Paramount+ Star Trek: Picard - Season Three (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

I fear Someone is going to die before this is over and it’s gonna hurt.

 

[AlexF]

I want to see a show that explores Star Trek’s present day, one that allows for opportunities to bring back legacy characters and also to tell new stories.

I'd love to see this in the SNW vein -- almost like a call-back to the olden days of Trek where stories didn't necessarily have to tell a single story across a full season. Give me 10 stories that tell me amazing sci-fi analogies/etc.

 

[AcesHighStudios]

Watching multiple season of a show from 20 years ago shouldn’t be a requirement for following a show that’s on today.

This season of Picard is clearly a fan letter to FANS. When you watch any television series that runs for seven seasons, but you didn't actually watch multiple seasons of that show, these episodes in Picard Season Three were not made with you in mind, since you cannot really call yourself a fan. The final season of basically TWO television series (Picard and TNG) is not when studios and producers start trying to attract new fans to their show. If you haven't been riding with us before now, it isn't our job to catch you up. If you want to be caught up, all those previous seasons are still out there.

 

[TonyD]

btw why do they have a scan of Kirk in that facility.
Also the Genesis device sitting there too.

 

[Museum Pieces]

I fear Someone is going to die before this is over and it’s gonna hurt.

Thanks to the Burton video clip I foolishly watched, we know who ISN'T going to die. It's my own fault for clicking on it, yes, but I didn't appreciate the spoiler.

 

[TonyD]

What clip?

 

[Sam Favate]

Loved E6, The Bounty. The writing on this show is so rich, and so full of detail, both in terms of plot and character. Star Trek hasn’t seen this kind of writing in a very long time, maybe ever.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

As this season continues, I find myself more and more impressed. Lots of nostalgia, but it never feels like fan service for fan service's sake; all of the callbacks feel organic to the story being told. And there have been a handful of developments I genuinely did not see coming.

Some theories on Jack. As far as we know he has always been with Crusher.
The voices he heard in this ep according to CC was from Beverly.
I think we heard “find me or come back to me” or similar.

If he Has always been with her then where did he get these skills that seem to make him able to fight very well and have weird dreams and or visions.

I think Jack's Irumodic Syndrome diagnosis is a red herring. If he does have Irumodic Syndrome, it's only part of the story. There is something very specific about Jack that all of the Changelings' plans depend on. Even if Irumodic Syndrome is rare, he's not going to be the only person in the Federation who has it.

Another great episode with strong themes of parenthood, respect for the past, poignant twists, and plenty of excitement.

And I love how the themes play out in multiple ways with multiple groups of characters. Picard, Riker, and LaForge are all fathers, but they have experienced fatherhood in drastically different ways that both resonate with and contrast with one another.

I really enjoyed this episode. Much less everyone working through their feelings and much more everyone getting things done.

There was still a lot of everyone working through their feelings, particularly with LaForge and his prodigal daughter, but it never ground the episode to a halt. The emotional stories worked in concert with the heist plot.

I don't know why he didn't go to France to get the English accent just like dad (did).

I know you're joking, but Season 2 made it clear that though Picard was born in France he spent most of his early childhood in England. The Picards didn't return to the family vineyard until the 2310s.

The push has started for a follow-up series to Picard, called Star Trek: Legacy.

I would love that, in whatever form it takes. It's clear from the casting of Liam Shaw and Sidney LaForge that Matalas wanted to establish something aboard the Titan that you could build a show around.

While I enjoy the retro vibes of Strange New Worlds tremendously, I consider the “Picard” show to be Trek’s “present day” and I’d very much be in favor of a new series continuing existing and creating new storylines and characters.

Same. Whether it's with some of these characters, or a completely different set of characters. The period from 1987 through 2001 gave us the most content in one time period that the franchise has ever produced. Any show set in the early 25th century has all of that to draw upon.

I’m not terribly enthused about a Starfleet Academy show, whether it’s the back door pilot they did with Tilly in the 31st century, or in Pike or Picard’s era. I want to be on a ship exploring the galaxy, not grounded at home on Earth. Besides, it strongly appears that season 2 of Star Trek Prodigy will be covering this kind of territory already.

In addition to having the DS9 problem of alienating audiences by being stuck in one location, any Starfleet Academy show would be on some level a teen drama. And I'm not sure that's what any significant chunk of the Star Trek fanbase is clamoring for. In a world with 52 weeks of new Trek episodes a year, it might make sense as an entry point for new young, predominantly female fans. But it would never be the flagship that could carry that franchise on its own.

