Star Trek Picard Season Three

[Paul Andrew]

That was a perfect finale. Hits the nostalgia buttons, gives Picard's arc closure in a way that neither the TNG show or it's films managed, and sets up a fun idea for a spinoff with the potential for cameos from the old crew. Genuinely loved it.

 

[Demetrios2177]

So, I genuinely ask a simple question, because I'm curious as to what variety of answers people will give: What is this show about?

Regarding underlying themes, acceptance and growth are two words that come to mind. Facing what one has become and dealing with it.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I believe Terry is in error in the answer he gives here.

He seems to (mistakenly) believe that people actually care about what happened to Elnor.

 

[asalaw]

I believe it was Michael Piller, who in the TNG DVD documentaries, recounted a time when the staff pitched a story involving Q and a galaxy-wide goose-chase. Roddenberry then asked, "Yes, but what's it about?".

From my vantage point, NuTREK has just been goose-chases interwoven with political cudgel. Writing from the outside, rather than the inside.


So, I genuinely ask a simple question, because I'm curious as to what variety of answers people will give: What is this show about?

It's a classic story about a young man in search of his identity, and a father seeking to connect with his estranged son.

But you do hit on a very shrewd point. Stories are about people, not stuff. A clearer question for Roddenberry to have asked would have been, "Yes, but whom is it about?"

 

[Gregatron]

It's a classic story about a young man in search of his identity, and a father seeking to connect with his estranged son.

But you do hit on a very shrewd point. Stories are about people, not stuff. A clearer question for Roddenberry to have asked would have been, "Yes, but whom is it about?"

This is in itself a shrewd point!

My point is that TREK has been trapped in shallow waters for a long time. Either the usual "villain wants revenge" action/adventure plot, and/or the most unsubtle political diatribes you could imagine ("immigration policy bad", "diversity good", Vin Diesel Voice: "Family", etc.).

I'm currently rewatching TNG, and I frankly can't imagine how NuTREK's staff would write an episode like "Ethics" or "I, Borg". Dr. Russell would probably want revenge for the Federation shooting down her research, and so she'd be running around ripping out spines to test her Genitronics theories on.

And Hugh would be used against the Borg in the first ten minutes of the episode, with the rest devoted to action scenes as the dying Borg try to take the Federation down with them.

 

[asalaw]

This is in itself a shrewd point!

My point is that TREK has been trapped in shallow waters for a long time. Either the usual "villain wants revenge" action/adventure plot, and/or the most unsubtle political diatribes you could imagine ("immigration policy bad", "diversity good", Vin Diesel Voice: "Family", etc.).

I'm currently rewatching TNG, and I frankly can't imagine how NuTREK's staff would write an episode like "Ethics" or "I, Borg". Dr. Russell would probably want revenge for the Federation shooting down her research, and so she'd be running around ripping out spines to test her Genitronics theories on.

And Hugh would be used against the Borg in the first ten minutes of the episode, with the rest devoted to action scenes as the dying Borg try to take the Federation down with them.

I have to agree with that--Trek has been stuck as a two-dimensional action genre for years. The only Strange New Hair episode that was worth a damn was that one with the child who gets sacrificed to a machine to sustain the rest of his people, but that turned out to be lifted wholesale from a short story--proving again how helpless the current crop of writers are to come up with good stories. They don't have a Gene Coon or a DC Fontana among them, or a Melinda Snodgrass, for that matter.

