Patrick Stewart will reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard

[The Cat]

telepathic space vampires.

it did seem odd we'd never heard of this race once in all of previous trek. on top of that, if they were all slaves imprisoned on a moon under close watch, how the hell were they able to build that massive, OP ship? Seems like something the Romulan guards would have a hard time not noticing.

Especially given how much romulans like to rub the rest of the universe's faces in their superiority.

 

[rav3n]

I finally figured out what bothered me about Picard. They turned him into a regretful, e-mo and incompetent old man. That's not what I wanted to watch, considering how its polar opposite of the original Picard.

 

[Population: 1]

Thankfully it’s part of the JJ timeline so it’s easy enough to dismiss. Hell, even the TNG movies were a departure from the series. To me Picard’s journey ended when he finally sat down to play poker with the crew at the end of All Good Things.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Thankfully it’s part of the JJ timeline so it’s easy enough to dismiss. Hell, even the TNG movies were a departure from the series. To me Picard’s journey ended when he finally sat down to play poker with the crew at the end of All Good Things.

Agreed, though I thought Generations was a nice “bonus episode”.

 

[Totenkindly]

I finally figured out what bothered me about Picard. They turned him into a regretful, e-mo and incompetent old man. That's not what I wanted to watch, considering how its polar opposite of the original Picard.

Hmmm. I guess I can see where you got those words from, but my respect for Picard did not change when watching the pilot. At worst he just feels removed from things because when he felt the Federation betrayed his values, he stepped away to his safe space and thus entered obscurity to some degree... he's not up to date with what's been going on, he needs to get back up to speed. Also, any bit of those adjectives that would apply seem to be a result of him choosing to distance himself, and it seems like the series is pushing him to reengage based on old ties with people he had cared about. This will make him knowledgeable and competent again.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Honestly this is kind of the finishing arc Kirk should've had. I mean he sort of had it in TUC but not really.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Hmmm. I guess I can see where you got those words from, but my respect for Picard did not change when watching the pilot. At worst he just feels removed from things because when he felt the Federation betrayed his values, he stepped away to his safe space and thus entered obscurity to some degree... he's not up to date with what's been going on, he needs to get back up to speed. Also, any bit of those adjectives that would apply seem to be a result of him choosing to distance himself, and it seems like the series is pushing him to reengage based on old ties with people he had cared about. This will make him knowledgeable and competent again.

There's a book I really want to read that chronicles the years between Picard's command of the Stargazer and the Enterprise. Apparently he took the loss of the Stargazer and his best friend Jack Crusher pretty hard (not unlike Data's death) and leaves Starfleet for a few years. From synopses I've read, he meets a lot of his Enterprise senior staff during these years and it's through them that he finds purpose and competence again. For instance Troi is intitally sent by his friend Admiral Hansen to keep an eye on his mental health, but she refuses to act unethically and secretly report to the Admiral, which Picard greatly respects. He also meets Data and Geordi during these years. He meets Janeway (who is a science officer at the time) as well, which might explain how they seem to be so familiar when they speak in Nemesis. He goes into archeology for a bit, before being offered command of the Enterprise, and from the sound of it, he likes the idea of serving on The Enterprise because it is essentially a "college town" in space where he can still find time to balance his passion for archeology, reading the classics, etc. with his natural gift for leadership.


The Buried Age | Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki | Fandom

Picard celebrates his fiftieth birthday in the escape pod caravan, suffering from grief and guilt over the loss of his ship and some of his crew. The survivors are rescued and delivered to Starbase 32, where the captain is subjected to a court martial. His former flame, Philipa Louvois [the JAG from "The Measure of a Man"], is assigned to the prosecution, but she is more obsessed with winning the trial then in finding the truth and viciously attacks Picard. She is placed on probation, but resigns in disgust. Between Louvois’ misconduct and Picard’s defense counsel, T’Lara, the captain is cleared of all charges, though he still suffers from intense self-doubt and an uncertain future.

Picard pursues his doctorate degree in archaeology at the University of Alpha Centauri. He is visited by his old friend, Guinan, who insists that he will return to starship duty, and who tempts him with legends of a lost ancient civilization.

Admiral Hansen, concerned over Picard’s mental health, assigns Lt. Deanna Troi to secretly observe the captain, though she refuses to sacrifice her professional ethics, and an impressed Picard takes her on as a contact specialist. […] Becoming somewhat of a confidante, she confronts his inability to accept failure because of his track record of success.

Considering Giriaenn’s future inspires Picard to seek out the same, as commander of a Galaxy-class starship, a sort of university town in space that combines the captain’s love of academia and his passion for what Starfleet represents.

He staffs his new command, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D, with officers who have impressed him over the last few years—Data, Troi, La Forge, and one Lt. Natasha Yar, who he witnessed making a heroic rescue at great personal peril on Kirisha.

