S01.E01: Remembrance

[thenj]

I know it is the wrong franchise but as they were zooming out of the cube I was so ready to hear the The Imperial March/Darth Vader's Theme.

[Netfoot]

Well...  I liked "Number One" the pittie...

As to the rest, we will have to see!

[Daisy]

i was very nervous. - 
but a good chunk of my fears are eased out. i'm in it for a while at least. 

[Netfoot]

Hmmm.  So...

1) Everyone has a replicator in their home to produce food & beverages like tea and milkshakes.

2) Replicator technology is advanced enough to accurately produce distinct but subtle variations in flavour like Earl Grey as opposed to Orange Pekoe.

Question:  Who is buying wine produced in the Picard vinyards when they could simply say "Wine.  A Picard, 2341. In a coffee mug, with two olives!" to the replicator?

[Hiyo]

I'm guessing that real food and beverages are of a better quality than replicated food, and may command a premium.

[starri]

Even today, people buy brand name products over generic.

[Artsda]

That was so well done! I'm hooked and excited to see where they all went after the last film.

I'm sad about Data, but hoping he's  lost and found somewhere. Could he be on the Romulan Borg ship?

Also does that mean the Borg saved the Romulans? How did they end up with a Borg cube as a Romulan base? 

[Wulfsige]

Not bad! I'm forever a pessimist when it comes to new Star Trek but this left me with a good feeling. 

Only negative for me is that it leaned heavily on assuming that viewers were in on all the minutiae that makes up the ST universe, and I haven't kept up with all more recent shows, since, well, ST:TNG, and some Voyager and DS9, let alone the comic books and animated series. (Terrible fan, I know.) I had no idea his staff (?) in France were Romulans, for example, I sorta assumed they weren't carefree Vulcans but they could have been anybody for all I knew. I suppose some of this will become evident as it goes on. Also, I'm not that emotionally invested in 'rights for androids' stories, Data notwithstanding, but maybe they'll change my mind. Data's 'daughter' was pretty cute, and personable. Anyway, not complaining that much, so far - I'm in! 

[tessaray]

3 hours ago, Artsda said:

That was so well done! I'm hooked and excited to see where they all went after the last film.

I'm sad about Data, but hoping he's  lost and found somewhere. Could he be on the Romulan Borg ship?

Also does that mean the Borg saved the Romulans? How did they end up with a Borg cube as a Romulan base? 

You might want to watch ST X: Nemesis.

[Llywela]

3 hours ago, Artsda said:

That was so well done! I'm hooked and excited to see where they all went after the last film.

I'm sad about Data, but hoping he's  lost and found somewhere. Could he be on the Romulan Borg ship?

Also does that mean the Borg saved the Romulans? How did they end up with a Borg cube as a Romulan base? 

Alas, Data got blowed up good and proper at the end of the movie Nemesis. He is space dust.

The Borg cube was captioned as a reclamation site and the conversation between Soji and Narek referenced 'fixing broken people', which suggests they are working with ex-Borg on the cube. How that came about remains to be seen. In the Voyager finale, Janeway released a virus into the Borg collective which might have something to do with it - it is pretty certain we will find out more as the season goes along, that final scene was just a tease to hook our interest!

[marinw]

6 hours ago, Hiyo said:

I'm guessing that real food and beverages are of a better quality than replicated food, and may command a premium.

Today there are people with all sort of dietary preferences: Non GMO, Vegan, Gluten Free, etc. By 2399 there could easily be people who insist on non-replicated food.

[marinw]

I am rewatching. TNG was my favourite ST series so this premier feels like coming home. Despite the fraughtness this makes me feel so warm and cozy. 

I am loving the Romulan couple at Chateau Picard. They are so warm and nice and gentle. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by marinw

[Hiyo]

Quote

By 2399 there could easily be people who insist on non-replicated food.

Especially people living on planets, as opposed to serving on starships.

[TheGourmez]

On 1/23/2020 at 7:22 PM, marinw said:

The Romulans have repurposed a Borg Cube! I wonder what that's about.

They have banned synths, but there is still an AI at the Archive.

If they have banned Synths, what about the Holograms? Did they get shut off too? 

Overall, I loved it. So great to have Sir Patrick back on my TV where he belongs. 

Ah, synths! For some reason, I thought they were going with "sents" as the term for problematic androids instead for sentients vs non-sentient ones.

On 1/23/2020 at 8:40 PM, Frozendiva said:

I am optimistic about the show's premise. I will need another couple of episodes before I say whether I am all-in. I have missed Patrick Stewart on TV and he does give the role a presence.

