Star Trek Picard Season Three

[JOATRASH FX]

....S2 has incredible performances by John De Lancie....

For me, he was really the only reason it was worth watching. The guy never turns in a bad performance and is a true gentleman. (I had the pleasure of working with him for a week in Spain a few years ago. He played a major character in a live action cinematic I wrote and co-produced for a video game.)

 

[Laspector]

How did Picard get an entire artificial body? If I may ask.

 

[JOATRASH FX]

How did Picard get an entire artificial body? If I may ask.

This may not be absolutely 100% spot-on but they were making an updated one for the (somehow) still existing "backup soul" of Data that lived in that computer system. When Data asked to be taken offline and let "die" for real, there was an extra unused android body lying around. So when the flesh'n'blood Picard died at the end of S2, they transferred his mind into it. They also gave it all the frailties and health of his human body... so that Patrick Stewart didn't have to be recast in the role!

 

[pengbuzz]

This may not be absolutely 100% spot-on but they were making an updated one for the (somehow) still existing "backup soul" of Data that lived in that computer system. When Data asked to be taken offline and let "die" for real, there was an extra unused android body lying around. So when the flesh'n'blood Picard died at the end of S2, they transferred his mind into it. They also gave it all the frailties and health of his human body... so that Patrick Stewart didn't have to be recast in the role!

I thought that body was for Alton Soong?

 

[JOATRASH FX]

I thought that body was for Alton Soong?

Yeah, that's probably right. I only watched it once when it aired. Like I wrote... wasn't 100% of all the details!

 

[VitalNonsense]

How did Picard get an entire artificial body? If I may ask.

That was all part of season 1, and it's basically the only thing you really need to know going into season 3:

Altan Soong, son of Noonien Soong (the guy who made Data) had continued his father's work and ended up developing hyper-advanced android bodies that are nearly human/organic, much more advanced than Data. He was also working on a process to transfer consciousness out of an original body and into this new synthetic body.
He called them Golems, and they remain in a sort of proto-generic form until a transfer is initiated, at which point they are customized to suit the new "user."

He'd already been holding onto one of these synthetic bodies to keep it available for himself for whenever he died. However, when Picard's natural body suddenly succumbed to Irumodic Syndrome (which you may remember from TNG: All Good Things), Soong instead used it to quickly transfer Picard into it.

It was customized for him to be as close to his original body as possible (just without the illness that killed him) so Picard basically continues on with business as usual. He's still old, with no superpowers or anything, it's just a replacement body and will even age the same.

(Also of note: Discovery established that the transfer process was extremely unreliable and difficult to replicate, which is why you won't see that happen more often)

 

[JOATRASH FX]

(Also of note: Discovery established that the transfer process was extremely unreliable and Soong basically got lucky with Picard, which is why you won't see that happen more often)

It's like JJ Abrams' excuse about why no one uses the"Holdo Maneauver" in The Rise of Skywalker, haha!

 

[Lightning]

(Also of note: Discovery established that the transfer process was extremely unreliable and Soong basically got lucky with Picard, which is why you won't see that happen more often)

Another way to look at this is that, as the inventor, Soong was particularly skilled at pulling it off. Others who attempted it later, didn't have as much expertise/skill leading to the spotty reputation. I prefer that over main character luck.

 

[Bloop]

And there is some great insanity by Brent Spiner as a Soong ancestor (man, the genetics are STRONG in that family

I can't recall if I posted this before, but I like to think that the different Soongs - Arik, Noonian, & Alton - were actually clones of Adam Soong, created by himself. That would explain why they all looked the same. I know we (the viewer) are supposed to just suspend our disbelief that they all look the same, but I think my theory kind of makes sense even within the established Trek cannon. Their different personalities could be explained by things like each clone growing up in different environments (a la Shinzon vs Picard in ST: Nemesis, or like the film The Boys From Brazil), or possible self-genetic tinkering (Arik Soong was altering humans genetically).
Unless I missed something or don't recall, we've seen multiple members of the Soong lineage, but never any women - no wives to become mothers to any of the Soongs. Cloning would explain this.

 

[Lightning]

Unless I missed something or don't recall, we've seen multiple members of the Soong lineage, but never any women - no wives to become mothers to any of the Soongs. Cloning would explain this.

There is Nonnian's wife Juliana Tainer, though we don't know if she is Alton's mother for sure.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I can't recall if I posted this before, but I like to think that the different Soongs - Arik, Noonian, & Alton - were actually clones of Adam Soong, created by himself. That would explain why they all looked the same. I know we (the viewer) are supposed to just suspend our disbelief that they all look the same, but I think my theory kind of makes sense even within the established Trek cannon. Their different personalities could be explained by things like each clone growing up in different environments (a la Shinzon vs Picard in ST: Nemesis, or like the film The Boys From Brazil), or possible self-genetic tinkering (Arik Soong was altering humans genetically).
Unless I missed something or don't recall, we've seen multiple members of the Soong lineage, but never any women - no wives to become mothers to any of the Soongs. Cloning would explain this.

