Good point. I had forgotten about the "activate" comment.
That's what makes them the protagonist.
Spoilers Picard 1x1, "Remembrance"
- Thread starter The Old Mixer
- Start date
Holy shit I fuckin' loved it!
Is it perfect? No. But it's damn close. It's almost exactly what I wished a new "Picard" series would be.
It's a new type of story. Set in a familiar universe.
That's how new Star Trek should feel. That's a feeling I haven't felt in... years.
Is it perfect? No. But it's damn close. It's almost exactly what I wished a new "Picard" series would be.
It's a new type of story. Set in a familiar universe.
That's how new Star Trek should feel. That's a feeling I haven't felt in... years.
Picard is a clear sign that despite what a lot of youtubers think, the current production team know what they are doing. I'm also calling it now, but if Picard is any indication, I think we're in for a treat with Discovery season 3.
G
Gonzo
Guest
A lot is going to depend on the story line they have gone for in the future and the scriptwriters for the two shows are different.
Is it going to be a rehash of Andromeda, after everything we saw in the finale of S2 did they just end up taking Control back to the future.
Or will it go in a completely unexpected direction.
Will it end up being a gigantic exercise in history reset with none of Disco ever happening at all, this is where my money is right now, could it end up being another 12 Monkeys, Burnham can do it as she has the suit and all she needs are crystals.
Certain aspects will be set in stone as Georgiou has to go back for the S31 show so there will be more time travel, will it be the PU or MU Georgiou that leads S31.
Will the events in Picard have anything to do with Discovery and the S31 show or vice versa, it would explain why they fast tracked Picard so they could release it first.
The production on Star Trek has been top noth since the 90s. There hasn't been a single hour of badly produced or cheap-looking Trek since the first seasons of TNG.
The problem in recent years has squarely been the writing. From a macro-level (starting out as almost a SF-anthology series, ending to where every single episode involved some phaser-fights with badguys), to the micro-level (the cold, robotic like interactions in late Berman-era Trek, to the super soapy melodrama of reboot/DIS).
There is still a liiiitle bit of that in PIC - where people hold speeches, instead of conversations - but the actors handle it much better, it is more evenly spread over multiple characters instead of just one, and it felt more natural, because the speeches were more about the topic at hand (aka necessary exposition dumps for the viewer), and not some meta-commentary about the writers' believes. Also, the Picard character is kinda' known for holding speeches, so I would miss them if they didn't appear.
Up + Merchant Ivory = Remains of the Data?
Hopefully that does not sound too strange, but that's how I felt about Picard after my first two viewings. What stuck out positively were the themes and representation of aging as well as the style. Indeed, I rather enjoyed this newer storytelling mode. I also like how Picard was shown to be at odds with many younger Earthlings.
The pilot had some issues with pacing. They weren't as pervasive as in Discovery, but they were serious at times. Picard's conversation with Dahj after he realizes she is somehow related to Data comes to mind. Perhaps it was the editing, but it did not feel the way Picard normally would formulate an argument, nor did it show him struggling intellectually with age. Also, I felt that they should have held of showing the reclaimed Borg cube and show more of Picard himself.
Overall, I liked the pilot. It is the second best pilot after Emissary. (Or is it the best first hour of a three hour pilot?) More than anything, I enjoyed the shifts of tone and style. It felt different for science fiction yet still very Star Trek. It felt like Star Trek's version of a period piece.
Hopefully that does not sound too strange, but that's how I felt about Picard after my first two viewings. What stuck out positively were the themes and representation of aging as well as the style. Indeed, I rather enjoyed this newer storytelling mode. I also like how Picard was shown to be at odds with many younger Earthlings.
The pilot had some issues with pacing. They weren't as pervasive as in Discovery, but they were serious at times. Picard's conversation with Dahj after he realizes she is somehow related to Data comes to mind. Perhaps it was the editing, but it did not feel the way Picard normally would formulate an argument, nor did it show him struggling intellectually with age. Also, I felt that they should have held of showing the reclaimed Borg cube and show more of Picard himself.
