[TV] New Star Trek Show in Development?

[hepcat]

Don’t get me wrong, you have valid points all. But the only one that really annoyed me was the one I mentioned.

I think Elnor was the break out character for me. I enjoy the childlike outlook on life attached to a murder machine.

[Defiant]

I will say, I did like almost all the characters.

Spoiler:

Except for Admiral Oh. And the evil android.

Also, was there any hint of Seven and Raffi being a thing before the last scene? I mean, that seemed like it came out of nowhere for two characters who maybe interacted a little bit in one episode half a season ago.

[hepcat]

Ditto. Those two were a bit too two dimensional.

[Grifman]

You can watch CBS All Access for free with the code GIFT. Steward tweeted it out...so go watch all of Picard and if you're ok with the other thing you can watch Discovery. Or I guess anything on CBS.

https://www.ign.com/articles/star-trek- ... ck-stewart

Along with the code word "GIFT" (which unlocks the service until April 23), Stewart delivered the message to fans, "It's felt good to bring Picard back. I can't wait to reunite with our cast and crew for Season 2."
TV Shows to Watch in 2020
IGN has confirmed with CBS that the code unlocks the full CBS All Access library, not just Star Trek: Picard, and it's valid for both the commercial-free and limited commercial subscription tiers. There's never been a better time to finally binge Picard, Discovery, The Twilight Zone or the various other CBS All Access-exclusive series.

Thanks for reminding me. I need to sign up and binge on Discovery and Picard, then wait a few more years for the next free trial, or sign up for a month and binge everything then.

[Defiant]

Thanks for reminding me. I need to sign up and binge on Discovery and Picard, then wait a few more years for the next free trial, or sign up for a month and binge everything then.

so far, there's usually been a gift code for CBS all access for a month 2-3 times during the year, and IIUC they're usually good even if you've used other trials before.

[raydude]

I took CBS All Access up on their free month offer and got the wife to watch Discovery with me last week. OMG this show is so good! We have watched 1-2 episodes each night for the past week and every episode leaves us wanting more. Discovery is probably my second favorite Trek series, behind TOS.

[Rumpy]

Alright, just watched the Picard season finale. It's great they are willing and able to do things no one else dared to do... KILL CHARACTERS permanently.

At least two of those were completely senseless though.

Spoiler:

Both Bruce Maddox and Hugh's deaths were things that didn't add anything significant to the story. I'll give you Data though. That scene with Data and Picard at the end was touching and easily one of the best scenes of the entire season.

Loved this show from beginning to end except for

Spoiler:

The fake death of Picard. That just felt cheap and lazy. Then to include no transition between the scenes of everyone mourning his passing and his happy appearance alongside everyone on Rios’ ship was even more so. Heck, I even accepted Riker suddenly being given command of an armada after spending years making soufflés on Rikerton IV, but that faux death really annoyed me.

But other than that, it was a fantastic show.

Spoiler:

Yeah, I wasn't sure what to think of that one. Are we supposed to believe that Picard is now an Android? That felt a little... off. Although it kind of makes me wonder if they shot two different endings, with and without given that they announced a second season.

As for Riker, I actually enjoyed that quite a bit. It fixed one of my gripes I had with Nemesis, being that while they gave him his own ship we never actually got to see him command, so however temporary, it was nice to see them acknowledge it with something like this.

[El Guapo]

I signed up for the free months a week or so ago, and ripped through Picard. Quality show.

Spoiler:

Patrick Stewart was the main highlight. Did a really good job of capturing Picard in his old age - wanting to do what he can to help, but weighed down a bit by his age and by various regrets over past mistakes. Also made me wonder about the original choice of casting a classical British actor and having him play a French guy, as that was a bit jarring at times - why didn't they just have him be English? Though obviously that goes back to TNG. It was also really nice to see planets (especially Earth) in the first half of the show, instead of just endless ships and spacestations as we're used to - nice to see domestic Federation life for once.

I also think what this and Discovery both did well was make the universe feel "lived in" and full of real people in ways that prior Trek shows have struggled to. Characters in TNG tended to be a bit more thin - "Starfleet officer who is cerebral", "Starfleet officer who is angry", "Starfleet officer who is horny", etc. These shows have characters with more personality that come across more as actual people. I also thought that Picard did well using old characters in small doses, instead of just overwhelming people with nostalgia.
I thought that Riker and Troi in particular were really good in this (and yeah, a bit unbelievable that Riker's in command at the end, but I'm willing to overlook that because it's better to use him than some nameless officer in that role).

