Picard 1x09 - "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1" [** SPOILERS WITHIN **]

Spear

Another week, another episode, another thread as the spoilers are now out and about.

This one felt particularly bland to me. The two bigger twists were predicted already, leaving little more than some conversations and some political maneuvering.

Varik

Will keep watching but the big reveal has put me off it.

Slydice

Heh, when they said Brent Spiner was the son, I was like.. Hey It's Dr Soongs Great-Great-Grandson! (Enterprise's Dr Arik Soong)

I honestly thought the Cube was gonna be completely disintegrated in the crash.


For the story, something feels off about Sutra. Like why did she send Narek off to the Cube with himself. I'm wondering if she's been hacked through the mind-meld.


Googled the episode name: Et in Arcadia ego
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Et_in_Arcadia_ego

The translation of the phrase is "Even in Arcadia, there am I". The usual interpretation is that "I" refers to Death, and "Arcadia" means an utopian land. It would thus be a memento mori. During Antiquity, many Greeks lived in cities close to the sea, and led an urban life. Only Arcadians, in the middle of the Peloponnese, lacked cities, were far from the sea, and led a shepherd life. Thus Arcadia symbolized pure, rural, idyllic life, far from the city

TheValeyard

Ahh Brent Spiner, if they can find away to bring him in, they will!!


I enjoyed the episode, the twist was no real surprise, think we Al thought it heading that way.


I still maintain they are lifting the script off Mass Effect. We are looking at Trek Reapers!!


The Admonition is the Prothean beacon which is a warning about a super race of AI, gives visions which can drive you crazy....

The eventual rise of war between AI and organics. (Synths vs Starfleet, Geth vs Citadel Alliance)

A super AI race.... Reapers from outside of the galaxy.....

But I've heard the Mass Effect lifted some of that from Babylon Five, which lifted ideas from Lord of the Rings, which lifted ideas from mythology. Everyone's stealing everyones sh1t!!


Still quite enjoyed it. Sad to see a Picard speech fail though.

fritzelly

Enjoyed it but something about the whole episode felt off for me - can't put my finger on it, like the story line was just retro fitted in to the rest of the series or something, hmmm

heebusjeebus

fritzelly wrote: »

Enjoyed it but something about the whole episode felt off for me - can't put my finger on it, like the story line was just retro fitted in to the rest of the series or something, hmmm

It's so badly edited and scenes just end far too abruptly. Terribly done.
JL deserves better :-)

Goodshape

Thought that was great, tbh! The last 5 - 10 minutes maybe went in a different direction than I would have chosen, but it was fine anyway.

Having another Soong feels like a bit of a joke but it's a joke that I apreciate. Bit of a relief that they didn't have some clone or "V2" of Data, and just good to see Brent Spiner.

Story seemed solid enough to me. "JL" stopped annoying me ages ago and the character beats between Picard and Raffi in this episode felt earned, enough, finally.

Really just enjoying this show a lot.

Spear wrote: »

The two bigger twists were predicted already

TheValeyard wrote: »

the twist was no real surprise

Varik wrote: »

the big reveal has put me off it

um... what twist(s)?

Evade

To paraphrase another awful continuation of a franchise "they have gods now!?" "they have gods now." This is so bad. Just a series of coincidences and treading water until pulling some actual tension out of no where in the second last episode.

• What good is hiding under a table on a spaceship?
• Scanners not showing Romulan ships doesn't mean there isn't one in spitting distance that you can't see for reasons
• Now Jaime has a cloaking device?
• Giant space flowers, ok
• Time to sour the milk
• Calm the lip quiver you've known him for a few days
• The crashing cube didn't obliterate everything in the area, they're probably alive
• Nice of the warbirds to not be cloaked
• If they wanted Picard to have these fatherly moments why not give him his own kid
• They're not all Soji/Dahj? Makes the Ibn Majid thing a huuuuuuuuuge coincidence
• Are these old style androids?
• Soong? Clone? Convenient
• Spiner looks better out of the Data makeup
• Answers? That'd be nice
• Mind melding androids, bull****
• They cloned Spot
• It's full on space magic now
• The clone tech will be awfully convenient when Picard dies in a heroic sacrifice and you can recast him with a younger actor
• Coloured science liquid on Maddox's desk
• The androids remind me of Logan's Run
• Android gods, why? Just why?
• The Federation didn't listen last time
• Convenient that Oh has the same rank in the Romulan fleet as she does in Starfleet

pah

An Android that has taught herself the Vulcan mind meld????? this show needs to fuçk right off :mad:

GSPfan

Hate to write this now before the last episode but this series has been a mess. It feels to me that if you put all the main factors down on paper you cannot fail but somehow they have.

