The greatest leader of our time (No, not split from the Trump thread - Picard)

[Rapier]

Not much detail yet, but it's been announced Patrick Stewart will be bringing back Picard in a leading role in a new Star Trek series. TNG was 'my' Star Trek, but I don't think that's why this interests me. I find the actor and the character quite interesting and think they could do a lot with the broad idea of what comes after, including tackling some current social and political issues. It remains to be seen if they get a creative team to do that, or if they just try to do fan-service; though I can't imagine Patrick Stewart getting on board just for the latter.

It's being made for a streaming service, so I'll wait to find out if it's any good, but it might just be enough to get me to subscribe to one (other than Eurosport).

[X2-Illuminatus]

Oh, I can totally see how this works out: After retiring as a Star Fleet Captain Picard moves to the family vineyard to become a viniculturalist. Watch Sir Patrick Steward as "Jean-Luc Picard" to boldly go where no one has gone before: Selling Earl Grey Tea as wine. In guest roles Michael Dorn as "Pest control officer Cmd. Worf" ("This is far less dangerous than you promised, Captain!"), LeVar Burton as "Agriculture officer Geordie La Forge" ("Cpt., I told you already, it doesn't matter how much you water this, you won't be able to grow wine from buried black tea leaves!") and Brent Spiner as "B-4" ("I do not understand!").



Well, let's hope for the best, and expect the worst.

[brucewarren]

Not seeing that myself. I don't think he and his deceased brother got on that well so the last thing he's going to want to do is take over the vineyard.

B4 is an abomination. I hope he's been scrapped by now. I liked Data, but he died and died well. He should be allowed to stay dead.

Will Picard still be allowed to command a ship? He'll be quite old by now and they probably have fitness tests and stuff unless the fleet has gone full pacifist again. You'd think that the Dominion war and the Borg would have taught them to keep their powder dry but it's hard to fight the stoopid even in the Federation.

I suspect he'll be an admiral. We don't get to see may tales from the perspective. It could be interesting.

[Rapier]

Will Picard still be allowed to command a ship? He'll be quite old by now and they probably have fitness tests and stuff unless the fleet has gone full pacifist again. You'd think that the Dominion war and the Borg would have taught them to keep their powder dry but it's hard to fight the stoopid even in the Federation.

In my head-cannon, he's gone into politics and diplomacy - maybe more like the Sheridans from Babylon 5 (father and/or son).

[pjknibbs]

Star Trek is beginning to confuse me. We have the reboot movies which are explicitly set in a different timeline to the original, we have Discovery which is likely set in a third given what happens in it, and now we have the prime timeline coming back? Leastways, I hope this is Prime Picard, it would defeat the objective if he's an alt universe version!

[Usenko]

The reboot movies would have had closer links to the original timeline if it were not for the fact that different companies holding the copyrights forced there to be a separation (so the story writers made a virtue of a necessity).

[Bishop149]

Oh, I can totally see how this works out: After retiring as a Star Fleet Captain Picard moves to the family vineyard to become a viniculturalist.

I would watch the hell out a show with the following format.

Picard has retired to vineyard / plantation in France where he spends his time making wine and tea. His wine is awful, his tea is excellent (running gags!).
In his spare time (of which there is a lot, the wine a tea are merely retirement hobbies) he uses the skills he gained commanding the Enterprise to either:
- Solve murders, a la midsummer murders
- Aid mid level bureaucrats solve problems in local governance. Think conflict resolution skills gain negotiating with the Romulans applied to a dispute over local water rights. . . . or an argument between neighbours over a fence.


In more likely scenarios however we already have one idea of what a Picard of this time might be dealing with.
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-time_future
Alternatively Romulus could have just been destroyed by the supernova that was part of the events that established the Prime / Alternate universe split and there's the aftermath of that to deal with.

In either scenario I too see him in the role of diplomat / facilitator rather than a starship captain.

[BugMeister]

Maybe Picard will step out of the shower to find that it has all been a dream..

*facepalm*

[brucewarren]

I don't see the diplomacy thing myself.

While Picard would be good at it it would be a completely different kind of TV show if it centred around his work as a diplomat.

It would be much more in line with something like "Yes Minister" - the proper one not the remake - in which Bernard and Sir Humphrey are sorting out the diplomatic affairs with some foreign ambassador over tea and biscuits. I've no doubt it could be done, and I've no doubt that diplomacy is important but it's just not Star Trek.

Star Trek has shields and guns and shooty scenes but the whole point of being a diplomat is to avoid the shooty in the first place. Not at any price, of course, but to avoid unnecessary shooty.

