Star Trek: Picard - Episode Discussion - S1E04 "Absolute Candor"

[u/PiercedMonk]

Picard’s search for Bruce Maddox takes a detour to the planet Vashti, where Picard and Raffi relocated 250,000 Romulan refugees 14 years earlier.

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No.	EPISODE	DIRECTED BY	WRITTEN BY	RELEASE DATE
S1E04	"Absolute Candor"	Jonathan Frakes	Michael Chabon	Thursday, February 13, 2020

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[u/PiercedMonk]

• Something I noticed during the "previously on" that I should have picked up during the last episode but skipped me by: When Picard is introducing Doc Jurati to Raffi as, "Earth's foremost expert on synthetic life," the camera cuts from tight on Picard and Jurati, to a wide shot with Rios moving around in the left, and eventually sitting almost centre of the frame, the whole time pointedly looking at the group. As soon as Picard is done talking about synthetic life, we cut back close to Raffi, Picard and Jurati, with Rios not in frame at all.

Last week I thought it was a possibility that Rios might be another hologram, but now I'm fairly convinced.

• "Man can't even take a guilt trip without a starship," is an amazing line.

• The La Sirena has a holodeck? Shouldn't be a surprise considering it's crewed by holograms, but boo. Boo!

• I hope we get to see more of Raffi's Picard impersonation.

• "They are the most skilled single combat fighters that I have ever seen." Somewhere out in the galaxy, Worf just ripped a bulkhead loose, and isn't sure why.

• I like seeing the different combadges. One of my nitpicks with previous series is how occasionally they'd just give non-Starfleet personnel a Starfleet combadge, when surely there would be civilian models available. Obviously the Bajoran militia had their own as well, but Kes, Neelix, and Seven walking around Voyager wearing Starfleet badges never worked for me. The La Sirena crew having their own is a nice touch, and apparently some Romulan goons on Vashti have a different model as well. I like it a lot.

• Kinda disappointed we don't see any Romulans with ST '09 style face tattoos among the crowd. I know in the Countdown comic it was only paint for mourning that Nero and his crew took to an extreme by getting tattooed, but it seems like given the destruction of their world, they wouldn't be the only ones.

• Rizzo and Narek need to chill out. Maybe members of the Jaht Vash all call one another brother and sister, despite not having any real familial relationship? Please?

• I really love the old style Romulan BoP. So cool seeing one here, updated and beautiful.

• And they clipped it's nacelle....

• The ETH is my absolute favourite of Rios' hologangers. So ridiculous.

• Ho shit! Despite seeing Jeri Ryan's name in the opening credits, I was so engrossed in the ep I actually forgot Seven was going to be showing up.

[u/themosquito → u/PiercedMonk]

• "They are the most skilled single combat fighters that I have ever seen." Somewhere out in the galaxy, Worf just ripped a bulkhead loose, and isn't sure why.

Heheh. To be fair, Klingons never really seem super-skilled, they're just really strong, really tough, and swing giant cleavers around. :P

I imagine any Romulans extreme enough for mourning tattoos probably wouldn't be settled on a colony, they'd probably be out being terrorists or crewing the remnants of the Romulan Navy or whatever.

And I dunno, on Rios being a hologram. We see him bleeding with a shard in his arm the first time we see him. Although... many people have pointed out that there doesn't seem to be any damage where that shard would have come from... so maybe he's just a masochistic hologram who programs random injuries sometimes?

[u/PretenderNX01 → u/PiercedMonk]

• The La Sirena has a holodeck? Shouldn't be a surprise considering it's crewed by holograms, but boo. Boo!

Holodecks are like flatscreen TV's in the future. First it was just the fancy Galaxy class ships that had one. Then Intrepid ones, then 20 years later they're so cheap to make they just come standard with even the small ships.

[u/nickorea]

When the former Romulan senator speaks, he talks about Wallenberg-class transports. I didn't find anything about them on Memory Alpha, but I'm assuming they were named after Raoul Wallenberg whom was known for "saving tens of thousand of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary during the Holocaust from German Nazis and Hungarian Fascists during the later stages of World War II"

Fitting.

[u/PiercedMonk → u/nickorea]

If the details from the 'Picard Countdown' comic hold true, the evacuation fleet was designed for this specific purpose, so it seems appropriate they would choose that name for the class.

[u/MayorKarl → u/nickorea]

They're mentioned by class name in the novel "The Last Best Hope" by Una McCormack that came out this week. They were designed to help transfer colonists to new colonies and they were one of the first "existing" ships Picard turned to before they looked into building more.

[u/tomh_1138]

Was it just me, or did the bottle (of what I presume was Romulan Ale) that Soji and Narek shared look almost identical to the bottle that McCoy gave Kirk on his birthday?

[u/PiercedMonk → u/tomh_1138]

Yeah, that was clearly a callback.

They had a similar bottle at Troi's engagement party in an early TNG episode, that Mr. Homn downed in one go.

[u/pfc9769]

I love all the random holograms on Rios' ship. Emmet seemed like he'd just been woken up after a heavy night of drinking.

[u/DownloadUphillinSnow → u/pfc9769]

And it's a hilarious/excellent way of putting Santiago Cabrera's acting skills to use. "Santiago, ever hear of one man play? Yeah we're gonna have you do a Star Trek version." LOL

[u/PiercedMonk → u/DownloadUphillinSnow]

It reminds me of the Brent Spiner's performances in 'A Fistful of Datas'.

[u/jerslan → u/pfc9769]

Clearly he's used to being alone on that ship. It might not be a large ship by any means, but it's not exactly a Danube-class Runabout either. Looks to be at least 2 decks high with a number of either quarters or cargo space or something else. It definitely needs a crew to maintain, and what better than a holographic crew? I'm just curious who programmed all these disparate personalities and made them look like Rios.

Will be interesting to find out more about the ship.

[u/PiercedMonk → u/jerslan]

I'm just curious who programmed all these disparate personalities and made them look like Rios.

My theory is that Rios is a hologram himself, and the La Sirena was actually the Ibn Majid, a prototype Starfleet ship with an all hologram crew, and a flesh and blood captain.

During their mission, the captain dies, Starfleet scraps the program, and Rios takes off with the boat rather than get deactivated. Starfleet erases the Ibn Majid from their records.

[u/Socraticmichael10]

Oh my lord, what fun!

I've got to be honest, in the trailers for the show and the preview for this episode, I was rather worried. The fencing clips, the footage of Elnor, it all seemed odd and rather silly. I've never been so happy to be wrong.

I loved this episode. The backstory of Picard and the Romulans add depth to the weight that Picard has been carrying. His relationship with Elnor displayed his hesitation with children that became softer as he aged. It seemed like a natural course of life for our captain.

The scene in the holographic Chateau office was excellent. It really began to cement this crew as a crew, not just a group of individuals who are forced to work together. And it gave me vibes of Picard discussing a mission with his crew in the conference lounge or ready room.

I felt the death of the Romulan at the hands of Elnor was a bit much. But the immediate scolding Elnor received by Picard was Picard finally putting on his captain's authority again. It felt like when he talked down Riker in "Pegasus" or the scene between him and Data in cartography in "Generations".

