Star Trek: Picard has finished its debut season, and it was quite the ride. Lots of surprises, familiar faces, and new favorite characters. We have seen our beloved Captain Jean-Luc Picard take a great voyage into his own psyche and the quote "to boldly go where no one has gone before" became truly an inward journey. As always, there is a lot to take in, so let's begin the breakdown. Just a heads up, the Good will focus on stuff that I really liked, while the Bad will be a mix of stuff that I wished had been done differently, aspects that hurt the show in my opinion, and even one or two things that I thought were good for the show, but showed how bad things had become. As for the Ugly, well, we'll wait until we get there.
The Good
- The Right Dose of Nostalgia - Anytime we take a look at where a beloved character from the past has ended up, it is always a temptation to go into full nostalgia mode. If overdone, it can lead to the audience wondering why make a new show if we are just going to rehash old stories, plot lines, and characters. If we leave it out, we risk creating a foreign product that can distance itself from the core fan base. Season 1 found an excellent balance, giving us some Easter Eggs here and there that make us excited for what was while not keeping us stuck in the past. From the banner of Captain Picard Day in the museum archives, to Mr. Mot's Hair Emporium and Quark's Bar being seen in Stardust City, there was just enough of the familiar to help us be excited for what we both had and were receiving.
- Great New Characters - Star Trek has always benefited from having intriguing characters that allow fans to really invest in the show. In this season, there were some definite standouts for me. In particular, I loved Laris and Zhaban, Picard's Romulan house keepers. They seemed to truly have a strong connection with Picard, and I would love to see their relationship with the good Captain explored further in the future, including the origin. Other new favorites for me included Elnor (more on him in a moment), Soji, and Doctor Altan Inigo Soong, the latest member of the Soong family to be played by Brent Spiner. Each one brought something special to the show, and it will be interesting to see how they each progress. And, in case you are wondering, Number One has now become my favorite animal character (sorry Porthos and Spot).
- Evan Evagora - there wasn't a single new actor that was a substantial part of the cast that didn't impress me, but one that stands out from the rest is the young Evan Evagora. He played Elnor, who quickly became my favorite Romulan of all time (sorry Tomalak). What really has Evan stand out for me is how he interacted with the fans over social media, to the point where I felt like he was one of us and enjoying the ride with us. He had a special energy and charm, and sometimes he was a bit cheeky with us, but that is what endeared himself to me. He reminded my of how Johnathan Frakes would be at conventions, always thinking of ways to make the fans feel a part of the experience. When some fans started making comparisons between Elnor and Elrond of the Lord of the Rings, he embraced it.
- The Rikers, a Case Study in Bringing Back Familiar Faces - Both Will Riker and Deanna Troi were used perfectly in the show. Both seemed to have retired from Starfleet (although Will is still on the reserve list), and have settled down with their daughter Kestra on a beautiful planet. They were a highlight of the season, and if the plan is to eventually bring back the rest of the crew and other characters, this is how they should do it. Make the characters more equals to Picard (wasn't it cool to see Deanna dress down her former captain?), make their appearance more than a glorified cameo, and weave them into the story with purpose other than fan service. In fact, that is the best way to do fan service. With Guinan being confirmed for Season 2 and others like Geordi La Forge and Voyager's EMH being rumored, it is my hope that we will see all of them back in the fold.
- Patrick Stewart's Acting (sometimes) - Patrick Steward is an excellent actor, and while I am not always a fan of his projects and some of his roles, his acting ability is often polished and powerful. There were many times when he was on superb in this show. In particular, his interview scene in the pilot episode is likely going to have me re-rank my Top Ten list of Picard's Best Speeches. He showed such emotion and conviction in that scene that I wish the Emmys treated acting in Trek more seriously. However, I cannot say that his acting was consistent, but that is for another category.