Speaking of ambassadors I have a bone to pick with the original series episode "A Taste of Armageddon." While it was generally good the Federation ambassador was portrayed as a complete retard. I don't think real life ambassadors are usually that stupid or naive.

[Rapier]

Star Trek has shields and guns and shooty scenes but the whole point of being a diplomat is to avoid the shooty in the first place. Not at any price, of course, but to avoid unnecessary shooty.

The times of Star Trek have largely been times of military war - or cold war - between nation states. I wouldn't be opposed to something set more to a background of an information-war.

[Bishop149]

Star Trek has shields and guns and shooty scenes but the whole point of being a diplomat is to avoid the shooty in the first place. Not at any price, of course, but to avoid unnecessary shooty.

The times of Star Trek have largely been times of military war - or cold war - between nation states. I wouldn't be opposed to something set more to a background of an information-war.

A time of reconciliation between erstwhile enemies brought on by crisis would be good too. Star Trek 6 dipped its toes in this what with Praxis and the Klingon Empire in crisis. Picard could do similar in much more depth if it was set just after the near total destruction of the Romulans. . . . much good material would abound.

[Hank001]

After getting the CBS app to stream "Discovery" and almost choking on my popcorn seeing how much they changed cannon in this weird new "J. J. Abrams" timeline I remembered that the average "all access" viewer can't watch a full episode of the origional Star Trek without laughing. Which probably explains why J. J. Had to give the franchise a face lift in the first place.

Okay CBS took a risk and went all out on this "All Access" streaming concept and at best it's a bit before it's time as unless you have a top of the line internet connection your watching the buffering ring chase it's tail more than your watching what it buffered.

Everything in flashy color pallets except the "strange new" Klingons that only come in black and white now it seems. Hence they are getting a new facelift in season two when every critic of the show pointed out the thinly veiled racism issue this was obvoiusly meant to parable...badly.

So now mysteriously they need another tie to past lives as J. J. did with Leonard Nimoy/Quinto's double Spock paradox only now a mysteriously out of step Pickard pops in like a deux ex machina. (this is suppose to be in line with the original timeline, but The Next Generation as 80 years later, remember? Does he fall through another time warp or does some updated Q provide the needed filler for this plot hole?)

Though I'll have to admit the show does need an actor of Stewart's calibre it has me asking "What's Next" after this season's viewership figure disappoint and the critics pan? Frakes falling through a cosmic rabbit hole? Spiner? (God help us) Shatner?

Which sort of reminds me of what an art director once told me.
"No matter how flashy the graphics a train wreck is still a train wreck."

[pjknibbs]

After getting the CBS app to stream "Discovery" and almost choking on my popcorn seeing how much they changed cannon in this weird new "J. J. Abrams" timeline

Discovery isn't set in the reboot timeline. It can't be--for a start, that would mean the massive war with the Klingons that nearly destroyed the Federation took place only 2 years before the main part of the first reboot movie, which doesn't seem likely. Secondly, the Dsicovery actually meets up with the Enterprise in one episode, and the Enterprise looks a lot more like the TOS version than the reboot version.

[Antilogic]

Correct DSC is set some time before the timeline split, as is Enterprise. Both are valid events for both timelines.

[Hank001]

@ pjknibbs
Thanks. I'm not half way into the first season as it buffers for twice as long as it plays an annoys me to no end.

It's obviously meant for a high speed cable internet system or 5G, and this area won't see 5G for at least 2 years. So I ask myself why CBS even bothered to supply a smartphone app?

[felter]

I'm pretty surprised that no has linked to the video showing Mr Stewart announcing the return of Pickard.

Also just for fun.

[Hank001]

felter skelter:

Also just for fun.

Okay that's going out with my Christmas emails this year for sure!

[Golden_Gonads]

Correct DSC is set some time before the timeline split, as is Enterprise. Both are valid events for both timelines.

Actually... No. Discovery is set 10 years prior to TOS, true. But the start of the new movies - And when the split occurs, is 25 years or so earlier, with the birth of Kirk.

Thus, as the producers have said from the beginning, Discovery is set in the 'original' universe.

[pjknibbs]

Thus, as the producers have said from the beginning, Discovery is set in the 'original' universe.

Which still means they have to explain why the spore drive doesn't appear to exist in any later Trek series.

[Golden_Gonads]

Which still means they have to explain why the spore drive doesn't appear to exist in any later Trek series.

The same reason they don't use the ships phasers to do a wide-beam stun against an entire planet (or city at least) as they did in TOS - The plot didn't call for it.

Alternatively, the spore network will be destroyed by the end of the show.