Have you ever even watched Trek before?? Trek has always tackled political issues. Always. This episode is nothing new. Of course the people whining about it would probably also have whined about Kirk kissing Uhura too. Get over it.
63 Reviews
Penance
Prismark1011 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Did the writers of Picard have a crystal ball? This episode really did end up reflecting real world events!
With Q involved, I did think Star Trek will retread some well worn paths.
At the beginning it looked like that Picard will have his own version of It's A Wonderful Life or it would be that old chestnut. The dark mirror universe.
Instead it was fractured time and the episode got better as it went along.
Picard finds himself to be bloodthirsty General Picard whose goal is to rule the galaxy that is fit for the human race, because it is run by humans. A kind of message that would be approved by Putin.
The Confederation is brutal and xenophobic. The president is Annika Hansen, 7 of 9. They even have their own version of The Purge.
With the aid of the Borg Queen, the rest of the gang need to fix something back in time in the early 21st century.
It was enjoyable not because it was old school Trek. The episode used familiar components and told a story in a new way. All of a sudden the characters had purpose.
With Q involved, I did think Star Trek will retread some well worn paths.
At the beginning it looked like that Picard will have his own version of It's A Wonderful Life or it would be that old chestnut. The dark mirror universe.
Instead it was fractured time and the episode got better as it went along.
Picard finds himself to be bloodthirsty General Picard whose goal is to rule the galaxy that is fit for the human race, because it is run by humans. A kind of message that would be approved by Putin.
The Confederation is brutal and xenophobic. The president is Annika Hansen, 7 of 9. They even have their own version of The Purge.
With the aid of the Borg Queen, the rest of the gang need to fix something back in time in the early 21st century.
It was enjoyable not because it was old school Trek. The episode used familiar components and told a story in a new way. All of a sudden the characters had purpose.
TNG Mirror Universe-style episode we never had. But, they used a word that will trigger negative reviews...
joe-7212810 March 2022
Already one written review says the show is back to season 1 norms. I beg to differ, just because they used the word "confederation" doesn't mean they're making a political statement. Chill out and enjoy the show. We're only two eipisodes in and already I feel more taken into the plot than last season, or even all of Discovery.
We may still pray
thinkMovies10 March 2022
Talk of Gene Roddenberry writing morality stories set in outer space utilizing everything he saw around him on 20th century Earth. This time, Q is not teaching lessons. This time Piccard must do penance. In a timeline that diverged via a single action that occurred in 2024. We are not in Starfleet and the Federation any more. This dystopian future is ruled by the Confederation.
I've been watching Gene's Star Trek since 1967 and then Gene's TNG. For the first time since Trek's Golden Age in the 90ies Trek gives me hope again, in the dreams most of us have, that maybe humanity can self-critique and self-correct. Hope that perhaps Gene's prayer, for a humanity that can reach for the stars, equal among all and everyone else in the galaxy, may not remain unanswered. It really is up to us.
Edge-of-your-seat episode. Every minute of it. Brilliant.
I've been watching Gene's Star Trek since 1967 and then Gene's TNG. For the first time since Trek's Golden Age in the 90ies Trek gives me hope again, in the dreams most of us have, that maybe humanity can self-critique and self-correct. Hope that perhaps Gene's prayer, for a humanity that can reach for the stars, equal among all and everyone else in the galaxy, may not remain unanswered. It really is up to us.
Edge-of-your-seat episode. Every minute of it. Brilliant.
This episode is worth a solid 10.
tom99210 March 2022
-That was wild !!!
marianthenightman10 March 2022
-This was ,without no doubt one of the best acting in a Star Trek production i ever saw and those vfx...man.. this show has better visuals than all Star Trek movies and the characters are so well developed ,i liked this episode as much i liked watching any episodes from TNG/DS-9/Voy for the first time.
Bliss!
joncase-4846310 March 2022
A fabulous watch with many little treats for the die hard Trekkie - cats, Q, Borg, Martok, Dukat, etc, etc, etc. Easter Egg galore.