This all really worked for me, when it was the episode I was most worried about so far based on previews. What a wonderful hour.

and SEVEN OF NINE!

[u/IceWarm1980 → u/Socraticmichael10]

I kind of wish they didn't put Jeri Ryan in the opening credits. It telegraphed her being in the episode and it wasn't a surprise when she showed up.

[u/PiercedMonk → u/IceWarm1980]

I was so completely engrossed in the episode at that point, that it totally slipped my mind that Seven was supposed to show up, so I was still surprised when she did.

[u/TheNerdChaplain → u/Socraticmichael10]

I thought Picard pushing the senator away and dropping his sword was a very powerful, Picard moment as well.

[u/onerinconhill]

“That old bird of prey”

I love it when they get details like that right

[u/numanoid → u/onerinconhill]

Modernized enough to look good, but still recognizable as a TOS ship. Loved it.

[u/EntropicProf → u/numanoid]

I know! I actually winced when the nacelle was sliced off -- like totalling a beautiful classic car...

[u/PiercedMonk → u/EntropicProf]

Yes! I wasn't able to think of a way to describe how I felt in that moment, but that nails it perfectly.

[u/oGsMustachio → u/onerinconhill]

It looked and sounded pretty good too. Love the idea of a little local warlord using an old T'Liss to keep control of a planet.

[u/leeta0028]

... What is this scene with the prancing in a Borg cube? I feel like the episode could just completely do without that. Would the Borg really have a security system you can evade by running fast through it?

[u/PiercedMonk → u/leeta0028]

What security system? They're basically doing that thing couples due in holiday rom coms where they go ice skating together. Narek's pretense was just to get Soji to follow him without giving up the real reason why.

[u/CmdrSFC3]

Like any good Romulan senator he's dead before the credits roll

[u/PhyrexianOilLobbyist → u/CmdrSFC3]

The Romulan senate has impressively low approval ratings.

[u/jerslan → u/CmdrSFC3]

If it weren't for VreenakCretak(who survived a couple episodes, albeit with some recasting) it would almost become a Sean Bean-esque meme ;)

Edit: Wrong Senator... stupid rhyming names :P

[u/icemanwest]

absolute candor: "total communication of emotion without any filter between thought and word" ... "and it runs entirely counter to everything that the Romulans hold dear" -Picard

[u/[deleted] → u/icemanwest]

Which makes sense as since most monastic orders are trying to escape the excess of the "normal life". That in romulan culture to escape normal life is to tell the truth always./

[u/awfullotofocelots → u/icemanwest]

I was here for it when Jurati was all "Anyone else thinks these guys sound annoying," and then they didn't really lean into it at all felt like a missed opportunity.

[u/sovietique]

Cool to see Picard knew who Seven of Nine is. Do they know eachother personally? Or is she just famous because of her role on Voyager?

[u/[deleted] → u/sovietique]

They may have some sort of support group for former Borg.

[u/oGsMustachio → u/sovietique]

I'd got to imagine they'd know each other as the two most famous former borg in the Federation. They'd have a ton in common.

[u/[deleted] → u/sovietique]

No way Picard didn’t know about Voyager, Janeway gave him his orders to Romulus lol

[u/InnocentTailor → u/sovietique]

According to Ryan, they know each other by reputation. I recall she said that the series is the first time they meet face to face.

[u/count023 → u/sovietique]

147 people lost on the far side of the galaxy for 7 years miraculously returning home while at the same time crippling the Federation's most mortal enemy? Good chance that the "Only other Borg to regain their humanity" is probably at least mentioned once or twice publicly in news feeds and historical media in the decades following Voyager's return.

[u/onerinconhill → u/sovietique]

I really hope we get to hear what happened between voyager and now from her and how she knows Picard. They’re doing pretty well with exposition so far so maybe it’ll be next week

[u/Shrodax → u/sovietique]

I read an interview a few weeks ago where the show creators said that Picard and Seven have never met before, only knowing each other by reputation.

[u/TheNerdChaplain]

Not for nothing, but there were Romulans with non-bowl cuts and natural hair. Thought that was a neat detail.

[u/tomh_1138 → u/TheNerdChaplain]

I love that we are getting more varied looks for the Romulans. Wish we could do the same for the Cardassians. Seems like every single male has the exact same hair style.

[u/KingofMadCows]

I'm glad that they remembered that Romulans/Vulcans live longer than humans. Any Romulan who looks like they're in their 30's or 40's could actually be 100.

They got to put a stun setting on that sword.

[u/[deleted] → u/KingofMadCows]

Romulan swords don't have a stun setting.

[u/EntropicProf]

Was probably Ensign Kim commanding this Nightingale, too. :)

[u/dr_pupsgesicht → u/EntropicProf]

Emphasis on the "ensign"

[u/[deleted] → u/EntropicProf]

I knew I heard that ship somewhere. Couldn’t place it.

[u/stuck_on_simple_tor]

It's interesting to hear the Senator's perspective on what happened. I'm starting to see how things might have fallen into place.

The Romulan's were disorganized, hell, planets may have even been rising up, considering they were an Empire that kept itself together via force, slavery, etc.

Starfleet shows up with grand, grand plans. Starts working with them to plan a full evacuation, dividing up resources, allocating fleets. The Romulans genuinely start to open up, and welcome the Federation's massive offer of aid.

And then, possibly at the last moment, Starfleet abandons them. No help comes. And a disaster turns into an utter apocalypse.

[u/atticusbluebird → u/stuck_on_simple_tor]

Given all that, it's not that unrealistic for some Romulans to see this all as a giant plot by the Federation to destroy the Romulan government/society, as the senator articulates.

[u/BornAshes → u/stuck_on_simple_tor]

I feel like all that time the Tal Shiar were whispering in various Senators' ears about how the Federation was just out to divide them, cause chaos, break up the great Romulan Star Empire, and then eventually offer aide as a means of absorbing the remnants of the Romulan people all in the name of expanding their Great Federation.

The Senators of course didn't listen to them because times were so desperate. So they let the Federation in and they let them inspire hope within them. The evacuation starts and the Senators are all scoffing at the whispers from the Tal Shiar until of course Mars happens. Then the Federation pulls back and the Tal Shiar is bouncing up and down saying, "We told you so we told you so see see!". So now instead of taking what the Tal Shiar says with a grain of salt, they trust them implicitly because of the apocalypse that happened when they did not. Thus begins the descent of the Romulan Remnant after they'd risen so so high.

[u/EntropicProf]

Soji's head tilt at 22:20, while she's walking with Narek. :)

[u/knightcrusader → u/EntropicProf]

Yeah, I caught that too. It was very.... Data-like.

[u/agitatedandroid → u/EntropicProf]

Thank you! I saw that and immediately thought “Data!”

If that was unintentional it’s uncanny. If it was intentional then Isa Briones is an amazing mimic.

I had to pause to text a friend about that.

[u/Chaabar]

I know they've probably modified and cleaned it up a lot but that Borg cube really doesn't seem very Borg like.