Why would the Romulans repurpose an old Borg cube?

I liked Number One - the dog and wouldn't mind living in that area of France.

That area of France is Sunstone Winery in SoCal!

[paigow]

50 minutes ago, TheGourmez said:

 

That area of France is Sunstone Winery in SoCal!

How can they afford flying sprinkler units? Their wine cannot be cheap.....

[Llywela]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

How can they afford flying sprinkler units? Their wine cannot be cheap.....

Star Trek is set in a post-scarcity economy, no one wants for anything (or so it has been claimed since TNG). But yeah, the wine probably carries a high price, being a genuine hand-crafted product rather than replicated out of raw matter. I imagine the real stuff tastes much better, no matter how well the replicator is programmed!

[Lebanna]

I think in a society like the Federation, wine production would probably be seen on a par with an art form. So you could replicate a Picard wine of the past, just as we could print a Picasso or Spotify The Beatles, but we’d love to see them live or get a new work from them.

So every year, for fans of Picard wines, there would be excitement about a new flavor combination or whether this would be a good or bad vintage. They don’t use  money, or have any shortages, so everything is just produced to be the best it can be.

Which sounds mildly demanding yet somewhat more relaxing than trying to keep a modern vineyard/winery running.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Lebanna

[Florinaldo]

A promising start, but keeping things interesting and substantial instead of devolving into repeated fights and space battles is often a challenge for SF shows, so we will see

Data has gotten a little chubby in the face, at least in Picard's dream (actors do get older, even if their character is not supposed to). Was B-4, the earlier model android Data downloaded his memories into before being blown up, the one shown dismembered in the research institute?

PS slipped back very easily into the role; and Picard is still an idealist, putting the Federation's founding principles above all else. It was a nice note to have the first scene be him playing poker, because that is where the TV series ended, with Picard finally joining the officers' poker game, saying wistfully he did not know why he had not done it before; here, he wished it would go on forever.

No matter how good an actor he is, there is one thing PS cannot do: he should never agree to have Picard speak French, even to a dog. It sounded very phonetic and awkward, but since he cannot even pronounce correctly the name of his character, it was hardly surprising. If English still sounds like today's English in that century, French should do the same.

1 hour ago, Llywela said:

I imagine the real stuff tastes much better, no matter how well the replicator is programmed!

Have there not been a few mentions over the course of the franchise that no matter how good the replicator is, real cooked food is still better? That is one reason there would still be real restaurants in that society, like Sisko Sr.'s establishment in New Orleans, on top of the appeal of dining out and getting the real thing (foodies will exist forever).

Edited January 26, 2020 by Florinaldo

[paigow]

13 minutes ago, Florinaldo said:

Was B-4, the earlier model android Data downloaded his memories into before being blown up, the one shown dismembered in the research institute?

Yes. B-4 fatally crashed due to memory overload. The giant lab clearly had no storage space and needed to put a failed prototype in a drawer.

[Anduin]

22 minutes ago, Florinaldo said:

Was B-4, the earlier model android Data downloaded his memories into before being blown up, the one shown dismembered in the research institute?

Yes, that's him. Sadly, the memory transfer didn't work. Unless he backed his mind up somewhere else, Data is dead. But Picard was dreaming of Data right before Dajh appeared. He dreamed of the Borg before they popped up again. I wonder if there is another copy of Data's mind hanging around. Mabe stored in the cube the Romulans are working on?

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Llywela said:

But yeah, the wine probably carries a high price, being a genuine hand-crafted product rather than replicated out of raw matter. I imagine the real stuff tastes much better, no matter how well the replicator is programmed!

You'd think that a retired admiral, selling all that high-priced wine, would be able to afford real Earl Grey then, wouldn't you?

[Llywela]

2 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

You'd think that a retired admiral, selling all that high-priced wine, would be able to afford real Earl Grey then, wouldn't you?

😄 After all those years living on starships, maybe he's got so used to the taste and ease of replicated tea that he's come to prefer it!

[tessaray]

9 minutes ago, Llywela said:

😄 After all those years living on starships, maybe he's got so used to the taste and ease of replicated tea that he's come to prefer it!

That was my guess, too. The convenience would win out for me anyway.

[starri]

44 minutes ago, tessaray said:

The convenience would win out for me anyway.

I'm a huge coffee snob, and generally buy fancy stuff from smaller roasters for my office.

At home, I still use a Keurig.  It's serviceable, faster, and less wasteful of water than making an actual pot when my husband doesn't drink it.  I totally get what Picard is going for. 

