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Many people associate the high-fat keto diet with bacon, cheese, and cream. But theres a variation that's even more restrictive called ketotarian. This version eliminates most animal-based products and focuses on eating plant-based foods.

If you're unfamiliar with keto, the plan is a high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrate diet. The goal is to enter ketosis, or fat burning mode, which occurs when your body doesn't have enough carbs to use as energy.

Ketotarian was popularized by Will Cole, functional medicine expert and chiropractor, in his book, Ketotarian: The (Mostly) Plant-Based Plan to Burn Fat, Boost Your Energy, Crush Your Cravings, and Calm Inflammation. This version promises to deliver the weight-loss benefits of keto without eating plates full of meat and dairy, according to Cole's website.

Here's exactly what you need to know about this keto alternative:

This version markets itself as a mostly plant-based diet that excludes certain foods rumored to be inflammatory. Cole claims this diet is optimal for reducing your risk of chronic inflammation, which is linked to arthritis and cardiovascular diseases.

Although you can eat eggs, ghee, and fish, all other animal products are off limits. Dieters are encouraged to forego nightshade vegetables, which includes many grocery store staples:

Some people believe certain foodslike nightshades and vegetable oilscontribute to inflammation, explains Melanie Boehmer, R.D. at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. However, there's scant evidence to support these claims. The few studies that do link nightshades to inflammation study quantities that exceed what anyone actually eats.

"The amounts that are consumed are obscene and not natural to what were consuming," she says.

Here's a list of recommended foods:

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Ketosis is maintained when you consume about 70 percent of your daily calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 10 percent from carbs.

To reach fat burning mode, many dieters resort to eating plates of bacon, says Boehmer.

"When we think keto the thing that comes to mind are fattier cuts of animal protein," she tells Men's Health.

However, she says it is possible to maintain ketosis without heavy cream, pork belly, or cheese.

Boehmer recommends including nuts or seeds with every meal to hit your macros.

"They're calorically dense and theyre very high in fat," she says. "They do have some carbohydrates so you have to be aware of that."

Keto is already restrictive and this approach is going to further limit what you eat, says Boehmer.

She recommends eating as much variety as you can to avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

However, Boehmer likes that this plan emphasizes eating plenty of plant-based foods rather than bacon and cheese.

Ultimately, you'll shed pounds if you eat fewer calories than what your body needs to maintain its current weight, says Boehmer.

"On keto, people tend to lose weight quicker on the front end because theyre taking out the starches," she says. "A lot of that initial weight loss is waternot fat mass. We just dont lose fat that quickly."

Due to its restrictive nature, this diet isn't for everyone, says Boehmer.

"If you are someone who has limited time, this is going to be challenging for you because it does involve planning," she says.

Further, she doesn't recommend strict diets for people who have a history of disordered eating.

Bottom line: you should find a diet that works for your lifestyle.

See more here:
Ketotarian is a Plant-Based Keto Without the Meat and Cheese - menshealth.com

It all started when she had just given birth to her second child. Her weight began to escalate and as a result, she began experiencing chronic back problems.

I found difficulty in even small things like bathing. The doctors said that obesity was the sole cause and advised me to lose weight, Specioza Uwamariya shares.

Just as she was beginning to shed off the weight, her husband passed, on and this further deteriorated the condition. The fluctuating weight soon made it difficult for her to do anything by herself.

When my husband passed in 2014, life lost meaning and I piled on weight quickly. I lost out on self-confidence, felt stressed and ignored by the people around me.Before I knew it, I was weighing 179kgs.

Specioza Uwamariya is currently on a weight loss journey to live a healthier life.

At this point I just decided to wait for death because even doctors had recommended I travel abroad for treatment, which I couldnt afford. All I did was stay indoors since merely walking to the compound also a problem for me, she says.

Finding help

Then, a video by Isimbi TV circulated on social media about her condition. Slim n Fit, a health and fitness programme for women struggling with obesity, reached out to her, upon learning of her condition and offered to assist her lose weight and give her hope for a better health.

Since joining the third season of the 90-day-challenge that ends on March 28, Uwamariya has lost over 10kgs in 10 weeks, currently weighing 164kgs.

At the end of the challenge, the programme awards the biggest loser, as a way to motivate them.

