These three are definitely the best of the trend by far.
PIC Season 3 compared to other Late Sequels
- Thread starter Lord Garth
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These three are definitely the best of the trend by far.
That's literally what "Force Awakens" does. Hits reset on the entire galaxy and puts the OT heroes (well, Han and Leia, at least) literally exactly where they were 30 odd years ago.
Emotionally it felt much different.
Like this season was until the last two episodes.
I've been a Star Wars fan since the early 80s as a small child. I've consumed every drop of SW media I could get my hands on between 1993 and 2014. Movies, TV specials, about a hundred novels, hundreds of comics, hundreds of action figures.
The Last Jedi is one of my favorite SW movies. I like new and refreshing ideas. I like the rejection of expected tropes.
I also quite like the TOS movies. I like the familiarity. I like the well executed reunions and emotional connections.
I dislike this season of Picard. I do not want this. I'm happy that other folks are enjoying this, but it's not my flavor at all. This is a prime example of why the storytellers should not give fans what they want, because fans are terrible storytellers. (See: Pah-wraiths, suprise Sisko, Armus, et. al.)
As much as I like this season of Picard. I feel that the 10 episode stories still do not work. The pacing has felt off every season of Picard and Discovery to me. Though Picard Season 3 does it the best. It still feels a bit off. SNW works so much better in that regard. I would like to see a string of 2 or 3 parters in the future.....
This season of Picard is like a greatest hits album, and that's exactly what I wanted to see in a swan song for TNG. It knows what it is and has hit its marks and riffed on the classics in a way that works for me.
The previous two seasons were more like a solo album of experimental material, and while they had their moments, they just didn't work for me.
The previous two seasons were more like a solo album of experimental material, and while they had their moments, they just didn't work for me.
Calm yourself.
I'm seeing vast majority praise for this across the socials (Twitter, YT, etc). Places where much larger groups of audiences post how much they enjoyed it. While there will never be everyone on board, having near unanimous praise for this and Ep 10 is awesome.
And like I said earlier, there are some fans (bless them) who even hate The Wrath of Khan out there, so I recognize mileage varies.
Group think or royal we?
And I have my answer.Well consider that next time you press the 'Like' button on this forum.
This is an interesting topic. I think every "late sequel" struggles to find the line between nostalgia vs. moving forward. Some late sequels do an excellent job of finding that balance ("Tron: Legacy," "2010: The Year We Make Contact," and "Cobra Kai" come to mind) and some don't.
I guess I'd separate out negative and positive uses of nostalgia based on whether they work organically as part of the story. Two examples from "Star Wars" that come to mind: (Negative) It irritated me in "The Force Awakens" when Finn bumped the holographic chess table and it turned on for a couple of seconds. There was absolutely no reason for that other than to say, "Hey, everyone--remember holographic chess?" (Positive) In "The Mandalorian" S1 there was an episode where he needed to make some money, so he went to the Mos Eisley Cantina. It was established in "A New Hope" that the cantina was where star pilots went to look for work, so it made perfect sense within the story to revisit that location.
Picard S3 has had heaping doses of both kinds of nostalgia throughout: bringing Ro back for an episode felt organic, for example, whereas I rolled my eyes when they all walked on to the bridge of the D. Overall, I'd say I'm enjoying it--the dialogue and acting are strong, the old characters feel genuinely like older versions of themselves, and some of the new characters are interesting--but the "negative nostalgia" is what has held it back from being truly exceptional.
I guess I'd separate out negative and positive uses of nostalgia based on whether they work organically as part of the story. Two examples from "Star Wars" that come to mind: (Negative) It irritated me in "The Force Awakens" when Finn bumped the holographic chess table and it turned on for a couple of seconds. There was absolutely no reason for that other than to say, "Hey, everyone--remember holographic chess?" (Positive) In "The Mandalorian" S1 there was an episode where he needed to make some money, so he went to the Mos Eisley Cantina. It was established in "A New Hope" that the cantina was where star pilots went to look for work, so it made perfect sense within the story to revisit that location.
Picard S3 has had heaping doses of both kinds of nostalgia throughout: bringing Ro back for an episode felt organic, for example, whereas I rolled my eyes when they all walked on to the bridge of the D. Overall, I'd say I'm enjoying it--the dialogue and acting are strong, the old characters feel genuinely like older versions of themselves, and some of the new characters are interesting--but the "negative nostalgia" is what has held it back from being truly exceptional.
Some prefer to get there themselves. Not to be told how to think because “everyone else is doing it.” People like things that remind them of other things. That’s how it goes. I would love in one year to ask everyone to revisit this season and see how it fares. I’m going to bet once the absolutely understandable nostalgia wears off people are going to start to see the holes. And I’m going to get that those who are critical are probably going to see it a little bit better. At the moment, I rate it overall a C-. Honestly, after I can sit on it for awhile and maybe revisit it away from people (like you) telling me it’s the best thing ever, it’s probably going to land as a B- season for me with the best parts being Jonathan Frakes as a whole and the Ro episode.
I see the holes. I see more than I say. It just doesn't impact my enjoyment of the season. I can be aware of the season's faults and still enjoy it at the same time.
I hear that. I’ve been there with other Treks. In fact, that’s what I usually do: focus on the positive and ignore the negative.
I will admit the thing that is probably different about this one with me is that before the season started, some parties (not you) told me that I’m supposed to love Picard season 3 and that if I don’t, I’m in the wrong. And also that because I do have issues with this season and I’m being vocal that my opinion is not important because I’m in the minority.