Overall, I liked the pilot. It is the second best pilot after Emissary. (Or is it the best first hour of a three hour pilot?) More than anything, I enjoyed the shifts of tone and style. It felt different for science fiction yet still very Star Trek. It felt like Star Trek's version of a period piece.
Okay, thanks for clearing that up!
So, in essence, the evacuation of Romulus failed for a good part (lacking the destroyed ships) - leading to surviving Romulans having a grudge against androids.
you may not like it but 'we' (journalists) always ask obvious stuff as not every reader/viewer is as up to speed as the journo, picard or people really interested such as yourself.
from were i sit that was the best info dumb trek ever had - because it was real; it also was a great scene (especially for sir patrick) and if they did it with flashbacks we are talking an hour of airtime or so.
just my 2 (euro) cents
unless all of the production team are lying, they said that storyline is over and they don't plan to do anything with Control again.
I haven't seen any of them.
Trying to arrange my thoughts on this opening episode:
Overall:
I friggin' loved this episode. Though I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone only vaguely familiar with Trek. Unlike, say, "The Mandalorian" which could be viewed without any backstory knowledge, this one requires a basic understanding of (TNG) Trek. Not surprising since it's a direct sequel. But I do think the introduction to a lot of the worldbuilding/backstory could have been made a bit more newcomer-friendly.
For me, as a hardcore Trekkie though? Fucking fantastic. I immediately felt familiar in this world. This was an amazing mixture of the fast-paced, emotional JJTrek-style with it's bombastic vfx. But applied to the more slowly, thought out and familiar TNG-era world. I like that the universe wasn't at war, a straight up dystopia, or on the decline or anthing. Instead a very good depiction of un-easy times, following tragic, monumental events.
If SF oftentimes is a depiction of the era it was made in - this one got it right.
Main Plot
Frankly, this is the part where I can comment the least right now. I have to see where the plot leads us. I thought the demise of Dahj was a bit cruel, and felt more like "modern streaming show conventions" creeping in for the "surprise!"-effect on viewers. But it was an extremely effective hook (the twin thing), and searching for the twin is a good narrative thread to build the next few episodes around. We'll see where it ends.
Characters
Probably the best thing about this show. I like they didn't "Old Luke" him, he wasn't entirely crushed or defeated. But not a perfect fairy tale ending either. It felt very natural and realistic, the way the Picard we know would handle a personal defeat. Go to retirement. But always ready to come back on his own, if he feels he can change something for the good. His heart never stopped burning. That's great to see in an older, fictional character.
The entire cast was amazing, to be frank. Dahj's actress was capapble of standing her ground to Patrick Stewart. That's not a small feat. I hope she stays around. I really love Allison Pill's robotics/A.I. expert. She was down to Earth, likable, relatable, damn good role model. And goddamn, do I love the older Romulan refugee couple, they're the perfect characters for Picard to play off of.
Worldbuilding
Again: This episode just got it right. I really like how it retconned ST09's supernova to be both more scientifically accurate, and still weave a story around it that also fits in the universe of TNG perfectly (the tried but failed rescue attempt, the political ramifications, refugees, unease society such a massive event would create). That was handled beautifully.
I'm a bit worried about Mars, and I think it was a bit difficult for people who haven't watched Trek in a while to get into the whole backstory of TWO completely bonkers, completely unrelated, planet-annhilating events at the same time. I hope this will be further explored during the season, giving us more details of the backstory. Right now, it's a bit difficult to grasp all the information. But the way it was presented through it's ramifications (empty research stations, Romulans on Earth) was pretty great and convincing.
Final words
I love it. We will see where the main story leads us, and what I will think of that. But right now, it feels like "my" Star Trek, the one I fell in love with, is back. And I'm more of a TOS guy!
If they make new future Star Trek series, I want them to be set in this exact same universe. Just tell their own stories with their own characters within it. In the future, I want to see even more new characters, unknown aliens, spaceships, and plotlines that don't require any previous knowledge. But for what it is - a continuation of one main charachter's storyline in this universe, dealing with the big events of his life - this is starting out perfectly.
