Spoilers Episode 7 "Nepenthe"

[Lakenheath 72]

Responding to an earlier question, it's bad when you don't have an investment in the characters and you just want the answers to these questions, especially if you have already come to the conclusion that any answers you get will be derivative and pedestrian. You don't want to spend another season with the show, being stringed along with bread crumbs to keep you interested on the path, hoping that the show will not end its run unexpectedly, leaving you with a rushed ending or a cliffhanger which you learn might be resolved in novels and comics, which might not be canon.

 

[jaime]

Picard and Beverly, their child, Data and Lal, Typhon Pact, Bashir and Section 31, new DS9, Admiral Riker, the incompatibles are more than Borg.

Even where major novelverse developments haven't been expressly contradicted yet, there's no reason to presume they occurred in the on screen continuity.

Anyhow, this is diverting this thread when it's got a thread or two of it's own :

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/new...y-may-contain-tv-show-spoilers.295360/page-83

Sorry, I had begun thinking in the vein of how Kirstens VOY books kind of stay in with just that one change, and forget to include that when I wrote up my thinking XD

 

[Doc Mugatu]

Another "10" from me. I enjoyed "Nepenthe" more the second time than the first (and I loved it the first time).

Anyone else thinking or hoping Captain Crandell turns out to be Q?

Saddened by the death of Hugh, and still feel it was a needless waste of potential.

Of course it was great to see Will and Deanna again. Not body shaming (as I too am of the husky persuasion) however Frakes appeared HUGE on screen (and I mean Frankenstein's monster type HUGE).

Thought it was brilliant how Chabon and the writers used the death of the Riker's son to illustrate and acknowledge how short sighted and wrong the ban on synth research was. It never added up but at least it was addressed.

Soji's turmoil was both well scripted and acted. Again, her trauma causing her to holdback trusting. Did not love the Kestra character however she did serve the purpose needed so ultimately she was fine.

Surprised at how quickly, almost eager, Rios was to flip on Raffi. Not saying it wasn't completely without merit however, in the scheme of things, it was Jurati who was acting more and more squirrely.

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

Of course it was great to see Will and Deanna again. Not body shaming (as I too am of the husky persuasion) however Frakes appeared HUGE on screen (and I mean Frankenstein's monster type HUGE).

Frakes has always had a few inches on Stewart, and he is definitely not the skinny guy he was in Encounter at Farpoint, but I think a lot of the size difference in Nepenthe was due to camera angles and Picard shrinking a bit from old age.

On another note, I'd like to acknowledge the sweet brotherly kiss that Picard and Riker exchanged. It is refreshing to see two hetero men not afraid to show affection in that way. I (a hetero male) still give my father and adult brother a peck, and I kiss my son (and intend to continue into his adulthood). I find it sad that a lot of men cannot show affection in that way.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I don’t take it literally that Riker being called commander by Picard meant that he was demoted. Kestra called Picard captain, even though he’s an admiral. Its all just a force of habit. However, since Troi said they lived on starships, not starship, what happened to his command of the Titan? Riker is still in active reserve in Starfleet. So, was he removed from command of the Titan? Was it destroyed? Or did he leave the Titan voluntarily?

To be fair, you could refer to Picard as a captain as commanding officer of a vessel, which could be done at any rank.

That said, I don't know why Picard calling Riker "commander" needs any explanation. It could just be a production screw-up, not some in-universe slight.

 

[AlanC9]

Might as well think of it as an in-universe error. Both types of error would come from the same source, right? Using the most often used term when addressing someone even though it is no longer correct.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Anyone else thinking or hoping Captain Crandell turns out to be Q?

I've seen several comments here that suggest Captain Crandall might be Q. What dialogue was said that made this a possibility?

 

[Doc Mugatu]

I've seen several comments here that suggest Captain Crandall might be Q. What dialogue was said that made this a possibility?

According to Kestra he's been everywhere and knew immediately the location of the synth home world. Also a big dose of wishful thinking.

