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Star Trek: Picard - Make It So Engage Earl Grey Hot

SpoonyBard

SpoonyBard

Threat Rhyme
(He/Him)
After thinking on it for a day or two, the one thing from episode 3 I still wasn't sold on was Riker blaming Picard at the very end. Yes, it's good they were butting heads, it's great to see some friction between two characters who have almost never shown any. And it wasn't even out of character for Picard to go aggro when under enough stress (remember him going off on Worf during First Contact?), but in the end Riker DID still make the choice to go with Picard's suggestion when they had no other options. That's the bit that bugs me. Picard didn't put undue pressure on him (persistent, almost incessent pressure throughout the episode, sure, but not undue), Picard wasn't responsible for the sabotage or the situation they found themselves in, he didn't pull rank and overrule Riker's command, there was literally no other choice for Riker but to do the thing Picard was insisting they do all episode and the fact that it turned out to be wrong doesn't make the situation Picard's fault. At least not 'get off the bridge you've killed us all' fault. That last line was, I think, a bit much but we'll see where the next episode takes us.
 
WisteriaHysteria

WisteriaHysteria

SpoonyBard said:
After thinking on it for a day or two, the one thing from episode 3 I still wasn't sold on was Riker blaming Picard at the very end. Yes, it's good they were butting heads, it's great to see some friction between two characters who have almost never shown any. And it wasn't even out of character for Picard to go aggro when under enough stress (remember him going off on Worf during First Contact?), but in the end Riker DID still make the choice to go with Picard's suggestion when they had no other options. That's the bit that bugs me. Picard didn't put undue pressure on him (persistent, almost incessent pressure throughout the episode, sure, but not undue), Picard wasn't responsible for the sabotage or the situation they found themselves in, he didn't pull rank and overrule Riker's command, there was literally no other choice for Riker but to do the thing Picard was insisting they do all episode and the fact that it turned out to be wrong doesn't make the situation Picard's fault. At least not 'get off the bridge you've killed us all' fault. That last line was, I think, a bit much but we'll see where the next episode takes us.
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I was kind of hoping someone would bring this up so I could have an excuse to discuss it further in depth lol. Yeah, it definitely was a bit much, but I think that was the point though? Lemme lay out my case for why that is. There's two big reasons why I think it makes perfect sense.

The 1st reason being: The writers clearly want the audience, and probably the characters as well, to suspect that the reason why people are acting "out of character" is because they're secretly a Changeling. I personally don't think that's actually what's going on, but it's a great way to use the Changelings effectively as an adversary. Get the audience and the heroes to doubt what's going on and get pulled into a self-destructive conspiracy. It's great for drama, and it's also lowkey great for getting people to not whine about how Picard and crew aren't acting like we were accustomed to 20+ years ago, like people did incessantly for S1 and 2. This theory is already pretty popular in other places on the internet I peruse, and even a friend or two IRL have come up with it independently, so it's definitely doing its job.

However, I think that's a misdirect. Because the 2nd reason is the more nuanced answer/explanation that reductively: They are now simply different people, whose lives diverged, and are coming from different perspectives, and can't quite reconcile each other anymore. This one I think plays more into the primary themes of PIC as a show, as well as jives with everything the producers and actors have said for years on the show. This will take a bit more to explain so spoilerpop'd for length:

Riker's anger here isn't just the product of a bad decision that he is unwilling to take full responsibility for. Though I think that's a small part of it. It's been building up towards Jean-Luc for the last two episodes, and finally reached an impasse at the end of episode 3. Consider how flabbergasted Riker was towards Picard regarding Picard's active denial about his son and Bev. Or how Picard was even there to begin with, prioritizing being Mr Starfleet over his family. The look on Riker's face when Picard calls the entire situation with his son/Bev 'Irreparable' despite one conversation and no conversations with his son is low key very informing. Dude was giving up before he even started. And this is coming from Riker's POV where he had to learn the really hard way what was important in life. Now his best friend, closest confidant, and mentor/idol he practically worshiped and put his whole life/career on hold for 15 years just to continue being in his orbit, is acting in ways that are not just frustrating for him to watch, but incredibly disappointing to him too.