Participants are required to go to the gym on a daily basis and also have a nutrition coach who guides them on the proper food diet, to aid them in their weight loss.

Florence Uwamwezi, the founder of Slim n Fit (middle), with some of the participants.

For me, dedication and positivity are key. My weight loss journey is becoming simpler by the day, ever since this programme taught me to love my body, eat healthy and exercise since weight loss and exercise go hand in hand.

Right now Im working hard to prove everyone that had given up on me, wrong and live healthy to raise my children, she says.

For Jean Claude Ntawurungo, their aerobics coach, some of the exercises that they are trained help with relieving stress, one of the biggest contributor to obesity.

Dieting without exercising cannot yield tangible results, so we work on mindset, and get them to enjoy exercise, he says.

Dealing with stigma

Besides difficulty in mobility, the 52-year-old adds that she suffered venous insufficiency (improper functioning of the vein valves in the leg, causing swelling and skin changes) and faced stigma from almost everybody around her.

I was never invited to weddings because people thought I would break their chairs, and I became the laughing-stock of people who saw me. Children would scream in shock and cabs often refused to transport me because I would cause their cars to break down. My family abandoned me and waited for death to bring flowers to my grave, people made me feel like I was not human, Uwamariya says.

Like her, many women dealing with obesity are perceived as lazy, gluttonous, lacking self-discipline by society, which leaves them vulnerable to stigma and discrimination, and does nothing in the fight against it.

Marie-Justine Uwizeye, 52, has been participating in Slim n Fits 90-days-challenge for the third time in a row and now weighs 120kgs.

Her determination was stirred by paralysis caused by obesity, having weighed 158kgs.

I wouldnt even climb the stairs and with stigma all around us, we suffer low self-esteem that you begin to isolate yourself from public events, but once you acknowledge that the body needs a turn around, it becomes easy to start the journey. At my age, it never occurred to me that I could actually lose weight and live normally, but Im currently one of the best runners they have here, she says.

Doris Uwiragiye, another member who has gone from 171kgs to 158kgs believes that obesity is caused by many factors that include biological, genetic and environmental, that critically contribute to the condition.

We need encouragement and not humiliation, because obesity is like any other health condition that needs attention, she says.

Florence Uwamwezi, the founder of Slim n Fit says weight stigma is a public health problem that undermines social rights and is a major stumbling block in the fight against obesity.

We are all wonderfully created and so the idea that obese people lack in self-discipline and personal responsibility is wrong. Rwandans should strive to eliminate this culture and consider obese people as human beings worthy of their rights and attention, she says.

She adds that she has been working to have more partners on board, to enable the programme reach out to as many women dealing with obesity.

We have coaches, nutritionists and a fully-fledged gym that are all essential to their weight loss journey but due the expenses, its hard to reach out to as many women as we can. We are hoping to have more partners and open the gym to the public so that the revenue generated can go to helping these women fight for a healthy life, Uwamwezi says.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

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Obesity and stigma: A woman's journey to a healthy lifestyle - The New Times

Adrian Sorrell was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018.

For Adrian Sorrell, Fathers Day 2018 started out as a fun family celebration visiting with the grandkids, eating brunch and embarking on a road trip to Galveston, Texas. But during that drive, the day took a sharp turn.

Sorrell began feeling intense pain in his abdomen and back.

Over the next two months, other symptoms weight loss, itching, jaundice followed.

His physician sent him to get a colonoscopy. The doctor performing that procedure quickly realized that his symptoms aligned with something that wouldnt be found through a colonoscopy pancreatic cancer.

An MRI confirmed that suspicion.

Sorrells healthcare team sprang into action, working with him to develop a treatment plan.

It began with several courses of aggressive chemotherapy. The original hope was to shrink the tumor enough to remove it surgically, but they quickly learned that wouldnt be an option.

Sorrell finds it uplifting to be with other survivors at PurpleStride, the walk to end pancreatic cancer.

Sorrell continued with standard chemotherapy options. When one wasnt working, his team moved onto another. There was a period over the summer when his scans were clean, but soon the cancer returned.

The pain he experienced early on continued to be unbearable. He had a biliary stent placed and received strong medication to help with this. But he couldnt do very much when on the pain medicine, and he landed in the hospital multiple times when the stent became infected.

