Picard 3x03- 'Seventeen Seconds' ~~ { ** Spoilers Within ** }

An ok episode, some fun stuff in there. Nice to see the changelings back - hopefully they're used well going forward.

Really did a number on Beverly's character though, comes across extremely badly. Her reasoning for not telling Picard about his son is very weak - especially considering she threw him into a life of danger doing black market smuggling etc anyway. Stewart's performances have been a wee bit ropey in the season so far (purely due to age), but he was excellent in that scene with something meaty to get his teeth into.

The whole portal device element seems totally pointless... like, a single quantum - or even photon - torpedo would've done much more damage. And the shrike just seems to be using it as a toy to play with the Titan - they could've disabled, or destroyed them many times over at this stage if they were so inclined. It's like one of the writers had just been procrastinating playing Portal, and decided to lift it exactly and throw it into the "insert thing here" space up on the whiteboard.

Rafi's still a struggle, though Worf was kinda fun (if a bit over the top). The pacing is starting to drag a bit though, we're 3 hours in now and still in that first nebula, in that same first conflict - one episode could have gotten us to the point we're at now if they weren't dragging things out.

Also really not sure I really buy that last exchange between Riker and Picard. Picard gave his suggestion, it was Riker's decision to act on it and give the order. And then he banishes Picard from the bridge in full melodramatic style when it doesn't work out?

An OK episode. Yes they really ate dragging out them being in the whatever it is that looks like a nebula.

I thought that last scene with them hitting themselves with there own weapons was hilarous.

I also do not agree with them last scenes between Picard and Riker. Riker made the ultimate decision but Picard did put a lot of pressure on him.

I think the Shrike was just enjoying messing with the Titan.

Cool to have the changelings back. Really was not expecting that.

I too agree again about the Raffi scenes been hard to watch but these were a bit easier with Worf there. I must say Worf has changed a lot and for the better too. Not sure I like his rather bland choice of clothing do.

My frame of reference here is the first 2 seasons and in that regard I think they are knocking it out of the park so far

Damn that got pretty intense at the end! Like between Riker and Picard. What I really liked about the whole episode was how it was shaped to be all about leadership and the smallest of differences in it!

Anyway, Raffi to be throwing stuff at Worf while he reads out poetry by the end of the season maybe? 😁 Certainly had that look about them a few times and Worf was sounding a bit poetic 😂

Good to see the Changelings back. Nice reference to Odo as well from Worf.

That last scene between Picard and Riker though is just very out of character - both from a professional perspective (you don't argue like that in front of the crew, and you certainly don't tell them they're all dead!), but Will has basically been completely behind Picard up until this point - suddenly he's going to throw him off the bridge??

Raffi continues to be the weak point of the series.. Not sure why she wasn't just written out. Worf is probably closest to the character we remember though in terms of mannerisms and his development. He was never your typical Klingon and learned to value his human upbringing and mature through the 2 series he was in. It seems probably the most natural path (with the exception of Riker perhaps) to where he is now.

I don't buy Beverly's reasoning for cutting Picard out of his son's life at all. She knew the man better than anyone else and how she decides he just lives too dangerous a lifestyle after what.. 15+ years serving together is nonsense! Especially because she would have known how affected he was by the death of Rene and Robert, or the loss of his 'family' from the Inner Light etc - all things that helped him grow as well.

But, it's still a lot more like the TNG followup we should have had all along. From what I've seen from YouTubers who've watched the whole thing, it should start really picking up next week.

Well there was theories re the tie in to DS9

Ohh and now we know its those changelings does it tie in to S2...wormhole...

Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut plays Sidney LaForge, not Mica Burton.

La'Forge's other daughter (played by Mica) has yet to appear.

That defeatist look on Picard's face when told to shut the f*ck up was very telling

I think Raffi's obliviousness was just shoehorning in some exposition for people who've seen TNG but haven't seen DS9.

We haven't met the sister yet, plus no credit on IMDb yet? Alias.

• Michaela J. Burton
• Michaela Jean Burton
• Michaela Burton

Rumor doing the rounds, another series no body has yet asked for? : -

I don't agree, Crusher said she could figure out how to protect her son from danger just not how to protect his son. It seems that he went to school long enough in London and when he was old enough she told him about Picard. There is no suggestion she was flying him around the galaxy in any danger as a kid. As a grown man he then made his own choices about what kind of danger to get into and not to seek out Picard for whaterver reason.

Yeah there's not timeline for how long he's been in danger, is there?

Better than last week, but still, not great.

Jack being Picards son just doesn’t feel natural and they’ve had to turn Beverly into a horrible person to get it to fit with continuity. Her reasons for never mentioning him to Picard are incredibly weak. It even bothered me that they felt they had to explain the accent.

The show still really lays it on thick the the legendary status of the enterprise-D crew too(Geordis daughter popping into seven to mention that her Dad was one of the greatest engineers ever and Raffi immediately calling Worf a legend). I get it, they were brilliant, but I always assumed there were a lot of brilliant crews across Starfleet, but these people are held on such a pedestal that everyone else was probably unremarkable.

Still, a better episode. Picard is a dreadful first officer! Bit weird of Riker to take offence and throw him off the bridge just because he followed Picards advice though.

They've an awful habit of reducing the whole universe down to around 10 relevant people. From everyone having the Ent-D crew up on this pedestal, to connecting Worf, to Rafi, to the Portal weapon, to Picard's conflict half a quadrant away - it's all just so much coincidence. It's the Picard gang's universe, the trillions of other inhabitants seemingly just live in it. (just wait for the loop to close itself, as we learn Picard and Michael Burnham are somehow related!).

Picard and Burnham's father were good friends and he melded with her brother.

Not a joke that actually happened.

Continuity

• This episode seemingly draws a conclusion to the actions began by Spock in the Star Trek: The Next Generation namesake episodes "Unification I" and "Unification II", which were further explored in "Face Of The Enemy" and Star Trek. Indeed, events of this episode replay Spock's speech about "closed minds [that] have kept these two worlds apart for centuries" from "Unification II" and present them as part of a record from circa stardate 45825.

All trying to make a circle link through of shows, lets not forget the retcon of Gary Seven

Well ya that was part of the friend with her father bit.