Star Trek Picard and Trek Taking on Modern Politics

[Mabus]

Ah, I see Rick Berman is already pulling a "Miss me yet, Star Trek fans?"
https://twitter.com/berman_rick/status/1229859036658487296

At least RLM doesn't dissapoint.

On his worst day, anything he'd put out would out-do the current trash getting thrown at us. That said, I wouldn't take him back for simply producing better than garbage. Seth/Coto/Braga dream team for the way forward. Make it so Shari!

Yeah, Rick Berman should be kept away from producing another Star Trek series. The other writers/producers were better.

[MrL1992]

The more I read up on the behind the scenes of Berman's era, the more I conclude his unwillingness to let the franchise evolve and try new ideas. In the end, people got bored.

That's why, come the new era (since '09, they pretty much tossed out his rulebook completely. Maybe you think that was a mistake, whether you thought those rules were sacred or should have bern eased gack more gradually. There is a reason things were no longer done 'his way'.

[Enterprising]

The more I read up on the behind the scenes of Berman's era, the more I conclude his unwillingness to let the franchise evolve and try new ideas. In the end, people got bored.

That's why, come the new era (since '09, they pretty much tossed out his rulebook completely. Maybe you think that was a mistake, whether you thought those rules were sacred or should have bern eased gack more gradually. There is a reason things were no longer done 'his way'.

I’d say it’s partly that, but also burnout playing in as a big factor too. Star Trek’s “year of hell” behind the scenes was undoubtedly 1994, where TNG was finishing up to then move straight into Generations, which then also moved immediately to First Contact. DS9 was also running at full pelt, and Voyager was about to launch.

It’s very hard to stop, think, and ponder other ways to think out the box or to otherwise evolve and innovate things when you have that much going on. It wouldn’t shock me if so many of the staff just went into autopilot mode. Even Braga admitted himself he was totally burned out going into Enterprise, and desperately wanted it’s premier put back a year to give people a break and think of fresh ideas, but apparently the studio didn’t want to budge on that.

I have to admit though, I’m slightly curious at what he would have produced if he were thrown the absolutely lavish budgets CBS put into STD & Picard, particularly for the final couple of seasons of DS9 with the war, since so many battle effect shots were recycled multiple time.

[MrL1992]

I’d say it’s partly that, but also burnout playing in as a big factor too. Star Trek’s “year of hell” behind the scenes was undoubtedly 1994, where TNG was finishing up to then move straight into Generations, which then also moved immediately to First Contact. DS9 was also running at full pelt, and Voyager was about to launch.

It’s very hard to stop, think, and ponder other ways to think out the box or to otherwise evolve and innovate things when you have that much going on. It wouldn’t shock me if so many of the staff just went into autopilot mode. Even Braga admitted himself he was totally burned out going into Enterprise, and desperately wanted it’s premier put back a year to give people a break and think of fresh ideas, but apparently the studio didn’t want to budge on that.

I have to admit though, I’m slightly curious at what he would have produced if he were thrown the absolutely lavish budgets CBS put into STD & Picard, particularly for the final couple of seasons of DS9 with the war, since so many battle effect shots were recycled multiple time.

Other lead writers like Jeri Taylor and Brannon Braga did start to take on these more 'conservative' (in terms of Trek tradition, not general politics), maybe Berman's influence? Maybe the pressure of their senior positions made them hesitant to 'upset' anyone? Hard to say. The former had the idea 'we could have out cake and eat it too' (her own words) as in. Have conflict while still confining themselves to the warm, comfortable tone of TNG. In a lot of people's opinion, a mistake as that kind of dichotomy inevitably leads to one element dampening the other.

[unknownsample]

The implication is less that they want to segregate Romulans away from what I gathered, but to keep humans out. These are a people that feel betrayed by the Federation, which despite the mix of races that are a part of it is primarily seen as a human led group. Picard tearing the sign down, walking on it, and going into that section anyway is him doing a sort-of civil rights movement.

At least that's how I interpreted it.

Yeah I mean it's kind of pretty obvious judging by the way the Romulans reacted to Picard.

[Jonathan]

Perhaps not politics in the most narrow sense, but I thought Stardust City Rag gave us a difference in perspectives on justice between Picard and Seven. Leaving aside Insurrection (which at least includes the baked in excuse that Picard was acting like a loony teenager because of the magic rings), Picard has for the most part believed in the Federation and its institutions to deliver, so when he resigned and Raffi was like 'but we'll still try to rescue the Rommies, right?' he just couldn't fathom acting outside of the Starfleet purview. Seven, in contrast, never got along with Starfleet regulations, and this is reflected in her joining the vigilante rangers.

I do talk about this in my video review if anyone's interested: https://youtu.be/NEONqj5K-Ws

I'd be interested to know anyone else's take, but it does seem to me Seven was completely believable as the same character with another 2 decades of experience. It helps that Jeri Ryan's a great actress of course.

[Al-1701]

I like the design of Borg technology on this show. It feels like it was built by emotionless cyborgs.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I thought Steve Shives had a good take on the show as of yet.

[Deledrius]

I like the design of Borg technology on this show. It feels like it was built by emotionless cyborgs.

I thought it was a more modern Cube post-Voyager, but then they revealed that it's an older one that's been deactivated for quite some time.

I thought the bit about the Queen's escape system (again, treating the Queen like a separate entity, Star Trek?) was a clever way to explain the Queen in First Contact being connected to Locutus, but then they revealed that it's newer than any Picard would be familiar with.

It's like no one in production is on speaking terms with anyone else.

Good ideas all over the place, contradicting or undermining each other for no reason. It's not coherent.

[Zargon]

Well......you know.....Borg technology WAS built by emotionless cyborgs Just saying.....