15 years since the writers strike?
Fuck. The years keep coming and they don’t stop indeed.
I can still identify what year that was by the short seasons in stuff I was watching back then.
15 years? Wow. I feel old.
Sorry I just saw an article about how there might be another strike and it said 15 years and my head went into a spin.
Anyway good luck to them.
I’m actually looking forward to the Picard finale next week. As I want this season to be over.
Then I’ll know everything in all it’s… existence. And I can move on. At least until any potential spin-off drama rears it’s ugly head.
Right now it’s making me sad to be honest. And I don’t need that from my entertainment.
Somebody I follow keeps tagging with “salt level Dead Sea” and honestly just big mood.
OTP: angst and pain
Just once I would like that tag to not be accurate 🙁
Ok I’m going to do it. New drinking game (in no particular order):
I really hope I don’t reblog this next Friday and cross a lot off. I just really hate how damn plausible I think this list is 😭 this is a do NOT want list universe. Don’t get confused now. This is like worst case scenario for where they could go (in my opinion). So let’s really hope not. Unless of course I have had a failure of imagination and it is even worse somehow 😬
With the ‘moment’ regarding the Enterprise-D it made me think about what would be my favourite Trek ship.
I mean the Enterprise is classic. It’s the Enterprise. There’s a quote, did Bones say it? About how fate favours ships called Enterprise. The Enterprise is no doubt special and that goes for all versions of the ship.
There’s been what? Archers, Pike’s, Kirk’s, Picards (D and E). Also the Kelvin timeline lens flare one.
I confess when it comes to the Enterprise I am most fond of Pike’s. Yes I know that’s the latest one in SNW. I really like that show. Picard’s is probably second, but how does that rate with other ships?
There is Discovery. There is Voyager. If we count other types of ships there is La Sirena and the Defiant. I guess there is also the ProtoStar. I don’t watch Lower Decks.
My gut is saying my favourite ship is Voyager. It has more presence than La Sirena, is a character that Janeway had faith in just as Pike trusts the Enterprise will hold. As much as I love SNW there is only 10 episodes and Voyager has more stature.
I don’t know just musing on this Saturday night.
I am considering doing a “this is personal nightmare fuel” / “what I want to see least” list for the Picard finale. Kinda like a drinking game but I don’t drink (sadly).
Buuuut it feels like something somebody funny should do and my sense of humour is weird like me.
Also I am kinda scared of putting it out there into the universe on the grounds of “what if it comes true?” Like obviously it wasn’t my list that sprung the nightmare but hate to see it.
Anyway maybe I will, maybe I won’t.
I joked about the lighting and how in recreating the Enterprise set that had blown so much of the budget they couldn’t afford lightbulbs.
For real though it just clicked for me that I think they were trying for a cheap trick of contrast. It’s not the more modern set design (Strange New Worlds is modern and very well lit), it’s that they wanted the old set to look bright and warm to help provoke the warm fuzzy feelings. So new set is lit in cold colours (barely), old set is lit in warm colours (a lot).
Cheap trick.
And they went way too far with it.
I think I have said this about relative power levels of characters before. If you want your hero to shine, build them up, don’t make everyone else stupid/inept so they can win. It doesn’t feel good.
The Enterprise return would have been ‘a moment’ regardless. Have more faith in the old girl.
Oh boy. Ok episode 9 where do I start?
Spoiler alert as always.
Ok let’s start with the positive.
Data’s line and delivery of “I hope we die quickly” was hilarious.
I loved how Seven was the first to fight back and get a phaser with an elbow to the head.
Raffi going “not a chance” and striding forward shooting because she wouldn’t leave Seven was totally badass, and warmed my shipper heart.
As for everything else…
Oh boy.
Continue readingI just posted this in my favourite Trek discord but I am going to post my ramble here as well for posterity 🙂
I still haven’t seen this weeks episode of Picard. Give me a couple of hours.
BUT I have seen some gifsets and it appears the era appropriate Enterprise returns. Between that and the ready room scene I am half convinced that getting those fanservice shots of “look they are back together just how they were!!!” is the only point of the season and whatever crap they had to fling at the wall to get those shots didn’t matter to them.
Anyway I would like to propose an alternate season 3 pitch that would achieve those exact same shots.
It’s Frontier Day. Between the synth ban reversal (and now being a synth! The first human to synth?), and of course the new Borg showing up/narrow averting the Galaxy catastrophe of the season 2 finale Picard’s star is on the rise again. He is enjoying a resurgence in reputation. Therefore it’s only natural, especially with Geordi in charge of the museum that as a special show (for the kids maybe as some kind of living history?) they put the Enterprise-D crew back together. It is supposed to be a performance. Perhaps for StarFleet recruitment even. A little reenactment of one of their famous missions.
But then. Something plotty happens like maybe the Borg watching over the new wormhole thing sound the alarm as “something is coming through” duh duh duh. All hands on deck. No time to change ships. Picard isn’t about to sit this out so they warp into action. More plotty stuff like maybe to beat whatever comes through they need to understand it, so to explore/negotiate etc. they go through to learn things.
Anyway the Enterprise-D and crew are on mission. Alone in a strange new part of the Galaxy dealing with this new threat.
So stakes are high check. Have to work as a team check. Everyone is back and on the Enterprise check.
