How do/did you feel about the return of the Enterprise-D?

[TroiFan4ever]

IIRC, the in-universe explanation was that the D was the last ship in the fleet that didn't have Borg tech installed on it.

In-universe explanation for what? The writers could've easily used that reasoning had it been the E.

I thought it was because the Enterprise-D wasn't part of the starship network that allowed the Borg to take control of all the ships and anyone under 25.

You guys are both correct... kind of. It was explained earlier in the season that all the ships in Starfleet "talk to each other" to quote Sydney, or was that Geordi's other daughter? Anyway, the point was that every ship in the fleet was connected to the Starfleet mainframe which is how the Borg network was able to control them when the beacon was activated. The Enterprise D however was offline from the Starfleet mainframe which is how it was able to avoid Borg assimilation when the beacon was activated.

 

[Brainsucker]

How did I feel about the return of Enterprise D?

I feel "WOW".

 

[The Wormhole]

Geordi’s line was just awkward scriptwriting.

"Awkward scriptwriting" sums up that whole season.

 

[F. King Daniel]

It was a nice bit of nostalgic fanwank and served the "one last get-together and save the galaxy" story they were telling.

But for the love of God, don't ever do it again.

 

[NCC-73515]

Yeah, it doesn't have to reappear for another few years now. But they did save the bridge set and could change it around to make a

Spoiler

Probert conCept bridge for 31...

 

[FredH]

Liked it a great deal, story logic or no. Frankly, I think it’s a crime that the ship should be fully operational and clearly effective, yet sent to mothballs once again. I would have zero problems with a spin-off where somebody or other, figuring Starfleet’s not going to use it anyway, darn well steals (or purchases) the ship and takes it out to fringe space themselves. (And also just to live on, because it’s comfy!)

 

[Turtletrekker]

The entire season was like a classic rock band, long disbanded, getting back together and going on one final reunion tour. The band understandably rehashed their greatest hits, rather than play the crap from their solo albums or new material written for the occasion, and that's fine. The arrival of the D, that was the final encore. The curtain call. Like KISS playing "Rock and Roll All Night". One last glorious jam session to put a cap on all of those years touring together. Rock and roll, baby.

 

[Danja]

Liked it a great deal, story logic or no. Frankly, I think it’s a crime that the ship should be fully operational and clearly effective, yet sent to mothballs once again. I would have zero problems with a spin-off where somebody or other, figuring Starfleet’s not going to use it anyway, darn well steals (or purchases) the ship and takes it out to fringe space themselves. (And also just to live on, because it’s comfy!)

Starfleet regards it as outdated.

It's like sending a destroyer that was commissioned during WWII out to fight alongside the USS Gerald R. Ford.

 

[FredH]

Starfleet regards it as outdated.

It's like sending a destroyer that was commissioned during WWII out to fight alongside the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Just after the Ford was taken down by a virus?

Also, stomping the fricking Borg aside, there’s no reason she still has to be deployed as a combatant. Make her a luxury diplomatic cruiser or something, maybe with escorts.

 

[fireproof78]

Starfleet regards it as outdated.

It's like sending a destroyer that was commissioned during WWII out to fight alongside the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Starfleet has a very confusing retirement standard.

 

[Danja]

Starfleet has a very confusing retirement standard.

They're not known for consistency.

 

[Tuskin38]

I liked the scenes the -D was in, but felt its return was unnecessary

 

[James Cole]

I'm kicking the can on doing a PICARD series rewatch, but shuffling between the seasons (so like 101, 201, 301, 102...) just to see how the seasons compare to each other as well as viewing each episode in isolation without immediately going to the next episode in order.

It's funny... the end of season 3 is retroactively foreshadowed in "Remembrance"... Picard and Data on the Enterprise-D (I remember Lord Garth making a post about other retroactive forshadowing, be it nebulas and the like).