[theredhead77]

I loved it! I grew up watching TNG with my dad and I'm so excited to have this show to watch with him again (albeit across the country). I haven't watched any of the other Trek series and it sounds like I need to get to it.

Patrick Stewart is a global treasure! I love that he made sure Number One is a pittie - his work and advocacy for the breed is wonderful (and I'm not even a dog person). This is one show that I'll never have to worry about something happening to the dog. 

2 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

PS slipped back very easily into the role; and Picard is still an idealist, putting the Federation's founding principles above all else. It was a nice note to have the first scene be him playing poker, because that is where the TV series ended, with Picard finally joining the officers' poker game, saying wistfully he did not know why he had not done it before; here, he wished it would go on forever.

I forgot about that! I also forgot that Data is dead so the dream was a surprise to me.
I do think we're supposed to ignore BS age being reflected in Data. I do appreciate that they didn't try to digitally de-age or edit out his facial changes - maybe it will be addressed down the road but I'm totally cool with just ignoring it. 

I can't wait to see Riker and Troy next week!

Edited January 26, 2020 by theredhead77

[marinw]

1 hour ago, Llywela said:

After all those years living on starships, maybe he's got so used to the taste and ease of replicated tea that he's come to prefer it!

 

19 minutes ago, starri said:

I'm a huge coffee snob, and generally buy fancy stuff from smaller roasters for my office.

At home, I still use a Keurig.  It's serviceable, faster, and less wasteful of water than making an actual pot when my husband doesn't drink it.  I totally get what Picard is going for. 

I drink loose tea at home but use teabags at work!  I think this is a parallel topic to cooking yourself versus living off processed food you stick in the microwave. The difference is that replicated food has the same nutritional value as "real" food. We are always told that the 24th Century is Post Scarcity, so it's not price, it may be availability, personal preference, an enjoyment of cooking, or snobbism. Jean-Luc has enough nuance that he chooses some replicated items but not others. Just as I make my own salad dressing and bread but can't be bothered with curry sauce or mayonnaise.

I do wonder how much land in the Federation is set aside for agriculture, either traditional vineyards or virtual farms and greenhouses.

2 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

No matter how good an actor he is, there is one thing PS cannot do: he should never agree to have Picard speak French, even to a dog. 

I don't know enough French to judge, but I watched this with my French speaking Mom who agrees with you. I guess they couldn't find a French speaking PS sound-alike to dub in those lines. PS's Kilngon is said to be better according to the experts.

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by marinw

[ajsnaves]

I just assume replicators cannot replicate alcohol.  On star ships they use synthahol.  Maybe civilian replicators are the same way.

Overall I was happy with this, and find it worth the $6 a month.  My stream kicked to commercial when she was mid-fight.  One second she’s fighting on a stairway on the roof, next they come back and he’s home and she’s dead.  I assumed that was a stylistic choice, then find out there was spitting a blowing up missing.

[marinw]

I am Canadian so I watched this on CTV Sci Fi which is included in my cable packages. I HATE the ads that show up on the bottom of the screen. There are so many commercials already. Thease ads must be so offensive to the director who spent so much time composing the shot. The same thing happened on The Expanse before that show moved to Amazon.

Edited January 26, 2020 by marinw

[paigow]

1 hour ago, ajsnaves said:

I just assume replicators cannot replicate alcohol.  On star ships they use synthahol.  Maybe civilian replicators are the same way.

This utopian society must still frown upon under-age drinking.....

[Llywela]

2 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

 I can't wait to see Riker and Troy next week!

Just to lower your expectations, I don't think we'll be seeing Riker and Troi for a few weeks yet. Episode 6 or thereabouts is my understanding. Frakes was involved earlier in the season as a director only.

[kokapetl]

On 1/25/2020 at 10:59 PM, Netfoot said:

Question:  Who is buying wine produced in the Picard vinyards when they could simply say "Wine.  A Picard, 2341. In a coffee mug, with two olives!" to the replicator?

The French consider the thousands of little regional niche wineries/farmers/cheese makers/etc to be culturally important, something worth spending money to prop up. Maybe they still do in 2400? 

This show is obviously not more Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I like that Picard the character wants so much to go back to the Enterprise-D days, because so do I. 

I counted 14 executive producers in the opening credits!  

 

 

[paigow]

2 hours ago, marinw said:

 

I do wonder how much land in the Federation is set aside for agriculture, either traditional vineyards or virtual farms and greenhouses.