You have Picard, Data, Riker, Troi, Hugh, Seven, Maddox, Borg, Data Babies, Romulans, and still somehow they’ve managed to produce a series full of meh.

fritzelly

GSPfan wrote: »

Hate to write this now before the last episode but this series has been a mess. It feels to me that if you put all the main factors down on paper you cannot fail but somehow they have.

You have Picard, Data, Riker, Troi, Hugh, Seven, Maddox, Borg, Data Babies, Romulans, and still somehow they’ve managed to produce a series full of meh.

Agree with you. I've been very forgiving just to have the series but each episode gets a little worse, even tho I'm still enjoying it. The writing has been a bit unforgivable for 2020

Xertz

Why am I thinking that this is going to be a story about fake news?

The "magic memory stick" seems to be feeding the Romulans and the Synths exactly what their worst fears are and neither are questioning its veracity, which is quite odd for a bunch of a highly logical Data-like Androids. I'm a bit disappointed in them. Unless, they accidentally rolled in a bit of Lore.

Also, the Borg are a real live, everyday kind of scary threat to both organic and synthetic life, they will assimilate anything, yet nobody's seemingly all that worried about them...

tromtipp

That did feel very like half an episode - nothing wrong with it, but all set up, no real payout. Good things, Seven and Elnor, the long-expected callback to the doctor at the start, SPOT! the flower ships (no resemblance to orchids, too many petal - 6 rather than 5), seeing Brent Spiner (definite Arik Soong vibe, also a bit Lore-ish). Long wait till next week.

Optimus Prime

Am I the only one that thought there was a bit of a wink from Picard to seven when he says saving the universe is up to her now ? I’ve been thinking since this show was announced it will be a different character each season. Im expecting season two to be Star Trek: Seven.

As much as I’m happy to have a new Star Trek show. Some of the story telling has been a bit convenient. Some of the space stuff looks like Babylon 5.

The Megaphone

This is super petty, but it really bugs me that its the sunniest day ever on the mystery android homeworld planet that is subject to frequent electrical storms!!

tromtipp

Optimus Prime wrote: »

Am I the only one that thought there was a bit of a wink from Picard to seven when he says saving the universe is up to her now ? I’ve been thinking since this show was announced it will be a different character each season. Im expecting season two to be Star Trek: Seven.

As much as I’m happy to have a new Star Trek show. Some of the story telling has been a bit convenient. Some of the space stuff looks like Babylon 5.

That hadn't occurred to me, but it would be a good idea - they could use the same core crew, but people would be free-er to opt out for part of a season. Goodness knows what the Covid19 restrictions are going to do to filming schedules, but they'll lose at least three months, probably nearer nine to this, and Patrick Steward isn't getting younger.

Stark

Jeri Ryan is the perfect person to keep filming through the Covid19 pandemic. Plenty of experience of filming while being unable to breathe properly from her catsuit days on Voyager.

FutureGuy

This has been, at best, a very very average show. I would have stopped long ago if it were any other franchise.

By the way, what on Earth was Picard talking about when he talked about Hugh being violent? Also the cut immediately after is laughably bad - "what are they doing"

They aslo wasted the Spiner appareance. There was so much potential there. Now unless it's revealed it's a human form of Lore, I have no interest really. So Data had a brother that we never knew about? Bull****. Sorry.

Stark

I enjoyed it up to this point but this episode was very weak. I was similarly disappointed with Brent Spiner's appearance. The brother reveal was a bit like "Spock's sister" reveal. Would have preferred if Data had been resurrected and also got his wish: to be human and to grow old just like his friends.

The orchids were cool though.

FutureGuy

Stark wrote: »

I enjoyed it up to this point but this episode was very weak. I was similarly disappointed with Brent Spiner's appearance. The brother reveal was a bit like "Spock's sister" reveal. Would have preferred if Data had been resurrected and also got his wish: to be human and to grow old just like his friends.

The orchids were cool though.

Yep - I mean wasn't that the obvious play - Data was brought back as a synth that could age. Nice empotional payoff for the characters and the fans.

The Megaphone

FutureGuy wrote: »

So Data had a brother that we never knew about? Bull****. Sorry.

