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For you Star Trek fans the second season of Star Trek: Picard drops on Paramount + March 3rd. Q is back and we're doing some time traveling! Wooo Hooo!
I'm kind of ashamed to admit I haven't seen season one yet.
I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Picard, Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks and even a little of Star Trek: Prodigy though I would say that ones pretty much just for kids. I think watching at least Picard and Discovery is a must for anyone with even a mild case of Trekkie.
I wouldn't call it a kids' show, really. It's animated, but the writing isn't really for kids. It's more sci-fi comedy. I'll even admit that I thought some of the jokes were funny, but not enough to overcome the fact that I found the lead character to be obnoxious. I gave it three episodes and gave up.
I'm seriously thinking of giving Picard a shot and if it's good I'll check out Discovery, but Lower Decks is a hard pass. It's just not for me.
The first season of Picard was really fun. Knowledge of Next Gen and Voyager (for the Borg stuff, at least) is helpful if you have it. There's also a book out that sets the show up by explaining events during the in-universe years prior to the start of the show (it takes place about 20 years after Nemesis).
A few of us discussed the first season episode by episode when it was airing — here.
Discovery blows, IMO. You can certainly check it out, but it is nothing at all like Picard, or any other Trek series. I've tried three times to get caught up with it, just to be aware of the story, but I keep giving up. Still haven't finished season 3, and it's been out for over a year.
I've tried three times to get caught up with it, just to be aware of the story, but I keep giving up. Still haven't finished season 3, and it's been out for over a year.
Same.
Spoiler alert, for those who think they might watch.
I think I could enjoy the story to a degree, but a few things keep getting in the way. Michael Burnham's earnestness, the whole "Ash was really a Klingon" storyline, and the spore drive (really, travel by mushroom?) thing keep driving me away.
I actually started warming to it when Pike showed up, but after that story wrapped up the warmth faded.
I think the spore drive is a horrible addition to canon. Anywhere in the universe in the blink of an eye, and in pre-Kirk days? Pffft! It makes warp drive pointless. I imagine they'll end up banning the technology and making it super top secret to explain why we never heard of it before. Section 31 stuff or something.
I HATE the mirror universe crap, too. And that huge time leap? Ugh. But like I said I still haven't finished season 3, so I don't know how they end up handling that yet.
I think the spore drive is a horrible addition to canon. Anywhere in the universe in the blink of an eye, and in pre-Kirk days? Pffft! It makes warp drive pointless.
I think that's the part that got to me the most.
The Mirror Universe stuff wasn't too bad, actually. It gave us Empress Georgiou. Georgiou is vastly superior as a villain (or anti-heroine) as opposed to a heroine.
I think I prefer the clean-cut and honorable Starfleet Georgiou in the beginning to the barbaric lunatic from the mirror universe. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like any of the mirror universe stuff. I even skip those episodes whenever I rewatch DS9.
The whole premise of it is nonsensical – the way there's always an alternate version of every person. If historical events unfold differently, then there's no way everyone's parents would get together in the past to produce the same characters in both universes. Diverged timelines simply can't be mirrors of each other.
I agree it's nonsensical, but they're riding around on fungal hyphae, so if we're going to watch, nonsense is the name of the game. And they're following in Trek tradition - ToS and DS9 had Mirror Universe episodes, so that tool was already in the toolbox, and the writers of Discover were bound to use it.
Georgiou gains depth after they return from the Mirror Universe. Yes, she's still barbaric, but not a lunatic. She even has moments when she's a decent Terran.
Which is about the only thing going for it. That, and the Cpt. Pike and Number One characters from season 2 whose new show (Strange New Worlds) is set to Premiere on May 5th. I am seriously looking forward to that.
With the dark hair she looks the part well enough. I kind of like the contrast with the gold uniform. If I remember correctly she only had a few lines in Discovery, and I'm not really familiar with any of her previous work, so I guess I'm open to her as an actor at the moment. What about her has you on the fence?
I haven't figured it out yet, TBH. I guess I'm expecting her to emulate Majel Barrett, and she hasn't. Of course, Anson Mount isn't Jeffrey Hunter, either.
Nope. I have no interest in comic book superhero movies. I've seen a few, mostly old ones like the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, but it's not really my thing. I haven't seen any of the X-Men films.
