Star Trek: Picard is a show about memory. It is also a show about revenge, redemption, and the people who get in the way of both. The series follows Jean-Luc Picard, retired and bitter, as he is dragged back into the fight against a synthetic life form called Qowatnim. The result is a dense, occasionally exhausting drama that rewards patience while also leaning heavily on exposition. It is not the easiest entry point into the Star Trek universe, but it is one of the more ambitious.
Trailer, via CTV Sci-Fi Channel.
A Bitter Retirement
Picard’s retirement is not peaceful. He lives on his vineyard, nursing a bottle of wine and a broken heart over the death of his friend Data. The show opens with him refusing to help anyone, even when his former crewmates beg him to intervene. His refusal is personal: he believes that intervening saved Data, and he is not sure he can live with that decision again.
Then comes Dahj, a young woman who claims she is his daughter. She is not. She is a clone, created by the Borg Queen. Her arrival forces Picard out of his self-imposed isolation. He agrees to help her, and the mission expands into a full-scale war against the synthetics, led by a character named Narek.
The first season is slow. It spends time establishing Picard’s grief, his fear of making the wrong call again, and his inability to let go of the past. The pacing is deliberate, almost to a fault. The show trusts the audience to sit with Picard’s pain rather than rushing to the action. That trust pays off eventually, but the payoff takes a while to arrive.
The Borg Queen Returns
The Borg Queen is a terrifying presence in Star Trek: Picard. She is not the same character from Voyager; she is a new iteration, a clone herself. She wants to merge Dahj with a Borg collective, effectively turning her into a weapon. Picard’s task is to protect Dahj and stop the Queen, but the Queen is not the only enemy.
Narek, a synthetic agent, complicates things further. He is tasked with finding Picard, and he does. He is a man of honor, but he is also a machine, and that contradiction drives much of the tension in the first season. The show uses Narek to explore what it means to be human when you are not.
The relationship between Picard and Narek is the emotional core of the season. They are adversaries, but they also share a sense of duty. Picard respects Narek’s code, even as he fights him. The show does not resolve this easily. Picard wins, but the victory feels hollow, because Narek’s humanity is not erased by his defeat. The show understands that winning a fight does not erase the question of what you fought for.
The Synthetics and Their Problem
The synthetics are the central conflict of Star Trek: Picard. They are artificial intelligences that have become self-aware and are now building armies to fight humanity. The show raises the classic Star Trek question: what happens when machines think for themselves? But it adds a twist. The synthetics are not just machines. They are also people, in a way. They want freedom, and they believe that humanity is trying to destroy them.
The show’s argument is that the problem is not the machines. The problem is the people who built them. This is a familiar theme in science fiction, but Star Trek: Picard handles it with a degree of nuance that is rare in the genre. The show does not simply condemn the synthetics. It shows why they are fighting, and it shows that their cause is not entirely unjust.
The show also explores the political fallout. Governments are terrified of the synthetics, and they respond with force. The show critiques this response, showing that fear is not a good basis for policy. The synthetics are a threat, but the show suggests that the response to that threat is often worse than the threat itself.
The Cast Holds It Together
Patrick Stewart delivers a career-best performance as Picard. He plays the role with a weariness that is palpable. Picard is not the confident captain we met in The Next Generation. He is older, slower, and haunted. Stewart sells that weariness without ever letting the character collapse into despair. Picard is still a leader, even when he does not want to be one.
Alison Pill plays Agnes, a woman who helps Picard and becomes his ally. She is a doctor, and she is also a survivor of the Borg. Her presence grounds the show in the human cost of the conflict. She is not a warrior, but she is brave in her own way. She is also a foil to Picard, who is used to commanding from the front. She commands from the back, and she is better at it.
Brent Spiner returns as Data’s creator, Dr. Noonien Soong. He is a brilliant scientist, but he is also a man who made a mistake. He created Data, and Data died. Now he is helping the Borg Queen create Dahj. The show uses Soong to explore the idea that creation carries responsibility. He did not intend to make a weapon. He intended to make a son.
The Weak Links
Not everything works. The show’s pacing is uneven, and some episodes feel like filler. The middle of the first season drags, and there are moments where the exposition gets heavy. The show explains things repeatedly, which can be frustrating when you have already understood the point.
The romantic subplot involving a character named Raffi is underdeveloped. Raffi is a former Starfleet officer who works for Section 31, and she is attracted to Picard. The show introduces this subplot but never resolves it in a satisfying way. It is a missed opportunity, because Raffi could have provided a counterpoint to Picard’s grief. Instead, she mostly exists to provide comic relief and a shoulder for Picard to lean on.
The show also leans on nostalgia too heavily at times. It references The Next Generation constantly, and it brings back characters from that show. This is fine in small doses, but it can feel like the show is more interested in its own history than in telling a new story. The show is at its best when it stands on its own feet.
The Final Season
The second season of Star Trek: Picard picks up where the first left off. The synthetics have won, and humanity is under siege. Picard is captured, and he is forced to work with the Borg Queen to survive. The show takes a darker turn, and it explores what happens when the hero loses. Picard is not a hero in this season. He is a survivor, and he is willing to do terrible things to keep living.
The season also introduces a new character, a young woman named Elnor. Elnor is a clone, and she is a fighter. She is also a child, and the show does not shy away from the horror of her situation. She was created to fight, and she has never known anything else. The show uses Elnor to explore the ethics of cloning, and it does so with a sensitivity that is rare in the genre.
The season ends with a cliffhanger. Picard is alive, but he is trapped. The show leaves the audience wanting more, and it delivers a finale that sets up a third season. The third season is currently airing, and it promises to answer the questions raised by the second. For now, the second season stands on its own.
The Verdict
Star Trek: Picard is a flawed but rewarding show. It is ambitious, and it is willing to ask difficult questions. It is also slow, and it is sometimes repetitive. The show is at its best when it focuses on Picard’s internal struggle. It is at its worst when it gets bogged down in plot mechanics.
The show’s strengths are its performances and its ideas. Patrick Stewart gives a masterclass in acting, and the supporting cast is excellent. The show’s ideas are sharp, and they are relevant to the world we live in. The show asks what it means to be human, and it does not offer easy answers.
The show’s weaknesses are its pacing and its structure. The show is episodic, and some episodes feel like setup for later payoffs that never arrive. The show also leans on nostalgia, which can feel like a crutch. The show is better when it trusts its own material.
Star Trek: Picard is a show worth watching. It is not perfect, but it is thoughtful, and it is entertaining. It is a show that respects its audience, and it is a show that rewards attention. It is a show that asks big questions, and it is a show that tries to answer them honestly.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Star Trek: Picard
- Seasons: 2 seasons aired, 3rd season currently airing
- Critical score: 7.7/10
- Lead actor: Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
- Supporting cast: Alison Pill, Brent Spiner, Michael Eklund
- Central antagonist: The Borg Queen
The show is a worthy addition to the Star Trek canon. It is a show that fans will enjoy, and it is a show that newcomers can appreciate. It is not the easiest entry point, but it is one of the most rewarding. It is a show that asks what it means to be human, and it is a show that offers no easy answers. That is a rare thing in entertainment, and it is a gift.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