There's also just the history of the two as leader and subordinate that is being inverted here that's intensely uncomfortable for the both of them, and I presume extremely disappointing for Riker specifically. Riker spent ~15 years being Jean-Luc's second-in-command. As you note, they didn't conflict much on the show because they had an ideal working relationship and understanding. Riker knew when to challenge and push Jean-Luc when he was wrong, but without fail he always supported the decisions of his captain and never undermined him. He knew to bring up his criticisms in private instead of on the bridge in front of the rest of the crew. He had unwavering trust and loyalty to Picard and his judgment. These are not just things he came to the table with, but was what he learned through experience what an ideal first officer should be like for his captain. Riker learned how to be a Captain from Picard and their time on the Enterprises together. So when the situation finally came time to be reversed, and Picard did not end up living up to the standards he set for Riker all those years back and giving him the trust and support he should a Captain, would you not expect that to feel incredibly disappointing at the least? And potentially a personal betrayal? Because Picard didn't just offer his opinion once or twice, but incessantly and wouldn't let it go. The lack of trust in Riker's judgment was rather appalling and potentially even egotistical. Especially when Riker himself at this point in their lives, should have had more than enough earned both the trust of Jean-Luc as a fellow officer - being an outstanding Captain in his own right - but also as a person and friend.

And that personal betrayal I think is what sends Riker over the edge there. Because come back to what pushes Riker over the edge to try Jean-Luc's way. Picard baits him with a lowkey, incredibly low blow. Picard makes it personal by insinuating that Riker is being overly cautious/afraid after the loss of his son. That alone IMO was enough to warrant Riker's condemnation at the end of the episode. Picard himself, in the same exact episode, railed against Beverly for using his personal fears that he confided to her in trust and weaponized against him to make judgments for him. And here Picard turned around and did the exact same thing to Riker to goad him into his preferred course of action.

So to me, that's where this anger comes from. It's more than just a simple mistake or inability to take responsibility. It's actually an intensely personal response. But beyond that I also think that both sides are in the wrong. There was no good course of action here. Picard had a point and probably should have fought inside the nebula instead of eventually making a break for it. The disaster comes when the making-a-break plan failed and they hastily pivoted to fighting in sub-optimal conditions rather than take a gambit with a more leveled playing field in the nebula. And I think Picard was also probably right about Riker trying to play things too safe as well, just for the wrong reasons. Riker's command experience comes from being in command of large, capital ships that were behemoths of their time: The Enterprise-D/E and his Titan. He learned how to command from Picard who was afforded a measure of caution because he was always playing from a position of power on a beefy power-ship, and also had a crew that included families onboard. This new Titan-A is more of an exploratory vessel and very underpowered. It's not a situation Riker is all that accustomed to. Picard on the other hand, this kind of scenario is actually the majority of his Starfleet experience. Picard was captain of a dilapidated, obsolete jalopy that was the Stargazer for ~20 years, and made a name for himself in Starfleet by beating the odds and punching way above his weight class. It's perfectly in character for him to advocate for such tactics because it's what made him famous to begin with. (Exemplified in "The Picard Manuver" which itself was an incredibly risky and brazen gambit that still resulted in the loss of his own ship.)
 
WisteriaHysteria

WisteriaHysteria

Ok. So after sitting on my thoughts for 12 hours:

Another really strong episode with some completely fantastic moments. This episode was Frakes’ chance to shine and boy did he. It’s wild to think he’s essentially been out of acting for so long yet he comes in and gives a performance like that.

Capt Shaw also. Crazy good monologue. I still think the character is a jackass but he’s a pretty likable one now. And he has some decent texture. The whole theme of his survivor's guilt, being silently juxtaposed on him being the essential lynchpin of the escape plan I thought was a nice touch, and could go a long way towards rehabilitating his character/personality. Same with the only reason why he lived this time around being because Seven and her name.