This kind of reveal has been done so many times within TNG that its lazy!!

We had Tasha Yar's sister, Tasha Yar's half Romulan daughter, Worf's human brother, Worf's Klingon brother Kurn, Thomas Riker, Lore, B4 and Data's mother; but at least the majority of those storylines, with the exception of B4 in ST Nemesis, were decent episodes!

The introduction of Altan Inigo Soong is even worse than just being convenient given we already had Brent Spiner's appearance in Enterprise as Dr. Arik Soong.

It just feels like the writers of ST Picard are oblivious to the fan base's knowledge and also our ease of access to older episodes on Netflix!

Goodshape

Heh. Feel like I must be watching a different show from people here so far. Or at least coming at it with different expectations. The couple of beers might have helped too.

But really.. I dunno... I like it. It was appropriate amounts of fun and silly and heavy-handed seriousness.

Space flowers ffs! A city full of Datas! Another Soong! Classic Star Trek stuff at this stage.


And I wasn’t joking earlier when I asked what those “no real surprise” and “already predicted” twists were. I don’t think there was any point in this episode where I expected to surprised, or was disappointed at a lack of ‘twist’. What weren’t (or, conversely, were) people expecting?


But also yeah, I have decided that this a two-beer show and maybe that helps a lot. I’m not ~10 years old anymore. Star Trek has never been the most high-brow, well produced, respectable show on the telly, and neither is this. But I like it.

Varik

Whatever about more Soong, when as said they've added him/relatives in a much as possible.

But why couldn't the reveal have been the Q, they're already tied into the borg from the start of TNG and there's a wariness there to the borg and perhaps artificial life in general as they are the end result of organic evolution which ties into the nonsense message.

Nesta99

For any of its flaws I found watching this episode a bit emotional. Sentimental old fool that I am but seeing Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek scenes really threw me back to being 7 or 8 when TNG got under my skin and became hooked on sci-fi. More so than Frakes, Sirtis in previous episodes for some reason. I dont care really how ridiculous the plot becomes but I would quite enjoy seeing other old characters from the various shows turn up in season 2. Worf would be fun especially if the old tendency to rip the p!ss out of him is done - wouldnt mind seeing him minding someones cat even....;p Some Colm Meany too of course. Any characters that other people would like to see guesting and how could they fit in to a plot without it becoming just a nod to late 80s and early 90s series?

Loved the little Voyager tune when 7 first appeared.

TheValeyard

Varik wrote: »

Whatever about more Soong, when as said they've added him/relatives in a much as possible.

But why couldn't the reveal have been the Q, they're already tied into the borg from the start of TNG and there's a wariness there to the borg and perhaps artificial life in general as they are the end result of organic evolution which ties into the nonsense message.

Who knows maybe the Q are the artificial life!

Or what's about to be revealed is a realm of ancient Higher order species in which the Q, The AI are amongst them. Maybe the Iconians, who knows.

pixelburp

I thought the episode was fine, nothing special but precisely a first part in a two part finale. Putting all its pieces in place for the Big Showdown, so in doing so lost some of the pacing of the show at its height. And because it's a two part episode it feels a touch redundant to dig too deep until I see how it all shakes out by the end.

Don't have any great problem with Android Gods; we had an entire show based around actual, functional gods living inside a wormhole (yes it's my obligatory DS9 shout-out). Not to mention the myriad of lost civilisations with mythic tech too advanced for the Fed to understand. Any sufficient technology etc etc. If anything, the idea of synthetic life existing outside of corporeal existence kinda works for me. Synthetics don't need bodies, do why wouldn't they evolve outside of that necessity?

I love how they've managed to work in any excuse for Santiago Cabrera to show off his football skills

Machines doing a mind meld is ridiculous.

Slydice

Forgot to mention how I think I like the linking of Seven to the Voyager theme music.

Thinking about the episode a bit more .. and remembering
- the distance thread where I spotted that it seemed only V'Ger had travelling Galaxy distance
- this AI race was mentioned as Galaxy spanning again
-

the preview for the next episode showed space folding and what looked like something robotic coming

anyway, after all that, I've wondered

if maybe the AI race are the V'Ger creating race

and then just writing this post and

putting the Voyager Theme song together with the V'Ger creating race and I'm like... OH! Oh I see what you did there! Star. Trek. Writers!

pixelburp

Oh yeah. Completely forgot about V'Ger, mostly cos who can stay awake that far into the film? So we even already have precedent of mysterious AI gods; while only hinted at, I took the film to be suggesting the Voyager probe was found by super advanced AI who evolved the probe intentionally. V'Ger itself was practically god like, barely corporeal anyway.

