Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 3x04 - "No Win Scenario"

[TheMadCloner]

After his encounter with the Founders, Odo stopped using the bucket and got himself assigned to personal quarters; he would instead revert to his gelatinous state and shapeshift freely throughout the room, allowing himself to spread across the floor when he needed to become gelatinous. Odo kept the bucket with him "as a reminder of how [he] used to be." -- https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Odo's_bucket

The writers forgot that a bucket was an Odo thing, not a Founder thing, and even Odo himself gave it up after a while.

It’s easier to clean up resi-goo in one bucket than it is all over the floor. Especially since visitors to that ensign’s quarters wouldn’t be expecting to see goo everywhere. At least Odo’s visitors wouldn’t be surprised by it.

At least that’s my head canon.

 

[firehawk12]

This show is in dire need of some lights, though…I had brightness to maximum (it’s usually around 3/4 for other shows) and it was still really dark!

They screwed up again and are going to re-release the episode... or you have to watch it via Amazon to get the intended colour grading.

 

[Tuskin38]

This show is in dire need of some lights, though…I had brightness to maximum (it’s usually around 3/4 for other shows) and it was still really dark!

There's an issue with this episode on Paramount+ that is making it darker than it needs be. See
https://twitter.com/TerryMatalas/status/1633848738782515201

They screwed up again and are going to re-release the episode... or you have to watch it via Amazon to get the intended colour grading.

Terry tweeted 2 hours ago that it should be fixed.

 

[Lord Garth]

Picard's problems with Starfleet in 2396 were at the top. He wasn't going to take it out on these kids. If anything, he probably hoped he could influence them so that The Next Generation of Captains and Admirals would turn out better.

 

[Macintosh]

Well that was kind of... a bit low-key given the last episode? It was okay. Just... okay, you know? Okay. Not bad, just... okay.

 

[Brainsucker]

After his encounter with the Founders, Odo stopped using the bucket and got himself assigned to personal quarters; he would instead revert to his gelatinous state and shapeshift freely throughout the room, allowing himself to spread across the floor when he needed to become gelatinous. Odo kept the bucket with him "as a reminder of how [he] used to be." -- https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Odo's_bucket

The writers forgot that a bucket was an Odo thing, not a Founder thing, and even Odo himself gave it up after a while.

But think about it, the current Changeling is on a covert mission. It need to covert it's where-about. Specially when after Dominion war, Starfleet starts to aware of their existence. If it spreads it's gelatinous goo everywhere, people will start to suspect because of the stickiness in the room. So it is necessary for them to be as clean as possible, to avoid leaving unnecessary track.

And why Odo's bucket? Who know that Odo's bucket become popular in Changeling community after the end of Dominion War. specially after Odo joined the great link. His feeling should spread across the community, and the people start to change. So consider it as a trend.

 

[Yistaan]

But think about it, the current Changeling is on a covert mission. It need to covert it's where-about. Specially when after Dominion war, Starfleet starts to aware of their existence. If it spreads it's gelatinous goo everywhere, people will start to suspect because of the stickiness in the room. So it is necessary for them to be as clean as possible, to avoid leaving unnecessary track.

And why Odo's bucket? Who know that Odo's bucket become popular in Changeling community after the end of Dominion War. specially after Odo joined the great link. His feeling should spread across the community, and the people start to change

I could be wrong but this idea of changelings leaving residue seem invented for picard

 

[Timofnine]

I’m finding this series hard to follow, I wish it was simple like Prodigy.

Stupid things like the Changeling bucket totally confuse me. Or was this just a joke about Seven stealing the baddies pot? I won’t explain my pot confusion as it already has been explained sufficiently so above. Or are the writers insinuating that this particular Changeling aboard the Titan *is* actually Odo gone rogue, therefore this *was* Odo’s pot? We even see Odo’s picture on a PADD?

Have we just seen the death of Odo ‘on screen’? This is the *only* way that I can logically explain the bucket in my head canon.

The DS9 episode The Adversary was a better ‘Changeling on the loose’ episode than this, Odo was a goodie in that episode though.

Why are they also not referring to Changelings as Founders? ‘Changeling’ was a racist term for the Founders, part of the solids xenophobia and prejudice which led to the Founders becoming dominioning isolationists.

6/10

 

[Brainsucker]

I could be wrong but this idea of changelings leaving residue seem invented for picard

You may be right. But it's better that way, because it means that Changeling also have their weakness that unknown when DS9 was aired long time ago. It's like Vulcan. In TOS, we felt Vulcan was so OP, because of Spock. But then they re-introduce them with weakness later in the later Star Trek, to make Vulcan more humane. They also tell us more about Spock, so he looks different now in SNW and in the movie.

 

[cooleddie74]

I did notice nobody's mentioned blood screenings as a way to detect Changelings unless it slipped by me. And in the 25 years since the Dominion surrender the breakway faction could have found ways to fool blood screenings that don't involve absorbing the blood of a solid into your mass and then releasing it for a sample.

 

[Noname Given]

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but it seems odd that Riker is having this emotional crisis about Thad and separating from his family now, when two or more years ago on Nepenthe he seemed saddened but well-adjusted about it, and that already several years after Thad’s death.

