Watch List to Prep for ST: Picard

[cosmic mouse]

TNG Episodes

Best Of Both Worlds Parts 1 and 2
Family
Unification Parts 1 and 2
I, Borg
Decent Parts 1 and 2
All Good Things...
Star Trek Generations
Star Trek : First Contact
Star Trek Nemesis

Voyager Episodes

Unity
Scorpion Parts 1 and 2
The Gift
Dark Frontier Parts 1 and 2
Endgame

I like this list. I am thoroughly familiar with VOY, but not so much a fan of TNG, but this hits what appear to be the key eps in both series, without going overboard. With the exception of First Contact all of the films are due for a rewatch anyway, so I am sure I'll enjoy revisiting Generations and Nemesis as well.

 

[Lord Garth]

Nowhere to be 'til tomorrow. I'm going to work my way through more TNG. I'm up to "Legacy".

EDIT: I have to say this. I love Ishara Yar's hair. That hair style is perfect. I wish I could get mine to be that straight. It would look almost like her's except black. But anyway...

DOUBLE-EDIT: I can't believe these episodes were made 30 years ago. When I think "30 years ago", I don't think 1990.

 

[tomalak301]

Nowhere to be 'til tomorrow. I'm going to work my way through more TNG. I'm up to "Legacy".

EDIT: I have to say this. I love Ishara Yar's hair. That hair style is perfect. I wish I could get mine to be that straight. It would look almost like her's except black. But anyway...

DOUBLE-EDIT: I can't believe these episodes were made 30 years ago. When I think "30 years ago", I don't think 1990.

Were they going for a Linda Hamilton Sarah Connor look for Ishara? They do look a little similar.

 

[Lord Garth]

I got up through "The Loss". I'm going to cut it off there for the night. So that was... (counting)... five episodes. I think I'll actually make it up to "All Good Things" before Picard. I was starting to doubt it earlier.

 

[Tomalak]

I'm up to the end of DS9 season 6/Voyager season 4. I've got four seasons and two films to watch before Picard debuts...

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Well, I suppose I should finish watching S7 of VGR (most of it for the first time), rewatch Nemesis for the second time or so?, reread the original Countdown, rewatch ST (2009), maybe check out some STO materials and read up on the rest on Memory Beta, including the relevant Pocketlore.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

I started my official rewatch last night after re-signing with CBS-AA. I started Encounter at Farpoint, but gave up after about 15 minutes because I got what I needed from it (the intro to the characters). Also, let's be honest -- it's long and boring.

So, next up I went to "Q Who?". Much more entertaining and relevant to "Picard". I was surprised how much the episode fit into the season 3+ mold, as opposed to the majority of other episodes from S2.

 

[Lord Garth]

I'm up to "Galaxy's Child". I love this one. Geordi gets all super-excited that Leah Brahams is coming aboard. Gunian calls him on it. Then Geordi says him and Leah finish each other's sentences. Then he meets her in the Transporter Room. Ready to meet who he thinks is the woman of his dreams. Then she coldly steps off the transporter pad and says, "So you're the one who's [fucked] up my engines" and walks off.

Doesn't get any better than that.

Sorry, but Geordi had it coming. He was so setting himself up.

 

[SG-17]

So, not sure if this is best here or over in TNG but I wanted opinions on what episodes of TNG are the best Picard focused episodes that would work as a primer for the universe, characters, and storylines potentially for the Picard series.

My wife watched all of Voyager and loved it, but she hasn't seen any TNG or DS9 yet but she wants to watch Picard. So I want to pick out the best of the best of Picard focused episodes to show her before Picard airs.

 

[The Old Mixer]

So, not sure if this is best here or over in TNG but I wanted opinions on what episodes of TNG are the best Picard focused episodes that would work as a primer for the universe, characters, and storylines potentially for the Picard series.

My wife watched all of Voyager and loved it, but she hasn't seen any TNG or DS9 yet but she wants to watch Picard. So I want to pick out the best of the best of Picard focused episodes to show her before Picard airs.

