I have two expressions: pondering and bemused... ...right now I am bemused over this topic...* *with all due respect to Patrick F. McManus.
It's a mess, but I wonder if there will be a later reveal that may well dispel much of these questions?
Popcast, who has seen all 10 episodes, hints that the date of Picard S3 isn't confirmed onscreen in the upcoming episodes. All we have is Picard's line about Jack being 23/24. So there's room for Terry to finalize the date in a future show perhaps. The stardate is 78183.10 if anyone can decipher that.
1) Jack's age - yeah, 2411 would've been more comfortable but it is what it is. After episode 4, I really don't care. It didn't really bother me before, but I'll admit I did mental math. The story and acting is good enough for me personally. If we want to do the head canon thing about his age, I'd imagine this deleted scene from NEM was the last time they spoke. JL and Bev visited Casperia Prime during the post-NEM repairs, conceived, and Picard never showed up for that "last dance". Jack lived a tough life on the frontier and it shows in his face. 2) The refit: the writers definitely tortured the term but language evolves! If, let's say, the computer core (with Riker's jazz) is considered the "soul" of a ship and that is what was transferred to the Titan-A (along with some warp coils and some bulkheads), that could satisfy the meaning of the word in the 25th century. I certainly never truly bought the TMP Connie as the same 1701. Pieces here and there? Sure. Means a whole lot more if the computer core and some sentimental pieces were incorporated into the successor (see: the scorch) 3) Picard's retirement: oh he was mad as hell at the Starfleet brass in S1. Rightfully so, but he wasn't mad at the kids. To me, that scene was so heartwarming (until it wasn't - Jack's presence) because he was cheering on a new generation of officers. This was a (momentarily) reluctant opportunity for Picard to shape at least some of the next generation from afar.
If they're keeping with 10000 = 10 years, than it's 2401. VOY: Caretaker was in 2371 and it's stardate was 48315.6-48317 so add 30 years to that, you get 78000 range.
I'd have been 23/24? yeah right.....maybe his hard life is the reason he looks at least 10 years older.
My head canon? On his travels he inadvertently had brief exposure to the virus that caused Pulaski to age in “Unnatural Selection”—but only for a few seconds, enough to rob him of a good 15 years
Todd Stashwick is 54, but he was a "young grease monkey" during Wolf 359 (2366), so if S3 is set in 2401, he would've been 19 then. Unless Shaw is supposed to be a deal older than Stashwick
You seem to be rather missing my point... Besides which, just because a comedy cartoon show (which I very much enjoy) or even a subsequent live action outing references elements of a past episode or show, doesn't mean anyone has to take the entire awful mess with all its embarrassingly stupid bits as being somehow gospel.
See that bit does make sense to me, since the TNG era established with both Admiral McCoy and Picard himself that older individuals look and feel a lot younger and healthier than their counterparts generally would today. Shame they then messed that idea up with Jack lol
My head cannon is that while technically he is in his early 20s, he actually spent several years in the past in current day London trying to get in the head of Joe Goldberg.
It's an easy thing to solve with future entries of Trek (if there are any).. In this case, we just don't have all the information confirmed yet.