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Early Review of Picard Season 3

The fandom menace types and gatekeepers already have their minds made up.

Honestly we could see an extreme flame war next week.
 
The fandom menace types and gatekeepers already have their minds made up.

Honestly we could see an extreme flame war next week.

If they don't like it or they don't want to like it that's fine - but the weird thing is that they continue to be so obsessed with it. They get angry when people like stuff they don't and truly want the franchise to fail.
 
On the one hand, RMB sounds like a self important prick who would tell you about how his farts smell like the first bouquet of rose picked by blind monks who have trained all their lives for it, and arranged by the world's leading florists

His comments on Disco and how he doesn't know their names etc - watch 3 episodes mate, it isn't difficult. Jesus - if you can't be arsed to commit to memory 8 or 9 peoples names and roles (and clearly a desired skill of reviewers, and a trait of Trekkies, is the retention of, and attention to, detail that would make this easy). If you can't tell me who people are, your opinion on the show is worth about as much as my own.

On the other hand - listening to him talk about the show and give away little bits has made me so excited that all six of my nipples are tingling. Only thing I didn't like was his comment on ep 9 as it felt a little too close to detail but other than that I am just buzzing for the season to kick off
 
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A Babylon 5 channel got screeners...
  • It feels like a movie, but not a movie stretched out to 10 episodes
  • the trailers make the lighting worse than it is (final product looks like GEN, FC)
  • it looks like the folks that did this cared
  • this should have been season 1
  • Raffi isn't some isolated b-story
  • not a weak episode in the bunch, one of the guys watched all eps non stop without looking at watch
  • Ed Speelers is able to pull off his role
  • what seem like plot holes are explained
  • the lighting differences make the Titan-A feel different from the Stargazer from season 2
  • you immediately get to know the Titan crew, unlike the Discovery after 4 seasons
  • 90% of Star Trek, 90% of science fiction fans will find something to like here
  • TUC for the TNG cast
  • all the easter eggs are there for a reason
  • very accessible to people who aren't familiar with ST
 
Its a trend which I can't stand, Hollywood loves being 2nd and not 1st; whatever the trend is because of a popular show or movie another production apes it. NuTrek dived right in with the darkness neglecting the spirit of what Star Trek is or maybe I should be saying was.
Frankly that how shall I put it. That is rubbish.

There is almost nothing event wise that has happened in NuTrek that hasn't happened in much earlier Trek. There are only a handful of differences.

The 1st being the majority of TOS ended with a light hearted moment on the bridge, even if thematically was completely out of place to the rest of the episode, only a few didn't do this.

2nd as the decades have gone by the change in language and what could be shown to a regular audience has changed. It's no longer the days of gunfights with nary a sign of blood or injury afterwards. And of course not only as standards changed but the ability to visually tell a story has increased dramatically. So instead of talking about say whole planets being destroyed, you can actually see a visual representation of it. Instead of seeing a ship get attacked and hear that hundreds are dead, but only see a model perfectly still intact. You can show visual images of seriousness of the assault.

3rd the length that shows use to tell stories has changed from 53 minutes in TOS to now typically a season (regardless of how long that season is be it 22, 15, 13, 10, or shorter episodes.

Now picture a story like the Doomsday Machine being made into a ten episode story. That was a very dark episode, Captain having to listen to his entire crew dying, him being forced to witness it without being able to do anything to prevent it. A weapon destroying planetary systems one after another. That Captain obsessed with vengeance to the point of nearly getting another crew killed, and then eventually killing himself. With the crew of the Enterprise absolutely convinced of the serious nature of this threat and the risk to billions upon billions in its near path, and only towards the end does the crew get a glimmer of hope. And the means to make an attempt to stop it. And finally ending with a moment to discuss how Earth nearly made the same mistake.

Now there are some light hearted Star Trek episodes from pretty much start to finish but they haven't been the norm. And it's true we have never had a season arc that is light hearted from beginning to end, that's one real difference. But we really didn't get a ton of those episodes.

The Majority of the episodes of Trek is crew responds to something, often times something very serious and dark, when you actually thank about what its referencing, and over the course of the episode, the crew generally feels some doubts, but eventually marshalls together or even individually to overcome the crisis and give an uplifting speech, that attempts to show how progress coming together, and getting over differences is a good thing. Thats almost exactly what happens in the story arcs in modern Trek, they are just stretched over a much longer canvas.
 