- Data's Story - I am one of the fans that enjoyed Star Trek: Nemesis, but I get why many fans were disappointed in it. One of the reasons behind the dissatisfaction was the abrupt death of Data, and the seemingly lack of closure. While I had held out hope that B4 would somehow become the reboot of Data (I couldn't resist that term), they at least addressed the fate of B4 and gave Data a far more appropriate send off. The hard thing about a character that has the potential to be immortal is that the actor ages, and I just cannot see anyone other than Brent Spiner playing that role. While I miss Data, I think it was time that his character was laid to rest for good, and the way that it was done gave Picard (and us) some much needed closure.
The Bad
- Bad Starfleet - Oh Starfleet, how far you have fallen. From being the peacekeepers of the galaxy, defeating the likes of the Borg and the Dominion by forming unlikely alliances, to see you become isolationist and thick with prejudice saddens me. This is one of the "bad" aspects that I think fit well within the show, but I just felt so bad that the producers went in this direction. I get it, and I don't disagree with it, but it does upset me to see a noble organization be a shell of its former glory. Star Trek has always held up a mirror to ourselves and our society, and I feel that with where Starfleet is currently the reflection is rightfully uncomfortable.
- Patrick Stewart's Acting (sometimes) - OK, this one is going to pain me a lot, but I have to be fair in my opinion. While there were some times where Sir Patrick Stewart knocked this out of the proverbial ballpark, there were a handful of times where he struck out. There were a couple episodes where I thought that he was just going through some motions, and there were a couple of times that I think he made some poor choices. I remember many years ago where Patrick Stewart was asked why he didn't try to do a French accent for Picard, and he responded along the lines of not wanting to make the character too comical and stereotypical. Yet, in the episode Stardust City Rag, that is exactly what he does. He goes over the top with the "evil Frenchman" trope that I just couldn't help but cringe over it. Still, I will stand by the overwhelming excellence in Stewart's performances. I just had to be honest with some of his choices in a few scenes and/or episodes.
- xBs, a.k.a. the New Red Shirts - I loved how the former Borg were being featured prominently in Picard, from the return of Hugh to seeing that there were many who were being rehabilitated, it was a great new angle on one of Trek's most intriguing adversary species. Yet as the season progressed, they were the sacrificial lambs again and again on the altar of the story. First it was Icheb (which depressed me too much), then many dozens on the cube that the Romulans were occupying, and finally Hugh. I had a hard time with Hugh being killed off, and here is where I believe that the Powers That Be made a mistake. Dozens of xBs being killed by the Romulans was enough to make Seven mad enough to kill Narissa, and I think Hugh could have had a great story himself in the show moving forward. Let's hope that Mezoti and the other former Borg children from Voyager are not brought back into the story if this is going to be typical of their fate.
- Seven and Another Forced Relationship - At the end of the last episode, when the ship La Sirena is preparing to warp away, we see various members of its crew engaged in a variety of activities. Seven and Raffi are seen playing kal-toh, and their hands are definitely showing us that there is more than the game at play here. Now, before you break out the pitchforks and torches and hunt down another homophobe, let me be clear. I have no problem with Seven's or Raffi's sexual orientation. That is not what has placed this on the Bad list. Instead, I see it as yet another example of forcing a relationship onto Seven's character that just did not get enough build-up in my opinion. There was very little interaction between the two characters, and yet all of a sudden they are actively flirting with each other in a very familiar way. We saw Seven thrust into a relationship with Chakotay near the end of Voyager, and it just didn't feel authentic. As I researched this, I learned that actors of the two character and the writers requested this, to build upon something that was supposedly established in a moment on Stardust City Rag, but it really felt like it was tossed in last minute with hardly anything more than an afterthought to the story. Sorry, but I like relationships to build, not be tossed in on a spur of the moment. My hopes for this relationship is that it is either ends quickly the way it started, or that it is given a good deal of explanation (possibly in a flashback).
