"Star Trek: Picard" Season 2 Talkback (Spoilers)

[Yojimbo]

Welcome To The Road Not Taken.

Season two of STAR TREK: PICARD takes the legendary Jean-Luc Picard and his crew on a bold and exciting new journey: into the past. Picard must enlist friends both old and new to confront the perils of 21st century Earth in a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future – and face the ultimate trial from one of his greatest foes.

Episode 11 - "The Star Gazer" - March 3, 2022
Starfleet must once again call on legendary Jean-Luc Picard after members of his former crew – Cristóbal Rios, Seven of Nine, Raffi Musiker, and Dr. Agnes Jurati – discover an anomaly in space that threatens the galaxy.

Related Links:
*Official Website on CBS All Access
*Star Trek: Picard Season 1 Talkback
*Star Trek: Picard News & Discussion
*Star Trek Television Series News Thread

 

[PicardMan]

Seems like the writers might have listened to fan complaints about season 1, with less language and graphic violence. The idea of the Borg possibly being allies seems intriguing. This season also felt more like Star Trek with Rios becoming captain of the Stargazer (congrats) and the episode taking place aboard a Star Fleet ship. Good first episode, but I'm nervous about how they'll handle the modern day plot.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 12 - "Penance" - March 10, 2022
Picard finds himself transported to an alternate timeline in the year 2400 where his longtime nemesis, Q, has orchestrated one final “trial.” Picard searches for his trusted crew as he attempts to find the cause of this dystopian future.

 

[PicardMan]

Season revisiting Bell Riots confirmed? Wow at the 80% audience score, this might be the first season of a recent live action Star Trek to get a good audience score. And here I predicted Book of Boba Fett to be well received and Picard to get the mediocre audience score before they released.

 

[Fone Bone]

Star Trek: Picard "The Star Gazer"

Last year, I was one of this show's biggest boosters. In fact, by the time the rest of Trekdom got turned off by the season 1, was still 100% on-board. Was the finale perfect? No. But this was still everything I wanted in a Star Trek series and was denied after Deep Space Nine ended by Rick Berman, seemingly out of pure spite.

This premiere is arguably the show's best episode so far, but it also is very indicative of what impressed me so much about Season 1. By the end of DS9, we got a lot of various Universal perspectives around the galaxy on Cardassia and Bajor, besides Deep Space Nine itself. The thing that excited so much about this show is that it did that to the Nth Degree. We are in Los Angeles, we are in San Francisco, France, and even the Deltan homeworld (God, that species was always so icky and problematic). Like DS9, Star Trek: Picard takes a global view of the explored galaxy, and lets us in on multiple perspectives. In fact, they are even freer with doing that than DS9 was. And considering that's why DS9 was my favorite Star Trek series, I responded SO positively to that last year, even if the arc of the season itself lost a bit of gas.

The episode started off promising by only being rated TV-14. I think the f-bombs and graphic violence were the only things I disliked about the first season. I'm glad this episode hints they might be keeping that nonsense in check this year. While we are comparing season improvements, I feel like the new awesome main title feels MUCH more like a Star Trek main title and theme song. That was also another thing last season I wasn't crazy about and they fixed that totally.

Q at the end was expected and welcome. I am very curious to see if his presence is as malevolent as indicated. But the truth is, it almost never is. There is always a larger benevolent point to it. Penance sounds a little outside of his motivations, and sounds more like a headscrew than anything else.

Guinan, man. I did not much care for her character on Star Trek: The Next Generation because she was billed as this all-wise character who had a deep, meaningful relationship to Picard that we didn't just understand. And we never actually saw anything remotely like that. This damn show just explored that idea, for the first ever! Holy poop! Guinan MATTERS now! How awesome is that?

Like Q's aging, they found a good excuse for Guinan aging too. It's good because as fanciful it sounds, I accept it.

Jeri Ryan is full-fledged series regular this year, and I am very interested in the amount of loathsome prejudice she is facing from various humans and Federation-allied species. She doesn't like or feel comfortable on the Stargazer for that reason. I have to say, if either Gene Roddenberry or Rick Berman were in charge, that would never have happened. And I'm glad it did because not only is it interesting, but it's recognizably human, as was the classic song at the beginning of the episode.

