Going out boldly.
If you haven’t kept up with the world of the Paramount+ show Picard, I can’t blame you. The first season of the show started with lots of promise. At its beginning, it seemed to be an insightful review of Data’s legacy and the nature of humanity. You know, the typical topics that the Star Trek franchise has historically been about. It quickly became an action stuffed, poorly paced show that ended with a Galaxy threatening enemy the audience had previously never been introduced to. So, while seeing some old, familiar characters was nice, the overall tone of the show was incredibly uneven. Still, it was decent enough to have hopes for Season 2.
And boy, did Season 2 seem to have a good sales line. It promised to bring back Q, the omniscient, omnipotent being who had repeatedly locked horns with Jean-Luc Picard during his time as captain of the Enterprise. The episodes featuring Q had been some of the best with regard to showing us how insignificant, yet paradoxically important, humans were in the scope of the Galaxy. It’s too bad that Season 2 of Picard barely featured Q at all and instead of taking us to the stars, stuck us in modern day Los Angeles. Worse, the overall lesson, that Picard needed to learn to love, was poorly handled throughout the season. Somehow, Season 2 was far worse than Season 1.
So it took me a while before I was willing to watch Picard Season 3. But, I couldn’t ignore the whispers I was hearing from all corners of the internet. “It’s actually good!” I kept hearing that it was a major shift, but after all of my disappointment, it took time before I was willing to revisit the show.
Wow. Am I glad I did.
I want to preface this by saying there were multiple episodes of Picard where I outright cried. There were multiple episodes of Picard when I cheered. This is not the slow paced, cerebral show that Star Trek: The Next Generation was. So, if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be disappointed.
So what is it that makes Season 3 so good? It’s the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Season 3 brings back everyone you loved from TNG. Picard, is of course, at the center of the show. But right next to him is River in the command chair. Deanna is here to feature her empathic powers once again. Geordi returns to flaunt his engineering brilliance. Word is back at tactical – and a badass. Data, inexplicably, makes a welcome return. And nobody is more central to the story than Beverly Crusher, whose storyline is intimately tied up with Picard’s.
To my frustration, it feels as if the show runners realized many of the new characters introduced in Season 1 didn’t work and so, through Season 2, they just got rid of all of them. By Picard Season 3, only one new character really remains. Raffi. With that said, her return is welcome, as she was one of the only characters with any real character. With that said, she’s also joined by Voyager and Picard alum, Seven of Nine, who has consistently been an incredible character in the Star Trek franchise.
And somehow, Picard Season 3 does something it hasn’t been able to do for two previous season and introduces even more characters that you want to see more of. To even discuss some of them would be to give away spoilers, but one I can talk about is Captain Liam Shaw. A captain that Picard is forced by circumstances, he’s everything that Picard is not. He’s so by the books you wonder how he became captain. He seems to exhibit very little in the way of bravery or willingness to sacrifice himself from others. Yet, he makes such an impact that by the end of the show, he was one of my favorite additions to the Star Trek series in recent years.
So, new, memorable characters? Check. Old beloved friends? Check. But there’s also the plot, which is actually interesting. For half the season you’re left wondering how this grand conspiracy could be unfolding around Picard and leaving the Federation so helpless in the face of its adversary. Again, I can’t say much without spoiling the show, but there are multiple times you’re left guessing and when the reveals come, you’re left wondering if Picard and crew really can save the day. The enemies are worth waiting around for.
But even when the show loses its footing a bit or when the pacing starts to drag a little, you’re always caught wanting more because of that one thing – Picard and craw. To see the full crew back together after decades, to see them working together and with a new generation of Star Fleet to save the Federation, it really is touching. So many times, just seeing the small interactions between River and Deanna or between Data and Geordi made me tear up. This crew, this cast, loved each other, and it shows in every scene. Actors Jonathan Frakes (Riker) and Michael Dorn (Worf) seem to be having particular fun in every scene the share together.
When the show’s finally done, you’re left applauding for your old heroes having returned, but also left wanting a new Star Trek show featuring the new generation of Star Fleet that’s been assembled. It’s really quite the feat that Picard pulls together old and new to not only celebrate the past but carve a way to the future. Along the way, it touches on the importance of friends, the nobility of the individual, and the importance of always working together toward a better future. It’s a fantastic season of television, and I’m glad that I finally watched it. If it’s not clear, then I highly recommend watching Picard Season 3.
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