I also really, really liked that the episode opened up with Riker and Picard reconciling immediately. They both got heated, and both realized they were in the wrong, and both immediately owned up to it. Good stuff.

The 5-year flashback that was interspersed through the episode was also really, really well done. It seemed like it was pertinent to the theme of the episode, but then the revelation at the end, mixed with the discordant music, hit like a freaking ton of bricks. Just really well written drama where nobody is in the wrong, but tragedy still strikes.

I had a few nitpicks for the episode, but they were just that - meaningless nitpicks. Still a great time. I really hope however this season wraps up, it'll wrap up well. If they can nail the ending, this is already shaping up to be the greatest reunion-show/thing of all time from just about anything.
 
FelixSH

FelixSH

(He/Him)
Yeah, having Riker and Picard make up immediately was what I was hoping for. I totally buy, that Riker would get that angry, in this situation, when everything is that heated and looks that bleak.

The flashback was, indeed, excellently done. Good lord.

Looking forward to more, but I guess the show will start to get faster again, after giving us a more TNG-show like feel, and we'll be back in a more movie-like realm. We'll see, I guess.
 
Vaeran

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
I liked most of this episode, just as I liked most of the last one.

Visually it was dark as shit, and while I can understand and appreciate the plot and tone reasons for that, watching an hour of disembodied faces bobbing along corridors does get a little tiring.

Don't like the indulgence of Voyager's lazy conceit that the holodeck runs on a power source that's somehow completely incompatible with the rest of the ship's systems. If you can freely exchange power between life support, shields, thrusters and weapons you can loop the holodeck in there. Nothing was gained by setting that scene in a holodeck bar instead of a regular mess hall. Regardless, Shaw's monologue about the Battle of Wolf 359 was excellent. I guess I was supposed to hate this character from the jump, but aside from his asshole insistence on calling Seven by a name she does not want to be called I've mostly enjoyed him, rough around the edges though he may be. His calling out Picard and Riker on their clownshoes attempt at subterfuge in the first episode was exactly right.

If Founders really left behind "resi-goo" every time they changed shape I feel like the DS9 crew would not have had nearly as much trouble tracking them down. The insistence that they must return to a specifically-shaped container to regenerate, and here's a picture of it, was very silly.

Glad to give Worf and Raffi a break for an episode. I'm not in any hurry to get back to their story.

Good flashback: an incognito Jack asking Picard about family and getting exactly the wrong answer was very effective.

Bad flashback: The cadets ask Picard about the time he was hunted by the Hirogen, and ask if he got advice from Admiral Janeway. He tells them that Lt. Cmdr. Worf rigged a trap that saved him. So Worf is a Lieutenant Commander, is serving under Picard, and Janeway (possibly an Admiral, unless the cadet was just referring to her by her current rank) is reachable via comms. When could that story have possibly taken place? It's like trying to figure out which state Springfield is in.

Loved Riker throwing a rock at the Shrike. (Is this what I've been reduced to? I like it when Star Trek characters throw rocks?)

I would have bet my shirt that the nebula was going to give birth to a new Crystalline Entity (even though they mentioned Farpoint earlier in the episode, which I just assumed was a misdirect) but I'm fine being wrong. It was a lovely ending.
 
WisteriaHysteria

WisteriaHysteria

Vaeran said:
Visually it was dark as shit, and while I can understand and appreciate the plot and tone reasons for that, watching an hour of disembodied faces bobbing along corridors does get a little tiring.
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I've kinda resigned myself to the fact that this is just how things will be. Star Trek shows want to look like Star Trek movies. And Star Trek movies have always done this, going back to the original films. It didn't really feel like I was watching disembodied people, but I also watch these episodes in a theater-like situation which I think helps a lot. It also isn't so bad when we still have Lower Decks, Prodigy, and SNW for now to balance the feel out.