I think Jean-Luc refuses to go forward with Laris for a very simple reason. For the first time ever, he senses it could actually work. And yeah, that's not something he's ever been willing or able to handle. We'll see how the rest of the series goes. But despite the fact that Patrick Stewart is much older than Orla Brady, the characters are probably actually around the same age, which actually makes me ship them. I hope Jean-Luc gets his head together there.

The last season of the show was my favorite Star Trek show since Deep Space Nine. Star Trek: Discovery had potential last season, but it's wasted it in the meantime. I feel like Star Trek: Picard is what I really want from a Star Trek show, and it turns out I want it badly. Amazing episode. *****.

Star Trek: Picard "Penance"

Oh, man. That was bananas. And I mean that as the highest compliment.

To be blunt I was really looking forward to the season upon hearing the premise. But as exciting as it is, it has SUCH a high risk of not only ruining this show, but ruining Star Trek TNG and that era of the franchise in hindsight. It's a very gutsy thing to try and pull off.

First episode in this new crisis? Worked like gangbusters. We had references to General Sisko, General Martok, Sarek, Gul Dukat, all gone to different ends than how we knew them. It's all fangasm worthy stuff that Star Trek: Discovery clearly cannot be bothered with.

I both love and hate Agnes Jurati. I love her because I believe she is the first Star Trek character in the 24th/25th Century to talk like a real person that possibly existed somewhere. Yes, Tilly is similar, but Discovery likes to operate outside of the normal Star Trek Universe. For Jurati to be on the same show as Jean-Luc Picard, Seven of Nine, and Q makes a statement that current Trek is trying to give humans in the 25th Century recognizable faults and flaws that we share. And while I've always loved that about Discovery, it feels more official using these characters and this premise.

What I hate about her is how much she sucks at her job. I was screaming at her to get the damn transporter working. Geez, she sucks, in the one instance she couldn't afford to suck.

Q alarms me. One of his most famous lines back in the day, didn't occur on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Q said it to Sisko on Deep Space Nine: "You HIT me! Picard never hit me!" And Q never hit Picard until now. Picard suggests Q is either unwell or dying, and his mental instability is quite clear. Q and the tagline of the season may claim the trial never ends. But I'm guessing Q's role as a judge is nearing its apex, and he's really laying it on thick in his final encounter with Picard. I can't say that Q has turned evil yet. But all of his cons before this were far more small-scale and manageable. I would argue that in most of his encounters with the Enterprise, Q wound up doing humanity a favor in his interference. Picard always brushed that off as Q doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, but I always believed Q knew exactly what he was doing. Does he here? Is this outside of his control on some level? The flashing Q effect when he snaps his finger is gone. Has he been depowered in other ways? These are all excellent questions to ponder, and I look forward to the show answering them once and for all.

The language and violence here was strictly PG-13. The episode was rated TV-14, and there are some s-bombs, but not f-bombs, and the violence is not especially gory either (at least not by classic Star Trek standards). The show is much easier to take for that reason.

What this episode has told me is that Star Trek: Picard is not the newest Star Trek series launching point for Jean-Luc Picard and that 25th Century era of the franchise. I think it's that era's swan song. Outside of the cartoons Lower Decks and Prodigy, which both probably take place before this does, I feel like this is Star Trek closing the books on this part of the franchise. And I am okay with that. I would love after Section 31 for the shows after that to be set in Discovery's timeframe. Make the rumored Starfleet Academy series be anchored by Mary Wiseman. I think Star Trek: Picard is not just a send-off for Patrick Stewart. It's a send-off for all three sequel series that Roddenberry and Berman each had hands in cocreating and showrunning. It's exciting. It's scary. And it sounds permanent, which means there is a real fear attached to them potentially messing things up. I'm here for it all the way. Until the trial finally ends. *****.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 13 - "Assimilation" March 17, 2022
Picard and the crew travel back to 2024 Los Angeles in search of the “Watcher,” who can help them identify the point at which time diverged. Seven, Raffi and Rios venture out into an unfamiliar world 400 years in their past, while Picard and Jurati attempt to gather information from an unlikely, and dangerous, ally.

