Picard Season 3

[Benjamin Olson]

Well, episode 4 maintains the streak of the show being much better and more satisfying than prior seasons.

They're really stretching to get the most use out of that Ten Forward set possible. It was one thing using it in episode 3, but they use it in two more ways in episode 4, one of which is so implausible and unnecessary that they had to give an awkward explanation, and it still makes no real sense. I'm just going to forgive it as some sort of cost cutting measure or something where the payoff was clearer in some phase of the script.

 

[trappedslider]

I'm actually surprised that no one suggested transferring power from the holo deck to get that extra instead of shunting it from life support.

Also ouch on Picard realizing where and how Jack decided not to be part of his life.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I'm actually surprised that no one suggested transferring power from the holo deck to get that extra instead of shunting it from life support.

They implied it couldn't be done, but it seems like something any hero engineer in Star Trek history jury-rig in a matter of seconds. Also are holodecks also replicators now? I don't remember it ever being established that food and drink in holodecks work, but many of the extended holodeck scenarios of various Treks make more sense if they do.

In any case having a comparable non-holo location on ship would have made a lot more sense.

Spoiler

I just watched their behind the scenes show, and I know suspect that the choice for having this holodeck recreation of the San Francisco Ten Forward bar may have partly had to do with Captain Shaw's monologue there being an homage to Quint's Indianapolis monologue from Jaws, and an Earth bar with wooden fixtures seemed more suitable for the homage than some sort of spacey, utilitarian star trek ship location like the Next Gen 10 Forward, or whatever. I can respect that visually it was a good location, but the justification for shoehorning it in was paper thin, and just distracted with questions. I suspect that in some version of the script they may have gotten some point out of Jack having been there before, but if so that didn't end up being relevant as the episode ended up as far as I noticed. Just build a damned ship's cantina set.

In any case, I still really liked the episode, but that location decision was pretty dumb, and I suspect ulimately came down to trying to get mileage out of a built set.

 

[Mort]

Well, episode 4 maintains the streak of the show being much better and more satisfying than prior seasons.

They're really stretching to get the most use out of that Ten Forward set possible. It was one thing using it in episode 3, but they use it in two more ways in episode 4, one of which is so implausible and unnecessary that they had to give an awkward explanation, and it still makes no real sense. I'm just going to forgive it as some sort of cost cutting measure or something where the payoff was clearer in some phase of the script.

I agree, this episode was, by far, the best ,and hope it goes up from here! Sadly this is leading me to conclude, much as I like the actress, is that the best Rafi is no Rafi - we'll see if the show can fix that.

One big gripe:

Spoiler

Did they REALLY have to make Shaw's beef with Picard be near identical to Sisco's problem with Picard? Granted, there would be PLENTY of officers with the same issue (well as many as are left, it was over 30 years ago) but it came off as so Samey. And if they were going for a call back, for me, it fell flat.

Other than that though, big improvement and great episode.

 

[Vael]

Eh. A lot of Starfleet officer died that day and a lot lost friends and family. And it fits with Shaw's antagonistic relationship with Seven as well.

 

[Rabulias]

I was (pleasantly) surprised that Shaw survived this episode.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I think maybe the writers don't understand command: Shaw blames others for his mistakes, and I thought this was a way to make him look lesser-than; but now Riker blames Picard for his own decision (which Picard recommended). Maybe there's a story thread about taking responsibility, and this theme will become stronger as the season progresses.

I think it was mainly to have a tense and dramatic end to the episode.

Frakes directed episodes 3 and 4 and Stewart and him evidently reworked a lot of their scenes together and tried them various ways. Some of the choices may have drifted a little from what the writers originally intended. While I think generally the results have been phenomenal that particular moment didn't feel earned, and seemed more of a "make the audience worry to make them eager to tune in next week for resolution" move.

 

[Mort]

Eh. A lot of Starfleet officer died that day and a lot lost friends and family. And it fits with Shaw's antagonistic relationship with Seven as well.

Presumably Starfleet is 100% aware of Shaw's "issues" (his starfleet psych profile was even referenced). Putting Seven as his first officer is an "interesting" choice.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Presumably Starfleet is 100% aware of Shaw's "issues" (his starfleet psych profile was even referenced). Putting Seven as his first officer is an "interesting" choice.

Behind every incompetent Starfleet captain is an incompetent Starfleet admiral.

 

[MarkB]

Well, episode 4 maintains the streak of the show being much better and more satisfying than prior seasons.

They're really stretching to get the most use out of that Ten Forward set possible. It was one thing using it in episode 3, but they use it in two more ways in episode 4, one of which is so implausible and unnecessary that they had to give an awkward explanation, and it still makes no real sense. I'm just going to forgive it as some sort of cost cutting measure or something where the payoff was clearer in some phase of the script.

It's actually canonical, though still awkward. In Voyager they establish that the holodecks are on a separate power grid than the rest of the ship, and there's absolutely, positively no way that power can be transferred from them to anywhere else. Thus, regardless of how resource-starved Voyager gets in the Delta quadrant, they can still have holodeck episodes.