Star Trek: Picard

[QuantumG]

Is that what Dahj/Soji is destined/dreaded to become?

I just figured they were gunna become Control.

[Thorny]

A word of warning for anyone who may be watching "Picard" with their kids. This week's episode "Stardust City Rag" opens with the most disturbing gore "Star Trek" has ever presented.

It is a good episode, if a little uneven. It definitely moves the story along after lots of world-building in the first four episodes.

[yg1968]

I will probably keep watching it but I find this series overly emotional and dramatic. I stopped watching Discovery for the same reason (even Spock was overly emotional).

[Rocket Science]

Seven keeps aging like a fine wine...

[Oli]

I will probably keep watching it but I find this series overly emotional and dramatic. I stopped watching Discovery for the same reason (even Spock was overly emotional).

That's Kurtzman Trek for you. Lot's of unearned drama, I hate it.

[Hauerg]

Seven keeps aging like a fine wine...

52. Perfect age.

So far the women are far cooler than then men, including Picard.

[QuantumG]

So far the women are far cooler than then men, including Picard.

I kinda like the holographic dissociative identity disorder guy.

[sanman]

I kinda like the holographic dissociative identity disorder guy.

I don't think that's meant to be one guy - these are actually multiple holographic avatars in the image of the Captain, Rios.

[QuantumG]

I don't think that's meant to be one guy - these are actually multiple holographic avatars in the image of the Captain, Rios.

Whoosh.

[Thorny]

I kinda like the holographic dissociative identity disorder guy.

I don't think that's meant to be one guy - these are actually multiple holographic avatars in the image of the Captain, Rios.

Yes, Rios has created Emergency Holograms for various functions since he became a bit of a loner following whatever happened on the USS ibn Mājid. He uses himself as a template, but with variations in appearance and accents. The Emergency Medical Hologram has a British accent. The Emergency Navigation Hologram has an Irish accent. The Hospitality Hologram has a vaguely North American accent. The Emergency Tactical Hologram has a Spanish/Latin American accent.

This begs the question of whether the eventual Emergency Engineering Hologram will have a Scottish accent.  :-)

[sanman]

Nah, Sir Patrick could best the others on Scottish accents, if needed.

Speaking of which, here's his explanation on why he chose to reprise his role for the new series:

[Star One]

That last episode was far more dynamic. You have to wonder how much more incredibly advanced technology the Borg have assimilated. Also rather worrying that drone seemed to have woken up when Picard boarded the artefact.

[QuantumG]

I’m confused by the last episode scene where the Vulcan Commodore Oh mind melds with Dr. Agnes Jurati.

Dr Agnes thought that synthetic life was good...
But then after one mind meld with a Vulcan, Dr Agnes simply believes all synthetic life is now bad...

Yep, and by the looks of it the Commodore was passing on sincere trauma... without consent. Not the first time we've seen such disgusting behaviour from Vulcans, but still.

So, let's summarize: Picard has put together a crew consisting of a captain who seems to have some personality problems and a technology addiction, a recovering drug addict and deadbeat mother, a self-harming post-traumatic fanatic, a boy raised as a girl who wants to be a man, and an angsty teenager who has just discovered their entire childhood was a lie. I love this show 

[Thorny]

I’m confused by the last episode scene where the Vulcan Commodore Oh mind melds with Dr. Agnes Jurati.

Well, we need to consider there is still a possibility that Oh is a Romulan operative, not a Vulcan. Sure, she did the mind-meld thing, but we don't know for certain that Romulans can't mind-meld, too. Regardless, it was pretty clear Commodore Oh knew that Lt. Rizzo was actually the Romulan agent Narissa, so she seems to be a deeply flawed Vulcan if she is indeed Vulcan.

We already saw a high-ranking Vulcan official (Ambassador T'Pel) was really a Romulan spy in "Data's Day", so it is not without precedent.

This last episode was excellent, I thought. The girl playing Kestra was wonderful. Kestra, by the way, is named for Deanna's late sister, who was played by a very young Kirsten Dunst in the TNG episode "Dark Page".

[Jarnis]

While it has some nice fanservice moments and it is nice to see some old faces back in their roles, I am getting the same feeling that sunk Discovery for me; This is not really Star Trek. It is not quite as bad as some bits of Discovery, but I'm not impressed.

It may be passable scifi and borderline watchable, but unfortunately the production team is somewhat clueless. Start by replacing the writers, thank you. Also I'm frankly disappointed at the production design, considering they seem to have a real budget.

[ccdengr]

You know, if you don't like it, don't watch it.  For whatever reason, I hated Discovery but I'm really enjoying Picard.

[Zed_Noir]

a self-harming post-traumatic fanatic

Disagree with @QuantumG on that character thumbnail for Agnes. Traumatic brainwashed and suicidal seems more appropriate. She might be a fanatic but didn't show any indication of it prior to the mind meld.

[QuantumG]

Disagree with @QuantumG on that character thumbnail for Agnes. Traumatic brainwashed and suicidal seems more appropriate. She might be a fanatic but didn't show any indication of it prior to the mind meld.

Yeah, fanatic because of brainwashing, agreed.

I wonder if we'll get to see what she sees and then have to ask ourselves if we'd do the same.

[Thorny]

This begs the question of whether the eventual Emergency Engineering Hologram will have a Scottish accent.  :-)

And sure enough, that's what we get in this week's episode "Broken Pieces"...

[QuantumG]

Once you start to see the series as learning about human beings who have experienced great trauma and all the different ways we deal with it...

Well, it's a much better show.