This is a direct quote from one of the characters in this episode. And I couldn't agree more. What is this I am watching? A bad cop show? A telenovela?
This show is written by the much lauded Kirsten Beyer (new Trek) and Cindy Appel (new MacGuyver, Superior Donuts). But it's another bad episode. There isn't much budget put into the scenes as Picard, Guinan & Q all wandering around in some FBI cellar room. Raffi Seven and Jurati seem to be acting in one L. A. alley and Rios with his family are on the ship.
Once again, we are supposed to feel for a new character being dumped on us. The FBI guy is obsessed with finding extra-terrestrials but after finding them (Picard and Guinan) just accepts that he is fired from the agency and leaves. And that is supposed to make sense. It makes even less sense to leave two of your interrogation subjects in the same room so they compare notes about time travel and so on. And they are not concerned if they are being recorded via hidden microphone.
Say nothing of the incredibly stupid Vulcans who scan a pond with scum water at night in the 70's or 80's without scanning for life signs.
All these stories don't advance the plot enough to warrant an entire episode, to be honest. It's pointless bickering by Not-Seven-of-Nine and Worst-Starfleet-Officer-ever Raffi, more witchcraft by Guinan (with nosebleeding just like in that hit show Stranger Things!) and Picard not meeting Q for some reason. Rios is furthermore destroying the timeline by dating a doctor from the 21st century ON THE SPACESHIP! And instead of being amazed by a spaceship and time travellers, they are talking about cakes and cooking shows! It's just a train wreck.
With some shows or movies, you can see that every penny of the budget is being put on screen. This show feels like a bit of a swindle. It has been said that season 1 had a budget of 8-9 million dollars per episode and it was reported that it went up for season 2. But where is it spent? By having 2 people talk on a static set? Or walking around on L. A. streets? Where is the sci-fi? Where is the wonder? Or even character drama or clever allegory? Not here, Im afraid.
Last episode, Seven and Raffi repair the ship, beam a medical device to Rios and beam themselves back to L. A. In this episode, it's suggested that the transporter is broken. Do these writers even compare notes?
The bad writing becomes ever more apparent when Kore, recently aware that she is the product of genetic engineering leaves her maker without money, plan or even shoes to survive in 2024 on her own. What am I watching here?
I really like Brent Spiner and John de Lancie but they are wasted in this show. It's so heartbreaking to see them act in this incoherently written show that doesn't even know what points it's trying to make or what audience should watch it.
It's almost unbelievable that large portions of episode 8 of 10 is spinning its wheels to not spend money on visual effects and still introducing new characters.
Soong can just buy ex Special Forces military and they gladly let themselves be assimilated by the Borg Queen who is freshly enhanced BY LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES. It's another ham-fisted attempt at social commentary. Yes we are dependent on those batteries at the moment. And what are you, the writers, are telling us? That it's a fact? That our "assimilation" is on the way? Are you capable of writing one smart thing or a clever allegory?
Plus, I'm confused about the whole battery-eating thing. Jurati opens rather old looking cars - why are they equipped with lithium-ion batteries?
The few bright spots (Q, Spiner, Seven's reluctance) are overshadowed by this uninteresting screenplay.
Why make a show about old legacy characters and then change them almost beyond recognition? Why draw in the old fans and then present this universe as totally different? Do they think we just want more lore piling up and meaningless nostagic references?
A quote from someone recently was that modern Star Trek is just ABOUT Star Trek itself. It's either referring back to Star Trek or it's self-aware that it's Star Trek.
And that is just embarrassing for the writers. Please, writers... I know season 3 is already filmed and there's no hope of this getting any better, but listen: Ask yourselves. Why is Star Trek special? Why do you have this job? Is it to write ABOUT Star Trek or actually write Star Trek?
I am sorry but the head honchos are still Alex Kutzman and the senior producers. They approved all of this. This show is going into the history books as a colossal failure. This is not only bad Star Trek - it's bad tv.
This show is written by the much lauded Kirsten Beyer (new Trek) and Cindy Appel (new MacGuyver, Superior Donuts). But it's another bad episode. There isn't much budget put into the scenes as Picard, Guinan & Q all wandering around in some FBI cellar room. Raffi Seven and Jurati seem to be acting in one L. A. alley and Rios with his family are on the ship.
Once again, we are supposed to feel for a new character being dumped on us. The FBI guy is obsessed with finding extra-terrestrials but after finding them (Picard and Guinan) just accepts that he is fired from the agency and leaves. And that is supposed to make sense. It makes even less sense to leave two of your interrogation subjects in the same room so they compare notes about time travel and so on. And they are not concerned if they are being recorded via hidden microphone.
Say nothing of the incredibly stupid Vulcans who scan a pond with scum water at night in the 70's or 80's without scanning for life signs.
All these stories don't advance the plot enough to warrant an entire episode, to be honest. It's pointless bickering by Not-Seven-of-Nine and Worst-Starfleet-Officer-ever Raffi, more witchcraft by Guinan (with nosebleeding just like in that hit show Stranger Things!) and Picard not meeting Q for some reason. Rios is furthermore destroying the timeline by dating a doctor from the 21st century ON THE SPACESHIP! And instead of being amazed by a spaceship and time travellers, they are talking about cakes and cooking shows! It's just a train wreck.
With some shows or movies, you can see that every penny of the budget is being put on screen. This show feels like a bit of a swindle. It has been said that season 1 had a budget of 8-9 million dollars per episode and it was reported that it went up for season 2. But where is it spent? By having 2 people talk on a static set? Or walking around on L. A. streets? Where is the sci-fi? Where is the wonder? Or even character drama or clever allegory? Not here, Im afraid.
Last episode, Seven and Raffi repair the ship, beam a medical device to Rios and beam themselves back to L. A. In this episode, it's suggested that the transporter is broken. Do these writers even compare notes?
The bad writing becomes ever more apparent when Kore, recently aware that she is the product of genetic engineering leaves her maker without money, plan or even shoes to survive in 2024 on her own. What am I watching here?
I really like Brent Spiner and John de Lancie but they are wasted in this show. It's so heartbreaking to see them act in this incoherently written show that doesn't even know what points it's trying to make or what audience should watch it.
It's almost unbelievable that large portions of episode 8 of 10 is spinning its wheels to not spend money on visual effects and still introducing new characters.
Soong can just buy ex Special Forces military and they gladly let themselves be assimilated by the Borg Queen who is freshly enhanced BY LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES. It's another ham-fisted attempt at social commentary. Yes we are dependent on those batteries at the moment. And what are you, the writers, are telling us? That it's a fact? That our "assimilation" is on the way? Are you capable of writing one smart thing or a clever allegory?
Plus, I'm confused about the whole battery-eating thing. Jurati opens rather old looking cars - why are they equipped with lithium-ion batteries?
The few bright spots (Q, Spiner, Seven's reluctance) are overshadowed by this uninteresting screenplay.
Why make a show about old legacy characters and then change them almost beyond recognition? Why draw in the old fans and then present this universe as totally different? Do they think we just want more lore piling up and meaningless nostagic references?
A quote from someone recently was that modern Star Trek is just ABOUT Star Trek itself. It's either referring back to Star Trek or it's self-aware that it's Star Trek.
And that is just embarrassing for the writers. Please, writers... I know season 3 is already filmed and there's no hope of this getting any better, but listen: Ask yourselves. Why is Star Trek special? Why do you have this job? Is it to write ABOUT Star Trek or actually write Star Trek?
I am sorry but the head honchos are still Alex Kutzman and the senior producers. They approved all of this. This show is going into the history books as a colossal failure. This is not only bad Star Trek - it's bad tv.