He also kept losing weight.

His healthcare team felt the best course of action would be a clinical trial.

Pancreatic cancer patients who participate in clinical research have better outcomes, and every treatment available today was approved through a clinical trial. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) strongly recommends clinical trials at diagnosis and during every treatment decision.

Despite comprising13% of the U.S. population, Black Americans make up only3% of cancer clinical trial participants. When clinical trials lack racial and ethnic diversity, trial results may not apply to all types of patients.

Sorrells oncologist reached out to other healthcare professionals locally to help find options.

Though his liver enzyme numbers caused some challenges enrolling in a trial at first, Sorrell was able to join a phase I clinical trial near his home in San Antonio, Texas.

Participation involved a full, long day at the clinic on visit days. Though he only directly received the investigational treatment for about an hour, he had to stay for another six hours or more so the team could monitor him and ensure his safety a priority in all clinical trials.

Once he started the trial, he didnt need any pain medication, and he wasnt losing any more weight. His quality of life was better than when on standard chemotherapy. Unfortunately, those symptoms have begun again recently.

But scans in December showed the tumors werent growing.

Sorrell has completed the planned clinical trial treatment and is awaiting results of his latest scans to determine next steps likely either continuing on this investigational drug or enrolling in a different clinical trial.

I plan to keep doing clinical trials until I cant anymore or until they find something else that works better.

Sorrell feels lucky to have found a healthcare team near home that is proactive and knowledgeable. They give me the information I need, and they problem solve. When one treatment isnt working, they are really good about finding something else you can get into.

He also found a lot of support through participating in his local PanCAN PurpleStride events. Hes attended the walk to end pancreatic cancer twice since his diagnosis once in San Antonio and once in Austin.

Sorrell and his wife, his rock, sported Make Adrian Fat Again hats at PurpleStride Austin.

That first PurpleStride in Austin really lifted my spirits going there and meeting these people who had survived. Of course, its also humbling to see all the people who have lost loved ones. But overall, I find PurpleStride to be very beneficial and uplifting.

Find your local PurpleStride event and register today. PanCAN has turned its in-person March, April and May PurpleStride walks/runs into virtual PurpleStride events due to concerns over COVID-19. That means you can register for free as a virtual strider and still fundraise for PanCAN, from home. Every dollar raised ensures PanCANs Patient Central can be there for patients like Sorrell.

Sorrell has been open with his friends and family about his journey. He sometimes thinks he shares too much, but his loved ones think otherwise. They like knowing how hes doing, what hes doing. And in turn, theyve been a great source of support for him as well.

Donning Make Adrian Fat Again hats with his family and friends, Sorrell brings humor to his very serious challenges.

Overall, he tries to enjoy life as much as possible. I try to keep a positive attitude and enjoy each day that I get.

Two of his grandchildren graduate from high school this May. He is looking forward to celebrating that milestone with them.

The rest is here:
Grandfather Finds Better Quality of Life on Clinical Trial - Pancreatic Cancer News & Stories

All across the world right now, many of us are practicing social distancing in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19),thenew viral strainin the coronavirus family that affects thelungs and respiratory system. While unfortunately not all of us are complying yet, many states have thankfully begun enforcing shelter-in-place and curfews. COVID-19 is a serious matter. Its vital we take action now.

With many of us quarantining at home, lots of us are utilizing social media. And with us being on social media more frequently, we may be seeing an influx of diets and exercise routines placed right in front of our eyes. Ive seen some people joke about gaining weight during this pandemic and becoming ugly and fat. Its so important to not conflate the words ugly and fat because fat people do exist and there is no reason to insult them for existing. I love the quote, Im not pretty for a fat girl. Im pretty. Period.

Related: What It's Like to Have a 6-Feet-Apart Marriage Due to COVID-19

If you are seeing lots of weight loss tips on your news feed, first of all, feel free to unfollow anyone posting them. Its especially triggering to those in eating disorder recovery, so dont feel bad for putting your health first. Weight loss posts can normally be triggering to us, but with the additional stress right now, it may seem more appealing to try it out. Know that you dont need to lose weight with your free time. Please reach out to a professional if you need support. Many therapists are utilizing video sessions right now.