Topped off with rapid, excellent writing and storytelling, good production, great acting and being true to Trek. Mistakes from season 1 seem to have been learned. I hope the rest of the season is this good.
Oh, and a true laugh out loud moment. The name 'Annika Seven Shots' will live forever!
Topped off with rapid, excellent writing and storytelling, good production, great acting and being true to Trek. Mistakes from season 1 seem to have been learned. I hope the rest of the season is this good.
Oh, and a true laugh out loud moment. The name 'Annika Seven Shots' will live forever!
Holy Balls
bnevs1810 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I do not give out 10s lightly...about 0.5% of the episodes/movies Ive seen have inspired me to go to IMDB and give out a 10. Maybe Im just a sucker for the Terran Empire (I know this isnt it exactly), but this episode totally blindsided me. Its been decades since Star Trek gave me this feeling, and maybe because I had such low expectations it made it easier, but its been a long time since Ive watched a show and thought "this is so much better than what I could have possibly came up with".
Some here dislike the dystopian mirror universe Trek, and thats totally fine, you do have Discovery (which does have its own merits and gets criticized for the wrong things IMO). I always thought one of the richest trek storylines was to put our outstanding pure, morally superior Prime Timeline characters into the middle of the xenophobic brutal muck and see how they fared. The best of Discovery has been the brief forays into the Mirror Universe. The best of Enterprise was Through A Mirror Darkly (Q namedropping it was my first hint this episode could be awesome). The first couple crossover episodes of DS9 were great. The best of TNG includes Yesterday's Enterprise. Real drama comes from good people being put in terrible circumstances.
I fear that this may be a one-off, with most/the rest of the season being a ST4-like fanservice, but perhaps there's some groundbreaking life left in this franchise. The fact that this episode isnt ranked in the 9s is proof that you cant please everyone. Many of the reviews over at Discovery lament it and beg for what this episode was. You got your wish, and still (while better ranked) there isnt exaltation. If you look back at reviewer JJ's other reviews of Discovery he laments at the things that Disco does and wishes everything that this episode is...yet it gets a 6 because to people like him, everything has some political undertone.
There is room in trek for feelings...for exploration of the human heart. But the true measure of a man to me has always been what do they do when its easiest to be bad. Will you lay your life down in order to have less power/prestige/money/etc than you would if you compromised your morals? I normally hate newer fastpaced flashy TV that forgoes nuance, but this last hour was a wall to wall ride unlike Ive seen in years.
P. S. In terms of the undercurrents of people not liking the supposed political statement ST is doing by having this named the "Confederacy"...get over it. You become that which you despise...where the smallest thing can trigger you into hating something you would otherwise like. Not EVERYTHING has to be about race/gender/pc/liberal/conservative/etc. Quit letting the political brainwashing (on both sides) of modern America destroy your enjoyment of anything not completely in your worldview.
Some here dislike the dystopian mirror universe Trek, and thats totally fine, you do have Discovery (which does have its own merits and gets criticized for the wrong things IMO). I always thought one of the richest trek storylines was to put our outstanding pure, morally superior Prime Timeline characters into the middle of the xenophobic brutal muck and see how they fared. The best of Discovery has been the brief forays into the Mirror Universe. The best of Enterprise was Through A Mirror Darkly (Q namedropping it was my first hint this episode could be awesome). The first couple crossover episodes of DS9 were great. The best of TNG includes Yesterday's Enterprise. Real drama comes from good people being put in terrible circumstances.
I fear that this may be a one-off, with most/the rest of the season being a ST4-like fanservice, but perhaps there's some groundbreaking life left in this franchise. The fact that this episode isnt ranked in the 9s is proof that you cant please everyone. Many of the reviews over at Discovery lament it and beg for what this episode was. You got your wish, and still (while better ranked) there isnt exaltation. If you look back at reviewer JJ's other reviews of Discovery he laments at the things that Disco does and wishes everything that this episode is...yet it gets a 6 because to people like him, everything has some political undertone.
