Picard - Remembrance

[Hero_Of_Shadows]

Okay, this is coming from someone that hasn't seen the series just some reviews. Picard resigns from Starfleet because they won't do anything about evacuating Romulus. This is after their main plan involving 10,000 starships is literally destroyed as well as the shipyards and the planet they were on. What was Picard expecting Starfleet to do? I'm assuming there was a bit of a time factor here. Maybe this is answered later?

The Mars attack was a seriously traumatizing event to the Federation, everyone was ready to ban some synths.

Picard was standing up against this calling it out as irrational mob fear, but:

What was Picard's take on this tragedy ? It was an unfortunate accident.

What was Picard's stance on androids ? We need more of them right now.

How does Picard plan to stop the events on Mars from repeating if they do build more androids ? He just stated Mars was an freak accident and implicitly that they can't be that unlucky again in a row.

Why does Picard insist so hard in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy that they need androids ? To save some Romulans, a species that even if it's history has antagonized a huge number of Federation members.

When Federation members threaten to Brexit if more androids are built or ships that are helping other planets are redistributed to the Romulans what is Picard's strategy ? You do this or I resign.

And in a huge shock (to everyone who is not Picard) Starfleet chooses many member planets and a big portion of their civilians over one admiral.

As a general note the numbers for the Romulan evacuation fleet are really low and the state of the Romulans post supernova is very fuzzy so even if Picard presents it as saving an entire species from death it's actually just saving a portion of the Romulan population. I'll present my attempt at making sense of the Romulan situation as the episodes get discussed.

[Mabus]

When Federation members threaten to Brexit if more androids are built or ships that are helping other planets are redistributed to the Romulans what is Picard's strategy ? You do this or I resign.

And in a huge shock (to everyone who is not Picard) Starfleet chooses many member planets and a big portion of their civilians over one admiral.

I never understood that part. Was the whole "I'll resign from Starfleet if you don't do the right thing" ever brought up/used in the previous Trek series? Was it even a thing in the first place?
And did Picard really become that important in the Federation in the last 2 decades, that if he leaves, the organization will suffer greatly?

[Link8909]

The start of the show wasn't exactly bad. But to me the show nosedived the moment the interview scene came. There was no build up to it, Picard seems to just all of the sudden decided to call some Federation ObnoXious News reporter and embarrass himself on TV on the 14th anniversary of another 9/11 no. 4, just so that he gets conveniently seen by Dahj on TV and later gets rejected by Admiral Sheer-Fucking-Hubris. It doesn't have any relevance later (it's just a blatant exposition dump), except for two mentions later with Raffi and Riker. Then the story just goes into a full quest mode, with a lame conclusion and shuttershock footage.
But what really felt irritating was the tone of the series. It's not dark, it's lethargic. The setting feels sterile, hopeless, the people feel like they don't want to be there and are just half-sleeping through life, the dialogue sometimes feels like it hasn't left the first draft. Patrick Stewart is playing Patrick Stewart. You don't feel any joy in anything that happens. The worldbuilding is sketchy and has more holes and stitches than an xB. I've gotten more enjoyment from The Expanse's most boring scenes than from Picard, and I didn't even start to love that show properly until near the end of the first season.
I feel that Picard could have done so much more, but instead it achieved little.
I also get the feeling that the actors in Picard weren't enjoying their roles and were just phoning in and waiting to cash in their paycheck.

Personally I never felt that at all, Sir Patrick Stewart once again brought his kind and warmness to Picard, anytime he's on screen theirs always this sense of joy, and the rest of the actors and actresses were very good to.

I personally think that Star Trek Picard is a great achievement to the Star Trek franchise, firstly because the creators are moving the franchise further past the TNG era, while I'm excited for Star Trek Strange New Worlds, I think its important to go into the future and into unknown territory that only beta material have done like Star Trek Online, and expand on things that haven't been like the Romulan supernova.

Second is that the creators genuinely want to make this show, this is not a quick cash grab thing, the team behind Star Trek Picard really do want to make this show and tell this story, and want to be creative as well, not to just make The Next Generation Season 8, but to push more of what to expect from Star Trek and not to cover old ground, and even if they do, try to do it in a new way.

Sir Patrick Stewart didn't have to come back, he genuinely wanted to return to his role of Picard, something that a lot of fans have long since made peace with that he would not, and I think because of all this that I personally think regardless of how one feels about Star Trek Picard, people should appreciate what this show is doing, and to bare in mind that even with its flaws that the creative team do listen to feed back and are willing to change.