 

[Fone Bone]

Star Trek: Picard "Assimilation"

So the episode where the crew travels back in time is directed by Lea Freaking Thompson! Because the show knows what it's doing.

I'm not going to say this is a better show than Deep Space Nine yet. That had seven seasons of 20 episodes or more to breathe. What I will point out is that the scene with Rios and the lady doctor and her son is the most human scene I have ever seen in Star Trek. And previously only Deep Space Nine could claim human scenes. I think what sets it apart in awesomeness is the believability and relatability. For the first time in Star Trek, I understand the human characters. DS9 was the most human Star Trek series. But it usually used the Ferengi to explore that. This feels entirely warm and credible to people in OUR world.

When the Borg Queen is talking about the dangerous thing that Agnes did that she's going to regret, I was very much hoping the show and the episode would live up to that specific build-up. And the answer is she impressed her. And if you are talking to the Borg Queen that is literally the last thing to ever want to want to do. Because then she'll do everything in her power to OWN you. That moment was both frightening and hilarious because after all these years, I knew exactly what the Borg Queen was talking about.

Just so we're clear, I was not surprised with Agnes doing that. Really, the Borg Queen shouldn't have been either.

Jurati's performance in general during the scene where the Borg Queen is fiddling with her emotions were great. Alison Pill did a great job.

Episode title works on a couple of levels, which I love.

Raffi blaming Picard for Q's mess is the right emotional beat. Because frankly, I do too. Q's games usually do not have this level of stakes involved for other people. Picard thinking he could keep his antagonism with Q unresolved and have that be the end of it shows a real sense of irresponsibility on his end. And as Raffi noted, that's a failure of leadership.

I like that Seven is amused that strangers like her now. She's surprised, but maybe she shouldn't be. The Borg implants were the thing that made strangers uncomfortable in the 25th Century. If they're gone, and she's dropped into the shallow 21st Century, suddenly she's a hot woman. Middle-aged or not, Jeri Ryan is still a knock-out. And maybe Seven is fully appreciating that for the first time. I like Raffi suggesting that Seven seemed kind of peaceful and I hope part of her is enjoying this.

If they don't bring back Elnor after they fix things I'll be pissed.

I loved the first season. But even I will concede I loved it less and less as it went along. So far, this season is going out of its way to create relatable human situations for people who appreciate good acting and drama, and nerdy stuff for fans who love continuity. It's been a perfect balance so far this year. It's way too early to declare the season a success, but season one was already having a little trouble by its third episode. This on the other hand is exploring Star Trek in a way we haven't seen before, and on a level I think we always wanted to. It's amazing how solid this season has been. I was raving about Star Trek: Discovery's future plot twist last year, but they've done nothing but waste it. In the meantime, Star Trek: Picard is the show giving fans everything they want. ****1/2.

 

[PicardMan]

I thought we were going to revisit the Deep Space Nine episode "Past Tense," but that could have been a possible deliberate red herring. It seemed like maybe they are going with a Star Trek 4 esque wacky shenanigans and seeing a slapstick scene of Rios falling like that contrasted a lot with season 1. On the other hand, we have a serious storyline about ICE suggesting that it might not be super comedic. Hard to tell which direction the show is trying to go.

 

[Fone Bone]

I suspect Star Trek is gonna have to retcon a LOT of stuff that happened in the earlier series that took place in eras that have already come to pass. Do you know who was good at that sort of thing? Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Kurtzman needs to hire them to write an episode to work out the continuity kinks.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 14 - "Watcher" March 24, 2022
With time running out to save the future, Picard takes matters into his own hands and seeks out an old friend for help. Meanwhile, Rios ends up on the wrong side of the law and Jurati makes a deal with the Borg Queen.

 

[Fone Bone]

Star Trek: Picard "Watcher"

I liked it but I had some concerns. Not unusual, even for seasons I like.

I like the idea of a cynical and broken Guinan, but I don't like the fact that they've broken continuity. Past Guinan has already met Picard. And while it might have been too expensive to de-age Whoopi Goldberg for this episode, she played an earlier version of Guinan in the 1800's in "Time's Arrow". In which she also met Picard. Learning his name is the thing that switches off the alarm bells for her here, so it might be able to fit continuity. But she should have mentioned she met the guy before. Unless Dulmer and Luclsy went back in time after that episode and erased her memory. There are ways to explain it, but it doesn't fit comfortably.

