Film Essay: "Picard" Trailer Dissected
Alright, it’s time to nerd out. Anyone who knows me well, even those who only know me a little, know that I am true trekkie. Indeed, Star Trek has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. With the new series Picard coming out next year, and the trailer just being released, I have rarely been more excited for an upcoming piece of art. It’s like seeing a new Kubrick film, something you’ve waited a decade for and finally get. So, here is my insane breakdown of the trailer. This is not necessarily predictions of what will happen on the show, but a fans fantasy over what each image could mean.
My friend Chris, also a true trekkie, posted the trailer online and commented that there is a lot to break down. Indeed, there is, but first, watch the trailer:
Picard’s Family Estate
Picard Family Estate from The Next Generation episode, “Family”
The trailer begins in vineyards. We automatically assume these are the Picard family vineyards, first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s episode “Family.” In that episode, after dealing with his assimilation and rescue from the Borg in “Best of Both Worlds”, Jean Luc Picard travels back to his family home to try to come to terms with his experience. It is his brother, who so often bullied and, ironically, protected him in his youth, who he has come to face and reconcile. The Picard brothers are complete opposites. His older brother, Robert, disdains technology and believes that the place for people is at home, respecting tradition. Jean Luc, of course, always dreamed of going to the stars. So… Picard coming back to run the family vineyards, predicted in the finale of the series “All Good Things…”, seems appropriate.
If we compare the Picard family home from “Family” to Picard, Jean Luc has obviously rebuilt it and rebuilt it in a manner more grand and with a respect for tradition, but also incorporating technology. Unfortunately, his brother and his brother’s entire family, perished in a fire at their home. This was a stunning reveal in the film Star Trek: Generation. The writers of this show, paying homage to the previous chronology, know this and it gave them a reason to re-imagine the Picard family home.
Also unlike his brother, Jean Luc seems to be okay with using technology on the property. I could only imagine the argument between Robert and Jean Luc over Jean Luc’s changes to their family home. Prior to these shots with robotic flying vineyard drones, the other times we have seen the Picards tend their grapes, it has always been by hand.
At this point, the show does not look like The Next Generation in that it is filmed in a more cinematic way. While the feel is different, I understand that modern TV shows need to make their productions feel more realistic, and so, the style of Next Generation wouldn’t come across as well. There does tend to be an almost yellow tint to the light, as if the sun is either setting or rising all of the time; perhaps showing Picard’s age at this point in the story, or the beginning of a new adventure.
I assume these are the remains of Data found in the wreckage of the Romulan vessel in Nemesis.
The first really noteworthy piece of narration comes: “Nearly twenty years ago, Data sacrificed his life for me.” - Picard. Patrick Stewart does an amazing job of sounding forlorn by this idea. Not only it seems from the loss of a dear friend and officer, but also, it seems for the guilt over not doing more with his life since Data made that ultimate sacrifice.
Data saves Picard by transporting him back to the Enterprise while he destroys the Romulan vessel.
In Star Trek: Nemesis, Data performs the Peter Pan jump, flying out of an airlock through space to land on the Romulan ship in order to save Picard and transport him back to safety. After Data does this, he uses his phaser to destroy the ship and thus save both Picard and the crew of the Enterprise.
Picard seemingly at his home, staring at the stars
Picard’s nephew, Rene, staring at the stars at the end of “Family.”
Continuing this feeling for forlorning, Picard laments the current start of his life: “These past few years, I really tried to belong here.” Since losing Data and trying to rebuild his Family's home, he finds himself almost reliving his childhood. We know this because he stands in the doorway while saying the previous line looking at the stars.
In “Brothers”, we meet Jean Luc’s nephew, Rene, his brother’s, Robert, son, who like Jean Luc dreams of leaving home on starships, while Robert wishes he would take more of an interest in tradition. After Jean Luc and Robert reconcile, the episode ends brilliantly with Rene out on a hillside staring at the stars, dreaming, and his father, Robert, saying to his wife, “let him dream.” Rene was always considered to be very much like Jean Luc, and now, Jean Luc again finds himself stuck in the same home as Rene staring at the stars.
Then, we begin to get plot. We begin to see the general broad outlines of the coming show. A young woman is seen wandering with her hoodie up in the rain, suggesting being lost, isolated, hiding. When she approaches Picard in his vineyard, the young woman says “do you know who I am? Everything inside of me says I’m safe with you.” This suggests a connection to Picard’s past. Before we learn more about where the show might be headed, we are allowed to see this young woman engage in a fight and successfully run from phaser fire, even taking out two apparent assassins who try to kill her. Obviously she has skills or powers that most humans do not. The only criticism I have here is that this does feel somewhat like the movie Logan where Professor X, also played by Patrick Stewart, finds a young mutant who he must protect. But, I assume even if those board outlines are the same, it won’t be a retread of that story.
To help her, Picard goes back to StarFleet Academy, seemingly for the first time since he left; hence the hesitation standing outside one of the buildings at the Academy. Given the background it does look like the Academy in San Francisco.
A remnant of the past from Picard.
Picard reluctantly, and, a little horrified, taking part in judging the art entries on Captain Picard Day (“The Pegasus”).
