So I’ve been watching Star Trek Picard for the past few days, and while I don’t really have a thesis for anything to say about the show like I often do for Star Trek, at least not yet, I do have some small thoughts about a lot of different things so figured I’d just write em up.
First off, a big thing that keeps hitting me throughout is how much of the show has pretty much nothing to do with Picard, and while he probably gets more screentime than any other single character, I do often fine myself thinking when he is off screen, “Where is Picard?” And like, that is a problem entirely because the show is called Picard. If it was called Star Trek: Lost Cause I wouldn’t have the issue, so like, its not a sign its a bad show, but it does sort of feel a lot less about anything Picard specific at this point and a lot more about Romulans. Also, like, I love Data, but centering a show called Picard around Data but without Data being present just feels like an odd choice, especially given Geordie had a closer personal connection with Data, and honestly most of he crew had a comparable connection to Data, whereas I feel like Riker and Beverly were more Picard’s confidants. But I guess they didn’t die. Still, again, all this is kinda of academic - this is the story we are being told, snd while it may not be the story I’d have told, nor the one I’d have called Picard, it should be judged on its own merits, not my expectations.
Secondly, I kinda like the tone so far. I definitely remember people hating it for “The Federation is bad now” but honestly given all I’ve been saying about how the Federation is a stand in for America, yeah, like, it should be bad now, because America is. I feel like this is a proper framing for the state of America now for a Star Trek show to take. I don’t necessarily feel like I know where the plot is going or what it is trying to say so far, which may or may not end up being problems, but I don’t mind the darker outlook so far. Also, the heavy serialization is mostly okay, like, it does not feel much like a Star Trek show to me, but I feel like it is selling itself as a serious political drama about an old washed up space hero, not as a space exploration show, so that’s fine, I expected it to feel different.
The only issue I have with that is I kinda feel like the first three episodes should have been one episode? Like, don’t get me wrong, lots of stuff happened, and honestly, at this point four episodes in, I have no idea how much of that was necessary, but the show kinda feels like it did not start until the end of episode 3 where we were finally all on a ship together. I mean, I know I just said its not a space exploration show, but it really does feel like everything until the end of episode 3 was set dressing, and I feel like just from a pacing perspective you want to be done with set dressing at the end of the first episode. I definitely could not say how to rewrite the three episodes into one at this point, since I don’t know where everything is going, but I do feel it would have benefited from doing some even if that meant moving some flashbacks till later, or some Romulan borg cube time to later, or just cutting whole sections of side plot that isn’t needed.
I also hate that they introduced Data’s daughter and then immediately killed her off. Yes, she has a twin, but it just feels really shitty to introduce us to a protagonist, kill her off, and then replace her with an identical one. I’ve seen a lot of shows with bait and switch protagonists like this recently, and it usually straight up harms the show by establishing the show doesn’t respect your time and will kill off characters for any stupid reason at any time, so don't bother to get invested in anyone. I can still sometimes like a show that does this, and there definitely are ways to make it pay off, but I don’t think Picard has done so yet, and I kinda doubt it will, because at this point I think the first Data girl is just shit canned, and we didn’t know her long enough to care about her. The only reason to care is she is Data’s daughter, but since she was never in the original show, like, I kinda just don’t care?
Honestly huge missed opportunity to somehow work in Lal. I would have cared about Lal. If you told me these kids were made by extracting the thread of Lal’s consciousness Data had resorbed instead of somehow being clones of Data himself but female and asian and not looking like an android not for any real plot reason but just because they didn’t want to do make up, then I’d instantly have cared a lot more for her. You also could have just given us more time with her to make us care, or just found some way other than violence against women to motivate our protagonist, but whatever I guess. It just really did not sit well with me as the start of a series.
Romulans in it generally seem very different to previous depictions of them, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but the biggest issue I have is how many just appear to be humans with weird eyebrows or forehead ridges. As in, culturally so, just wearing human clothes, speaking with human cadence, acting in all ways human. Is this supposed to be a result of their diaspora and the need to integrate? Or is this just the show writers not caring about depicting an alien culture consistently or realistically? Because it really could go either way, but its a problem if I have to make up a reason why some Romulans are just dudes rather than the show making it clear through its storytelling. No one has, so far, commented about Romulan loss of cultural identity, just loss of life and homeworld. Is it realistic that they would have? I mean, maybe? Certainly that is a thing that happens over time with diaspora, although usually its more of a generational thing than an immigrant just suddenly losing all trace of their homeland besides physical appearance. That being said, I wouldn't have any issues if this was addressed in the show, its the fact that its not been yet and instead I’m making up reasons here that is the problem. But hey, maybe the next episode will be about this, its too early to judge.
But like, seriously, why didn’t Picards Romulan buddies come with him on his trip? They wanted to insist for his protection, he weakly rebuffed them, and they accepted?!? And then he proceeds to take a side trip to pick up a different Romulan warrior to protect him? Why not have all three? And speaking of, the Qowat Milat are way cooler now that I know they were introduced in Picard and not in Discovery, where they felt a little out of place especially with our first example of this Romulan only order being a human. I mean, maybe not weirder than the main character example of this female only order being male. Why couldn’t we have gotten a female Romulan orphan instead? I mean, I guess the answer is Picard saying, “Must be hard for a boy to grow up among only women.” The show apparently thinks this gender difference is important, that it matters to the story that he is male and not female, hopefully it will do something with that other than use it as an excuse to so shove him on Picard. But also, if these guys practice radical candor, why didn’t they just ask Picard to take him as a kid? She clearly was trying to hint that, and its clearly what the boy wanted, given how mad he was when Picard fucked off. Like, I was honestly wondering if maybe they thought he needed to stay with his own kind, Romulans, but if that is the reason it feels like he should be less bitter Picard didn’t take him since it wouldn’t have been on the table.
But anyway, I would hesitate to say I am enjoying it, but I am not hating it. I’m mostly puzzled by it so far. It could turn out good, but right now its mostly, “I don’t know where this is going, it could be good, but right now it mostly just is.”
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