1.02: Star Trek: Picard - Maps and Legends

ctg

weaver of the unseen
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Picard begins investigating the mystery of Dahj as well as what her very existence means to the Federation. Without Starfleet's support, Picard is left leaning on others for help, including Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) and an estranged former colleague, Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd). Meanwhile, hidden enemies are also interested in where Picard's search for the truth about Dahj will lead.
 
"Good Morning, Plastic People." :LOL:

The CBS writer overdid themselves with the second episode introduction. It is funny as hell. Figuratively speaking, as the show they put up turned Mars to a hellish environment. It is intriguing that they haven't shown us a smouldering piece of rock covered in water vapour. In theory, if they could heat up that frozen rock so much, it could eventually turn back to a green and blue planet. There is enough of water to do that... if the scientists didn't lie

Maybe the biggest mystery is the Romulan myth about a secret cabal witch simply could called the Dead. For the sake of avoiding the spelling mistake, I'm going to continue using that term. It surprised me that Picard's guests are the Romulan refugees. I was more amazed that they hate synthetics. So, in a sense they managed to somehow create a situation, where the cabal caused through a hack a galaxy wide ban on the synthetic lifeforms.

It is kind of remarkable act, when you think about it.

Poirot could be call it a galactic crime, because in the essence that's what happened. They compromised the Federation cybersecurity and caused an incident that made them ban their most advanced members. The species that had saved them literally from the Borg apocalypse!

:cool:

Oh man, how the mighty have fallen!

I love that Picard is written seriously, and the actors take the whole business professionally by delivering us top class SciFi. I love more that Picard has old man problems, with the inevitable death lurking in the future. There is no escape. It happens to all of us. Even to so called immortals. Species that has lived centuries, millenniums. Even the Q had one coming for him, when the Continuum took away his powers and rendered him human.

But it fascinates me that the Borg cube isn't just a cube, but some sort of archive that has severed the connection from the Collective. And the Dead are exploiting its technology, even selling it to the highest bidder. In theory, synthetics should be available in the intergalactic black market. Same that it has always worked, as the Federation didn't leave Picard other choice, but to go rogue.

"Request Denied," the Federation said. "Do what you are good, which is nothing. Go home!"

Thing is, he caused stir in the ranks with his allegation over the Romulan plot. But what I don't understand who is this Narek person? A vulcan separatist, because he does not look like Romulan. Did he sneak into Earth and acted as Maddox?

Was the virus that caused the synthetic incident Borg or Romulan or something else?
 
Good summary!
But what I don't understand who is this Narek person?
He is the brother of Lieutenant Narissa Rizzo. Since she has had surgery to make her human, it would be conceivable that Narek had had surgery to make him Vulcan. I'm not sure if he is Romulan pretending to be Vulcan or if he is just Romulan, because Dahj's sister knows that he is Romulan. He also said that Narek was "one" of the names he is known by, Confused yet?

I think I've got that, and I'm happy to wait to find out more answers. I'm more interested in this new character introduced at the end, Raffi Musiker (the actor also plays Grover's wife in Hawaii Five-O.) It is hard for me to believe that Picard met her after his career in Starfleet ended. He knew the doctor from his time on the USS Stargazer. However, he obviously knows her very well, and rates her enough to be his number one on a 'damn fool mission of cowboy diplomacy.'
 
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It is hard for me to believe that Picard met her after his career in Starfleet ended.

To me she strikes like that a person who built Picard's farming bots. And then something happened between them, maybe the old man didn't pay her for the work, maybe they had an argument... or something. But she isn't delighted on going in space.
 
The humans on Mars did nothing to hide their disdain for their "plastic people" co-workers, but that alone doesn't seem like enough to drive them to mass, self-destructive rebellion. They did remind me of crash test dummies, though, or is that just my own synthetic bias? :)
Lots of cloak-and-dagger stuff going on as the series gets moving. Picard rejected the idea of getting the old gang back together and putting them in danger, but I won't be surprised if some of them end up on his crew.
I wonder what kind of a ship he will be able to procure. Will it be more Millennium Falcon or Rocinante?
 
Looking at the comments it seems like I am watching a different show. Episode 1 became available, 2 is listed but not available. Episode 1 started up for real about halfway into it. Could have started with her first appearing at the farm. What I saw and the trailer at end of makes me think it will be much better than the last season of The Expanse, which seemed to be just the lead in to the next season which made it far too long for what happened. The previous Expanse seasons were fantastic and I never got on board Next Generation.
 