10/10
There is still room for improvement on the details. But for what it is, I'm truly amazed at what we got in the first place.
Overall:
I friggin' loved this episode. Though I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone only vaguely familiar with Trek. Unlike, say, "The Mandalorian" which could be viewed without any backstory knowledge, this one requires a basic understanding of (TNG) Trek. Not surprising since it's a direct sequel. But I do think the introduction to a lot of the worldbuilding/backstory could have been made a bit more newcomer-friendly.
For me, as a hardcore Trekkie though? Fucking fantastic. I immediately felt familiar in this world. This was an amazing mixture of the fast-paced, emotional JJTrek-style with it's bombastic vfx. But applied to the more slowly, thought out and familiar TNG-era world. I like that the universe wasn't at war, a straight up dystopia, or on the decline or anthing. Instead a very good depiction of un-easy times, following tragic, monumental events.
If SF oftentimes is a depiction of the era it was made in - this one got it right.
Main Plot
Frankly, this is the part where I can comment the least right now. I have to see where the plot leads us. I thought the demise of Dahj was a bit cruel, and felt more like "modern streaming show conventions" creeping in for the "surprise!"-effect on viewers. But it was an extremely effective hook (the twin thing), and searching for the twin is a good narrative thread to build the next few episodes around. We'll see where it ends.
Characters
Probably the best thing about this show. I like they didn't "Old Luke" him, he wasn't entirely crushed or defeated. But not a perfect fairy tale ending either. It felt very natural and realistic, the way the Picard we know would handle a personal defeat. Go to retirement. But always ready to come back on his own, if he feels he can change something for the good. His heart never stopped burning. That's great to see in an older, fictional character.
The entire cast was amazing, to be frank. Dahj's actress was capapble of standing her ground to Patrick Stewart. That's not a small feat. I hope she stays around. I really love Allison Pill's robotics/A.I. expert. She was down to Earth, likable, relatable, damn good role model. And goddamn, do I love the older Romulan refugee couple, they're the perfect characters for Picard to play off of.
Worldbuilding
Again: This episode just got it right. I really like how it retconned ST09's supernova to be both more scientifically accurate, and still weave a story around it that also fits in the universe of TNG perfectly (the tried but failed rescue attempt, the political ramifications, refugees, unease society such a massive event would create). That was handled beautifully.
I'm a bit worried about Mars, and I think it was a bit difficult for people who haven't watched Trek in a while to get into the whole backstory of TWO completely bonkers, completely unrelated, planet-annhilating events at the same time. I hope this will be further explored during the season, giving us more details of the backstory. Right now, it's a bit difficult to grasp all the information. But the way it was presented through it's ramifications (empty research stations, Romulans on Earth) was pretty great and convincing.
Final words
I love it. We will see where the main story leads us, and what I will think of that. But right now, it feels like "my" Star Trek, the one I fell in love with, is back. And I'm more of a TOS guy!
If they make new future Star Trek series, I want them to be set in this exact same universe. Just tell their own stories with their own characters within it. In the future, I want to see even more new characters, unknown aliens, spaceships, and plotlines that don't require any previous knowledge. But for what it is - a continuation of one main charachter's storyline in this universe, dealing with the big events of his life - this is starting out perfectly.
10/10
There is still room for improvement on the details. But for what it is, I'm truly amazed at what we got in the first place.
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no, it's the number of the Romulans needing to be rescued before the sun went supernova
I imagine the Federation didn't represent the entirety of Romulan rescue efforts.
C
Captain pl1ngpl0ng
Guest
it felt so unexpectedly right.... lets see how this turns out, holding my breath.
Is there a way that they could have depicted the tracking of Picard without using contemporary satellite images? The image of the location of Starfleet buildings looks like a bad photoshop job.
https://pic.star-trek.info/displayimage.php?album=5&pid=3718#top_display_media
https://pic.star-trek.info/displayimage.php?album=5&pid=3718#top_display_media
Yep, one neuron, three artifical brain cells. No wonder Data had so much trouble trying to figure out humor.
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