what still bother me the most in picard s1 is the way picard asked for help… especially from raffi and elnor
[warning: hardcore picard/st fans who accept no criticism please don’t come after me, im just stating my opinion here without tagging, thank you]
I agree with you completely.
Full disclosure I have seen all the TNG movies + the first two seasons. I am working on the rest but you know time.
However I don’t think the lack of having seen Picard in action prior changes a damn thing when it comes to how entitled Picard acted in season 1. Raffi and Elnor were new characters but they were shown to have had a prior bond with Picard. Elnor saw him as a kinda father figure/hero/the person that saved him and was trying to save the rest of his people. Raffi had served with Picard as his XO I think. They had a different dynamic than Picard had with Riker but they had worked closely together for some time and were clearly close as Raffi called him JL.
Then the Romulan/Mars mess happened and Picard dropped them both. He was dealing with his own crap and 14 years happened. Ok understandable but how he treated them during Picard season 1 was inexcusable. He just assumed they would do what he wanted. He manipulated them emotionally using guilt and disappointment, as well as hitting triggers for them. There was no apology really. Just entitlement. He presumed he had a right to demand from them even though he gave up any right to ask them for anything when he dropped them both. Just his general attitude was appalling.
I found it terrible that Picard “didn’t want to call on Riker and the TNG crowd” because they would help him out of loyalty. Instead he went to Raffi who “had nothing left to lose” – talk about taking advantage of the vulnerable.
I wasn’t happy with Picard when I watched the first time but on the rewatch I did last week I got angry. I felt so bad for Raffi and Elnor and how he played them.