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

[cooleddie74]

That's got to hurt, though. Saving only 10,000 out of 900 million is like being tasked with evacuating a city the size of Jacksonville, Florida from an approaching natural disaster but being able to load only 10 citizens inside a couple of vehicles, driving them to safety and then being told the vehicle caravan will be stopped. You throw a fit and quit your job in frustration over the decision and go home to boil in anger while the other 899,990 citizens of Jacksonville die.

 

[Gonzo]

Why is every single Picard forum thread I go into today making me roll my eyes? It's tiresome.

No more new episodes for a while.

There is going to be a lot of wheel spinning going on.

 

[137th Gebirg]

This whole CV-19 thing may actually usher in a whole new era of animated series.

Live action shows require sets, actors, locations, lots of off-camera crew, craft services and other support staff, etc. Highly impractical in today's environment.

However, animation can literally all be done at home. Writers do their thing. Set up recording studios in actors' homes, send the audio assets to the editors, conceptual artists and animators can use their own workstations to build and deploy video files, etc., all over the web. It could really work.

 

[Dukhat]

This whole CV-19 thing may actually usher in a whole new era of animated series.

Live action shows require sets, actors, locations, lots of off-camera crew, craft services and other support staff, etc. Highly impractical in today's environment.

However, animation can literally all be done at home. Writers do their thing. Set up recording studios in actors' homes, send the audio assets to the editors, conceptual artists and animators can use their own workstations to build and deploy video files, etc., all over the web. It could really work.

I have a recording studio. They can hire me!

 

[cooleddie74]

Star Trek: The Earth-Romulan War.

Starring the voice talents of Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, John Billingsley, Linda Park, Anthony Montgomery and Jeffrey Combs. Streaming on CBS All Access.

Hey. A guy can dream.

 

[USS Fardell]

Et In Arcadia Ego Overall two part review
The finale two parter. Overall, it is more similar to The Next Generation in tone than the previous episodes were. Quite nostalgic. Most of the plot threads that had run through the season converge to a conclusion as events come to a head on Coppelius. But was it satisfying? Yes. There are at least six different threads to tie up. The crew on La Sirena, Narek, Elnor, Seven and the other XBs on the Artefact, Oh and the Zhat Vash fleet, Riker and the Synths on the planet below. Quite a lot to deal with.
Of course, when it comes to La Sirena, the tale mainly focuses on Picard, although Jurati and Rios also get some time in the spotlight. Picard confronting his mortality as neurological condition took it's toll was done rather well (even if him ending up in a Synth body seems anticlimatic). Narek's story seemed to be a sideline, with the him seeming to be forgotten by the end of the second episode. Even so,he did play a role. His strategeum of projecting a fake image of his ship in the fight against La Sirena.
And his relating of the Gamadan history/prophecy to Rios, Raffi and Elnor was also an important part of the story. Most of the XBs may have been sidelined, but Seven also played an important role. (Not sure what to make of that moment at the end between her and Raffi at the end of the episode.) The Romulan fleet seemed to stall as it came to the point of firing at the Synth settlement. It wasn't just the Orchids, or Riker's fleet getting in the way. She deliberately stalled. (Maybe having second thoughts?)
(Or Maybe not.) Riker leading the fleet was good, but the ships being mostly the same class (or two very similiar classes) strikes me as laziness. At least the ships look good, and a natural development from 25 years earlier. But it is the Synths (and Soong) who play the most important part in the story. Sutra may be synthetic, but it seems that she was as much a victim of the Admonition as Jurati was. Brainwashed into doing something she wouldn't have otherwise done. Her killing of Saga can be compared with the murder of Maddox in that way.
(Although what would become of her after Soong deactivated her would be an interesting question. It most likely isn't the same as what happened to Lore). There are also the extra-Galactic Synths. What is their motivation, and is there any link to those who created V'Ger from Voyager 6? More on this in the complete season review. (Not sure why they would retreat when the beacon is turned off.) Overall it's an interesting ending to a rather good season. 8.9/10.

 

[Admiral Jean-Luc Picard]

This whole CV-19 thing may actually usher in a whole new era of animated series.

Live action shows require sets, actors, locations, lots of off-camera crew, craft services and other support staff, etc. Highly impractical in today's environment.

However, animation can literally all be done at home. Writers do their thing. Set up recording studios in actors' homes, send the audio assets to the editors, conceptual artists and animators can use their own workstations to build and deploy video files, etc., all over the web. It could really work.

I'm not interested in cartoons. I want to watch movies and TV shows, actors on sets, giving performances. I'd rather wait for COVID-19 to blow over than settle for cartoons.

 

[fireproof78]

I'm not interested in cartoons. I want to watch movies and TV shows, actors on sets, giving performances. I'd rather wait for COVID-19 to blow over than settle for cartoons.

Why not both?

 

[cooleddie74]

TAS helped bridge the gap between 1969 and 1979 and served a good purpose and role in keeping Trek alive with new material. I'll take any new Trek in 2020 whether live action or animated.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Exactly.

 

[cooleddie74]

I mean, some Trek is better than others but if the only other option is NO Trek then how is that a good option?

I know Lower Decks has kid-friendly, goofy animation but that doesn't mean it won't be good.

