Star Trek: All Things Trek

Stavrogyn

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Apr 12, 2022
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I wasn't too invested in the whole Jack-Crusher-is-so-special subplot, but the Borg reveal and the big Dominion/Borg conspiracy were so well executed that, in retrospect, the whole season becomes better because of it. They managed to add another layer to the story: instead of Jack being some kind of a fantasy superbeing, it all goes back to Locutus - now that's retconning done in a purposeful and meaningful way!

I know that it won't happen, but it would be nice if the final episode was 90 minutes long. I would love to see a Band of Brothers type of epilogue, sprinkled with legacy cameo appearances... They should bring back Barclay, Janeway, and the real Tuvok. (I'm aware of what Tim Russ has said about his role in Picard.)

Regarding the Borg: why did Picard say that it's been a decade since anyone's last heard of them when season two ends with a Borg fraction applying for membership in the Federation? Where's Agnes Jurati? Have they completely forgotten about that?
 

Cappy

White Lodge
Aug 4, 2022
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Yeah I’m very pleased with the big reveal about Jack (as of ep 9 anyway). Tbh I was nervous that they were going to reveal him as the offspring of Beverly and a changeling that had impersonated Picard. That would’ve felt sort of derivative of Richard Horne in TP S3, and also a plot point from the recent(ish) X-Files revival.
 

Stavrogyn

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Apr 12, 2022
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Tbh I was nervous that they were going to reveal him as the offspring of Beverly and a changeling that had impersonated Picard.
If it had turned out that he was not really Picard's son, that would have diminished Picard's and Jack's interaction from the first part of the season, their whole father-son dynamics, and their acceptance of each other - which is why I was almost certain that that wouldn't happen. But a small part of me was also afraid of a similar outcome.

By the way, I love the fact that Picard and Data are now more-of-less of the same "species".

And it was great to see all of them back on Enterprise-D.
 

Cappy

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Aug 4, 2022
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Also, come to think of it, there was an episode of tng that already did the “Picard meets his son, but not really” plot in season 7. “Bloodlines” I think?

Picard S3 has been awesome, I can’t wait for the finale tomorrow. The writers have handled Worf perfectly. Perhaps they’ve leaned too much into playing Worf for laughs, but I’d argue that TNG (and especially DS9) never fully allowed Michael Dorn to show off his comedic chops.
 

Stavrogyn

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Apr 12, 2022
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Also, come to think of it, there was an episode of tng that already did the “Picard meets his son, but not really” plot in season 7. “Bloodlines” I think?
Yes, you're right: Bloodlines (Star Trek: The Next Generation) - Wikipedia

I forgot that it was so close to the series finale. It's season 7, episode 22.
Picard S3 has been awesome, I can’t wait for the finale tomorrow.
I couldn't agree more. I'm just sad that it's also supposed to be the end. Maybe when they realize how great the response to this season has been they decide to make more? Or a fifth TNG film?

But what I find more likely is Seven of Nine and Raffi leading a new series with Seven as the captain of the USS Titan.

And do you think that anyone important might die in today's finale? We already lost Shaw (who was great), but I mean someone from the main TNG cast? I find it highly unlikely. However, if I had to pick someone, I would say that there's a tiny chance that Picard himself might die, this time for real.
 
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Stavrogyn

White Lodge
Apr 12, 2022
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Okay, it's not exactly a two-parter, but the last episode seems to be 15 minutes longer than the previous one, which is good enough for me!
 

Cappy

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Aug 4, 2022
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Yeah I’ve already watched it this morning — withholding my thoughts until others have had a chance to view and digest.

I will say that overall I really liked it though. Picard S3 might have surpassed Strange New Worlds S1 in my book.
 

Cappy

White Lodge
Aug 4, 2022
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Just some general thoughts on episode 10:


- Walter Koenig voice cameo!!!
- If they are doing a new series with Captain Nine and Jack Crusher, they really need to acknowledge Jack’s Uber nepo baby status. The guy is used as a Borg super weapon to blow up space dock and kill most active Starfleet officers over 25, then gets to blow through Starfleet Academy in 1 year to be a special advisor to the Captain of the Enterprise..? I think his fellow officers would be in the right to be put off by this. But then again, his older brother is Wesley, who got to be an acting ensign without any schooling…
- And there must be a ton of skepticism about the transporters now. Hopefully the new series acknowledges that.
- And I appreciate that the final scene was a call back to the ending of “All Good Things”, which they were never ever going to top.
 