[Darth Wedgius]

Stewart seems big for post-nation-state-ism(1) in general and supporting refugees in particular, and I think that may have influenced this. Even to where it completely overran logic, to where the Romulans seem to lose their capacity as an interstellar species that rivals the Federation and the Klingon Empire and becomes Space Haiti. I could see an economic collapse beggaring(2) the Romulan Star Empire, but they still have the damned ships, don't they? Which is what Starfleet was going to supply? And since when has Romulus had a problem with AIs? They didn't seem to dislike Data or Voyager's The Doctor on the grounds of being AIs.

(1) Removing the significance of national boundaries, more or less.
(2) Spelling is important with that one.

[Darth Wedgius]

.
.
.
I also get the feeling that the actors in Picard weren't enjoying their roles and were just phoning in and waiting to cash in their paycheck.

The actor playing Number One seemed to be having fun. I might watch a whole series based on that one. Star Fetch.

[CaptainCalvinCat]

I'll admit I liked the opening to Picard. It wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but I think it had potential. It was slower then say most openings for a Trek series but I didn't mind, its not about some young brash crew who are young dumb and full of complete disregard for authority or a seasoned older crew, its a retired old man who is forced back into the action. The mystery was good, the action what there was was decent, and I liked the human touches between Picard and his Romulan friends.

But I think it got worse and worse as it went along. The death of Dahj especially annoyed me as it had zero impact, they went for the Rei approach where they got a bunch of spares. If you are going to go through the trouble of fridging someone to motivate the protagonist don't ruin it by having a identical clone and a bunch of other identical clones save some for some reason look more like Data.

Like STD its got a good premise but like STD it seems to hate Trek with its approach. Doesn't learn anything from STD or even previous Trek shows, you would think they would have atleast learned from Enterprise about how some fans dislike non-Star Trek labeled Trek shows. Though atleast the theme song is better then Enterprises.

God I wish The Orville would return. My teenage self would hate me, far more excited for some knock-off Trek show from the creator of Family Guy then two or three actual Trek shows.

Gotta say, I never understood, how one could go so far and even like "The Orville". Honestly - I don't care, if Robert Picardo, Marina Sirtis and Penny Johnson are in that show or Jonathan Frakes does the directing. It is a pseudo-Trek-Show by the guy, who does Family Guy and I watched some episodes of that show and didn't find it even remotely funny. Sorry, I'm just not a guy, who thinks, that comedy, concerning bodily fluids is that hilarious. I would even go that far and say: they're damn unfunny.

I don't find jokes about vomit funny, about urine, feces, about sperm...

You can say what you want about the new Trek Shows - but they're still more Trek than this Family-Guy-Rip-Off will ever be, even if there are Trek Alumni working on that show.

[SuccubusYuri]

I know Chuck's mostly teasing as a joke, but Dahj beating the hell out of the Romulans while Picard watches is honestly more return-to-form to Season 1 xD

Even to where it completely overran logic, to where the Romulans seem to lose their capacity as an interstellar species that rivals the Federation and the Klingon Empire and becomes Space Haiti.

I dunno that would be fairly consistent with the worldbuilding of Star Trek.

Like, as a rule, Trek is VASTLY de-populated compared to what we'd expect from a society with its level of technology. The population density is basically the space equivalent of the Nevada desert. Everywhere except, of course, for the Homeworlds. Even the Federation feels very Earth-centric (only Tasha and Data sping to mind as colony babies, and I'm being generous adding Data to the "Earth Origin" column), what with Riker being from Alaska, Picard from France, Kirk from Iowa, etc. But even the Klingon Empire most characters we meet are from Homeworld. BEING an Empire, the Romulans are probably the same way, hell they have more excuse since they subjugate everyone else.

Most of the galaxy seems to be populated like Britain, most of the population is just centered on the capital. Delete that area and most of the production goes out the window.

It does feel a bit *erased* but considering the time table, it isn't shocking they'd still be in the "getting our shit together" phase.

I mean hell it could be lining up to fit with ST:O where there's multiple factions vying for power while the agricultural colonies just try to avoid not-starving to death. Which takes place in "Picard's" future, even.

[FlynnTaggart]

Gotta say, I never understood, how one could go so far and even like "The Orville". Honestly - I don't care, if Robert Picardo, Marina Sirtis and Penny Johnson are in that show or Jonathan Frakes does the directing. It is a pseudo-Trek-Show by the guy, who does Family Guy and I watched some episodes of that show and didn't find it even remotely funny. Sorry, I'm just not a guy, who thinks, that comedy, concerning bodily fluids is that hilarious. I would even go that far and say: they're damn unfunny.

I don't find jokes about vomit funny, about urine, feces, about sperm...

