Star Trek: Picard Episode #1 // Review
Star Trek: Picard is the show all Trek fans have been asking for, and its first episode, simply put, does not disappoint. Instead of looking into the past and rewriting history on the fly, showrunner Michael Chabon chose to look forward to the next era, while also focusing on a fan-favorite character from one of the franchise’s most beloved shows. It’s a bit of “having your cake and eating it, too”, but the execution is so well-played you can’t help but give in to its moments of indulgence.
Jean Luc Picard, for who this show was named, was the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprises D and E, and one of the most fleshed-out characters in all of Star Trek history. While character development was rare in the era of Star Trek: The Next Generation, some crew members were serviced better than others. Picard was one of the lucky few who got a handful of illuminating, course-altering stories written for them. His ties to his family home in France, paired with the longstanding psychological fallout from being abducted and controlled by one of the Federation’s worst enemies, not to mention his history as being the thinking man’s captain, make him one of the richest possible characters to have revisited. Chabon and company have taken full advantage of that richness, painting a picture of a legendary captain, disillusioned with the organization he used to believe in whole-heartedly, still trying to do good in the galaxy, even as it crumbles around him. They, smartly, chose not to portray Picard as a washed-up retiree needing to pick himself up out of the dirt to be the man he was back in the good old days. That story has been done time and again. Instead, we have a Picard who is every bit the man he always was, who walked away from something he loved out of principle and is still trying to save the galaxy through diplomacy.
You can tell the creative team behind Picard knows this franchise well, as many fan service moments pop up throughout the show’s first episode. That’s become a bit of a dirty phrase these days, but fan service doesn’t have to be a bad thing. When it’s done well, as it is in this episode, it can feel like coming home to something you’ve loved and missed. There are many references to people, locations, and events from Next Generation, but it never feels overwhelming, nor is it eye-roll-inducing. These moments are very organic to the story, and feel more like coming back to your old, childhood neighborhood: some things have changed, some are the same, and some things seem familiar, but have grown into a more mature version of themselves.
The performances from the cast are terrific, as well, especially from the show’s star, Patrick Stewart. It can be tricky playing a character that you’ve been away from for so long, but Stewart isn’t afraid to let Jean Luc age with him. He plays his character differently, but not so much that he feels alien to the audience. Isa Briones and Alison Pill also get credit for playing entirely new characters that have to compete for your attention against Stewart. They both succeed in that aspect of the job, drawing you in immediately, and making you want to see more of them. Bottom line, if you’ve been waiting on this show, you’re probably a big fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation. And, if you are a big fan of that show, you’re probably going to love this one. Yes, it does have a completely different tone, and story structure, but you’re still following a well-written Jean Luc Picard on his mission to bring peace to the galaxy. Gone are the one-and-done, procedural aspects of the old shows, replaced with long-form, character-driven, complex storytelling. That’s not a bad thing, though. This is simply a franchise that is trying to grow along with its audience while maintaining the core of what you loved about it in the first place. In that mission, episode one succeeds.
