Not really. There was a single episode that I thought was good (not great but simply good) and another that was just ok but the season overall was worse IMO than DISCO s2 (which wasn't stellar either but was a big improvement of the Malon Freighter of a watch that was s1). While I was aware that my expectations (of a good show) would be subverted to hell in terms of plot/character/setting, the most surprising thing for me was how cheap it looked compared with DISCO s2. I know they're spending millions on each episode but it must be going straight into Stewart's bank account because it doesn't show on screen. Discovery's pew pew blam pow over the top action scenes looked a hell of a lot better visually than the equivalents in Picard. I may not like the asthetic choices made (like ship design and roller coaster turbolifts) in DISCO but at least I can see where all the millions went on screen; I can't say the same about Picard.
Does it get better?
- Thread starter gakelly
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Not really. There was a single episode that I thought was good (not great but simply good) and another that was just ok but the season overall was worse IMO than DISCO s2 (which wasn't stellar either but was a big improvement of the Malon Freighter of a watch that was s1). While I was aware that my expectations (of a good show) would be subverted to hell in terms of plot/character/setting, the most surprising thing for me was how cheap it looked compared with DISCO s2. I know they're spending millions on each episode but it must be going straight into Stewart's bank account because it doesn't show on screen. Discovery's pew pew blam pow over the top action scenes looked a hell of a lot better visually than the equivalents in Picard. I may not like the asthetic choices made (like ship design and roller coaster turbolifts) in DISCO but at least I can see where all the millions went on screen; I can't say the same about Picard.
I thought it started great and, more or less, carried that through to it's finale. Not perfect but what is? In my opinion, it looks great with enough call backs to the old days and new characters and settings to keep the mix interesting.
I have to think if the opening theme music didn't grab you the show won't as it's a pretty good reflection of it, to me.
I have to think if the opening theme music didn't grab you the show won't as it's a pretty good reflection of it, to me.
On the whole I found it a decent series, not stellar but had good moments. What hampers the show is that it has to play catch up, unlike any Trek series this is very much a continuation of an earlier one, so we need to jump forward 20 years and have to be filled in on everything that's happened over those two decades as well as tell its own story.
I think the middle episodes - 6-8 specifically - are the best. Worth pushing through to Nepenthe at least, which is one of my favourite Trek episodes ever. Might be worth skimming through 5, which is pretty rough (though I seem to find each Kirsten Beyer episode the worst of its series).
No. This is literally the ONLY Star Trek (If you can call it that) I've only watched once, I include fan films I've watched in that.
Does it have to? In order to know you'll have to watch the whole thing; these things are like serials, you have to watch the entire thing (chapters) to get what it wants to be about. You'll tolerate it more if you put your common sense away from these Viacom Streaming Trek shows. Watch and don't question any ridiculous moment you see.
Perhaps if you would share what about those episodes you didn't like we could get a better idea if you'll like the rest.
I'm of the persuasion that if you didn't like the first three episodes, then the series probably isn't for you.
Really depends on why you didn't like it. You are not giving us much to go on and I have a feeling you may have made your mind up already before starting this thread
To the original poster, I regret to say that it doesn't get better IMO. There are some nice nods for TNG or Berman era Trek fans, but outside of the surface joy those nods evoke, the ST: Picard take on them left a lot to be desired for me. The first season had a lot of intriguing ideas, but focused on the wrong story for the major thread, which helped lead to a lackluster finale.
I can't even praise the production values. They didn't look as good as DISCO, and the uniforms, starships, etc. often lacked DISCO's visual imagination.
I can't even praise the production values. They didn't look as good as DISCO, and the uniforms, starships, etc. often lacked DISCO's visual imagination.
That one was my favorite as well but I don't think nostalgia could have carried more than one episode.
Yeah, I mentioned that above as well. I watched Picard s1 and DISCO s2 back to back last year when CBS offered the free month and the difference in the quality/variety of the visuals (both real life and digital) was quite jarring. I may not have liked alot of the asthetic choices made in DISCO s2 but it was a beautiful mess... Picard was just a mess.
Picard is like a brontosaurus, which is a real dinosaur I don't care what you think, kind of pointy and thin and interesting at the front, gets a bit longish and moves along, then gets really big and disturbing to some in the middle bit, then gets thin and kind of abruptly ends and after swishing about for no apparent reason at the rear.
The show, not the character.
The show, not the character.
I actually think Disco could benefit from someone cutting the CGI budget . I would have loved 10 episodes of Picard talking in a (properly lit) room
The wrong story for a major thread? What story would that be?
They made a tired evil/rebellious synthetics plot the main one (just about every science fiction franchise has done this story, and even DISCO had just done something similar for their second season), while pushing to the side the more interesting (IMO) stories about the ex-Borgs and the fall of the Romulan Empire. Those had more story potential and really could separately engulf a whole season or several by themselves. Picard squeezed all these storylines together, and unfortunately Chabon picked the one that was the most cliched and least particular to Trek. Focusing more on the Romulans and Borg build TNG/Trek lore in a way the synth storyline doesn't. B-4 was mentioned, I can't remember if they mentioned Lal, but I know they didn't mention Lore or Data's android 'mother' either while giving Maddox short shrift, and to me that says they couldn't even build on, or care to, what connections to TNG lore that were already there for the android storyline to make it overall a richer experience.
Certainly they told us ahead of Picard's premiere that ST: Picard was a different animal than TNG, but still, it rested on Trek or rather TNG nostalgia,
and I think seeing Hugh, Riker, and Troi again were well received by fans, especially the Riker & Troi episode (I didn't think it was that great but I did like seeing them again), so why not do more to expand on that lore? Chabon had definitely developed Romulan culture more than anyone else had in live action and it would've been nice to finally see the Romulans get the spotlight they deserve.
ST: Picard Season 1 almost feels like the same kind of bait and switch we got with ST: Nemesis, where the Romulans were pushed to the side for the Remans, and in Season 1 the same thing happens to both the Romulans and xBs in favor of the synthetics.
And I wish we had gotten a first season focused more on the repercussions of Picard's decision to leave Starfleet and the Federation's failure/refusal to keep helping the Romulans in their direst time of need.
I felt seeing Picard redeem himself in that way would've been more in keeping with the arc they set up for him, as well as the season's political messaging, instead of going back to the TNG movies Kirkification of Picard and Spockification of Data. Last year Red Letter Media did a nice rebuttal to this supposed deep love Picard had for Data during TNG's run that even I had forgotten about.
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My answer to the OP, it doesn't have to get better. For me and the Lady Sho-Rin, it started great and stayed that way. We recently completed a third run through the series and it gets even better with each viewing.
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