Star Trek: Picard Anticipation

[marinw]

Jean-Luc has a dog!

So is Earth about to be swallowed up by Melencholia?

[DeafAngelboy23]

Hello new number one! 

[SVNBob]

On 7/10/2019 at 12:52 PM, marinw said:

Jean-Luc has a dog!

Not just any dog.  Picard seems to be as fond of pit bulls as Sir Pat is.

(From what I've seen, most of the dogs he fosters are pits.  And I assume that making Picard's dog a pit is a conscious attempt to help give the breed a new public image.)

[dwmarch]

21 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Not just any dog.

I'm calling it now: the dog will turn out to be Q.

[Llywela]

Star Trek: Picard producer reveals 7 new details about series

At least, they are calling it '7 new details', but I'm pretty sure we already knew most of this from earlier announcements.

[paigow]

12 hours ago, Llywela said:

Star Trek: Picard producer reveals 7 new details about series

At least, they are calling it '7 new details', but I'm pretty sure we already knew most of this from earlier announcements.

Picard has to defeat "Captain Shepherd"? 

[Llywela]

First full length trailer shown at Comic Con

Return appearances for Data, Riker, Troi and Seven-of-Nine, plus Hugh the Borg!

[legaleagle53]

We're not only getting Data back, but also Seven of Nine: https://tvline.com/2019/07/20/star-trek-picard-brent-spiner-jeri-ryan-cast-comic-con/

It will be especially interesting to see how Picard and Seven interact given their common experience with actual assimilation by the Borg.

Dammit, CBS. Now you've got me wanting to subscribe just so I can watch this!

[xaxat]

I admit to being skeptical, but this kind of won me over. 

[legaleagle53]

Never mind. @xaxat beat me to it!

Edited July 20, 2019 by legaleagle53

[tennisgurl]

Picard and Seven start a recovering Borg Drone support group!

[starri]

 

[Anduin]

Region free trailer! I've never understood why some companies region-lock trailers. "Oh no, someone in another country might see this and want to give us money!"

[marinw]

Oh hell yes!

Was that a Borg Cube? Please tell me it was a Borg Cube.

So happy to see Seven. I have always wondered how she would adapt to life in the Federation.

*Watches agian.* Yep, it's a Borg Cube! *Happy Dance.*

Edited July 21, 2019 by marinw

[marinw]

"This facility has gone 5843 days without an assimilation"

I have so many questions.

[Anduin]

26 minutes ago, marinw said:

"This facility has gone 5843 days without an assimilation"

I have so many questions.

My calculator says that's 16 years. I suppose that's good? But why are they messing with the Borg in the first place?

[TVSpectator]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

I admit to being skeptical, but this kind of won me over. 

Well as long as they don't reveal that the Federation/Starfleet committed some kind of war crimes and turns out to be the villains (like in the JJ movie, Into Darkness) this could maybe work. 

Also, why have 7 of 9 appear and not like Admiral Janeway? At least we know that Picard met Janeway way back during Nemesis. And it also looks like they are bringing back Data/B4 aren't they. Overall, I will just wait and see what this show is like though. 

Edited July 21, 2019 by TVSpectator

[ottoDbusdriver]

1 hour ago, Anduin said:

My calculator says that's 16 years. I suppose that's good? But why are they messing with the Borg in the first place?

Hugh ?

[giovannif7]

I am SO excited to see Jonathan Del Arco return as Hugh! His storyline has always been one of my favorites from the Star Trek universe, and I can't wait to see how the character has evolved in the decades since he first appeared. I'm also intrigued by the speculation floating around my imagination of a possible connection or interaction between Hugh and Seven of Nine/Jeri Ryan, given the Borg-related backgrounds of both characters. It was great to see Del Arco participate in the Picard interview at Comic-Con today:

https://tvline.com/2019/07/20/star-trek-picard-patrick-stewart-interview-cbs-all-access-video/

Edited July 21, 2019 by giovannif7

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, giovannif7 said:

I am SO excited to see Jonathan Del Arco return as Hugh! His storyline has always been one of my favorites from the Star Trek universe, and I can't wait to see how the character has evolved in the decades since he first appeared. I'm also intrigued by the speculation floating around my imagination of a possible connection or interaction between Hugh and Seven of Nine/Jeri Ryan, given the Borg-related backgrounds of both characters. It was great to see Del Arco participate in the Picard interview at Comic-Con today:

https://tvline.com/2019/07/20/star-trek-picard-patrick-stewart-interview-cbs-all-access-video/

So hyped about this. Glad Hugh is going to be in it as well! Loved him.

