‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 is Better, But It’s Still ‘Star Trek: Picard’
Social media is on fire with praise for the upcoming final season of Star Trek: Picard. Let’s temper expectations just a little, shall we?
Star Trek: Picard is, without a doubt, the most contentious of the new shows in the franchise. Expectations were through the roof when Patrick Stewart announced his return as Jean-Luc Picard in 2018. And why not? Star Trek: The Next Generation remains an enormously positive and near-universally beloved show.
Star Trek: Picard is the antithesis of those two things. For two seasons, Picard’s new crew suffers, sometimes makes cruel swipes at each other, and altogether behaves in ways opposite to expectation. We can debate whether the show is good or not, but that it is markedly opposite of anticipation is undeniable. And that proverbial bait-and-switch frustrated fans.
As the third and final season prepares to debut, you might wonder: will this time be different? The answer is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no.
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A Star Trek: Picard Preamble
I know, I know. You want the bottom line: is it good? Will I get my TNG feels? Stick with me a moment because there’s a bit of inside baseball which needs addressing first.
This third season of Star Trek: Picard being the show’s last comes with the feeling that showrunner Terry Matalas is pulling out all the stops. The most chief “stop” for “Picard” has always been the lack of TNG legacy characters. And people did begin to hope again when it was revealed that the entire original TNG cast was returning.
However, the big question remained: will this third and final season give fans what they want? About two weeks ago, screeners of the first six episodes found their way into the hands of reviewers. And within 24 hours Matalas began retweeting the positive results. To be sure, a lot of critics defied the embargo to say that they love Star Trek: Picard season 3. The answer to the question “will fans get what they want” seems to be a resounding “YES“.
But the thing is, nobody breaks embargo to say “I’m still not sold”. So, of course, what you’re going to hear at first is the good stuff. It’s not that the good stuff isn’t genuine – but it’s an incomplete picture.
With that in mind, now that the embargo is up, let me share my honest feelings on the first six episodes of Star Trek: Picard season 3.
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The Returning Cast of TNG
I’m starting with impressions of the TNG cast’s return because isn’t that what you want to know about the most?
Jonathan Frakes returning as William T. Riker was a high point in Star Trek: Picard season one and he is an absolute star here, too. He and Patrick Stewart have wonderful chemistry and watching them in action absolutely does feel like coming home. Likewise there are some big, genuinely warm moments between all of the TNG cast across the board which will give you those warm fuzzies.
But back at New York Comic Con in 2022, the cast took to the stage to make one thing clear: everyone from the former Enterprise-D crew is different now. And that is true. These characters have been through some stuff. Relationships are, in some cases, deeply frayed.
There’s an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called “Pen Pals“. In it, Riker talks to Wesley Crusher about command. Specifically, Riker talks about how, once Picard makes a decision, everyone trusts him and falls in line.
If there is one thing you need to know going into Star Trek: Picard season 3 it is this: Picard’s former crew does not unilaterally trust him or fall in line the way they used to. This is not Star Trek: The Next Generation season 8. This is Star Trek: Picard season 3.
And that’s my biggest question for fans in the lead up to this season’s debut: can you accept that these characters who used to love and trust one another unconditionally now get angry with each other and keep secrets from one another? Because that’s the version of these characters we get here at least some of the time. In my opinion, sometimes that works, but sometimes it can be frustrating.
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The Returning Cast of Star Trek: Picard
While most of the Picard cast is no longer part of the show, both Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker remain very much present in the show’s third season. And I would say that there’s a lot of good news about that.
First of all, there is no doubt in my mind that Jeri Ryan is an absolute stand-out this season. This is the most Seven of Nine has felt like the character we got to know on Star Trek: Voyager. Part of what makes Seven such an enjoyable character is that on the outside she is extremely self-assured and at times single-minded. But on the inside, she is deeply vulnerable.
Jeri Ryan brings all the Seven magic back here. Yes, she’s following her ambition to be a part of Starfleet. But while, in many ways, she is succeeding, she is also masking deep conflict over how to be her best in a subordinate role. And to weirdly bring up “Pen Pals” again, there is this sense of Picard and Riker trying to help someone just mastering the ins and outs of Starfleet learn to lead boldly inside the structures of command.
As for Raffi Musiker, I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say that her struggles with substance abuse, paranoia, and emotional outbursts have never made her a fan favorite. And without giving too much away, she is still the same Raffi – at first. But much to my delight, there’s a surprising new relationship between Raffi and someone else which really transforms the character and makes her the most interesting and likable that she’s ever been. Let’s call her imperfect, but much improved.
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Star Trek: Picard – The New Class
I don’t think it’s controversial to say that one of the most contentious aspects of Star Trek: Picard‘s first two seasons was its new cast. Rios, Jurati, Raffi, and the many new Soongs played by Brent Spiner and Isa Briones – people did not love these characters in abundance.
So imagine my surprise when some of my favorite aspects of Picard season three wound up being its new cast. The biggest highlights here are Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw and Amanda Plummer as the villainous Vadic. They are both superbly written and performed.
Shaw, like Raffi, has a chip on his shoulder. He has a way of doing things and he does not like having new people roll onto his ship to take control. He doesn’t care that other people see Picard or Riker as heroes . Shaw cares about keeping his crew safe. What in the hands of a lesser actor might read as gutless is actually something far more measured, professional, and complex in the hand’s Todd Stashwick.
When was the last time Star Trek had a truly great villain? I’m not sure I can even remember. But Amanda Plummer plays Picard antagonist Vadic with a malicious glee that is engaging and unnerving in equal measure. There’s an almost Joker-esque quality to her choices. I’m sure Vadic has an agenda of some sort, but the thing that seems to drive her most is bloodlust. Vadic really enjoys inflicting pain.
Plummer’s performance is somehow both campy and serious. Vadic is iconic the instant she first appears on the viewscreen and she holds that place throughout the first six episodes.
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Talking About What I Can’t Talk About
If you are in the know about every piece of news surrounding Star Trek: Picard season three, you can see the shadows of the things I am not talking about. I’m giving all these glowing statements and they are honest. But the focus on the glow is partly because the aspects of the show that frustrate me the most are the parts I can’t talk about without spoiling things.
There is a core conflict around which the entirety of Picard season three is hung. I struggle with that conflict. I believe the show writers ask us to accept certain things I’m just not sure about personally. There are very exciting aspects to this season’s arc, no doubt, but the bugs are sometimes as noticeable to me as the features. The tension is more than we’ve seen out of a “Star Trek” series since “Deep Space Nine” and the joy stirs like the best of “TNG”. But that doesn’t make this flawless.
Picard continues more than just TNG. I have mixed feelings about the execution of that as well. The ideas they choose to return to are exciting ones that I hold dear to my heart. I’m just not sure some of these continuations make sense so far. “So far” being the operative phrase as there are still four more episodes I have not seen.
After six episodes I am more happy and optimistic about Star Trek: Picard than I’ve been with any previous season. But I remain critical in places, and, if you want to enjoy the ride, I recommend taking the near-universal praise with a pinch of salt. Th show is good. Great in places, even. But the look, the feel, the vibe — it’s still Star Trek: Picard both for better and for worse.