_Kaiser_

GSPfan wrote: »

Hate to write this now before the last episode but this series has been a mess. It feels to me that if you put all the main factors down on paper you cannot fail but somehow they have.

You have Picard, Data, Riker, Troi, Hugh, Seven, Maddox, Borg, Data Babies, Romulans, and still somehow they’ve managed to produce a series full of meh.

Nailed it.

I really was very optimistic with the first episode but each episode since has strayed further and further from it's TNG roots to be completely unrecognisable, despite the cameos from that era.

It's become another Discovery. Convoluted, "edgy" and "dark" , with far too much 21st century politics and culture and not enough enjoyable Sci fi and likeable characters, or even characters you can get behind.

They've created another bland, generic series that is trading on name recognition and nostalgic hope that it'll somehow turn around next week, but it's not going to happen.

I just don't care about the ridiculously confused plot, the generic look and tone, the "complicated" characters, the twisting of decades of concepts and designs, or how it all ends next week.

I'll watch the finale though, but that'll be enough for me. I won't be bothering with season 3 of the Michael Burnham show either. Neither of these are the Star Trek I remember or want to watch.

_Kaiser_

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Nailed it.

I really was very optimistic with the first episode but each episode since has strayed further and further from it's TNG roots to be completely unrecognisable, despite the cameos from that era.

It's become another Discovery. Convoluted, "edgy" and "dark" , with far too much 21st century politics and culture and not enough enjoyable Sci fi and likeable characters, or even characters you can get behind.

They've created another bland, generic series that is trading on name recognition and nostalgic hope that it'll somehow turn around next week, but it's not going to happen.

I just don't care about the ridiculously confused plot, the generic look and tone, the "complicated" characters, the twisting of decades of concepts and designs, or how it all ends next week.

I'll watch the finale though, but that'll be enough for me. I won't be bothering with season 3 of the Michael Burnham show either. Neither of these are the Star Trek I remember or want to watch.

It’s no Discovery. Discovery was excellent.

_Kaiser_

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

It’s no Discovery. Discovery was excellent.

Discovery is shyte. Worse than this in its "Burnham is the saviour of everything and the reason Spock is who he is":rolleyes:

The producers of this nonsense simply latched on to an existing brand hoping for an instant audience, and then delivered something completely unrecognisable.

If they wanted to make another Expanse, or BSG of whatever that's grand - but let it stand on its own, not drag an existing decades long franchise along for the ride.

McDermotX

Tripe. F**k off !

When I think of this show, all I'll remember is the mess that surrounded some genuinely nice few minute interaction between Picard and Riker.

Garbage the rest of it. Absolute garbage.

Gbear

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

mind meld is ridiculous.

FYP.

It's space magic. There's no reason why metal machines would be any less capable of doing it than meat ones.

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

It's become another Discovery. Convoluted, "edgy" and "dark" , with far too much 21st century politics and culture and not enough enjoyable Sci fi and likeable characters, or even characters you can get behind.

Christ alive.

I wonder if people even know what Star Trek is sometimes.

21st century politics is a no-no but barely concealed gay rights, ethno-nationalism, AIDS, gender equality, and race plotlines are totally fine.

"Keep politics out of Trek! I WANT 'SPLOSIONS!"

The Megaphone

Gbear wrote: »

FYP.

I wonder if people even know what Star Trek is sometimes.

21st century politics is a no-no but barely concealed gay rights, ethno-nationalism, AIDS, gender equality, and race plotlines are totally fine.

"Keep politics out of Trek! I WANT 'SPLOSIONS!"

Picard was the embodiment of all this in terms of the all encompassing, all inclusive world that Roddenberry had built, but now this show is just sh*tting on him as the out of touch privileged white man!

_Kaiser_

Gbear wrote: »

Christ alive.

I wonder if people even know what Star Trek is sometimes.

21st century politics is a no-no but barely concealed gay rights, ethno-nationalism, AIDS, gender equality, and race plotlines are totally fine.

"Keep politics out of Trek! I WANT 'SPLOSIONS!"

If all I wanted from Star Trek was' SPLOSIONS then by all rights I should be LOVING this show, and Discovery.

I think maybe it's you who doesn't know what Star Trek is.