[DeafAngelboy23]

It’s incredible to see her doing this again after many years. I’m loving it... 

[theschnauzers]

There’s definitely a Borg connection, since even Picard was briefly assimilated during TNG. So you have Picard, Seven of Nine, Hugh, Data who could understand the Borg communication protocols for lack of a better term, and a mysterious woman/girl pleading for Picard’s help. All that isn’t coincidental especially with the image of a Borg cube.

And I’m glad Jonathan Del Arco’s loyalty to the Trek fan base after decades of Trek cons is being rewarded!

[SVNBob]

3 hours ago, TVSpectator said:

Also, why have 7 of 9 appear and not like Admiral Janeway?

Like Picard, Seven was an assimilated human that broke free of the Collective.  (Granted, her not by choice...but still.)  So there's a cannon reason.

Mulgrew was probably busy with another, more Orange, gig while this was shot.  So there's the real world reason.

3 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Hugh ?

Another drone that broke free of the Collective, thanks to the crew of the Enterprise-D.  And he did so more of his own free will.

[Llywela]

From the screenshots, Cabrera's character (Cristobal Rios - wouldn't be the first time a more generic character name has been Latinized after he was cast in the role) is in the command chair with Picard sitting off to one side, so it seems Rios could be the captain of the ship Picard ends up on. He says his character is ex-Starfleet and initially reluctant to help. Sounds like a dash of Firefly in the Star Trek universe!

Edited July 21, 2019 by Llywela

[paigow]

Data blowed up on the Scimitar.... Nothing usable was recovered or Picard would have mentioned it in his Nemesis final log entry...Guess these producers never saw the movie......

[Anduin]

26 minutes ago, paigow said:

Data blowed up on the Scimitar.... Nothing usable was recovered or Picard would have mentioned it in his Nemesis final log entry...Guess these producers never saw the movie......

Maybe he kept a backup that came to light after that log entry. There's always a way to retcon these things if needed.

[starri]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Data blowed up on the Scimitar.... Nothing usable was recovered or Picard would have mentioned it in his Nemesis final log entry...Guess these producers never saw the movie......

Data also says that he downloaded his memories into B-4, which is confirmed when the latter starts singing "Blue Skies" at the end of the movie.

[paigow]

24 minutes ago, starri said:

Data also says that he downloaded his memories into B-4, which is confirmed when the latter starts singing "Blue Skies" at the end of the movie.

B-4 was an inferior prototype, so it looks like Data but functions with non-upgradable Celeron chip architecture....

[marinw]

I for one am fine with a bit of Fan Service. Resistance is futile.

That said, a few nitpicks: 

• That's not the same house we saw in "Family". Maybe that house burned down?

* CGI de-aged Brent Spiner is freaking me out.

• Girl with great powers who dosn't know what she is. A bit if a trope at this point. I am reminded of Dafne Keen's character  in Logan, another Powerful Woman who Sir Patrick tried to protect.

Not a Nitpick per se, but intetesting:

• Seven still has that eyebrow implant. Maybe she choose not to have that removed so she could blend in, or removing that implant isn't possible.

Edited July 21, 2019 by marinw

[paigow]

26 minutes ago, marinw said:

• Girl with great powers who dosn't know what she is. A bit if a trope at this point. I am reminded of Dafne Keen's character  in Logan, another Powerful Woman who Sir Patrick tried to protect.

There was also the "orphaned Q girl".....

[Miss Dee]

Picard's brother and nephew died in a fire on the vineyard, so I think having a different Picard home fits right in.

[starri]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

• Seven still has that eyebrow implant. Maybe she choose not to have that removed so she could blend in, or removing that implant isn't possible.