A plot like this would have
a) allowed the characters to express discomfort at having to adopt roles that haven’t been theirs for 30 years. Show how they have grown, but also allow for nostalgia and what remains the same.
b) drawn on previous seasons of Picard, for better continuity
c) who has experience in a Federation unknown part of the Galaxy? Seven from her time on Voyager allowing her to both have her own nostalgia trip, and also have something really concrete to contribute.
d) allowed for some interesting conflicts because if Seven and Raffi had been deployed as the “starfleet officers kinda ‘in charge’ as they are active StarFleet and none of the Enterprise crew really is (they got the gig due to working with Picard so closely before) then with this unexpected adventure what’s the chain of command? What’s the protocols? Especially if said regulations had changed over the years.
e) finally it would break some new ground and give future Trek new plots to explore. Maybe introduce a whole new alien type. It could also do some heartwarming Federation stuff about ruefully acknowledging past mistakes, at the same time as trying to do better and show these new people the best of who the Federation can be
Worf and Raffi could have still teamed up for ‘away missions’ as two of the fittest/most able crew members. I still remember what Riker said about his knees 😂
Riker and Picard still could have butted heads over how to handle stuff. Like I said with the discomfort of having grown away from the roles they are now being forced back into.
Deanna’s abilities could have been vital. I’m sure all of them could have had a chance to shine.
The only kinda question mark as to whether this could have fitted in somehow is Data’s resurrection. I guess perhaps they could have rebuilt him and then ‘unveiled him’ as part of a “look a Federation hero has returned” as a Frontier Day celebration cue Picard’s horror that they are treating Data like a prop not a person, that they had revived him potentially against his wishes, and maybe even allow Data to consider his future and what he wants from his newfound life. Does he still want to be StarFleet/their poster boy synth? Does he want to explore other aspects of life? Will they let him go if that’s what he wants?
I just had another thought. In the above scenario a member of the crew, I am not sure who would be best for it, maybe Beverley? Could be irritated at being dragged back for Picard’s ego boosting grand standing. But then as part of the journey they perhaps say that they wish to be known as more than just “Picard’s CMO/whatever” as they have a life and accomplishments of their own outside the Enterprise. But that really this was harmless PR and that it gave them time with friends, and getting everyone together with all the different schedules is impossible normally, and hey “one last time to save the Galaxy” who can pass that up? 🙂 so there is like conflict but also the syrupy nostalgic love in the end
@Purlturtle
I think Deanna might have fitted into that role – like, maybe Riker was all stoked to go dashing across the stars once more, but hey, my man, you got a home here and a daughter and a wife, whatcha off gallivanting for? Beverly was the head of Starfleet medical for a while – Deanna got that kind of career only in beta canon (novels) IIRC. She could conceivably complain about her achievements being overshadowed by being seen as Picard’s counselor. (Just like on Betazed she’s always only ever seen as her mother’s (halfblood) daughter)
Anyway I think something like this could have ticked the boxes and egotistically I think it’s a better premise than the season 3 we had. So thought experiment time!
If you were a Trek writer how would you have written season three? What direction would you have gone given the parameters of the nostalgia TNG focus?
Ok so obligatory Friday “haven’t seen Picard yet” buuuut I am also almost practically looking for spoilers at this point because I think it helps soften the blow.
What the actual fuck?
That is all.
Horrified on oh so many levels.
Somebody meme this as I don’t know how to because this writing is on the level of “somehow Palpatine has returned”.
And they got paid for this shit???
I will do a full post later after I watch it tonight.
#borrowing from a mutual by saying it’s not really spoilers just that they spoiled Picard#you are so totally right there#what the actual literal fuck
@Purlturtle
I do love VOY as a show, and most of the characters aboard. The premise was amazing, and a lot of it was executed well – I just think it can be done even better, if the initial conflict of Starfleet vs. Maquis hadn’t been resolved in the space of like three episodes, but had been given more time to breathe. Would have been more realistic too! Also, can the hallowed Starfleet principles REALLY withstand everything the crew encounters, or does it maybe make more sense to adapt them and not cling to them so rigidly? (this would be part of the Kathryn Janeway character arc, too).
Give the story phases, give those phases themes, choose plots/”episodes” and character beats and interactions that play into these themes, make it more cohesive (I understand why the show didn’t fully commit to that, but I’m not beholden to that, after all 🙂 )
(part of me also wants to bring in both Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn, because that way they’d have the chance to be together!)
I made notes on a half-Voyager ‘fix-it’ (kinda I mean like you said exploring some things) and half Raffi on Voyager because Seven and Raffi ☺️
I wanted Amelia Earhart to join the crew because c’mon you really telling me she turned down learning to fly a SPACESHIP??? Like no. I don’t believe that.
Also why there wasn’t more dissent among the crew about stopping to explore the delta quadrant vs. going full pedal home with no side trips?
You already covered the wish that there had been more conflict with the Marquis vs StarFleet.
But people signed up for StarFleet knowing they could die in space/never see home. But at the same people never think it’s the end. The old “young people think they will never die” kind of cliche. And being stranded and knowing that bar a miracle you will be very old/dead before you make it back – I would have thought living with that as reality rather than just a ‘possibility’ would have caused more issues. Why did nobody wrestle with giving up?
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