tori_reviews | Star Trek Picard

Got lucky that when I noted the time it was slightly earlier than I thought it was, so I do get this out here tonight.

Star Trek Picard – 3x08: Surrender

I don’t think I liked that episode very much, but I do think I might like it a bit more if I was marathoning the series rather than taking my time with it. It’s not really an episode on its own, it’s a continuation of the ongoing plot aspects and building tension for the season endgame, but it doesn’t bring a lot to the table.

The one exception would be the resolution of Data’s plot, which went better than I had expected it to. Still a little convenient how quickly it had to happen in the narrow time window this episode gave us, and I spent a bit of the time the others were worrying over if they could help wanting someone to point out that Picard has a positronic brain too, so maybe they could plug him in as backup, but the logic of the solution they went with was about as good a job as I think they could have done with the constraints at hand.

I guess I’ll say that the Riker and Troi stuff was about as well handled as it could be, but the episode definitely treats it as an afterthought. We don’t see any of the tough stuff they’ve been through, but their big conversation is nice to get. I did have a bit of a balk at the end when they just blew up the Shrike, because what if there were other prisoners there? Clearly I’m not supposed to wonder about that, and I will just about allow that between hacking the computers and Deanna’s powers that part of the party would have known if there was anyone else around, but even that doesn’t really apply to Seven and Shaw.

I’m sort of torn between amused and annoyed at the Worf and Troi stuff. It was kind of funny, but it doesn’t really make sense to imply that they could still have a thing between them. That was a long time ago, they’ve both been married since then, Worf’s been widowed, Troi’s had kids with the man she always really loved. Yes it was a dangling plot thread that TNG and DS9 didn’t give proper closure to, but that doesn’t mean it makes sense to pick that plot thread up again 30 years later.

I really wish there was some more acknowledgement of the potential DS9 input. Bashir may know more about Changeling biology than anyone outside Section 31; Dr. Mora might be too much of a deep pull for this show, and he could be explained away as being dead, but he’s another source; Ezri would still have access to what Jadzia knew as a scientist; in my heart Kira is still in contact with Odo and could bring in the Great Link to help sort through this mess. Now, Vadik’s Changelings might have taken those pieces off the board early on for precisely that reason, but not including them or even mentioning them nags at me.

In just compounds my other nagging issues that no one else seems to be allowed in the TNG cast’s club. I certainly feel like Seven and Rafi have just as much right to be at the conference room meeting as Troi and probably even Geordie. They may not have the same attachment to Data, but once the meeting turns to current business, it starts to feel like a pretty insular club who aren’t willing to bring in anyone new.

Also, where’s Kestra? Actually, this show seems to have some pretty restrained parenting all around. I would expect a fair bit more reaction from Crusher to learning what’s going on with Jack; Picard actually gets about the right amount of reaction for having met his adult son a week ago. Although, Beverly was always kind of restrained parent with Wesley, so maybe this is in character. For all Geordie’s initial motivation was framed around his daughters, he doesn’t seem very worried about them now. And still no mention of Alexander.

I’m just about willing to let this episode get away with the way it handled the Changelings, but I am bending a long way to let them have it. Bladed weapons should do absolutely nothing against Changelings, and we’ve seen that Changelings can survive in space. What I’m willing to stretch and give them is that these Changelings seem to be more…solid than the ones we knew in DS9. I think I’m willing to let them say that by taking such fully developed forms, they do have associated weak spots that can at least be disrupted by some physical attacks. This still doesn’t explain what happened earlier in the season, because this episode does play by the rules where the Changelings have to be disintegrated to make sure they actually die instead of reforming, even if earlier in the season there needed to be bodies to dissect. As for freezing in space…well it gives them the option to bring Vadik back at a later point if anyone ever wants to, but does seem to take her off the table for a while (as in, if they’re going to bring her back this season it’s going to be treated as a huge surprise, but more likely I mean in some future property). Still no explanation of the hand thing though.

People continue to ignore clues they’re given. Vadik and co. wanted the parts of Picard’s brain affected by irimadic (and no I’m not going to look up how to spell it) syndrome; Data said Jack’s diagnosis of irimadic syndrome might have been incorrect; I suspect this riddle may have something to do with what may or may not be irimadic syndrome is affecting their brains. Not to say it’s a bad move to put Troi on the case, although I sort of wish they were doing it in sick bay where they could monitor what effects this could have on Jack’s brain.

Also, there’s something a bit wonky timeline-wise to this. The logical chain of events would be that the baddies raided secret station and grabbed Picard’s body, but it was too decayed or something for what they wanted; then they somehow found out about Jack who I guess they assumed inherited whatever they were looking for in Picard. But are there even records of Jack being Picard’s son? (And what would the plan have done if Picard didn’t have any kids out there?) I’d let the show have that, after all his blood is no doubt on file any number of places and someone could do a comparison, especially with Picard’s body; but as far as I can tell they were hunting Jack before even raiding secret station. So in addition to the piece of the puzzle we’re clearly missing (ie what is the real goal here) I feel like some part of the plan’s backstory is also missing.

This episode is funny when it pretends that turning off the lights makes that much difference on this ship. Just thought it needed saying.