Star Trek: Picard – Season 2 arrives on DVD, Blu-Ray™ and Limited-Edition Blu-ray™ Steelbook® on November 14, 2022.
Synopsis
Season two of Star Trek: Picard takes the legendary Jean-Luc Picard and his crew on a bold and exciting new journey into the past. Picard must enlist friends, both old and new, to confront the perils of 21st century Earth in a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future – and face the ultimate trial from one of his greatest foes.
Review
It’s hard to believe that it was back in March when we first saw the second season of Star Trek: Picard. But now, here in November, we’re finally bringing the season home on Blu-ray. In my first impressions, having only seen the first three episodes of the season, I said “if season 1 was the first steps in to unknown territory then season 2 is boldly going where no Trek has gone before”.
Struggling through a pandemic stricken production, the second season of Picard did struggle to stick the landing. Stranding the characters in a future close to our own setup a number of wonderful storytelling opportunities. But at times the writing backed itself in to such corners that only a number of tried and tests Trek tropes could fish them out.
Taking a step back, season 2 actually told an incredibly gripping story. It delved deep in to Picard’s past, picking at old wounds and adding yet more complexity to Patrick Stewart’s already excellent performance. Pairing him with John De Lancie, returning as Q, is a stroke of genius. Once again echoing Picard’s past adventures but always with one eye on the future.
The ten episodes in season 2 arrive on Blu-ray spread across three BD-50 discs. The series is shot digitally and the images across all three discs are perfectly crisp and clear. The Star Trek franchise is legendary for its makeup, set and costume design, all of which is wonderfully serviced by the Blu-ray presentation.
The opening scene on the USS Stargazer is an excellent example of Picard‘s production values. Uniforms appear a rich black, paired with the usual Starfleet gold, red or blue. LCARS readouts lead from the screen thanks to technological development since its invention in 1987. In some ways Picard takes on some of the visual cues of J.J. Abram’s Kelvin timeline, just without the lens flare and abundance of white plastic.
Though some episodes do feature a little banding, the issues never detract from the overall enjoyment.
Star Trek: Picard season 2 arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, the standard for any Star Trek release on Blu-ray. The audio is incredibly well distributed across all the channels. Going back to the opening scene on the bridge of the Stargazer, there’s plenty of audio to immerse the viewer. Bridge stations beep and whir from all angles, whilst crewman voices are also brilliantly spread out from the centre of the audio. Dialogue is always prioritised and is crystal clear throughout.
Season 2 comes with over an hour of bonus features which any Trek fan will immediately devour. Featurettes included on season 2 are:
- THE USS STARGAZER – The featurette takes a deep dive into the creation of the USS Stargazer from conception to build out and features exclusive timelapse photography alongside Production Designer Dave Blass, who brought the original TNG art department onboard, including the famed Star Trek graphic artist Michael Okuda, and design artists Doug Drexler and John Eaves to recreate the latest USS Stargazer.
- THE CHATEAU – Led by Production Designer Dave Blass and Prop Master Jeff Lombardi, the featurette explores the transition of Picard’s chateau following its redesign and conversion to the Dataverse in season one.
- THE TRIAL IS OVER – The intimate, behind-the-scenes look connects fans with John de Lancie who reprises his role as Q, playing a significant part in the season two story arc.
- REBUILDING THE BORG QUEEN – The featurette showcases actress Annie Wersching as she discusses stepping into the role of the Borg Queen. After 25 years, the iconic character returns through advanced design and production techniques, which are further discussed by Designer Neville Page, Prosthetics Master Vincent Van Dyke and Make-Up Department Head James MacKinnon.
- PICARD PROPS – Property Master Jeff Lombardi takes fans on a tour that showcases the various props created for STAR TREK: PICARD – SEASON TWO.
- PICARD PASSAGES – Alongside cast and crew, fans will follow the heroes from STAR TREK: PICARD through time and space as they encounter old and new friends, as well as challenges, in the latest season.
- GAG REEL
- DELETED SCENES
The Stargazer featurette is easily a highlight. It goes to great length to discuss designing the ship as well as constructing the epic set pieces. Long-time Trek fans will also enjoy seeing Michael Okuda, the original designer of the Starfleet LCARS operating system, return to the production team to help with the ship’s interiors.
We also get close up looks at the production via the Chateau, Rebuilding the Borg Queen and Picard Props featurettes. All provide serious, in-depth looks at what the behind-the-scenes team has been doing to make the series look so rich on screen.
Elsewhere, the gag reel provides the usual laughs from the set and features all of the cast goofing around between takes.
Verdict
Whilst many will have their eyes on the upcoming final season, Star Trek: Picard season 2 is a solid entry to the franchise and arrives on Blu-ray in an exciting presentation from Paramount.
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