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Glad ep2 explains some of the mysteries & fan complaints about the first episode.

A few fans complained about the weird Starfleet HQ 'rooftop cleanup' job & leave Picard on his couch with no questions asked scene jump moment in ep 1 but now we see the Commodore reviewing the battle cleanup footage (questioning it's effectiveness) and discover this fascinating Starfleet conspiracy with secret Romulan sect plot. I remember people in the past getting so upset about the English writing in the Romulan Borg research post but there are a lots of humans there which explains that one.

We see that the Androids that destroyed Utopia planitia were 'hacked' presumably by this secret synthetic hating Romulan faction. And holy moly they actually acknowledged Picard's Irumodic syndrome that afflicted him around now in the alternate future seen in TNG finale All Good Things. I'm impressed with their attention to detail (regarding old Trek events), which makes me hope the writers haven't forgotten Lore & Lal after all.

The only real gaff I saw was Laris saying Romulans never had a cybernetic program which contradicts the awesome TNG S3 ep the defector where Admiral Jarok tells Data that he knows a number of Romulan cyberneticists that would love to get their hands on him. Although then again maybe its not a gaff as we saw Romulan experts pulling apart dead Borg. You cant really study Borgs without some good cyberneticists lol. Probably just more Romulan secrets lol.
 
I enjoyed that episode quite a bit. I have always felt that the Romulans should have been given the same treatment that the Klingons received and I'm happy to see some new material on them.

We witness the attack on Mars and it seems to me that the plastic people are more like drones than androids. It was clear that they were being controlled but by who we don't know yet. I have a feeling the answer is supposed to surprise us when we do find out.

It's good to see Picard sticking to his guns regarding Starfleet and the Federation's failure to help the Romulan but I don't know why he bothered going through official channels to begin with given the interview he'd just done. He couldn't have really expected to be welcomed with open arms.

We have a Romulan spy network working on Earth and in Starfleet. This feels appropriate given how Starfleet and UFP seem to have changed for the worse. I'm just not sure if the Commodore is actually a Vulcan or another Romulan in disguise.

The thing that disappoints me about it is the needless swearing. It adds nothing and actually makes it harder to show to a younger audience. I wish the producers would remember that. Star Trek didn't need that sort of the thing in the past so I don't see the need for it now.
 
The thing that disappoints me about it is the needless swearing. It adds nothing and actually makes it harder to show to a younger audience. I wish the producers would remember that. Star Trek didn't need that sort of the thing in the past so I don't see the need for it now.

All those words are in my vocabulary, but I agree I'd prefer not to hear them in Star Trek.
 
He couldn't have really expected to be welcomed with open arms.
I thought it showed how he was full of his own self-importance. I thought it was realistic. He saved the galaxy and saved the world several times. he might expect a little respect. In reality, that is now all in the past; no one could care less, he is a forgotten hero and an inconvenient thorn in the side. That happens in real life too. He just learned that lesson.
 
I thought it showed how he was full of his own self-importance. I thought it was realistic. He saved the galaxy and saved the world several times. he might expect a little respect. In reality, that is now all in the past; no one could care less, he is a forgotten hero and an inconvenient thorn in the side. That happens in real life too. He just learned that lesson.
Ain't that the truth.
 
The episode was interesting, but there was an awful lot of exposition which is beginning to really slow down the story. The long dialogue about a secret society behind the Romulan secret police seemed premature - we don't need that information yet, and it could have developed later, not least because it's already obvious there is a Romulan conspiracy going on without the show needing to give us a backstory on it.

It would be good to see more of Dahj's twin, because at the moment Narek seems to be dominating her scenes - in contrast with the scenes with Dahj where she was the full focus and her character shone through. The twin so far shows no personality.

So, still very good, but this show needs to get on with the story instead of the backstory, and let the characters do more work.

The thing that disappoints me about it is the needless swearing.

In Picard's interview there was no reason for her to swear - it looked very unprofessional. It's also surprising that Picard held nothing back and gave a full account of a Romulan conspiracy he had no proof of - wouldn't it have been better to just say he was looking to retrieve fragments of Commander Data?
 
The synthetics in the prologue reminded me a lot of the Ood from The Impossible Planet.