Why the hell would a Babylon 5 Youtube page get a screener for Star Trek Picard. Maybe I really am in a minority in having an issue with this, but I think it's bullshit now. Just release the damn episode already.
 
Why the hell would a Babylon 5 Youtube page get a screener for Star Trek Picard. Maybe I really am in a minority in having an issue with this, but I think it's bullshit now. Just release the damn episode already.

You do understand how cheap marketing hype campaigns work, right?

You let a whole bunch of people in the final week see a bunch of the series (but not all of it) for free who then signal boost the shit out of it who are kind of nerdy-nerd adjacent. We know cuts are probably coming from the streaming bubble pop.

We've also seen twice now with Picard especially they've bushwacked audiences and reviewers alike with frankly dishonest openers followed by fairly shakey mid plot episodes (and this should be called out more) so I suspect a lot of people know not to trust the "normal" review channels whatsoever, meaning they have to find alternate outlets. Which they have in the hilariously cheap Youtube Community as the way those guys make money is absolutely zero to the Paramount Bottom Line.
 
Why the hell would a Babylon 5 Youtube page get a screener for Star Trek Picard. Maybe I really am in a minority in having an issue with this, but I think it's bullshit now. Just release the damn episode already.
It's marketing so naturally it's bullshit. Marketing machines suck monkey balls and I despise this strategy. They are being as cheap as possible by utilizing the absurdist YT community and manipulating it to promote their product. And we're supposed to just all fall in line.

Bullshit is right.
 
It's marketing so naturally it's bullshit. Marketing machines suck monkey balls and I despise this strategy. They are being as cheap as possible by utilizing the absurdist YT community and manipulating it to promote their product. And we're supposed to just all fall in line.

Bullshit is right.

it reeks of desperation to me. Maybe it’s desperation from everyone.

You wouldn’t seen this kind of Marketing with Prodigy, Lower Decks or Strange New Worlds.
 
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it reeks of desperation to me. Maybe it’s desperation from everyone.

You wouldn’t seen this kind of Marketing with Prodigy, Lowe Decks or Strange New Worlds.
Indeed. It strikes me as the most obvious style of marketing campaign that would be treated as grasping at straws if it was, say Discovery or SNW. More than that though, the refrain of "the hype is totally worth it" would be better served to simply say "I hope you enjoy it as much as I did." That at least is honest.
 
it reeks of desperation to me. Maybe it’s desperation from everyone.

You wouldn’t seen this kind of Marketing with Prodigy, Lower Decks or Strange New Worlds.
To a small degree, perhaps, but in reality it's more about how to have exposure without having a to pay tens of millions for advertising. Screeners cost almost nothing, but dramatically help get word of mouth out.

And actually they had screeners out to various similar groups for Strange New World, just for 4 episodes not 6. The only difference is that has that type of marketing has increased you see more people getting them. 5 years ago it might have just been a few now, its going to be dozens.
 
It' isn't. They just want a broad audience to see it.

A broad audience will see it, on or around Thursday. If they really wanted a broad audience now, they should release it now. They should release it after the game ends tomorrow night. I bet if the Super Bowl was on CBS, Picard would be released after, maybe even air as the post Super Bowl show on CBS and then go to Paramount Plus.
 
I meant a broad review audience to create hype.

By the time Thursday comes around the hype will be so over the top it will feel like just watching out of obligation. There is such thing as overhyping something to the point where the show will fail to meet those expectations. That's what the premiere as become. It better be the perfect episode now because anything short of that will feel really overrated.
 
By the time Thursday comes around the hype will be so over the top it will feel like just watching out of obligation. There is such thing as overhyping something to the point where the show will fail to meet those expectations. That's what the premiere as become. It better be the perfect episode now because anything short of that will feel really overrated.
Reminds me of when the first Avengers film came out. A friend of mine was so sick of the blitzing going on he said, Alright, if you let my family go free I'll watch it." It became less interest and more obligation.
 
The fandom menace types and gatekeepers already have their minds made up.

