‘Star Trek: Picard’: Patrick Stewart on Why He Returned to the Final Frontier

New thread because of the striking cover. And also because both the previous Picard thread and the official Star Trek thread are now paywalled. You bitches chatted too much about Marina's hair - AGAIN. 😑

I'm excited, but apparently the newly merged CBS Blockbuster and Redstone are already concerned.

After the nightmare with Star Wars and the less than glowing reception of Disco and the Kelvin timeline movies, they are rumored to be unhappy that social media isn't going gungho over the show.

One very big issue is that Redstone has never liked the alternate license stuff, i.e., Bad Robot produced. Apparently, Picard sets up the fall of the Federation that occurs in Disco's new 900 years in the future timeline.

I'm much more excited about Picard than I ever was about Disco.

If they ever decide to remake "I Claudius" and do it right, they should cast Patrick as Tiberius. He's the perfect age now, and he'd be outstanding!

I'm sure he had a few million reasons for doing it.

After the drop of the final short Trek, Children of Mars, that the story is going to revolve around rogue synths or androids.

[quote]On viewscreens at the girls’ school, we see an emergency unfolding in real time back on Mars, where the girls’ parents are based. The planet is under attack by “rogue synths” and some 3,000 people are believed dead

From TNG Measure of a Man:

[quote]“Now sooner or later, this man -- or others like him -- will succeed in replicating Commander Data. The decision you reach here today will determine how we will regard this creation of our genius. It will reveal the kind of people we are; what he is destined to be. It will reach far beyond this courtroom and this one android. It could significantly redefine the boundaries of personal liberty and freedom, expanding them for some, savagely curtailing them for others. Are you prepared to condemn him -- and all who will come after him -- to servitude and slavery? Your honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life. Well, there it sits! Waiting.”

It also explains several of the images from the trailers.

I find this idea interesting.

That was an enjoyable short, even though it dealt with... well, genocide, basically. I can't believe they would show Mars getting obliterated like that - how grim. I actually felt dread, like watching Battlestar Galactica. This truly isn't TNG anymore...

Officially renewed for season 2 and has received early orders to begin work on season 3.

[quote]Sources say the drama has also received early orders to begin work on season three, which will likely be filmed back to back with the sophomore drama with production not very brief a hiatus between cycles.

In other news, M4nu Intir4ymi followed me on Twitter this week, because of course he wants to get something out of this hype as well. (I modified his name so he wouldn't receive a Google Alert.)

^^Oh, and Terry Matalas is the new showrunner. He previously worked on Star Trek shows and was showrunner of 12 Monkeys.

[quote]they are rumored to be unhappy that social media isn't going gungho over the show.

They need to give up on that. Nothing is ever going to make fans happy.

The corporate always frets over this stuff. And how can the social media be going gung ho over Picard when it hasn't even aired yet? The internet just about melted when the show was announced! Naturally we're now waiting to see what it actually looks like.

No, the "It's not exactly like TNG, my childhood is raped!" whining has already started, at least according to my YouTube. The main TrekBBS website's reaction to "Children of Mars" was not about the highly emotionally charged and well-constructed story, but literally 50 pages of rage that they'd used CGI assets from Disco instead of creating new ones. This was a sign that clearly the producers don't care.

Instead of, you know, a short having a limited budget and was put together in Toronto by the Disco people instead of in LA by the Picard ones.

[quote]"It's not exactly like TNG, my childhood is raped!"

I predict those people are going to be as shell shocked when Picard's first season wraps up as those people who bitched about the black woman being the main character were when DISCO premiered. (They're probably the same people.) There's no remedy for the mind being closed to different interpretations, tonal and other creative changes etc. I just hope we've learned something from that outragefest the last time around and won't become too invested in their consternation.

The vast majority of the big Trek fan channels on youtube (and others that follow the comic/sci fi/genre tv shows and movies seem to be generally positive on Picard.

The clickbait channels trying to generate traffic are screaming with their hair on fire, but those are in the minority.

I'd be interested in hearing which folks are whining since I haven't seen many.

Hair almost literally on fire, as in the case of MechaRandom42. I swear that alt-right troll was engineered in a (Russian) lab to complain and complain and complain.

