It was Jean-Luc Earp's finest hour
Spoilers Let’s talk about the destruction of Trek utopia…
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I think that PIC is finally giving the 24th century a long overdue reality check. Deep Space Nine has already started this, as was best exemplified by Sisko's oft-quoted speech from The Maquis. Just like how a huge part of the fandom has become complacent and started taking their most positive and utopian interpretations of an optimistic future for granted, I think the Federation itself has started resting on their laurels and that caused all kinds of cracks to appear and previously existing small ones to be magnified. So right now, I think, both the franchise and the Federation itself needs storylines where people realize that utopia needs to be fought for and preserved. You want an optimistic future? Then be prepared to defend it. Quoth Bones, "Spock, I've found that evil usually triumphs unless good is very, very careful."
For me, fighting to preserve an optimistic future that has suffered some cracks and has wavered a bit is one of the most profound positive messages that can be told to an early 21st century audience. Especially with how the Federation wavering relates to Picard's inner conflict so well.
For me, fighting to preserve an optimistic future that has suffered some cracks and has wavered a bit is one of the most profound positive messages that can be told to an early 21st century audience. Especially with how the Federation wavering relates to Picard's inner conflict so well.
Gonna recap something I wrote on my site...
It should be noted that spoilers will be unavoidable here, so if you plan on watching Star Trek Picard and don't want any details revealed to you, stay clear of this post.
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Still here? I can assume you don't mind spoilers!
We're halfway through, and so far, PIC has established itself as a slow-burning character piece. Sir Patrick Stewart gives us a Jean-Luc Picard who is every bit the compassionate kind soul we knew him to be in TNG - only he is less guarded with that side of himself. Beneath that however, is a man embittered by seeing the organisation he devoted his life to change, into something unrecognisable. The Federation and Starfleet no longer represent compassion; they have turned away, turned inward, doing so in the face of tragedy, but doing so nonetheless, and in doing so, condemning millions of Romulans to die.
They've also allowed for a lawless frontier to develop, where the borders between Federation and Romulan space used to be. There are acts of savagery happening that the Federation ignores now, and Picard... he feels in part responsible, even if it could be argued he had no choice but to resign.
Stewart himself made the point that PIC is a reflection and examination of our current society - Star Trek continues to be a reflection for who we are. Having high and mighty ideals is all well and good, but holding onto those ideals is not easy, especially when there's a shock to the system. Take a look at how Donald Trump came to be President, or how Brexit became a reality - to assume the Federation couldn't make bad choices (especially in the presented circumstances) is to err.
Then again, the Federation has never been as perfect as some fans would lead us to believe. The Federation sanctioned the forced relocation of the Baku in the movie Insurrection, agreed to trick the Romulans into entering the Dominion War, and acquiesced to a plot to commit genocide against the Founders in the same war. These aren't simply the actions of a rogue commander, but state-authorised plans. The apparent paradise of the Federation is a fragile thing, much as our own treasured freedoms are precious, and that's what PIC is reminding us of. Do not take for granted what we have.
I get that some fans will not like the show, but some call it 'dystopian'. The very word dystopia means 'undesirable or frightening society'. The Federation isn't being portrayed in such a manner, but we've peeled back some of the fluffy, cuddly outer layers to see what lies beneath. There are areas of lawlessness where the Federation has withdrawn its presence and takes no action. Not everyone experiences the utopian lifestyle presented in TNG. There's a grittier tone to PIC, as a result of changing circumstances, which is, once again, a reflection of our society - and Star Trek has always been a vehicle for telling stories relevant to our here and now.
As far as the show itself is concerned, as mentioned before, we have a less-guarded Picard, but also a Picard who is embittered with the establishment he once fought for so passionately. He also carries guilt - he took a stand and resigned, leaving him unable to do anything to help the Romulans, when he might have been able to influence things from inside Starfleet. He sacrificed his career for his principles, but at a greater cost.
This makes PIC a look at redemption. Picard is looking for it, in the shape of trying to help a young woman who turns to him, and then, to try and help the woman's sister. His former executive officer, ex-Captain Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd in the show) is seeking it, in the form of healing her relationship with her estranged son. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) is hoping to find a way to redeem her work in synthetic/cybernetic life, with synthetics being a major influence on the story arc so far.
There's intrigue everywhere. Captain Cristóbal Rios is, like Picard, out of love for Starfleet, and now acts as a freelancer (he has an entertaining EMH modelled after himself). Soji and Dahj, the twin sisters, have to be pivotal somehow (I don't want to give away too much, but the roles - played by Isa Briones - have to be significant). As I said earlier, this is slow-burner, but as we're halfway through, I can see things picking up now.
