Star Trek: Picard airs new episodes Thursday’s on CBS All Access in North America. Internationally, episode air on Amazon Prime Video the following day.
Synopsis
At the end of the 24th Century, and 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) is living a quiet life on his vineyard, Chateau Picard. When he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj (Isa Briones), in need of his help, he soon realises she may have personal connections to his own past.
Review
Sir Patrick Stewart once said never again to returning to the Star Trek universe. Never again would he return to the role of Jean-Luc Picard. Never again would he don a Starfleet uniform and never again would he return to the decks of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Well here we are in 2020 discussing his return to all of the above!
Star Trek presents a very different landscape in the 21st century to what fans remember from the heyday of The Next Generation when Captain Picard was travelling the galaxy alongside one of televisions greatest ensemble casts.
So it was with great trepidation that I went in to Star Trek: Picard, wondering what new mastermind Alex Kurtzman would have in store for the character and the world he left behind in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis.
I needn’t have worried as director Hanelle Culpepper and writers Alex Kurtzman & Akiva Goldsman alongside producers Michael Chabon and Kristen Beyer have crafted a mature and sophisticated new world for our fair Captain, now a “retired” Admiral.
Star Trek: Picard picks up as the retired Admiral is living out his days on the family vineyard at Chateu Picard. Joined by his trust dog, hilariously called Number One, and new Romulan companions Laris (Orla Brady – Fringe) and Zhaban (Jamie McShane – The Passage). The series wastes no time in telling us this is a brand new landscape for Gene Roddenberry’s future.
For those worried they need to be intimately versed in Star Trek lore to buy in to Picard, the pilot episode (and subsequent two which we have seen) do an excellent job of providing you with all the information you need to know.
Of course its been almost two decades since fans have seen Jean-Luc Picard so there’s plenty to catch us up on too. “Remembrance” does this through a number of dream sequences but also by putting Picard in front of a live broadcast audience for an interview memorialising a huge disaster.
It’s this disaster which cleverly ties the prime Star Trek universe to the Kelvin Timeline seen in 2009’s Star Trek directed by J.J. Abrams and written by, you guessed it, Alex Kurtzman. To many in the audience these will be throwaway plot moments but to dedicated fans there’s an awareness of the wider franchise which is refreshing and presented intelligently and organically to the story.
During the press tour for Star Trek: Picard the cast and creatives continually discussed how the series would be drastically different to The Next Generation. It’s something which concerned me and plenty of other fans. But the changes made to the future landscape only serve to make the series more engaging and more reflective of our modern society.
There’s a level of context to the world we find Picard inhabiting which feels incredibly refreshing. It feels further removed than Star Trek: Discovery but in a way which cements that Picard is a series which takes its subject matter seriously.
Given that Sir Patrick Stewart is 79 the series cannot revolve around him simply exploring new worlds and new galaxies, running around on away missions and knee-deep in the action with a phaser in his hand. Neither should be wrapped in cotton wool sitting on the bridge of a starship.
Kurtzman and co. has instead crafted a new ensemble cast and engaging (ooh Picard pun!) storyline which allows for a degree of action which is respectful to the ensemble cast and a reverence for the Picard character that does not mock his age and ability.
As expected, the story of Star Trek: Picard is heavily serialised. Even after three episodes we still don’t fully understand the scope and extend of the mystery which is at play. “Remembrance” teases out plot elements at a satisfying pace, engaging the viewer and moving swiftly along to an exciting cliffhanger ending.
As far as promotional materials go we understand that Picard is visited by a young girl, Dahj (Isa Briones), who desperately requires his help. This visit triggers the sequence of events which take Picard… somewhere.
The mystery surrounding Dahj and the unfolding plot only adds to the fun of watching the show. Even in this first episode I was shocked at where certain plot elements went and how cleverly they tied back to The Next Generation without ever feeling like trying to cash in on the popularity of that show.
This is going to be a slow burner and an incredibly engrossing one!
Production values on the show, at least in this episode, are outstanding. Sets, ships and costumes from The Next Generation are loving recreated even for the most fleeting glimpses. The “present day” scenes show that technology has moved on in the two years following Nemesis but everything is rooted in the designs of the past. It all feels natural to the world we’ve seen before.
Visual effects are truly cinematic and what we have come to expect from a premium streaming/cable platform. I said as much in my general thoughts on the series but space scenes are incredibly immersive and planet based scenes are also brilliantly augmented and crafted to create the future aesthetic.
Jeff Russo’s score and theme are also a highlight. His music tracks along brilliantly with the story but at times it rises above to become something incredibly emotional and really drives home the care and attention which has been put in to the series.
Verdict
Star Trek: Picard presents a mature and sophisticated vision of Gene Roddenberry’s future. A vision which is teetering on the edge of corruption and regression. It’s no just the Star Trek we want, it’s the Star Trek we deserve.
9/10
Star Trek: Picard is set to star Patrick Stewart, Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd, Isa Briones, Harry Treadaway, Alison Pill, Jeri Ryan, Jonathan Del Arco and Evan Evagora. The series debuts on CBS All Access on January 23, 2020 followed by a release on Amazon Prime in the UK and internationally on January 24.
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