I think they actually established that in Voyager.  In the episode where they had the three drones that had separated themselves from the Collective and came looking for Seven, they had far more extensive implants, and IIRC, they made mention that the reason Seven wasn't like that was because the Doctor had done such a good job removing hers.

[TVbitch]

I watched the trailer without the sound, cuz I don't like to spoiled. That was a lot of Picard walking about and looking pensive. I hope it's not going to be a "Picard discovers a young Jedi" story. 

So happy at the list of returning faces! Is Data really CGI'd to look younger, or just taped back? Hope that situation doesn't limit his time on the show. Data/Picard always had one of the most meaningful relationships. I wish they would have just re-loaded Data into an older looking android and got on with it.  

[marinw]

Yes Data could artificially age his body or something. 

[jenrising]

[starri]

[blueray]

I just watched this trailer and still doesn't feel like the real start trek more like discovery looks. I've never seen Discovery mainly because I can't stand what they did to the Klingons and the cost which obviously effects this one too.

That being said, I'm glad they are bring back Seven as her and Picard can discuss their pasts. I'm not sure about Data as he is dead, unless that was B4. But if that's the case than he isn't Data  which would not be as good. The only thing I thought they could do is copy his memories (which were put in B4) and make a hologram of him.  Anyhow, seeing as this is a two minute trailer it's hard to really judge it. Hopefully it's good. I'm honestly probably wait to see what people think before considering paying for CBS-All access.

Edited July 21, 2019 by blueray

[Kromm]

I was SHOCKED after the crapstorm of bad development rumors (and being skeptical of the whole idea even before that) how encouraging I found what I saw in that trailer.  I liked a good deal of what I saw in it--although it's too soon to tell about how good the characters we don't already know are.  But Jean Luc was sufficiently Jean-Lucish.  Seven of Nine, or probably now Annika Hanson, was a very pleasant and welcome surprise, and what's clearly NOT Data (or is only a hologram or fantasy version of him) was also welcomed.  I've already seen it generally acknowledged around the Internet that that's likely B-4, but I slightly disagree. I think B-4 IS in this, but I think Data is too.  That scene we did see felt like a hologram or hallucination. Making that a VERSION of Data (albeit not a real one). 

It all fits with how Spiner talked about this at Comic-Con.  Sort of that Data is there... but not really.  B-4 being integrated with Data's memories sounds like a long-term endgame.  That's why we see B-4 in that drawer.  Waiting for that to happen.

The other big theory going around is that the girl is the biological daughter of Picard, bred by the Borg (possibly combined with the DNA of the Borg Queen). I agreed instantly when I read that, because the actress cast seems to share a few features with Patrick Stewart, and that looks intentional.  Look at the nose, for example.  The apparent plotline with her seems like it could get kind of tiresome and trope filled, but I won't say that's inevitable.  They just have to be careful.

I'm okay with the look of the series too. I know (and people should research this) that this means that the money and rights get complicated, because the contract Bad Robot and the current folks have relied on there being substantial design changes for them to be able to profit (especially with merchandise), but... it's really for the best that this does look like a legit evolution of the Prime universe instead of a reinvention like Discovery and the recent movies.  The ship we see looks very different, but that makes sense in context, since it really looks like some kind of commercial vessel--and those certainly should be expected to look different.

Again, I'm encouraged.

Edited July 21, 2019 by Kromm

[Kromm]

10 hours ago, paigow said:

Data blowed up on the Scimitar.... Nothing usable was recovered or Picard would have mentioned it in his Nemesis final log entry...Guess these producers never saw the movie......

That's pretty easy to solve.  B-4 didn't blow up.  Also, Data's memories were backed up.

That said, this is Trek.  That could be a hologram.  It could just be a hallucination.   

I really think both of these things are true.  I think Picard is encountering some faux-Data but also has the disassembled body of B-4. 