Midnight's Edge is their undisputed leader, though, and he looks exactly what you'd expect these trolls to look like.

^^Actually, I got the wrong guy there. But, you know, use your own imagination, darlings...

Wil Wheaton has been hired to do a follow up discussion show after Picard and other CBS All Access episodes air a la Talking Dead with guests.

Midnight's edge doesn't seem to be saying that Picard is a mess. He was generally positive about the previous trailers.

He is saying that there are rumors that CBS is concerned that it is. The big flashing red alert was the departure of (another) Trek showrunner, Chabon, always a sign of troubles behind the scenes.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting.

It's certainly not getting the hate that Disco got from the moment they released the flying pizza cutter ship and let folks know Spock had a black sister we never knew about in over 50 years.

Yeah, you're cool. But you'll never be Seven-in-a-leather-jacket cool.

[quote]He is saying that there are rumors that CBS is concerned that it is. The big flashing red alert was the departure of (another) Trek showrunner, Chabon, always a sign of troubles behind the scenes.

They're so concerned that they've gone ahead and ordered another season on top of the S2 that was already ordered.

Midnight's Edge and the other alt-right whackos don't know shit.

It also seems likely that Disco's been renewed as well, based on some pre-production information.

[quote]They're so concerned that they've gone ahead and ordered another season on top of the S2 that was already ordered.

Well, Midnight's Edge does cater to the neckbeards, I'll grant that.

But, your point about a Picard second season renewal is flawed. The economics and renewal process for streaming shows isn't the same as network tv. Except in cases of utter flops, shows will usually get at least two, but usually three seasons because that's the effective live of a show to drive new viewers, as well as defray some of the upfront costs required to launch a new show. After three years, streaming shows hit the wall on cost and that's when shows start dropping like flies.

Apparently, Netflix and the other streaming channels have done a lot of analysis - it's why shows only run a fixed length and most were cut from 12+ shows to 8-10 shows per season (it has to do with binging) and why three seasons is considered a minimum (I'd liken it to the old syndication minimum of 100 episodes that had to do with viewing habit and scheduling). Streaming networks have apparently seen a huge drop off on new viewers and streaming old shows at that point.

That said, CBS all access doesn't have a lot of marquee shows other than Disco, Picard, and Trek - it's not Disney. Disco will probably keep getting renewed until CBS gets a larger slate of marquee shows.

[quote]But, your point about a Picard second season renewal is flawed. The economics and renewal process for streaming shows isn't the same as network tv. Except in cases of utter flops, shows will usually get at least two, but usually three seasons because that's the effective live of a show to drive new viewers, as well as defray some of the upfront costs required to launch a new show. After three years, streaming shows hit the wall on cost and that's when shows start dropping like flies.

Except that if they feel like they're not going to get a good response because of social media, pre-investing in three seasons doesn't make any sense.

Unless they're happy with the product.

Why he "returned to the Final Frontier?" For the MONEY, honey. No other reason than that.

Blech, I can't with Wil Wheaton. Not only is he a hardcore Bernie Bro, he composed a super nasty post on Tumblr calling Buttigieg a Republican who is to the right of Biden. I won't watch that unhinged loon's aftershow or anything else he appears in, sorry. Should've followed Stewart's lead and kept his mouth shut about the primary.

But yay for TWO more Trek live action shows. More, more, again, again!

[quote]Except that if they feel like they're not going to get a good response because of social media, pre-investing in three seasons doesn't make any sense.

[quote]Unless they're happy with the product.

I think you can be concerned, given the backlash behind Disco, and Shari Redstone has been very loud about how Les Moonves and Bad Robot has mishandled the Trek franchise - I don't mean she's a trekkie. She just smart enough to know what the value of the franchise could be. The re-merger of Viacom and CBS that putting all the licenses for Trek back together allows them much more room than they had previously.

I think there is definite potential for Picard - definitely enough to wait and see. It definitely seems a lot more interesting than the initial trailers and focus on Dahj made it seem.

The execs are going to wait a year or two to see if this strategy of saturating CBS All Access with Trek content works out or not. We have nothing to fear before that.

Kurtzman has come out and said two more live-action series are in the works - separate from the Section 31 show.