Are there more than 2 Humpback whales on Earth? That probe will be really angry in another 100 years....

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, Llywela said:

Just to lower your expectations, I don't think we'll be seeing Riker and Troi for a few weeks yet. Episode 6 or thereabouts is my understanding. Frakes was involved earlier in the season as a director only.

Grrr. Stupid commercials getting my hopes up. 

(and thanks for the spelling correction. Obviously it's been awhile).

[ottoDbusdriver]

3 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

I just assume replicators cannot replicate alcohol.  On star ships they use synthahol.  Maybe civilian replicators are the same way.

Replicators can indeed replicate alcohol -- I seem to recall from a couple of ST: Voyager episodes where Tom Paris was accused of replicating alcoholic beverages and drinking them on duty (though he was inhabited by an alien at the time).  I seem to recall 7 of 9 getting drunk at least once as well.

I believe that they drink synthahol on starships because it doesn't have the deleterious side-effects of alcohol (and that is necessary since they could be called to duty at anytime, and wouldn't have time to sober up).

[marinw]

1 hour ago, paigow said:

Are there more than 2 Humpback whales on Earth? That probe will be really angry in another 100 years....

Every ST series keeps pushing the "Post Atomic Horror" further and further into the 21st Century. I wonder if or how STP (Star Trek Picard) will retcon climate change.

[Sandman]

On 1/24/2020 at 2:33 AM, tkc said:

Patrick Stewart still in great physical shape, voice still such a grand instrument.

Absolutely. He really is something -- but I almost feel I'd forgotten how vital that voice is to the characterization of Picard.

Is it just me, or does Treadaway's Narek bear a marked (not to say confusing) resemblance to Ethan Peck as Younger Spock? I thought there was a timey-wimey, "what continuity is this?" plot point about to barrel over me.

I'm in, even if the synth revolt aspect is making me think of BSG. (That's decidedly not a good thing.)

[Chaos Theory]

I really liked this.  The overall premise works for me.   Picard retired in protest after TBG and DS9! After the devastating wars and the Federation mourning it dead began to change to something he didn’t recognize and started to make choices he didnt agree with.  That is a good a place as any to start.  It puts Picard on the outside while acknowledging the passage of real time and time must have moved in with the Federation for better and worse.

I thought the scenes between Picard and Data were really well done and so was the scene in Picard’s bank vault with all his most treasured memories.

As for replicators;   there was this whole thing on Voyager about conservation of resources so Captain Janeway limited the use of the replicator.   I doubt it would matter on Earth but any newer settled planet may go either way and in space a Smaller ship may divert replicator power to other parts of the ship.

[paigow]

Did Picard fly the smallest available shuttle to Romulus? Why are only 2 survivors grateful enough to stick around? Or is there a contingent of Romulans living at Chateau Picard, but these are the only 2 that get screen time?

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

 

As for replicators;   there was this whole thing on Voyager about conservation of resources so Captain Janeway limited the use of the replicators

Then Neelix almost killed the organic plasma fuel with fungus released from his cooking.... replicators online again

[Anduin]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

Did Picard fly the smallest available shuttle to Romulus? Why are only 2 survivors grateful enough to stick around? Or is there a contingent of Romulans living at Chateau Picard, but these are the only 2 that get screen time?

Do we get a look at the field workers? They might all be Romulans. Still, I can't imagine that many would work for the Federation that abandoned the other Romulans over something they didn't do.

[dwmarch]

On 1/25/2020 at 1:12 PM, marinw said:

Today there are people with all sort of dietary preferences: Non GMO, Vegan, Gluten Free, etc. By 2399 there could easily be people who insist on non-replicated food.

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/treknology/treknology-r.htm

Under Replicator we see that "According to the STTNG Technical Manual, up to 82% of waste on a starship can be recycled to food. Bon appetit!"

It's poop. Replicated food is poop.

[pootlus]

On 1/26/2020 at 1:59 AM, Netfoot said:

Question:  Who is buying wine produced in the Picard vinyards when they could simply say "Wine.  A Picard, 2341. In a coffee mug, with two olives!" to the replicator?

Because people who would order wine in a coffee mug with olives are genetically weeded out at birth and humanely dealt with.

11 hours ago, ajsnaves said:

Overall I was happy with this, and find it worth the $6 a month.  My stream kicked to commercial when she was mid-fight.  One second she’s fighting on a stairway on the roof, next they come back and he’s home and she’s dead.  I assumed that was a stylistic choice, then find out there was spitting a blowing up missing.