As well as not having to lose weight, Im here to tell you that its perfectly OK if you gain weight during this time. It makes perfect sense. Some of us are stress eating or emotionally eating. Some of us are choosing to relax. Some of us cant exercise as much. Some of us are snacking more. Some of us have more time on our hands and feel bored.

Related: What's Helping Me Get Through a Two-Week Quarantine

While Im not eating more than usual, Ive found that Ive been eating my food quickly, likely due to stress and anxiety. Many of us are overstimulated right now. I bet many of us have trouble turning off the news or putting down our phones. I personally want to know the latest updates so I can be aware and abide by laws and regulations to keep myself and others safe.

I enjoy practicing intuitive eating, which is a wonderful practice of mindfulness to combat disordered eating or eating disorder behaviors. I slow down, notice how my food tastes, listen to my hunger-fullness, check in with my thoughts and emotions and am aware of how the food is affecting my different senses. However, we may not be able to practice intuitive eating right now due to stress, worry or anxiety about COVID-19.

One of my previous therapists, who specializes in eating disorders, told me its OK to sometimes use food to cope, when I shared with her I felt suicidal when I was a teenager. She said shed much rather me lean on this coping mechanism than not be alive. While of course, we want to lessen eating disordered behaviors and have a nourishing relationship with food, sometimes stressors arise where we have limited means of coping. We sometimes use food to cope. And thats OK. We are human. We arent perfect. We are ultimately trying to protect ourselves, cope and feel better.

Related: What It's Like to Be a 'Highly Sensitive Person' in the Time of COVID-19

Its heartbreaking that many people in recovery from eating disorders are struggling with quarantining right now, because that mirrors self isolation, which is something many of us struggle with in the depths of our illnesses. In treatment or therapy, we are told to not isolate and to be around supportive people. Right now, thats going to look a bit different because we cant physically see every person wed like to see, and we must self quarantine. I encourage people to video chat and text their supports right now. Its not the same, but it is a way to keep connected and ideally feel less alone.

We may come out of this quarantine however many pounds heavier, but is that really a bad thing? If thats the worst thing to happen, we did good. If you gain weight right due to emotional eating, snacking or eating more, or not exercising as much as you usually do, you are still the same person you were before. Your worth doesnt decrease or disappear if you gain weight.

If youre struggling with the idea of gaining weight right now, I encourageyou to write down five things you like about yourself, that have nothing to do with your appearance. You could even write it in the Notes section in your phone so you can access it quickly as a reminder. Are you a good friend? Are you a good listener? What do other people value about you? If you gain weight in the near future, take out this list and read it over. Take it in. You are more than your body. Weight gain could never change what people love about you.

Here are mine:

1. Im compassionate. It helps me be understanding of others.

2. Im a talented writer and artist. I express myself through writing and art and other people value my work.

3. Im perceptive of other peoples emotions. I am quick to pick up on other peoples feelings, which means I can offer support and kindness.

4. Im mindful and self aware.

5. I value my friendships and enjoy making friends feel special and loved.

Please know its OK to gain weight while social distancing.

Concerned about coronavirus? Stay safe using the tips from these articles:

Search for COVID-19 Treatment Leads to Chronic Illness Medication Shortages

What It's Like to Be Manic While in COVID-19 Quarantine

Why Don't We Care About Protecting Sick People Every Year?

Read more from the original source:
I Need You to Know It's OK to Gain Weight While Social Distancing - Yahoo News

It comes down to what a life is worth.

In the 1960s, a Nobel Prize laureate in economics, Thomas C. Schelling, proposed letting people price their own lives. Observing how much they were willing to spend to reduce their odds of death by buying a bicycle helmet, driving within the speed limit, refusing to buy a house near a toxic-waste site or demanding a higher wage for a more dangerous job government agencies could compute a price tag.

That can lead to some strange numbers, though. As Peter Singer, the Australian ethical philosopher, noted, you can save a life in poor countries with $2,000 or $3,000, and many of those lives are still allowed to be lost. If you compare that with $9 million, he said, its crazy.

The discussion gets even more touchy when one considers the age profile of the dead. It raises the question: Is saving the life of an 80-year-old as valuable as saving the life of a baby?