Vaeran said:
Don't like the indulgence of Voyager's lazy conceit that the holodeck runs on a power source that's somehow completely incompatible with the rest of the ship's systems. If you can freely exchange power between life support, shields, thrusters and weapons you can loop the holodeck in there. Nothing was gained by setting that scene in a holodeck bar instead of a regular mess hall.
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I'm fine with it haha. In the meta-context, they very clearly don't have a mess hall set. Voyager already set a precedent so it's firmly canon lol. And even if it seems silly, I think there's a halfway decent explanation you can make for it.
Consider the TNG episode "Booby Trap" (normally it's not fun to remember this episode but bear with me) -- which this episode was clearly taking inspiration from. In it, Geordi is syphoning off valuable power from the main systems to keep the holodeck running. A very risky gambit since the ship can hardly afford to lose any power. Except doing so was what led to the solution to their conundrum, and saved all hands on the ship. I could easily see after the episode, Geordi and Picard filing an official recommendation within Starfleet to recommend a redundant, self-contained power system be built into holodecks for just such a situation so that running the holodeck doesn't impact the rest of the ships systems in an emergency. "Booby Trap" was also in S3 of TNG, which was still very early in whole experiment of having holodecks on starships, so I could see Starfleet taking these recs seriously and implementing them on later ships like the Voyager or the Titan. And we also all know how much Starfleet loves its redundant systems.

Vaeran said:
If Founders really left behind "resi-goo" every time they changed shape I feel like the DS9 crew would not have had nearly as much trouble tracking them down. The insistence that they must return to a specifically-shaped container to regenerate, and here's a picture of it, was very silly.
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Yeah I thought that was all silly.
IIRC there were plenty of times where Odo left trace samples of his goo, but it didn't ever seem so viscous or obvious. But I don't really have a problem with leaving goo in their sleepy-time container. Changelings gotta have waste substances, right? The exact same shaped container however was very distracting and nonsensical in-universe. But it was very clearly just a cute, self-indulgent homage on behalf of the props department. Which I'll excuse; the props department seems like supergeeks who love their job and get a little carried away from time-to-time.

Vaeran said:
Good flashback: an incognito Jack asking Picard about family and getting exactly the wrong answer was very effective.

Bad flashback: The cadets ask Picard about the time he was hunted by the Hirogen, and ask if he got advice from Admiral Janeway. He tells them that Lt. Cmdr. Worf rigged a trap that saved him. So Worf is a Lieutenant Commander, is serving under Picard, and Janeway (possibly an Admiral, unless the cadet was just referring to her by her current rank) is reachable via comms. When could that story have possibly taken place? It's like trying to figure out which state Springfield is in.
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Loved both of these scenes. They were well done I thought.
Re your timeframe: It probably had to have been post-Nemesis, since Worf is there, but no mention of Riker. But it could technically have been at any point post-DS9 since we don't actually know when Worf rejoined the Enterprise crew and the absence of information is not the evidence of its non-existence. So beginning in 2375-2379. And we don't have data for when Worf ever got promoted to Captain, and he was still a Lt Commander as of Nemesis, so it could extend out to at any point until Jean-Luc gave up command of the Enterprise-E. Which was in 2381. So actually a relatively small window of time of a few years, likely 2379-2381, but potentially between 2375-2381.
 
SpoonyBard

SpoonyBard

Threat Rhyme
(He/Him)
Goddamn, another banger. I don't know if the show can keep this up for the remaining 6 episodes but I sure hope so.

I was a bit bummed that we didn't see any of Worf and Raffi but I guess they wanted to focus entirely on the story of the crew getting the hell out of the nebula which was probably the right call.

And goddamn I think Shaw might be winning me over. He's still a capital D douche, especially with his airing of Wolf 359 grievances but it does help give some context to his behavior from the first episode. (though insisting that Seven use a different name is still a step too far, I think, and hopefully this episode puts a cap on that?)

If there's one thing I'm worried about the season flubbing, though, it's those visions Jack is having. It's clearly something that's going to tie into whatever the bigger plot of the season is and, well, that's the one thing the first two seasons just failed at most. I really hope they're able to keep whatever this bigger plot is from being too loony, but only time will tell.
 