One issue - one that I have to voice - is that in episode five, we are 'treated' to a very overt display of gory violence. Whilst Star Trek is not pacifist (just google violence in TNG alone), this particular scene seemed to go out of its way to horrify with the intensity. I'm not one of the fans who buys into the notion that Star Trek is family entertainment - it can be, but there have been plenty of episodes of DS9 and VOY that weren't necessarily in that category, and a few movies too - but this was overkill.
That's my only gripe. I know it will polarise the fandom, but then again, the mere existence of new Star Trek can do that. I am intrigued to see where this tale will end.
It should be noted that spoilers will be unavoidable here, so if you plan on watching Star Trek Picard and don't want any details revealed to you, stay clear of this post.
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Still here? I can assume you don't mind spoilers!
We're halfway through, and so far, PIC has established itself as a slow-burning character piece. Sir Patrick Stewart gives us a Jean-Luc Picard who is every bit the compassionate kind soul we knew him to be in TNG - only he is less guarded with that side of himself. Beneath that however, is a man embittered by seeing the organisation he devoted his life to change, into something unrecognisable. The Federation and Starfleet no longer represent compassion; they have turned away, turned inward, doing so in the face of tragedy, but doing so nonetheless, and in doing so, condemning millions of Romulans to die.
They've also allowed for a lawless frontier to develop, where the borders between Federation and Romulan space used to be. There are acts of savagery happening that the Federation ignores now, and Picard... he feels in part responsible, even if it could be argued he had no choice but to resign.
Stewart himself made the point that PIC is a reflection and examination of our current society - Star Trek continues to be a reflection for who we are. Having high and mighty ideals is all well and good, but holding onto those ideals is not easy, especially when there's a shock to the system. Take a look at how Donald Trump came to be President, or how Brexit became a reality - to assume the Federation couldn't make bad choices (especially in the presented circumstances) is to err.
Then again, the Federation has never been as perfect as some fans would lead us to believe. The Federation sanctioned the forced relocation of the Baku in the movie Insurrection, agreed to trick the Romulans into entering the Dominion War, and acquiesced to a plot to commit genocide against the Founders in the same war. These aren't simply the actions of a rogue commander, but state-authorised plans. The apparent paradise of the Federation is a fragile thing, much as our own treasured freedoms are precious, and that's what PIC is reminding us of. Do not take for granted what we have.
I get that some fans will not like the show, but some call it 'dystopian'. The very word dystopia means 'undesirable or frightening society'. The Federation isn't being portrayed in such a manner, but we've peeled back some of the fluffy, cuddly outer layers to see what lies beneath. There are areas of lawlessness where the Federation has withdrawn its presence and takes no action. Not everyone experiences the utopian lifestyle presented in TNG. There's a grittier tone to PIC, as a result of changing circumstances, which is, once again, a reflection of our society - and Star Trek has always been a vehicle for telling stories relevant to our here and now.
As far as the show itself is concerned, as mentioned before, we have a less-guarded Picard, but also a Picard who is embittered with the establishment he once fought for so passionately. He also carries guilt - he took a stand and resigned, leaving him unable to do anything to help the Romulans, when he might have been able to influence things from inside Starfleet. He sacrificed his career for his principles, but at a greater cost.
This makes PIC a look at redemption. Picard is looking for it, in the shape of trying to help a young woman who turns to him, and then, to try and help the woman's sister. His former executive officer, ex-Captain Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd in the show) is seeking it, in the form of healing her relationship with her estranged son. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) is hoping to find a way to redeem her work in synthetic/cybernetic life, with synthetics being a major influence on the story arc so far.
There's intrigue everywhere. Captain Cristóbal Rios is, like Picard, out of love for Starfleet, and now acts as a freelancer (he has an entertaining EMH modelled after himself). Soji and Dahj, the twin sisters, have to be pivotal somehow (I don't want to give away too much, but the roles - played by Isa Briones - have to be significant). As I said earlier, this is slow-burner, but as we're halfway through, I can see things picking up now.
One issue - one that I have to voice - is that in episode five, we are 'treated' to a very overt display of gory violence. Whilst Star Trek is not pacifist (just google violence in TNG alone), this particular scene seemed to go out of its way to horrify with the intensity. I'm not one of the fans who buys into the notion that Star Trek is family entertainment - it can be, but there have been plenty of episodes of DS9 and VOY that weren't necessarily in that category, and a few movies too - but this was overkill.
That's my only gripe. I know it will polarise the fandom, but then again, the mere existence of new Star Trek can do that. I am intrigued to see where this tale will end.