Merged this with an existing thread that may have what you need.

 

[Lord Garth]

I think what I just did was too extreme. Two weeks ago, I was on "Galaxy's Child". Two days ago, I was on "Tapestry". 50 TNG episodes in the span of 10 days. I can't even bring myself to look at any more. But at least I'm closer to where I want to be in the re-watch.

Though it wasn't as bad as my watching all 63 episodes of Breaking Bad during the week of Christmas in 2013.

So, not sure if this is best here or over in TNG but I wanted opinions on what episodes of TNG are the best Picard focused episodes that would work as a primer for the universe, characters, and storylines potentially for the Picard series.

My wife watched all of Voyager and loved it, but she hasn't seen any TNG or DS9 yet but she wants to watch Picard. So I want to pick out the best of the best of Picard focused episodes to show her before Picard airs.

"The Measure of a Man"
"Q Who"
"Who Watches the Watchers?"
"The Defector"
"Allegiance"
"Captain's Holiday"
"The Best of Both Worlds" Parts I and II
"Family"
"The Drumhead"
"Darmok"
"I, Borg"
"The Inner Light"
"Chain of Command" Parts I and II
"Tapestry"
"Starship Mine"
"Lessons"
"The Chase"

I'm sure there's some stuff from S1 (which I amputated from my re-watch but will circle around back to) and S7 too, but that's where I'm leaving this list.

EDIT (12/17/19): I've updated this list to include the rest of Season 6 and I've thrown in "Who Watches the Watchers?" from S3. How could I have left this one out?

 

[Spicy Thunder]

Eh think I can get by without watching much DS9? I don't think I'll have the time

 

[Spot's Meow]

Eh think I can get by without watching much DS9? I don't think I'll have the time

That's what I'm hoping, I just won't have the time either. I have just a handful of TNG episodes left, the movies, and then I want to show my husband some Voyager episodes (he's never seen the series). I don't think I'll have time for much more before Picard starts. It's really happening!!

 

[Lord Garth]

Finished TNG (at least S2-S7). Onto key Borg/Seven episodes from VOY. Then TNG S1. Then finally, the TNG Movies.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Finished TNG (at least S2-S7). Onto key Borg/Seven episodes from VOY. Then TNG S1. Then finally, the TNG Movies.

Out of curiosity, why are you saving TNG S1 to the end?

 

[Lord Garth]

Out of curiosity, why are you saving TNG S1 to the end?

Since 2011, I tried re-watching TNG three times before. Each time, I threw my hands up in frustration because I couldn't get through the first season. So, this time, with Picard coming up, I decided to just skip it and go back to it later.

It's a tactic I learned in high school, that I finally applied to my TV watching. When I was preparing for my SATs in high school, one of the things I was taught was if we were stuck on a question, just skip it, since it was a timed exam.

EDIT: Anyway, I'm betting now that I'm re-acquainted with the characters and the series, it'll finally help me get through the first season. Plus there are some YouTube Channels that have been re-watching TNG. I'm hoping these videos and these videos will help too. It'll feel like I'm watching along with all of them.

 

[Reanok]

I just watched Star Tng First Contact movie on tv again. I'm curious how the borg stuff well be dealt with in the Picard series and when they had the Picard exhibit having the Borg queen's skull from the movie displayed at the Star trek Las Vegas convention. Makes me curious how this and Dahj's storline and Seven and Nine Hugh will come together in season one.

 

[JesterFace]

This is a quote from another thread, King Daniel, thanks and sorry.

Also watching the 2009 Star Trek movie might be an idea before seeing Picard, as although it's mostly an alternate reality, a huge part of the Picard backstory happens in a brief prime universe scene that informs the chaos in the altered past.

There's also Short Treks, which take place around Discovery and TOS mainly, but the last one of the second batch (coming early next year) is a prequel to Picard.