There is room in trek for feelings...for exploration of the human heart. But the true measure of a man to me has always been what do they do when its easiest to be bad. Will you lay your life down in order to have less power/prestige/money/etc than you would if you compromised your morals? I normally hate newer fastpaced flashy TV that forgoes nuance, but this last hour was a wall to wall ride unlike Ive seen in years.
P. S. In terms of the undercurrents of people not liking the supposed political statement ST is doing by having this named the "Confederacy"...get over it. You become that which you despise...where the smallest thing can trigger you into hating something you would otherwise like. Not EVERYTHING has to be about race/gender/pc/liberal/conservative/etc. Quit letting the political brainwashing (on both sides) of modern America destroy your enjoyment of anything not completely in your worldview.
This is the best Trek episode since Voyager's ending
batmanforever-9324910 March 2022
.. I saw many reviews on the Internet saying this is one of the best episodes ,even those who are not quite fans of the series are saying this episode is a good one and this season is on another higher level of quality and i couldn't agree more .The characters are so likeable , i hope they will remain together until the end of the series .
Far better than you might expect
pjdickinson-2782212 March 2022
On the evidence of a truly terrible first season and a shockingly bad sister show, Discovery, it's understandable that viewers would expect Season 2 of Picard to be a complete mess. However, although still flawed the producers have taken a novel approach for modern Star Trek and hired people who want to tell a story rather than fill 50 minutes with propaganda as in Discovery. So far this approach is yielding results and Picard is both watchable and enjoyable. Picard still isn't Picard, the supporting characters are mostly paper-thin and there is an over-reliance on nostalgia but so far it's working. Unlike its sister show it isn't painful to watch and it is a big improvement on what came before.
How "tapestry" of you, Star Trek Picard
Allys_Stark10 March 2022
Magnificent! The whole episode brig us so many things of this alternative authoritarian universe. It seems a more "grown-up" and not so "sketchy" version of the mirror universe, which I totally buy it and from a storytelling perspective I loved it. The only thing that set me off was Jurati, is the show trying to transform her in some kind of Tilly from Discovery? What's up with that awkward humor thing?
The easter eggs were really good but Seven I really wished that you were briefed in the situation by that other character...
The easter eggs were really good but Seven I really wished that you were briefed in the situation by that other character...
I find this more enjoyable
mindlessmoviemaster11 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Knowing that this is going on in the mirror universe/ or other universe or like messed up timelines is better then them trying to do it in the TNG universe,so far it's whole lot better then the first season thanks. I'll keep watching to see how it goes so far these first 2 episodes have been good.
One step forward- two steps back
metdvls-110 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The Star Gazer episode was a fine start to the season - one step forward. Too bad this episode was two steps back.
The whole dystopian future/alternate reality has been over played. So how do we top that? Hey- let's go back in time in the same story!!! But let's not just use the old sling shot effect like they did for the last 60 years of Trek- let's over complicate the process of trying to nail down the exact time and steal the Borg Queen to open up a time portal. But of course security is tight - so let's send Elnor to slit a few throats. Not exactly Star Fleet behavior- but hey- we're in an alternate timeline so nobody cares- regulation be damned.
I'm sorry- I got so jazzed talking Elnor & Rafi on the Excelsior, Seven running around with Emmet on Ranger business, Chris as Captain of the Star Gazer, Agnes fighting with Chris (but clearly in love with him) and Jean Luc flirting with Laris. I thought the show turned a corner.
But this episode left a bad taste in my mouth. Let's see if they can salvage this Star Wreck of a season.
The whole dystopian future/alternate reality has been over played. So how do we top that? Hey- let's go back in time in the same story!!! But let's not just use the old sling shot effect like they did for the last 60 years of Trek- let's over complicate the process of trying to nail down the exact time and steal the Borg Queen to open up a time portal. But of course security is tight - so let's send Elnor to slit a few throats. Not exactly Star Fleet behavior- but hey- we're in an alternate timeline so nobody cares- regulation be damned.