Also, interesting Jeri Ryan and Jonathan Del Arco interview regarding the state of the galaxy in Picard. It sounds intriguing and ups the anticipation for Picard.

[bold]Can ‘Star Trek’ Chart a Way Forward?[/bold]

[quote]With “Picard,” a spinoff following Patrick Stewart’s Starfleet officer, the franchise is trying to rediscover its place in a universe it effectively invented.

Article in The New York Times, bitches.

McKellen "proposed" to Stewart on the red carpet, omg! 😍

Cleveland.com (??) published the first review...

Seriously r4. I love everyone tries to pretend it isn't about the money, when the vast majority of decisions in the entertainment industry are solely about money.

I love Jeri so much.

Jonathan del Arco talks about his inspiration for his performance as Hugh: his partner who had died of AIDS.

I am not crying.

r33 Damn, AIDS and dementia. Talk about the inspiration for Hugh's isolation and alienation. I'll never be able to look at that performance the same way again. 😟

Shaka. When the walls fell.

R31, I'm not equating matters except in the commercial terms, but everything Shakespeare wrote was about the money, and the vast majority of decisions in the "entertainment industry" in 16th-17th c. England was solely about money.

But your point is well taken. At least the Kings Men at the Globe and Blackfriars didn't pretend it wasn't about the money. Now it's so much more money, and so much more hypocrisy, "branding," and the porn of targeted marketing.

But here's to "Picard"!

Stewart invites Whoopi to join season 2 on The View!

Airs 12:01 AM PST on Thursdays for US audiences, 9:00 PM EST Thursdays on the CTV Sci-Fi Channel for Canadians, and on Amazon Prime for international audiences the following day.

[quote]Stewart invites Whoopi to join season 2 on The View!

Who knew they could still have nice moments on the View.

Is it available now?

Anyone??

R40 It’s out in a couple minutes, I think.

Will it be weekly or dropped all at once to be binged?

Will give it a shot, but sounds dreadful from prior reports.

So far, so good.

SPOILERS/QUESTIONS... v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v These girls were built after Laal? They are cyborgs? Positronic brains in flesh and blood bodies??

Narek is Nero's (Star Trek 2009) brother??

The Romulans are operating out of a Borg cube to build their defenses back up? I'm assuming the Federation turned the synthetics on as an excuse to abandon the Romulans and cause their near genocide?

Thoughts???

Oops, sorry. That did not format the way I wanted it to.

That was super enjoyable. Action scenes were crazy for a Trek show.

Just to clear it up, the "unthinkable" from the first teaser stands for the rogue synths destroying both the rescue armada and the shipyard on Mars? That sounds like A LOT.

[quote]I'm assuming the Federation turned the synthetics on as an excuse to abandon the Romulans and cause their near genocide?

Omg, that would be awful if true. It's literally genocide.

EW: Can Star Trek: Picard recover from its bafflingly bad premiere?

Star Trek: Picard boldly goes nowhere new, graverobbing fan-familiar concepts when it’s not distracting you with pointless fight scenes.

It gives me no joy to say this, but: Stewart gave a more interesting performance in 2019’s Charlie’s Angels.

Picard has flashes of eccentricity, and any science-fiction show with a Miguel de Unamuno shoutout demands a quantum of hope. But for now, this is another disappointing Star Trek. Should we give it a chance? My advice: Disengage.

EW is on bath salts; that premiere was amazing.

I can't wait for next week's episode.

Yeah, EW is full of it. That was great.

Harry (Luke?) Treadaway's line was a bit weird. He said to that synth "what a lovely name" or something like that and then told her seconds later he read all her work. That whole exchange was a bit awkward, actually.

Wonder how many Romulans live in that cube.

I'm going to have a hard time keeping Harry Treadaway's Narek separate from Ethan Peck's Beardy Spock.

Why do Romulan women not have the protruding foreheads like the men?

It is hard to tell them apart from Vulcan women.

Sela better show up!

"Stewart invites Whoopi to join season 2 on The View!"

That was truly a vomit-inducing moment. He kissed her ass from here to Kingdom come. And I'm sure he did it because he thought it might improve the ratings to have her on. Shows how stupid HE is. I don't think anybody will tune in to see Whoopi Goldberg in her purple satellite dish hate and smug smile on her ugly face.

r58 You really don't like her, do you?