WisteriaHysteria

WisteriaHysteria

SpoonyBard said:
And goddamn I think Shaw might be winning me over. He's still a capital D douche, especially with his airing of Wolf 359 grievances but it does help give some context to his behavior from the first episode. (though insisting that Seven use a different name is still a step too far, I think, and hopefully this episode puts a cap on that?)
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Yeah, agreed 100%. I think though with the dead-naming, it might have non-malicious origins possibly? Shaw purposefully selected Seven as his first officer, and it had to have been because he sees her talent at the very least. I wonder if it's more about him, as a victim of the Borg, wants to help Seven as another victim of the Borg in his own weird way. And in his mind, he can't fathom why someone would want to go by a Borg designation still and not use their given name. But he would have no idea or context for why Seven wouldn't necessarily care for her given name since she still resents the eff out of her parents for being dipshit guardians, dragging their the clutches of the collective. Or how the crew of Voyager became her family, and had the patience and understanding to let her build her own identity and called her Seven.

SpoonyBard said:
If there's one thing I'm worried about the season flubbing, though, it's those visions Jack is having. It's clearly something that's going to tie into whatever the bigger plot of the season is and, well, that's the one thing the first two seasons just failed at most. I really hope they're able to keep whatever this bigger plot is from being too loony, but only time will tell.
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Yeah, I'm definitely a fair bit nervous about this one. I hope it's something that doesn't make my eyes roll or require twisting into pretzels in order to explain away. As of now, my guess is that he's like his big brother in some capacity, and he's accidentally tapping into some sorta psychic business
 
SpoonyBard

SpoonyBard

Threat Rhyme
(He/Him)
So there's a synopsis for Episode 5 and it has some interesting phrasing:

Caught by Starfleet and facing court martial, paranoia grows as Picard struggles to uncover whether a prodigal crewman from his past has returned as an ally or an enemy hellbent on destroying them all.

My first thought upon skimming that synopsis is that Geordi is going to be the one to fly in and apprehend Picard and Riker, and explaining why in the previews he didn't look too happy to see them (since they just put his daughter in danger and all), but upon thinking about it I'm not so sure. And it just so happens there's a new comic miniseries hitting this week that, despite being otherwise unrelated, might have a hint for a surprise guest star?

The mini series is called Star Trek: Defiant and even though it seems to take place in the DS9 timeline (Sisko is still present and a captain, Spock is also present so it's at the very least pre-destruction of Romulus) the cover image has two rather distinct characters alongside Worf and Spock:

f3ALoKA.jpg

That's Ro Laren, and possibly Lore. Now, by this point in the timeline Lore was long since deactivated and we assumed that remained the case, but depending on how canon this series is, it might give us some idea as to how the Lore that seems to show up in Picard actually got back up and running.

But then there's Ro Laren, who the fanbase has long speculated might make a comeback in Season 3, and the phrase 'prodigal crewman' certainly fits her better than Geordi, and certainly Lore.

It might be nothing, but it is certainly interesting that a mini-series with this cast is coming out the day before the episode with that synopsis.
 
Vaeran

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
This show is actually good now. I don't know what to do with myself!

Going into this season I was aware of several casting spoilers but Ro Laren was definitely not one of them. Everything to do with her was excellent. Michelle Forbes is always a welcome sight on my screen and she fucking killed it as usual. God damn. And I've always been a sucker for "anyone could be an enemy agent" plots, so you'd better believe I am all over this shit.

I'm glad the storylines are beginning to converge because The Worf & Raffi Show is still not doing much for me. So Raffi thinks the best way to track down a wanted criminal is to stand in the town square and shout for him to be brought to her? Is she stupid? (Yeah yeah, it was a hologram.) Then when Krinn's name is called, he actually comes running? Is he stupid?

Maybe he is: "There can be no utopia without crime, ergo an organized criminal enterprise is logical." bro what

This is twice now this season that Picard has been given a coded message (first "Hellbird" and now the earring) and needed Riker to tell him its significance. I get that both messages were sent under exigent circumstances but maybe Picard's not the savior everyone seems to imagine him to be.