Laris? I have no idea what's going on there, or even if that IS Laris. I suppose we'll find out next week.

Q is having trouble with his mischief. That's good. The end scene hinted at what the time change is gonna involve (a woman we've never seen before) and I'd like to learn a little more about it next week.

Seven driving the cop car was fun, and Rios has turned into one of my favorite characters in this show. His outrage at the blatant racism and corruption of ICE is great because even in OUR era, most decent people would object to it. And also be aware that it's rampant. Guinan pointing out that people in the 21st Century who looked like her never got any breaks was great too, and also another counterpoint from her cultured mannerisms and reasoned debates with Samuel Clemens in "Time's Arrow". If any era of Earth's deserved to break Guinan's spirit and faith in humanity, it should have been post-Trump and Putin America. I think her saying the hoods were transformed into business suits was spot-on for that reason.

Even if the episode broke continuity (and it might have) I'd kind of be loathe to simply dismiss it and put it out of my headcanon, because for the first time ever, the show had a serious response for why the Picard family has English accents despite being French. The Roddenberry / Berman-era sort of snidely declared French a dead language, and made fun of the French because there was no trace of that culture left in Picard. And that was a mean, bigoted joke, that should not have existed in Star Trek. And it's a big reason I think Gene Roddenberry's accolades for equality and diversity are a bit misplaced. When it came down to it, Gene's era of the show was perfectly fine at punching down at the French. And that was obnoxious, and I thought that this show had a thoughtful, powerful reason for it instead.

Learning about the Ten Forward name is on some level cool, but I'm thinking doesn't track with Next Gen. I have misplaced my Enterprise blueprints, but I believe it was named that because it was the tenth deck at the very front of the ship. It's sort of a cute joke to say it's an old favorite name of Guinan's, but it doesn't track.

Agnes's scenes with the Borg Queen are still interesting, but they make me a bit uneasy just because I don't know where they are headed. But they worry me a little bit.

I'm giving that a positive grade but this was the first episode this season I had real concerns about. ****.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 15 - "Fly Me to the Moon" March 31, 2022
Picard discovers an important person from his past may be integral to the divergence in the timeline. Q continues his manipulation of the timeline, taking an interest in Dr. Adam Soong. Seven and Raffi attempt a daring rescue of Rios, while Jurati faces the consequences of her deal with the Borg Queen.

 

[Fone Bone]

Star Trek: Picard "Fly Me To The Moon"

Over before I knew it. This show goes by so fast for me.

Didn't appreciate the return to the TV-MA language, but it's interesting that Brent Spiner is billed in the main cast instead of as a special guest star.

Love, love, LOVE the reference to Gary Seven. While Kurtzman is redoing Pike's Enterprise, is it possible he could take a second whack at the aborted spin-off Assignment: Earth? That would be SO nerdy to me.

I realize the episode was only 41 minutes long. But normally when I watch a show I'm very aware of the clock. This show is the first one since Twin Peaks: The Return that I've entirely lost myself in and totally lost track of time during. ****1/2.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 16 - "Two of One" April 7, 2022
With the help of Tallinn, Picard and the crew infiltrate a gala on the eve of a joint space mission, to protect one of the astronauts they believe to be integral to the restoration of the timeline – Renee Picard. Kore makes a startling discovery about her father’s work.

 

[Fone Bone]

Awake at 3:00AM just for this. Again.

Star Trek: Picard "Two Of One"

Ooh! Interesting. Going back to the idea that the Soongs were interested in eugenics. It's like an origin story for the Augments and Data / Soji in one. What's especially appreciated by me about it is that the show has sort of messed up some of the continuity earlier in the season with Guinan. This is a much better continuity fit.

I like that Rios likes the 21st Century. I'm not surprised. Seven also seems to be having a good time. It's interesting that Rios thinks the food is better. That suggests the future's replicated meats, as humane as they are, are actually a lesser substitute that humanity simply tolerates because its ethics have advanced. It doesn't truly compete with the real thing. Also real cigars? Rios is in Heaven.