I don’t like being told how to feel about things.
In the 1990s, Michael Jordan has a great run with the Chicago Bulls—winning 6 NBA Championships— before retiring in 1999. He returned to basketball in 2001 to play two seasons for the Washington Wizards before retiring again for good in 2003. When people look back on MJ's career, it's the two 3-peats in Chicago they remember, not the D.C. stuff.
My take: Star Trek: Picard is the Washington Wizards phase of TNG.
My take: Star Trek: Picard is the Washington Wizards phase of TNG.
Precisely so. And I was onboard...until this last episode. Now, not so much.
It's fine that they went with nostalgia but please don't tell me that "This is Star Trek" when what is meant is "this is nostalgia and in the feels." At least be honest about why you like it, rather than claiming all the perfection of this season and it's writing the ship and stuff. No, it got us in the nostalgia feels. And when that wears off, then what?
This is the great prog rock band releasing a greatest hits album with a handful of previously unreleased tracks too.
For me personally, this couldn't be more perfect as a coda to that era and just for making 15 year old me excitable.
The story overall has been enjoyable and does work for me, character moments have hit for me where they have to, but the fun has been literally just checking in with the old crowd and see what has been going on.
It only works, in my opinion, as a one off event - if there was a S4 to come it would lose the magic.
Indeed. The exultation is off putting for me, and always has for me.
Some Trekkies take this way to serious. Is this season perfect? No. But this is the best Trek season IMO maybe ever. Even I thought it was a little corny that they ended back on Enterprise D, but I still loved it. I don't cry, but I cried when that happened. Just like I cried when the 7 of the TNG crew were in the same room last week. I have fallen for the "fan service."
This is what I wanted Picard to be. I loved 7, Raffi, Rios, and Jurati, but season 3 is so much better.
There are plot holes, but there are plot holes in nearly every movie and show of any genre. This season is fun. This season is well written. This season is well acted. I like what other posters have said about SW. This what many fans wanted the new trilogies to be.
This is what I wanted Picard to be. I loved 7, Raffi, Rios, and Jurati, but season 3 is so much better.
There are plot holes, but there are plot holes in nearly every movie and show of any genre. This season is fun. This season is well written. This season is well acted. I like what other posters have said about SW. This what many fans wanted the new trilogies to be.
I posted it earlier in this thread but, for me, the story sort of fell apart for around episode 7. I'm not sure they're going to be able to wrap it up in any coherent way. I personally resent them doing yet another apocalyptic end of the universe story when we know, outside of Shelby and some other randoms, everyone important will be fine more or less. Starfleet might take a hit, one of the TNG crew could get hurt, but for the most part everyone will be fine. Their kids are going to be fine. The show is ending and right now there's no new 25th century show planned so we know it'll get wrapped up. It's lazy to me. If they were going to something on that scale, then it should have been earlier in the season. Instead we got them floating in a nebula with Vadic walking around in the dark in a plot that for the most part got thrown out for the last three episodes.
Being shouted at everywhere, even before the season aired, that this is the best Trek ever has been exhausting. If any of the other Trek shows had a plot that fell apart like this or a character like Jack, then I'd be willing to bet that the praise wouldn't be as loud. There's a lot of nostalgia and pandering being used to cover for a lot of the flaws.
All that being said, I'm willing to chalk this season up mostly win for me. The somewhat weak plot aside, I do think this is a better sendoff than Nemesis and that's what I wanted for the most part. Whatever happens in the finale aside, if this is where we leave these characters, then I'm fine with that and I'm glad we got this. I think the character work and a lot of the character scenes (Riker/Deanna, Ro/Picard, Riker/Worf, some of the Beverly/Picard, Geordi/Data) have made this worth it to me. I'm not immune to nostalgia. The last 10 minutes of the last episode had me tearing up too. Same with the scene of them all together in the episode before that. I won't deny though that nostalgia and the characters are doing a lot of heat lifting in the back half to get it to a win though.
Being shouted at everywhere, even before the season aired, that this is the best Trek ever has been exhausting. If any of the other Trek shows had a plot that fell apart like this or a character like Jack, then I'd be willing to bet that the praise wouldn't be as loud. There's a lot of nostalgia and pandering being used to cover for a lot of the flaws.
All that being said, I'm willing to chalk this season up mostly win for me. The somewhat weak plot aside, I do think this is a better sendoff than Nemesis and that's what I wanted for the most part. Whatever happens in the finale aside, if this is where we leave these characters, then I'm fine with that and I'm glad we got this. I think the character work and a lot of the character scenes (Riker/Deanna, Ro/Picard, Riker/Worf, some of the Beverly/Picard, Geordi/Data) have made this worth it to me. I'm not immune to nostalgia. The last 10 minutes of the last episode had me tearing up too. Same with the scene of them all together in the episode before that. I won't deny though that nostalgia and the characters are doing a lot of heat lifting in the back half to get it to a win though.
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See, that's funny to me. It's amazing the variety of opinions on this season from all corners of the fandom. I dunno where this ranks for me, but if I were to really give it thought, I can't imagine it would even crack the top 10. I mean, without ranking them..... in no particular order...
TOS seasons 1-2
SNW season 1
TNG seasons 3-5
DS9 seasons 5-6
VOY season 4
ENT seasons 3-4
PRO season 1
LD seasons 1-3
DIS seasons 1-2
I'd put them all above Picard S3
But that's me.
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