I've seen neither Picard nor the new Star Trek Enterprise series. For the first season of Enterprise I didn't have Paramount Plus - now that I do (shrug) maybe I'll check out Picard... See where that takes me. There is more streaming options and choices available than I have time for. Perhaps we can generate more interest in postings here in the group for things I don't cover that may be of more interest to the group as a whole?
I was a fan of both the original, New Generation and Deep Space 9. Enterprise and Voyager didn't grab me. I had all the original cast movies on VHS, but don't have them on disk yet (Paramount Plus has them all available for streaming), but I might start looking - for the collection... LOL! I do have the 2 JJ Abrams Trek movies on disk. So may nerds like to shit on them, but I've watched them multiple times.
Actually I thought The Final Frontier was the weakest one. I have watched every episode of Discovery and Picard and enjoy them. I even like Prodigy. Lower Decks is too juvenile for my tastes.
I'm a Star Trek purist. For me the only Star Trek captain James Tiberius Kirk is and was William Shatner (except when he was an admiral for a short time but was demoted back to being a captain as punishment), and the only REAL Spock was Leonard Nimoy. I've watched subsequent captains like Patrick Stewart and younger ones, but for me they were just substitutes.
I've gotta say, Chris Pine did great at portraying Shatner's bravado and smart-assedness, for lack of a better term. And Benjamin Quinto did well as Spock. The actors just couldn't fix bad writing in the JJ films.
Jean-Luc Picard will always be my favorite captain.
Agreed. I liked the character, but not the actor, if that makes sense. It was kind of like Kirk - I felt like Shatner and Brooks both overacted, Shatner much more so than Brooks. I think he did improve over the series.
Not all of it. I'm in season 4. I watch a few episodes, take a break, and come back.
I'd forgotten, until trying to catch up on DS9, what TV seasons used to be like. Usually 22 or 23 episodes per season. I don't have the attention span to binge that much of one show. Back when they were airing, a week between episodes gave you time to build up an appetite for more.
Maybe you should have just started with season 4. Once Worf shows up all the elements are finally in place and the show really starts coming into itself, especially with the Dominion stuff.
Don't give up now, the best episodes are yet to come, and some of them are flat out spectacular. I'm talking feature film quality two-parters in a few cases, like Improbable Cause and The Die is Cast were in season 3 (where the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order try to destroy the Founders' home world, but get drawn into a trap instead). If you liked those two, then hang in there because there's plenty more where that came from.
Dukat makes a comeback (kind of) and ends up playing a huge role in the end, along with Kai Winn. The Female Shapeshifter even becomes a major player. Interconnecting storylines and villains galore!
And all the while, the writers never stop making O'Brien suffer.
Me, I'm not a fan of run on storylines, the first season of Picard was a run on storyline... But it does cover the death and aftermath of Data and extinguishment of his existence, Death is an essential part of being human....
The storyline is an interesting one though... Picard becomes an android out of love? The perfect android can decide that life is more precious than survival?
Out of all the Romulans that are saved the Tal Shiar represents the largest group? OK, Not a Klingon in sight? what is that? (well by then the Klingon Empire is a full member of the Federation of Planets so I guess that would not be unusual, but not to even see a Klingon in the entire season?
And Riker, should never have retired as well, he plays a commander of a Federation fleet better than anyone who ever wore a starfleet uniform....
I binged the first season over the weekend. I thought it was great, though yeah no Klingons anywhere. I thought Seven Of Nine was fun. I wasn't a big fan of the character Raffi. I saw the big end "twist" coming right when they announced to the crew Picard was having brain issues and the androids acting "as bad" as humans was so Star Trek it almost made me laugh out loud.
Seven Of Nine was an interesting twist I thought, hunting down rogue humans? ok...
Yeah the ending as far as Picard was telegraphed from about ep 7 or so... The whole Data's human brother carrying on Soong's research to perfect the android thing was interesting, and the fact that there were bad androids as you mentioned is a plot theme that could easily be exploited for some interesting storylines...
And the Raffi character? Bones, Chekov, Uhura, Deanna Troi and Laforge all rolled into one with sexual chemistry as well, didn't really work for me... Trying to do too much with a character I suppose.. I don't know, need more backstory there to flesh the character out...
