Star Trek: Picard-- Let's Discuss Jean-Luc's Parietal Lobe!

Spoilers follow for Star Trek: Picard Episode 2.

In ” Maps and Legends,” the 2nd episode of Star Trek: Picard, our stalwart title character has a discussion with one Dr. Moritz Benayoun (played by dependable character star David Paymer), an old pal from Picard’s days aboard the USS Stargazer (his very first command). Picard, thanks to the machinations of the series up until now, wishes to lead an off-world mission aboard a starship, and needs a medical professional’s medical clearance in order for Starfleet to give him any sort of command. Dr. Benayoun, however, regretfully breaks the news to Picard that there might be something clinically suspicious occurring with the parietal lobe of his brain.

This reference most likely set off alarm bells in the heads of Trekkies all over. Picard’s parietal lobe, you see, was actually a major plot point in ” All Good Things …,” the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Because episode, Picard– quite in the vein of Slaughterhouse-Five– found himself “unstuck” in time, experiencing today, the past (when he initially took command of the Enterprise) and the future (as a retired admiral on his vineyard. Hm …) apparently at random. In the “present” of “All Good Things …,” Dr. Crusher consulted with Picard in his all set room to reveal that she, thanks to a specialized scan, located possible evidence of a rare and incurable brain disease called Irumodic syndrome inside Picard’s parietal lobe.

By the “future” of that episode– which falls in with the real chronology of Star Trek: Picard– Jean-Luc had actually certainly been diagnosed, and his peers, Data and Geordi, were suspicious of his potentially disease-inspired raving about an “anti-time well” near the border of the Neutral Zone.

Irumodic syndrome, we learn, causes the destruction of synaptic pathways, causing confusion, hallucinations, and eventually death. The very first mention of Irumodic syndrome on Star Trek remained in “All Good Things …,” and Picard states to Dr. Benayoun– when Benayoun raises Picard’s unnamed brain issues– that “I was told a long time ago that it might trigger a problem eventually,” making a direct allusion to the scene where Dr. Crusher gave Picard his medical diagnosis. Benayoun states the problem could result in among a variety of syndromes.

Dr. Benayoun has problem for Jean-Luc.

Picard’s future in “All Good ideas …” was, naturally, merely speculative (it might have even been a dream created by Q), and the events of Star Trek: Picard have now straight opposed it regardless. However that “I was told” line clearly refers to when Dr. Crusher gave Picard a medical diagnosis of an ailment in his parietal lobe that might result in full-blown Irumodic syndrome somewhere down the line. And Dr. Benayoun has actually now verified it, discussing that whatever crazy journey he intends on making need to maybe eliminate him prior to the brain ailment does.

One of the signs of Irumodic syndrome, as mentioned above, was hallucinations. In “All Good ideas …” Picard had periodic visions of jeering jurors that dripped into his brain from Q’s kangaroo courtroom dream (Trekkies know the fantasy well). Back in 1994, I personally operated on the assumption that the “All Good Things …” hallucinations were placed into Picard’s brain by Q. They might have easily been real hallucinations Picard was having right there in his vineyard.

Star Trek: Picard – Describing All the Different Datas

The reality that Picard may in fact have Irumodic syndrome (or something similar) in the connection of Star Trek: Picard suggests that a few of what we may be seeing is– dare we ponder?– hallucination. Picard, generally a steely and clear-thinking leader might now be an undependable narrator, and we, as viewers, now need to be watchful in eyeballing cues as to what might or may not be real in Picard’s eye. This would, obviously, result in an all-too-familiar narrative can of worms that we might or might not want to open. Are certain characters genuine? Is ANY of Star Trek: Picard genuine? Are we experiencing a fantasy/hallucination that Picard is having in his château? While these sorts of gotcha-just-kidding narrative tricks are normally inexpensively used (call it Tyler Durden syndrome), it could– could— be a supreme nuclear-option-style “out” for the program’s writers in case they end up clashing excessive with established Trek canon (à la Discovery). That doesn’t match with what came before? Uh … It was all a hallucination from Picard’s Irumodic syndrome!

At the minimum, we now understand that we require to be watching on Jean-Luc’s brain health.

For more on Star Trek: Picard, take a look at our history of the Borg, learn why Seven of Nine blames Picard, and get confirmation on which timeline Picard occurs in

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https://www.thenewsedge.com/2020/02/01/star-trek-picard-lets-discuss-jean-lucs-parietal-lobe/