How can future shows retcon the errors of Star Trek Picard?

[Garak234]

Star trek Picard(my least favorite star trek show) has a lot of positives, such as interesting story ideas that deserved their own seasons, world building, some interesting characters but there are also aspects of Picard that damaged the franchise. How could future shows make the UFP of the Picard era less repulsive and undo the deaths of Hugh. How will future shows explain Hugh's claim that Xb's are detested throughout the quadrant when Voyager went through massive lengths to show that the UFP was enlightened with former borg? How will future shows explain Data being idle in a server? Icheb's death is so definite that it probably cannot be reversed unfortunately. These errors are just one of many that while not explicitly mentioned are implied in this post. Will Lower decks play any role in undoing Picard related damage? And are these problems less glaring if they can be viewed as an intentional work of plot material for future Star Trek Series to explore in more depth?

 

[Nerys Myk]

My time machine is in the shop.

 

[YetAnotherSubspaceAnomaly]

I’m not sure “error” is the right word. “Error” usually connotes something objectively incorrect, arrived at by mistake—like getting the wrong answer to a math problem, or thinking “you can’t get pregnant your first time.” The things you describe aren’t “errors”—they may be poor writing or bad drama, but it’s not “objectively incorrect” to kill off Icheb

That said, one of the strengths of Picard is that it takes two plot elements that, to my understanding, were largely poorly-received across the fan base, the death of Data and the destruction of Romulus, and it builds a story around them. Whether that story is any good is sorta beside the point. Future writers could do something similar with your objections by taking plot elements that are disliked and attempting to spin a worthwhile story out of them.

with respect to a couple of your specific objections:

1) How did VOY show the UFP was “enlightened” as to former Borg? Granted, it showed the crew of one small, isolated starship *gradually* coming to trust Seven and a small handful of other individuals during the course of daily contact. It’s hard to make an “other” out of someone you work with each day in stellar cartography. What about the vast majority of UFP citizens who never have that opportunity? What about the fact that this enlightened UFP was also sending obsolete EMHs to work in what were essentially slave labor camps. Also keep in mind that this statement was made after a major disaster on Mars which was blamed on artificial life forms. Ask a Sikh in the United States how they felt in the US after 9/11. They had nothing to do with the attacks and were from a completely different religion, but because of superficial similarities were subjected to anti-Muslim violence. Is it that hard to imagine xB’s being lumped in with “the rest of those artificial sorts” after a society-altering disaster?

2) was Data isolated in a server? I think the show very intentionally left it vague as to whether Picard was somehow interacting with the true consciousness of Data or if it was all internal to his own dying brain. The truth doesn’t actually matter here. The point is Picard finally coming to peace with the loss of his friend.

 

[Dukhat]

How could future shows make the UFP of the Picard era less repulsive and undo the deaths of Hugh.

Why does Hugh's death need to be undone?

How will future shows explain Hugh's claim that Xb's are detested throughout the quadrant when Voyager went through massive lengths to show that the UFP was enlightened with former borg?

Voyager did no such thing.

How will future shows explain Data being idle in a server?

Was he idle in a server?

Icheb's death is so definite that it probably cannot be reversed unfortunately.

Why would it need to be reversed?

What exactly is your definition of 'error?'

 

[Nerys Myk]

"Stuff I don't like".

 

[KennyB]

"Stuff I don't like".

Or understand maybe?

 

[Alexander Corrino]

Fans: We want post Nemesis canon stories!
Trek: Okay, we heard you, here’s a show that does just that and also does what Trek has always done - reflect the times in which it is being made!
Fans: NO NOT LIKE THAT I WANT IT RETCONNED BECAUSE I DON’T LIKE IT



All that being said, PIC has had one season. One. Maybe… just maybe… this is all part of a story arc that will continue and fans haven’t seen all of yet? Maybe give it time to unfold instead of screaming for retcons after literally ten episodes?

 

[dupersuper]

Or understand maybe?

Because if they don't like it they just don't understand it?

 

[KennyB]

Because if they don't like it they just don't understand it?

A lot of the time, YEAH. I’ve seen people go on tirades about things that were foreshadowed and explained episodes prior…..or their head canon gets in the way of actual canon.

 

[Relayer1]

but there are also aspects of Picard that damaged the franchise.

How could future shows make the UFP of the Picard era less repulsive and undo the deaths of Hugh.

How will future shows explain Data being idle in a server?