That rescue plot will be intertwined with a more personal story line. “Sometimes I worry you have forgotten who you are.” We don’t know who said this line yet, but obviously, it is suggesting a story where Picard will find himself again. To demonstrate this, there is an interesting shot of the “Captain Picard Day poster,” which first appeared in the episode “The Pegasus.” It seems this show will be about Picard rediscovering himself, and realizing as he previously intimated he’s not a vintner and that he belongs in space.
Of course, in order for there to be a mission, there must be a crew: “You need a crew. Be the Captain they remember.” Introducing us to several characters who will join Picard’s crew. Several look like either Vulcan or Romulan. I lean towards Romulan considering the destruction of Romulus happened in Star Trek Nemesis and in the intervening years, I assume Romulans spread throughout the galaxy, lost trying to find their way. In many ways becoming refugees like the Bajorans were originally set up to be in Next Generation before they slightly altered that storyline for Deep Space Nine. Picard undoubtedly helped deal with Romulans plight of losing their homeworld after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Given his relationship with them, it makes sense that he would have crewmembers from their race join him in his expedition.
A member of Picard’s crew he assembles.
This picture of a character with a sword seems to be Romulan because the hand gestures are not the traditional Vulcan “Live long and prosper” greeting, but something else.
So, now we have a personal arc, Captain Picard needing to find himself again after making mistakes since the end of Nemesis and we have storyline dealing with aiding this young woman to discover who she is and to protect her. We have a crew made up of at least 4 crew members who are featured in this trailer. None are developed with any real character, but obviously these four individuals will be important. I am ready to go!
A member of Picard’s crew seemingly operating a ship via 3-D holographic computer consoles.
The world is obviously much darker than The Next Generation, and yet, there are little elements that bring me joy. Various crew members appear to be using 3-D holographic consoles to operate their ship. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in the episode “The Visitor”, we see Jake Sisko, the teenage son of the leading officer, Captain Benjamin Sisko, as an old man. In the future, an old Jadzia Dax who while arguing with an older Dr. Bashir brings up “how did we use to use a 2-D console.” So that part of the future appears to be true.
We have also seen versions of the future in other Star Trek episodes including the finale of The Next Generation. In that episode, Star Fleet has changed their insignia which is now present in all but the communicator Picard opens in his house. Also, in that episode, Picard in retirement does return to his vineyards, however he suffers from a chronic degenerative disease, will that be a part of this show as well?
Then we return to the young woman who feels safe with Picard. Her past is going to be important and if we look at the other indications of where this story is going… we might be able to figure some of it out.
Seems like some type of prison facility. The young woman who comes to Picard for help is standing below these walkways.
She appears to be in a facility like a prison. It doesn’t look like typical Federation technology, but, then again, she does appear to be wearing a red uniform that could be from the Federation. Look at the alcoves behind the two guards. They look like borg regenerative alcoves that we’ve become so familiar with since Seven of Nine joined Voyager. Also look at the sign: “This facility has gone 5843 days without an assimilation.” So there seems to be Borg connection in this series. Could this young woman have something to do with the Borg?
A Borg cube, seemingly being rebuilt?
Shortly before this image, we see what appears to be a Borg ship with blue light… rebuilding it? Certainly it seems like the Borg are going to be important.
If we think about Picard’s relationship with the Borg, two major characters comes to mind. The first is the Borg Queen, who wanted Locutas, the Borg identity Picard is given when he is assimilated, to aide in the assimilation of Earth. She was killed in the past in Star Trek First Contact and also in the last episode of Star Trek Voyager. The second is Hugh, the Borg who Picard rescued in “I, Borg” and then saw again in “Descent”. Hugh gained an individual identity and when returned to the collective caused major disruption. The Borg hive mind decided to separate any Borg with an individual identity spread by Hugh’s memories from the collective, allowing them to fall into the hands of Lore, Data’s evil brother. I have heard that Hugh is in this new series, which would seem that indeed the Borg are majorly involved.
That suspicion seems to be confirmed even more when we hear a woman say: “What the hell are you doing out here, Picard?” The woman saying it is revealed to be Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager. Given the brick background of the house where Picard and Seven meet, earlier in the trailer, we see a world where Picard seems to be traveling with a backpack. It’s similar to rural Earth from today and the house where Seven asks him this question appears to be from that world. Perhaps Picard given the Borg image prior is actually journeying towards the Delta quadrant where the Borg originally existed.
Appears to be a medical bay of some kind.
Furthering this Borg connection, earlier in the trailer, we see what I assumed was a medical bay, with a patient lying on a table. That same body appears later, and seems to be the body of a humanoid who was once Borg, but has had his Borg implants removed.
A humanoid who appears to have had cybernetic implants removed… perhaps a former Borg?
“She’s the end of all. She’s the destroyer.” I begin to form a crazy hypothesis… is the girl drawn to Picard because she is the offspring of the Borg Queen? Would Picard actually aid the Federation’s greatest enemy out of a sense of humanity.
Data with the primitive android he found and named B-4 in Nemesis.
Finally, the final reveal is Picard playing cards with Data or someone who looks like Data. In Star Trek: Nemesis, they find an earlier version of Data that they name B-4. At the end, there is some recognition that this primitive android might be able to grow and become something more. Now, we saw the pieces of Data earlier… and it could be that he’s rebuilt, but it seems more likely that B-4 is the android we see at the end of the trailer.
