smhalltheurlsaretaken:bluetiefling:Star Trek: Picard | 1.08I love this scene because it really shows
smhalltheurlsaretaken:bluetiefling:Star Trek: Picard | 1.08I love this scene because it really shows how profoundly unselfish Rios is – Soji hijacked his ship, Picard tried to mutiny, and here he is, choosing to risk la Sirena (his home, his holos, the last place with mementos of his past) anyway because Soji asks. But you know what’s wrong here? Soji. She has known Cris for less than a day and doesn’t know the full Ibn Majid story, but she has seen how vulnerable it makes him. She has seen him freak out, and then holding on and telling his story for their sake and giving her her favorite food. Essentially, all that Soji knows of Cris is that he is broken and kind. So after failing to steal his ship, what does she do? She emotionally coerces him, using the name of a dead girl linked to his most traumatic experience. Look at what’s happening when Cris asks if she’s willing to destroy his ship in her shortcut. There is not an ounce of a regret on her face, no pleading, no nothing. She raises an eyebrow and cocks her head, like “well yeah.” The pleading doesn’t start until after she’s out of options. And even then, watch what’s happening. Cris says no, Soji sighs, closes her eyes, wets her lips and raises her head again. It feels like she’s acting, like she deliberately shifts her tone/attitude because it’ll work. And then she asks him “for Jana’s sake.” That’s awful. It doesn’t feel like her invoking kinship – she just accused him of not knowing what having family was like, and she barely remembers Jana anyway. It feels like she says that because she knows he won’t be able to say no. In French, they translated it to “you owe this to Jana,” and I think it really conveys well what she’s actually saying. She pressures him into feeling obligated to help, because he’s so damaged and full of self-loathing that he would give anything for a chance at redemption, even when he shouldn’t have to. Soji isn’t wrong in wanting his help to save her family, and she’s not a manipulative monster, or a villain. HOWEVER, she is very wrong in how she handles his refusal. Cris essentially says “I can’t let you destroy my home,” and she answers “take me home, for the girl whose death you feel guilty about.” (Since this is getting too long I’m putting the definition of emotional blackmail and how it pertains to Soji’s attitude under the cut. This is really a big issue when you remember that her traumatic experience was being manipulated and used by Narek to give him what he wanted – something contrary to her own interests.) Keep reading -- source link
#interesting meta