Review Detail

Great tightening up of the plot, skillfully removes all of the worst and over indulgent plot elements that go nowhere (ICE, police chase, FBI X-Files agent), while creating a much more coherent and entertaining experience than the source material.



Tiny nitpicks and personal preferences (spoiler warning): I wish more of Guinean could have been left in, but I do think this version’s series of works much better narratively. Wish the gala part could be cut entirely, but astrixmeagol did a fantastic job of toning down the ridiculous oceans 11 vibe and god bless you for managing to seamlessly remove the BQ song & dance. I also wish we could just remove the whole Rios romance subplot and final decision (such a waist of a great character). Though by cutting out a lot of the fluff, I think astrixmeagol manages to make him seem more competent and his decision somehow more believable. I’m impressed and happy that astrixmeagol managed to completely remove the character of Kore, though I find her absence does make Soong even less comprehensible as a character (not that his motivations made a lot of sense to begin with). Also really wish the ridiculous Vineyard siege could be cut down even more (particularly Raffia & Seven’s’ 100 meter dash), It’s obviously necessary but unsalvageable. Thank god holo Elnor was cut, though it made the final confrontation with the BQ one of roughest edits, still worth it. I almost wish we could get rid of the whole portion at the Europa launch site, and just end Soong’s arc by implying he died in the phaser explosion, but I suppose it is necessary to have an ending for Talin & Renee. This portion is definitely improved with the removal the drone subplot. Overall I think astrixmeagol cut exactly what needed to be cut, while leaving everything of value.

A few cuts here and there are particularly noticeable, for example Picard & Talen’s first conversation seems really rough, although that may entirely be the fault of the source material. Also there were a few times when split second flashes of other scenes popped up which was jarring (around 1:39:00 & 2:49:35). Besides that though I was genuinely impressed with how seamless everything else felt & looked.


The only change I’m really unsure about is the complete removal of Picard’s childhood trauma. I’m happy not to have young Picard, but his dealing with past trauma was the biggest character development and main driving force of the season, and while I’m not exactly happy with how the show originally dealt with it, not having it certainly removes some of the emotional weight of the adventure. However I feel astrixmeagol version does bring it much more in line with classic Trek which I do really appreciate.

Overall I think this is a fantastic edit that manages do the impossible, turn what is probably the worst season of Star Trek ever produced into an entertaining adventure.
This to me is the difinitive version of Picard season 2, and is the only one I would go for if rewatching.