It's also a powerful message for the audience of today: If you see the world is going crazy, DO something. Try to make it better and don't tell yourself everything is fine anyway.
This cannot be overstated. I thoroughly enjoyed your point but I love this part especially.
A line written by Gene Roddenberry no less.
dammit. since I was told I hate Gene's vision that must mean I hate that quote too.
Fuck you, Bones. How dare you telling me what to do. I WILL NOT be careful!
Good point about 'optimistic' vs 'utopian'. Agreed about TNG.
I'm due to reply to someone in fury about the loss of utopia, so the comments here are really useful.
Although TOS was about adventures on the frontier, was it premised on there being a utopia which could sustain the cost of all the science and development?
Lots of extraneous words are being brought in to shuttle conversations into particular directions.
Watch @Ketwolski . One of the more interesting ones right now for me. And a member here to boot 
Shives, Jesse, Ketwolski, Trek Central, Rowan Coleman have been doing a good job covering Trek on youtube.Watch @Ketwolski . One of the more interesting ones right now for me. And a member here to boot
It's funny. We never actually saw 23rd century Earth on the original series (as opposed to the movies). The multiracial, multinational crew implied that Earth had gotten its shit together and that the world Kirk came from was much better than the world of 1966, but not that it was some perfect paradise full of "evolved" humans; that was more of a TNG thing. By contrast, TOS was optimistic in that it depicted that a future that worked, that wasn't a post-atomic wasteland or Orwellian dystopia, but not one that without flaws. Humanity, as god-like aliens loved to remind us, was still a half-savage child race with a long way to go.
"We not going to kill . . . today."
Thanks, glad you liked it!
I've never bought into the latter-day myth that Star Trek was and always will have to be a utopian future, where all is good, bright and shiny (as primarily a TOS fan, I know that all too well!)
However, Star Trek was never to always be about the darker, dysfunctional, underhanded side of everything either.
To me, Star Trek was to be about venturing out into space, exploring and visiting other forms of life (whether they mirror ourselves or not), with a diverse group to work together to solve problems, either to help others or save themselves.
While on that journey, we get to know these main characters, feel for them, cheer them on when they do something good, or think long and hard if they do something we don't agree with.
To me, while Picard has entertaining moments, so far I've not seen a complete episode that hits the mark for what I want. Instead I've seen the way overused trope of the rogue officer in a high-ranking position, characterization that lacks depth in some areas (in the last episode, I really felt nothing when Raffi tried to reconnect with her son, and the discovery of him having a pregnant Romulan wife that she won't get to know, for example) among other things.
I don't know completely what it is, but this series just has not yet hit the mark for me. I wish I could completely articulate it, but some of it doesn't feel like the writers and producers completely get Star Trek, beyond putting in some nostalgic moments. It also, to me, is borrowing heavily from other sources (Total Recall, The Search for Spock, Blade Runner, etc.) too much.
However, Star Trek was never to always be about the darker, dysfunctional, underhanded side of everything either.
To me, Star Trek was to be about venturing out into space, exploring and visiting other forms of life (whether they mirror ourselves or not), with a diverse group to work together to solve problems, either to help others or save themselves.
While on that journey, we get to know these main characters, feel for them, cheer them on when they do something good, or think long and hard if they do something we don't agree with.
To me, while Picard has entertaining moments, so far I've not seen a complete episode that hits the mark for what I want. Instead I've seen the way overused trope of the rogue officer in a high-ranking position, characterization that lacks depth in some areas (in the last episode, I really felt nothing when Raffi tried to reconnect with her son, and the discovery of him having a pregnant Romulan wife that she won't get to know, for example) among other things.
I don't know completely what it is, but this series just has not yet hit the mark for me. I wish I could completely articulate it, but some of it doesn't feel like the writers and producers completely get Star Trek, beyond putting in some nostalgic moments. It also, to me, is borrowing heavily from other sources (Total Recall, The Search for Spock, Blade Runner, etc.) too much.
One of the best moments.
Would you include Gary Buechler of Nerdrotic in this category of ignorant reviewers? He’s fairly scathing about PIC, regularly scoring it around 5/10.
Nerdrotic reviews Star Trek? I was under the impression his Never-been-touched-by-a-female-because-women-are-eeeeeevil" toxic masculinity BS doesn't qualify in any shape or form as what sane people would consider as reviews.
I would not trust most YouTuber Star Trek personalities, aside from one or two. The temptation is too great to give in to outrage culture, it is an unearned platform that has little policing. I'd rather ignore most of it and miss out on it, than give credence to unsubstantiated conspiracy theory style thinking.
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