Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 2x02 - "Penance"

[Tuskin38]

From Trek Core. There's Miles O'Brien, Tasha Yar and Tuvok name drops here

https://blog.trekcore.com/2022/03/star-trek-picard-review-penance/

 

[Lord Exor]

Might it have something to do with the fact that she is the last remaining Borg?
She is finding out what it's like to be truly alone.

She's not an AI though--I think? When the neurolytic pathogen began to sever the Queen from the hive in "Endgame," she didn't revert to robotic and frenzied behavior. Granted, it was only for a few minutes before the Unicomplex exploded.

 

[Tomalak]

Just loved that. I mean, sure the dark Confederation scenes would probably hit better if Disco hadn't heavily mined the mirror universe already, but it still worked well for me. At least they resisted the temptation to give everyone evil beards.

I can only echo what others have said - Stewart and De Lancie were just stunning in the opening scene. I don't think Q has ever been so menacing as he was here. It was a perfectly written scene too.

I'd avoided spoilers so laughed out loud when it was revealed who Seven was. Jeri Ryan was outstanding in this episode. She didn't quite feel like Seven to me in S1, but this was a flawless performance.

The rest, I'm glad Elnor got a bit more to do because he's so endearing. I really hope he's not dead, that would be way too cheap. I'm guessing they'll have to rush him to some 21st century hospital and get a taste of medical care for the uninsured.

The episode flew by for me, and that cliffhanger was excruciating! Going to be a long week.

And they even gave us Niners a load of fun references to chew on!

 

[CorporalClegg]

So is no one going to mention the sheer awesomeness of Patton Oswalt as a snarky, self-aware cartoon cat?

 

[Tomalak]

From Trek Core. There's Miles O'Brien, Tasha Yar and Tuvok name drops here

https://blog.trekcore.com/2022/03/star-trek-picard-review-penance/

I guess in this timeline General Sisko found the wormhole, destroyed the Prophets and came back with an armada to obliterate the Dominion.

 

[Scionz]

So I loved that episode 9/10 easily.
Quick points

• The Confederation of Earth is excellent so far. The Mirror Universe is just stupid now. Yeah, the Discovery revamp made it more stylish, but agony booths, everyone carrying daggers, random assassinations for promotions, megalomaniacal behavior. It was too fantastical in a sense. It almost went out of its way to have everyone wearing Spock's beard in a sense. This altered timeline seems like a more competent, more banal and more effective totalitarianism. Apparently they've conquered or exterminated everyone in local space, not to mention the entire Borg of the Delta Quadrant. Their ruthless, but effective. It's much more relatable. I think the way the captain of the other ship talked to Rios was very important. This isn't the lunatics of the Mirror Universe. These are serious monsters... seriously successful ones. And the fascist imagery is spot on.
• 
  
• I like what they're doing with Q. There is something going on with him. He seemed genuinely distressed at Picard's aging. I wonder if there is going to end up being some link there to what's going on with Q. They did touch on all the elements of Q in the episode - from Q referencing games multiple times (many of his trials in TNG were phrased as games) to Picard having an almost fan-like perspective of Q, that he ran his scenarios until a task was completed and a point was man. I like how this iteration of Q is a molding of the menacing Q from Encounter at Farpoint, Q Who? and All Good Things, but there were elements of the "friendemy Q" from Tapestry and Q-Less.
• 
  
• Loved General Picard's hall of trophies. Given the diversity of the props there - from First Contact spacewalk phaser rifle to Bajoran rifles to other equipment, it sure looks like they finally raided the CBS Star Trek archive for props, which they should have done more in Season 1. The DS9 references were much appreciated. Getting Martok's skull wrong is annoying but minor (it's just a skull). The horrible Klingon redesign needs to go away. It's not good and they'll never make it good. Also "General Sisko". Loved it. I wonder how much of a monster Sisko is in this timeline.
• I really liked the Confederation's Starfleet Uniforms. Brilliant to combine the 2400 uniform design with the militant First Contact Uniform colors. It REALLY works. It may even work better than the Prime timeline color selection. But I think it offers a useful contrast between the optimistic (again) 25th century and the militarized one of the Confederation. After all, the 2370s were a really bad decade for the Galaxy in our timeline.

