David Newgreen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
4thofeleven) wrote2022-04-27 04:36 pm
4thofeleven) wrote2022-04-27 04:36 pm
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Star Trek Picard: 2x06. 07, 08 (Two of One, Monsters, Mercy)
In which everyone has a lot of trauma to get over.
So I fell behind a bit due to circumstances beyond my control, but honestly, I think the show flows a lot better when binge-watched rather than one week at a time. I'm still a little concerned that, like last season, the writers have bitten of more than they can chew and that there's too many plot threads needing to be resolved, but I'm generally still enjoying what I'm seeing.
Plenty of people have been commenting that while modern Star Trek has thrown in plenty of easter eggs and references to TNG and Voyager, DS9 references seem far less common. Apparently, Picard's writers have heard them, because it looks like this entire season has turned out to be a homage to Sisko's first meeting with the Prophets!
OK, more seriously, I like the idea of the show dealing with repressed traumas in various contexts. I do have some quibbles with Picard's own story these last few episodes. I'm glad that, despite what was implied earlier, this isn't simply a story of domestic abuse. At the same time, I'm rather troubled by the implication that the 'solution' to Maman Picard's obvious mental illness was... simply locking her in a room over her protests. And, of course, there's the whole issue of a woman's trauma and struggle existing purely to provide a male character with angst; Ms. Picard's story is something discussed by Jean-Luc and Picard Sr.; she doesn't get a voice of her own.
Of course, there is apparently more to this story, and what we've seen is so filtered through Picard's own perceptions and memories that it's hard to say how much of it is meant to be the literal truth or not. Still, I'm not really comfortable with the way it's being written.
I will say, that learning that Picard's mother was a storyteller while being plagued by apparent hallucinations does make her brief illusory appearance in “Where No One Has Gone Before” just a little more poignant – when thrown into a realm where reality itself seemed malleable, it's no wonder Jean-Luc would think of his mother and wish she could guide him out again.
Meanwhile, the Borg Queen preys on Juranti's vulnerability while showing some of her own. There's something both amusing and pathetic about the idea of the Borg Queen alone on 21st century Earth trying to gain some sense of connection with others as she runs amok in a stolen body; the queen without a realm, the one without the many. And it serves as a good segue to bring up Seven's own lingering issues, a reminder that she is still very much a product of trauma. I'm also really enjoying the relationship between Seven and Raffi; for something that was largely established off-screen, it's one of the more believable relationships in Star Trek.
(Actually, now that I think about it, I also really liked Burnham and Book, and that was also a relationship that was mostly established between episodes. Maybe that's the key to writing a good relationship in Star Trek; just assert that it exists and skip over all the early awkwardness.)
I'm still waiting to see how Soong, Kore, and Q tie into everything; while our main cast continues to bumble around, they haven't really had a chance to play directly into anything. I am curious, regarding the reveal that Q is apparently dying – or at least, degenerating in some way: How long has it been for him since we last saw him? There's no reason to assume Q follows linear time – for him, it could have been subjectively a much longer period of time since he last meddled with humanity.
So I fell behind a bit due to circumstances beyond my control, but honestly, I think the show flows a lot better when binge-watched rather than one week at a time. I'm still a little concerned that, like last season, the writers have bitten of more than they can chew and that there's too many plot threads needing to be resolved, but I'm generally still enjoying what I'm seeing.
Plenty of people have been commenting that while modern Star Trek has thrown in plenty of easter eggs and references to TNG and Voyager, DS9 references seem far less common. Apparently, Picard's writers have heard them, because it looks like this entire season has turned out to be a homage to Sisko's first meeting with the Prophets!
OK, more seriously, I like the idea of the show dealing with repressed traumas in various contexts. I do have some quibbles with Picard's own story these last few episodes. I'm glad that, despite what was implied earlier, this isn't simply a story of domestic abuse. At the same time, I'm rather troubled by the implication that the 'solution' to Maman Picard's obvious mental illness was... simply locking her in a room over her protests. And, of course, there's the whole issue of a woman's trauma and struggle existing purely to provide a male character with angst; Ms. Picard's story is something discussed by Jean-Luc and Picard Sr.; she doesn't get a voice of her own.
Of course, there is apparently more to this story, and what we've seen is so filtered through Picard's own perceptions and memories that it's hard to say how much of it is meant to be the literal truth or not. Still, I'm not really comfortable with the way it's being written.
I will say, that learning that Picard's mother was a storyteller while being plagued by apparent hallucinations does make her brief illusory appearance in “Where No One Has Gone Before” just a little more poignant – when thrown into a realm where reality itself seemed malleable, it's no wonder Jean-Luc would think of his mother and wish she could guide him out again.
Meanwhile, the Borg Queen preys on Juranti's vulnerability while showing some of her own. There's something both amusing and pathetic about the idea of the Borg Queen alone on 21st century Earth trying to gain some sense of connection with others as she runs amok in a stolen body; the queen without a realm, the one without the many. And it serves as a good segue to bring up Seven's own lingering issues, a reminder that she is still very much a product of trauma. I'm also really enjoying the relationship between Seven and Raffi; for something that was largely established off-screen, it's one of the more believable relationships in Star Trek.
(Actually, now that I think about it, I also really liked Burnham and Book, and that was also a relationship that was mostly established between episodes. Maybe that's the key to writing a good relationship in Star Trek; just assert that it exists and skip over all the early awkwardness.)
I'm still waiting to see how Soong, Kore, and Q tie into everything; while our main cast continues to bumble around, they haven't really had a chance to play directly into anything. I am curious, regarding the reveal that Q is apparently dying – or at least, degenerating in some way: How long has it been for him since we last saw him? There's no reason to assume Q follows linear time – for him, it could have been subjectively a much longer period of time since he last meddled with humanity.