I will say that while I enjoyed Elnor (and thought the actor did a great job with him), in a lot of ways it bugged me to have this weird sword-wielding warrior monk ninja in the middle of a Star Trek show. I also thought that the "Romulan warrior monk" episode where he was introduced was one of the weaker ones.

[Lassr]

Wife and I both love Picard, been a great show. We only lack the last two episodes to finish it. Hopefully tonight.

[Zaxxon]

PSA: if you were already a paid CBS All-Access subscriber and didn't get the free month, go click cancel. If you're like me, you'll get a prompt to add a no-charge month before your next payment.

[El Guapo]

One thing on the ending:

Spoiler:

I was kind of hoping that they would just keep Picard dead and have it be a one-season show, even though I enjoyed it so much. I kind of respect a "tell your story and then end it" approach with shows, as opposed to dragging it out, plus it would be a good capstone moment for the character. And actually what would've been really cool would be to spend each season focused on a different character - e.g., follow Picard this season, then follow Seven in season 2, and then Riker in season 3, etc. With some overlapping characters - but that would be a cool way to tell slightly different stories with an overarching narrative tying them together.

If they weren't going to do something like that, it would've been much better to not have Picard die at all. Putting him into a synthetic was a little "deus ex machina" that cheapened his death a little. Plus they wound up inventing immortality in what should have far-reaching implications for the Trek universe going forward, even though I'm sure it won't.

[Rumpy]

One thing on the ending:

Spoiler:

I kind of respect a "tell your story and then end it" approach with shows

Spoiler:

Yeah, I tend to agree. I think the original concept was a limited series, but eventually expanded it to another season. Which is why I wondered if they had shot two different endings. First time I heard they were going to do a 2nd season was when Stewart appeared on The View and offered Whoopie to reprise Guinan for the 2nd season.

[Zaxxon]

I thought they had two seasons approved before filming even began on S1.

[Rumpy]

Not as far as I know. I think they announced it near the end of production.

[Jaymann]

Since I got the free month of CBS access, I started watching Discovery. I somewhat prefer it to Picard - more action and less Pill.

[Zaxxon]

Not as far as I know. I think they announced it near the end of production.

You're right. It was in January before the debut. What I was remembering is that they renewed for seasons two and three both at once.

[Blackhawk]

I just wrapped it up. I was really happy with it, with the usual small nitpicks here and there. Some thoughts:

Spoiler:

Knowing there would be a season 2 and that Patrick Stewart was involved in it destroyed what would have been a great death scene. I knew it wouldn't 'take' and the way out was obvious. I wonder now if either A) they originally intended this to be the end then got renewed and had to give him some extra life, or B) was really just a way to write their main character out of a degenerative disease that had been established in the series when they thought it would never actually be something they'd have to deal with.

I really appreciated the Data scene at the end. Not only was it a fantastic scene, it finally resolved a loose plot thread that's been bugging me for 18 years. And they even set his death to the same song. Beautifully done.

[Rumpy]

I just wrapped it up. I was really happy with it, with the usual small nitpicks here and there. Some thoughts:

Spoiler:

Knowing there would be a season 2 and that Patrick Stewart was involved in it destroyed what would have been a great death scene. I knew it wouldn't 'take' and the way out was obvious. I wonder now if either A) they originally intended this to be the end then got renewed and had to give him some extra life

Spoiler:

That's what made me wonder if there were possibly different endings filmed. The second season wasn't announced until they were almost finished production. I thought I remembered reading somewhere early on that it was originally conceived as a limited series, and when they announced they were picked up for a second season before the first one had even aired, I was surprised. So, it's possible they originally had it ending with him dying as a way of closing it out, but had to find a loophole when funding for a second season was established.

[Daehawk]

Borg nanites must help with aging.

[Kraken]

I broke down and signed up for the free month last week. After watching the first six episodes of Picard, I'm underwhelmed. There have been a few "hell yeah, Star Trek!" moments, and I hope those will get more frequent. After we finish Picard I'll watch the "shorts", and then try Discovery, which I know doesn't get much love. Unless it really grabs me, I'll cancel this before the month is out. I'm surprised the CBS has almost zero non-ST content that appeals to me.

