Seven episodes in, and I have to be honest, this 21st century plot has lost me. Largely because I do not understand as to why 2024 is the setting for this story.
The season started off strong with the Stargazer and a Federation fleet facing off against a re-emergent Borg. Afterwards, Q returned and we saw the Confederation, where Picard is not a paragon of virtue that presents the Federation, but a totalitarian madman leading the Confederation of Earth. We did not stay there long because the change that leads to the Confederation supposedly happens in 2024, as that’s the year the Europa mission occurs, with Renee Picard as a part of the crew. And Renee, who overcomes her issues with anxiety to do the mission, will discover an organism on Io during that mission.
Now when 2024 is mentioned in regards to Trek, its brings to mind the events of “Past Tense” and particularly the Bell Riots. And we know that event is important enough that San Francisco is a much rougher environment in 2048 than how it was supposed to be. Season two of PIC being set just under five months from that event suggests there will be a backstory as to how those events happened. How they “let everything get so bad” as Bashir put it.
But for a season that has been dropping all of these easter eggs regarding Trek – and easter eggs being dropped is a feature of Kurtzman Trek in general - nothing of actual meaning seems to be occurring in relation to these events. No mention of Picard being vaguely familiar with the name Bell. No discussion at the gala by the attendants regarding the political climate and someone named Chen either being the governor of California or about to win a recall for governor within a week and being in favour of raids by ICE and other law enforcement agencies. Nothing suggesting naivety about how the sanctuary districts in San Francisco are seen as being the safest in the nation and how riots or violence in general would never happen there. Nothing about the introduction of UHC cards being the latest way to make life comfortable for the residents of sanctuary districts. Even for characters like Teresa or Renee, not even an easter egg of having Gabriel Bell (and Rain Robinson too, since this season is set in LA) on a contacts list on either of their phones to suggest a connection to them. At least then, those easter eggs make sense and help with everything taking place being consequential. All we’ve seen is a sanctuary district to remind us that we are in 2024 and that’s it.
If the change had been in say, 2155, due to John Frederick Paxton being successful in destroying Starfleet Command and speaking at the founding ceremony of Confederation six year later (to be the polar opposite of Archer and the founding of the Federation), or in the late 2060s where first contact was with the Kzinti instead of the Vulcans, that would make sense. And would even benefit the writers as they would not have to worry about fitting their story within continuity at all. But for whatever reason, 2024 is the setting. Not 2023 or 2025, even though the story told so far in PIC S2 could have fit in either year. Europa mission could still happen in either year. Adam Soong trying to find a cure for Kore could have happened in either year. Neither of which seem to be connected to Gabriel Bell and sanctuary districts at all, aside from rich people being focused on fixing problems they deem important to themselves. So, exactly like today basically. Now one of those detainees freed by Raffi and Seven turning out to be a really bad person and causing someone important to die would be a timeline altering event, but there’s no indication that it will bite them in the ass, and even if it does that only happens because the La Sirena crew was brought to 2024 in the first place.
Now, there is a possibility that 2024 is actually a representation of the Q Continuum. We’ve seen the Q Continuum be represented by events and places relatable to humans, in the form of the American civil war to represent to civil war in the Continuum, and a station by a road in the desert to represent a stagnant Continuum. Since Raffi mentioned how 2024 is the world that exits before it all fell apart, its possible that 2024 is a warning that the Continuum is about to fall apart. The thing is we don’t really know what it means in term of when everything falls apart. There is no fixed date for that. Which means we have no real reason as to why 2024 would be chosen as the representation of the Q Continuum over 2023 or 2025, as the only real significance to them is that Sisko took the role of Bell during the Bell Riots. And we know that Sisko’s path is guided by the Prophets, and that Sisko did punch Q. Are the Q trying to stay out of the Prophet’s way while signaling something to Picard regarding Sisko and the Prophets?
But then the Borg are involved as well. And it’s known that Q, as the being that introduced Picard to the Borg, also does not want to provoke the Borg. And I’m sure that there is no love lost between Sisko and the Borg either, just as the Federation has no love lost for the Borg. Although the Federation is sure comfortable using Borg tech for their starships
And on top of this, this all relates to Picard being reluctant to explore himself in relation to love, according to Guinan. And Picard not changing in the way that matters, according to Q.
With what has been seen so far, I don’t feel like anything important is being said with the story this season at all. At least anything that relates to needing 2024 to be the setting this season for all of the ongoing plots.