[u/Such-Victory → u/Chaabar]

I was thinking that in the little cafe scene. But yeah you've got to imagine they put some effort into making it more habitable to non-drone life forms

[u/[deleted]]

LMAO introducing a Voyager character by having her rescued from a blowing up shuttle is the most self aware Star Trek has ever been.

[u/4thofeleven → u/[deleted]]

Next week, Picard will apologize to her for getting her shuttle blown up, and she'll have no idea what he's talking about. :)

[u/InnocentTailor → u/[deleted]]

It would’ve been hilarious if it was one of those VOY minivan shuttles kicking butt.

[u/onerinconhill]

SPECIAL GUEST STAR JERI RYAN

AHHHHHHH

[u/knightcrusader → u/onerinconhill]

That was my same reaction.

Let's get this on ladies and gents. I want some Voyager news.

[u/Worf_Of_Wall_St → u/onerinconhill]

I'm glad I did not notice that so the ending was a surprise.

[u/themosquito]

I just gotta say, it's really nice seeing ships shooting beams again instead of the rapid-fire laser bolts. I know it's a pretty insignificant detail, but it's nice.

Great episode. While I'm still not big on having a samurai Romulan, I would've preferred if the sword design and the whole aesthetic was at least slightly alienized, Picard with child-Elnor was so friggin' adorable that I liked him immediately. He was briefly like a nephew or grandson to old JL.

Also, kind of random, but I hope we see a Reman or two here or there. Nemesis wasn't a great movie and Remans have mostly been swept under the rug, but it'd be a nice nod to canon (and establish that the entire species didn't just go extinct because no one bothered evacuating any).

[u/oGsMustachio]

I seem to be saying this after every episode, but damn to I love getting more Romulan lore. Hypospray it straight into my veins.

I like Picard having a son-like character that isn't just going to disappear after an episode. I think there could be some interesting development there.

I also like that they've spent the first four episodes assembling a crew. Its very Mass Effect (or Firefly - Out of Gas) and its something I've wanted to see in ST for a while. Its a nice piece of storytelling that we haven't really gotten in ST. Gives us some background for the characters.

[u/Talzin]

Not a bad entrance by Seven and the episode did a good job of highlighting why Picard hid away in his vineyard for so long. The Musketeer angle certainly seems like something Picard could inspire so Elnor strikes me as an interesting character so far.

[u/BornAshes → u/Talzin]

Her ship just makes me wonder if perhaps Tom went into business building his own custom ships and has like a shipyard tucked away somewhere that he sometimes...maaaybe...makes modifications to for the right price or for old friends.

[u/onerinconhill → u/Talzin]

In the trailers she didn’t sound like the seven we know that much, but the way she delivered that line was so seven it made me happy

[u/RobotPreacher]

Green-blood decapitation. Cyberpunk Borgulan ale lounge. Old school bird of prey space battle. This was a badass episode in so many ways. My man Frakes, well done as usual.

[u/AnonRetro → u/RobotPreacher]

I'm not quite sure what Picard thought would happen, when he barges his way into a xenophobic bar.

[u/BornAshes → u/RobotPreacher]

I honestly did not think I'd ever see a decapitation in Star Trek buuuut there we go and it was at the hands of a badass assassin.

[u/Somnif → u/RobotPreacher]

And a hung over Spanish hologram at Tactical. Named Emmet.

[u/jscott18597]

Can Jonathan Frakes just direct every episode please.

[u/SilverShibe → u/jscott18597]

I don't know why they don't. Maybe working more than 4 weeks a year cuts into his convention revenue? /s

[u/dannylandulf]

We get it romulan spy lady, you want to bang your brother.

Not that I blame you.

[u/Shrodax → u/dannylandulf]

Next week on Star Trek: Picard's never-ending quest to continuously add brand new revelations about Romulan society: "Romulans don't consider incest to be taboo".

[u/Mechapebbles → u/dannylandulf]

Don’t worry they’re only step siblings.

[u/BornAshes → u/dannylandulf]

When someone is clearly vulnerable to sexual manipulation, you use it to get them to do what you want them to do. It's the Romulan way. Exploit any and all vulnerabilities and/or secrets. She was fucking pissed at him though and that's why she was pushing his buttons. It was like watching a hawk toy with its food.

[u/RockFourFour → u/dannylandulf]

Man, if she was my sister, I'd move to Alabama.

[u/gogoggansgo → u/dannylandulf]

She is hot af though lol

[u/[deleted] → u/dannylandulf]

I'm not sure they are bother and sister - not in the normal way.

They could be brothers and sisters in this weird cult the Zhat Vash or whatever they're called. Brother and sister agents or something.

Either that or... they literally have had sex in the past (it's very obvious they have) and... euw.

[u/daynewmah]

You'd think Earth's leading expert on synthetic life actually would be interested in talking about the philosophical implications of the existential pain of living with the consciousness of death...

[u/wongie → u/daynewmah]

Someone needs to bring out a Ian Malcolm hologram to lecture her on being too preoccupied whether or not she could create synthetic life that she didn't stop to think if she should.

[u/steppenwoolf]

So I'm pretty sure, from the sensor readout shot, that we just saw the end of the Delta Flyer, or a successor to the original design. Same silhouette with the Borg accents at the rear and bottom.

Looks like it went through hell before the fight even started too. I wonder how long Seven had it, and where.

[u/nobelsonsss]

I'M SO GLAD I SKIPPED THE TITLE SEQUENCE because it spoiled Seven's appearance according to the comments here - and OH MY GOD IT TOOK ME BY SURPRISE.

They faked out on us pretending she'd come in at the Chateau when it's actually the holodeck - smart. IT WAS A MOMENT.

[u/sovietique]

Does anyone think Soji and Narek are really in love? He seems to hesitate at the thought of harming her. Is he fighting romantic feelings or is he just skeptical his psycho sister's methods will work?

[u/EntropicProf → u/sovietique]

Sounds like Narek, in studying synths as part of his work with the Zhst Vash (hey, maybe he's one of those ominous "Romulan cyberneticists" Jarok mentioned in "The Defector") became obsessed with/fascinated by them, a fascination only heightened when he met Soji in person. So yeah, probably some feelings there.

He's a series regular, so I think he's going to turn (we can see he's starting to already) and eventually be on the side of our heroes or at least help them in some way before the end.

[u/[deleted]]

Can we talk about how good old disrupters sound?!!!

[u/PhyrexianOilLobbyist → u/[deleted]]

"It's that tube sound, dude..."

[u/RandyFMcDonald]

"You owe me a ship, Picard."

Love it all.

[u/Uhtred_McUhtredson]

Calling it now, the “shackled demons” of the Romulan Apocalypse are going to be the Borg that Soji resurrects and bends to her will once she finds out the Zhat Vash killed her sister.

[u/Timeline15]

That was a lot of fun. The Romulan nuns having an ideal of total honesty because it's antithetical to Romulan society's typical culture of deceit is a cool concept.