Then the wonderful doctor? Helpless female to capable assassin to helpless female to ultra wise android believer? Gimme a break...
I'll be watching, it will be interesting to see where they go with it.... but they DO need to add some Klingons.... It AIN'T StarTrek without some Klingons...
Then the wonderful doctor? Helpless female to capable assassin to helpless female to ultra wise android believer? Gimme a break...
I thought parts of her character were interesting and parts were annoying. Part of the issues I have with streaming series in general are character arcs are way too quick to be believable most of the time.
I've started rewatching it, myself; to be up to speed again before the new season starts. I think I'm enjoying it more this time around, and some of the plot details are clearer to me now than the first time.
I'd actually forgotten a few things in the two years since it originally aired (damn pandemic) – Poor Icheb. Poor Hugh.
I'm kind of ashamed to admit I haven't seen season one yet. I'll have to make some time for it.
I haven't seen it either. I was going to then forgot about it.
I am a Patrick Stewart fan though.
I've thoroughly enjoyed watching Picard, Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks and even a little of Star Trek: Prodigy though I would say that ones pretty much just for kids. I think watching at least Picard and Discovery is a must for anyone with even a mild case of Trekkie.
I'm seriously thinking of giving Picard a shot and if it's good I'll check out Discovery, but Lower Decks is a hard pass. It's just not for me.
Loved Picard. I'm struggling to get through Discovery. Couldn't stand Lower Decks
Lower Decks is awesome. Despite the comical elements, it can be quite deep at times.
I'd like to watch Picard & Discovery. But I just can't bring myself to get another streaming service. The only Trek I will pay for is a movie.
One of those agree to disagree things. The comical elements are just annoying to me.
It's kind of like the lighter side of Trek.
I don't mind humor in Trek. I just find the humor in Lower Decks to be grating.
Me too.
I was looking for a way to describe it. This is it. "Struggling to get through". And frankly, there is SO much good stuff to watch, why struggle?
Haven't seen it. Looks like a kids' show?
I wouldn't call it a kids' show, really. It's animated, but the writing isn't really for kids. It's more sci-fi comedy. I'll even admit that I thought some of the jokes were funny, but not enough to overcome the fact that I found the lead character to be obnoxious. I gave it three episodes and gave up.
The first season of Picard was really fun. Knowledge of Next Gen and Voyager (for the Borg stuff, at least) is helpful if you have it. There's also a book out that sets the show up by explaining events during the in-universe years prior to the start of the show (it takes place about 20 years after Nemesis).
A few of us discussed the first season episode by episode when it was airing — here.
Discovery blows, IMO. You can certainly check it out, but it is nothing at all like Picard, or any other Trek series. I've tried three times to get caught up with it, just to be aware of the story, but I keep giving up. Still haven't finished season 3, and it's been out for over a year.
How are you watching Lower Decks if you don't have Paramount+?
It can be found online.
It's not. It has adult humor. This is not like the ST: TAS series of the 70's. It also has a lot of references to other Trek series and easter eggs.
Same.
Spoiler alert, for those who think they might watch.
I think I could enjoy the story to a degree, but a few things keep getting in the way. Michael Burnham's earnestness, the whole "Ash was really a Klingon" storyline, and the spore drive (really, travel by mushroom?) thing keep driving me away.
I actually started warming to it when Pike showed up, but after that story wrapped up the warmth faded.
I think the spore drive is a horrible addition to canon. Anywhere in the universe in the blink of an eye, and in pre-Kirk days? Pffft! It makes warp drive pointless. I imagine they'll end up banning the technology and making it super top secret to explain why we never heard of it before. Section 31 stuff or something.
I HATE the mirror universe crap, too. And that huge time leap? Ugh. But like I said I still haven't finished season 3, so I don't know how they end up handling that yet.
I think that's the part that got to me the most.
The Mirror Universe stuff wasn't too bad, actually. It gave us Empress Georgiou. Georgiou is vastly superior as a villain (or anti-heroine) as opposed to a heroine.
What... visions by mushroom... who in the 60's didn't dream of eating enough shrooms in order to see the world from the other side... hehe
Maybe that explains the writing - too many 'shrooms.
I think I prefer the clean-cut and honorable Starfleet Georgiou in the beginning to the barbaric lunatic from the mirror universe. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like any of the mirror universe stuff. I even skip those episodes whenever I rewatch DS9.