I too was a little confused about Riker's Crisis and Nepenthe. It feels like this season is trying to forget about the first season other than Picard being a synthetic. I really liked Frake's acting in this scene though, but he was happier in Season 1.

I can see why you both might think that but remember, when Picard came to visit Troi and Riker and daughter on that planet; Riker HAD effectively retired from Star Fleet and was on 'Active Reserve'; but not really doing anything Starfleet related. So at that point he may be dealing with it better as there is nothing in his face to trigger memories of his son and the life they had on the USS Titan.

And it stays that way until the end of Picard S1 when Captain Riker is back on active duty in command of a ship and a Fleet facing off to save Jean-Luc Picard.

I think everyone assumes that in the previous PICARD S3 episode when Troi says: "Picard asked for help and you went running off to help him..."; she's talking about the most recent request in S3. It may in fact be she's referring to Riker going back on active duty at the end of Picard S1 - and he's been away from Troi and his daughter Kestra - maybe taking leave once in a while to see them - since then (going on 2 years.) Plus if he did see them on leave - being back in Star Fleet did remind him of what he lost, generating feelings Troi was empathically sensitive to, but couldn't handle.
^^^
And that act (of Riker returning to active duty as he's still an active Captain - unlike Picard who is officially retired - it's just at this time Riker is not assigned to the command of a ship - as Shaw remarks in episode 1 "...without a chair..."

If the above is the case - the current marital situation between Riker and Troi does make sense.

 

[Annorax849]

I’m finding this series hard to follow, I wish it was simple like Prodigy.


Why are they also not referring to Changelings as Founders? ‘Changeling’ was a racist term for the Founders, part of the solids xenophobia and prejudice which led to the Founders becoming dominioning isolationists.

I imagine the idea is that the Founders refers to those who actually lead the Dominion, these may be on their own.

 

[Uhura's Song]

Star Trek: Dipshit from Chicago

And headed down to
New Orleans

 

[Quinton]

. Or are the writers insinuating that this particular Changeling aboard the Titan *is* actually Odo gone rogue, therefore this *was* Odo’s pot? We even see Odo’s picture on a PADD?

Have we just seen the death of Odo ‘on screen’? This is the *only* way that I can logically explain the bucket in my head canon.

The DS9 episode The Adversary was a better ‘Changeling on the loose’ episode than this, Odo was a goodie in that episode though.

Odo is nowhere in this episode save for the photograph.

 

[Timofnine]

Surely all Federation starships should have Obsidian Order standard quantum stasis fields installed as a counter to potential Changeling infiltration threats? I’m sure that this 20 year old tech can quickly be whipped up in a replicator if it is not already factory installed. Perhaps there is a treaty in place after the Dominion war stating that the Federation cannot use this tech if they want peaceful relations with the Dominion, similar as to how the use of cloaking devices was forbidden as a result of the Treaty of Algeron after Tomad.

 

[fireproof78]

Surely all Federation starships should have Obsidian Order standard quantum stasis fields installed as a counter to potential Changeling infiltration threats? I’m sure that this 20 year old tech can quickly be whipped up in a replicator if it is not already factory installed. Perhaps there is a treaty in place after the Dominion war stating that the Federation cannot use this tech if they want peaceful relations with the Dominion, similar as to how the use of cloaking devices was forbidden as a result of the Treaty of Algeron after Tomad.

When did they get the opportunity to study it?

 

[Gepard]

Stupid things like the Changeling bucket totally confuse me. Or was this just a joke about Seven stealing the baddies pot? I won’t explain my pot confusion as it already has been explained sufficiently so above. Or are the writers insinuating that this particular Changeling aboard the Titan *is* actually Odo gone rogue, therefore this *was* Odo’s pot? We even see Odo’s picture on a PADD?

You're way overthinking it. This Changeling sleeps in a pot that looks like Odo's because everybody remembers Odo and, if he slept in a pot, all Changelings must sleep in that same kind of pot. The writers aren't looking past the familiar with this show.

It's the same sort of reason that Star Wars built an entire culture around the very specific designs and iconography of Boba Fett's outfit. (Helmet, armor, Mythosaur tattoo, etc.)

 

[Timofnine]

Odo is nowhere in this episode save for the photograph.

Odo’s bucket was, and it was *his* bucket... not standard issue Dominion tech. The Founders do not have ‘buckets’. This bucket is also Bajoran in design, gifted to Odo by Mora Pol.

 

[Caeruleus]

Is it possible that maybe Seven is a Founder now in this Universe that is 25% different than the 90s Trek?

 

[Noname Given]

Surely all Federation starships should have Obsidian Order standard quantum stasis fields installed as a counter to potential Changeling infiltration threats? I’m sure that this 20 year old tech can quickly be whipped up in a replicator if it is not already factory installed. Perhaps there is a treaty in place after the Dominion war stating that the Federation cannot use this tech if they want peaceful relations with the Dominion, similar as to how the use of cloaking devices was forbidden as a result of the Treaty of Algeron after Tomad.

For all we know, the protptype was on the Romulan ship Tain was commanding. (You know the one, Captained by a Changeling posing as a Romulan.) Said ship was either captured and destroyed by the Jem Hadar fleet that defended the Changeling Homeworld. Or even if the plans existed in a Cardassian database somewhere, once the Founders took control of Cardassia - one would think they would destroy and erase any technical schematics stored about the device.