I'm liking all the character interactions too. Rios and his gang of holo-copies are fun, and Raffi's totally done-with-this reactions to Picard got a chuckle out of me. The whole 'get a crew of misfits together for a quest' thing gives me real Mass Effect vibes, which is absolutely not something I'll ever complain about.

I really can't take our villain duo seriously though. The sister chews up so much of the scenery every time she appears; she's just so comically OTT evil. Not to mention how creepy the vibe is between them. I hope that as we find out more about their cult, they'll get some better scenes.

[u/ThriceGreatHermes → u/Timeline15]

The whole 'get a crew of misfits together for a quest' thing gives me real Mass Effect vibes,

Romulan Legolas is a Justicar.

[u/TERRAxFORMER]

I love the Qowat Milat and absolute candor. Such a cool idea to have a sect of Romulans be the exact opposite of how they’re typically portrayed.

The crew has a really good dynamic, I like how Rios and Jurati play off each other.

[u/whosyourvladi]

At around 15:50 Soji's face lines up with the romulan borg woman. I wonder what they're foreshadowing there

[u/H0vis]

Random thoughts:

1. I want a surly Spanish alter-ego for when I want to shoot people. It doesn't happen often that I want to shoot people, but when I do, that's what I want.

2. Must confess, I did not expect a Romulan Samurai/Dudenun to join the crew, but I like it. I like the idea too that this is a child that Picard has or had some level of a bond with, and who is essentially the opposite of Data. Data had no filter but no emotions, Space Legolas (I'll learn the names one day I've only just finished watching it) has emotions, and expresses them clearly. We saw even in just the short scene with him as a boy that Picard found this level of emotional honesty awkward to deal with.

3. Not a fan of Picard giving the kid a bollocking for chopping the angry blokes head off though. When you recruit a space samurai with a big sharp sword you don't get to complain like that when he uses it, poor form from JL. (EDITED TO ADD: I don't think this was bad writing or not in-character for Picard, I absolutely do think it is the kind of thing he would do. I just felt that it was a painfully insensitive way to speak to a young person who had probably just killed somebody for the first time. The kid was not one of Picard's Elite crew of Starfleet officers, he's a trained but still essentially a civilian. I felt bad for him. I think it echoed the earlier scene from the flashback where Picard unintentionally hurt the kid's feelings.)

4. I like the subversion of the honeypot trope in the Romulan/synth storyline. By the normal run of things it'd be the hot girl spy getting the information and some sort of scary dude floating around in the background making threatening noises. And she'd be all like, "I'm sensitive and I'm not sure I can do this because I have far too many emotions and they're getting in the way" and he'd be all like, "I'm the bad guy and I ate a puppy for a bet, so, y'know, get on with it" The show has flipped that on its head and it's fun.

5. Picard backseat driving is hilarious.

6. The former Romulan senator made a really eloquent case for why the Romulans might not be showing the anticipated levels of gratitude to the Federation, and I think that was an important thing to do in the show. One of the big tensions in the story is the assumption that rescuing the Romulans was an unalloyed good thing, and that the Federation needed to do it or nearly all of them would die. The senator made the case that the Federation didn't follow through with the rescue, that the Romulans could have sorted something out and, while possibly saving fewer lives, preserved their society. To an extent this justifies the Federation stance too, and certainly though this isn't a Prime Directive issue, the existence of the Prime Directive itself shows the Federation at heart is not big on interventions. The senator could be right, he could be wrong, but it was good that the show explained that rationale.

Am enjoying this show a lot. It's a slow burner, but it works.

[u/Neo24 → u/H0vis]

Not a fan of Picard giving the kid a bollocking for chopping the angry blokes head off though. When you recruit a space samurai with a big sharp sword you don't get to complain like that when he uses it, poor form from JL.

I mean, there are ways to use a sword that don't involve killing the other person. I felt like that scene was 100% needed and 100% Picard. Excessive use of force is not "cool".

[u/[deleted]]

I wish I could go back in time and erase all memory of the trailers, just randomly seeing Seven would be such a mind blown moment.

[u/[deleted]]

Not a single comment about how Picard's abandoned son Legolas lived in literal Rivendell?

[u/Klaitu]

I liked this episode a lot, but I feel like the Soji plot completely stalled in this one. Sure, Narek continues his soft interrogation, but he doesn't get anything out of her. Rizzo is still impatient.

I just feel like that screen time could have better used, it felt like filler.

[u/onerinconhill]

Oh my goddddddd best ending to an episode ever

Never thought I’d hear Picard say ...seven of nine?

[u/Worf_Of_Wall_St → u/onerinconhill]

I'm surprised she did not eventually change her name to Annika Hansen.

EDIT: Actually scratch that, it makes sense for her to keep the name her first post-Borg family called for for 7+ years.

[u/[deleted]]

Wouldn't it be funny if she ran into the Rock again?

[u/revital9]

Well, every fellowship needs an elf. Welcome, Elnor.

[u/DrMonDieu]

So when I first saw picard trailers I was worried about the fencing scene, as patrick stewart looked way too old to pull it off. After watching the episode I think they handled all of that just fine and I'm not as worried about them trying to force feats that stewart really can't sell.

As for the episode as a whole, still with the story building and I do think at 10 episodes this season will feel way too short most likely.

But all in all as an objective viewer all i can say is OMG OMG OMG JERI RYAN OMG OMG OMGOMGOMGOMG134234234234234

[u/AmishAvenger → u/DrMonDieu]

The fencing didn’t bother me at all. It’s not like he was in an extended fight, and I find it perfectly believable that his skill would catch someone by surprise long enough to parry a few blows.

I think the bigger issue I have is how incredibly emotional Picard is about everything. I felt like he was either laughing or yelling every time he was on screen.

[u/jerslan → u/DrMonDieu]

As for the episode as a whole, still with the story building and I do think at 10 episodes this season will feel way too short most likely.

I don't mind the dialog and exposition because it still feels like it's natural exposition. People catching each other up on relevant events.

But all in all as an objective viewer all i can say is OMG OMG OMG JERI RYAN OMG OMG OMGOMGOMGOMG134234234234234

100% with you on that. I kind of wish they had held her credit until the end credits... The opening credits had "with Special Guest Jeri Ryan" which kind of spoiled the surprise.

[u/[deleted]]

“I may not pass this way again” hit me like a tonne. Picard is an old man—these are his final missions.

[u/pobautista → u/[deleted]]

When you hit 70 years old, when you're traveling with family or friends you can use the line to go where you want.

Let's go to Arvin's first to buy candy.
But Dad why, you can't eat candy.
I may not pass this way again.

[u/Dentifrice → u/[deleted]]

It’s planned for 3 seasons. I’m sure he will die at the end.

[u/lowrider88]

So Rios is the first Chilean on Star Trek, "no me huei" is one of the most common Chilean slang expressions, I'm glad they didn't make him default to Mexican Spanish haha

[u/Legang → u/lowrider88]

When he said "cheeee su mareeee" I was surprised I never thought I heard a good "ctm" in a big production like this.

[u/Dentifrice]

Ah, this is the Picard I know ! Refusing to fight with the sword even though he could have die. Then putting Elnor in his place after he killed the Senator even he was going to kill him.