Yes "classic" Trek regularly dealt with the issues you described, but it did so in generally a thoughtful considered way leaving the viewer with something to think about and decide their own opinion on, rather than the in your face politicising of the two most recent shows.

It did diversity without needing to remind you every other scene about how strong, wise or important those characters are at the expense of the others.
It had likeable characters and while some were underdeveloped, at least we knew their names (*cough* Discovery). DS9 especially was fantastic at building up a huge cast of primary and secondary characters and interweaving ongoing plot lines and development over the run of the series and they didn't need scene jarring, out of place, 21st century swearing to make their point.

Entire episodes could go by without SPLOSIONS and they were some of the best of the entire franchise (The Inner Light, The Visitor, In the Pale Moonlight, Sarek, Blink of an Eye, Tuvix etc).

Scenes were properly lit, prop, uniform and ship designs were consistent and instantly recognisable as part of the show/franchise. The original Enterprise and the -D have become pop culture references. Who can see the Discovery or the generic whatever-the-current-one-is-called joining them?

And of course, it built a mostly consistent Canon of concepts, rules, behaviour and internal logic and science. Science fiction rather than futuristic fantasy that held over decades of movies and episodes, inspiring real people to pursue careers and ideals on the back of them.

That is what Star Trek is to me. Not the mess trading on its name in recent years.

Full_Circle_81

FutureGuy wrote: »

By the way, what on Earth was Picard talking about when he talked about Hugh being violent?.

I was a bit confused by that too. Was he speaking about someone else?!

What was the big surprise about the gold version of Soji? Like when Picard said ‘of course’ or something when he first seen her.
Was it just because she looked like her or did I miss something?

pixelburp

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

If all I wanted from Star Trek was' SPLOSIONS then by all rights I should be LOVING this show, and Discovery.

I think maybe it's you who doesn't know what Star Trek is.

Yes "classic" Trek regularly dealt with the issues you described, but it did so in generally a thoughtful considered way leaving the viewer with something to think about and decide their own opinion on, rather than the in your face politicising of the two most recent shows.

It did diversity without needing to remind you every other scene about how strong, wise or important those characters are at the expense of the others.

Untrue. Picard loved telling folks how wise, strong and diverse the Federation was, while in TOS Kirk dressed down Space Abraham Lincoln (lord) for using an outdated racial slur. The TOS also had aliens that were literally half black, half white. The cast was intentionally diverse during segregated times. Or TNG with The Outcast. They literally had single episodes spun around single issues - and rarely hid it. Star Trek has never been a subtle show and frankly think it's selective bias to rattle about it now over a show you don't like. Or because some fatigue cos you think there are SJWs under the bed.

If you're on the prowl for "forced" diversity, of course you're going to find it. If, you know, you have an agenda about it Picard doesn't even have any strong agendas, yet we've seen posters busting a nut because they're deciding the Romulan nuns' habits look like hijabs, therefore diversity!!!

Sometimes I think some here watched a completely different show.

No franchise that aired Angel One or Let That Be Your Last Battlefield gets a pass over being some thoughtful, subtle show with its allegories or politics. The only difference here is time. Easy to dismiss the politics of TOS/TNG when nuclear war or AIDS is no longer in the zeitgeist.

McDermotX

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

What was the big surprise about the gold version of Soji? Like when Picard said ‘of course’ or something when he first seen her.
Was it just because she looked like her or did I miss something?

Nope......you didn't miss anything, just another example of poor writing, and poor construction of scene with a need for an offscreen revelation to enable a reveal to the audience.
The very fact that we'd already established the multiple nature of the 'Soji line' from the very first episode means they have next to no angle at which to come to in order to surprise the viewer..........and more worryingly, despite the previous episode's inexplicable and baffling few minutes during which the crew deconstructed the entire plot, it appears as though someone has hit them over the head in order for this to be a 'shocking' moment.

It really is amateurish rubbish, somehow allowed to make the jump from a clearly subpar and concept-deficient writer's room to the screen.

I must admit, I'm normally very much of the live and let live approach when it comes to people deriving entertainment from film/television/literature etc, but I cannot understand the positive attitude some have towards this show.
FWIW, I feel somewhat more at ease when talking to people about it, as opposed to online/IMDB scores etc, as most conversations I've had is about how poor it's been.

pixelburp

There was no surprise about gold Soji, the episode didn't even frame it as some big reveal either. Picard went "of course. Why wouldn't there be more of you?" Cut immediately to her walking into scene with Soji understandably looking shocked to see herself. Episode carried on, don't think it was either a bad or good scene. Just a small reveal. The presence of another Soong was poor, but we've been here before in Trek with convenient siblings or children popping out of the woodwork. Worfs human brother IMO the most egregious of all those

Evade

pixelburp wrote: »

while in TOS Kirk dressed down Space Abraham Lincoln (lord) for using an outdated racial slur.

