David Newgreen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
4thofeleven) wrote2022-04-11 05:11 pm
4thofeleven) wrote2022-04-11 05:11 pm
Entry tags:
Star Trek Picard: 2x05 (Fly Me to the Moon)
In which we meet some familiar faces.
So, I gotta say, it's pretty bold to not just reference Gary Seven out of nowhere, but to do so in a series that already has a character named Seven. I'm sure there's at least a few viewers who are going to be a little confused and trying to work out if there's a connection. It's a fun reference to pull - “Assignment: Earth” isn't one of my favorite episodes, but the concept of aliens monitoring and subtly helping humanity is an idea with potential well worth revisiting.
I'm wondering if Tallinn is going to turn out to be Gary's cat Isis, or another of that species, and thus a shapeshifter – in which case, she may be taking on Laris's form to either put Picard at ease or keep him off guard.
One of the main themes of this episode is depression – both with Renee Picard and also with Jurati. It's nice to see Star Trek treating mental illness with sympathy and understanding; as someone with depression and anxiety issues, it means a lot to hear Captain Picard acknowledge depression as debilitating and potentially life-threatening. It also makes this version of Q just that much more explicitly villainous, that he's preying on this woman's vulnerabilities to get what he wants.
(I also appreciated Picard's instictive “What the hell?!” reaction when Tallinn reveals she's monitoring Renee's therapy sessions – it needs to happen for the plot to work, but it's at least being acknowledged as a deeply unethical decision, and Picard's not comfortable with it.)
And meanwhile Dr. Jurati is having her own struggles, with her own demon on her shoulder guiding her towards self-destructive behavior. This version of the Borg Queen is an interesting direction for the character – taking the basic concept of the Queen from First Contact and keeping her seductive, insidious nature, while minimising the explicitly sexual elements of that seduction. It makes the Borg just that much more disturbingly insidious – the Queen can adapt and take advantage of psychological weaknesses just as easily as the Hive can adapt to technology. Even when Jurati resists, the Queen is still there, goading her and undermining her beneath an illusion of connection.
Meanwhile, we meet yet another Soong – and this one might actually be the nicest we've ever seen. I think the show does a great job filling us in on Adam Soong and his daughter's personalities and situation, quickly and efficiently fleshing them out. This Soong's just as obsessive and abrasive as the others we've met across the franchise, but at least he has more of a heart. And it's delightful to see Isa Briones again, even if not as Soji.
I am suspicious, of course, about Kore's origins – her father seems very quick to try and turn the conversation away from her mother; I'm guessing she has no mother and is the result of a biological experiment – a living legacy of the Eugenics Wars? We saw a statue of a Soong in the Confederation future, so presumably his work plays some key role in creating that future. He'll do something with the lifeform Renee finds on Europa, perhaps?
And, meanwhile, Seven and Raffi break Rios out of ICE detention – and free a bunch of other detanees while they're there, not even spending a second to worry about the consequences for the timeline. And good for them, I appreciated that – it's one thing to worry about butterflies, but that shouldn't stop you from doing the right thing in the moment.
So, I gotta say, it's pretty bold to not just reference Gary Seven out of nowhere, but to do so in a series that already has a character named Seven. I'm sure there's at least a few viewers who are going to be a little confused and trying to work out if there's a connection. It's a fun reference to pull - “Assignment: Earth” isn't one of my favorite episodes, but the concept of aliens monitoring and subtly helping humanity is an idea with potential well worth revisiting.
I'm wondering if Tallinn is going to turn out to be Gary's cat Isis, or another of that species, and thus a shapeshifter – in which case, she may be taking on Laris's form to either put Picard at ease or keep him off guard.
One of the main themes of this episode is depression – both with Renee Picard and also with Jurati. It's nice to see Star Trek treating mental illness with sympathy and understanding; as someone with depression and anxiety issues, it means a lot to hear Captain Picard acknowledge depression as debilitating and potentially life-threatening. It also makes this version of Q just that much more explicitly villainous, that he's preying on this woman's vulnerabilities to get what he wants.
(I also appreciated Picard's instictive “What the hell?!” reaction when Tallinn reveals she's monitoring Renee's therapy sessions – it needs to happen for the plot to work, but it's at least being acknowledged as a deeply unethical decision, and Picard's not comfortable with it.)
And meanwhile Dr. Jurati is having her own struggles, with her own demon on her shoulder guiding her towards self-destructive behavior. This version of the Borg Queen is an interesting direction for the character – taking the basic concept of the Queen from First Contact and keeping her seductive, insidious nature, while minimising the explicitly sexual elements of that seduction. It makes the Borg just that much more disturbingly insidious – the Queen can adapt and take advantage of psychological weaknesses just as easily as the Hive can adapt to technology. Even when Jurati resists, the Queen is still there, goading her and undermining her beneath an illusion of connection.
Meanwhile, we meet yet another Soong – and this one might actually be the nicest we've ever seen. I think the show does a great job filling us in on Adam Soong and his daughter's personalities and situation, quickly and efficiently fleshing them out. This Soong's just as obsessive and abrasive as the others we've met across the franchise, but at least he has more of a heart. And it's delightful to see Isa Briones again, even if not as Soji.
I am suspicious, of course, about Kore's origins – her father seems very quick to try and turn the conversation away from her mother; I'm guessing she has no mother and is the result of a biological experiment – a living legacy of the Eugenics Wars? We saw a statue of a Soong in the Confederation future, so presumably his work plays some key role in creating that future. He'll do something with the lifeform Renee finds on Europa, perhaps?
And, meanwhile, Seven and Raffi break Rios out of ICE detention – and free a bunch of other detanees while they're there, not even spending a second to worry about the consequences for the timeline. And good for them, I appreciated that – it's one thing to worry about butterflies, but that shouldn't stop you from doing the right thing in the moment.