 

[BrotherBenny]

@BrotherBenny
the books/comics are never canon

Well aware of that, thank you. Never said they were. I just thought they were trying to keep things consistent.

 

[DaveyNY]

Well aware of that, thank you. Never said they were. I just thought they were trying to keep things consistent.

They are only trying to keep things consistent with the books that actually deal with the PICARD time period.

But there are a bunch of other things that They have borrowed (absconded with?) from many of the older Trek Novels both in this show and DISCOVERY.

 

[cooleddie74]

Crandall isn't Q but could be a Starfleet Intelligence operative helping the Rikers and Picard because he suspects something is going on back on Earth.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Crandall isn't Q but could be a Starfleet Intelligence operative helping the Rikers and Picard because he suspects something is going on back on Earth.

He's just a crazy old man.

 

[Greg Cox]

Which book would that be? I'm a little behind on my Trek reading.

Also, I thought Dayton Ward's new position adds consultant was primarily to try and keep the meta consistent between the existing books and the new TV series.

I think that only applies to any new books from now on. Nobody ever said they were going to try to be consistent with books from the pre-PICARD era.

To be clear, this is how it has always worked with TV tie-in books, and not just STAR TREK. The books have to be consistent with the TV shows, but the TV shows are not obliged to be consistent with the books. The tail does not wag the dog.

 

[cooleddie74]

He's just a crazy old man.

Obi-Wan Kenobi crossover confirmed!

 

[Tuskin38]

Soji's Data like head tilt wasn't a scripted part of the character, it was something Isa brought to the character. So the writers must have seen her do that in the earlier episode on the Cube and added that line about Riker noticing it to this episode's script.

I don't remember where I saw that now, it was either Chabon's instagram or 'Ready Room'.

 

[Noname Given]

Late to the party (as always) but is there an explanation for Thad being their firstborn as opposed to Tasha in the books? I thought they were trying to stay consistent?

Since when are Star Trek novels considered Canon?

She wasn't aware of Elnor when she put the knife to Hugh's throat the first time, all she wanted was Picard's destination and when he refused the XB's were shot, he still refused but she said she couldn't touch him due to the treaty.
Mind you I have only watched it once.

I think she knew someone else was there because there's no way Hugh or Picard would have been able to dispatch so many Romulan guards; not to mention the manner in which these guards were dispatched.

 

[Tuskin38]

Also, I thought Dayton Ward's new position adds consultant was primarily to try and keep the meta consistent between the existing books and the new TV series.

Nope.

And will the books retcon stuff to stay consistent?

The current Novel'verse will probably end soon.

 

[11Alive]

Quite possibly the best episode yet, although almost completely because of the scenes on Nepenthe rather than on the Artifact or the ship. Great character interplay and development between Picard, Riker and Troi, which is something that was rather absent in previous episodes. Even with Seven, who didn't really seem like she was fleshed out in her episode. Sirtis and Frakes really seem like they've grown into the characters even more than when TNG was on the air or in the TNG movies. No more commander and crew. It was old friends getting together, comfortably enjoying each others' company. In fact, I would say this episode is easily better than any episode of The Mandalorian, hands down, and more enjoyable than virtually every TNG episode.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Soji's Data like head tilt wasn't a scripted part of the character, it was something Isa brought to the character. So the writers must have seen her do that in the earlier episode on the Cube and added that line about Riker noticing it to this episode's script.

I don't remember where I saw that now, it was either Chabon's instagram or 'Ready Room'.

As simple a thing as a head tilt is, it was absolutely, perfectly Data-like.

 

[Gibraltar]

As is the lecturing of Picard. This time, Troi gets to slap him down, after a bizarrely insensitive moment on his part that seems to exist just to set up another lecture.

Remember that we're dealing with a man who is suffering the early stages of an Alzheimer's-like neural disease. His outburst against Starfleet during his media interview was an example of Picard becoming increasingly unable to control his emotions. I interpreted his unnecessary sarcasm towards Soji as another 'slip' of his famed mental and emotional discipline.