At least Terry Matalas was faithful to the characters, and grew them in sensible directions. And all of the characters, with the notable exception of Worf, explore different aspects of family themes:

• Picard explores the theme of an old man's regret of the past, and of family that might have been;
• Riker and Troi look at the effects of tragedy, which lead Riker to influence Picard in a different direction viz. his son;
• Beverly Crusher represents a mother's fear of loss, which she has taken to extremes by excluding Picard from his son's life;
• Raffi remains disconnected from her family by choice, but it's an understandable moral dilemma that she resolves in favor of humanity, sacrificing her relationships with her son and granddaughter;
• Geordi has become a clinging father, so afraid of losing his daughter that he pushes her away;
• Data (thesis) resolves his conflict with his brother Lore (antithesis) by absorbing him (literal synthesis);
• Seven searches for (and ultimately finds) her new family after estrangement from her Voyager family;
• And finally, the children--Jack, Sidney, and Alandra--all have complicated parental relationships. Jack is searching for a parental connection, Sidney is rejecting one, and Alandra is apologizing for hers.

So, much to Terry Matalas' credit, there is a lot of good character and thematic fodder in Picard 3 to sustain the drama. I particularly connected with Picard's and Riker's regrets--God knows I've got a few of my own, and I'm not even their age yet.

Yeah, P3 has its flaws to be sure, but I don't think it's accurate to characterize it as exclusively light fare. There's good stuff there when you scratch the surface, even if it lacks any highfalutin sci-fi concepts.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I have to agree with that--Trek has been stuck as a two-dimensional action genre for years. The only Strange New Hair episode that was worth a damn was that one with the child who gets sacrificed to a machine to sustain the rest of his people, but that turned out to be lifted wholesale from a short story--proving again how helpless the current crop of writers are to come up with good stories. They don't have a Gene Coon or a DC Fontana among them, or a Melinda Snodgrass, for that matter.

At least Terry Matalas was faithful to the characters, and grew them in sensible directions. And all of the characters, with the notable exception of Worf, explore different aspects of family themes:

• Picard explores the theme of an old man's regret of the past, and of family that might have been;
• Riker and Troi look at the effects of tragedy, which lead Riker to influence Picard in a different direction viz. his son;
• Beverly Crusher represents a mother's fear of loss, which she has taken to extremes by excluding Picard from his son's life;
• Raffi remains disconnected from her family by choice, but it's an understandable moral dilemma that she resolves in favor of humanity, sacrificing her relationships with her son and granddaughter;
• Geordi has become a clinging father, so afraid of losing his daughter that he pushes her away;
• Data (thesis) resolves his conflict with his brother Lore (antithesis) by absorbing him (literal synthesis);
• Seven searches for (and ultimately finds) her new family after estrangement from her Voyager family;
• And finally, the children--Jack, Sidney, and Alandra--all have complicated parental relationships. Jack is searching for a parental connection, Sidney is rejecting one, and Alandra is apologizing for hers.

So, much to Terry Matalas' credit, there is a lot of good character and thematic fodder in Picard 3 to sustain the drama. I particularly connected with Picard's and Riker's regrets--God knows I've got a few of my own, and I'm not even their age yet.

Yeah, P3 has its flaws to be sure, but I don't think it's accurate to characterize it as exclusively light fare. There's good stuff there when you scratch the surface, even if it lacks any highfalutin sci-fi concepts.

Excellent analysis!

 

[Gregatron]

I have to agree with that--Trek has been stuck as a two-dimensional action genre for years. The only Strange New Hair episode that was worth a damn was that one with the child who gets sacrificed to a machine to sustain the rest of his people, but that turned out to be lifted wholesale from a short story--proving again how helpless the current crop of writers are to come up with good stories. They don't have a Gene Coon or a DC Fontana among them, or a Melinda Snodgrass, for that matter.

