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Star Trek Picard Season 3 is the TNG sequel we’ve always wanted

A spoiler-free look at its first six episodes is below.

Star Trek The Next Generation is my Star Trek. I consider its milestones my own; I could tell you endless stories of bonding with my friend Ryan over it in elementary school – spending most afternoons at his house trading off between Echoes of the Past on Sega Genesis or A Final Unity on PC, depending on the year – or my lament when I feel asleep early during that one episode where warp was discovered to be destructive to the fabric of space-time.

I didn’t think to record that one on my Betamax as it aired, and at that time it meant I wouldn’t see the episode for weeks if not years. It’s a shame that hadn’t happened during “Sub Rosa” or “Masks” instead.

As I grew, so did TNG – I went off to high school and in a way, it did too. I remember watching both Kirk’s lacklustre demise and the spectacular debut of the Enterprise-E with my friend Ron at Rainbow Cinemas in my hometown of Saskatoon. Later, after I’d graduated and moved to Australia, I made my Mom and Grandma use the second day of their very first visit to the country to watch Nemesis at Village Cinemas Knox Vmax. I can vividly recall just how disappointed I was leaving the theatre that day; it certainly wasn’t the send-off that the crew of the Enterprise – natch, my crew of the Enterprise – deserved.

Flash forward to Star Trek Picard, and that same sense of disappointment has sadly ensued. Sir Patrick Stewart famously said that he signed up for the new series because it wouldn’t be a sequel to The Next Generation… but it didn’t end up being much of anything as a result. The initial promise of season one quickly deteriorated — there’s only so much great actors like Alison Pill, Evan Evagora, Michelle Hurd and even Jeri Ryan as Seven could do with a bad set of scripts.

Season two started off with even more of a bang – and a plot that started in Starfleet, just like we all wanted – before veering off aimlessly with half-baked concepts telegraphed from a mile away. At least it didn’t have Romulans wearing Ray-Bans.

What I mean to be saying with this overly-long introduction is that I came into Picard season three as a Next Generation fan, but certainly not a Picard one. I’ve been burned too many times – and at this point, it’s shame on me and not Paramount – and as such, any real sense of excitement at the prospect of my beloved Enterprise-D characters returning to the fold was quashed by floating space flowers, an utter misuse of the Borg (more specifically, Jonathan Del Arco), unnecessary Soongs and too much time in modern-day LA.

Yet, after watching six episodes of season three’s ten-episode run, I can happily – and finally – assert that it is absolutely amazing. Star Trek Picard is unashamedly a Next Generation sequel, something it always should have been.

It boldly goes where others have gone before with well-placed callbacks that not only honour TNG but Deep Space Nine, Voyager and the Star Trek Prime universe feature films as well. This is balanced with a forward-thinking plot that quite plainly charts an exciting course for what’s to come. There is exquisite, loving, consistent detail in every moment, wrapped up nicely in a soundtrack that embraces Star Trek rather than feeling the need to redefine it. This is the timeline Star Trek fans have been wanting to get back into for years and it’s finally being done within the correct framework.

While the animated Prodigy and Lower Decks have arguably delivered the best source of Trek in decades, the latter can easily be a little too Rick & Morty for most. It’s frankly refreshing to see a live-action show be able to reclaim the mantle as Trek‘s proper flagship. Strange New Worlds is amazing in its own right, but is nonetheless a prequel that’s for some reason wanting to re-write concepts like the Gorn. Star Trek Discovery is a beacon of inclusivity and is full of strong characters, yet remains a prequel that needed to become a far-future sequel as it always stood on shaky ground.

I said this will be spoiler-free, and I mean it. What I will say, though, is that Picard takes place with Starfleet front-and-centre, in mind and on screen. It features amazing performances from The Next Generation‘s returning cast — most notably Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, finally able to show off her acting chops and easily standing toe-to-toe with Patrick Stewart in a number of powerful scenes. Michael Dorn also earns a special commendation as Worf, ever stoic and hilarious in equal measure.

Legacy reprisals are of course bolstered by ever-solid work from returning cast members Stewart as Picard, Ryan as Seven, Hurd as Raffi, and Jonathan Frakes as Captain William T. Riker. Newcomers Todd Stashwick and Ed Speleers are complex and intruiging, immediately part of the Star Trek family. Amanda Plummer is an utter delight as the villainous Vadic; she chews just the right amount of scenery in an impressive mixture that makes you both laugh and feel terrified at the same time. Just wait until you see her vulnerability.

There is action aplenty, but that’s contrasted with long, thoughtful pauses where explosions take a backseat to cerebral musings that Trek is, and should, be known for. The stakes are as personal as they are universal, with twists and turns that feel like an unfolding plot in a feature film instead of a vague, week-to-week TV mystery box. You’ll certainly be reminded of past Trek film tropes as you watch, but before you can decide they’re overdone, Picard will flip a concept on its head or at the very least appeal to your heart, and you’ll be fine with it all. I was a flurry of emotion whilst watching; I have loved every minute of the ride thusfar.

Paramount, I beg of you to ditch the Section 31 show and all the negativity that could surround it, and give us more Trek like this instead; if a 25th century show that taps into Star Trek‘s rich legacy is what showrunner Terry Matalas wants to do next, then make it so. Readers, I can’t wait to geek out with you week-to-week as episodes become available. Set and course and get ready to engage.

Star Trek Picard heads to Paramount Plus in the USA on 16 February; it airs on Paramount+ and Amazon Prime here in Australia just one day later.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.