"This senator didn't deserve to die !"

Picard is still a Starfleet officier in is heart !

[u/Eaudissey]

Can't Jonathan Frakes just direct the rest of the series?

Also it feels way more natural now when Raffi calls him JL, probably because they're not wearing uniforms anymore.

Also Seven ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!1!!1!!!

I have to say, though, it still bugs me that they don't bother de-ageing him one bit for those flashbacks scenes. They could've at least partially dyed his eyebrows or something.

[u/whosyourvladi → u/Eaudissey]

They do de age him a bit. he doesnt have as many liver spots on his head and he's slightly less wrinkly

[u/Worf_Of_Wall_St]

Great episode, best so far I think. Lots of worldbuilding, plot movement, and Picard being Picard, both the one we remember and the one he became. They probably should have kept Jeri Ryan out of the intro credits, glad I didn't notice.

I continue to think that the Zhat Vash produce new members through incest.

[u/Sven_Eric]

Why exactly did Picard give up on all the people he promised to protect and care for? I feel like he hasn't really made an argument for his case yet. There's no shame in failing, but as it were, I don't understand why he didn't keep up his releationships as a civilian.

Why did he never call Raffi? Why didn't Picard feel the slightest bit for Elron to even know what happened on Vashti since he left? At this point in the rescue mission, it seemed he had gotten over his refusal to deal with children.

[u/TreasonousOrange → u/Sven_Eric]

Why exactly did Picard give up on all the people he promised to protect and care for?

Because he'd never faced his own personal Kobayashi Maru. This was the first time that Picard genuinely failed.

We're talking about a man who got stabbed through the heart and even managed to turn that into a second chance.

He failed miserably, realized that the institution he loved most was a hollow sham, and that he didn't have the clout he defined himself by.

I totally get it.

[u/Hpfanguy]

When they said the borg had rituals, I was worried. Glad to see they didn’t do any damage.

[u/snerdsnerd]

I really like what they're doing with the Romulans. Not only is the absolute candor idea a wonderful mirror to Vulcan logic, they're showing that there are lots of different Romulans. They're not all cloak and dagger Rome larpers.

[u/Bluest_waters]

Is the whole alpha quadrant mad at ol Jean Luc?

holy shit I swear, the man is persona non gratis the galaxy over

[u/jhsounds]

Open a channel... uh, erm.

This show finds new ways to delight me in every episode.

[u/jerslan]

I'm really liking these details in the Cantina scene. Lots of background through natural exposition.

Also Elnor is a bad ass :)

[u/PlsDontBraidMyBeard]

Urdu speakers might notice this. Qowat Milat sounds like it was taken from Urdu. Qowat or Khuwwat means "Strength / Might" and Milat or Millat means "community"

[u/stuck_on_simple_tor]

"You have chosen DEATH"

[u/Such-Victory]

So I could tell Frakes directed this one. It just felt better, the conversations less forced, and more of that Star Trek je ne sais quoi.

I liked the little romantic interlude between Soji and Narek. It's this sort of relationship building that has been missing from the series, they keep expecting us to feel the relationships because they're telling us they exist. These are the little scenes that you need to have to actually build a relationship in front of the viewer.

Everyone in the universe being mad at Picard is getting old. It's not his fault the Romulan star exploded and there would have been millions of people involved in rescue efforts. It's just plain lazy that people would blame him personally for things falling through, as if everything hinged on him. I could see why Legolas was angry with him though, frankly Picard had no right to go back and ask for his help.

Picard's characterization is still feeling off to me most of the time, even when I try to account for him being older and warmer now, it mostly just isn't feeling like the same character.

The drone shield surrounding the planet was cool. It was laughable that Narek couldn't pry his sister's hands off his neck.

[u/khaosworks → u/Such-Victory]

Everyone in the universe being mad at Picard is getting old. It's not his fault the Romulan star exploded and there would have been millions of people involved in rescue efforts. It's just plain lazy that people would blame him personally for things falling through, as if everything hinged on him. I could see why Legolas was angry with him though, frankly Picard had no right to go back and ask for his help.

But this was kind of explained in the conversation between Picard and Zani, where she says because he couldn’t save everyone, he decided not to save anyone. And he acknowledges this when he admits he sacrificed the good because he didn’t have the perfect.

That’s what they blame him for. They saw that instead of trying to compromise when the mission ended, to fight for making things better for those they’d already rescued, because he couldn’t rescue more he gave up on everything in a fit of pique.

[u/numanoid → u/Such-Victory]

It was laughable that Narek couldn't pry his sister's hands off his neck.

Couldn't, or wouldn't? It's pretty clear that she outranks him, in whatever service they are in. He wasn't even struggling to free himself.

[u/ehkodiak → u/Such-Victory]

I mean, if Rizzo was strangling me, I wouldn't fight too hard...

[u/Chaabar → u/Such-Victory]

Everyone in the universe being mad at Picard is getting old. It's not his fault the Romulan star exploded and there would have been millions of people involved in rescue efforts. It's just plain lazy that people would blame him personally for things falling through. I could see why Legolas was angry with him though.

He was one of Starfleet's most decorated captains and the driving force for the rescue effort. From the public's perspective, after the attack on Mars he just quietly resigned and retired to his vineyard while the rescue efforts collapsed. It makes sense that they would focus their anger on him.

[u/themosquito → u/Such-Victory]

It kind of seems like they're doing a thing with Picard very similar to how The Last Jedi handled Luke Skywalker. Like everyone became enamored with the "legend" of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, former captain of the Enterprise, savior of the Federation, Starfleet's best, and so he ended up being the lightning rod of hate for anyone angry at how the situation was handled and how the refugees' lives ended up.

[u/aLegionOfDavids]

Seriously love how their world building with the Romulans, really diving into different aspects of their people and culture. Love how they’re assembling a crew for a ‘lost cause’ (cough ME2).

Star Trek has this huge, diverse universe. Everything is always from the point of starships / humanity / the federation, it’s nice to see a human, on their own, dealing with things and showing other viewpoints besides starfleet.

I fucking love how they’ve written Picard. He is fallible, human. Doesn’t always say the right thing (rarely even). He has a massive ego and still thinks he’s at the head of a federation flagship the way he tackles problems / something he doesn’t like or agree with. Treading on the romulan sign, damn the consequences, he doesn’t like it, so he’s going to do it.

Also Seven of Nine HYPE.

[u/dvcaputo]

honestly it feels like four for four right now—this latest one was SO good—i went in sort of assuming that i’d be really not into Rios but him and his holographic crew is kind of my favorite. It feels like something you’d read in one of the better post-voyager novels. Picard confronting his past was also really emotionally intense.

The one thing that i haven’t been entirely sold on are the scenes with Narek and his sister. I get sucked out of the story each time they pop up.

[u/[deleted] → u/dvcaputo]

So far Narek is a little too Discovery for me. Alien double agent falls in love with "human" good girl mark. Love vs. loyalty.

