Movies

Hugh’s death in Star Trek: Picard was not the original plan

BBG News

Hugh's death in Star Trek: Picard was not the original plan

As a lifelong Trekkie who’s been beaming aboard since the original series, I must say, the recent voyages of Star Trek: Picard and Discovery have left me feeling more stranded on an alien planet than Captain Kirk ever was.

Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery are often criticized as being the most creatively uninspired series within the Star Trek franchise. Although there have been some positive aspects, the overall storylines from beginning to end on both shows didn’t hold or capture viewers’ attention effectively. However, it should be noted that Star Trek: Discovery made an effort to improve, and in its third season, managed to do so for a short period of time.

The series, Picard, seems to be a nod to the past, heavily influenced by what was successful three decades ago – The Next Generation. Every scene appears to be either a guest appearance or an homage to the past. Its essence revolves around ideas that were superior in the past, and its finale underscores this truth; it reintroduced Q once more to judge humanity, but this time Picard stood in for all of mankind as the representative figure.

Weak.

The creative team behind the show went to great lengths to dismantle Star Trek fundamentally. They eliminated numerous characters without justification, and in some instances, they undermined the very essence of these characters. To make matters worse, they not only killed off Picard but also stripped away his core identity, leaving him as a mere shadow of his former self.

Unprovoked, there was an act – exemplified by what transpired with Hugh, a remarkable figure from The Next Generation. In the episode “I, Borg”, we met a young Borg drone named Hugh, and his transformation as a character throughout the storyline left fans in awe. This admiration was so intense that when he reappeared in the first season of Star Trek: Picard, viewers were absolutely thrilled.

Initially, they were forced to witness the characters distorting his character for manipulative emotional purposes, supposedly to advance the plot. It was a weak justification at best. For the actor under the prosthetics, Jonathan Del Arco, this wasn’t part of the original arrangement when he signed up for the role in Picard. When he was invited to be on the show, the writers had an entirely different narrative planned for Hugh. Unfortunately, that story idea was discarded and replaced after James Duff was dismissed from the show.

In an interview with TrekMovie.com, Del Arco was questioned about the current state of affairs, and the journalist didn’t mince words, expressing his thoughts directly.

What I was not told was that I was getting killed, because that was not James’s plan. And James left the show before they began filming. He had a creative differences and left, I think, weeks before I even began. I’d signed my contract, and the people that were left, I think, then made that decision without my being told or even knowing about it through gossip.

As a devoted fan myself, I must confess that the manner of discovering my character’s fate wasn’t exactly a joyful experience. Later on, TrekMovie inquired about the reason behind my character’s demise, to which I responded with honesty: I was unaware.

I have no idea what the creative reasoning for killing Hugh was. I was told they needed it to propel the story. And maybe they thought, that’s how they get Seven onto the cube. I just think they missed a lot of really great storytelling opportunities with Seven and Hugh…

It’s deeply disappointing that a cherished character and actor was so abruptly let go from the show with seemingly no valid justification. Instead of being a heartfelt tribute to fans, the series ended up tarnishing and damaging the characters’ reputations for no apparent reason. Hugh wasn’t alone in receiving this treatment; Icheb was also written out, along with numerous others during season three.

To put it simply, the character transformations were truly disheartening. It seemed like a repetition of something we experienced decades ago, only lacking the depth and originality. In hindsight, Hugh’s demise might have been a blessing, sparing us from witnessing his descent into a shadow of his former self.

Among all the characters, it was only Seven of Nine who seemed to improve, if not surpass her initial state. As anticipated, she largely lived up to our expectations. Moreover, her development culminated in a transformation we had long aspired for her. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t see more of this progression.

Read More

2024-09-30 15:23

Previous post Laurence Fishburne sports a quirky grey wig as he’s seen for the FIRST time on set of The Witcher after joining Netflix series as he films scenes with co-star Liam Hemsworth in Wales