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In the sixth and final “Short Trek” (of the second “season” of Short Treks), we get a glimpse of the setting for the upcoming Picard series. “Children of Mars” takes place in a school as news breaks of a devastating attack on the shipyards of Mars.
“Children of Mars” introduces us to Kima and Lil, two twelve-year-old rivals. While both have parents who work in the Martian shipyards, they seem to be antagonistic towards each other. Their days are spent passive-aggressively tripping and bumping into each other. Under the smooth soundtrack of a David Bowie cover (?), Lil and Kima eventually become Rocky and Apollo from the “Rocky” films and start delivering brutal haymakers to each other.
As punishment, the girls are forced to sit on futuristic couches in the main hallway of their school. Above them are glowing television screens which suddenly display a “breaking news” segment. As the principal and staff run around like chickens with their heads cut off, we see footage of starships attacking the shipyards on Mars. On-screen chyrons tell us that “rogue synths” have attacked Mars and over 3,000 people are dead. Lil and Kim helpfully have flashbacks that remind us of their parents, working at these shipyards. Judging by the footage of Mars being carpet-bombed, it seems like the death toll estimate might be a bit low.
The image of “Admiral” Picard appears on the screen. He looks very sad.
As the chaos around them builds, Lil and Kima begin to hold hands. It seems that times of tragedy can turn even enemies into friends.
Wes and Clay get together to discuss the latest Short Trek and how it feeds directly into the new Picard series. They debate the aesthetics of the modern Trek shows, the fighting capabilities of twelve year old girls, and why the second season of Shorts felt less satisfying than the first.