• I like the cast so much more this season. They're all acting so much better. Their lines are better. Their uses are better. Everyone here is likable and cool. This is finally a good group in its own right, not some kind of replacement cast. Unlike long stretches of Season 1, they're very watchable. I especially like what they're doing with Elnor and Giradi.
• 
  
• I really liked how they mentioned the alternate timeline Borg Queen was "more typical", carrying forward that the Queen that showed up in Episode 1 (if it was the Queen) was unexpectedly different. The redesign is fine. It's close enough. I liked how Seven said that the queens can sense other queens through time and space. Very interesting.
• 
  
• In case you missed it, the forum for the Eradication Day ceremony was entirely meant to echo the Court of Q in Encounter at Farpoint and All Good things. You had the cheering mobs, somewhat unkempt, in bleachers to the right and left. you had a central, circular raised middle platform. You had red flags. Also looking at pictures, I never noticed it before but the sets in EaFP and AGT are actually different, if similar sets.
• 
  
• We don't get to see Patrick Stewart act as a villain nearly enough. Man he acted the shit out of General Picard. I loved it.
• Speculation: So we're going back into 2024. What happens in 2024? Well there is a Presidential election we know. But I can't believe the show will go in that obvious a direction. But one change prevented the founding of United Earth as we know it, and the UFP. My guess? Something or someone didn't do what they were supposed to, so World War III never happened in the 2050s. Humanity was never taken to the brink and made to face its own demise. As a result, United Earth never formed. And instead political, national and ecological damage to the planet continued until we became space faring and turned it against other worlds. Our own wars turned us into, in essence, the Klingon Empire to the 10th power. One part Klingon, one part Romulan, one part Cardassian. A truly monstrous mix that was able to annihilate all its enemies, everywhere. That might be the moral dilemmia of the show: fix history but enable World War III in which 600 million die, which is the essential crucible to founding the Earth that bridges the gap between the once hostile species of local space into the UFP. Or instead avoid World War III, but Earth continues down a dark path to become an interstellar empire mightier than any we've seen in Star Trek up to this point.

The pandemic delay has helped a lot of productions. I'm convinced it helped tighten the hell out of this show at every level. We're 2 episodes in, and it made me forget about the problems of season 1 entirely. More!


.

 

[CorporalClegg]

The Confederation of Earth is excellent so far. The Mirror Universe is just stupid now.

It was always stupid.

As I mentioned in another thread, the MU was never meant to be anything more than an outlet to have evil Kirk. This instead builds the entire conceit from the ground up.

 

[Scionz]

I guess in this timeline the General Sisko found the wormhole, destroyed the Prophets and came back with an armada to obliterate the Dominion.

If there is the Metreon Cascade in the Alpha Quadrant, and all Borg in the galaxy are destroyed, the Confederation of Earth (a name I love btw) might have a means of interstellar transport faster than warp to reach the far side of the galaxy. Quantum Slipstream or access to the Borg Transwarp network. Wouldn't need the Wormhole to make it to the Gamma Quadrant that way.

I'd really love to see the Dominion go up against an Earth living out dark side though. They'd never stand a chance.

 

[Tomalak]

If there is the Metreon Cascade in the Alpha Quadrant, and all Borg in the galaxy are destroyed, the Confederation of Earth (a name I love btw) might have a means of interstellar transport faster than warp to reach the far side of the galaxy. Quantum Slipstream or access to the Borg Transwarp network. Wouldn't need the Wormhole to make it to the Gamma Quadrant that way.

I'd really love to see the Dominion go up against an Earth living out dark side though. They'd never stand a chance.

I guess the equivalent of the Section 31 virus would have wiped out the Founders, leaving only some very angry Jem'Hadar to fight.

 

[Tuskin38]

The horrible Klingon redesign needs to go away. It's not good and they'll never make it good.

That's an opinion many would disagree with, and they really improved it in DSC Season 2.

 

[Rahul]

Holy shit that was some absolute grade-A trash! Like, absolutey, utter insanely schlock. And I absolutely enjoyed it

Like, let's be honest, this is absolutely not the Star Trek I want. I love the thoughtfullness of TNG, the camp of TOS. The long, drought speeches, the discussions in the lounge rooms about the ethics of robots and whom to help and whom not. This one has nothing to do with it. This is here is an absolutely garbage fire of insanity. "Starship Troopers" without the irony, completely played straight. But god damn if it's not entertaining in it's own way! Pure madness. SO MUCH happening. So fast. So fully commited. And without any pretense. Just pure, unadultered fun.

For one day, I hope Star Trek to return to it's more grounded science fiction roots and give me some stuff to seriously think abou. Until then - I hope whatever shit they produce is at least as entertaining as this was! I hope they keep that pace up.

 

[Tuskin38]

I love the thoughtfullness of TNG, the camp of TOS. The long, drought speeches, the discussions in the lounge rooms about the ethics of robots and whom to help and whom not.

So Prodigy and Lower Decks (sort of).

For one day, I hope Star Trek to return to it's more grounded science fiction roots and give me some stuff to seriously think about.

Strange New Worlds based on what they've told us and what the trailer has shown at least.

 

[Scionz]

That's an opinion many would disagree with, and they really improved it in DSC Season 2.

Ooof, hard disagree. They tried to unfuck it in Season 2 by adding TNG/DS9/Voyager elements to it, but not letting go of additional lousy aspects. The clawed hands, the weird purple skin, the strange necks, the 4 nostril noses, the puffy cheekbones and chins.