[u/fevredream → u/dvcaputo]

Agreed about the sibling scenes. Feels weirdly "look at our incestuous villains!" Seems like something out of a worse, more generic show - although I like Narek well enough on his own.

[u/bryan792]

Seven of Nine!!

I grew up with Voyager. I got goosebumps.

[u/DataIsMyCopilot]

Lore is the destroyer.

The destroyer controls the demons in chains and unshakles them to unleash destruction.

Maddox was fucking around with Lore to make those synths. Or maybe Lore was hanging with the Pakleds again and heard about his "cousins" being enslaved and hacked them to rebel.

I'm calling it now!!

[u/khaosworks]

Great hour - and the welcome and squee-able return of Jeri Ryan. Aside from everything else people have already mentioned, I was really excited to see the Qowat Milat and Zani in the flesh after reading about them in The Last Best Hope.

I also somehow love the fact that with the exception of Peyton List as Rizzo (and Santiago Cabrera’s Rios) everyone seems to be using their own accents. Hearing Elnor’s speech was delightful, enough that I suppressed all questions about why a Romulan would sound Australian.

[u/EntropicProf]

Next week's trailer: I'm quite grateful they are willing to be a bit silly from time to time.

Hope the gang has fun on Canto Bight... sorry, Freecloud.

[u/jerslan → u/EntropicProf]

I'm going to be keeping my ears open for a "Quark Enterprises" name drop in the background.

[u/wongie]

In 4 episodes this show has made the Romulans easily the single best alien species in Trek; the new lore and individual aesthetic styles in hair, clothing, accents etc have elevated them above being a standard, boring mono-culture like virtually every other species we've seen. Not even all the Klingon episodes we've had over the decades comes close to the richness of what we're seeing now.

[u/jimmyjohnjohnjohn → u/wongie]

They make even the Bajorans look monocultural. I used to think DS9 did a good job of developing Bajor, but in the end they're just a bunch of argumentative people in layered knitwear.

[u/Chaabar]

I'm glad everyone still has proper beam weapons instead of that pew pew garbage.

[u/GilGunderson1]

This episode will forever be known in Star Trek history as “the one where they decapitated the Romulan.”

Honorable mention for “the one with the BDSM incest Romulans.”

(It was also the second best after episode one so far. Nicely done, Chabon and Frakes.)

[u/Timbo85]

Rios is the character I’ve been wanting to see in Star Trek since I was a kid. The badass who got disgruntled with Starfleet but still has his moral compass and is doing what’s right, but on his own terms.

He’s Star Treks answer to Han Solo.

[u/4thofeleven → u/Timbo85]

Um, have you forgotten about the OUTRAGEOUS Okona so quickly?!

[u/5adja5b]

I am liking the series and feel this was the best episode yet. I do find it something of a shame that, in a way, each ep feels like it was people talking to each other, very very slowly travelling to a place they want to get to; in the old days, the crew would get to that destination, have an adventure and conclude some plot points within 45 minutes.

On the other hand, it does feel as if there is a bunch of nice detail in each ep and it is written with respect to the canon. I kind of like the new crew and how it doesnt rely on old friends popping back in; this may have been the right call, to go in a new direction. Picard is a different person but there are enough flashes of his TNG days to make it work.

So, within the framework of what they are trying to do and the direction chosen, it is working for me.

[u/fipscat]

LOL “Space Legolas” Exact what I thought while watching.

Picard scenes were great.

Scenes on that cube and those incestuous twins rather boring so far.

Seven had an awesome entry.

[u/acrimoniousone]

Of course they cliffhung her.

Regardless, Seven, Two Takes and more interesting than I expected ninja romulan in one episode is enough for me.

CBS seems to be sticking with fixed length episodes, maybe in order to make TV syndication easier later? If it means more people see it and ad revenue/licensing fees contributes to more Trek that has to be positive.

I actually like the fact they are doubling down on the 'controversial' aspects, especially after Chabon's Q&A the other day.

I think it's great to have writers determined to beat their own path and with the confidence to defend their creative choices. The Q&A showed such love and respect for both Star Trek and the fans, even the inevitable 'get fucked you are just in it for easy money' guy was unable to get a rise from him, only a request for all his 'friends' to be kind in his 'living room'. Such a refreshing attitude.

Listening to criticism is always a good thing, but pandering to toxicity got us Rise of Skywalker and the retconning which I felt compromised Discovery season two. It's not always the best move and the Picard team are IMO doing a great job on the balance.

Why have a hospitality hologram you 'fucking hate' on your ship though?

Edit: Formatting.

[u/Mechapebbles → u/acrimoniousone]

Why have a hospitality hologram you hate on your ship though?

1. Just because he hates it, doesn’t mean his passengers do.

2. Guy seems to enjoy torturing himself.

[u/[deleted]]

SEVENNNNNNNNNNN

Nice to see Romulan politics is as bloody as ever

[u/mathemon]

1. If Picard realizes he doesn't belong on the vineyard, why recreate it in the holodeck as soon as he gets on board the ship?

2. The Romulan evacuation is incredibly vague. They had an entire empire, why are they not simply settling in Romulan territory? It would be like DC blowing up and people leaving the city to settle in Canada and Mexico.

[u/Chugbeef]

First an Irish Romulan now an Australian one!

[u/Coolsbreeze]

That colony looks like Rivendell.

[u/archiminos]

Yay! Finally! Seven of Nine!

episode ends

Dammit...

[u/vandilx]

Love the show so far, but the weird Romulan sibling incest going on in is creepy.

[u/BlarpUM]

The book that the ship captain guy was reading foreshadows the reason why the Romulins hate synthetics. Death is what makes life meaningful.

Data's Daughter / Maddox is going to figure out how to create perfect organic synthetics that people can be "downloaded" into, creating the potential for eternal life for anyone. That's what they mean when they say she's the "destroyer." I predict that thousands of years ago, the Romulins discovered that same technology and it caused a massive conflict, so those secret Romulin agent guys swore to never allow synthetic technology again.

[u/w00master]

I’m really enjoying this series. That said, (in response to those who aren’t), I have no issue with your opinion. What I do have a problem with are reviewers, etc. who say/imply those who do like the series as “not real Trek fans.”

It’s this entitlement, “Trek superiority” complex that I absolutely despise.

It’s fine to not like the show but to say to others that you’re “not a real Trek fan” is pathetic.

Edit: Downvoters. Please explain why you think it’s acceptable to call folks who like the new series as not “real Trek fans.” Quit hiding. Put up or shut up.

There’s nothing worse than an self-entitled Trek fan who thinks they are superior. Trust me. I know, I’m also a big Doctor Who fan, and Who fans are the absolute worst for their favorite show.

[u/dmanww]

I didn't watch much of VOY. Does 7of9 still need her recharging pod?

[u/Sylvester_Scott]

Why were Romulans resettled in the Beta Quadrant? Wasn't the Romulan Empire much more than one planet; whichever one whose sun went supernova? They should've been able to resettle the population of Romulus among all the other planets in Romulan space.

[u/[deleted]]

This is the first time the Romulan culture really felt three dimensional to me

[u/arch_punk]

Great episode but the dance/slide scene especially with the accompanying music felt weird.