Cass Sunstein, a legal scholar who worked for the Obama administration, heading the White House office in charge of these valuations, once proposed focusing government policies on saving years of life rather than lives, as is customary in other countries.

A program that saves younger people is better, in this sense, than an otherwise identical program that saves older people, he wrote.

In the George W. Bush administration, the E.P.A. tried to move in Mr. Sunsteins preferred direction. To calculate the costs and benefits of legislation regulating soot emissions from power plants, it had to figure out the value of reducing premature mortality. Rather than evaluate every life saved at $6.1 million, as it had done in the past, it applied an age discount: People over 70 were worth only 67 percent of the lives of younger people.

The backlash by AARP and others was fierce. And the agency dropped the idea. E.P.A. will not, I repeat, not use an age-adjusted analysis in decision making, pleaded Christine Todd Whitman, the E.P.A. administrator at the time. Yet by putting the same price on all lives, the agency implicitly devalued young peoples remaining years.

Originally posted here:
Shutdown Spotlights Economic Cost of Saving Lives - The New York Times

When Operation Transformation finished its season just a month ago, things were very different in the world. The usual uplifting stories of the show's leaders losing weight and transforming their mental and physical outlook left us all feeling motivated and ready to take on the New Year.

Very quickly though, everything changed and now the country is dealing with isolation and fear as we all try to flatten the curve and buy some time in the spread of the virus.

With all of that, there's never been a more important time for the Operation Transformation team to be back on the air, and today, RTE have announced that the show will be back in mid-April, styled as "Operation Covid Nation" and will feature four households being filmed with remote cameras and the usual expert advice of fitness expert Karl Henry, dietitian Aoife Hearne, clinical psychologist Dr. Eddie Murphy and medical doctor Dr. Sumi Dunne.

Show presenter Kathryn Thomas spoke to Ray D'Arcy today to explain how the show came about and what it aims are.

It was agreed it was a good idea for people to have a weekly platform where they could stay connected, see what's happening in different households, how different households are coping with the new norm. That's what we're all trying to do. There's no such thing as college and school and work and recreation and transport. Everything has changed for everybody and different households are coping with it in different ways.

What we've tried to do for the last 13 years is on Operation Transformation is help people - yes there was a weight loss element to the show - but really it is about health and wellness for body and mind, and I think now more than ever, as everybody is adapting to these new norms, we need a weekly platform like that, and I think that's what this program wants to be.

The show will choose different kind of households - from young families to house sharing.

If this is something you are interested in participating in, you can go to http://www.rte.ie/otand complete an application form.

See original here:
Operation Transformation Is Back In April To Help Us Through The Covid Crisis - Balls.ie

The slump set in very quickly

In France, INSEE published a first estimate of current activity acrossvarious sectors, together with its monthly business climate survey. The monthly survey ended on 23 Marchbut the institute points out that the last week was poorly represented in the total sample, with only a few responses via the internet. Many respondents were already unavailable. The survey figures are therefore partial, and biased towards the first two weeks of March, so we will have to wait for the April results to have a more precise idea of the fall in economic sentiment during the crisis.

INSEE has therefore, for the first time, used new methods, many of them qualitative, to estimate the loss of activity by sector during the first week of lockdown, as well as the loss of demand by sector of activity. Both approaches (production and expenditure approaches) point to an economy operating at 65% of capacity.

They may be partial, but these are awful figures nevertheless. Business climate collapsed by 10 points in March, the largest drop since the survey was first conducted in 1980, and one point more than at the start of the financial crisis in October 2008. The declines are stronger in services and retail sales than inindustry (where the impact still seems limited - Chart 1). Similarly, in the building sector, which has since come to a virtual standstill, the indicator has remained above its long-term average, reflecting the situation at the beginning of March. In services, the drop in business confidence reflects the message given earlier this week by the PMI indicators, where the services indexfell to an all-time low of 29(Graph 2).

Originally posted here:
France: An economy in shock - ING Think

Jean-Luc Picards (Patrick Stewart) struggle to hold on to hope in the face of chaos is ripe for exploration, especially when the world feels so destabilized and confusing. Photo: Matt Kennedy/CBS

Lately, I have been seeking pleasure, trying to capture joy wherever I can find it cooking a lush meal, taking a brightly colored bubble bath, Skyping friends as we navigate the chaos and uncertainty of the present moment. Beset by the realization that the coronavirus pandemic will endure for months, continuing to expose the frailties of the systems that control our lives, I have found myself turning to Star Trek: The Next Generation, a series that fosters the kind of empathy, curiosity, and optimistic belief in humanity that feels like a balm in a time lacking these qualities.

