Maps and Legends

The first episode gave me such joy. I felt like Star Trek was entering my life again in a positive way. Then this turns up. If you told me an entirely different team stepped in, I'd believe you.

It's an exposition-laden mess. They want to explain so much it's like a hose of information. The first ten minutes is just tell, tell, tell.

Sadly, it didn't settle down. It then did another lazy writing trendy of mystery. Characters going around going "You know the thing, that thing.. yeah the thing. It's time to enact the thing. We talked about. The thing. Please speak to you know who about that thing." In no way does it make the viewer feel part of the journey, it's just fake mystery.

Picard feels sidelined almost. His Romulan friend went from quite interesting to shouting Irish woman. Irish Romulans I'm not sure I can get on board with. It just seems an odd choice. Make her an Irish human if that's what you want. But why this mish mash?

Swearing. Why? I got into TNG when I was 9. It was the most formative show of my life. My outlook of life, my career path... just so much. Why must Star Trek now be an adult-only affair? People should be watching this with their kids to give them a positive hope for the future. If you take that away, what do kids have? Where is the show that inspired the scientists of today that saw Trek as children?

Even the admirals are just nasty. Where has this positive vibe gone from Star Trek? I hated Discovery as it's now not proper TV unless you want to go away and self-harm from the experience, and I fear Picard will go the same way.

If the future is basically crap, with a pointless Starfleet and cynicism and even the cream of Starfleet via its top brass is corrupt and negative... well shall we just call it a day now with planet earth?

I think I may just fire up my TNG Blu-rays. The first episode of Picard I watched twice, I felt a flicker of hope. Episode two, I am close to giving up already.

P.S. yes writers you've mentioned Earl Grey now 17 times in 90 minutes. We get it. You watched Star Trek. But clearly you didn't understand it.

Picard starts digging to find the truth about Dhaj.

This is a good episode that establishes characters and sets the scene for what is likely to come.

The plot is very much in focus as Picard moves to a variety of locations, thanks to some very cool sci-fi technology, in search of answers and help. It doesn't move the overarching series narrative on very far but it very much gives perspective on who's who and the politics of the time. For me the dialogue is a bit too exposition focused for my liking in certain scenes.

I do like that Picard is taking the opportunity to do something worthwhile at this time of life as opposed to just sit about ageing like one of his bottles of wine. The fact that it links back to his late friend is even better.

As for the swearing that seems to have the die hard Trek fans up in arms, yes I agree it is unnecessary and feels very forced, but it's not that big a deal. Some people take this franchise way too seriously. There is no chance my children would be gripped by an episode of Star Trek until they are old enough to look past a few f-bombs anyway.

The visuals are very strong, particularly that reflection shot of Picard and it presents more good cinematography, landscapes and special effects.

Patrick Stewart is excellent as ever and the supporting cast all work well.

Not as strong as episode 1 and did not need *F* Bombs to make it better. Looking foreword to this series.

After what was as spotless and refreshing a first episode and foreteller of things to come as we could have hoped for, we are now in the segment of this very long movie (known as Episode #2) where the game pieces are gathered to be put in place. Decisions are being made and explained.

There are now two distinct story lines unfolding: Piccard's and the other one, the one taking place at the unknown location Piccard is trying to reach. We are at the stage of revealing the plot piece by piece as a jigsaw puzzle. An especially nice moment when old man Piccard enters Starfleet Command under the decorative interchangeable Holograms of Enterprise A and Enterprise D to the musican fuse of TOS and TNG themes. Then, at the desk, he is asked who he is and to spell his name.

Several things are happening in this new series. Other than the roadmap to unify Kelvin into Canon, debates are taking shape that promise to lead to the best of Next Generation quest for the nature and the condition of life.

Patric Stewart carries Picard effortlessly and with gravitas and with humanity.

Fourty four minutes felt like 20!

Love the show. But it's star trek. If Gene were alive he'd punch you in the mouth for allowing swearing on his show. It's the future. Money is done away with, everyone is educated. Swearing is an uneducated mind trying to express itself forcefully. Don't ruin everything that star trek is because you think swearing is cool. So many family safe shows have been ruined by this kind of thinking. Don't taint what Picard stands for. Keep it to the plot and let us love the show.