I loved it!! Just like r55, I thought that guy looked so much like new Spock.

Harry Treadaway's natural hair colour is so much better than that Clairol monstrosity they went with for the show. It clashes with his beard. You think Luke felt a pang when he said his brother was dead? 😄

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the cast and their chemistry.

I was ticked to discover that Michael Westmore's daughter McKenzie, who got her start as a child actor on an episode of TNG, and is one of my favorite reality show hosts ever, will be appearing later in the season.

If Harry Treadaway is playing a Romulan, he has to have black hair--Romulans only have black hair. (Sela was the exception, but she was half-human).

r62 Had no idea Face Off was a thing. What an interesting concept for a reality show.

r63 Then dye his beard as well...

[quote][R62] Had no idea Face Off was a thing. What an interesting concept for a reality show.

It was really good. Like Great British Bake-Off, it's a show were the contestants are generally kind to and supportive of each other. McKenzie was a terrific host.

I saw a photo of Stewart and Brent Spiner in costume for their episode. Spiner looks ridiculous in the Data makeup. He does NOT look like Data anymore; he looks like an old man with yellow eyes, white skin and black plastic hair.

I'd let him do me doggy.

r67 To be fair, he doesn't look like Data in the later seasons of TNG's HD remaster either...

Stewart and Jeri give a delightful interview to the BBC during their press junket.

Brent Spiner looks truly weird in those photos I've seen of him as B4, or Data in Picard's dream, or whatever the hell he's supposed to be. His eyes are oddly round and large and his cheeks are noticeably swollen like a chipmunk's. Allergic reaction to the makeup (which he hasn't worn in many years) and contact lens irritation? Anyway, it's kind of disturbing to look at.

It's age. His cheeks are droopy now.

[quote]An Iowan asks Pete Buttigieg if he has any hobbies, and he says he tries to keep up with some TV. "Anyone catch up on the new Star Trek Picard? I’m really excited for that!" he says.

Yay! I know he's a TNG fan. I've never been one (VOY all the way!) so I can't imagine what this show must mean to those who grew up watching it.

So is Warren. She talked about watching every TNG episode with one her kids in one of her books.

Yes, and Booker as well. I think Stacey Abrams was the only one who said Voyager is her favourite.

Heh, he mentioned the Picard show at his Fox News town hall just now. 😄

The version of Blue skies during the intro of Picard was sung by Bing Crosby, Denise Crosby’s grandfather. 🤯

I can't believe it's only been four days since the premiere; feels like a damn WEEK!

‘Star Trek: Picard’ breaks streaming records on CBS All Access

CBS says the premiere of “Picard” also marked a new record for total streams and drove the highest volume of subscribers to stream a CBS All Access original series to date.

Anyone watching?

I love that the first episode broke records and exceeded expectations!

Maybe it will inspire CBS All Access to do a DS9 reunion movie.

Enjoyed the second episode, but man does it go by too fast. This should be 50 minutes each.

Whom does that Borg reclamation site belong to? The Federation? I think someone mentioned the Romulan "free state"? Shirtless Santiago Cabrera next episode!

Oh, and I loved the F-bomb! 😄

Could somebody give a brief synopsis about WTF is going on?

The Federation and the Romulan Free State are literally mining Borgs from a disconnected Borg cube. Meanwhile, a secretive Romulan organisation with an intense hatred for androids is hunting Data's daughter in an effort to get her to reveal the "lair" of more androids like her. And the Vulcan commodore at Starfleet Command is in on it.

Did I get that right?

Thanks, r83. I figured that was the gist of it, just wanted to be sure. The Vulcan commodore could turn out to be a good villain. Also, Rizzo is really a Romulan altered to look like a human and she's the Treadaway guy's sister.

BTW in the 24th century, wouldn't they have scanning equipment everywhere to determine what species someone is, even if they're in disguise? Hell, we have Xray scanner machines at our airports right now.

Some of Romulan technology is superior, especially when it comes to espionage. That molecular thingy used in this episode to recreate a past event was an example of that.

Even Klingons on DISCO managed to fool Starfleet doctors when they altered Ash, and that was ages ago now.