That's a weird interpretation of that scene. "We've learned to be comfortable with ourselves" is hardly an admonishment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BBOWsWODX4

Maybe older Star Trek wasn't the most subtle at times but this isn't the 60s/80s/90s any more. People expect it to be better and it's not.

pixelburp

Evade wrote: »

Maybe older Star Trek wasn't the most subtle at times but this isn't the 60s/80s/90s any more. People expect it to be better and it's not.

Why? Social issues still exist they just become modern ones, while Picard hasn't even TOUCHED any of those - yet the cribbing continues each week. I sometimes think Trek is held in an esteem far higher than its past output might indicate. Your personal barometer of quality is your own; but it feels like there's an expectation of Trek being some noble show of high concepts, when it was something more in the middle to me. Happy to tell on the nose allegories, but equally happy to make Sub Rosa. As I've said before, the only difference on the former is time and context. We can ignore the forced diversity of the 60s cos segregation ain't an issue anymore.

pah

pah wrote: »

An Android that has taught herself the Vulcan mind meld????? this show needs to fuçk right off :mad:

As opposed to androids who see, hear, taste, touch, and smell?


What makes those senses so unimportant?
A mind meld is just a nerve contact initiated reading of the brain. No reason that a machine would not be able to do it.

Xertz

Xertz wrote: »

Why am I thinking that this is going to be a story about fake news?

The "magic memory stick" seems to be feeding the Romulans and the Synths exactly what their worst fears are and neither are questioning its veracity, which is quite odd for a bunch of a highly logical Data-like Androids. I'm a bit disappointed in them. Unless, they accidentally rolled in a bit of Lore.

Also, the Borg are a real live, everyday kind of scary threat to both organic and synthetic life, they will assimilate anything, yet nobody's seemingly all that worried about them...

Maddox did not get Data, to work with, he did get Lore. Who says that all the androids are Data based?

Stark

Deleted User wrote: »

Maddox did not get Data, to work with, he did get Lore. Who says that all the androids are Data based?

Was that mentioned on screen?

I did get quite a Lore vibe off some of the synths alright.

Evade

pixelburp wrote: »

Why? Social issues still exist they just become modern ones, while Picard hasn't even TOUCHED any of those

Wait. The Romulan refugee crisis, Raffi's clumsy 1% dig at Picard, and the family planning clinic in space had nothing to do with contemporary social issues? Are you sure about that? I'm not making a judgment either way on any of those issues but they are there.

Stark

Stark wrote: »

Was that mentioned on screen?

I did get quite a Lore vibe off some of the synths alright.

Apologies, I meant that he probably got him.

Evade

Evade wrote: »

Wait. The Romulan refugee crisis, Raffi's clumsy 1% dig at Picard, and the family planning clinic in space had nothing to do with contemporary social issues? Are you sure about that? I'm not making a judgment either way on any of those issues but they are there.

There has been numerous examples of cross species couples needing treatment, in Trek, for creating a family

pixelburp

Evade wrote: »

Wait. The Romulan refugee crisis, Raffi's clumsy 1% dig at Picard, and the family planning clinic in space had nothing to do with contemporary social issues? Are you sure about that? I'm not making a judgment either way on any of those issues but they are there.

The refugee crisis was a pre-existing event in the universe, nor did it draw any great parallels with real life either. The Romulans were f*cked, and the Fed were helping them until they didn't. Like a pandemic, a supernova is a hard one to get political over.

The family planning is a weird deep cut cos why wouldn't cross species couples need fertility help? It'd be weird if they didn't, if we're going to go there. The reproductive systems would need assistance. And again, it didn't really make any statement, given the scenes purpose was about Rafis broken relationship. If there was a statement it was a character one; Rafi was so removed from her son's life, she didn't know he was about to become a father.

No single episode or concept in this show has stood itself out and declared "I am an issue", ala all the AIDS, gay rights, nuclear war, diversity stuff of yesteryear. If anything it's the most agnostic the series has been in a long time, yet some would scream about "hijabs" cos ... reasons.