I'm still really enjoying this, though this episode was a bit slow. It riled me a little that a life long dedicated tea drinker dunked his tea bag into a pot of just hot water. The water must be literally boiling or it loses flavour! Plus I thought that scene was a little unnecessary, that information could have been imparted during their meeting in Japan in ep 1.

I was disappointed with the F Bomb too. And I felt certain that I was supposed to recognise that admiral so I looked her up. Nope.

And with the Federation Romulans, I thought it was weird naming Starfleet officers after Muppets (Lieutenant Rizzo The Rat).
 
wouldn't it have been better to just say he was looking to retrieve fragments of Commander Data?

Not from the Starfleet point of view. They made the political situation and it would look bad if they would start giving some leeway to Picard. None of them want synthetics, because it will make them look bad, as they are superior compared to humans. We are dominated by feelings, they are not.

And with the Federation Romulans, I thought it was weird naming Starfleet officers after Muppets (Lieutenant Rizzo The Rat).

:ROFLMAO:

We have a Romulan spy network working on Earth and in Starfleet. This feels appropriate given how Starfleet and UFP seem to have changed for the worse. I'm just not sure if the Commodore is actually a Vulcan or another Romulan in disguise.

I think it's only natural that Starfleet degenerates. They have been in the business for a long enough to become corrupt and forget the ideals. To them, it's all about maintaining the status quo. The few scenes we have seen from the future doesn't look rosy, as everyone of them has hinted that ultimately the Starfleet twists and become the opposite to its origins.
 
I don't think Starfleet will make a head-over-heels twist against its core beliefs, however what I think we are seeing is more of the dirty side of it. Don't forget way back in the early Original series films there was a whole plot to engineer war with the Klingons and deny them entry into Starfleet. Adding smaller (weaker) races seems fairly easy, however adding more powerful ones that have a bigger impact does come with all the associated social and political hurdles that we see even today.

Even though the Federation appears to live in an idealised society where its clear there is a lot of social protection of its people, having robots appear which can replace you is still a risk. Even if you might not require your job to earn money in the same way as we might associate with life today; you still draw an identity and purpose from your work - possibly more so in the ST universe where we've never really had a clear understanding of the pay/privilege system in effect. It might well be that the rich/poor gap is very small, which means work is going to be a far more social and mental thing. So having robots starting to appear might threaten many. We'd likely see the same of new species entering the Federation in a big way too, however its likely that Synthetics were another level. A new race might take years and generations to get far into the interior of the Federation.

Picard marching into the starfleet HQ scene I though was great. Here we have a decorated Admiral who suddenly gets a reality slap that, yes he's done great things and was very influential. However he's been out of the game so long its all moved on; he's lost political power and influence; he's lost his ability to command or instruct his peers. He's not even able to requisition a single small exploratory ship.
I also really liked the scene where they spoke of the other crew members of the Enterprise, a reminder that he DOES have allies within the Federation. His argument against using them was a very important fact to get squeezed in early. Even if the audience might disagree, I think its good that he's given us his reasoning. I'd also argue that for all his anger and disagreement with the "Federation", Picard still believes in it powerfully. I think another layer of him not wanting to use Riker and the others is that he doesn't want to cause an uprising and almost mutiny within the Federation. Keeping in mind that at the very least Worf and Riker are likely commanding whole ships of their own; not to mention what roles the others might be in. Picard isn't Kirk. Kirk would (and did) steal a starship for his own ends. Picard has to REALLY get pushed hard to get to that point. Kirk would get fired up very quickly, Picard takes a lot longer to get to that point.
 
However he's been out of the game so long its all moved on; he's lost political power and influence; he's lost his ability to command or instruct his peers.

If Picard was nobody, his interview would not have caused the stir in the Starfleet. The Admiral was already salty for what had happened and him approaching with request to open up the whole thing just winded them up. Still, Commodore was ordered to look into the case and she found something, even though the whole bloody explosion happened next to their Quantum Archive. If that would happen today, there would be all news about terrorists and so on. But somehow, the Romulan infiltrators managed to scrub whole thing.

How?

Keeping in mind that at the very least Worf and Riker are likely commanding whole ships of their own; not to mention what roles the others might be in. Picard isn't Kirk. Kirk would (and did) steal a starship for his own ends. Picard has to REALLY get pushed hard to get to that point. Kirk would get fired up very quickly, Picard takes a lot longer to get to that point.

