trillions (quadrillions?) of safe, housed, fed, educated citizens with the potential to lead fulfilling lives. There was a crisis 15 years ago, in the wake of the costly Dominion War and the Romulan emergency, which had a negative impact on the lives of many people, including most of our principal characters, in one way or another, during which Starfleet (and by extension the Federation) did not acquit itself well - in Picard's eyes. From Admiral Clancy's viewpoint, which is likely the mainstream view, Picard's attitude was unrealistic, quixotic, and even dangerous. She may be right! They may both be right, and both wrong. But that was fifteen years ago, and the Federation is still going strong. Perhaps in the eyes of some it lost its luster, its air of invulnerability, its claim to the moral high ground, a process that began during DS9 times. That is hardly a "downfall", though.

So was Rome, but history happened. Not some destructive barbarian catastrophe but a massive societal change when the center of power shifted from Rome to other centers of trade and control. The same could happen with the Federation with Earth becoming a backwater as the Federation system expands and changes.

 

[SJGardner]

So was Rome, but history happened. Not some destructive barbarian catastrophe but a massive societal change when the center of power shifted from Rome to other centers of trade and control. The same could happen with the Federation with Earth becoming a backwater as the Federation system expands and changes.

Looking at how central Rome is today to the Catholic Church, it's really hard to believe its population fell to a few thousand people several times in the Middle Ages and most public buildings and churches were left to ruin because there were literally no people around to use them, especially during the Avignon Papacy. I can fully picture something happening to the Federation in the future, even if the similarities to the fall of Rome would make it dangerously similar to the Foundation series as well.

 

[Hythlodeus]

Since there's no outrage this week, should we make outragous stuff up just to get the post count rising? Because I'm totally fine with it since I'm actually outraged JL didn't greet the "Locutus?" exclaiming Borg back and gave him his well deserved autograph.

#JusticeforLocutusFanboy