The whole premise of it is nonsensical – the way there's always an alternate version of every person. If historical events unfold differently, then there's no way everyone's parents would get together in the past to produce the same characters in both universes. Diverged timelines simply can't be mirrors of each other.
I know some fans like it, but I never have.
I agree it's nonsensical, but they're riding around on fungal hyphae, so if we're going to watch, nonsense is the name of the game. And they're following in Trek tradition - ToS and DS9 had Mirror Universe episodes, so that tool was already in the toolbox, and the writers of Discover were bound to use it.
Georgiou gains depth after they return from the Mirror Universe. Yes, she's still barbaric, but not a lunatic. She even has moments when she's a decent Terran.
Discovery is so emotional and hyperbolic. Fantastic special effects but I just cannot take it seriously.
I tried, really tried, to get hooked on it but it did not happen.
Picard, in contrast, is great.
Oh, I know. It's stomach turning at times.
Which is about the only thing going for it. That, and the Cpt. Pike and Number One characters from season 2 whose new show (Strange New Worlds) is set to Premiere on May 5th. I am seriously looking forward to that.
Same. Does not hurt that Anson Mount is easy on the eyes.
I'm having a bit of trouble buying into Rebecca Romijn as Number One, though.
With the dark hair she looks the part well enough. I kind of like the contrast with the gold uniform. If I remember correctly she only had a few lines in Discovery, and I'm not really familiar with any of her previous work, so I guess I'm open to her as an actor at the moment. What about her has you on the fence?
I haven't figured it out yet, TBH. I guess I'm expecting her to emulate Majel Barrett, and she hasn't. Of course, Anson Mount isn't Jeffrey Hunter, either.
You haven't seen her in X-Men as Mystique?
Nope. I have no interest in comic book superhero movies. I've seen a few, mostly old ones like the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, but it's not really my thing. I haven't seen any of the X-Men films.
I've never been much of a Star Trek fan. It just never hit me as anything that I would be interested in.
I've seen neither Picard nor the new Star Trek Enterprise series. For the first season of Enterprise I didn't have Paramount Plus - now that I do (shrug) maybe I'll check out Picard... See where that takes me. There is more streaming options and choices available than I have time for. Perhaps we can generate more interest in postings here in the group for things I don't cover that may be of more interest to the group as a whole?
at my age, I'm still a purist, even though I think shatner is a buffoon. I've never seen any of the spinoff series.
You should all be hung by your toenails.
I was rooting for the gorn...
You're missing out.
I liked the original Star Trek series. Havent watched it much since then. I fell asleep in the movie theater during the first Star Trek movie.
I was a fan of both the original, New Generation and Deep Space 9. Enterprise and Voyager didn't grab me. I had all the original cast movies on VHS, but don't have them on disk yet (Paramount Plus has them all available for streaming), but I might start looking - for the collection... LOL! I do have the 2 JJ Abrams Trek movies on disk. So may nerds like to shit on them, but I've watched them multiple times.
That first one was the weakest. Wrath of Kahn was amazing.
Actually I thought The Final Frontier was the weakest one. I have watched every episode of Discovery and Picard and enjoy them. I even like Prodigy. Lower Decks is too juvenile for my tastes.
Agreed.
#2 The Voyage Home was better... (although WoK hit all the Trek markers for greatness)
The worst? Mooog! Cho' E' CHu!!! The Search for Spock was probably the lamest Star Trek anything I have ever seen....
I hated the save the whales movie more than any other Trek movie in the whole pantheon of Trek.
Agreed. It was too campy.
OMG!! This looks amazing!
It's a Trek kind of thing!
I'm a Star Trek purist. For me the only Star Trek captain James Tiberius Kirk is and was William Shatner (except when he was an admiral for a short time but was demoted back to being a captain as punishment), and the only REAL Spock was Leonard Nimoy. I've watched subsequent captains like Patrick Stewart and younger ones, but for me they were just substitutes.
I've gotta say, Chris Pine did great at portraying Shatner's bravado and smart-assedness, for lack of a better term. And Benjamin Quinto did well as Spock. The actors just couldn't fix bad writing in the JJ films.
Jean-Luc Picard will always be my favorite captain.