Picard is yet another Star Trek show that mishandles queerness

R86 we're only 2 episodes in! There's still time.

Whoever wrote that article seems to think the gay characters should leap out and do jazz hands in the first episode.

Exactly. I'm normally the first one to bitch about gay representation, but it's been two episodes and we haven't even met the main crew yet! I do expect gays and lesbians in every Trek show going forward, though. You wouldn't make a show with an all-white cast these day and you shouldn't be making one with an all-straight cast either.

First episode is free on YouTube for a limited time.

Hey, bumpy Romulans.

I've been avoiding Picard talk until I could watch the episodes. And now you all have covered it. I'll just say I'm really enjoying it so far. While I'm not *super* excited they are once again leaning in on Data and the Borg, it looks like we are getting more sophisticated storytelling this time.

I'm glad they're getting the Borg thing out of the way in the first season already and I'm pretty sure the second and third seasons will have nothing to do with them. And I love the concept of a "Borg reclamation site." Feels fresh and I'm looking forward to learning more about that place and that project.

I wonder how Kate Mulgrew feels about seeing Jeri Ryan getting a new series? Seven of Mine was far more popular than Janeway.

The "queerness" title tells you everything you need to know about that article. Which is 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

r93 I really hope she pops up at the end of the first or even second season, to get people excited. Or maybe reveal her in a trailer, so people will lose their shit like with Jeri.

A little part of my gay heart is hoping against hope that she gets her own Trek show.

I liked Voyager for the most part, and she was great as Janeway so it'd be fun to see her pop up. I loved Whoopi as Guinan, too so I hope she is there as well.

The only cast I don't really care about is DS9. Maybe Quark would be fun to see. I think the shapeshifter and one of the Ferrengi died irl though. Definitely not the captain of DS9 with his big fake teeth and his obnoxious son, and their obsession with baseball.

Bring back Nana Visitor

Is it just me or was the dialogue in this episode a bit... wonky?

Had no idea Cabrera could do accents!

Has Patrick's need for firm, thick support briefs been discussed?

People are still smoking in the 24th century!

R93 I doubt Mulgrew cares much. Jeri has been doing guest spots for the last 7 years while Kate was a regular on a popular Netflix show and got an Emmy nomination. Why would she care that Jeri is doing a few guest starring roles on Star Trek?

Yes, Kate had a lead role on OINB, which was a big hit and critically acclaimed. She's also done some prestige stage work.

[quote]Had no idea Cabrera could do accents!

Can he, though?

I thought he was Venezuelan, but I just learned he was only born there and then grew up in London, Romania, Toronto, and Madrid. Nevermind, I can see how he's able to do those accents now.

R101 because according to reports, she's kind of a cunt, and especially was to Jeri. She probably had an insane moment where she destroyed things in her home when she realized Jeri had not ceased to exist.

Pretty sure they've all moved on by now. It's just a gig for them, one of many...

[quote][R101] because according to reports, she's kind of a cunt, and especially was to Jeri. She probably had an insane moment where she destroyed things in her home when she realized Jeri had not ceased to exist.

I don't think she was a cunt, she was just pissed at them refocusing the show, which should have been about the captain, onto the tits. And rather that take it out on the producers, she took it out on Jeri. She's publicly owned up to her behavior and apologized to Jeri for it (after some peace negotiations from Garrett Wang, of all people). And even before all of that, she was usually complimentary, and would always say what a good actress Jeri is.

Tossing Jennifer Lien, even though her substance abuse had impacted the show, and the fact that they could never figure out what to do with Kes, also pissed her off.

I still remember when Kes went away and then came back, fat and bloated and angry. Still not sure what the point was.

They seemed to have given her too much power too quickly, as well - being able to warp the fabric of the ship seems overpowering in context. She reminds me of Buffy where Willow was barely able to make pencils float and then suddenly she's the most powerful witch in the world and then she has no power. It's plot over character.

I hated Kes and Janeway, adored Seven and Doctor, but Voyager was my second least favorite ST.

So far Picard is great!

I think my favorite moment was when the Doctor was going to leave the ship to be an opera singer on that planet, but instead they just made a copy of him and he was so disappointed and humiliated. Hee hee!

I love that the Romulans have their own society of Amazons.

bump