[Kromm]

15 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

I am SO excited to see Jonathan Del Arco return as Hugh! His storyline has always been one of my favorites from the Star Trek universe, and I can't wait to see how the character has evolved in the decades since he first appeared. I'm also intrigued by the speculation floating around my imagination of a possible connection or interaction between Hugh and Seven of Nine/Jeri Ryan, given the Borg-related backgrounds of both characters. It was great to see Del Arco participate in the Picard interview at Comic-Con today:

https://tvline.com/2019/07/20/star-trek-picard-patrick-stewart-interview-cbs-all-access-video/

This is part of my feeling of encouragement. Sometimes the Borg stories sucked, but the really good ones involved these characters: Picard, Hugh and Seven of Nine.  So having them together in a unified story, years on, is potentially a great idea. Potentially.

Also, the CORE of what's always worked best in Trek is when they smashed it with the "what is human?" plots and characters.  That's why Spock, Data and Seven of Nine were the banner characters. Each one was created and plotted around exploring the idea and borders of what it means to be human.  They're there to question humanity and adapt around it.  So a return to that theme for this entire series is potentially a great move.  

Edited July 21, 2019 by Kromm

[dwmarch]

23 hours ago, DeafAngelboy23 said:

It’s incredible to see her doing this again after many years. I’m loving it...

Me too and also loving that style! However, I remember one of Roddenberry's original future rules was "no zippers". They were supposed to have been replaced in the future by something different. But since Star Trek 2009 that has gone right out the window.

15 hours ago, marinw said:

Not a Nitpick per se, but intetesting:

• Seven still has that eyebrow implant. Maybe she choose not to have that removed so she could blend in, or removing that implant isn't possible.

That eyebrow implant erases the entire novel continuity from the Destiny trilogy onward. For those who have not read it, it was an epic novel series where the Borg decided they'd had it with humanity's bullshit and decided to send everything they had at the Federation. TLDR spoilers:

Spoiler

The Borg lose and are completely absorbed into another species. The Borg implants on Seven disintegrate.

Every novel since (Destiny was published in 2008 and there's a new novel approximately every month) has dealt with the fallout from that story. I know the novels aren't canon by any means but they have spent the past 11 years laying out an intricate overlapping storyline that is going to be ignored by future novels that will have to pick up from the new canon laid down by the new series.

Nonetheless, the Discovery novels had it worse. In season one, there was a Burnham and Spock novel that got completely mowed over by season two. Oddly enough, season two of Discovery cribbed heavily (as in outright stole) from a Deep Space Nine novel about Section 31. It was called Control and it was about the evil AI that was running 31 behind the scenes. With a bit of fanwanking, the Control of Discovery does actually reconcile with Control the novel and the author swears none of it was intentional. However, it is possible Season 3 of Disco will crap all over this.

13 hours ago, Miss Dee said:

Picard's brother and nephew died in a fire on the vineyard, so I think having a different Picard home fits right in.

Yes, the vineyard fire was established in Star Trek: Generations. Why Picard would rebuild it in such a grandiose fashion remains to be seen but maybe he had Data working on it on the weekends and he forgot how fast Data is when he wants to get something done. I can imagine the conversation going like so:

Picard: Data, don't rebuild it like it was, it will bring back too many painful memories. You know, Robert always dreamed of running a classic French vineyard, let's make his dream come true!

Data: Accessing files on "classic French vineyards". I am ready to begin Captain. Please check back with me in three weeks. It will be completed then. (Proceeds to build a goddamn castle)

Picard (shaking his head three weeks later): Very good Data... very good.

9 hours ago, Kromm said:

That's pretty easy to solve.  B-4 didn't blow up.

Now you've got me thinking wait a minute, maybe B-4 did blow up. They did a switcheroo earlier in the movie. Maybe Data figured out how to take over B-4's body and left himself behind but had to leave B-4's personality dominant for some reason. In any case, Tony Almeida came back on 24 and he was just a regular human being who was super dead the last time we saw him before he mysteriously got better.

[paigow]

5 hours ago, dwmarch said:

Now you've got me thinking wait a minute, maybe B-4 did blow up. They did a switcheroo earlier in the movie. Maybe Data figured out how to take over B-4's body and left himself behind but had to leave B-4's personality dominant for some reason. 