Stavrogyn

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Apr 12, 2022
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Sorry for not chiming in earlier; I've seen the final episode the day it came out.

The third season of Picard was interesting and thrilling from the beginning to the end. There were some issues here and there, and I do have a few complaints, but nothing major... I really hope that Paramount decides to greenlight the proposed Star Trek: Legacy series.

All in all, big kudos to Terry Matalas!

As for that post-credits scene: once again, I was mind blown - Q is back! :D
 

Cappy

White Lodge
Aug 4, 2022
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Yeah, I have a few nitpicks with the season, but nothing that threw me out of the story or anything.

And answering your earlier question, about whether or not I thought anyone would die in the finale: I wasn’t expecting a big death going in, but at one point during 10 I started imagining they would kill Jack, and that it’d be framed as a callback to the cliffhanger of “Best of Both Worlds” part 1. But instead of Riker saying “fire”, maybe it would be Picard or Beverly… Glad that didn’t happen though.

I would be really interested in seeing a Star Trek Legacy show, but I just hope they take steps to differentiate it from Strange New Worlds, so we don’t have two live action shows about starships boldly going… Maybe this hypothetical new series can emphasize the generational divide in Starfleet after the Borg transporter hack. Most officers over 25 got whacked, and those that survived have a lot of lingering resentments towards the Borged cadets that are filling all the positions in the fleet. And conversely, the young cadets are tired of getting blamed for everything, and are also wrestling with the trauma of having been assimilated.

Or hell, just do the new show about Q losing his powers and living on Jack Crusher’s couch. That would be awesome too.
 

Stavrogyn

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Apr 12, 2022
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Or hell, just do the new show about Q losing his powers and living on Jack Crusher’s couch. That would be awesome too.
Without a doubt, that would easily become my favorite Star Trek show!

By the way, the annual sci-fi conference in my hometown is starting today, and Nicole de Boer and Lolita Fatjo are attending!

The T-shirts are ready and we also bought books for them to sign (a Star Trek cookbook and a Star Trek philosophy book). It's gonna be exciting! (I'm actually a bit nervous.)
 

MasterMastermnd

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
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Finally (!) finished Star Trek Picard! Really liked the finale, this whole third season, and the show overall. Rough around the edges but really appreciate it as a somewhat loosely narratively connected eschatological tryptich. Reminiscent of Millennium, one of my favorite shows, if I never said so before.

Loving the new season of SNW as well. The first episode was solid but the second was outstanding. I had just watched The Measure of a Man a few days prior so it was nice to have it fresh in my mind. Nice to see SNW offer it's own spin on the Trek tradition of trial episodes: Court Martial, Measure, The Drumhead, Dax, Judgment, etc.
 

Stavrogyn

White Lodge
Apr 12, 2022
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547
Finally (!) finished Star Trek Picard! Really liked the finale, this whole third season, and the show overall.

Loving the new season of SNW as well.
Haha, I was wondering where have you gone!

The third season of Picard was one of the most intense and enjoyable viewing experiences I've had in a while. I'm praying that we get Legacy, with Terry Matalas at the helm!

As for Strange New Worlds, I have great hopes for the second season. The first episode was, as you said, solid (I will watch the second on Sunday), but the series is once again getting great reviews and I'm anxiously waiting for that special episode ;)
 

MasterMastermnd

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
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533
It's good to have new blood come into Star Trek, but Matalas has shown us the appeal of keeping some of the old guard around. He did great on Picard, and Impulse was one of the highlights of Enterprise back in the day imo
 

Ickles

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
494
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I finally got around to watching Picard season 3. I was so disappointed in season 2 that I needed a breather to get the taste out of my mouth.