The theme of "Vox" and "The Last Generation" hits upon going full circle back to the beginning, which then leads to the next generation. Farpoint, AGT, GEN, NEM, PS1 all get circled back upon leading to something new.

Give it a few years and it'll all feel "of a piece".

 

[Tom Servo]

Starfleet regards it as outdated.

It's like sending a destroyer that was commissioned during WWII out to fight alongside the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Well to be fair, even though the Iowa Class has been totally mothballed as museums they do need to have their engineering spaces preserved JUST IN CASE they are ever needed again. Heck they were already recommissioned multiple times since WW2.

Honestly, if I had my way, the end of Picard would have had some line about "with the sheer amount of ships damaged or destroyed in the Borg battle, Starfleet is recommissioning older space-frames that had been retired and stored until the fleet can be built back up". Seven becomes the Captain of a slightly modernized Enterprise D (no major revisions to the ship, maybe a slight paint job tweak, Ent-E style hull pennants or something, and the LCARS on the bridge updated to the more modern Picard style), and they go off on their adventures. The Titan is repaired and remains the Titan under a new crew (heck maybe Riker wants another go after being reinvigorated by the events of the season.) FIN.

 

[TheFlutteringHorde]

The way they went about it kinda encapsulates why I didn't like Picard's appeal to nostalgia compared to say Lower Decks.

Lower Decks revels in how stupid and fun the history of Trek can be, and uses goofy one off concepts as building blocks to create something new.

Whereas Picard....well the nobody liked Generations right? Let's restore the bridge to the TV series one from when fans liked it and forget that stupid shit ever happened.

 

[Danja]

Honestly, if I had my way, the end of Picard would have had some line about "with the sheer amount of ships damaged or destroyed in the Borg battle, Starfleet is recommissioning older space-frames that had been retired and stored until the fleet can be built back up". Seven becomes the Captain of a slightly modernized Enterprise D (no major revisions to the ship, maybe a slight paint job tweak, Ent-E style hull pennants or something, and the LCARS on the bridge updated to the more modern Picard style), and they go off on their adventures. The Titan is repaired and remains the Titan under a new crew (heck maybe Riker wants another go after being reinvigorated by the events of the season.) FIN.

Seven would've been put in an Operation Petticoat situation (She would've been placed in command of an obsolete ship; the movie opens with the submarine being scrapped).

The E was destroyed for a reason. What worked fine for 80's-early 90's TV would've been inappropriate for today's high definition/Blu-Ray era. To go from the F back to the D would've been backsliding.

To put her back on the D risked all the set's flaws being aired out week after week in high definition. >.<

Well to be fair, even though the Iowa Class has been totally mothballed as museums they do need to have their engineering spaces preserved JUST IN CASE they are ever needed again. Heck they were already recommissioned multiple times since WW2.

Today's Navy is nuclear-powered (carriers, submarines, cruisers ... All nuclear). No one wants to source diesel fuel from the unstable Middle East.

 

[fireproof78]

Whereas Picard....well the nobody liked Generations right? Let's restore the bridge to the TV series one from when fans liked it and forget that stupid shit ever happened.

I think that's one of the big things that stood out with Season 3: it felt like replacing divots from past seasons, and other TNG series mistakes.

 

[HotRod]

Today's Navy is nuclear-powered (carriers, submarines, cruisers ... All nuclear). No one wants to source diesel fuel from the unstable Middle East.

Only about 40% of United States Naval combatants are Nuclear. The vast majority are powered by gas turbine. Only the subs and carriers are nuclear-powered.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Well to be fair, even though the Iowa Class has been totally mothballed as museums they do need to have their engineering spaces preserved JUST IN CASE they are ever needed again. Heck they were already recommissioned multiple times since WW2.

I thought about bringing up the Iowa class. Their last hurrah was in Desert Storm, which was longer after WWII than Picard is after TNG. And by that point they'd been upgraded with more modern systems, including cruise missiles.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I have nothing against the return of the Ent-D as such.

I just wish they'd used the GEN version of the bridge.