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

[NCC-73515]

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My mistake. The subtitles said "Borg Queen". I don't usually watch with subtitles and thought it was more obvious.

Weird they would do that, seems like a big spoiler.

They don't say that on P+ in the US
It's the same mistake again after subs somewhere else revealed 1 or 2 weeks ago that the Vadic bird mask people are changelings

 

[Farscape One]

IIRC, most television subtitles are transcribed from copies of the scripts. Ergo, if a character is introduced in the scene direction a certain way, they'll be credited that way in the subtitles.

That is certainly one way they do subtitles, since every version of certain early season 1 VOYAGER episodes (tv, dvd, streaming, etc.) show 'Dr. Zimmerman' instead of simply 'The Doctor', because at that point the producers weren't sure if that name was going to stick. But it does appear in those scripts.

 

[Tuskin38]

My mistake. The subtitles said "Borg Queen". I don't usually watch with subtitles and thought it was more obvious.

Weird they would do that, seems like a big spoiler.

Is there a screencap?

 

[Mike Doyle]

Is there a screencap?

I think he’s having us on.

 

[Nyotarules]

All in all it was pretty good, though it dragged at times. Some of it was too choreographed.

I am really wondering about the sickly-looking changelings. Are they clones? And why do they carry buckets? And why is Seven so woefully uninformed? I only remember Odo getting knocked out and remaining in solid form (except when he was stuck as a solid in early Season 5) once, in "Vortex" (which made no sense, but he was probably faking it for no reason), so why did this changeling stay in the "La Forgery" form (that's pretty hilarious, @NCC-73515) after she got knocked out?

The original Jack Crusher being way older than Beverly seems weird. My stupid new headcanon is that he fell into a time vortex and reappeared on Stargazer after being missing for a decade or so.

Picard is way older than Beverly, so no difference there. Older man, younger woman is as old as the hills.

 

[Phily B]

Is that who was talking? How do you know it was the Borg Queen?

Is there a screencap?

I think he’s having us on.

https://twitter.com/aRandomWolf/status/1634147142653693954
https://twitter.com/aRandomWolf/status/1634140573903798272
Someone posted the video on twitter with the subtitles and it said the voice was [BORG QUEEN]. Why the fuck would I lie? I just checked it and they've changed it to [VOICES] but I'm 100% certain it said Borg Queen when I watched it on Friday. I did watch it on my Roku and just checked on my PC though. They've removed that video now too, but I had to search Twitter when I saw it. This guy was the only one referencing it.

 

[Silanda]

i mean, since when did Riker become such a jerk as he was in the last two episodes? Picard saved the lives of everybody including Riker on the Enterprise-D and E countless times, but Riker refuses to trust him to make any decisions.

Riker is a captain in his own right, and he is the captain of the Titan during these two episodes, not Picard. Riker has his own view of how the situation should be handled, and when he rejects Picard's suggestions, Picard tries to manipulate Riker's past trauma to get his own way. Picard himself is also emotionally compromised. When Riker finally acquiesces and follows Picard's direction, it doesn't work and nearly gets the ship destroyed. In those circumstances I think Riker's attitude is understandable.

 

[JamesRye]

Colour me amazed. Four quality episodes in a row! This show actually feels like Star Trek. Gates McFadden is a revelation, and Frakes is awesome in front of and behind the camera.

Surely the best of times?

 

[137th Gebirg]

I don’t think I’ve seen this many “10’s” in a string of episodes this consistently. They definitely seem to be firing on all cylinders this season.

 

[Timofnine]

I don’t think I’ve seen this many “10’s” in a string of episodes this consistently. They definitely seem to be firing on all cylinders this season.

Paid Paramount+ plants.

 

[Uhura's Song]

I don’t think I’ve seen this many “10’s” in a string of episodes this consistently. They definitely seem to be firing on all cylinders this season.

There are 180 at 9 or 10 (112 at 10). 39 votes at 6, 7, or 8. And five below that.