[Jaymann]

I broke down and signed up for the free month last week. After watching the first six episodes of Picard, I'm underwhelmed. There have been a few "hell yeah, Star Trek!" moments, and I hope those will get more frequent. After we finish Picard I'll watch the "shorts", and then try Discovery, which I know doesn't get much love. Unless it really grabs me, I'll cancel this before the month is out. I'm surprised the CBS has almost zero non-ST content that appeals to me.

I stuck with Discovery into the 2nd season, but my favorite character

Spoiler:

Lorca

got snuffed out. Maybe they can bring him back through wizardry, but I probably don't care. One thing I wonder, since this is early TOS timeline, is what happened to that insta-drive?

[Rumpy]

Picard was good, but it suffers many of the same problems shared with Abrams and his compatriots, which unfortunately seems to be an industry trend. The mindset and ideals of needing a mystery box approach to storytelling rather than a more straight-forward story. You get a glimpse of supposed brilliance in what could have been, but it often feels the mindset is holding it back, so it stutters along trying to find its pacing amid all the mysteries the show is posing. It also feels like it isn't really doing the most with its setting, in answering some of the underlying questions of its backstory, ie what's happened since in the intervening years since the end of Nemesis, and why Picard was felt to be on the wrong side. They could have done so much more with the setting, but instead it kind of just sits there. The show also does a lot of talking without seemingly saying very much. I think that has a lot do with the kind of mindset the producers are going in with. There's not a whole lot of social commentary, just a lot of doing, almost like they're trying to evoke TNG with a movie version of Picard, but their mindset not letting them go all the way. And strangely, for an arc-based show, where I generally feel things should be tighter, there's certainly a lot of filler. I've wanted Picard to be a more insightful show than what we got.

[naednek]

I finished Picard a few weeks ago. I'm almost done with Season 1 of Discovery. I liked Picard much more.

[Kraken]

Finished Picard last night. Overall, I'm glad I saw it, but I wasn't blown away; it had more filler than a 10-episode series should have. Maybe season 2 will be better now that they've gotten a lot of nostalgia/reunion stuff out of the way...but more likely they'll do the same thing with some other STNG characters (Worf, Geordi, Wesley, Guinan, etc). I do like the darker direction that the Federation has taken, although even that got swept away in the end.

Also, I think The Expanse's realism has forever taken all other space operas down a peg for me. I don't have the tolerance I used to have for such impossibilities as instantaneous communications, space dogfights, etc.

[Jaymann]

Also, I think The Expanse's realism has forever taken all other space operas down a peg for me. I don't have the tolerance I used to have for such impossibilities as instantaneous communications, space dogfights, etc.

+ 1,000

[El Guapo]

Finished Picard last night. Overall, I'm glad I saw it, but I wasn't blown away; it had more filler than a 10-episode series should have. Maybe season 2 will be better now that they've gotten a lot of nostalgia/reunion stuff out of the way...but more likely they'll do the same thing with some other STNG characters (Worf, Geordi, Wesley, Guinan, etc). I do like the darker direction that the Federation has taken, although even that got swept away in the end.

Also, I think The Expanse's realism has forever taken all other space operas down a peg for me. I don't have the tolerance I used to have for such impossibilities as instantaneous communications, space dogfights, etc.

I think that part of the problem is that at its core Star Trek is a utopian fantasy. One of the things that I really like about Picard and Discovery is that they do make the Star Trek universe feel more lived in, more like a real setting with more realistic people, places, etc. (one thing I really liked about Picard was getting to see Federation cities and colonies in more detail). But I think there's a limit to how realistic / gritty they can make it before it stops feeling like Star Trek - part of the core premise is that humanity / the Federation has largely overcome petty differences, poverty, racism, etc. in a way that realistically we never will, but which exists as a kind of hopeful fantasy.

[Rumpy]

(Worf, Geordi, Wesley, Guinan, etc).

Guinan is confirmed. Patrick Stewart reached out to Whoopi on behalf of the producers the last time he was on The View, offering her a role on the show which she accepted. She said she'd loved her time on TNG, that it was easy to accept. Levar Burton recently was slyly hinting that he might be while not confirming outright due to NDA issues.

it had more filler than a 10-episode series should have.

With story-arcs being all the rage now, a series is at the whim of whatever story is running through it to keep things together. I agree that there were definitely was a lot of filler when things should have been much tighter. Lots of lost opportunities to tell a tighter story and explore the new setting and its politics. That's what Star Trek has always done best. Hopefully season 2 explores more of that. Season one's story was thin and mostly an excuse to get the crew together while killing off two popular characters.