I’m not terribly enthused about a Section 31 show. Michelle Yeoh is a freaking treasure and I’d watch her read the phone book, but section 31 represents the worst impulses of Starfleet (and often, the worst impulses of Star Trek writers).

Same. When Section 31 was introduced on DS9, it was an exciting development in a post-Soviet, pre-9/11 world. The real future was optimistic, so I didn't much mind Trek exploring its darker corners. But now with the real world on fire, I need Trek to portray an optimistic vision of humanity's future.

If they wanted to do an espionage show, I'd rather have an "Assignment: Earth" show with Orla Brady than a Section 31 show with the Empress. At least the Supervisors have altruistic goals.

I’ve gotta say, I’m very happy that reveal from the trailer didn’t amount to much in this episode, and hopefully nothing going forward. Nice little call back, but thankfully not the seasons big bad.

Yeah, Moriarity was really just a bit of color in the scene, rather than a genuine ongoing threat. It was wonderful to see Daniel Davis as (a version of) that character again, though. And I loved the callback to Riker's first meeting with Data. Even reframed for the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, the remastered TNG footage looks like a million bucks.

Was this the first time it was established that Riker has perfect pitch? I can't remember. I certainly wouldn't have been able to identify "Pop Goes the Weasel" by the handful of discordant notes that Moriarty provided.

(It was very cool to see the ships in the museum…)

One thing I found fascinating is that the TOS era ships were rendered more or less exactly as they were originally presented. The production teams for "Discovery" and SNW maintained that they had to update the designs because audiences would never accept the older models. But the USS New Jersey looked straight out of a TOS episode.

There was also a scan of Kirk’s bones

As anticlimactic as Kirk's death was in Generations I found it deeply disturbing that his remains were dug up and basically put in a jar at Daystrom Station. And Picard's human remains too, apparently, given that they are the MacGuffin driving the story now.

The fleet museum at Athan Prime and Daystrom Station paralleled each other nicely, both full of callbacks but the fleet museum celebrates Starfleet's achievements while Daystrom Station hides Starfleet's dirty little secrets. If the fleet museum is the Smithsonian, then Daystrom Station is the warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

This season of Picard is clearly a fan letter to FANS. When you watch any television series that runs for seven seasons, but you didn't actually watch multiple seasons of that show, these episodes in Picard Season Three were not made with you in mind, since you cannot really call yourself a fan. The final season of basically TWO television series (Picard and TNG) is not when studios and producers start trying to attract new fans to their show. If you haven't been riding with us before now, it isn't our job to catch you up. If you want to be caught up, all those previous seasons are still out there.

At the same time, everything you need to follow the story is contained within the episodes themselves. There's a lot of stuff that people who have been along for the ride will recognize and appreciate that new viewers won't. But new viewers should be able to follow and become invested in this story just based on what has been shown on "Picard".

 

[DaveF]

A good, fun episode. I truly did not think Data was coming back. As Picard said, he’s died. Twice. I had no idea that Brent Spiner was reprising.

And when he cycled through his different personas, I felt what I felt 25 years ago: Brent Spiner is an under-appreciated actor who deserved more roles because he can be fantastic.


I have thoughts on what I wish for Star Trek. But they’re really not on the topic of Picard per se. So, spoilered so they can be skipped over. But I can find them again one day.

Spoiler: Meta thoughts

While I enjoy the retro vibes of Strange New Worlds tremendously, I consider the “Picard” show to be Trek’s “present day” and I’d very much be in favor of a new series continuing existing and creating new storylines and characters.

I very much and simply want a new Star Trek with new characters simply leaping off past TNG. Discovery I thought was going to be that as of the third season, and it kinda was but kinda wasn’t.

I’m not terribly enthused about a Section 31 show. Michelle Yeoh is a freaking treasure and I’d watch her read the phone book, but section 31 represents the worst impulses of Starfleet (and often, the worst impulses of Star Trek writers).

Same. When Section 31 was introduced on DS9, it was an exciting development in a post-Soviet, pre-9/11 world. The real future was optimistic, so I didn't much mind Trek exploring its darker corners. But now with the real world on fire, I need Trek to portray an optimistic vision of humanity's future.

I’ve realized that I want a completely modern Star Trek. I want what DS9 did 30 years ago, to be done for 2023. A Trek that embraces where we are today in TV and scifi thinking and storytelling and updates how we understand what Star Trek is and means.

Keep on with Picard and SNW and Disco and Lower Decks. But also one more that’s brand new like Rogue One was a mature take on Star Wars or DS9 grappled with a less utopian and higher character conflict.