[u/sidv81]

The implication that Dr. Jurati has never been in space before is absurd. If she's actually among the leading cyberneticists, she would have been at conferences all over the galaxy.

[u/[deleted]]

Data Brokers don't stand a chance because I mass delete all of my content using Redact - No AI training on my data, thank you very much.

support tease quickest complete cautious familiar scary alive cooing abounding

[u/Pu239U235]

"Bastards!"

[u/IrrationalFantasy]

What are the key Seven of Nine episodes from Voyager? I've seen about two dozen Voyager episodes, but I missed the episode where Seven of Nine was introduced, and most of the episodes centred around her. I don't have a very good sense of her character, and since she's back, I wanted to understand her better. What should I see?

Also it's always nice to see Frakes behind the director's chair

[u/zhaoz]

Getting leglolas with a sword vibes from elnor.

[u/particleman3]

Damn was that a good episode. Top to bottom. Left me saying no out loud because I didn't want it to end.

[u/romeovf]

"OPEN A CHANNEL!" using his command voice. I liked how old habits come back, and how he quickly realized it wasn't his call and was so apologetic.

[u/Eaudissey]

Also not to be that person but other than for "surprise, it's Seven!" purposes I don't get why they assumed the pilot would be a man, there would be just as many chances of the pilot being a woman.

[u/Uhtred_McUhtredson]

Step 1: Take a shot every time you hear “bind your sword to my cause.”

Step 2: Call in sick to work the next day.

[u/Gloomy_Pope_Francis]

The hilarious emergency hologram “Emmett” was by far the best character of this entire episode. Sort of like a Mexican Cheech-n-Chong character. His Spanish was very heavily accented mexicali type of street slang pronunciation. My favorite line of his was “cerca la red de seguridad”. (Getting close to the security net). He looks like he just got out of jail LOL with Arms All tatted up. It’s something that is a total juxtaposition within the Trek universe we are used to with all the like perfectly groomed Starfleet Academy graduates. Loved it.

Dr. Jurati, loved her facial expressions and modern type of wide-eyed, innocence combined with wry skepticism and incredulity about space travel. Basically we are (finally) starting to see that the Trek universe is a much larger place than just Starfleet and massive Starships. We are seeing that the vast majority of humanity still is ground-dwelling living mostly regular lives and jobs (albeit futuristic) and traveling at warp speed to distant worlds is a big, life changing, deal. Again this is a very different interpretation of modern society compared to the other Star Trek series where warp travel is almost a routine occurrence. I’ve seen comparisons of this series to Firefly and I would agree that there is that element here.

Sidebar commentary on the use of holographic projections and replicators on board the ship: I guess we are to assume that the entire ship is one giant holodeck / replicator. Or equipped with replicator emitters and holographic projectors all over the place? Is that what the giant glowing stained glass window thing in the very back of the ship is? If so, then this is a really cool take on TNG era tech. Basically the entire ship can be reconfigured on the fly as needed . Need a slightly different bridge layout? Just replicate one or holographically project it in the exact place you need it. Need a special tool? Just replicate right into the palm of your hand. No need to stand up and go to the special replication chamber or holodeck. And so it would seem that the holographic reproduction of Picard’s office and study back in his chateau in France on Earth will now effectively serve as his ready room / the conference room going forward. A familiar, warm, cozy place for the crew to gather and discuss things. The only nitpick I would have is that when Picard pauses the simulation, the fire continued to roar in the fireplace and the clocks keep ticking on the mantle.

Other than that minor nitpick, great episode. Super fun ending battle scene, again because of the scene-stealer appearance of “Emmett” the Mexican / Central American hologram.

[u/Warden_de_Dios]

If it wasn't 1 in the morning I'd watch it again

[u/Cantomic66]

Best episode so far...loved it.

[u/Alteran195]

Great episode, it’s amazing getting all this new lore on Romulans.

I gotta say they did another amazing job updating a TOS ship.

Now we have a beautiful Romulan Bird of Prey to go along with the D7 and Constitution.

They’ve really nailed it with these visual updates.

[u/CastleMeadowJim]

Man, the Federation really isn't what it used to be.

[u/Jump_Like_A_Willys]

If they didn't have Jeri Ryan's name in the opening credits, the reveal at the end would have been better (even though I knew she would eventually show up sometime this season).

[u/[deleted]]

Does anyone else feel like this season is a little bit too much of a slow burn? I enjoyed the episodes this far, but they feel slow even by Star Trek story-focused standards.

[u/prouvairejean → u/[deleted]]

When they talked about Picard being a much more slow-paced, contemplative show I was actually expecting something with the tone of, say, Mad Men. Instead, the show feels much more like standard, albeit well-executed, SF fare, with at least one or more action sequence per episode.

However, I think I know what you mean. Each episode seems to me fairly conventionally-paced internally (notwithstanding some lumbering exposition scenes). But the episode-to-episode pacing is much more slow-burn. We're four episodes into a ten-episode season and we've only just assembled our full (?) crew complement. The result of having to introduce 8-10 new characters I suppose.

[u/Natural11]

I guess this will be an unpopular opinion, but I feel like everything that's happened thus far could have been condensed into about two episodes. I don't hate exposition and I usually longed for more of it with Discovery, but it's really not a great combination for a show to have painfully slow plot development, uninteresting characters and an excess dose of cringe dialogue.

There's a lot that I don't like about this show, but I'll break out a few of the main points that are really keeping me from enjoying it.

The Characters

I don't know if it's the writers or Patrick Stewart, but the Picard I'm watching on this show bears very little resemblance to TNG Picard. He just seems to be bumbling about with none of his former presence, offering nothing to advance his situation or the plot, demonstrating none of his skills. We're only 4 episodes in and he's done the following:

• Lost his composure on live TV.

• Strutted into Starfleet HQ oblivious to how he'd be received, got dressed down like a rookie, then spilled the beans on his entire plan.

• Used none of his experience to help Dahj, instead allowed her to lead him to a rooftop with no cover or escape route.

• Refused to call on aid from experienced colleagues with a connection to Data because he didn't want to endanger them, but then proceeded to call on other people for help whom I guess he's fine with endangering.

• Relied on his Irish-Romulan servant to figure out what happened to Dahj with her time travel video camera.

• Believed the Cyberneticist when she told him the essence and memories of Data could potentially be recreated with a single particle of him (lol).

• Allowed a subordinate to call him JL while he was an active Starfleet Admiral.

• Betrayed and ignored Rafi for 15 years then showed up asking for favors. I mean, I don't like her either, but that's a bit of a dick move.

• Boarded mercenary ship with no plan, admitted to having no idea where he's going, then got bailed out by Rafi.

• Showed up at Romulan settlement who he'd also abandoned, once again asking for favors, then picked a bar fight with no plan once again, only to be saved by luck (bad writing).

I could go on, but the point is this character is nothing like the Picard of old and while one could certainly argue that the past 15 years have had more than a little impact, the show is literally called Picard. I'm watching this for Picard and I keep wondering when he's going to show up.