[Kraken]

Also, Alison Pill was miscast, IMO.

[El Guapo]

Also, Alison Pill was miscast, IMO.

I thought she was good in the role. My main issue with the character is

Spoiler:

One episode she's convinced enough about the android / world ending threat to straight up murder someone she knows personally, then the next episode she does a 180 and is a committed member of the team. Also everyone seems to trust her again fairly quickly after the whole murder-betrayal thing.

Seems like they should have picked one angle and stuck with it - either she regretfully helps the Romulan faction and doesn't go back, or she doesn't. Maybe at least just have her fail to save the scientist, instead of actively killing him, or something.

[Jaymann]

Also, Alison Pill was miscast, IMO.

Totally believable as an eminent scientist with a goofy smile. Totally.

[Rumpy]

Also, Alison Pill was miscast, IMO.

She did seem a bit out of her league. Most of the time, I don't know if it was due to the writing, she seemed scatterbrained. Maybe she was made to feel completely in over her head via this new experience, but she was that way through most of the season. She had that open-mouthed deer-in-headlights look.

[Kraken]

I'm 11 episodes into Discovery and liking it far more than I expected to. Probably going to have to pay for a month of No Access in order to finish it. (I really hate the No Access app or service or whatever it is, though; every other time that I start it, it forces me to load the upgrade screen before it will let me watch...at some point, it marked all episodes as viewed...sometimes it doesn't display the advertisement timer when it runs ads for its own shows...and more. Really looking forward to canceling it.)

I must say that I don't understand why this series gets so little love from Trekkers. I think I'll go back and skim this thread for clues. I find it well-written and -produced, with just the right amount of callbacks to TOS. The characters and actors are competent, at least, even if they don't have much chemistry. Maybe people hate that it plays fast and loose with TOS canon?

[hepcat]

I like it and I consider myself a lifelong Trek fan. TNG got dinged when it premiered by fans of TOS, so it’s to be expected I guess. Discovery had a shaky start but found its footing eventually. I felt it bridged the worlds of TOS and TNG more often than not.

[Zaxxon]

I like it and I consider myself a lifelong Trek fan. TNG got dinged when it premiered by fans of TOS, so it’s to be expected I guess. Discovery had a shaky start but found its footing eventually. I felt it bridged the worlds of TOS and TNG more often than not.

Concur.

[Kraken]

I skimmed this thread thru page 15 to read reactions up to the point that I'm at now. I won't dredge them back up except to say that I can see where you'd be frustrated and skeptical if you could only watch one ep per week. It's taking time, but it's building up well. Getting to see 11 episodes in a week is better than watching them in 11 weeks.

My relationship with No Access will be to wait for a season to finish, sign up, binge, and drop. I kind of wish I hadn't wasted two weeks of the free trial on Picard, because I found that one pretty disappointing. Regardless of how you feel about Discovery's Trekkiness, it's strong sci-fi, whereas Picard S1 was just a nostalgia play with a thin story.

We'll see if CBS can trick me into keeping their service. They're going to need to develop a whole lot of ST to keep me from bouncing in, binging for a month, and dropping out. There is just nothing else on CBS that I want to see.

[Daehawk]

Strange New Worlds

CBS All Access has announced a series order for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a series featuring Star Trek: Discovery's Captain Pike, Number One and Spock.

Strange New Worlds will be based on the years that Captain Christopher Pike commanded the U.S.S. Enterprise, and will feature the returning Anson Mount as Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock. These actors portrayed these same characters in CBS All Access' Discovery too.

[Rumpy]

Wow, didn't think they'd actually go through with it. Fans have been asking for a spinoff ever since the 2nd season but never thought it would actually materialize. I always thought Anson Mount was an inspired choice to play Pike.

[Daehawk]

If I paid for CBS this is something Id approve of.

[Jaymann]

If I paid for CBS this is something Id approve of.

Once the season is complete, get the 30 day free trial and binge away. This sounds better than Discovery.

[Kraken]

If I paid for CBS this is something Id approve of.

Once the season is complete, get the 30 day free trial and binge away. This sounds better than Discovery.

I've got five more days in my free trial, and 12 more eps of Discovery to watch. Should just about be able to make it if Wife cooperates (we have to watch them together). Worst case, I'll pay them $6 once. Two seasons of Discovery, one of Picard, and those ST shorts are worth $6.