The one thing that worries me is the potential for whatever's going on with Jack to get real dumb. So far it has not, but it feels like it's on very shaky narrative ground.
 
Sprite

Sprite

(He/Him/His)
Man what is this show’s deal with killing off third-stringers? At least they did a good job of it this time and gave her some agency. Season One’s death march just felt random and sadistic.

I am so glad that Shaw is an actual character and not the stooge he appeared to be in episode one.

This season has managed to maintain quality a lot better than the other two, so I’m optimistic. I’m still expecting the mysterious mystery to be stupid but as long as the character moments hold out I’ll be satisfied.
 
Sprite

Sprite

(He/Him/His)
Oh, and I loved loved LOVED the untwist of Ro not being a changeling. They went through all the narrative motions of a predictable twist and then pulled it back in the best way, by focusing on her pain.
 
chud_666

chud_666

Sprite said:
Man what is this show’s deal with killing off third-stringers? At least they did a good job of it this time and gave her some agency. Season One’s death march just felt random and sadistic.

I am so glad that Shaw is an actual character and not the stooge he appeared to be in episode one.

This season has managed to maintain quality a lot better than the other two, so I’m optimistic. I’m still expecting the mysterious mystery to be stupid but as long as the character moments hold out I’ll be satisfied.
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Still kinda pisses me off, was hoping for a few eps... C'est la vie
 
SpoonyBard

SpoonyBard

Threat Rhyme
(He/Him)
Wow, goddang. Great episode overall. I have some mixed thoughts but they're mostly good.

Really, really happy to see Ro again. At the end of the episode I was a bit put off by her death since it seemed to be yet another example of one of Picard's worst habits from the first season, killing off tertiary characters. But, at the very least this time it felt like they earned it. This wasn't like killing off Icheb or Maddox (neither of whom even got their original actors) or even Hugh (who DID get his original actor and even several episodes), this felt much more impactful on the story and on Picard specifically. Plus Ro went out like an absolute boss and more importantly she and Picard got their closure. I still wish the show let her live, cause it still feels like a waste, but at least they made a tertiary character death count this time.

Really really glad the show is finally bringing the Worf and Raffi thread together with the main cast. For a season that was billed as a big TNG reunion we haven't seen much of that yet, hell Deanna has only popped up a couple times via long-distance communication and we still haven't even seen Geordi and probably-Lore.

Oh and on the topic of the aforementioned comic series, I read the first issue and it does indeed seem to set up how Ro got back into Starfleet, as well as how Lore came back online, assuming it's all canon of course. Seems to take place the year before Nemesis (which means Sisko has come back from the Celestial Temple) and is a mini-series offshoot from the new Star Trek comic series which started last year, the first arc of which is all about the genetic clone of Emperor Kah'less (remember THAT plot from DS9?) going on a crusade to kill all the gods in the galaxy. Maybe that even leads into an explanation into how Q was dying last season, that'd be neat.

Also goddammit Picard Season 3 you cannot keep name-dropping Janeway like that! She damn well better show up before the season is done!

EDIT: Oh and when Ro said that the highest levels of Starfleet were compromised I almost expected Picard to reply "Again?!", cause boy the upper levels of Starfleet sure do get compromised a lot.
 
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WisteriaHysteria

WisteriaHysteria

Vaeran said:
Then when Krinn's name is called, he actually comes running? Is he stupid?

Maybe he is: "There can be no utopia without crime, ergo an organized criminal enterprise is logical." bro what

This is twice now this season that Picard has been given a coded message (first "Hellbird" and now the earring) and needed Riker to tell him its significance. I get that both messages were sent under exigent circumstances but maybe Picard's not the savior everyone seems to imagine him to be.