- The Fleet of Boring Ships - I like Trek ships. Each design is bold, signatory, and is identifiable. We have the Galaxy-class Federation ship like the Enterprise-D on TNG, the USS Defiant on DS9, and Voyager's own Interpid-class vessel. True Trek fans know the difference between a Bird of Prey and a Vorcha cruiser. The Romulan warbird, the Cardassian Galor vessel, and the ominous Borg Cube all bring up familiar pictures. Lately, with the exception of the USS Discovery is Star Trek: Discovery, the ships are not really being given a chance to shine. I am not sure if it is the angle that is being used, the lighting, or just if the ships are becoming too generic, but I have been severely underwhelmed by ship design in Picard. Nothing in Picard, except for the familiar designs, made me go wow. In each show so far, the main ship has become an integral part of the show, but PIC just seems to put minimal effort into ship building.
The Ugly
- Cursed Hubris - If I could change one thing in how Star Trek has been portrayed in Picard, and only one thing, I would take out the use of the f-word. I know some people are going to ridicule me or argue with me, but so be it. I get that with on-demand TV that censorship of language is a thing of the past, but that does not mean that I agree with the idea that all bets are off. Many have argued that if it wasn't for censorship in the 60s, 80s, and 90s, that all of Trek would have f-bombs dropped all over the place. Well, that may be true, but I will tell you that if that had been the case, I likely would not have been allowed to watch it as a child and would be less likely to be as big of a fan today. Star Trek, to me, has always been something that I could watch with both my parents and with my children. Plus, to be honest, the way that word was used reminded me of young children when they first start to use the word. They look for little places to drop it in that make no logical sense. Never was there a single scene where it was used where I said "Wow! The scene was so much better with that profanity!" Instead, it always left me going "Why did they put that in there? It served no purpose." While I get that some people will disagree with me on this, I respect that this is the way it is (for now, at least), but I hope those that disagree will at least respect my opinion as I respect theirs. Oh, and for those who would argue that my children will hear that type of language at school, I know that. I also know that as long as we live in as city they will be exposed to air pollution. That does not mean that I make them put their mouths over the exhaust pipe when I turn the car on.
- Icheb's Torturous Demise - Again, here is an example of Trek pushing an envelope that really doesn't need to be pushed. Icheb being killed off was bad enough, and it does explain Seven's character development, but the level of gore that they showed was unnecessary and could have been equally as powerful if done differently. I can't help but wonder if this point and the previous one connect to the success of some shows like Game of Thrones, who absolutely do not shy away from gore and profanity. I would hope that Trek is not doing a "everyone else is doing it so we should too in order to be relevant" approach, but I cannot help but wonder. I would like to think that Trek can be great without resorting to such scenes, but then we did have the TNG episode "Conspiracy" where a character's head explodes. Let's just hope that unlike the f-bombs, the writers use this trope far more sparingly.
- Here a Troll, There a Troll, Everywhere a Troll Troll - If you have read my GB&U for the two season of Discovery, this should come as no surprise. Once again, in the age of social media, there is no shortage of people who are so triggered by a new show that they must take every possible chance to tell everyone how much they hate it, and then denigrate anyone who has the opposite opinion. I will confess that there are some things that have been talked about happening that if they come to pass, I may leave the fan-train. I think that after fifty years there is enough of Trek to keep all kinds of good people happy without having to impede upon anyone's enjoyment. Let's say that the f-bombs and gore are both ramped up and joined by hardcore nudity, giving us truly R-rated Trek. Some will love that. I will not, and that is where I will draw my line and stick with that which makes me happy. I will not, however, demand that others join me, nor will I try to spread false rumors that "Trek is dead" or "Abrams and/or Kurtzman want to kill Trek". So, until these "fans" truly allow IDIC in the fan base and allow people to enjoy what they enjoy, Trolls will likely be a permanent fixture of my GB&U series.
Now, all things considered, Season 1 of Picard was...OK. Some was outstanding, and some left me disappointed. As we look forward to Season 2, I hope for more of the good, less of the bad, and the trolls to leave for good. Well, two out of three are possible.
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