 

[137th Gebirg]

My one concern with all these new shows coming up is the possibility of oversaturation. It was probably one of the reasons Enterprise didn’t do as well as it should have, coming in on the heels of nearly 15 years of three Berman-era series running continuously with each other, with several years of overlap. By the time Voyager was established, it was the same thing nearly every episode and Enterprise generally followed that trend. They will need to keep the writing fresh for these new shows and avoid getting stuck in formulaic ruts. History dictates failure if they don’t.

 

[SolarisOne]

My one concern with all these new shows coming up is the possibility of oversaturation. It was probably one of the reasons Enterprise didn’t do as well as it should have, coming in on the heels of nearly 15 years of three Berman-era series running continuously with each other, with several years of overlap. By the time Voyager was established, it was the same thing nearly every episode and Enterprise generally followed that trend. They will need to keep the writing fresh for these new shows and avoid getting stuck in formulaic ruts. History dictates failure if they don’t.

The varying formats of the shows alone pretty much guarantee a very different environment from the one in the late 90s/early 00s. All of the Berman-era shows were the same exact kind of show, just wearing different masks.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Excellent point. There’s also the notion that animation does not necessarily mean traditional 2D cartoon. There could also be 3D CG-based animated series akin to Star Wars’ Clone Wars, Rebels and Resistance. But you’re absolutely right - if Trek is to survive in this current generation, variety in its core DNA going forward will be absolutely critical in maintaining its longevity.

 

[fireproof78]

My one concern with all these new shows coming up is the possibility of oversaturation. It was probably one of the reasons Enterprise didn’t do as well as it should have, coming in on the heels of nearly 15 years of three Berman-era series running continuously with each other, with several years of overlap. By the time Voyager was established, it was the same thing nearly every episode and Enterprise generally followed that trend. They will need to keep the writing fresh for these new shows and avoid getting stuck in formulaic ruts. History dictates failure if they don’t.

That was a lack of risk taking, in my opinion. There wasn't a huge amount of real variety in those shows. The color palettes were even largely the same.

Also, even if we get in to "oversaturation" I'll take that risk.

 

[Lord Garth]

I'm in the middle of re-watching DSC Season 2. I think it's different enough from PIC that I don't feel like they're more of the same. I'm certainly not expecting Lower Decks to be more of the same either. I'm indifferent about Lower Decks. But, then again, I said the same thing about Picard. So we'll see what I really think when it's actually out.

I didn't get fed up with B&B overnight. It took until 1998, going into 1999. So it was quite a while. And I like the Kurtzman Era better than the Berman Era, so I'd think it would take me longer to become sick of Kurtzman Trek. If it makes it to the point where I want someone else to take over, then it'll have truly run the distance.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure people's opinions of TOS would've been different if it had lasted until the early-'80s. (And I feel like I just went off into a tangent. Don't blame me! It's late at night. Or is it early in the morning? Either way... )

 

[LtCmdrSchaefer]

The prospect of Lower Decks is a difficult one for me it could turn out to be great but I'm slightly worried it becomes a Sci-Fi Downton Abbey.

I do hope they avoid the Disney route which has been taken with Star Wars where the milk it for every last drop. Marvel has kinda gone the same way too with all these new series coming to the screens in the next few years. I'd be happy to see Picard and Discovery carry on for a few seasons. If a Movie was naturally forthcoming then fair enough but I don't really fancy having about 4 or 5 concurrent series especially when they are all set in different eras.

 

[F. King Daniel]

My one concern with all these new shows coming up is the possibility of oversaturation. It was probably one of the reasons Enterprise didn’t do as well as it should have, coming in on the heels of nearly 15 years of three Berman-era series running continuously with each other, with several years of overlap. By the time Voyager was established, it was the same thing nearly every episode and Enterprise generally followed that trend. They will need to keep the writing fresh for these new shows and avoid getting stuck in formulaic ruts. History dictates failure if they don’t.

While I've been impressed with how different Picard was in tone and feel from Disco, oversaturation is inevitable. I'm just gonna buckle up and enjoy the next couple of years before Trek drowns in itself.

 

[Kpnuts]

I do hope they avoid the Disney route which has been taken with Star Wars where the milk it for every last drop. Marvel has kinda gone the same way too with all these new series coming to the screens in the next few years.

Star Wars has released 5 films in 6 years, and has no film scheduled for at least the next three years.
Marvel released 20 films in 10 years and had originally scheduled 4 films and 4 tv series just for 2020 and 2021.

Marvel hasn't "kinda gone the same way", they're the definition of milking something.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

While I've been impressed with how different Picard was in tone and feel from Disco, oversaturation is inevitable. I'm just gonna buckle up and enjoy the next couple of years before Trek drowns in itself.

I think having much shorter seasons which are much more spread out and exploring different facets of the trek universe is going to do a lot to minimise the burnout. Discovery is heading to the 32nd century and odds are they are going to stay there. There's probably going to be a Pike series (which I think is going to take the place of a Section 31 series), Picard is exploring the 24th century far away from starfleet and then there is Lower decks. There is a lot there for people to choose from and a lot of new stories that would never have been told in past trek, in those various settings. Guaranteed we will never get an episode where Rios is accused of murdering an alien scientist while also being accused to making a move on the scientists wife (looks in Rikers and Tom Paris's general direction)

90's trek was generally fine until Voyager came along and tried it's hardest to be TNG without any substance and the wheels fell off with Enterprise. Continually recycling stories, formulaic writing, recurrent use of the reset button and basically treating the fanbase like idiots is what made people so angry with the franchise under Berman and Braga. Say what you want about modern trek but it does none of those things.