The Soongs are grown in pods, out back in the cabbage patch.

 

[pengbuzz]

The Soongs are grown in pods, out back in the cabbage patch.

Sing a Soong....

 

[Gregatron]

How did Picard get an entire artificial body? If I may ask.

Bad writing.

 

[Bloop]

There is Nonnian's wife Juliana Tainer, though we don't know if she is Alton's mother for sure.

I couldn't recall if she was officially his wife. I do remember her in her android form.

 

[Lightning]

I couldn't recall if she was officially his wife. I do remember her in her android form.

Memory Alpha confirms they were married in 2328.

 

[Bloop]

Memory Alpha confirms they were married in 2328.

Thanks. But she's also only listed as Alton's stepmother. Memory Alpha doesn't have a biological mother listed for him, or any other of the Soongs, other than Arik, who's mother is unnamed ("Soong's Mother") as she was only referenced in dialog, so that's not exactly proof of lineage. She could be his step-mother (yet referred to as mother if Arik hadn't know his biological mother) or adopted mother, or made up entirely, we don't know.

 

[Laspector]

Well, I'm 7 episodes into this 3rd season and I must say that I think it is awesome!! I'm enjoying this as much or more than First Contact. I figured, like most shows now, it would only be 8 or 9 episodes, but 27? I never expected that! I'm really looking forward to the rest of this. EDIT going back and reading this thread, is it only 10 episodes? My Vudu says I purchased 27 episodes, but I haven't really looked at the table of contents yet. How many episodes is it?

So, you say seasons 1 and 2 are not very good, huh? That is a shame. I guess I'll just have to pass on them.

Does the show end at season 3, or is there more to come?

 

[VitalNonsense]

Well, I'm 7 episodes into this 3rd season and I must say that I think it is awesome!! I'm enjoying this as much or more than First Contact. I figured, like most shows now, it would only be 8 or 9 episodes, but 27? I never expected that! I'm really looking forward to the rest of this. EDIT going back and reading this thread, is it only 10 episodes? My Vudu says I purchased 27 episodes, but I haven't really looked at the table of contents yet. How many episodes is it?

So, you say seasons 1 and 2 are not very good, huh? That is a shame. I guess I'll just have to pass on them.

Does the show end at season 3, or is there more to come?

Picard season 3 indeed has only 10 episodes. The rest of the "27" are behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, and a few episode audio commentaries. I liked the commentaries a bunch.

This show ends at season 3, and there is currently no plan for more. However, the ending does set up a new (different) show that many fans are excited for. You'll understand when you finish.

Patrick Stewart has said that he wants to follow up this season with another movie, however there's been no indication so far that the studio is interested in that, and most fans agree that Picard's story is better off ending here with this season. It's a fairly satisfying ending to most viewers, and fans are content to leave things where they are now. We wouldn't want a repeat of Nemesis after finally getting a satisfying ending, it took 21 years to finally heal those wounds and folks are understandably hesitant to roll the dice again when Picard season 3 has already given us a fine ending.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Picard season 3 indeed has only 10 episodes. The rest of the "27" are behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, and a few episode audio commentaries. I liked the commentaries a bunch.

This show ends at season 3, and there is currently no plan for more. However, the ending does set up a new (different) show that many fans are excited for. You'll understand when you finish.

Patrick Stewart has said that he wants to follow up this season with another movie, however there's been no indication so far that the studio is interested in that, and most fans agree that Picard's story is better off ending here with this season. It's a fairly satisfying ending to most viewers, and fans are content to leave things where they are now. We wouldn't want a repeat of Nemesis after finally getting a satisfying ending, it took 21 years to finally heal those wounds and folks are understandably hesitant to roll the dice again.

Agreed—leave the TNG crew on an a high note.

 

[VitalNonsense]

Agreed—leave the TNG crew on an a high note.

No season is perfect, but there's really no better place to leave them than laughing together at that poker table in Guinan's bar with the Enterprise-D safe in the fleet museum. It's hard to imagine that another movie could end any better than that. And if you can't meet or exceed where things were left, why bother? Don't pick it up again if you can't leave it better than you found it.

Could the old crew make appearances in the future? Sure, I wouldn't mind briefly checking in on occasion in another show, like the show the S3 ending teases. Perhaps they receive a request from Data with Soji. Or Riker pulls some strings at Starfleet to open a door for the new Captain. Maybe Picard calling his son. Nothing that changes the endings we got for the TNG crew, just....elaboration on where we left them. I'd enjoy glimpses of their continued presence in this era. But they should not be headliners again, let their book be finished with season 3.