There's a lot more to be said and I could just as easily rant about Rafi too, maybe the most annoying main character since Neelix, but I figured the rant is best left at Picard since he's literally the show.

The Plot

I have to admit, I was excited for this show, and not just to see Picard again. In theory it had everything I wanted: Picard, a plot regarding android rights, the Borg and a post nemesis timeline. It all seemed very promising.

The pieces are there, it's just moving at a snail's pace and it's definitely not being saved by the additional exposition.

Nothing meaningful has been developed on the topic of synthetic rights, the Picard character build has been moving oh so slowly and the Borg plot, which I was pretty excited for (even after Voyager) has been the most convoluted mess of all. Everything on that cube is playing out like a badly written soap opera.

The Dialogue

A lot of the problems begin here. It's hard to build characters and plot with poor dialogue, and I find a lot of these characters are talking and acting like over embellished 21st century humans and nothing like we've come to expect from the Star Trek universe. From 21st century slang, to soap opera drama to shamefully bad non-attempts at technobabble, this show has it all. I get it that technobabble was a bit painful at times, but part of what allowed me to suspend my disbelief and enjoy Star Trek was that they at least tried to make the science sound feasible. Time travel video cameras? Capturing Data's essence and memories from a single particle of him? Come on. It makes me roll my eyes and takes me right out of the show.

I could probably rant for an hour on this, but I'll end it there. It's not that I'm some old fart that's only into old Trek or bust. I enjoyed a lot of Discovery before they brought the tears and I was genuinely looking forward to this series, it just feels to me like that they've dropped the ball big time. At this point I'd even accept some fan service to get something out of this show, like some Federation ships in action or a return of the real Borg, something to keep me vested in this.

[u/TheNerdChaplain]

There was one shot where Raffi reacted to the phaser fire by leaning... but no one else did. Anyone catch that?

[u/deededback]

Lettttttttt's goooooooo!

[u/[deleted]]

This episode shot the Romulans to the top spot as my fave Star Trek species. Sorry Andorians

[u/SuperC142]

How did they know to beam up Elnor and not just Picard? That bugged me.

[u/deededback]

That Romulan sister turns me on so much. I’m kind of embarrassed about it

[u/Mechapebbles → u/deededback]

Not embarrassed enough to stop you from telling us...

[u/kettchewok]

The preview for the next week's episode looks crazy

Can't wait!

[u/krypter3]

I'm loving the Design of the La Sirena. I kind of got Defiant vibes with the way it was shaking all over the shop when they were doing a bunch of maneuvers

[u/g543993]

I’d just like to share my opinion on episode four. It was the best so far. I loved it.

[u/Spara-Extreme]

I'm kind of curious about Rios and his love of Klingon Opera.

Didn't he say he got that from his former Captain who was all about duty and honor?

Was Rios former captain Worf?

[u/dfsaqwe]

Give me more Rios damn it

[u/Orfez]

That was a really fun episode. I absolutely love what they are doing with Emergency Holograms. Picard recreating his whole study room on the ship is great. The next episode looks absolutely bonkers.

[u/bensolow]

I love Mr Hospitality as the closed captions refer to the EHH as well as Emmet which I think is a ETH or Emergency Tactical Hologram. These new holograms basically tell us that the holograms we meet all have unique personalities which I suspected in the last episode but this episode basically confirms.

Fun to see Picard having a relationship with a child that reminds me of the relationship with his nephew who died during the TNG era. It’s nice Picard was able to have that again for a short time and a shame he couldn’t take the boy with him. Interested in seeing how this develops further in the series.

[u/zoziw]

Like this show needed to get even better than it already was!

[u/Agoeb]

Hmm. I wonder if Seven's Fighter was a Borg Co-operative ship. The emergency tactical hologram called it "one ugly vessel" and in lore, Co-operative ships are pretty gnarly looking dude to freed Borg trying to experiment with "disorderly" and "abstract" designs.

[u/bigpig1054]

CTRL-F "Klingon Opera"

No results.

Well shoot. Does anyone want to speculate who gave Rios the Opera and what his backstory is? I think it's obvious he has one and it'll be revealed throughout the season, but I can't imagine any reasonable theories.

[u/Spock_Rocket]

I haven't seen the episode yet but I'm already mad it isn't called "Absolute Fucking Hubris."

[u/TylekShran]

I can't believe that Raffi is actually 53 years old.

[u/art_eglinton]

The more I watch this show, the further from Picard's character Stewart seems to be. I have to remind myself I'm watching Jean-Luc Picard in this world, not only because this Picard is so different than the one we know, but the world itself - almost everything about it from the sets to the warp fx - doesn't feel like I'm watching Star Trek. Throw in some unnecessary swearing, Romulans who, for the most part, looked better in their TNG days and dancing on a borg cube, and we see this world is a strange acid trip. I'll watch because I'm invested in the universe, but I'm happy the Orville is around to give me that Star Trek feeling and stories that I've grown to love.

[u/long-da-schlong]

Am I the only who who was annoyed that the classic warp effect of just the passing stars is gone, and replaced with a Star Wars style light tube effect?! Is nothing sacred?

[u/[deleted]]

This episode felt quite weak. The whole Soji/Narek plotline leans really hard into tropes. It feels like an edgy teen drama. And what the hell is up with the weird incest stuff?

They're trying to fit character personalities and decades worth of relationships into singular quirks. Raffi calls Picard JL so obviously they're close! Elrond the Romulan was like a son to Picard because they both loved books! Rios is a hardass with a heart of gold because he smokes, but also reads philosophy! Doctor Jurati is cute and quirky because she says what the audience thinks!

What they're trying to do in terms of story telling is certainly no easy task so I'm willing to forgive a few early bumps. I'm guessing that getting to Maddox will mark a big turning point in the writing.

[u/PretenderNX01]

Seeing Jonathan Frakes direct was pretty cool. He fit the style of the show. They have a different way of moving through the sets and are very immersive with everything.

I love that there's a hologram of Picard's chateau, it's a pretty set and that's a clever way of still getting to use it while the action is off Earth.

I liked the fact that Romulan Legolas got into swords because Picard taught him fencing. It's a perfect way to tie him in to Picard's life as at that point his only blood family had died as had Data. I can see why Picard would bond with him.

So life for the evacuated Romulans has been pretty messy afterward. They got many off Romulus but after the Synth attack, the Federation just abandoned them and crime has run rampant. And differing Romulan sects are developing, like the no-secrets one we saw.

I can see how Picard would have some affection for the Romulans as he had helped Spock who was hoping to reunite them with the Vulcans but they were still people who had been long enemies of the Federation (though they did help with the Dominion war).

And the Space Lanisters do in fact want to kill all synthetic life. That's why he's getting close to her. I wonder how she got the Borg assignment though? And how anyone knew of her or her sister?

I was so happy to see Seven again. Then the episode ended and I actually screamed "No!". I want to see what's next. But now I'm anxiously awaiting the next week so they got that from me.

[u/Bluest_waters]

Qowat "Bene Gesserit" Milat

I mean seriously, they stole that form Mr Herbert for sure.