At least Terry Matalas was faithful to the characters, and grew them in sensible directions. And all of the characters, with the notable exception of Worf, explore different aspects of family themes:

• Picard explores the theme of an old man's regret of the past, and of family that might have been;
• Riker and Troi look at the effects of tragedy, which lead Riker to influence Picard in a different direction viz. his son;
• Beverly Crusher represents a mother's fear of loss, which she has taken to extremes by excluding Picard from his son's life;
• Raffi remains disconnected from her family by choice, but it's an understandable moral dilemma that she resolves in favor of humanity, sacrificing her relationships with her son and granddaughter;
• Geordi has become a clinging father, so afraid of losing his daughter that he pushes her away;
• Data (thesis) resolves his conflict with his brother Lore (antithesis) by absorbing him (literal synthesis);
• Seven searches for (and ultimately finds) her new family after estrangement from her Voyager family;
• And finally, the children--Jack, Sidney, and Alandra--all have complicated parental relationships. Jack is searching for a parental connection, Sidney is rejecting one, and Alandra is apologizing for hers.

So, much to Terry Matalas' credit, there is a lot of good character and thematic fodder in Picard 3 to sustain the drama. I particularly connected with Picard's and Riker's regrets--God knows I've got a few of my own, and I'm not even their age yet.

Yeah, P3 has its flaws to be sure, but I don't think it's accurate to characterize it as exclusively light fare. There's good stuff there when you scratch the surface, even if it lacks any highfalutin sci-fi concepts.

It also seems very much like the franchise is trapped in a cycle of specific character/lore management, instead of telling compelling new stories. PICARD wrapping up TNG, STRANGE NEW HAIR overwriting TOS, etc.

 

[asalaw]

Excellent analysis!

Thanks--and I forgot to mention the most obvious family, the crew of the TNG Enterprise, who once again gel as a family in the last two episodes--which could be why Matalas went with family themes in the first place.

 

[asalaw]

It also seems very much like the franchise is trapped in a cycle of specific character/lore management, instead of telling compelling new stories. PICARD wrapping up TNG, STRANGE NEW HAIR overwriting TOS, etc.

Yeah, I'm not sure I would have bought a new series with the old TNG crew on new adventures--I think they needed wrapping up. "Septuagenarians in Space" doesn't really appeal to me as a genre.

I would have some hope if Matalas got a green light to make a new series with Jack Crusher, Raffi, and Seven on the Enterprise G--that would have the potential of rescuing Trek from the action-adventure doldrums and maybe giving us some real red meat for a change.

Unfortunately, they've already stuck Q in there. Much as I love John DeLancie, we've gone to that well too often and there's no sign, given the ep. 10 coda, that they intend to grow Q as a character after his brush with death. Shame. I would like to have seen a chastened Q empathizing with humans' fear of mortality.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Thanks--and I forgot to mention the most obvious family, the crew of the TNG Enterprise, who once again gel as a family in the last two episodes--which could be why Matalas went with family themes in the first place.

Are we sure that Vin Diesel wasn’t a ghost writer for Season 3?

 

[Gregatron]

Are we sure that Vin Diesel wasn’t a ghost writer for Season 3?

...which is exactly why I said "Vin Diesel Voice: 'Family' "!

 

[pengbuzz]

After recent events and particularly those in the past 24 hours in my life, I'm done with Star Trek, Sci-FI and fiction overall. Just fed up and disgusted, and I don't think I even want to build replicas or anything else anymore.

All cute jokes aside; done here. Thanks for chatting with me gentlemen, and may you enjoy your hobbies.

-Robert out and done.

 

[asalaw]

After recent events and particularly those in the past 24 hours in my life, I'm done with Star Trek, Sci-FI and fiction overall. Just fed up and disgusted, and I don't think I even want to build replicas or anything else anymore.

All cute jokes aside; done here. Thanks for chatting with me gentlemen, and may you enjoy your hobbies.

-Robert out and done.

Very sorry to hear that. I hope things work out for you.

 

[Gregatron]

After recent events and particularly those in the past 24 hours in my life, I'm done with Star Trek, Sci-FI and fiction overall. Just fed up and disgusted, and I don't think I even want to build replicas or anything else anymore.

All cute jokes aside; done here. Thanks for chatting with me gentlemen, and may you enjoy your hobbies.

-Robert out and done.

...what?!?