I'm sorry- I got so jazzed talking Elnor & Rafi on the Excelsior, Seven running around with Emmet on Ranger business, Chris as Captain of the Star Gazer, Agnes fighting with Chris (but clearly in love with him) and Jean Luc flirting with Laris. I thought the show turned a corner.
But this episode left a bad taste in my mouth. Let's see if they can salvage this Star Wreck of a season.
Night vs day compared to season 1
philhemstock-1178212 March 2022
I hated the first series of Picard. If you can find my old reviews, they were mostly one star per episode. Utter garbage, destroyed my ideals of Star Trek.
Series 2 so far couldn't be more different! This is actually really good! The Borg, Q, an actual sense of a Trek storyline. This is how it should have been from the start. Aside from a few characters who are a little annoying, I'm back on board with this series. Shame they haven't fixed Discovery yet. I hope it maintains this quality for the rest of the series!
Series 2 so far couldn't be more different! This is actually really good! The Borg, Q, an actual sense of a Trek storyline. This is how it should have been from the start. Aside from a few characters who are a little annoying, I'm back on board with this series. Shame they haven't fixed Discovery yet. I hope it maintains this quality for the rest of the series!
My heart is screaming! For many good reasons with an exception
markorama2410 March 2022
If I could, I would give it a mere 9.9 rating for that neglectful credit for the prestigious guest star which should have stated as "John de Lancie as Q" like ever so often in the TNG era series in our golden years, but this episode chose not to do so. Painfully, it only typed down as "John de Lancie." Sad face.
But the overall for the realistic of the characters, flow of the story, and oh, the perfect uses and timing of nostalgia are effectively executed, in my opinion.
Since there will be only three seasons in total in this series, I sincerely hope that this tension holds out to our anticipations; take that scene at end of the episode as an example, which made me want to to smack the hell out of each of the series' producer and writer until next Thursday. With the exception of Sir Stewart, of course.
And I've never felt like that since I first watched "The Best of Both Worlds." It was on streaming years, years ago and I could just press a button only once to proceed to the second part, but I did feel like I wanted to smack them all as well.
I didn't feel like that for Discovery, which is very disappointing. But as a true Star Trek fan, it is my responsibility to view it for the sake of the story,
But the overall for the realistic of the characters, flow of the story, and oh, the perfect uses and timing of nostalgia are effectively executed, in my opinion.
Since there will be only three seasons in total in this series, I sincerely hope that this tension holds out to our anticipations; take that scene at end of the episode as an example, which made me want to to smack the hell out of each of the series' producer and writer until next Thursday. With the exception of Sir Stewart, of course.
And I've never felt like that since I first watched "The Best of Both Worlds." It was on streaming years, years ago and I could just press a button only once to proceed to the second part, but I did feel like I wanted to smack them all as well.
I didn't feel like that for Discovery, which is very disappointing. But as a true Star Trek fan, it is my responsibility to view it for the sake of the story,
Nailed It!
phillipkleinman11 March 2022
Pure entertainment, weather you like the mirror universe or not. Really enjoyed the premise, action and writing. It was a roller coaster ride and though we pretty much know how the cliffhanger will end, still great episode. I wish another Trek series would sit in the Picard writer's room and get a few ideas.
Real Star Trek
tmeranto11 March 2022
General Picard!
manijaci-7621510 March 2022
As as long ST fan hate every single part of Abrams movies and ST Discovery.. After dull first season of STP i had zero expectation for S2.. oh boy, i was so wrong. This is the best piece of Star Trek since Voyager. People who downvoting episode follows same hate culture promoted by youtube moneymakers, so called ST fans. They are not. Its not Breaking Bad nor Shawshank Redemption its Star Trek we all love, political messages are meaningless as long as episodes are interesting. Something ST Discovery writters should learn. =/\=
Best Star Trek I've seen in a while
bellos-4938711 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I was not all that impressed with the first episode. But this is turning out to be an interesting story. Not crazy about them jumping into the past. Was hoping for a little more of this dystopian alternate future but I understand that having them come back to near present makes it way easier on the budget. ;)
Solid, but with Reservations
kmcelhaney00510 March 2022
There is a lot of promise in this episode. The old Star Trek did time travel and alternate universe plots with great panache. Whether this still applies to this version of Star Trek remains to be seen, but at least they are on familiar ground.
