That Star Trek thread somebody was talking about

[Jazzy G]

I've not watched any of Discovery this season because of it getting taken down from Netflix the day before it was due to arrive, but I presume it runs along the same kind of premise as previous seasons? 

Some weird phenomenon is discovered, it turns out to be "man" made, or at the very least artificial rather than a natural occurrence, whoever is actually responsible either realises they're doing lots of damage to the galaxy before apologising and going away, or is thwarted by Burnham in full on Bruce Willis/Stephen Seagal mode?

Occasionally there's a the odd exploration episode or something a little character driven where the show almost feels like Star Trek. 

[Rockbus2]

British Heart Foundation are selling this bonkers USS ENTERPRISE COFFEE TABLE on their ebay at the moment.

[Factotum]

PICARD must be a joke right? How can a team of writers on a STAR TREK show not understand or know about STAR TREK at all? I think I watched the start of 2 out of a sense of morbid curiosity (season 1 was pants) and in the hope they had seen the backlash and got someone decent to helm it. But fuck me its even worse.

Seriously, Alex Kurtzman really needs to fuck off from Star Trek,

[CavemanLynn]

I swear Picard is some friend-of-a-friend's high school copy-paste franchise that no one in the industry would touch, until the desperate writer ended another failed pitch meeting with "But it's got Star Trek in it!" and the execs bit, leaving him until 4am the next morning to Ctrl+H all the character names with ones out of his TNG annual.

[Jazzy G]

I think I'm going to try and save Picard series 2 until it's finished and watch it in one or two sessions to see whether it works better that way.

[patiirc]

20 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said:

I think I'm going to try and save Picard series 2 until it's finished and watch it in one or two sessions to see whether it works better that way.

Good luck love, try not to rage quit halfway through. 

It's so, so bad. 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Honestly, I'm enjoying it more than I did S1. And I enjoyed S1.

[Loki]

It's fucking terrible, but then so has every season of new Trek been apart from Below Decks, which is a lot of fun.  I struggled through the first seasons of Discovery and Picard but early in in both second seasons you realise they have no idea about what Star Trek is about, or what any of these characters are meant to be like.

I just wish they'd let the whole franchise die, bringing it back has been a terrible mistake.

[Factotum]

10 hours ago, Loki said:

I just wish they'd let the whole franchise die, bringing it back has been a terrible mistake.

Agreed. And with the films, the only good thing about new TREK has been Chris Pine as Kirk and Karl Urban as Bones. That's it. Even Pine now seems to want no part of the 4th film.

[hallicks]

There’s plenty of the 90s trek writing crew still around. Brannon Braga’s heavily involved with Orville, so he’s clearly still got the chops for it. Ronald D Moore has been doing other Sci Fi for 20 years. Likewise Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Ira Behr. This is the band you need to put back together. The scenes of them all back together on “What we left behind” breaking a story for a 20 years later episode of DS9 shows they still “get it” and could do it brilliantly if given the chance. 

[Merzbow]

I was about to say that documentary is the one great thing of the past decade or more or Star Trek, I hear the new kids cartoon show is good but that is obviously not made for me.

Ella Purnell is in it so there's at least one good thing.

[Chris B]

I don't hate Picard. It all feels like it was a draft away from finished, but I like all of the cast and I like some of what they're doing. When I heard 'Michael Chabon is majorly involved in the continuing adventures of Picard', I was expecting more than this, but I think it's clunky rather than shite.

The biggest issue with it is Patrick Stewart, in some ways. He's still got presence, he's still got it, but they continue to write the character as if he's significantly younger and more able than he is. Yes, I know, I know, synthetic body, etc - but still, it's what we're seeing on-screen. He's never tired, but comes across as in need of a lie down, and we never see him working stuff out - he just jumps straight to an answer or plan. And people treat him like he's younger. It's like in Episode 2, the way he's portrayed doesn't work, because he's not the guy you'd trot out to inspire the military. He's Classy Freddy Blassie in the invasion behaving like Steve Austin. I'd rather he be more like he was in Logan, with more frailty and finding things more difficult, but still eventually doing amazing stuff at times, because he's still Picard. 

I could also do without the destiny guff - it's all smacking a bit of 'the important one'.

That said, episode-by-episode, I'm enjoying a fair amount and I basically like it. It just feels like they're working on middle-of-process drafts, where they're still figuring things out.

[Factotum]

39 minutes ago, Chris B said:

The biggest issue with it is Patrick Stewart, in some ways. He's still got presence, he's still got it, but they continue to write the character as if he's significantly younger and more able than he is

I would argue the biggest issue is that the character is barely anything like who he was in TNG. Fair play you can tweak it that he's older, but Picard in TNG is so far away from this character its frankly weird.

Agreed on the Chabon thing. WONDER BOYS is one of my favourite books. I can only assume Kurtzman leaves his hack stink on anyone that comes near him.

[Chris B]

25 minutes ago, Factotum said:

I would argue the biggest issue is that the character is barely anything like who he was in TNG. Fair play you can tweak it that he's older, but Picard in TNG is so far away from this character its frankly weird.

I really liked the initial set-up, that Picard had resigned in protest, and how he's continued to see the importance in self-determination and empathy. The idea that the Federation effectively let him down, breaking his heart and changing his priorities - I liked that. And I've been fine with that turn in his character. The relationships with other characters haven't been as strong - instead of showing the relationships, we're told about them. Picard, at times, keeps reminding us how important these people are to him, and it doesn't feel like we're there yet.

Again, though - I'm not denying it's flawed as all hell. But it feels frustratingly like there's something good in the centre of it all. 

[MungoChutney]

I wasn't a huge fan of Picard's first season but stick it out as Mrs Chutney enjoyed it and she normally hates TNG stuff.  Season two I thought started really strong but is now at the point it feels like an overly long and dull episode of TNG. Maybe a strong finish will save it but I'm struggling to see how anything beyond this season would be worth the time.