Star Trek doesn’t have to lose its optimism. But there are different ways to be understand and explore hope for humanity.

 

[TonyD]

As anticlimactic as Kirk's death was in Generations I found it deeply disturbing that his remains were dug up and basically put in a jar at Daystrom Station. And Picard's human remains too, apparently, given that they are the MacGuffin driving the story now.

Was Kirk’s bones actually in there?
When Riker looked at the Genesis device you could see it in there behind the glass. Same with the tribble but when they showed the Kirk panel it looked like a rotating hologram of his bones.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Apparently Craig Huxley was invited back to perform the "Blaster Beam" instrument that he invented for Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture score as one of the instruments used in Stephen Barton's score for "Picard" Season 3.

A good, fun episode. I truly did not think Data was coming back. As Picard said, he’s died. Twice. I had no idea that Brent Spiner was reprising.

It explained why Lore in the trailer didn't feel like Lore from TNG. I'm guessing that at some point they'll be successful in merging the various competing consciousnesses inside the new golem, and that scene is the merged entity combining elements from Data, Lore, B4, and the last Soong.

Was Kirk’s bones actually in there?
When Riker looked at the Genesis device you could see it in there behind the glass. Same with the tribble but when they showed the Kirk panel it looked like a rotating hologram of his bones.

It's actually Kirk's remains. In this week's Ready Room, they have a featurette about the Easter eggs in Daystrom Station. The holograms were a compromise necessitated by production realities once they realized they wouldn't be able to build all of the props that they wanted to showcase. So the hologram displays what's in the chamber behind it.

Presumably Kirk's remains held fascination because he's the only human to have spent decades outside of normal-spacetime in the Nexus. And presumably Picard's remains held fascination as one of the relatively few to be successfully unassimilated, and the only person whose consciousness was successfully transferred from an organic brain to a positronic net.

 

[TonyD]

Ok, I didn’t finish this weeks Ready a room yet.

 

[KPmusmag]

Was this the first time it was established that Riker has perfect pitch? I can't remember. I certainly wouldn't have been able to identify "Pop Goes the Weasel" by the handful of discordant notes that Moriarty provided.

I don't know about the perfect pitch, but I need to watch that scene again. It was strange to me that he mentioned C-sharp right after D-flat - they are enharmonically the same note. Also, he said "C-sharp, A-flat" - it is kind of odd for musicians to mix sharps and flats generally speaking (a C-sharp would relate to a G-sharp - which enharmonically is the same as an A-flat) - especially for something as basic as Pop Goes the Weasel.

 

[AcesHighStudios]

btw why do they have a scan of Kirk in that facility.
Also the Genesis device sitting there too.

It's a Genesis II device, not the one that Khan blew up. Apparently Starfleet went to Veridian III and dug up Captain Kirk to bring him home. Storing him as well as Picard and apparently also Jonathan Archer just seems really morbid.

 

[Sam Favate]

Soundtrack update from TM

 

[Sam Favate]

Article about Brent Spiner’s involvement this season. No spoilers beyond E6.

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Showrunner Explains How They Brought Back Brent Spiner for the 'TNG' Reunion

"How the hell are you going to do a 'Star Trek: Next Generation' reunion without Data being a part of it?"

collider.com

 

[TonyD]

So any guesses on who the bad guy is?

 

[Jason_V]

I didn't find a spoiler in it, who you might.

So any guesses on who the bad guy is?

Chief Miles Edward O'Brien.

Really, I wouldn't be shocked to see someone from Deep Space Nine make an appearance, maybe as the big bad or maybe in a cameo role.

 

[jayembee]

I’m not terribly enthused about a Section 31 show. Michelle Yeoh is a freaking treasure and I’d watch her read the phone book, but section 31 represents the worst impulses of Starfleet (and often, the worst impulses of Star Trek writers).

I'm with you there. I want as much of Yeoh on the screen -- big or small -- as I can get, but I can't say I was ever enthused about the prospect of a Section 31 show. I worry that it would turn into a Star Trek version of 24.

And given Yeoh's popularity at the moment, unless they have her under an iron-clad contract, she might be too busy with other things in coming years.

 

[jayembee]

A good, fun episode. I truly did not think Data was coming back. As Picard said, he’s died. Twice. I had no idea that Brent Spiner was reprising.

I was convinced that the nasty AI that would be defending Daystrom Station would be Lore. I was surprised that it turned out to be Moriarty.

I confess that in the Riker interrogation scene when the "alien" shot the other two, and started to change form, I forgot for a few seconds, and was thinking that it was going to be Odo. Then I remembered why it couldn't be.