16: Bejeweled Bedazzled Björk

Stardust City Rag.

Star Trek has rarely shown us the fringes of the galaxy without at least some of the perspective coming from Starfleet characters. In Star Trek: Picard, we’re seeing 24-century life in more parts of the galaxy that are far from the oversight of the Federation, and where few interactions with Starfleet officers occur. In “Stardust City Rag,” the crew of La Sirena go on a mission to find cyberneticist Bruce Maddox. They trace him to a city where it seems almost anything goes and any sort of official law is a distant memory.

In this episode of The Line, hosts Brandon-Shea Mutala, Justin Oser, and Chrissie De Clerck-Szilagyi discuss the fifth episode of Star Trek: Picard, “Stardust City Rag.” We explore the controversial opening scene as well as the important roles of Bruce Maddox and Seven of Nine. We also talk about colorful and seedy Stardust City, the heartbreaking reunion of Raffi and her son, and where Dr. Agnes Jurati’s goes after a big change for her character. We also share our predictions for upcoming episodes.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Favorite Moments (00:02:09)
The Opening Scene (00:05:26)
Picard and Seven (00:25:45)
Political Implications of the Mars Attack (00:28:47)
Maddox and Stardust City (00:41:02)
Seven’s Revenge (01:02:45)
Raffi and Gabe (01:06:29)
Maddox and Jurati (01:18:09)
Chrissie’s History Corner (01:28:41)
Canon and Book Connections (01:35:19)
Predictions (01:41:00)
Questions, Concerns, and Final Thoughts (01:46:03)
Closing (01:54:02)

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

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