And then they finally introduced the D-7, 90% the way to a K'tinga, which is great, and put the awful Season 1 ship design behind them.

I'm not an adversary to change to visual canon whatsoever. I entirely bought the different look of Starfleet in Discovery Season 1 and 2. I'm very cool with the Discoprise (though I wish it had straight pylons). The Picard Season 1 Borg redesign I was fine with. The changes to Tellarites and Andorians have been perfectly acceptable.

I don't like the Klingon redesign because it's not a good alien design, period. It looks like an expensive bad Voyager alien-of-the-week. I think i'd like it more if they gave them typical Klingon skintones, rather than the extremely weird purple, grey, blue and slate black ones they gave, and normal hands. It's just layers of crappy change on crappy change.

As I said before, this show spent 2 seasons getting away from Bryan Fuller's mishandling of it and the mess of development ideas about "what the next Trek show would be" that pre-dated Season 1. Going to the 32nd century saved the show and I deeply enjoy Discovery now. I hope SNW does the 2250s with much more finesse now that Star Trek seemingly has found its own two feet again. But as much as I enjoyed parts of Season 1 and Season 2 of Discovery, i put the Klingon design, and many other aspects of the, firmly into the "we're a new production crew figuring out Star Trek", which is, to be fair, pretty much exactly why TNG Season 1 and 2 were uneven. Gene brought back some vets, but it was a lot of new people behind the scenes, figuring out what Star Trek was and (along with Gene) not really wanted to be tethered to what came before.

 

[GulBahana]

He's obviously gonna talk to the version of Guinan in 2024 to get help. What event would cause a society to go to that extreme? Did the post-atomic horror still take place?

 

[Tomalak]

I appreciated the idea of the Klingon redesign, to make them feel truly alien rather than the eighties hair metal biker gang from TNG/DS9. The whole ‘Remain Klingon’ deal wouldn’t have worked if they looked too human.

But it just didn’t work in practice. The STID Klingons were great, but that was a step too far. I'm pretty sure if/when Worf appears, it'll be the Worf we know and love.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

He's obviously gonna talk to the version of Guinan in 2024 to get help. What event would cause a society to go to that extreme? Did the post-atomic horror still take place?

Part of Guinan has been outside of time and space since she went into the Nexus, then got pulled back out.

They've never made it clear if that is what makes her more sensitive to these kinds of things than the normal El-Aurian, or if they are former Q's themselves.

 

[fireproof78]

They just need a balance in the two approaches. Dude bro space vikings needs to stop.

 

[Scionz]

He's obviously gonna talk to the version of Guinan in 2024 to get help. What event would cause a society to go to that extreme? Did the post-atomic horror still take place?

My guess is that something in 2024 changed to prevent World War III. and because of that no United Earth in its ashes, having faced our own collective mortality and learning to live with each other, and then consequently, no UFP.

In its place was decades or centuries more of nationalism, planetary warfare, and ecological damage that, when it was resolved at some point, produced the fascist Confederation of Earth that has elements of the Klingon Empire, Romulan Sar Empire and Cardassian Union all rolled up into one, with a bit of our own flair of it. And it turned out to be an interstellar empire so dangerous and effective it wiped out all its rivals, and waged simultaneous wars against the Dominion and the Borg, and eradicated the latter.

In short, absent a crucible that turned humanity towards peace, a different sort of crucible turned it towards conquest, and as it turns out, we ended up being much, much better at it than any of the Empires we know in the Prime timeline. This is why I really like the Confederation idea - it's competent evil. Effective evil. It's much more interesting than the buffoonery of the Mirror Universe.

 

[DarKush]

I didn't like this episode as much as the premiere, but still much more than season one. I liked this take on a dark, twisted version of the Federation more than DISCO's Mirror Universe, which went overboard (even though that was in keeping with mostly with how the Mirror Universe had already been depicted).

I thought the costuming and production values were very good. I liked the Confederation uniforms-which reminded me of the Prodigy uniforms. I liked how this cast has gelled. I'm starting to get a feel that these are real characters, and I'm liking more of what I see, even Jurati. I feel that Pill is getting better writing in particular. I wasn't a fan of the return of Raffi calling "JL" but considering the circumstance, I got it.

The take on the Borg Queen was interesting. It will also be interesting to see why the crew needs to go back to 2024 to change the future. I really liked the DS9 nods in this episode and I'm hoping the Bell Riots get mentioned when the crew gets to the 21st century.

A quibble is the way the episode ended, on a "cliffhanger" with the Magistrate about to kill our heroes. We already know that's not going to happen, so I would've preferred that it ended when the La Sirena was either about to do the slingshot or was in the middle of it.

 

[cooleddie74]

My guess is we're probably getting that Bell Riots reference and then some.