Star Trek: The Next Generation which ran from 1987 to 1994, spawning several movies after that started out roughly but bloomed into a show brimming with curiosity about human nature and our impulse toward connection. That quality has been hardwired into the franchise since its beginning, percolating beneath the surface as a bold and timely argument for the importance of community and social bonds, including and beyond blood relations. Watching the show now conjures up a host of memories, ripe and tactile: my mothers nimble hands oiling my scalp and braiding my hair, the heat of Miami nights, the smell of plantains frying in the kitchen. So I have found myself turning to everything from trenchant and moving episodes like The Inner Light to episodes with more ridiculous moments, like Commander Data (Brent Spiner) reciting a poem about his cat, Spot. This is not merely an exercise in nostalgia, but a means to experience and cherish that which undergirds Star Trek as a franchise: hope.

One of the most trenchant aspects of Star Trek: The Next Generations nature is its essential hope about humankind and the ways we relate to one another. This holds true for the Star Trek franchise even in its darkest moments, like the latter seasons of Deep Space Nine, which explored the nature of war and the price for maintaining peace in a chaotic universe. And it should hold true for Star Trek: Picard, the new CBS All Access series that follows The Next Generations iconic Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as he navigates a milieu that doesnt adhere to his hope for better worlds. This Picard is a changed man in many ways rougher around the edges, quicker to anger, and burdened by grief that renders him more vulnerable than weve seen before which could have led to rich territory if Picard showed a greater commitment to the Star Trek franchises most central, enduring theme. What does it mean to hold on to hope in a universe that no longer seems to believe in it? Thats a vibrant question to explore right now more than ever.

Unfortunately, Star Trek: Picard has struggled to live up to Stewarts tenderhearted, fully realized performance, which imbues Picard typically a stalwart captain modeling the kind of grace, intelligence, and empathetic leadership absent in the world today with the weight of grief and failure in a universe that now lacks the order he typically clings to. The struggle to hold on to hope in the face of chaos is ripe for exploration, especially now as the world feels destabilized and confusing. But while Picard has shown sparks of interest in this struggle, its largely traded such somber reflections for a bombastic story line concerning Romulan cabals intent on wiping out the galaxys synthetic lifeforms, which Picard feels an obligation to stop due to connections to The Next Generations Data that are too laboriously complicated to lay out here.

A major factor in Star Trek: Picards uneven nature is that it doesnt seem to know exactly what it wants to be, even in the wake of its first season finale. Is this meant to be a continuation of an iconic character that speaks to established fans, or is this a glossy reimagining meant to conjure new viewers by bending to the mores of the Peak TV era? Like the show he was born into, Picard feels out of step with the expectations of modern TV in many ways, so Star Trek: Picard has capitulated by casting its universe in darker shades while leaning into mysteries formatted like puzzles for the audience to solve. This was most apparent in the Romulan intrigue involving siblings Narek (Harry Treadaway) and Narissa (Peyton List), played with an odd incestuous bent among their murky spy dealings, which were largely separate from Picards journey until the last third of the season.

Not every show is made to bend toward mystery like Lost or Watchmen. Whats made Star Trek so enduring is not slow-burn intrigue and puzzle-box storytelling; its the people who populate its fantastical settings, watching them navigate the unknown and the frankly human. Perhaps thats why Picard has so far been at its best when engaging with characters from Star Treks past like Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), who gets some of the most badass, action-oriented moments in the series; or Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), who have a new sort of relaxed casualness with Picard rather than bending itself to the surface-level dynamics of modern dramas that lean heavy into mystery.

