ENTERPRISE and FIRST CONTACT give my 'head canon' an out for all the visual differences. The events pretty much happen as previously seen in TOS/MOVIES, but the Tech got an upgrade due to "Future Guys" tampering and the BORG sphere crashing on earth in the past.
Nero ranted at Spock that the Federation sat by and did nothing whilst it happened too, so this story explains that too, always seemed a little weird.
I think Nero was very much out of touch with what was actually happening due to being off working someplace and once he came back only got tid-bits of info and then went off on his rant half-cocked.
Nero may have heard that the Federation called off the rescue armada and believed that the entire Federation had given up on any and all efforts to help his people, seeing Spock as a convenient scapegoat when he failed to stop the shockwave.
In Picard Countdown (official tie-in, written by Kirsten Beyer, costumes and characters from PIC), they've been evacuating for 4 years and think they still have at least a year till the nova happens.
Well, that was pretty good. I'm in (like I had a choice at this point ). The pacing of the story I have no issues with, as it's that kind of a show. This is not an episodic adventure series. If there are any discrepancies with how Spock related the supernova incident, keep in mind that while he was Spock from the prime universe, he was telling the story in the JJverse...just being there probably cost him a few brain cells. Not sure why that would be a concern when the main Romulans we spent face time with were the couple working at the chateau.
Watched it a few times in a row now. I think my favorite part of this is I don't feel overwhelming nostalgia. Galaxy feels different to me and am very glad they did that. It's not the safety of TNG & the 80's/90's. And banning, galaxy-wide, the construction of beings like Data, one of the most beloved Trek characters ever, is a fascinating choice to me.
5/5 Expectations = met. Intrigued & blown away. I really enjoyed the pacing. Stunning opening scene. Gorgeous cinematography all round. Solid writing with a little bit of humor that elicited a few chuckles. The plot felt straight forward and meaningful. Patrick Stewart knocked it out of the ball park - loved the tension between Jean-Luc and the reporter. All in all, a fantastic kick off to the series. Completely agree. I love TNG and DS9 (and some of Voyager - I won't be that mean), but can you imagine if they tried to replicate that tone now? Trek ought to always be relevant and adaptable to it's present audience. What I just watched is a perfect fit for 2020.
...Also intriguing is why nobody built those things before the PIC backstory. Trek has had capable androids left and right since the 2250s at the very least (2240s if the cop intercepting young Jimmy Kirk was one). Was Soong's nifty positronic brain really necessary for turning those into profitable consumer products? We'll probably learn a lot more about what makes Soongian androids and their Synth offspring special and desirable. I just hope it doesn't step too heavily on the toes of all those earlier androids we know existed, or of that period when we know no androids were in evidence anywhere in the UFP. Timo Saloniemi
Pretty good, after a realllllllllly rough start. Seriously, I cringed at the writing in the first half of this. But they stuck the landing and got me intrigued for more. Weird that they don't even mention Lal. Are they going to retcon her or will she come up later? And Data in the beginning looked like he was wearing a really bad costume version of his movie uniform. I guess they got rid of most of those props in the auction awhile ago. He looked better in the classic TNG uniform. Similar to how I felt when I watched Trek 09, the new aesthetic married to some familiar elements like the LCARS and sound effects was pleasing. I don't need TNG all over again, but I don't want them to completely redesign it. Give me some reminders of it and that's enough.
Retcon? Not a chance. I can see elements of TNG not getting namedropped but Lal being retconned and forgotten? No way.
Picard did mention Lal, in an indirect way, when he said that Data always wanted a daughter. (Nitpick: Not entirely accurate to the episode--Data let Lal choose her own gender.)
So, if I get it right, the Romulan guys want to kill the Synths and possibly Picard in revenge because the Synths destroyed the rescue ships. The rogue scientist Maddox used Data’s neural net to create at least two advanced androids who are flesh and blood and are programmed to believe they are human. Dahj is now dead and her sister Soji is working and getting romantic with Narek, a Romulan who is probably some sort of spy for the Romulans who want to kill Synths and have been using Borg technology. Narek somehow knows Soji is Synthetic but she doesn’t know what she is. The Romulans call her the Destroyer. It wasn’t explained just why the Synths attacked Mars, so the Romulans might have a point. The robots are possibly vulnerable to tampering and being turned to anyone’s purpose. Maybe some scientist at Daystrom didn’t want to save the Romulans. Picard’s two Romulan friends/employees are the former Romulan agents whom he encountered when his last ship tried to evacuate a Romulan colony and there was a disagreement over whether to also save the native inhabitants whom the Romulans viewed as inferior, per the graphic novel. Raffi, whom Picard is seen talking with in the previews, is Picard’s former first officer on that ship. Agnes the robot scientist will also be joining Picard’s quest. Seven is involved in some sort of group that advocates for former Borg/synths and, as Seven is seen crying, one of them will probably be killed. Riker, who looks pretty scruffy and out of shape, and Deanna Troi retired somewhere and have a teenage daughter called Kestra after Deanna’s sister. I doubt they will be regulars. Some of Picard’s other cast members have yet to be introduced. I like the actress playing Dahj/Soji. I hope they don’t kill off Soji too. I also prefer the Romulans with long hair over the hideous, identical bowl cuts and ugly forehead ridges from past series.
The female Romulan caretaker of Chateau Picard reminds me a lot of the Joanne Linville Romulan Commander from TOS. No brow ridges. Flowing human-style hair. An air of sophistication. A nice throwback to Romulans from TOS and the TOS Movie Era.
No, I don't think that is right. The Romulan agents who were attacking Dhaj were trying to kidnap her. We see that in the opening scene in her apartment where they put a bag over her head. Presumably, there is a Romulan group that knows that she is a flesh and blood synthetic and want to study her for their own purposes.
Yes, that would make sense. Who calls her the Destroyer? I also wonder how long Dahj and Soji lived among humans. Maybe Maddox is trying to trigger sentience in them with human experiences, a la the show Westworld? How much at this point is all programming vs. real choice?
Even more brutal simply due to the fact that Dahj was just a really nice young lady, with a lot going for her. Tragic that she would then be killed, especially in the way that she was. I live for ENT being given nods to in new Trek. I’ve been spoilt with Beyond and Discovery’s mentions. Honestly, I couldn’t disagree more. When I saw this last week, my overriding feeling in the first half was that I was watching the best Trek premiere episode of all time.