That Space Again

Well, the first four episodes of the new season of Star Trek: Picard were good, anyway. Episodes five and six have sadly started to indulge in some of the things that brought down Discovery.

In episode five, Jack Crusher starts to have visions of a "Red Lady" and getting psychotic breaks, an unwelcome echo of the Red Angel plot from Discovery season two. Maybe the writer of episode 6, Christopher Monfette, realised this because he nipped it right in the bud at the beginning of the episode by having Jack Crusher take the extraordinary step of telling the other characters that he's having hallucinations.

Unfortunately, the rest of the episode wallows in maudlin fan service. Now on the run, our heroes hide out at a starship museum where we get glimpses of the Defiant and the Voyager before Geordi La Forge shows up, now a commodore. He has a pretty predictable little arc about how he's unwilling to let his daughters risk their lives for their ideals and of course he comes around by the end of the episode. One of the daughters mentions a hanger in the museum off hand that I bet good money will end up housing the Enterprise-D, refitted by Geordi in his spare time. Except the budget for sets seems to be pretty slim this season and they apparently still can't afford to turn on all the lights.

Michelle Forbes returned for one episode, in episode five, to finally resolve the issues left dangling when she left to join the Maquis in TNG. It was nice the writers thought to do that but it was completely the wrong context. It was like Ro was plugged into the space of a totally different character, in this case somehow a high ranking intelligence officer. Picard somehow was totally unaware of Ro returning to Starfleet and getting a whole new career. So they have a confrontation and the two actors are good but I was annoyed by so much of the dialogue, particularly revolving around the awkwardly named "Bajoran earring." I wonder if Christian crucifixes are called "human crosses" in the future. In any case, Ro needed to come back for more than one episode if they were really going address the issues leftover for her character from TNG and give her a new role in the galaxy.

The show could still pull out of this. Amanda Plummer is still entertaining as the villain. But I fear the first four episodes derived their vitality entirely by imitating Star Trek II.

Star Trek: Picard is available on Paramount+.

Twitter Sonnet #1681

To change, proceed to find an open box.
The watchful babies guard the tower wall.
With special steel, you forge your armour socks.
With special shoes, we'll think you're very tall.
You doddle home but questions hound your toes.
Like where's the dough and where's the oven gone?
A cake you'd bake yourself with frosted bows.
And someone's apron floats ashore at dawn.
The iron evened out the row of feet.
A glassy sea was safe for dancing disks.
Above the cannon ball the angels beat.
A pulpy drink is not without its risks.
Returning ships'll carry packing nuts.
Addiction turns the head to lazy ruts.