3: It’s Always a Game of Chess

Picard and the Romulans.

At the beginning of The Next Generation, the Federation and the Romulans had barely had any contact for more than 50 years. When attacks on their outposts lead the two sides to end their silence in “The Neutral Zone,” it’s Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise-D that encounter the Romulans first. From that point forward, Picard was an important figure in relations between these powers, and it appears he will continue in that role in Star Trek: Picard.

In this episode of The Line, hosts Chrissie De Clerck-Szilagyi, Brandon-Shea Mutala, and Justin Oser talk about the various interactions between Picard and the Romulans. From their reintroduction in “The Neutral Zone” to the collapse of their government in Nemesis, the Romulans tend to meet the Federation with guile while Picard does his best to keep their machinations from spilling into open warfare. We also discuss what this may mean forStar Trek: Picard.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Destruction of Romulus (00:04:26)
Themes for Romulan Interactions (00:07:39)
Always a Game of Chess (00:10:11)
Picard’s Diplomatic Tendencies (00:20:44)
“The Defector” and Nemesis (00:29:47)
“Unification” (00:34:36)
Picard’s Perception of the Romulans (00:39:11)
Romulan Perceptions of Picard (00:50:06)
Final Thoughts (01:01:25)
Closing (01:11:53)

Hosts
Chrissie De Clerck-Szilagyi, Brandon-Shea Mutala, and Justin Oser

Production
Justin Oser (Editor and Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Producer) Chrissie De Clerck-Szilagyi (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)