The Subsequent Technology Crew Lastly Will get the Sendoff They Deserve

Star Trek: Picard returns for its third and closing season, and it seems like a collection rebuilt from the bottom up. The place Picard has tried to tell apart itself from Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology in its first two seasons by presenting itself as a status character drama centered on Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart, reprising the position), Picard‘s third season, below showrunner Terry Matalas, extra readily embraces its legacy by bringing again the remainder of the Subsequent Technology forged, emphasizing the sci-fi features of the present, and incorporating components from the bigger Star Trek universe into its narrative. That boldness in its story mixed with wonderful execution within the telling makes Picard‘s third season the present’s most satisfying outing.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is about legacy, and that is not solely in that it brings again “legacy actors” and different components of Star Trek’s previous, but in addition in the way it considers what these characters will go away to the longer term. Within the season premiere, Picard remarks that he’s not a person who wants a legacy, however his life adjustments when he discovers he could have one. A lot of the story is propelled by how that legacy alters his perspective and what he is keen to do to guard it. That theme expands to the remainder of the Enterprise crew in varied methods as they reunite and uncover that Starfleet could have an surprising legacy of its personal that is come again to hang-out the Federation.

The writing, directing, and cinematography all really feel extremely cinematic, like one of many basic Star Trek motion pictures shot with The Subsequent Technology‘s forged. The early episodes really feel impressed by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, mirroring a few of that movie’s plot beats and even particular scenes, together with the sport of cat-and-mouse between two starships gleaned in Picard‘s Season 3 trailers. Later, as separate narrative strands start to come back collectively, it takes on extra of the tone of a conspiracy thriller, not in contrast to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Nation.

Picard‘s third season is without doubt one of the few occasions I’ve seen a present pull off the “10-hour film” pitch with out falling prey to acquainted pacing points and operating in place within the center. That is as a result of every episode, whereas serving as a chapter of a bigger story, is fulfilling in its personal proper, with a satisfying starting, center, and finish. The season’s fourth episode greatest exemplifies this, feeling like a basic Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology teleplay shot with trendy strategies and particular results. With out giving the main points away, it is a story about an uncommon, pseudo-science drawback solved via the skills of a crew of extremely succesful folks working collectively and bringing out the most effective in one another’s distinctive skills to discover a high-tech, pseudo-science answer, resulting in a decision that emphasizes the surprise of discovery. That is every part that made a typical episode of Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology particular served as much as trendy viewers whereas nonetheless pushing the overarching plot ahead.

Talking of what made The Subsequent Technology particular, the returning forged members haven’t missed a beat. The rapport between Picard and his former first officer, Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), seems like a pure evolution of what The Subsequent Technology established, with the 2 males older and just a little extra comfy taking the piss out of one another now that the previous is not the latter’s commanding officer. Worf (Michael Dorn) and Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), whose true potential was typically implied quite than proven in episodes of The Subsequent Technology, are allowed to shine in ways in which community tv of the ’80s and ’90s could not accommodate. Harkening again to the legacy theme, Geordi La Forge has modified because of his personal legacy, and LeVar Burton makes that flip really feel pure together with his efficiency. Equally, Brent Spiner is requested to do loads with Information’s legacy however, so far as I’ve seen so far, pulls it off admirably.

That is to not low cost Jeri Ryan, again once more as Seven of 9, and Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker, who proceed to make compelling circumstances for a derivative of their very own. Todd Stashwick could deserve particular recognition for pulling off a efficiency as Capt. Liam Shaw, who makes the complicated character worthy of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with these established Star Trek icons. The remainder of the supporting forged presents stellar turns, particularly Amanda Plummer because the villain Vadic, who appears to relish each lavishly delivered line of menacing dialogue.

And sure, there are many callbacks to Star Trek’s previous. A few of them are passing Easter eggs which can be there to tickle and delight followers, although viewers could also be stunned by how a lot Picard Season 3’s plot builds on particular Star Trek tales that got here earlier than it, wrapping up dangling plot threads and advancing others in new instructions whereas nonetheless feeling a part of a cohesive entire. The season feels as very like a sequel to the complete Subsequent Gen/DS9/Voyager period of Star Trek because it does a sequel to The Subsequent Technology particularly, with loads of moments that may have longtime Star Trek followers catching their jaws earlier than they hit the ground.

The primary two seasons of Star Trek: Picard did what they got down to do by shining gentle onto beforehand unexplored areas of Jean-Luc Picard’s psyche and historical past, however Season 3 seems like the massive payoff, the grand finale that is giving many followers what they hoped to see from the second Stewart first introduced his return. Making an attempt to offer followers what they need can typically result in little greater than a guidelines of callbacks lazily paraded out to make these followers really feel seen, however that is not this season of Star Trek: Picard. Matalas and his collaborators seem to have acknowledged that that they had the chance, maybe the final one anybody will ever have, to offer the Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology forged the sendoff they at all times deserved and to rejoice the golden age of Star Trek by bringing its legacy (there’s that phrase once more) again to the forefront of the Star Trek universe. Based mostly on the six episodes seen for overview, the staff succeeded on all counts, and Picard‘s third season, regardless of being billed because the crew’s closing journey, is prone to have viewers clamoring for extra.

Score: 5 out of 5

Star Trek: Picard premieres on Paramount+ on February sixteenth, with new episodes debuting weekly on Thursdays.