Just thinking it would be good to get a Raffi novel. We've had Picard, Riker-Troi, and now a Rios novel coming under the ST: Picard banner. It's time for to learn more about Raffi, her family, and how/why she became an expert on Romulans.
I sort of feel this way. I think many of the Picard characters-Raffi and Rios in particular-have potential but that it hasn't been fully realized yet. There's something interesting there, but even the first impressions weren't as strong as they were compared to DS9 or some of the other Treks. And that also goes for the supporting or side characters. I think that crime boss could've been a good recurring villain but they killed her off, and it would've been nice to get more development for Oh and Narissa (it was too late in the series by the time they tried to make Narissa a little more than a two-dimensional villain). It would've been nice to do more with Sutra as well. I think Raffi got more development than Rios did. I really didn't like the exposition dump at toward the end that explained what happened with his captain and that influenced his decision to leave Starfleet. It would've been nice to get a flashback there instead. I still wonder if I already didn't like Michelle Hurd as an actress going into Picard would I have liked the Raffi character as much if someone different was playing her? Not sure. Her development was uneven and it seemed she was almost forgotten in the second half of the series until the end. It almost felt more natural in the story to leave her to mend things with her son and then just bring her back to help out in the finale than to put her in the background in the second half.
I didn't much like Raffi initially due to her blatant Wasn't-In-TNGness which I found jarring. However, after that moment passed (about 1 minute) there was no denying there were many stories to be told about her and Picard which sequed into a sense of loss that we, the viewers, had missed out on all that. As an actress, Hurd is killing it in the role and I can absolutely see her continuing as Raffi in different shows when Picard ends. At least, I hope so.
She's also at the scene where Picard is addressing Starfleet She's the one at (representing) the UFP flag.
She was featured and developed some in the Countdown prequel comic. In fact much of her relationship with Picard is well established there, and we see her at her reliable best, then all that is pulled away from her. It ads well to her sense of betrayal and strung out cover-up conspiracy paranoia when we first meet her in series. And why Picard doesn't deny, but also doesn't surfer her wallowing or guilt trip, he just "needs" her to be back, to who and what he knows she is capable of. Knowing that's how they'll survive the rest. I agree, (after Rios for me) of the new characters Raffi would be my next choice, to get her own expansion Novel to flesh out more of her past. And while the schism with her son, was painfully tacked on cheap melodrama that doesn't interest me much, other than it's just a fact of how others faith in her crumbled, adding to her disconnect emotional and mental isolation. I am more interested in how her mind works, and her career in Satrfleet.
Thanks, I've read the Countdown prequel and I still didn't feel that was enough explanation for me, as well as introducing the too informal relationship between Picard and Raffi (I really dislike the "JL" nickname). I felt that Countdown story was too short as well. It was nice to see the new uniforms, to get some backstory on Picard's Romulan friends, and also to see the Starship Verity (though looking back I wish they hadn't made it an Odyssey-class, or a ship that resembled the an Odyssey and just saved the Odyssey-class for a live-action debut. Would've been sweet to see Riker showing up on one of those in the finale). I'm still reading Last Best Hope, which is a very slow burn for me (I've been reading it off and on for like a year now), and while it's done a little world building and provided more backstory for Raffi and her son, it felt like Una McCormack was restrained by the series and couldn't do more to flesh out the post-Nemesis (and now post-Lower Decks) galaxy. I'm over 200 pages in and they haven't even said what class the Starship Verity belongs to.
By far my favourite character of the series, in hindsight the main reason that carried me through my first watchthrough. In fact, I wished they'd done more with her, later in the season it feels to me like she's just kinda there and the show lost interest in exploring the character further. In the end I felt a little disappointed because I hoped for more actual development and I think they could have done better/more with her.
I'm a Raffi fan. I've seen some discussion on how she isolated herself and it seems that people have stated that she was rejected by everyone and a total loser and she also had a bad relationship with her son. Truth is, that is what addiction does to you. Not only do others isolate you, but you isolate yourself away from them in order to cease causing pain. I've been through it, and in my darkest times isolated myself from those around me because I was too ashamed and embarrassed to show my face. I can identify with what she is going through.
I'm honestly interested in what Season 2 holds for Raffi because the injury to her family is going to be something that isn't easily repaired and what they want from her is now going to be thrown back in their face. Her son looks at her and sees someone who chased 9/11 trutherism and drug addiction as well as abandoned her family. He also married a Romulan woman, so it's very likely he considers his mother a racist too. Except now, whenever Raffi enters the room, she's going to be, "The woman who solved the most horrifying terrorist attack in the history of the Federation's truth." She was right. You were wrong. You didn't believe in her and she's a hero for it. And yet NONE OF THAT will make their relationship any better because the emotions don't come from a place of logic.
Even if Raffi was right, that won't change her son's argument that she prioritized career and military events over her family. Superman can show his son all the times he saved the world from Lex Luthor and Doomsday, but all that will show is that he prioritized being a superhero over being a father. Raffi's son can just say that Raffi should have left the Mars massacre to Picard or other Starfleet high-ups to handle (which they basically did although Raffi was a help), and Superman's son can easily say that Superman should've retired and left superheroics to the rest of the Justice League. The worst part about a parent who prioritizes their own interests over their kids is that they'll always throw at you "Family comes first" when they feel they aren't getting enough reverence or attention or whatever from the kids. But they don't consider it a two way street. Family doesn't come first when you need them. I know this from experience having had hypocritical parents like that. Anyway this is all pointless as in all likelihood in Season 2 Spoiler Raffi will likely be shown a galaxy where the Mars massacre never happened. Whether it improves her relationship with her family or actually make no difference at all remains to be seen.
I never got the vibe that Raffi's son (or his wife) perceived her as a racist or anti-Romulan. If anything, she was obsessed with saving them.
I got the impression she believed the Romulans were behind the attack (no kidding) and that was a bad look. Raffi reacted to his Romulan wife with a, "Oh Lord" kind of expression too.
Looking forward to seeing more of Raffi! I feel like her character is stuck in concept-mode the whole time, where the details of her character as part of the plot overshadowed any chance of her making a character out of her character. This is kinda true for all the Picard characters, but I think I like Raffi the most because she's not the type of Starfleet officer we've seen before and I'm always down for that. The parts we get, she acts very well. But the content...not so great; very by the books TV drama type of stuff. So I'm looking forward to any expansion and depth they can write for her. Hopefully we can see more of Raffi *being Raffi* and less of Raffi just doing *Raffi things* like be drunk and mad and hack things, if that makes sense.