 

[11Alive]

Riker is a captain in his own right, and he is the captain of the Titan during these two episodes, not Picard. Riker has his own view of how the situation should be handled, and when he rejects Picard's suggestions, Picard tries to manipulate Riker's past trauma to get his own way. Picard himself is also emotionally compromised. When Riker finally acquiesces and follows Picard's direction, it doesn't work and nearly gets the ship destroyed. In those circumstances I think Riker's attitude is understandable.

What else could Riker do? With the warp conduit destroyed, they couldn't run like he always planned. What option did he have? Surrender? Negotiate? Turn over Jack? He tried his plan to flee already and they were sent deeper into the nebula with the portal weapon. Only a fool would keep trying something that has already failed twice and drained precious power each time. You say Picard was trying to manipulate him. I say he was just telling Riker the truth that he became fearful after his son's death.

 

[Gepard]

Paid Paramount+ plants.

Where do I pick up my check?

 

[Ovation]

he was just telling Riker the truth that he became fearful after his son's death.

Riker outright admits it. So while Picard’s comments were probably brusque, the situation didn’t leave much time for a seventeen part therapy session.

 

[Campe]

Where do I pick up my check?

Dude, I’ve been waiting for my checks since before Beyond. I have so much back pay coming.

 

[Ovation]

Dude, I’ve been waiting for my checks since before Beyond. I have so much back pay coming.

It’s all been diverted to Kurtzman’s secret severance package for all the times he’s been fired.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Anything left unexplained within an hour should be considered a plothole by default and used as hard evidence in the criminal trial of the showrunners before the fandom collectively sentences them to crucifixion on the highest summit of Vasquez Rocks.

That would be nifty place to film a crucifixion...or has some Jesus flick already used it?

So while Picard’s comments were probably brusque, the situation didn’t leave much time for a seventeen part therapy session.

That wouldn't have stopped them on TNG.

 

[Mr Awe]

10! Just able to see this one. That was excellent! So, good, I had to watch it twice, which I never do! A 10 is very much a rarity for me. And I rarely award 10s so that when I do, it counts. It's not like, ah, I gave it a 10 like the previous three episodes just because I like it.

So, to address the 600-pound elephant in the room off the bat, no not the hair, the melodrama. I had concerns in the previous episodes that we were going to be mired in it. Nope! It was dealt with swiftly and effectively. The way I like to do in real life. Of course, in the episode, the nebula forced them to deal with it.

I love how this episode forced Picard and Riker to reconcile quickly--no dragging it out. Picard and Jack had nice moments. Shaw and 7. Shaw and Picard, and well everyone else. Riker got out of his depression. There was the great Changeling hunt. The briefing room scene was probably best briefing room scene of all time! Followed by a well-executed escape. Everything was mostly perfect. A darn satisfying episode.

These characters basically went into a crucible and the amalgamation that came out of it was stronger than what went in. As a viewer, I felt like I lived it with them--from the pit of soul crushing despair to the exhilarating escape and triumphant birth. The changes seemed believable. Excellent!

There were only a couple of eye rolls from me. The thing with the holodeck running and using a separate energy source. WTF?! Basically, they could run the holodeck even after they shut down the life support.

The extremely improbable convenience that the interstellar create gave birth precisely during the tiny window that the Titan was able to survive inside it kind of gnaws at me, but the story was so strong I can overlook it.

The other thing was Beverly being the one saying how they needed to trust each other. Great sentiment but she's the one who ghosted the entire Enterprise-D crew for decades to keep her child a secret. She's the last one who should be saying that they need to count on each other. She didn't. But I actually consider her hiding Jack to be the part out of character. So, I dinged the previous episode for that. But this episode she's back in character. But her statements in this episode show how much she was out of character in the previous episode.

More please! Looking forward to seeing how things progress.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I liked this episode a lot. The changeling dying by deadnaming Seven was just the cherry on top.

This is by far the best season of Picard yet. The story is coherent with no glaring problems, and the reveal that Jack tried to contact Picard and he said he didn't need family. It's all just emotionally on point, then getting saved by figuring out a space entity is birthing was pure Trek.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

There were only a couple of eye rolls from me. The thing with the holodeck running and using a separate energy source. WTF?! Basically, they could run the holodeck even after they shut down the life support.

If Voyager gets away with it, so does Picard.