True, he is too kind, too caring to be Kirk. But there comes to point when good men has to do bad things. Picard has seen it, and he know what can be done if he steps over the border. My second favourite scene in the episode was Picard riding down the escalators, with a serious fishface. If he would have been in a commanding position, he would not have said no to suggestions on doing something dodgy.
 
I think the Federation isn't crying out terrorists because the Federation hasn't got a terrorist culture established. Don't forget this is many years after the Dominion War and the Federation isn't at war with anyone (or at least anyone major enough to worry the central regions). There's no reason for them to jump to Terrorists when a phase power coupler overloading or something like that can easily wash over it. Don't forget the key part of a terror attack is damage and, most often, death of innocents or key people. Far as everyone is aware there was one man atop the building at the time and he only suffered concussion. Indeed he was sent home rather than sent to a hospital. Although I think his Romulan protectors might well have pulled him out early and got him home- there's clearly a bond between them that makes them and Picard want to retreat to the safety of their little vineyard world.

When your department basically is the spy department you can easily clean things up, especially when there isn't any real observation nor bystanders who get hit. What's more interesting is that they didn't use that moment to make a final jab at Picard. Which I think shows that whilst he's got no official influence, they still have some respect for his potential to cause damage through his friends and connections. You can bet many of his old crew would ask some big questions and poke their noses in if he was dead. In a way he's easier to control as an old man alive than as a dead martyr to his old crew.


Picard is likely a somebody to the public eye. He can cause a stir and problems politically with a public outburst. However within the actual machine itself he has no official influence anymore. Don't forget he was wearing a visitors badge. He resigned his Admiralty and left Starfleet. Plus he did so under a dark cloud many years ago. He can be refused because he's not part of the system any more. It's like your old manager walking into the office and demanding things when he's no longer employed by them in any capacity. Yes he might have done great things for the company in his time, but now someone else is in his chair; someone else is in charge and he's not got any actual "power" to his name to force things through.
Plus don't forget that was the first interview he'd done in a long while, even for the public, whilst he has influence, he's likely lost a good portion over the years as a recluse.


A way to think of it is that he's allowed himself to die in a way. He abandoned his old life in such a big way that he can't just come back to it over a weekend as if nothing had happened. He stepped back and stepped away and the world moved on without him in Starfleet. What we've seen is basically his self realisation of this fact. He's not a stupid man and its clear that whilst he's frustrated he is also not being crushed by it. Part of him likely knew very well he was taking a huge gamble; he might even have deep down expected to get refused. However its one thing to think something and another to get confronted by it.
 
He stepped back and stepped away and the world moved on without him in Starfleet.

I'm not sure he stepped back, but he went through grief after Data's so-called death. The vineyard became his hideout and he didn't wanted anything to do with the Starfleet. I suppose from the Federation perspective it was easier to move him into retirement, as he was in that age than wait for him to get his act together and Picard accepted it. Until now.

Now it's clear that he lost everything. But how much that Romulan woman influence Picard? She doesn't want him to go off on a venture and get himself killed. After all the man is old. But in a way Picard is at his prime, his has so much experience, skills and knowledge that when it's put in use he becomes one of the best captains in the galaxy. Knowing that he's going to die at some point might even free him to do certain things that he otherwise wouldn't have done.

We all know how much the crews treasure their captains. So is he going to become protected or is going to take a central role in this search for the truth. In a way he's going in a crusade, and the Romulan separatist faction is after other Borg cubes. Who really knows what they'll have elsewhere, and how far the hivemind was damaged, when the Queen died?

There is a potential that another Borg invasion happens if the Dead finds out the location, or somehow activate the Artefact. They are actively dismantling pieces of it, and moving them into the black market, or into their own storages. We know through transhumanism that they'll do whatever they need to enhance themselves. They will even replace their own limbs, organs if something better is available.

So far, in the Federation space, all of that has been culled and there's not that many that follows the path, even though they have a huge potential to enhance species. To them it's a big no-no. But Narvek's scenes suggests that there is people out there that are willing to take the step and become something else. Even today, in our own society, we are doing everything to give disabled people normal lives. And that happens through enhancement.

Synthetics are better than us in all ways, except in emotions. Yet they are banned. Why?

What happened to the Federation and their religious interest on the Prime Directives?
 
I wonder if the Enterprise E is still in commission, and if so is it someone we know as Captain? Ashley Judd? Or the young command officer from Below Decks?
 

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