B-4 was too stupid...He / It would never sacrifice himself for Picard. Even if Data had control, the original programming would have resisted suicide. Consequently, Picard would have died while B-4 was paralyzed by conflicting commands.

[jcin617]

I think the simplest explanation is that Data's memory engrams in B4 took hold to such an extent that there's no real difference between them anymore.  

[marinw]

11 hours ago, dwmarch said:

Why Picard would rebuild it in such a grandiose fashion remains to be seen

There are proably some super-strick building codes to keep the Vineyard area  "Traditional" even if the establishing shot shows big buildings in the background.

(Thinking about the "New" house has activated my Planning and Bylaw geek)

[AntiBeeSpray]

On 6/18/2019 at 8:00 PM, marinw said:

Nice if fawning examination of Jean-Luc's enduring charisma:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/why-we-will-always-love-the-humble-heroism-of-captain-p-1835528332

This video makes some good points, but I would not describe Picard has "Humble."

As for past characters showing up, we are due to for a visit from Q.

Oh heck yes. It wouldn't be an adventure without Q. 😂

[SimoneS]

I cannot tell a lie. That trailer was fierce! 

[TVbitch]

Q is my favorite!! (I choose to ignore that one DS9/Voyager(?) episode that featured him, where they gave him some lame, sad ghost town ending or something.) For me, he is still sitting on his throne like he was at the end of the ST:TNG series... 

...and he could certainly bring Data back to "life."  

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Q is my favorite!! (I choose to ignore that one DS9/Voyager(?) episode that featured him, where they gave him some lame, sad ghost town ending or something.) For me, he is still sitting on his throne like he was at the end of the ST:TNG series... 

...and he could certainly bring Data back to "life."  

Voyager was his last appearance, and Janeway proved to be more than a match for him, much to his chagrin.  He was last seen having been sentenced to eternal custody of his wayward son, who made Q himself look like Donny Osmond!

And in other news, there was this interesting little exchange between Jeri Ryan and Robert Picardo on Twitter today: 

To which Robert replied, "We shall see. My lips are sealed."

Edited July 23, 2019 by legaleagle53

[Ottis]

On 6/20/2019 at 8:04 AM, Llywela said:

Everything said about this, though, says that Stewart only agreed to do it because it was a completely new direction for the character, rather than a re-tread of old ground. I'm intrigued to see what they come up with!

And I think that may bother me, if true. Because from what i have read of Stewart, what would  seem to interest *him* most about the character isn't what would interest a lot of viewers. Old ST fans would be disappointed, and I imagine the likelihood of attracting a lot of non ST fans is small regardless.

I hope he doesn't let his ego get the best of him. He can do great acting within the confines of a more traditional ST show, IMO. That said, the recent show trailers look a lot more interesting to me than the first one. So perhaps there will be a nice middle ground for all.

[Llywela]

3 hours ago, Ottis said:

And I think that may bother me, if true. Because from what i have read of Stewart, what would  seem to interest *him* most about the character isn't what would interest a lot of viewers. Old ST fans would be disappointed, and I imagine the likelihood of attracting a lot of non ST fans is small regardless.

I hope he doesn't let his ego get the best of him. He can do great acting within the confines of a more traditional ST show, IMO. That said, the recent show trailers look a lot more interesting to me than the first one. So perhaps there will be a nice middle ground for all.

I don't think it is about ego. I think he explained it a bit better in some of the Comic Con interviews over the weekend, where he said that he likes to keep moving forward, and so wasn't interested in just doing TNG redux because they've already done that, and it would feel like a backward step. But what ultimately sold him on this project was its forward vision. That it builds on the past and the history and the baggage, but allows the character and the universe to move forward. Which is only right and proper, imo, because it is 20-odd years later, naturally all the characters would have moved on with their lives in that time, none of them would still be in the same place, and it would feel really stale and unnatural if they were.

I get the sense from the new trailer and the various interviews that returning TNG (and Voyager!) characters will give this show a firm rooting in the history it inherits from the rest of the franchise. But it will also be very much its own thing, as it should be - as every Star Trek show to date has been. And that is a good thing.

I'm looking forward to this new adventure and to meeting the new crew and finding out how they all come together and why.