Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 1x10 - "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2"

The Seven/Raffi stuff doesn't really bother me per se, but I do wish there was more buildup to it. I have a feeling there is a lot on the cutting room floor not only from "Et in Arcadia Ego" but from the entire season. Perhaps we'll get some extended episodes on the blu-ray.

 

Star Trek has never been about the ships.

 

I agree with you, but to some people, it is. Star Trek is many things to many people.

 

Blame Game of Thrones.

I like where we ended up at the end with the La Sirena crew, but feel underwhelmed with the plot that got us to this point. Very ho hum. Lot of build up and misdirect that didn't really to amount to much.

Overall, I've enjoyed it. But the last two episodes have drawn down my enthusiasm for the series.

 

No but maybe somebody should have told considering that Riker is so important to Picard. I mean, if my close friend was dying, I would want to know. Now granted, Picard did not stay dead but still. Imagine Riker flying back to Deep Space 12 and getting a message that "oh by the way, you close friend, Picard, just died.". It would suck.

 

I get that Star Trek, especially Picard, is not about ship porn. But I think the fan service would have been even better if they had done better CGI to give us a few fan favorite classes. It just felt like lazy CGI to me. But I know I am nitpicking.

 

This episode confuses the hell out of me, because elements of it were kinda meh, and elements of it were among the absolute finest I've ever, ever seen in Star Trek.

As for the "plot" side of things, this episode is full of holes and kinda collapses upon further examination. Why did the advanced synths just up and leave as soon as the beacon was turned off? Why did Oh's fleet hesitate for so long? Where the heck did that mysterious fixing machine that RIos used actually come from? Everything is contrived to be railroaded to the exact point we end up at. Mind you, I don't think the railroading is any worse than Trek has done historically, but it's there. The plotting - while better than last week - simply isn't brilliant.

In the early part of the episode, I felt like things were building to a very predictable point. However, along the way there were tons of legitimately great character moments, things like the "fireside chat" between Rios, Raffi, Elnor, and Narek, that I wish were done more throughout the season. Narissa was given a tiny bit more development as an antagonist, which was welcome. I can't say the same about Oh - every single scene with her was awful, and felt ported in from another show.

The episode began its grand inflection point when it became clear the plan wasn't to end on a giant battle - that they were going to take the very TNG standpoint that the whole point is to avoid the battle whenever possible. I always maintained the only proper way for the season to end was if the stupid prophecy of the Zhat Vash was in error, and it looks like I was right. Those advanced synths may have been malevolent (they sure looked it anyway) but they are just one of many advanced races in Trek (with varying moral compasses), and the season ultimately made it clear that conflict between organic and synthetic is not inevitable - that we have a choice to make and do not need to relive the past.

And then, the epilogue - PIcard's death and resurrection - took an episode which was just average and made it so much more. Particularly the unexpected brief re-introduction to the real Data. It was emotionally manipulative as hell, but it worked in all the right ways, tied back in to the first episode, and allowed Picard's initial arc some sort of closure. While I have some issue with the railroading of the idea that mortality is an intrinsic good in and of itself, it was all scripted and acted so beautifully that I could forget it in the moment. Probably the most feels an episode of Trek has given me since The Visitor.

8/10.

One final note: Why was Riker wearing a hairpiece when he was an acting captain?

 

I was so pleased that the big Discovery-style space battle in the trailer was a fakeout. It was like Chabon was as bored with those as I am, and what they gave us was much more my style of Star Trek.

 

That was some dumb schlock.
I am SO tired of "Please don't press the button to destroy the universe because of love something something!"-stories.

Also, Kurtzman has cured Death itself AGAIN. Now everybody can just upload their mind into robot bodies and live forever.

I'm almost as tired of those main character death fake-outs as of these don't-open-the-portal-stories...

 

One of the androids (Saga or Arcana) gave it to Rafi last episode.

 

This show had so much potential, and really felt great coming together in the beginning.
But alas - it sure turned out to be just another "ride", instead of a "story".

 

A, 11/10 for me. A lot to unpack, but wow. Synthetic alcohol, synthetic officers and now

Spoiler: Synthetic

synthetic Picard

.

Apparently Starfleet built a literal shitload of the same ship (with minor nacelle differences).

The "Picard Maneuver" done many times better. Great stuff. Riker back in action.

A lot of us certainly got a vibe re: Seven and Bjayzl.

 

I know that, I mean, where did they get it? It's something utterly beyond the technological understanding of Rios and Raffi, meaning it's not "off-the-shelf" Federation tech. It looks like everything in the little compound otherwise was brought there by Maddox and Soong. Are we supposed to believe these robot yoga instructors just construct magic-tech in their spare time?

 

It seemed that the beacon opened a portal or wormhole that the advanced synths could come through. When Soji shutdowns the beacon we see the portal close and the mechanical tendrils get pulled back in. So I guess with the portal closed, the advanced synths have no way of getting here. Although, I imagine that they would have other means of advanced transportation. So in theory, these advanced synths could still show up a bit later if they take the long way to get here. The beacon was just a convenient method because it offered instantaneous transportation.

 

You know what?
I just finished watching this episode and I have this wide happy smile on my face.. and after many many years, I can't wait for the 2nd season of a Star Trek Series (coronathingy permitting)
And this is what counts for me.
Thank you Star Trek Picard


p.s.
Best Crew Ever!!

 

Yep, that magical tool is basically a deus ex machina technobabble device. Maybe it's really Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.

So Data was in that cybernetic prison all those years and Soong and Maddox never told anyone? Why didn't they construct a body for him (a finite lifespan, human looking body like they gave Picard to give Data his dream of being human)? If Data was for some reason completely bent on terminating himself, why didn't they set up a holodeck room for him to say goodbye to friends like Geordi etc. The way this show acts, you would think Picard was his only friend.

 

Sure. Never felt that from Raffi though.

 

It’s not about the ships per se, but ships play a major part in the show.

 

There's 40 or more Super Intelligent Androids hanging around with nothing better to do than play games and think of ways to improve their surroundings.
Doesn't seem so far fetched to me that they came up with a gizmo that works on thought waves.

 

I hate the “power of wub” stuff too, but I thought this transcended that. Picard walked the walk when he was willing to die to save the synths. It wasn’t just “I wub you” but a fundamental recognition of the worth of the Other and its right to exist, even if it’s trying to kill you. That’s very Star Trek to me.

Agree that’s a mess, but I thought the musings on mortality kinda made up for it.