The one thing that worries me is the potential for whatever's going on with Jack to get real dumb. So far it has not, but it feels like it's on very shaky narrative ground.
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Re: the criminal-Vulcan - I really enjoyed that character and scene. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seemed to me to be a metaphorical reflection of certain alt-right media personalities who claim to have FACTS and LOGIC on their side, when really it's just mumbo jumbo to rationalize being a hateful criminal. It's also been nice to see some texture and variety applied to classic Trek aliens. It makes the world/setting feel more lived-in rather than stark monocultures.

Re: Picard not being so fast on the uptake - I love this too. Back in TNG, Picard was rarely ever the guy in the room with the answers. His strength as a leader lay not in his own brilliance and knowledge, but in his ability to select and empower brilliance around him. To hear a range of options and from there go with what was right. It feels very in-line with the spirit of the character and the original show. Also tbf to Jean-Luc - his mind is very understandably in a different place atm and very distracted.

Re: Worries about Jack's mystery box - Yeah I'm worried about that too. But I'm cautiously optimistic, bordering on giving the show the benefit of the doubt. So far this season has been brilliant, IMO. I'm still worried, but that's just kind of my personality, I think whatever they'll end up doing will be really good if they can keep this momentum going.

Sprite said:
Man what is this show’s deal with killing off third-stringers? At least they did a good job of it this time and gave her some agency. Season One’s death march just felt random and sadistic.
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Icheb was dumb and bad and quite frankly indefensible. Hugh's was handled a little better but was still pretty upsetting. I know what both were going for, and how they might have made sense abstractly/thematically in the writing room. Both it felt like there wasn't a lot of thought put into the execution (pun not intended) of either situation, and that the show used both deaths to quickly and cheaply lay out the stakes for audiences without giving either character enough respect. But that's not true of ALL of the "legacy" character deaths though.

It's very clear that the show previously had been very thoughtful and respectful for the deaths of other characters like Data and Q who were much bigger deals/much more important characters on the whole. Retroactively giving Data's death in Nemesis meaning and laying his ghost to rest made Season 1 worth it alone. Since that film itself, didn't really treat Data's death as a big deal since it presumed he would be back in B4's body. And Q's character arc coming full circle and wanting to go out helping someone he - in his own way - deeply respected and admired opened the water works for me. (Which, btw, Q's final words to Picard in S2 have additional meaning now that Season 3 is happening.)


Which leads us to this week's episode: I thought bringing back Ro Laren in this way was inspired and works on so many levels:
1) It works as just a direct sequel to TNG: Ro Laren's whole story is one of the few truly loose ends in that show. The way Ro departed the show (multiple times) was intellectually interesting but very unsatisfying for such an interesting and textured character. I really loved her final episode in retrospect, but as a kid watching it as it aired, it was deeply upsetting. Ro was one of my favorite characters, and it was emotionally distressing to watch her turn her back on the Enterprise. As an adult with a better appreciation of the nuance they were going for however, it's actually one of TNG's better episodes. It resolved her character arc and gave her a thematically satisfying exit for a character whose growth got cut short by her actress prematurely parting ways with the show. But thanks to DS9, the character had been canonically in limbo for decades. As fans, we can presume she was either murdered by the Dominion, or found an out somewhere in a way that I'd resolved would never be addressed in canon. So the character has been functionally deceased for decades at this point. Bringing her back in this capacity, even if she were to die anyways, was a big step up from the limbo she's been in.

2) It's an important bridge for the Picard in TNG and the Picard we see in PIC: Many fans aren't a big fan of how Picard as a character was different in this show from the character we got to know 30+ years ago. And while I maintain it's a very natural evolution, many people struggle to see it. But this here, is a good case study of how the two are so very well linked together. People very much chafed at the idea that Picard could be such a flawed individual. The kinds of veneration I've read directed towards him has been almost to the level of the way people demand Superman be depicted - 100% pure virtue with no character flaws whatsoever. But that's just never actually been the truth for the character. And this episode provides a really strong highlight that anyone can go back to a specific TNG episode to see why. Go back and rewatch "Preemptive Strike" and you'll see what I mean. In it, Picard is very much the egotistical, close-minded, emotionally cold person we see him at the beginning of "Imposters" - where he is blinded to Ro's personal needs and very coldly puts her into a position he never should have. Picard is in the wrong in this episode, and makes very human errors, just as much as Ro does. And these errors stem from personal character flaws that PIC decides to explore and give reason to during its three seasons.