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I'm only three episodes in on this season, but the way Picard is treated in this show is not realistic. He's treated like some doddering old fool with dementia. If not that he is constantly disrespected by other Starfleet officers. In the real world if Colin Powell or Norman Schwarzkopf visiting a U.S. military base, they were treated with the utmost respect. Surely Picard rates that seeing that he did a lot more than those two real world examples. Heck even Riker does it in the third (fourth?) episode yelling "You killed us!" at him and ordering him off the bridge.

 

[asalaw]

I'm only three episodes in on this season, but the way Picard is treated in this show is not realistic. He's treated like some doddering old fool with dementia. If not that he is constantly disrespected by other Starfleet officers. In the real world if Colin Powell or Norman Schwarzkopf visiting a U.S. military base, they were treated with the utmost respect. Surely Picard rates that seeing that he did a lot more than those two real world examples. Heck even Riker does it in the third (fourth?) episode yelling "You killed us!" at him and ordering him off the bridge.

If you think that's bad, wait till you see Shaw's monologue later on in Ten Forward--it really batters Picard.

To be fair, not everyone treats Picard that way--there are some young Starfleet officers later on that treat him very reverently.

 

[Lightning]

there's no sign, given the ep. 10 coda, that they intend to grow Q as a character after his brush with death.

Yes, no growth to Q but that's because this Q is earlier in his personal timeline. He hasn't died yet.

 

[Gregatron]

If you think that's bad, wait till you see Shaw's monologue later on in Ten Forward--it really batters Picard.

To be fair, not everyone treats Picard that way--there are some young Starfleet officers later on that treat him very reverently.

I can't speak to the specifics of this season, but something most definitely lost in NuTREK in general is that whole "treating each other and other life-forms with dignity and respect" thing. Kinda important to the ethos of the franchise.

So, as a result, 2009Kirk blows away the bad guys instead of rendering aid and bringing them in for a fair trial, and Picard is treated as a doddering old fool. Etc., etc.

 

[asalaw]

Yes, no growth to Q but that's because this Q is earlier in his personal timeline. He hasn't died yet.

Are you getting that from Q mentioning that Jack is thinking linearly or whatever? Even so, I'd still be more interested in seeing Q post-near-death and seeing a change.

I can't speak to the specifics of this season, but something most definitely lost in NuTREK in general is that whole "treating each other and other life-forms with dignity and respect" thing. Kinda important to the ethos of the franchise.

So, as a result, 2009Kirk blows away the bad guys instead of rendering aid and bringing them in for a fair trial, and Picard is treated as a doddering old fool. Etc., etc.

Picard isn't really treated like an old fool, but he does get chastised once or twice by other characters. But when Riker orders him off the bridge in an uncharacteristically cruel moment, he does kind of shamble off like a defeated old man. Which, in that moment, is exactly what he is. The portal weapon has completely shocked and humbled him, and it takes him a while to get over that.

It's important to remember that in this time period, the Enterprise D has been all but forgotten, as shown in the bar scene in ep. 1 when the bartender dismissively tells Riker that the souvenir models of the D aren't selling--"You mean the fat ones? Nobody wants those." Riker himself alludes to the fleeting nature of past glory when he says to Picard, in the same scene, "Who wants to hear some old fart drone on about going boldly for the last 250 years?"

Even Shaw, who does remember the D, only seems to remember that crew's low points, which he rattles off much later on in the elevator scene in ep. 5 like a favorite song.

So there's a real feeling as the season opens that the luster of Picard and his crew has faded, that no one really remembers them with any reverence, and that there's no glory left to be had.

Now, having said all that, I don't think that the "lost glory" gestalt serves the story all that much, except as a setup for Shaw's contemptuous treatment of both Picard and Riker. Someone can correct me if I'm missing something.

Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier--Shaw's monologue in Ten Forward, where he thrashes Picard, reveals why he's so contemptuous of him. And it's a compelling emotional moment that I won't spoil here.