82: Nothing But Blue Skies

Primitive Culture: A Star Trek History and Culture Podcast

Picard Season 1, Part I.

With a Pulitzer Prize-winning author at the helm, it’s perhaps no surprise that the first season of Star Trek: Picard should be one of the richest in Star Trek history, at least in terms of literary, cultural, and historical allusions. From Miguel de Cervantes’s classic novel Don Quixote to the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II, the show delights in its real-world reference points. Often, it wears its influences proudly—very much in keeping with showrunner Michael Chabon’s stated belief that all fiction is fan fiction.

In this episode of Primitive Culture, the first of a two-part discussion, host Duncan Barrett is joined by Tony Black for a look at some of the key influences on the first half of Star Trek: Picard’s freshman season. Next time, we’ll be back to do the same for the back half—golems and all.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Mars Attacks (00:06:04) Romulan Lives Matter (00:18:55) A Bridge Too Far? (00:33:13) Earthed and Grounded (00:44:55) Family Business (00:52:17) Candid Observations (01:12:25) What’s in a Rag? (01:33:15)

Host Duncan Barrett

Guest Tony Black

Production Tony Black (Editor) Duncan Barrett (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Tony Black (Associate Producer) Clara Cook (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Amy Nelson (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)