Mine is a tossup between Archer and Janeway.
All captains have their different traits. But the best captain of them all (by a narrow margin) is Capt Benjamin Sisko of ST: DS9.
I couldn't warm to Avery Brooks.
But if you look at his character and style of command, he was a very good Commander, later Captain.
Agreed. I liked the character, but not the actor, if that makes sense. It was kind of like Kirk - I felt like Shatner and Brooks both overacted, Shatner much more so than Brooks. I think he did improve over the series.
Did you ever get through all of DS9, Sandy? I remember you were working on it a while back.
Not all of it. I'm in season 4. I watch a few episodes, take a break, and come back.
I'd forgotten, until trying to catch up on DS9, what TV seasons used to be like. Usually 22 or 23 episodes per season. I don't have the attention span to binge that much of one show. Back when they were airing, a week between episodes gave you time to build up an appetite for more.
Maybe you should have just started with season 4. Once Worf shows up all the elements are finally in place and the show really starts coming into itself, especially with the Dominion stuff.
Don't give up now, the best episodes are yet to come, and some of them are flat out spectacular. I'm talking feature film quality two-parters in a few cases, like Improbable Cause and The Die is Cast were in season 3 (where the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order try to destroy the Founders' home world, but get drawn into a trap instead). If you liked those two, then hang in there because there's plenty more where that came from.
Dukat makes a comeback (kind of) and ends up playing a huge role in the end, along with Kai Winn. The Female Shapeshifter even becomes a major player. Interconnecting storylines and villains galore!
And all the while, the writers never stop making O'Brien suffer.
For those who are interested...
ja'chuqtaHvIS poH'a' vay' tu'lu''a'?
!!! qaja'chuqghach 'e' vIqaD
Let's talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs;
chechqu'taHvIS, chechqu'taHvIS.
!!!! not tlhIngan wo' voDleH wa'DIch'e' tlhIngan.
Me, I'm not a fan of run on storylines, the first season of Picard was a run on storyline... But it does cover the death and aftermath of Data and extinguishment of his existence, Death is an essential part of being human....
The storyline is an interesting one though... Picard becomes an android out of love? The perfect android can decide that life is more precious than survival?
Out of all the Romulans that are saved the Tal Shiar represents the largest group? OK, Not a Klingon in sight? what is that?
(well by then the Klingon Empire is a full member of the Federation of Planets so I guess that would not be unusual, but not to even see a Klingon in the entire season?
And Riker, should never have retired as well, he plays a commander of a Federation fleet better than anyone who ever wore a starfleet uniform....
Just a few random thoughts...
I binged the first season over the weekend. I thought it was great, though yeah no Klingons anywhere. I thought Seven Of Nine was fun. I wasn't a big fan of the character Raffi. I saw the big end "twist" coming right when they announced to the crew Picard was having brain issues and the androids acting "as bad" as humans was so Star Trek it almost made me laugh out loud.
Looking forward to season 2.
Seven Of Nine was an interesting twist I thought, hunting down rogue humans? ok...
Yeah the ending as far as Picard was telegraphed from about ep 7 or so... The whole Data's human brother carrying on Soong's research to perfect the android thing was interesting, and the fact that there were bad androids as you mentioned is a plot theme that could easily be exploited for some interesting storylines...
And the Raffi character? Bones, Chekov, Uhura, Deanna Troi and Laforge all rolled into one with sexual chemistry as well, didn't really work for me... Trying to do too much with a character I suppose.. I don't know, need more backstory there to flesh the character out...
Then the wonderful doctor? Helpless female to capable assassin to helpless female to ultra wise android believer? Gimme a break...
I'll be watching, it will be interesting to see where they go with it.... but they DO need to add some Klingons.... It AIN'T StarTrek without some Klingons...
Ka' Plah
I thought parts of her character were interesting and parts were annoying. Part of the issues I have with streaming series in general are character arcs are way too quick to be believable most of the time.
I've started rewatching it, myself; to be up to speed again before the new season starts. I think I'm enjoying it more this time around, and some of the plot details are clearer to me now than the first time.
I'd actually forgotten a few things in the two years since it originally aired (damn pandemic) – Poor Icheb. Poor Hugh.
That one just ripped my heart out. And poor Seven.
Gotta say, never took you for one who might cheer on the Q...