Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 3x01 - "The Next Generation"

[Qonundrum]

There was no episode, it was a story created for this show.

And is a possible namedrop/reference/easteregg/("memberberry"?) involving a TOS planet, since season 3 has a few TOS elements sprinkled in, albeit few and generally relevant to the arc (and nicely laid out, too, so they feel part of the story's narrative and flow as opposed to a reference for no reason except "hey look, it's a reference!".) The Rigel one is the only one that sticks out, but Rigel is part of the Federation and since the colony was started there, they developed codecs - would everything have to be developed in the Sol solar system? (Small universe syndrome is the worst case scenario for namedropping, but by the 24th century, the Federation area of space was large enough and they're going to do something for some use somewhere.) Main thing is, it didn't feel overdone/overused...

 

[Lord Garth]

I'm not starting a new thread about this. Not at this point, anyway. But, I've just re-watched all the TNG Movies. Literally finished Nemesis less than 30 seconds ago. I'm going to go straight from that to Picard Season 3. Let's see how this plays, essentially going from one movie to the next.

EDITED TO ADD: I'm pausing the first episode to say that while PIC Season 3 feels different, it doesn't feel any more different than Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis felt different from each other. I would say going straight from the TNG Movies to PIC Season 3 doesn't feel jarring. Which is good. It also helps that I like PIC Season 3 better than most of them.

So, yeah. If anyone wanted to skip the first two seasons and go straight to PIC Season 3, I'd say go for it. Any differences in Picard's or anyone else's lives can be chalked up to "It's over 20 years later! These people lived lives in-between."

DOUBLE EDIT: The only change I'd make, so the first episode of PIC S3 rolls better off the TNG Movies while still being PIC, is to hold off on cutting to Raffi until after Picard and Riker are having dinner with Shaw and Seven. That's a natural break-away point. Inserting the first Raffi scene earlier, where she's meeting with the Orion, felt jarring when it was. We were still getting into the flow of, "It feels like a TNG Movie, but done better!"

I'd go: Crusher scene, Picard and Laris at the Vineyard, Picard and Riker at 10-Forward, Picard and Riker at Space Dock, everything on the Titan from the inspection to the dinner, then cut to M'Talas Prime with Raffi, have her exchange with the Orion, then have her looking at a picture of granddaughter and talk to Starfleet Intelligence, a.k.a. Worf. It flows better that way.

TRIPLE EDIT: Visually, I don't notice PIC Season 3 taking any type of hit, going from the movies to this. They managed to make something look like a movie, with much less of a budget proportionately.

 

[Phoenix219]

This is my preferred viewing order as well. I actually streamline it further, and Skip from The Best of both worlds and brothers straight to first contact. The vineyard still has its place and the Borg storyline is streamlined but the narrative Arc is amazing.

Picard season 3 let me forgive TNG for the first time since generations. I'm kind of a TNG hater, and season 3 reminded me what I actually did love about the show and the characters.

 

[Lord Garth]

This is my preferred viewing order as well. I actually streamline it further, and Skip from The Best of both worlds and brothers straight to first contact.

I think you're thinking of "Family" not "Brothers". "Q Who", "The Best of Both Worlds", and "Family" are to First Contact what "Space Seed" is to The Wrath of Khan.

IMO, Generations shouldn't be excluded. I'll explain later when I start that thread I'm eventually planning to make. You can watch however you want, obviously, but I'll go into all the reasons why I see it differently.

Link here: Old Episodes in a new light through "Star Trek: Picard" | The Trek BBS

 

[Phoenix219]

Yes, I misspoke, because family is about brothers LOL.

I despise the movie generations and could write paragraph upon paragraph about it. I shall refrain. It's best that I just skip it and pretend that it doesn't exist. Picard season 3 made me forgive the show, but not the movie.