Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 3x01 - "The Next Generation"

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You do have to admit that there is quite the difference between a standard Klingon or Romulan cloaking device and an experimental ‘Phase Cloak’ though.

A ‘Phase Cloak’ worked differently, it took a starships matter out of phase with all other matter and space around it, rendering the vessel ‘invisible’ as it was ‘out of phase’ with everything else. What is the definition of a phase? Are phases different levels of the ‘onion skin’ of reality and physics around us? If so, this is not the same as standard Romulan cloaking tech.

Did the Treaty of Algeron implicitly state that *anything* which makes a starship invisible goes against the terms of this agreement? Or was it referenced only to the specific Romulan cloaking technologies? Surely invisibility can not be illegal? What about other ‘stealth’ technologies? Transporters make people ‘invisible’ during transit, warp drive also gives the perception of ‘invisibility’ if adapted in ways such as the Picard Maneuver . Would the Picard Manuever be illegal according to the terms of the Treaty of Algeron? Ferengi may say so. :shrug:

Phase in physics (sorta) means where you are with respect to everything else.

Phasing in The Flash TV show is about jitterin' until you are insubstantial.

It's amazing that phase cloaks are still "experimental" in Star Trek.

Daniels on Enterprise from the 31st century could phase using an arm band.

TNG The Next Phase, where Geordie and Ro think that they are Ghosts, was Romulans experimenting with a Phase Cloak, to some degree of success.

And of course Pegasus which involved Ensign Riker on his first mission where he had to phaser his friends to protect his Captain. He's not invited to the 20 year Reunion.

Look at what Star Fleet did with the Cardassians, even though Starfleet had the upper hand, and they could make make the Cardies eat something bitter, instead Starfleet made a really bad deal, handing over billions of space hectars to the enemy in exchange for a lasting peace. They value peace more than stuff.

It's the same with the Romulans, except Starfleet placed zero value in cloaks. Sure in battle they may be useful, but as far as meeting alien cultures go, and building alliances, it's hard to say "Hi, will you be my friend?" if you are see through.

Invisibility is only for sneaky criminals.

Starfleet likes to be bold and bright with Ted Lassoian "Hi diddly doo."

Starfleet gave the Romulans something of no value

Cloak Exclusivity.

And in exchange they got a century of peace.

Although...

A novel once describes Sensor improvements vs Cloak advancement as a Cold War. Every-time the sensors start seeing through the Cloak, the Cloaks have to be redesigned, and every-time the cloaks become completely invisible, the sensors have to be redesigned. Each side on a fulcrum constantly tipping back and forth as each side tries to furiously maintain the tenuous upper-hand.
 
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TNG The Next Phase, where Geordie and Ro think that they are Ghosts, was Romulans experimenting with a Phase Cloak, to some degree of success.

Just curious, is your spelling of Geordi (with the extra e) a purposeful choice, or do you not notice others' spelling it correctly?
 
This is a parallel of how the designation Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One was once forced upon her by the Borg, Captain Shaw is now doing the same thing if you think about it but now on the flip side of the coin.

The showrunner should have never done this story arc. I find it stupid and implausible beyond belief. If he had wanted to explore a topic that is relevant today, he should have tried something else, as far as I'm concerned.
 
LaForge is actually from Wallsend, England. It's just a nickname referring to his birthplace, his first name is actually Montgomery.
"Yee knar, a've elwis thowt technology cud solve aabut any problem. it enhances the quality iv wor lives, lets wor travel across the galaxy, evon gev wor me vision. but sometimes yee just hev tuh coin it aaal off" La Forge, the Geordie
 
While I understand and appreciate the allegory, it's not actually been she doesn't let anyone use it. B'Jayzl called her it. That's why I think it's more an intimate name (but now possibly dead) than something she outright rejects.

Just curious, is your spelling of Bjayzl (with the extra apostrophe) a purposeful choice, or do you not notice others' spelling it correctly?
 
9/10.
It's a very promising start. It would be funny if we went from the worst season in the franchise (Pic S2) to potentially one of the best. :)

Truly shows that there's always hope for a big comeback, when the right creatives are involved.
 
9/10.
It's a very promising start. It would be funny if we went from the worst season in the franchise (Pic S2) to potentially one of the best. :)

Truly shows that there's always hope for a big comeback, when the right creatives are involved.
Congratulations on getting that user name!

PICARD season 2 has a few episodes written by Terry Matalas. And it has no character fridging or eyeball ripping, so I respectfully disagree and say season 1 was worse:rofl:
 
Congratulations on getting that user name!

PICARD season 2 has a few episodes written by Terry Matalas. And it has no character fridging or eyeball ripping, so I respectfully disagree and say season 1 was worse:rofl:

I thought "The Star Gazer" was pretty good episode. It was just downhill after that.