Icheb's death is so definite that it probably cannot be reversed

Will Lower decks play any role in undoing Picard related damage?

And are these problems less glaring if they can be viewed as an intentional work of plot material for future Star Trek Series to explore in more depth?

I enjoyed Picard. More than some other old Trek shows.

I don't care about killing Hugh.

There are opportunities for other copies of Data if he could be recreated from a single positronic neuron. If Brent Spiner doesn't want to it's immaterial.

I don't care one single jot about killing Icheb. In fact, given the actor's behaviour, I approve.

Lower Decks is more likely to be damaging to Trek, not Picard. I absolutely detest it.

These are not "problems ".

 

[The Old Mixer]

Why would other shows retcon the deliberate decisions of Star Trek: Picard?

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Why did Enterprise retcon the deliberate decisions of the Original Series? Because it suited them.

 

[fireproof78]

I enjoyed Picard. More than some other old Trek shows.

I don't care about killing Hugh.

There are opportunities for other copies of Data if he could be recreated from a single positronic neuron. If Brent Spiner doesn't want to it's immaterial.

I don't care one single jot about killing Icheb. In fact, given the actor's behaviour, I approve.

Lower Decks is more likely to be damaging to Trek, not Picard. I absolutely detest it.

These are not "problems ".

I'm still trying to figure out the "damage" done to a fictional franchise.

 

[shapeshifter]

My time machine is in the shop.

It'll be ready by Tuesday.

 

[Nerys Myk]

It'll be ready by Tuesday.

The problem is, it's stuck on Monday.

 

[Danja]

Star trek Picard(my least favorite star trek show) has a lot of positives, such as interesting story ideas that deserved their own seasons, world building, some interesting characters but there are also aspects of Picard that damaged the franchise. How could future shows make the UFP of the Picard era less repulsive and undo the deaths of Hugh. How will future shows explain Hugh's claim that Xb's are detested throughout the quadrant when Voyager went through massive lengths to show that the UFP was enlightened with former borg? How will future shows explain Data being idle in a server? Icheb's death is so definite that it probably cannot be reversed unfortunately. These errors are just one of many that while not explicitly mentioned are implied in this post.

Life isn't always lollipops and rainbows.

Why should Trek be any different?


“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.” -- Jean-Luc Picard

The problem is, it's stuck on Monday.

Good one!

 

[Sci]

How could future shows make the UFP of the Picard era less repulsive

PIC S1 itself already made it clear that people had realized how badly they had faltered after the Mars Attack and were in the process of reforming to fix those mistakes.

and undo the deaths of Hugh.

Absolutely not. I'm not saying there is never a time and place for depicting a resurrection, but it needs to be extremely judicious. Nothing about Hugh's story would be improved if he were revived.

How will future shows explain Hugh's claim that Xb's are detested throughout the quadrant when Voyager went through massive lengths to show that the UFP was enlightened with former borg?

VOY did no such thing. If anything, VOY laid the groundwork for PIC's decision to depict the Federation as not recognizing the personhood of Synths, since it depicted the UFP as using sentient holograms for literal slave labor in "Author, Author." Nothing VOY did established anything whatsoever about popular attitudes towards ex-Borg in the Federation.

How will future shows explain Data being idle in a server?

Oh for goodness's sake. The entire scene there is Picard as a science-fictional Orpheus, descending into the metaphorical Underworld to say a proper goodbye to his loved one (Data, taking Eurydice's place as Jean-Luc's ersatz son rather than wife). To complain about the idea that "Data was idle in a server" is to completely miss the point of the scene.

Icheb's death is so definite that it probably cannot be reversed unfortunately.

It would be a profoundly bad creative decision to revive Icheb. It would totally undermine Seven's entire character arc.

These errors

None of them were errors.

 

[Lord Garth]

We get it. Except for Lower Decks, which reminds you of '90s Trek, you want Star Trek frozen in May of 2001.

 

[Garak234]

We get it. Except for Lower Decks, which reminds you of '90s Trek, you want Star Trek frozen in May of 2001.

Of course never said that. I also like discovery (season 3 and 4). Picard has flaws that should be explained in future series. Enterprise isn’t bad either. What is wrong with the UFP in Picard is a valid question, was the doctor in voyager deactivated? I’m not in the mood to recall other errors just recalling these errors/nits because there the easiest to recall right now.

 

[The Old Mixer]

errors

[Insert Princess Bride meme here]