You can say what you want about the new Trek Shows - but they're still more Trek than this Family-Guy-Rip-Off will ever be, even if there are Trek Alumni working on that show.

Different tastes for different folks I suppose. I'm not the hugest fan of Family Guy's humor myself being a totally mature adult, totally, (really though I just prefer American Dad, less cut away humor) but what sells The Orville to me is not the humor. Oh sure some is fine and some is a bit disgusting but what really makes the show enjoyable for me is the sci-fi exploration with a sense of optimism. Despite what the ads for the show seemed to imply its not a wacky screwball comedy but a sci-fi show with humor.

Which is why I think its more Trek then the current Treks. Both current Treks are about dark and gritty end of the universe/Federation crap where few people are likable, full of murder, rape, war crimes, and more war then freaking Star Wars. Too much of the real world in the shows and I don't just mean the allegories, allegories are a staple of Trek and can be enjoyable if done well, I meaning just how dark and depressing the shows are. If I wanted something dark and depressing I'd turn on the news, I'd go read twitter posts, or go watch some Youtube videos where some bearded gnome says such and such side are the devil and are completely against whatever you believe in so panic and panic hard, also buy Raycons and play RAID SHADOW LEGENDS.

Perhaps is juvenile to want it but I like a bit of escapism in fiction, to transport me to a fantastical world where we aren't living in the middle of constant social unrest thats ramped up recently, toxic political extremists, and toxic politics to the point we have a Presidential race between a carrot and a prune who both are accused of sexual assault and both talk like they are escaped mental patients. Its nice to be in a world for a hour or a half hour where none of that stuff matters.

Picard and STD its the same shit as the real world but........ IN SPACE!!!!! Completely misses the point of Trek, of a brighter tomorrow where humanity has evolved, where even when we stumble we try to be better.

Not saying its wrong to enjoy those shows but at least I and some others prefer The Orville and think it feels more Trek, it feels more optimistic and some people appreciate that despite the semen and urine jokes.

[DisgruntleFairy]

When Federation members threaten to Brexit if more androids are built or ships that are helping other planets are redistributed to the Romulans what is Picard's strategy ? You do this or I resign.

And in a huge shock (to everyone who is not Picard) Starfleet chooses many member planets and a big portion of their civilians over one admiral.

I never understood that part. Was the whole "I'll resign from Starfleet if you don't do the right thing" ever brought up/used in the previous Trek series? Was it even a thing in the first place?
And did Picard really become that important in the Federation in the last 2 decades, that if he leaves, the organization will suffer greatly?

Picard is depicted as being both a celebrity and a influential figure in the Federation during Picard. That really makes sense when you think about it. He has saved earth publicly at least 2 times. Once during First Contact and then again in Nemesis. The was involved with the first defeat of the Borg back in TNG days. Then there are all his other various accomplishments. So Picard is understandably a figure with a lot of public pull. Not as much as he thinks he has but still.

As for his plan on what to do. Its briefly discussed later in the series. His plan was to put every other major shipyard working on relief ships. Reactivate all the retired Starfleet members to staff said relief ships. And they may have to reactivate a lot of the mothball fleet.

Even in the post scarcity future thats a huge dedication of resources.

[Hero_Of_Shadows]

When Federation members threaten to Brexit if more androids are built or ships that are helping other planets are redistributed to the Romulans what is Picard's strategy ? You do this or I resign.

And in a huge shock (to everyone who is not Picard) Starfleet chooses many member planets and a big portion of their civilians over one admiral.

I never understood that part. Was the whole "I'll resign from Starfleet if you don't do the right thing" ever brought up/used in the previous Trek series? Was it even a thing in the first place?
And did Picard really become that important in the Federation in the last 2 decades, that if he leaves, the organization will suffer greatly?

I think he might have used it as a tactic once or twice in TNG but never to this scale it was more like "let me do this mission with my ship or I will resign", the ultimatum certainly wasn't Picard's first choice but that Picard thought it had a chance of working does imply a certain ... hubris.

What we will see in Picard (I'll try not to spoil everything) :

1) Romulan refugees on their own planets

2) Romulan refugees on Federation and non-Federation planets

3) a Romulan successor state that has a very cutting edge and important research facility and has diplomatic ties to the Federation (the Federation can't just show up unannounced else there will be shooting)

4) privately owned Romulan ships

5) state owned Romulan ships

This all shows that the Romulans were doing their own evacuations, so outside of Picard and Spock's efforts the Romulan civilization was taking steps to preserve itself albeit obviously it couldn't be the peer of the Federation and Klingons it had been up to that point.

Picard's rescue armada was probably for a portion of the civilian population the Romulans had written off as being low priority.