That's a really shitty choice from - CBS I assume? - both to put in ads when you already pay for the stream and to break at such a crucial moment! Makes me glad I'm seeing it on Amazon with no breaks.

I really enjoyed this - a good sign is when it ends and I think "that didn't seem like 45 minutes".  Stewart is of course a towering presence and could elevate even crap material but the rest of the show seems pretty well structured plotting/writing-wise and the supporting cast are solid.  Having seen the trailer I'm glad that the new cast/old cast Easter Eggs are being introduced gradually.

They are lucky both Stewart and Brent Spiner are still in excellent shape for their age.  Glad they did a rundown of the events of Nemesis as the last TNG movie I saw was First Contact.

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, dwmarch said:

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/treknology/treknology-r.htm

Under Replicator we see that "According to the STTNG Technical Manual, up to 82% of waste on a starship can be recycled to food. Bon appetit!"

It's poop. Replicated food is poop.

Is that better or worse than the primary ingredient of soylent green?

[paigow]

5 hours ago, Anduin said:

Is that better or worse than the primary ingredient of soylent green?

(Interior: Enterprise-D Bridge)

Riker: Wesley, your shift ended 5 minutes ago. Why are you still here?

Wesley: Unknown sir. Computer, locate Ensign Gates.

Computer: Ensign Gates is in Replicator Station 3.

[Sandman]

11 hours ago, dwmarch said:

It's poop. Replicated food is poop.

"Tea, Earl Grey; h -- whaaat?" 

[marinw]

Usually the phrase "I eat a lot of crap" isn't taken this literally.

[Florinaldo]

On 1/26/2020 at 9:05 AM, paigow said:

Yes. B-4 fatally crashed due to memory overload. The giant lab clearly had no storage space and needed to put a failed prototype in a drawer.

I watched the episode again last night (Space Canada has shown this several times this week; I wonder if it will be their regular practice) and it is indeed made abundantly clear in the dialogue. First time around I was called away and could only watch the screen from some distance and did not hear what the scientist was saying.

So Data lives only in his daughter, if the filiation is really that specific, and will only appear in dreams or flashbacks.

22 hours ago, kokapetl said:

The French consider the thousands of little regional niche wineries/farmers/cheese makers/etc to be culturally important, something worth spending money to prop up. Maybe they still do in 2400? 

There is also the snobbery factor to consider; future foodies may do with replicated wine for their Tuesday supper, but not the when they have guests or are hosting a reception.

12 hours ago, dwmarch said:

It's poop. Replicated food is poop.

Then it could be marketed as Soylent Brown.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Florinaldo

[jcin617]

I suspect replicated wine, of a particular winery/vintage all tastes exactly the same since it follows a blueprint.  Whereas non-replicated wine (or any non-replicated food) has differences in aroma, flavor and body.   Compare listening to music digitally versus on an LP - same music, different experience.

[benteen]

I really enjoyed this episode.  Been a fan of TNG since almost the beginning and was looking  forward to Picard for a long time.  I had been a little concerned with a few of the negative reviews I'd read but I was not disappointed with this.

Patrick Stewart was very good and it was great to see Picard again.  

I appreciate the continuity references and it ties into the events of the last movie and the Romulan storyline from the JJverse very well.  I was very surprised with Bruce Maddox being such a plot point but I appreciated it as Maddox, despite only appearing on the show once (and being mentioned a few other times) was important to the development of the Data character and would be the most likely to be involved in the creation of artificial lifeforms.  

Loved the look of the show, from Starfleet to France to the special effects.

Appreciated the reference to Dunkirk.

There was some storyline awkwardness to be sure but it was a strong start and I can't wait for more.

[Vandy10]

7 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

I watched the episode again last night (Space Canada has shown this several times this week; I wonder if it will be their regular practice) and it is indeed made abundantly clear in the dialogue. First time around I was called away and could only watch the screen from some distance and did not hear what the scientist was saying.

So Data lives only in his daughter, if the filiation is really that specific, and will only appear in dreams or flashbacks.

There is also the snobbery factor to consider; future foodies may do with replicated wine for their Tuesday supper, but not the when they have guests or are hosting a reception.

Then it could be marketed as Soylent Brown.

In regards to the replicator discussion, didn't Chief O'Brian say something in DS9 about how his mother always cooked food, never replicated? I think it was a scene where someone else (Keiko? Bashir?) was horrified that his mom actually touched and handled meat. So that, plus the fact that restaurants still exists, seems to show that plenty of people still want non-replicated stuff.