3) It's thematically resonant with not just the events/themes of this season, but with the entirety of Star Trek: Picard as a show: I already discussed how this episode served as a bridge to link Picard's character flaws from past to present. But the examination/exploration of those flaws, as well as providing Picard opportunities to grow out of them, has been a central theme of the series as a whole and its M.O. as a character study. And here we've got that happening in multiple ways. "Preemptive Strike" is probably Picard at his absolute lowest in the entirety of TNG. And here we are afforded a chance for him to redeem his mistakes and to reconcile with Ro. And it's a beautiful juxtaposition to lay over Season 3 as well. Because Season 3 is all about Picard finally being faced with fatherhood late in life. But Ro was like a daughter to him in TNG. Only back then, he didn't really fully understand that's what she meant to him, and he also was a pretty shit father as well, since he had no idea how to be one. And it's just a stroke of brilliance to bring back a failed father-daughter dynamic to re-explore and reconcile from TNG, so that Picard can hopefully grow and get it right this time with his biological son Jack. I think it's very telling and a great bit of subtle writing that at the beginning of the episode, Picard is already making the same mistakes all over again by trying to recruit Jack into Starfleet, and project his own desires onto this newfound son, instead of trying to see him for who he is.

4) It's just brilliant drama: It's wonderfully acted by both sides, and you can really feel the complex emotions both characters have for one another. Ro spent TNG looking for a place to belong and looking for a father figure to make up for all the loss she experienced as a child. She thought she'd found one in Picard, but he was just physically incapable of giving her that at the time. Picard may have been searching for the reverse as well, but the way he showed his support and love was completely incompatible with Laren's needs as a person. She needed support and affection and warmth. In "Preemptive Strike" she all but begs Picard to be taken off of the mission, but Picard very coldly refutes her requests. And it's not because he doesn't care, but because he had the utmost faith in her abilities that he can't even fathom that this is bad for her well being. He doesn't want her to jeopardize her career by pulling out, and he wants Ro to be the perfect officer he believes she can be. It's a terrible tragedy all around. And that she goes back to him and that they can hash this out in an organic way is just wonderful stuff. When Ro asks if Picard will trust her, he does so in an instant because he wants desperately to trust her in the way he used to. He was so angry and took her betrayal so personally because he didn't just see it as a betrayal of her duties, but of him personally. She was his daughter and he completely believed in her, and he couldn't fathom why or how she would turn her back on him. The look on his face and the complete silence he gives Riker at the end of "Preemptive Strike" speaks magnitudes, and the acting job Stewart does when desperately trying to console Ro at the end is just like, magnum opus tier acting.

Also fun fact - Patrick Stewart was the one who directed "Preemptive Strike" 30 years ago, so ofc he knows what that relationship is about and how to play it.
 
Sprite

Sprite

(He/Him/His)
Oh, for sure, Data and Q’s deaths were great. They’re a much bigger deal than those other characters so the show gave them more respect. Q using his final days to corrupt the timeline because he wants Picard to get a girlfriend is hilarious and makes me forgive a lot of season two’s faults.
 
Vaeran

Vaeran

(GRUNTING)
(he/him)
WisteriaHysteria said:
Re: Picard not being so fast on the uptake - I love this too. Back in TNG, Picard was rarely ever the guy in the room with the answers. His strength as a leader lay not in his own brilliance and knowledge, but in his ability to select and empower brilliance around him. To hear a range of options and from there go with what was right. It feels very in-line with the spirit of the character and the original show. Also tbf to Jean-Luc - his mind is very understandably in a different place atm and very distracted.
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Sure. I just think it's kind of funny, insofar as people keep going "There's only one man in the galaxy who can help me: Jean-Luc Picard." and then when Picard gets the message he's like "...the fuck am I supposed to do with this?"
 
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