“There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat;
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.”
—Julius Caesar, Act 4, Scene 3
You can’t go home again. Until you do.
The finale of the third and last season of Star Trek: Picard aired weeks ago, and I still can’t wipe the grin off my face. I suppose that was inevitable. Any reunion of the entire primary cast of the second generation of Star Trek was bound to tickle my fancy, regardless of quality.
Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987. I was eight years old at the time, and the show grabbed my imagination from the start. The characters and the world were awe-inspiring to me. Somewhere along the line the writing caught up too. Maybe the best way I can describe to you what the crew of the starship Enterprise came to mean to me is this: The most cutting punishment my parents ever imposed was grounding me from watching that week’s episode of Star Trek.
I somehow survived the ignominy, and the show soared on for seven seasons as Patrick Stewart inspired with his portrayal of the ever-righteous Captain Jean-Luc Picard. When the television voyages of Captain Picard and company came to an end, we fans were buoyed by the knowledge our friends would be back on the big screen. Star Trek: Generations is a so-so movie that will forever hold a special place in my heart. First Contact was a thrilling high. Insurrection was ho-hum. And Nemesis landed with a thud in 2002. In fairness, a two-hour action movie was never going to be the proper format for saying goodbye to these characters.
I cheered at the announcement that twenty years on from Nemesis Patrick Stewart would reprise the role of Jean-Luc Picard, although the initial results were a bit jarring. I like and appreciate the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard. I understand Sir Patrick’s desire to do something fresh, but maybe it was too fresh. The third season of the show, in what could be described as a J. J. Abrams-esque bout of overcorrection, set about fixing that. Bravo!
But was it actually good? Or did I just want it to be? I’ve been through the entire ten episodes twice now. I’ve had a few weeks to digest, dissect, and mull it over, so let me share with you some (mostly) spoiler-free thoughts.
Jean-Luc Picard is one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise in large part because Patrick Stewart is hands down the best actor in the entire franchise. He’s always been great, but he took things to an entirely different level with this final outing. His every facial expression is nuanced. There’s a scene early in Season Three when Jean-Luc makes and holds eye contact with Beverly Crusher. He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t have to.
I assure you it isn’t just Sir Patrick who’s in top form. Jonathan Frakes gives what is far and away his best-ever performance as Riker. Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Brent Spiner, and Marina Sirtis too are all better than ever. Each one gets a chance to shine.
The entire season is imbued with a perfect mixture of familiar and new. Every legacy character gives us something different while also reminding us of why we loved them in the first place. Beverly has been estranged from her crewmates for twenty years and harbors a shocking secret. Will and Deanna are struggling through grief and marital discord. Geordi is the overprotective father of two smart and capable adult daughters. Worf is a … pacifist … sort of? And Data, well …
The production values are fantastic, rivaling almost any big-screen Star Trek adventure. The attention to detail is astonishing. The writing, the music (shades of James Horner), everything – it’s all quite cinematic. (I so enjoyed watching this show in an age when I could follow the behind-the-scenes creatives on Twitter to get a sense of how much thought and love they poured into this.)
Season Three is a fast-paced adventure with an emotional core that is surprisingly funny. There’s a definite touch of Marvel-style humor throughout that helps leaven some truly dark and heavy moments. (Chamomile tea, anyone?)
The new characters aboard the refit U.S.S. Titan are eminently likable. After only a few short episodes, I found myself rooting for Jack Crusher, Sydney LaForge, etc., just as much as I was for the legacy cast. Todd Stashwick’s turn as the sardonic Captain Liam Shaw, a survivor of the Battle of Wolf 359, was especially delightful. Stashwick is downright hilarious as Shaw, but he also flashes breathtaking dramatic acting chops in one unforgettable scene.
We get some surprise guest appearances from a few familiar faces. As in previous seasons of Picard, however, the recurring characters from TNG don’t always fare so well. Let’s just say the mortality rate is high for the bit players.
There are plenty of callbacks to ‘90s Trek. The clips from “Encounter at Farpoint” gave me chills. The visit to the Fleet Museum is a trip down memory lane. Top it off with one enormously thrilling surprise in the final episodes that, boy-oh-boy, I’d never want to spoil for anyone. We somehow get closure not only for the Next Generation cast but also for the entire Next Generation universe as our heroes engage in what feels like Starfleet’s final battle against some of its deadliest longtime nemeses.
Without saying more, the closing scene of Picard is a special treat for fans that practically breaks the fourth wall to let us linger in the presence of both the crew and the beloved actors who play them. Much like The Undiscovered Country did for the original cast, Picard Season Three leaves me at peace with letting go of these characters.
Star Trek just showed us how to do nostalgia and fan service right. You let your legacy characters carry the torch. You let them save the galaxy one last time, all the while passing said torch to the next, next generation. (After finishing Picard, I couldn’t help but wonder what the Star Wars sequel movies might have been if they’d followed this formula instead of doing whatever it was they were trying to do.)
Was it good? Heck yeah, it was good. The third season of Star Trek: Picard was flat-out brilliant. What a revelation. What a gift. This new golden age of Star Trek feels like a bunch of disparate shows trying to outdo each other. The first season of Strange New Worlds was phenomenal. (SNW really is one of the most dazzling stars in the entire Star Trek constellation.) Ditto Prodigy. Then the third season of Picard comes along and sets the bar even higher, leaving the entire fanbase clamoring for a spinoff.
Our heroes finally got their due, and the future looks bright.
Chris works as an attorney in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has a B.A. in communications (print journalism emphasis) from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law. Chris is the author of the young adult novel Hero as well as Red: A Football Novel. He has also watched every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation more than once.
Christopher D. Seifert 