I'm not saying this series should end with Picard being a Captain again, but if that's how they ended it, that would be OK. I wouldn't see this as his character lacking any development or moving backwards. To quote what Spock said to Admiral Kirk, captaincy is his "first, best destiny". Age is just a number anyway, he's only canonically in his 90s in the new series, which is kind of young for humans and many species by this point in the future. We see that Dr McCoy is an Admiral well into his 130s. I could also see Picard becoming an ambassador in his twilight years.


I liked his arc in TNG, particularly after The Best of Both Worlds. Being dehumanized by the Borg ultimately leads to him becoming a more rounded human. We see him grow from a closed-off hardass in the early seasons to a more sensitive man who cries in front of his older brother, plays flute with the science officer lady he's crushing on, and who plays poker with his bridge officers by the finale.


Picard's character is all about finding himself in the process of finding his purpose and taking responsibility in his life. It's about him finding himself via the people he surrounds himself with, so not a surprise he'd descend into a kind of isolation and depression when a lot of those people had moved on or passed away. He is a deeply private man who probably views himself a bit as an island, yet is at his best with a family (not necessarily biological) around to nurture and encourage his strengths.

 

[The Cat]

I would like to think that Picard is done officially captaining a star ship for the federation.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I would like to think that Picard is done officially captaining a star ship for the federation.

Who said it has to be for the federaqtion or Starfleet? Maybe he gets together a ragtag band and they fly a sort of civilian ship around to do peacekeeping and exploration work that the military Starfleet isn't interested in doing. Kind of like Robert Ballard. He's old but shows no signs of slowing down. Old explorers never lose their passion for venturing the unknown. Picard very much strikes me as a Ballard or Costeau type.

After leaving active duty and entering into the Naval Reserve in 1970, Ballard continued working at Woods Hole persuading organizations and people, mostly scientists, to fund and use Alvin for undersea research.

In the 1990s Ballard founded the Institute for Exploration, which specializes in deep-sea archaeology and deep-sea geology. It joined forces in 1999 with the Mystic Aquarium located in Mystic, Connecticut. They are a part of the non-profit Sea Research Foundation, Inc.

In 2003, Ballard started the Center for Ocean Exploration and Archaeological Oceanography, a research program at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography.

Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus is a 64-meter research vessel owned by the Ocean Exploration Trust under the direction of Dr. Robert Ballard

Maybe Picard could repurpose an older, decommissioned starship for this.

 

[The Cat]

Who said it has to be for the federaqtion or Starfleet? Maybe he gets together a ragtag band and they fly a sort of civilian ship around to do peacekeeping and exploration work that the military Starfleet isn't interested in doing. Kind of like Robert Ballard. He's old but shows no signs of slowing down. Old explorers never lose their passion for venturing the unknown. Picard very much strikes me as a Ballard or Costeau type.






Maybe Picard could repurpose an older, decommissioned starship for this.

That's kind of what I was talking about. TBH I wouldnt mind another Defiant class ship, but instead of being over powered for military use, its been retrofitted as a sort of special ship towards exploration or deplomacy, hell, they could honestly be space salvagers or truckers for all I care. I just dont want his arc to be about getting back where he started. I want him to boldly go where his character arc hasnt gone before.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

That's kind of what I was talking about. TBH I wouldnt mind another Defiant class ship, but instead of being over powered for military use, its been retrofitted as a sort of special ship towards exploration or deplomacy, hell, they could honestly be space salvagers or truckers for all I care. I just dont want his arc to be about getting back where he started. I want him to boldly go where his character arc hasnt gone before.

Defiant is nice because it's small so would be good for navigating stuff like asteroid belts. And fast enough to evade potential threats.

Intrepid or Nova class would be good too. Intrepid is a little big (bigger than the Defiant, but smaller than a Galaxy Class), but it was specifically designed for long-term, deep space science missions, whereas the Nova was also designed for scientific surveying, yet lacks the long range capabilities and speed of the Intrepid or Defiant. Incidentally, a Nova Class ship is what Captain Ransom was commanding in the Voyager episode Equinox.

Or maybe he gets a Constellation class (same as his old ship the Stargazer). It is practically ancient tech by the time of TNG, originally commissioned some time around the TOS movie era as a heavy cruiser, so I don't think Starfleet would care if he got his hands on an old decommissioned one.


I'm geeking out on starship classes because I've read a lot about them. Would be great to see some of these classes reappear in Picard, even if just in background shots or something.

 

[The Cat]

Defiant is nice because it's small so would be good for navigating stuff like asteroid belts. And fast enough to evade potential threats.

