Star Trek: Picard season three will be a shock for some, especially those who didn’t like the first two seasons. The show has had its fair share of interesting moments, but as a humble long-time Star Trek nerd, it wasn’t what you’d call “smart TV.” That is until you start watching Picard season three, appropriately titled “The Next Generation.” This new season — read the overview for a spoiler-free review of the season — comes out of the gate swinging today with familiar faces from the classic TNG, plenty of heart, and exceptional writing.
Episode one opens closing in on a Starfleet ship floating in space, and a rather scary-looking ship with flaming red lights closes in. An old-timey song plays as we move into the ship, which appears to be absent any crew. As we pan across objects, we see some familiar things, hear Picard’s mission statement involving the Borg, and eventually come upon Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) as she hears an alarm blare. She’s apparently been in hiding but is found out.
Aliens enter and appear to be wearing masks or have wild faces. Regardless, they make chirping noises and want Crusher dead. McFadden does an admirable job pulling off a solid shoot-out with phasers showing she’s not some doctor but a badass when necessary. I could probably do without a kill shot — that doesn’t seem like her — but if Picard has shown us anything since its first season, it’s leaning into the violence and adult themes.
The big mystery of the season revolves around a “Red Lady” and some kind of threat involving a Hellbird. The overall setup is quite strong, with multiple characters on different missions that will eventually come together in one bigger mission. There’s just enough detail to sense the threat, and how bad it might get while not giving enough away, so you’re bored. We get to see the power of this threat two-thirds through the episode, and it involves opening portals right under buildings and letting that rubble drop on people’s heads.
Similar to previous seasons, Picard (Patrick Stewart) is living a retired lifestyle loafing at his chateau with Laris (Orla Brady). In these moments, we get some info on what they’re up to, what Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) does these days, but more importantly, that Picard isn’t interested in legacy anymore. He’s older now, and the relics he’s collected over the years don’t matter as much. That’s a key element since it basically tells us what this season will be about.
Great to see Beverly Crusher back!
Credit: Paramount+
Given that most of the show’s actors are older, it’s funny to see multiple club or bar scenes in this first episode. While Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Picard get a booth to chat, it’s a setting you don’t usually see in Star Trek. It seems the showrunners want us to know we’re going to explore grungier locations far removed from the antiseptic and safe Starfleet ships. It’s a good setting where we meet Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), who appears to be dealing with drug abuse. Something is up with the Federation, though, and they can’t be trusted.
The mission has Riker and Picard set out to con a ship captain of the “Neo Constitution Class” starship, the USS Titan. It’s the latest and greatest ship in the Federation’s deployment. This brings Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and the new character Alandra La Forge (Mica Burton) into the narrative. Once again, this series shows us the Federation isn’t as squeaky clean as they typically are shown, with a captain who refuses to allow Seven of Nine to use that name. They also follow protocols, so you can’t use extra fast warp willy-nilly.
I’d argue this episode could do for some better lighting — it’s mostly darkly lit with characters practically in the shadows — but the tone is certainly apparent. With a Federation you can’t trust, the Titan’s captain Shaw is a total jerk (played wonderfully by Todd Stashwick), and Beverly Crusher in danger, we’re in for an action-packed wild ride.
The special effects are top-notch, as always with this series, with some impressive Federation and new alien-designed ships popping up. This episode will excite you if you dig spacecraft leaving port or coming up against a threatening ship of impossibly larger size.
Speaking as someone who has hated large chunks of the first two seasons of Picard, I’m sold that we’re in good hands and in for an incredible ride with Picard season three. The show balances character and plots with plenty of delicious mysteries to uncover and a threat that remains hidden, but you’ll be dying to learn more about as the series progresses.
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