I don't like Raffi's role this season. She's the resident Scully, not because it's in character for her to be so, but because somebody needs to be the buzzkill, and the producers randomly gave it to her. For the record, in Star Trek history, Seven of Nine filled the role of resident skeptic / contrarian just fine. It feels a bit weird to give it to Raffi. On the other hand, the fact that it's NOT Seven is another demonstration that the lack of implants and hatred among the general public has lightened her up a bit. Plus, Raffi is grieving and a little on edge already. The problem is that helping the mission by getting Picard back also potentially helps Elnor.

I've decided they are definitely going to save Elnor at the end of the season. They wouldn't keep giving Evan Evagora the small roles and cameos they are if they were writing him out. Another reason I hate television is that you can easily tell which regular characters are actually dead by how often they pop up after their supposed deaths. Actor contractual obligations always ruin some of the surprise there.

Agnes' stuff with the Borg Queen is fun but alarming. She's a great singer. And she's strutting down the street in the red dress at the end practically screaming "Wrinkle!"

It's the red dress that is the thing that sells the danger. Star Trek is one of the few franchises that has always known the value of costuming, and that goes for humans in the 21st century too apparently.

I loved how jarred Picard was at seeing Soong. It was like seeing a ghost.

I think this episode was mislabeled when it was rated TV-MA. There are no f-bombs which is the reason any show should be rated that. S-bombs are strictly TV-14 stuff. Star Trek: Discovery was also often misrated during the first season for this reason too.

Picard's stuff with Renee reminded me why I love the character, why he is such a refreshing hero for television, and how much I value Star Trek, and Picard in particular. Yes, Patrick Stewart's performance is amazing. But it's mostly because the character is written so well and perfectly. Whatever other issues I sometimes have with the series regarding tone or continuity, I am very grateful one of the awesomest characters ever is back on television for three brief seasons. Picard's superpower is talking and relating to people, and it's a rare gift to give a hero, and I wish more projects did that. Picard's version of being a sage is one of the models I tried to use for Gilda, although I was probably nowhere NEAR as successful there. But the idea that the hero's main gift is diplomacy and talking stuff out is something my TV has sorely missed.

So yeah, I'm giving that a great review. It would be weird if I didn't. ****1/2.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 17 - "Monsters" April 14, 2022
Tallinn ventures inside Picard’s subconscious mind to help wake him from a coma and face both his darkest secrets and deepest fears. Seven and Raffi go in search of Jurati whom they fear has succumbed to the monster inside. Rios struggles to hide the truth of who he really is from Teresa.

 

[Fone Bone]

Star Trek: Picard "Monsters"

I loved this show last season, but I very much felt alone in that love. This season is vindicating that love. I don't think I'll be the only person who loves it now.

James Callis is absolute perfect casting as Picard's father. Literally could not think of a finer choice. He has both gravitas AND sci-fi clout.

I love Rios' "I'm from Chile, I only work in outer space." Huge pleasurable shout-out to Captain Kirk's similar line in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That whole plotline is the real crowdpleaser of the season.

Raffi and Seven's mission to find Agnes is also very enjoyable.

The ending scene with Guinan was appreciated by me because the previous Guinan stuff broke continuity, and this both brings back her connection to Q, and sort of suggests and reveals the peace treaty between the El-Auriens and the Q Continuum. It's very interesting that Guinan refuses to call them Gods.

I think the ritual not working means the rest of the Continuum is extinct and Q is the last one left. No wonder he's cranky.

No way this episode deserved to be rated TV-MA. No reason whatsoever.

Friendly Romulans on Earth in the 21st Century. I love it.

The cliffhanger is very similar to the last episode's cliffhanger in that it's a wrinkle in the last place we needed it, which is what great drama can do. I thought it was great, especially because it surprised me as it was happening. But Rios' crew hasn't exactly been careful this season. It makes sense law enforcement found them out.

At first it felt like the episode was going to be a bit of a filler episode, but it didn't wind up that way at all. It was great. *****.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 18 - "Mercy" April 21, 2022
With time running out before the launch of the Europa Mission, Picard and Guinan must free themselves from FBI custody. Seven and Raffi come face-to-face with Jurati and the horror of what she's become.