Intrepid or Nova class would be good too. Intrepid is a little big (bigger than the Defiant, but smaller than a Galaxy Class), but it was specifically designed for long-term, deep space science missions, whereas the Nova was also designed for scientific surveying, yet lacks the long range capabilities and speed of the Intrepid or Defiant. Incidentally, a Nova Class ship is what Captain Ransom was commanding in the Voyager episode Equinox.

Or maybe he gets a Constellation class (same as his old ship the Stargazer). It is practically ancient tech by the time of TNG, originally commissioned some time around the TOS movie era as a heavy cruiser, so I don't think Starfleet would care if he got his hands on an old decommissioned one.


I'm geeking out on starship classes because I've read a lot about them. Would be great to see some of these classes reappear in Picard, even if just in background shots or something.

I'm honestly fine with a runabout and just him Data and Seven of Nine

 

[rav3n]

Hmmm. I guess I can see where you got those words from, but my respect for Picard did not change when watching the pilot. At worst he just feels removed from things because when he felt the Federation betrayed his values, he stepped away to his safe space and thus entered obscurity to some degree... he's not up to date with what's been going on, he needs to get back up to speed. Also, any bit of those adjectives that would apply seem to be a result of him choosing to distance himself, and it seems like the series is pushing him to reengage based on old ties with people he had cared about. This will make him knowledgeable and competent again.

This would also be my guess for what will happen but they'll likely add the flavor of angst over future decisions, considering the result of and scarring from his decision to help the Romulans. Guess my subjective preference is one that doesn't include angst since that's readily available in real life and pretty much all drama series. Frankly, I'm sick of grittiness. I can read the news for a major dose of distaste.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

This is intended more as a general observation:

It seemed like in the aughts, all anyone wanted was grittiness. I think the pendulum has swung back the other way and people are really tired with of it. I first noticed it with the reaction to the DCU, but it's spread sense then. Personally, I suspect we've already hit peak grimdark. It seems like it takes time for content to accurately reflect what the public actually hungers for. I see stuff like TLJ and Picard as existing more as somewhere in the middle of the continuum. They really aren't quite as dark as they've been made out to be, and really, at the core (despite the trappings) they aren't grimdark at all. But the trappings of grimdark exist because the culture still hasn't fully moved on from that.

In five years, I expect grimdark will be more or less dead. The period we've gone through was roughly analogous to the 1970s in terms of mood.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Picard kinda forgot about the iron fleet

Anyway, these contradictions aren't new. I think past writers just liked to include speeches about "federation ideals" to sound weighty, yet those supposed ideals always seem to change from episode to episode to film to film and etc. to fit whatever moral stance the writers captain might be taking in a particular situation.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Picard kind of forgot about being a trained pilot

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

LOL. These just get better and better.

 

[The Cat]

Wait till you get to the continuity when he left star fleet to travel back in time to find Spock, but instead landed on Earth and became the Deputy Director of the CIA. Then a Liberal News Comentator.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

This new series now feels like it was always intended to be less about showing Picard's development and growth since TNG than it was intended to show Patrick Stewart's growth and his "concerns" about the state of a world that has outgrown him. Possibly the worst bit of "where are they now" trekking since I had to watch Captain Kirk puttering about a kitchen and burning toast in Generations, which always felt to me less like I was watching a scene from Kirk's life than I was watching an actual clip of Shatner's daily old guy routine. Luckily we haven't (yet) had to watch a series featuring Archer walking Porthos around the neighborhood at his Scottsdale retirement home (I always though Archer looked the type to retire to fucking Scottsdale) or featuring Janeway sipping decaf with her senior friends whilst discussing knitting patterns. Or imagine watching Sisko rant about these darn kids' Klingon hip hop being too loud on the way to Bingo night at Quark's, which has since been converted from a bar into one of those old school cafeteria style restaurants.

 

[The Cat]

This new series now feels like it was always intended to be less about showing Picard's development and growth since TNG than it was intended to show Patrick Stewart's growth and his "concerns" about the state of a world that has outgrown him. Possibly the worst bit of "where are they now" trekking since I had to watch Captain Kirk puttering about a kitchen and burning toast in Generations, which always felt to me less like I was watching a scene from Kirk's life than I was watching an actual clip of Shatner's daily old guy routine. Luckily we haven't (yet) had to watch a series featuring Archer walking Porthos around the neighborhood at his Scottsdale retirement home (I always though Archer looked the type to retire to fucking Scottsdale) or featuring Janeway sipping decaf with her senior friends whilst discussing knitting patterns. Or imagine watching Sisko rant about these darn kids' Klingon hip hop being too loud on the way to Bingo night at Quark's, which has since been converted from a bar into one of those old school cafeteria style restaurants.

Jayneway doesnt have any friends, she was a bitch to seven of nine.

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And Sisko became a college professor. It isnt linear but w/e