I’m currently rewatching it, and at first I admit I hated the season and didn’t understand all the praise it got, but on this second viewing, I am actually warming up a bit to it. It still is deeply flawed, with a lot of things that don’t make sense or could have been done better, but I kinda like it regardless. What do you think?
Overall, I enjoyed it. Seeing all of TNG’s main cast back together was great. And, that the characters weren’t static, they had changed over the years. Yet they weren’t complete reworkings of how they were in TNG, as in being unrecognizable. Except for Data, because of his situation. I like this latest iteration of Data. Seeing some non-TNG Star Trek characters was wonderful. I like that we got to see some Raffi 2.0. Clean of her addictions and back in full fighting trim. Still with her determination to keep working on mysteries that threaten the Federation
The story had some highs and some plot holes, but was a fun ride. But, I don’t think it was perfect.
I would not have minded if PIC season 3 had fewer episodes if that meant that the pacing would have been tighter. Multiple episodes of, " … and, they’re still in the nebula," got old for me.
Not unleashing the full talent of Amanda Plummer as Vadic until late in the season was a waste. Until episode 7 (IIRC), Vadic struck me as quirky. Nothing more. However, Ms. Plummer’s performance as Vadic from episode 7 on blew me away.
Fleet Formation protocol is such a bad idea, I can’t imagine how it was approved.
Vadic knows a lot about Starfleet personnel, so it’s likely that she knew about Kestra. Vadic’s people captured Troi, but how or why did they not also capture Kestra? While I’m glad that Kestra was never in Vadic’s clutches, and it’s a minor point, I still keep wondering what happened.
Shaw’s end. I am still very, very salty about that.
The seemingly dogged determination to not have any sign of the Agnes Borg Queen or Elnor. I know the Agnes Borg Queen is busy (PIC season 2), but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for a Borg Queen vs. Borg Queen mega-throw down. I think Elnor would have fit in the season 3 narration, and absolutely deserved a seat on the bridge of the re-named Titan more so than Jack.
Jack. First, I think Ed Speleers’ performance was done well. I applaud how he showed the hurt from Picard choosing Starfleet over having a family, how childhood pains don’t always heal over time. However, that couldn’t make up for the show’s overwhelming attempt to force Jack as Picard: The Next Generation. Right down to renaming the Titan and Q’s appearance. There was too much, “why don’t you people just talk to each other,” forced drama between Jack and pretty much everyone else. And, Jack getting fast-tracked through Starfleet, and a position on the bridge, irked me. Nothing in PIC season 3 convinced me that he deserved that. And, Picard pushing for his offspring to get a free pass through Starfleet seems out of character.
Again, I like PIC season 3. I’ll be getting the physical media of it. I recommend others view it.
110% with you on Shaw’s fate. Next to Pike, he’s the best thing about this entire relaunch of the brand and well… yeah, not a fan of any of that I guess I’ll keep it as
Jack getting into Starfleet and assigned to a ship so fast can be easily explained with Starfleet being low on people after the events of the show. Also, he’s still an ensign, so he didn’t get jumped through the ranks. His bridge position is also something that Seven gave him as a special assignment rather than a standard bridge position specifically because of his background. He’s essentially a formalized version of Mariner’s role on the Ceritos.