By Iain Robertson
The last time The Next Generation crew were onscreen together was in 2002’s underwhelming Star Trek: Nemesis. It was an ignoble end to one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time, especially considering the series’ finale, All Good Things had been a note-perfect send-off.
When Picard began in 2020, it was finally a chance to have a proper farewell for the crew of the Enterprise. Yet, the first two seasons were a little… well, underwhelming. The second season, in particular, which squandered both Q and Guinan, and lumbered Picard with a load of previously unmentioned, uncharacteristic mummy and daddy issues, was a low point. It left many fans wishing that Patrick Stewart had cut his losses and left things with Nemesis. A large part of the blame would seem to be due to Season Two showrunner Akiva (Batman and Robin) Goldsman, and his fundamental misunderstanding of both the characters and Star Trek itself.
But, for Season Three, Goldsman has exited to oversee Strange New Worlds (which, despite his magic touch, is actually very entertaining, if a little bit like watching Star Trek karaoke). Enter Terry Matalas. The former 12 Monkeys showrunner – who got his first break as an assistant back on Voyager, and worked on early Season 2 of Picard (i.e. the good bit) – has taken over the reins and reinvented the show from the ground up. Gone are most of the supporting cast, bar Jeri Ryan’s former Borg 7 of 9, and Michelle Hurd’s substance-abusing security operative Raffi.
In their place, Matalas has brought back the entire cast of The Next Generation. Besides Stewart and the returning Brent Spiner, we have Jonathan Frakes (Riker), Gates McFadden (Crusher), LeVar Burton (Geordi), Michael Dorn (Worf), and Marina Sirtis (Troi).
If you’re expecting a nostalgia fest, or Season Eight of The Next Generation, you may be in for a disappointment. This is very much a sequel to, and not a continuation of that show. Season Three acknowledges from the off that these are not the same characters we remember, with Doctor Crusher of all people opening the show with a big action scene where she brutally takes out several enemies. It would be doing the characters a disservice if they were the same; twenty years have passed, and they’ve evolved as people moving on from their time on the Enterprise. For example, the once unlucky-in-love LaForge is now the father of two daughters – both in Starfleet – and puts their safety over helping his old friends. Worf is a lot more zen than we remember (not to fear, though, he still decapitates someone in his first appearance). And as for Crusher… none of the crew have heard from her for years, and her sudden reappearance in Picard’s life – along with the reason for her absence – is central to the season’s plot.
And it’s Beverly who kickstarts things, out of the blue sending a coded distress call to Picard asking for help. Where has she been? Who are the mysterious people attacking her? And who’s the young man on her ship (Ed Speleers, who was apparently in some show called Downton Abbey)? Obviously, Picard’s going to need some help, so he ropes in his former first officer Will Riker, along with 7 of 9, now a first officer herself, onboard the USS Titan, and decides that they’re going to pull rank and commandeer the ship. Unfortunately, the Titan’s captain, played by Todd Stashwick has other ideas, and things go less than smoothly.
Meanwhile, Raffi is undercover investigating the theft of some sensitive Starfleet equipment. It puts her on a course to uncover a conspiracy (it’s no big spoiler to say there’s a connection with what’s happening to Crusher), as well as the problems being in the criminal underworld presents with her substance abuse problems. As for the other members of the cast, well we’re not going to spoil things. They don’t all show up immediately, but by the end of the six episodes made available to reviewers, they’re all very much in play and – Troi aside (who we suspect has some juicy scenes coming up) – have some great stuff to do.
It’s hard to state how great it is to see these characters together again. Some have stayed in touch, others haven’t seen each other in decades, and the gradual reunions and changed relationships are a joy to watch. The new cast members, Speleers, Stashwick, and Amanda Plummer as scenery-chewing villain Vadic are great additions. In a nice bit of (likely deliberate) symmetry, her father, Christopher Plummer was the bad guy in the final outing for the original Enterprise crew in Star Trek VI. And there are a few nice returns too for a few other favourite characters – it’s no secret that Moriarty is back, but he’s not the only one.
To say Season Three is an improvement on every level to the previous seasons is an understatement. It feels like Star Trek again. Crucially, the show actually understands the character of Picard and his crew and the changes they’ve undergone over the years feel. There are occasional niggles, such as the much-hyped Picard/Riker fallout feeling a little forced, and the occasional heavy-handed Easter egg (the very first thing we see onscreen is a Wrath Of Khan reference, and one early planet name – despite having been mentioned back in Enterprise is a tad cringeworthy). And would it have killed them to throw in a cameo from great former cast members Alison Pill and Santiago Cabrera? (Ok, she’s now a Borg queen, and we left Rios in the 21st century, but still).
But overall – the revamped Picard is easily the best season of Trek since the franchise’s return in 2017. Hell, it may well be the best season of Trek since Deep Space Nine ended. Although this is the final season of Picard, the cast, as well as Terry Matalas have been vocal about wanting to continue the adventures of both this and the other 1990s’ crews. Based on what they’ve achieved here, that would be very welcome indeed. If it is the last outing for Picard and co., it’s a great one. If there’s more to come, then yes, please. Not all good things have to come to an end.
Star Trek: Picard is streaming on Prime.