Overall, I enjoyed it ok. As a lifelong TNG fan I, of course, loved the nostalgia factor. Seeing the original cast members together again was great. I really enjoyed some of the stuff in it, like
the Lore/Data stuff
in particular. I think I just truly don't like the character of Raffi at all, or at least the actress who plays her, and once again every scene she was in I found myself instantly checking my phone during, which sucks because
Worf
is one of my favorite characters and it instantly made their storyline the least interesting to me. Well, I take that back. The least interesting was
Jack Crusher

I just think Picard wasn't really for me, despite how much I love TNG and those characters but something about the writing just didn't work for me, outside of some fun plot points here and there.

On the other hand...Strange New Worlds S2 is great so far. I agree episode 1 was a little more "just ok" than great but episode 2 was fantastic and can't wait for the rest of the episodes.
 

MasterMastermnd

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
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533
I like Raffi, but wasn't so crazy on the season two stuff she got. Interesting bit of trivia, Michelle Hurd's father Hugh was the lead in John Cassavetes' Shadows.

Also, I've been making my way through TNG again. I've seen most of it but there are a few here and there I never saw, so I'd like to catch it all and maybe write something longform about it in the future. I find I quite like the much maligned Lwaxana Troi episodes. Majel Barrett is fun and charming and there's something I find quite humorous about the concept of "the milf who can get it sets her sights on the dilf who doesn't want it." I'm pretty mixed on Trek comedy overall but like these.
 

Stavrogyn

White Lodge
Apr 12, 2022
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547
I wasn't thrilled with Ad Astra per Aspera at all.

Its heart was in the right place, but the central point was so heavy-handed that most of the courtroom proceedings felt like a lecture meant for primary school children. I kept thinking: yes, we know about these kinds of issues from history classes as well as numerous other films and TV shows; yes, most nations experienced their own share of different kinds of persecution and discrimination, some not that long ago (just look at the 20th century); yes, we're aware of intolerance and prejudices still making life difficult for many today... Of course, the creators' intentions were good, but the execution felt very forced.

Furthermore, the only meaningful thing Una's lawyer did during the whole process was to find the asylum passage from the law book - but then that scene was exposition galore. The lawyer would mention keywords like "persecution" and "asylum", and then each time we would be shown flashbacks of Una's statements from no more than 10 minutes earlier?

I generally like longer episodes, but this one felt like a lot of it needed to be left on the cutting room floor.

My impression is that the show wanted to make a powerful political statement, but then decided that the audience doesn't know anything about history or politics, and sacrificed a convincing plot during the process.
 

MasterMastermnd

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
370
533
I liked it quite a bit, but see what you mean. It doesn't have the subtlety or grace of Measure of a Man, for instance. It shows Spock saying the witty line and glancing over to Una the same way twice in the same scene. Poor direction in an otherwise well-helmed series.

I liked it most for it's world-building, both in terms of how the world of Trek reacts to genetic modification in and outside the Federation, and for it's continued look at the Illyrians in general. I find them fascinating and am always happy to learn more. They only appeared in one single previous episode of the series outside SNW, and one of my favorites, the Star Trek Enterprise episode Damage. This is the first time I can remember since the Trill a relatively minor alien has so risen in prominence.
 

Cappy

White Lodge
Aug 4, 2022
545
539
Also, I've been making my way through TNG again. I've seen most of it but there are a few here and there I never saw, so I'd like to catch it all and maybe write something longform about it in the future. I find I quite like the much maligned Lwaxana Troi episodes. Majel Barrett is fun and charming and there's something I find quite humorous about the concept of "the milf who can get it sets her sights on the dilf who doesn't want it." I'm pretty mixed on Trek comedy overall but like these.
My feelings about Lwaxana Troi are very similar to my feelings about Dick Tremayne: hated them at first, but now find that I really enjoy them whenever I revisit their respective shows.
 

Ickles

Waiting Room
Apr 12, 2022
494
867
Oddly enough, I've also been going through a re-watch of TNG from the beginning for the first time in a while and I'm enjoying it so far. I know S1 has a pretty bad reputation, even from the cast, but it has its moments, for sure.
 
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