How do you feel about maybe not being able to jump into the new Picard series after watching TNG and the movies? Seems like you need to watch a lot more here and there to know what's going on?
It's possible that all these events are explained early on in the series.... but because I haven't payed much attention to the latest Trek movies and I'm not even really sure what "short Trek" is, am I even ready for the new series? There might be others in the same situation, really into TNG but not so much into things after it. Might the new series be easy to watch for anyone or just for Trekkies that have seen everything Trek related until now.

 

[F. King Daniel]

This is a quote from another thread, King Daniel, thanks and sorry.


How do you feel about maybe not being able to jump into the new Picard series after watching TNG and the movies? Seems like you need to watch a lot more here and there to know what's going on?
It's possible that all these events are explained early on in the series.... but because I haven't payed much attention to the latest Trek movies and I'm not even really sure what "short Trek" is, am I even ready for the new series? There might be others in the same situation, really into TNG but not so much into things after it. Might the new series be easy to watch for anyone or just for Trekkies that have seen everything Trek related until now.

I would hope that they'd explain anything you needed to know in Picard even if you haven't seen all the episodes and movies they tie into. Discovery season 2 did a direct sequel to Trek's first-ever episode "The Cage", which went as far as to do a "previously on" featuring recap clips of said episode to make sure everyone knew what was going on.

To be honest, this Youtube clip is all you need to know of the recent movies, and then be aware that everything after Nero and Spock fall into a black hole is an alternate past timeline that shouldn't affect Picard at all.

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Short Treks are a series of 10-15 minute minisodes. The first batch were all based on Discovery and tied into season 2 of that show, and the second batch are a mix of Discovery-Enterprise stories, a couple of younger-aimed animated shorts and what is supposed to be a prequel to Picard although that one isn't not released until early next year and I've no idea how extensively it's going to matter. One of the Discovery shorts appeared to be a bit of unimportant fluff but then a character introduced became a large part of Discovery's second season, so it's difficult to gauge.

 

[NCC-73515]

They posted an interesting list:

https://www.startrek.com/news/your-ultimate-star-trek-picard-watch-guide

I don't know if the author knows things, or is just speculating, but these are interesting points:

Picard is firm, but he stands for the scales of justice in the universe being balanced. He will not allow anyone to remove due process or to play judge and jury. We can assume that Picard’s innate sense of righteousness and justice will come into play as he faces the Romulans in their newly imperiled state in Picard, because one of the reasons Picard is such a powerful character is that he will do the right thing to ensure that justice is served, not revenge

His offer of a way to mend this broken trust shows the empathetic side of the captain, and his unshakable trust in those he cares for. Picard, even with his stern nature, has always been incredibly kind and loyal to his own crew. This is what makes him such a strong captain, and reminds us why so many are willing to follow him into the jaws of death.

Picard knows that his life is too brief to waste it by doing nothing. He must take action, which makes his new profession in Picard so interesting. There is nothing wasteful about returning to his family’s vineyard, but it is not as risky or remarkable as his time as captain.
Could Picard see something that challenges his worldview in the beginning of the upcoming series? What could happen that could make Picard choose a safer path? And is it even a safer path, or is there a secret behind Picard’s newfound quiet life?

We know that Picard is not above disobeying orders and fighting for the little guy when he knows it is right, which is key to both his character and to the philosophy of Star Trek in general.
When faced with his new challenges in Picard, will our captain once more have to rebel against Starfleet? We know he leaves his role as admiral, which points to a philosophical break between the two. Picard’s inner sense of right and wrong is key to his character, and I can’t wait to see what drives him to both leave Starfleet and, later, return to the stars.

Have the Borg recovered their power to try and take over the universe again, or are they now refugees and scattered survivors? Again, these are the questions we’ll have to wait to answer.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

They posted an interesting list:

https://www.startrek.com/news/your-ultimate-star-trek-picard-watch-guide

I don't know if the author knows things, or is just speculating, but these are interesting points:

Interesting list, but it seems to be just guesswork about the plot based on the trailers. I doubt there's much insider information to be taken from it.