Can't wait to see how he fares as a showrunner and director.

Love this interview
 
I rewatched the episode, and it's still a 7 for me.

However, it went from a low 7 to a higher 7, and it was more I want to see what it to come. I still think the episode was overhyped and it was really dark (The scenes with Raffi, and the Dinner scene, specifically) but I was able to pick up on more things reading posts here and listening to a podcast reviewing the episode.

If Terry Matalas really is posting here now (And I'm almost embarrassed even trying this), can you explain your lighting choices? I'm not expecting TNG brightness or anything like that, but I always found something like DS9 really properly lit, and there is a happy medium between what is before and what you can do now. In terms of Modern space Opera, I always felt The Expanse was properly lit. You still had some darkness, but it was still easy to see and follow. I'm just wondering if you can educate me on the lighting aspect of your work to someone who doesn't know. I did get more of a sense of that movie feel in this episode but even The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country (Minus the Rura Penthe scene) were a little lighter than this.
 
Well, not exactly.

The United States Army today certainly likes to think of itself as being the same institution as the Continental Army of the United Colonies, and certainly it's descended from it in terms of inherited cultural ethos and history. But by law, the Continental Army disbanded after the Treaty of Paris ended the war....
Yes, but the US Army celebrates that date, as though it were contiguous.

This does at least suggest the possibility that trying to nail down one particular "birthday" for Starfleet might be more complicated than you would think, though.
Agreed. And the quote from Matalas re: the launch of the NX-01, answers it "officially", though maybe not "legally" in-universe.

I dunno man. Real life is full of heroic people who subsequently went batshit crazy. Like, yeah, MacArthur probably saved the free world during World War II, but does that mean President Truman was wrong to fire him when he started defying presidential authority and wanted to nuke China during the Korean War? Everyone loved Rudy Giuliani for his leadership in the aftermath of 9/11, but he turned into a fascist lunatic now.

We know that Riker and Picard aren't that, because we're the audience members watching a show and we know how the narrative works. Characters within the narrative do not know they are in a story or who the main characters are.
Yeah, but Seven knows Picard as of very recently and has spent a lot of time with him. She would likely err on the side of going along with him until something gave her reason to doubt his status.

I mean, yeah, the bit where Tilly is first office of the Discovery was a dumb decision and thank goodness got walked back quickly, but I don't really see the comparison. Seven of Nine clearly has the equivalent knowledge of multiple doctorate-level educations, she served honorably as a civilian senior department head and key part of the command crew aboard the USS Voyager, and then she spent something in the area of at least ten to fifteen years rendering extraordinary service in an anarchic part of space with the Fenris Rangers. She clearly has the command experience of at least a commander, and it makes perfect sense to commission her as such.
Great summary!


I don't think the Dominion War or the Mars Attack took a terrible material toll on the foundations of Federation society. A large segment of Federation worlds to the "west" were hit, but the core worlds of the Federation and the worlds closer to Klingon and Romulan space were untouched. The Mars Attack was a huge psychological blow, but it killed less than 100,000 people in a Federation with a population that probably reaches into the trillions. These are major setbacks, but I don't think they're decline-of-the-British-Empire level setbacks.

Also -- something else to think about is that the Federation no longer has any major rivals capable of projecting power on the same level it can....
I disagree. It was pretty dire. Betazed was invaded. That is a core world. And Vulcan, Earth, etc., the heart of the Federation were within threat reach.

And on top of that, the Federation might not have a major opponent (at least on this side of the Bajoran Wormhole), but with the collapse of the Cardassians, the Romulans, the rebuilding the Klingons needed, the Federation was probably stretching itself even thinner trying to help/save hundreds of additional friendly/neutral/previously enemy worlds in the decades following the war.

It didn't cause the Federation to decline (as far as we can tell), but likely stressed it majorly. Hence, pulling back from the Romulan rescue and leaving areas unpoliced such that the Fenris Rangers were needed.

Yeah, it could go either way. But Seven and Raffi were in a really good place when S2 ended, so I'm more inclined to assume they're still together.
Agreed.

I mean, it's not what I wanted from the start. I wanted what was originally promised -- a show focusing on Jean-Luc Picard that wasn't just a TNG reunion. I still contend that "Remembrance" is one of the greatest episodes of Star Trek ever produced. But I do concede that even though I fundamentally disagree with the premise behind S3, so far it is a well-executed version of that premise.
I wanted what was promised, a "contemplative Trek" show focused on Picard, and one that was, say, competently executed (which seasons 1 and 2 only achieved in pieces). I enjoyed pieces of Remembrance, but I guess my view of it re: "one of the greatest episodes" ever is tainted by the failures of the rest of the season.

What do you consider the "premise" of S3, given it is so new? That the TNG crew is being brought back together one last time, or that it is another TNG movie to give them a proper sendoff, or something else?