Honestly we could see an extreme flame war next week.
RMB, the Popcast guys, and Dave Cullen seem to have done a good enough job in encouraging Nerdrotic channel and the Critical Drinker into at least checking it out. Doomcock's latest video has his fans telling him he's being too dogmatic on the issue in the comments. So it might go differently than many expect.

We've also seen twice now with Picard especially they've bushwacked audiences and reviewers alike with frankly dishonest openers followed by fairly shakey mid plot episodes (and this should be called out more) so I suspect a lot of people know not to trust the "normal" review channels whatsoever, meaning they have to find alternate outlets. Which they have in the hilariously cheap Youtube Community as the way those guys make money is absolutely zero to the Paramount Bottom Line.
It's also a great way for influencers to influence other influencers.

You wouldn’t seen this kind of Marketing with Prodigy, Lower Decks or Strange New Worlds.
&
Indeed. It strikes me as the most obvious style of marketing campaign that would be treated as grasping at straws if it was, say Discovery or SNW. More than that though, the refrain of "the hype is totally worth it" would be better served to simply say "I hope you enjoy it as much as I did." That at least is honest.
PICARD season 3 is making a 180 degree turn from season 1. And has a ton of legacy cast returning.

It's hard to imagine what it would even take for DISCOVERY of SNW to make a massive pivot of similar magnitude. Maybe some kind of Crisis on Infinite Earths style crossover with the Abramsverse and non 25% different prime Star Trek? STLD? Well maybe if they had a really interesting season arc?

A broad audience will see it, on or around Thursday. If they really wanted a broad audience now, they should release it now. They should release it after the game ends tomorrow night. I bet if the Super Bowl was on CBS, Picard would be released after, maybe even air as the post Super Bowl show on CBS and then go to Paramount Plus.
I mean, I could see them trying to air the first episode on CBS to gain greater eyeballs? Release the first one for free on YouTube? But they want more eyeballs on Paramount+.
 
Thinking about what is going on with Picard and kind of my outspoken attitude about the marketing hype the last few days, I keep thinking about what Orphan Black did for it's final season. They aired the first episode of Season 5 at the movie theater and it was a one night only kind of deal. Of course the premiere aired the Saturday later so you only had 2 days of hype time before everyone got to see it on BBC America, but I wonder why shows do not take advantage of that. Especially now with Theaters struggling (I was looking at a local movie theater here last week that has 20 screens and they were only playing 8 movies, I had to do a double take), they could use all the business they can get. If you were so bent on the hype, offering a one night only movie theater screening (or two screenings on the same night) would have addressed my concerns. You can still do your premiere night with the actors and make it like a mini-convention in LA, but this way people all around the country (And the world) will have an opportunity to share in the excitement of those who did get to go to the premiere. I wouldn't have an issue if I was given the opportunity to see the episode with everyone else. I wasn't, and finding out everyone with a Youtube Channel was sent screeners and now it's all over social media (And you have spoilers galore), my issue is I'm sitting on the sidelines and by the time the actual episode airs officially, people will be tired of talking about it that when I want to talk about it, it will have already been talked to death that it will not have the same impact.
 
I mean, I could see them trying to air the first episode on CBS to gain greater eyeballs? Release the first one for free on YouTube? But they want more eyeballs on Paramount+

Then the Sunday Night after the Super Bowl, release it on Paramount Plus. Then instead of lying about showing the full trailer at Halftime of the AFC championship game, you market it as See a brand new clip from Star Trek Picard, and then after the Game on Super Bowl Sunday, head over to Paramount+ for the premiere and take advantage of the audience. I would gladly watch Picard after the Super Bowl, especially living on the west coast it would premiere in prime time.
 
The TrekMovie review is written by (apparently) well known Star Trek critic, Mark A. Altman. I've never heard of him.

He helped make one of the greatest movies ever in "Free Enterprise." Also check out the very fun and informative Trek books called "The Fifty-Year Mission" an "The Fifty-Year Mission:The Next 25 Years."

Also made one of the greatest nerd magazines ever back in the day called "Sci-Fi Universe" It's weird that the internet gives me more up to date info on the next Sci-Fi projects but I still in a way liked it better reading about them in magazines like that.
 
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