 

[Fone Bone]

Star Trek: Picard "Mercy"

This is the first show since Twin Peaks: The Return that I'm always disappointed that an episode has ended. I can't get enough of it.

I loved a great deal of it but have a major reservation about something. See if you agree.

I thought Picard and Guinan's interrogation was one of the best things Star Trek has ever done. You can scoff, but hear me out. In earlier Star Trek series, when the crew visits modern day Earth and are captured by the authorities, it's played as a joke. Not just at the expense of the crew, but the humans of the era. They are all dumb, unevolved Neanderthals that our crew run rings around. It's part of the joke. The FBI agent here? He's smart. He knows or has correctly guessed almost everything. The things he's off on are only because he doesn't have the correct context for them. He is cunning. Dangerous. An actual threat. And an actual match for Jean-Luc Picard. Which makes Picard telling him the truth and asking for his help beyond rewarding. It's like if Agent Mulder got every answer he ever wanted.

It would not occur to a previous Star Trek series to treat a person in modern day authority with respect and intelligence. And damn it, that's a failing! And I realize it now just seeing how real this poor guy is.

I love Guinan's scene with Q. We got a lot of info from Q's perspective, but we still don't know where Picard fits into all this.

My favorite Guinan moment was her reasoning out (and then loving) the fact that humans live in the past until they can work their issues about the past out. And this is why I value the Kurtzman era, as spotty as it can be. Guinan is not attracted to humanity's potential perfection. But in our mental quirks that help us work through our crap. Can I tell you something? As a species I would far rather be admired for that true and cool facet about humanity, instead of a fictional Gene Roddenberry ideal that will never happen or that nobody can actually live up to. Guinan digging humanity finally resonates to me for the first time ever, because they've given her a real reason the audience can understand for why people are actually awesome. A REAL reason, not a fake speculative future one. One we see in humanity and in ourselves every damn day. That is a gift to the franchise. It matters to me.

Talk smack about Star Trek: Picard if you must. But NONE of this stuff was EVER explored in the first five Star Trek series. NONE of it. I dislike many of the darker and edgier themes of Picard. But the people and characters are far more real and relatable to me than any other Star Trek series. After this episode I am going there. I do not think this is a better show than Deep Space Nine (the best Star Trek series hands-down). Not yet, at least. But as of this episode, this is the first time I believe the humans on this show are more believable than the humans on that show. That's a big deal to me. And I cannot overstate that.

I mentioned there was one thing I didn't like, but in reality it's two things. This lesser thing is that I wound up hating Raffi not just for the flashback where she manipulated Elnor into staying in Starfleet, but for treating Seven's Borg trauma as a neat parlor trick. Seven of Nine has never been a better character than on this show. I'm not saying Seven as written on Voyager wouldn't be offended at another character back then being this insensitive about her Borgness. But none of the writers would bother WRITING a human character that tactless, so Jeri Ryan would not be permitted that great scene, whether it was in character for Seven or not.

Maybe they could have done it with the Doctor but Voyager humiliated that shmuck enough already.

The real thing I don't like is Soong. I love the show. I do. But it hasn't been on the air long enough for it to have completely earned my trust. I believe all great television series are two horrible episodes in a row away from turning into bad television series. That's what the Soong stuff has me worried about. It's not for sure the show will mess it up, but if they do, they could potentially mess it up bad enough to destroy the show. I don't like the idea that Adam Soong is a necessary step on the road to Data. That is a BAD message to send the audience after all this time. Arak was selfish, but misguided, Noonien, brilliant, and celebrated, and his son sort of a wild card. But Adam strikes me as a purely evil sociopath. And if he's the first Soong on the Augment / Android path, it makes the notion of Data bad. Which is messed up. Again, the show could actually handle it well and do something great with it. But that is not something I can remotely take for granted. Great shows has been utterly destroyed over less controversial plot-turns. I don't like the risk this is putting the entire franchise in.

Still, I love this show and will treasure every week it airs. ****1/2.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 19 - "Hide and Seek" April 28, 2022
Picard and his crew fight for their lives as they come under attack from a new incarnation of an old enemy. But to survive, Picard must first face the ghosts of his past. Seven and Raffi have a final showdown with Jurati.