The positives. Everything starts with Q (John de Lancie) and his rather odd behavior even for a Q. And while all the characters save for Agnes (Alison Pill) are still bland, IMHO, at least the plot device of alternate timeline and time travel makes watching the episode interesting.
The negatives. There are some real questions about this alternate timeline. Small issues include the use of the term "Confederation" which implies an alliance, but if this society is xenophobic, then who exactly is humanity allied with? And don't get me started on the "solar shields" or the lack of lighting technology which has all the sets looking dank.
The big question that remains to be answered is how all this ties together. What is implied in this episode is that fixing the timeline and whatever "test" Q has in store are two different things. And what does this have to do with Picard's mother?
Writing has been a sore spot for the Paramount Plus iteration of Star Trek, IMHO. I can only hope that things get better and the story tightens up as the episodes progress.
The positives. Everything starts with Q (John de Lancie) and his rather odd behavior even for a Q. And while all the characters save for Agnes (Alison Pill) are still bland, IMHO, at least the plot device of alternate timeline and time travel makes watching the episode interesting.
The negatives. There are some real questions about this alternate timeline. Small issues include the use of the term "Confederation" which implies an alliance, but if this society is xenophobic, then who exactly is humanity allied with? And don't get me started on the "solar shields" or the lack of lighting technology which has all the sets looking dank.
The big question that remains to be answered is how all this ties together. What is implied in this episode is that fixing the timeline and whatever "test" Q has in store are two different things. And what does this have to do with Picard's mother?
Writing has been a sore spot for the Paramount Plus iteration of Star Trek, IMHO. I can only hope that things get better and the story tightens up as the episodes progress.
Enjoying this. . .
joealbanese-5365811 March 2022
very nice second episode
tkissling11 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Very good paced second episode. When i saw the trailer i was scared, the the bloated up the premise of a good 2-part episode to a full season. I thought they would meander arround getting the borg queen and travel to the past until about episode 6. But no, the plot moves forward and they are building some mystery around Q's motivation and the Borgs intentions.
Looking very much forward tho the next episode.
Looking very much forward tho the next episode.
Feels Like Badly Written Fan Fiction
dgrad-3925112 March 2022
The dialogue, plot, and characters - feel like a poorly written fan-fiction. It was a challenge to make it through to the end of this episode. I'd rewatch Sub Rosa 20 times before i'd watch this episode again. The show tries to be dark and gritty - but adds in clunky dialogue, goofy comic relief in tense moments, and frantic action sequences. I find the more they try to make the technology look advanced, shiny etc in these new star treks - the less tangible and real it feels. The relationships and chemistry between characters feel forced - because there's never any real dialogue or character - it's a story that hurdles forward and characters are just plopped into it. Seems like some people like it, so perhaps im just a crab apple. But overall, this episode was a challenge to get through and highly disappointing.
Excellent
ingra8812 March 2022
I was never a fan of 'the Next Generation' as it was just a rehash of the old, a continuation.
But I saw Picard as a different thing, a struggle of one old man's life it he future trying to retire. That's what made this interesting!
It's got focus and ambition.. I like it.
But I saw Picard as a different thing, a struggle of one old man's life it he future trying to retire. That's what made this interesting!
It's got focus and ambition.. I like it.
Hopefully not going to get all political
dougmiles-3702711 March 2022
I gave up on Discovery during season 1 and Picard as well. Thought I would try season 2 and see if it is any better. So far I like it but I fear that with them time traveling to 2024 we are going to get the political influences soon. Are we entering the US before or after the Bell riots? Or did the Bell riots not happen because General Siskp did not travel back to start them? Not sure if anyone else picked up on that statement of the fracture or whatever happening in 2024 and the page for Sisko.
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