The man that could be stunned and disarmed since he was injured on the floor, yes. TNG Crusher wouldn’t do that.
We don't yet know why she might do that. I think there is more to these villains than typical mooks. As another poster pointed out, Beverly had to up her aggression level to take out the bad guy, Jo'Bril in "Suspicions". Given another couple of seconds, the enemy may have shown a significant recovery and renewed threat. We haven't seen much about them, so we don't know all their capabilities or actual threat level yet.

...
For those who don't know, between 1815-1914 Britain had no peers in the global stage. To the point it began to turn a little more inward to various developments both technological, cultural and military, which led to the embarking of the single largest humanitarian action and campaign of human history with the abolishment of the Slave Trade globally...
I'd certainly like to see a Federation tackling internal house cleaning and other more aggressive powers like the Breen who themselves are known to practise slave trading for their many mines. After all, what can a Goliath do when it's the only one left?
This has been a fanwish of mine, a Star Trek: Federation show that tackles internal social/technological/systemic issues and questions, like a "West Wing" version of Trek (but more Starfleet and less politics).

It is also strange that the Quantum Tunnelling weapon was initiated as soon as Raffi reached the ‘Red Lady’ target destination. Raffi figured out the target but there was no time scale or countdown to the weapons implementation, Raffi was *not* racing against a clock to prevent the attack. The attack happened as soon as she arrived at the scene… was it a message for her? Did she somehow unintentionally trigger the attack?:shrug:
I think it might be the latter. But it also might just be coincidence as it seems like communications were blocked from the get-go meaning the attack was already underway when Raffi arrived, making it less likely that she triggered it by exposing it.

Maybe they wanted to remind the audience of BoBW, or not remind us of "Cause & Effect." Or, as cal888 suggests, they wanted to use a computer virus later on and thought this would be a good place to seed the idea.
I think they wanted to remind us of BOBW, given some of Matalas' comments.

The showrunner should have never done this story arc. I find it stupid and implausible beyond belief. If he had wanted to explore a topic that is relevant today, he should have tried something else, as far as I'm concerned.
The "arc" is so new and we have so little information about it that many people here are speculating wildly about all elements of it: was it intentional, accidental, by choice, by agreement, coerced...
We know so very little that we can't even agree that there is a storyline or what it might be. I don't see how you can know that it is "stupid and implausible beyond belief". It comes from one line of dialog: "Captain Shaw prefers Hansen." and one facial expression from Seven expressing displeasure. We know literally nothing else yet.
 
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It would be nice if we could have the next episodes preview actually be at the end of the episode. I can’t even Google it to find it.
This is at the end on P+
https://twitter.com/Metaworldonline/status/1626988126181662721

Whether Captain Shaw is a good Captain or not is yet to be seen. I know nothing of his past service records, only that he does not seem to have been on many adventures before. :shrug:
Some people are saying Shaw is a by-the-book Captain, but where is the evidence of that?
That doesn't really make sense though. Nothing about his behavior indicates he's a by-the-book officer.
If he was a by-the-book officer, Shaw would have abided by protocols we've seen in the past.
36 missions.
Following orders, following regulations, he is precisely by-the-book.

Yes I think that was their reasoning- that Picard needed Riker to continue forward. But then why did Beverly say "No Starfleet- Trust No One"- Picard immediately turned to Riker, who is in Starfleet!
You mean Laris ;)

The phaser Crusher Jr. #2 was using is a hybrid of the TOS Phaser and ST5/6 Assault Phaser
https://twitter.com/TrekCore/status/1627417727357911040

Beverly also had phaser parts on her desk, so she may have been the one jury rigging them
https://twitter.com/caseytube/status/1627417954517385216
As pointed out early in this very thread ;)

The only thing that I can think of which would justify Worf in this situation ( if it *is* actually him) is that he is *really* just behind Raffi’s back all the time, following her in the shadows - travelling just out of sight ready to pounce at the right time as a fellow warrior.
I can’t imagine Worf anonymously manipulating a person from behind a computer interface, acting all ‘cloak and dagger’ concealing his identity like a Romulan!
And that could very well be the case... he's a Captain, and Captains command missions from a command center, instead of operating in the field or going on away missions. But he does carry his new sword for a reason and will of course use it when necessary.

If it’s not on screen it’s not canon that they pee’d.
Only the Klingons are canonical peeers then :D
 
I thought "The Star Gazer" was pretty good episode. It was just downhill after that.

Can't wait to see how he fares as a showrunner and director.

Love this interview
Make sure you check out 12 MONKEYS and the accompanying podcasts. And if you really like the guy, he ran MACGYVER season 4. Use that Paramount+ if you're in the US...

So any character death is “fridging” now?
Justice for Icheb! Justice for Hugh! I will grant you that Bruce Maddox was a clean killing off though.
 
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