Its not like Picard isnt set up for this sort of character exploration. The Jean-Luc of Picard is a haunted man when we meet him in the beginning of the series, tormented by the loss of Data, the destruction of Mars, Starfleets refusal to help Romulan refugees, and the widespread banning of synthetic life. His return to the stars is shadowed not just by his age but the terminal diagnosis he receives before leaving his vineyard in France. This setup is ripe with opportunity on a character level. What does it mean to face a mission you know will likely be your last? How do you remain hopeful in the face of oblivion? How do you put one foot in front of the next when you barely believe in the person you are? How do you grapple with unmet yearnings at the end of your life? But Picard has repeatedly eschewed the somber for the bombastic, giving us not nearly enough moments to breathe and really dig into the new reality facing Picard, as well as the new characters surrounding him.

At first blush, the new characters that round out Picard hold a lot of intriguing bramble. Raffi (Michelle Hurd) is beset by addiction issues and a fractured relationship with a son who wants nothing to do with her. Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) is obsessed with synthetic life and moves with boundless, bubbly energy. Rios (Santiago Cabrera) is guarded, grappling with the loss of a captain whom he deeply cared for and looked up to when he was in Starfleet. Unfortunately, these characters have been developed with a mind toward raising more questions and complicating the shows mystery. Agnes killing Bruce Maddox, her colleague and love, was an intriguing character turn quickly soured by the fact that the show thought it was more interesting to withhold information than properly explain why she made the decision she did. Rioss backstory feels especially clunky and mishandled when the captain of his past is revealed to have killed himself due to an elaborate plot that forced him to kill two synths, one of whom looked just like Soji (Isa Briones). Are you still with me? Despite the genuinely good work by the actors, theres only so much you can do to provide emotional resonance to a plot this thinly drawn and convoluted.

In the penultimate episode, Picard reveals to his ragtag crew the terminal diagnosis hes been hiding from them. There is a false levity to Stewarts physicality that denotes the tension between the casualness with which hes presenting this news and the gravity of the situation. Its a wrenching moment that works because Stewart wills complication into the moment, not because the characters surrounding him have been properly fleshed out. Just watch nearly any scene that doesnt include Picard (or returning characters like Seven of Nine) and youll witness how uneven the show is in its characterization. This recurring failure leaves me not only angry about Picards inability to reach its full potential, but confused about what it is trying to say about the grand theme of hope in a time of chaos, grief, and loss.

This confusion speaks to what the show is ultimately lacking, the thing that attracted me to Star Trek in the first place: its curiosity. Even at its darkest, Star Trek has been propelled by an essential curiosity about how various worlds and their inhabitants work, holding them up as a mirror to our own lives and histories. Picard at times displays this curiosity when it digs into its characters histories, or uses its plot machinations to speak to concerns of xenophobia, immigration, and the failures of political powers; the show is at its best when it tangles with the franchises past and complicates what we already know about these characters. But Picard often undercuts the potential of these dynamics with its tendency to keep viewers in the dark for the sake of mystery. Too often the plot turns on what we dont know, and what is new to Star Trek lore even more secret Romulan cabals, secret synth societies, and so on elements far removed from the more empathetic concerns Star Trek has always tangled with.

The tension within the series between embracing its essential Star Trek nature and bowing to the demands of Peak TV comes to a head in the finale, which grants Patrick Stewart many moments to stretch his skills, showing Picard at his most impassioned and most vulnerable, sometimes within the same moment. He makes grand proclamations that speak to the notions of empathy, curiosity, and humanity that power Star Trek. Fear is an incompetent teacher [] To be alive is a responsibility as well as a right, he says with conviction at one point, and my heart swelled. We are even granted a touching reunion of sorts between Data and Picard in an ornate simulation after Picard seemingly dies. The entire scene hinges on Picard finally proclaiming his love for Data and acknowledging his grief over his loss. Its a beautiful moment that works not because of the plot beats that brought us there, but due to the character history upon which its built.

There are moments of beauty within Picard, to be sure watching Riker diligently make pizza; Seven of Nine shooting phasers through a room; Picard gently speaking to Soji about Data or encouraging her with care and conviction and most of these moments hold the thrill of seeing the show hearken back to its roots, rather than running from them and toward the expectations of modern TV drama. The Next Generation started out roughly itself, so I have a bit of faith that Picard can still find its own path. But for Picard to become the show it has the potential to be, it needs to eschew the darkness and intrigue that comes with the expectations of Peak TV storytelling, and fully embrace the curiosity, beauty, and sense of hope that has made Star Trek endure.

The rest is here:
Is There Any Hope for Picard? - Vulture