Star Trek

[droosan]

(Riker's) tween daughter was kick-a**!

Star Trek: The Next Next Generation

[Ben]

The Grand-Generation...?

[Daniel]

John de Lancie confirms he'll be appearing in at least six episodes of "Picard".

[Randall]

Six? That's almost as many times as his total Next Gen appearances (8) over seven seasons!

[Ben]

Wow!

[Dacey]

And still not as many as his appearances on MLP.

[Randall]

Just finished Picard. I didn't find the ending all that "WTF," as it was set up from the beginning. I can see why people didn't like it (though I wasn't too bothered), but it was all part of the story being told. (Weirder than how Picard himself ended up is the forced romances inserted into the final scene.) That said, I can't say that I loved the show. The plot was okay (pretty interesting, actually), but many of the characters failed to connect with me, Patrick is sounding very old, and the other original TNG cast members maybe would have been best served by not bothering. (Jeri Ryan, though, does look terrific, I have to say.) While I wouldn't say the show was "bad," necessarily, I was happy that it was only 10 episodes. If I watch season 2, it will be mostly to see deLancie.

[Ben]

Don’t you hate, though, when a belated sequel or prequel undoes everything that was inherent about an original? I mean, why did Picard triumph over the Borg all those times if he was gone to end up the way he does in the new show? Doesn’t that poo-poo over the reason we love TNG in the first place? Hasn’t it just been done for some kind of "shock value" or just to be "different"? That makes it cheap and something of a betrayal to fans and the character.

I’m reminded of 24. Season Eight ended perfectly with Jack Bauer "out in the world", on the run after sacrificing his life for the greater good, but now a fugitive. Knowing he was out there, popping up and doin good, ready to fight the good fight when needed, was the perfect sign off to the show. But then they did that belated Live Another Day limited series mess and ruined the whole thing by having Jack finally captured by the Russians…after season after season of him not succumbing to that fate. Yes, it was a rushed and bunked ending, but it was also a betrayal of Jack as a character and 24 as a show, which *always* saw the good guy win, ultimately, even if sacrifice was needed along the way for, yes, the greater good. But the ending to the extra series was, like Picard, just done as something of a shock value attempt to "surprise" the fans.

Most 24 fans choose to ignore LAD, just as a great many also hated the Picard coda, from the feedback I’ve heard. Why do these guys have to mess with the DNA of what made these series/characters what they are, just as a way to be edgy or modern and put a different spin on things? That’s all it is, and it’s usually ill-advised and a cheap cop-out to doing something more…"organic".

[Randall]

Um, no. I don't feel that way at all. And you can't really, either, since you have never seen Picard.

I can accept someone not liking how it ended, given what happened, but I thought it was valid in the context of the story, even dating back to Next Gen.

Picard becoming a synthetic was set up from the first episode, so it shouldn't have really shocked anyone who was paying attention. And it was a natural evolution of the show's exploration of the theme of organic vs. synthetic life, juxtaposed against the deep friendship of Picard and Data. It's also a really intriguing sci-fi concept, and in line with how one could see "Trek science" progress.

And unlike Locutus, Synth-Picard was created to save his life, and he retained his full memories and will. He was grateful for being granted a continuation of his life, set to end approximately when he would have died if not for the brain abnormailty. That's a happy ending.

Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I see it as Picard's final laugh at the Borg's expense. Yes, he ends up synthetic, but remains his own man, while prolonging his life to its expected end.

[Ben]

Fascinating.

[Daniel]

Season 2 teaser:



Alternate link.

[ShyViolet]

Wow that actually looks really cool. .

De Lancie is a gift. Can’t believe how well he plays Q after all these years. (Maybe even better than Stewart’s reprisal of Picard.)

[Daniel]

John de Lancie on reprising his role as Q.

[Daniel]

Picard season 2 premiers in February:



Alternate link. Renewed for another season, too.

[Ben]

Yes, they are shooting 2 and 3 back to back.