The season started off strong with the Stargazer and a Federation fleet facing off against a re-emergent Borg. Afterwards, Q returned and we saw the Confederation, where Picard is not a paragon of virtue that presents the Federation, but a totalitarian madman leading the Confederation of Earth. We did not stay there long because the change that leads to the Confederation supposedly happens in 2024, as that’s the year the Europa mission occurs, with Renee Picard as a part of the crew. And Renee, who overcomes her issues with anxiety to do the mission, will discover an organism on Io during that mission.
Now when 2024 is mentioned in regards to Trek, its brings to mind the events of “Past Tense” and particularly the Bell Riots. And we know that event is important enough that San Francisco is a much rougher environment in 2048 than how it was supposed to be. Season two of PIC being set just under five months from that event suggests there will be a backstory as to how those events happened. How they “let everything get so bad” as Bashir put it.
But for a season that has been dropping all of these easter eggs regarding Trek – and easter eggs being dropped is a feature of Kurtzman Trek in general - nothing of actual meaning seems to be occurring in relation to these events. No mention of Picard being vaguely familiar with the name Bell. No discussion at the gala by the attendants regarding the political climate and someone named Chen either being the governor of California or about to win a recall for governor within a week and being in favour of raids by ICE and other law enforcement agencies. Nothing suggesting naivety about how the sanctuary districts in San Francisco are seen as being the safest in the nation and how riots or violence in general would never happen there. Nothing about the introduction of UHC cards being the latest way to make life comfortable for the residents of sanctuary districts. Even for characters like Teresa or Renee, not even an easter egg of having Gabriel Bell (and Rain Robinson too, since this season is set in LA) on a contacts list on either of their phones to suggest a connection to them. At least then, those easter eggs make sense and help with everything taking place being consequential. All we’ve seen is a sanctuary district to remind us that we are in 2024 and that’s it.
If the change had been in say, 2155, due to John Frederick Paxton being successful in destroying Starfleet Command and speaking at the founding ceremony of Confederation six year later (to be the polar opposite of Archer and the founding of the Federation), or in the late 2060s where first contact was with the Kzinti instead of the Vulcans, that would make sense. And would even benefit the writers as they would not have to worry about fitting their story within continuity at all. But for whatever reason, 2024 is the setting. Not 2023 or 2025, even though the story told so far in PIC S2 could have fit in either year. Europa mission could still happen in either year. Adam Soong trying to find a cure for Kore could have happened in either year. Neither of which seem to be connected to Gabriel Bell and sanctuary districts at all, aside from rich people being focused on fixing problems they deem important to themselves. So, exactly like today basically. Now one of those detainees freed by Raffi and Seven turning out to be a really bad person and causing someone important to die would be a timeline altering event, but there’s no indication that it will bite them in the ass, and even if it does that only happens because the La Sirena crew was brought to 2024 in the first place.
Now, there is a possibility that 2024 is actually a representation of the Q Continuum. We’ve seen the Q Continuum be represented by events and places relatable to humans, in the form of the American civil war to represent to civil war in the Continuum, and a station by a road in the desert to represent a stagnant Continuum. Since Raffi mentioned how 2024 is the world that exits before it all fell apart, its possible that 2024 is a warning that the Continuum is about to fall apart. The thing is we don’t really know what it means in term of when everything falls apart. There is no fixed date for that. Which means we have no real reason as to why 2024 would be chosen as the representation of the Q Continuum over 2023 or 2025, as the only real significance to them is that Sisko took the role of Bell during the Bell Riots. And we know that Sisko’s path is guided by the Prophets, and that Sisko did punch Q. Are the Q trying to stay out of the Prophet’s way while signaling something to Picard regarding Sisko and the Prophets?
But then the Borg are involved as well. And it’s known that Q, as the being that introduced Picard to the Borg, also does not want to provoke the Borg. And I’m sure that there is no love lost between Sisko and the Borg either, just as the Federation has no love lost for the Borg. Although the Federation is sure comfortable using Borg tech for their starships
And on top of this, this all relates to Picard being reluctant to explore himself in relation to love, according to Guinan. And Picard not changing in the way that matters, according to Q.
With what has been seen so far, I don’t feel like anything important is being said with the story this season at all. At least anything that relates to needing 2024 to be the setting this season for all of the ongoing plots.
