The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Re-engaging
‘Star Trek: Picard,’ with Stewart back in the final frontier, is worth the voyage
It is especially wonderful to see Picard again confide in Riker, his first officer aboard the Enterprise for so many years.
I wish I could say it was “Star Trek: Discovery.”
I wish I could say the seventh series in the decadesold science-fiction franchise was reason enough to subscribe to CBS streaming offshoot CBS All Access.
The series, which debuted in 2017 and has run for two seasons, is, at times, highly compelling, thanks to character dynamics not often found in “Trek” movies and shows, as well as some nice performances. (None is better than that of Doug Jones, covered in prosthetics — similar to how he was as the creature in 2017 Academy Award winner “The Shape of Water” — to portray Saru, a Kelpien and the first officer of starship USS Discovery.)
Unfortunately, though, the show is sometimes incoherent, telling a story that repeatedly has run wildly off the rails, and it’s suffered from failing to make its passionate lead character, science specialist Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green of “The Walking Dead”), more appealing.
Thankfully, there is a reason to check out CBS All Access ($5.99 per month with ads, $9.99 ad-free), and it’s another series attempting to boldly go where “Trek” has never gone before: “Star Trek: Picard.” (And, if you missed it, the platform announced this week that, due to so many being stuck home due to the threat of the novel coronavirus, both the ad and ad-free versions are being offered free for one month.)
As you likely know by now — the series’ 10-episode first season is concluding this week — the show centers around Jean-Luc Picard, portrayed for seven seasons on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” by Patrick Stewart when the character was captain of the USS Enterprise. Thanks to press materials, I can catch you up on Picard, who served for 17 years as the famed vessel’s captain before being promoted to admiral in 2381. He was assigned to assist the Romulan people in their time of crisis — remember that galaxy-altering incident in 2009’s J.J. Abramsdirected “Star Trek”? — and retired from Starfleet in 2385.
“Picard” is set almost a decade and a half later, with the formerly planethopping gent living a quiet life at Chateau Picard, his French estate and vineyard. With him are his dog, Number One, and a pair of Romulans very loyal to him.
At night he dreams of years gone by and, in the sequence that begins the series, of Data (Brent Spiner), his former officer and friend who was an android, or synthetic being. They play a game of poker, and Picard enjoys it so much he is rather devastated to awaken from his slumber.
We soon learn Picard has had a falling out with Starfleet over its handling of a tragic incident on Mars involving Romulans and synthetic lifeforms.
Soon, a young synthetic woman named Dahj (Isa Briones) — who doesn’t know she’s an artificial being until she’s “activated” while being attacked by a team of Romulan assassins — seeks out Picard.
To make a long setup shorter and to avoid spoiling some details, this, a few episodes in, leads to Picard heading back into space with a makeshift crew.
His gang of space misfits includes Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd of “Hawaii Five0”), an ex-Starfleet officer with a history with Picard; Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabrera), a brooding captain for hire with a ship; and Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), a scientist recruited by renowned cyberneticist Bruce Maddox — whose name may be familiar to longtime Trekkers. They also soon add Elnor (Evan Evagora), a young, skilled Romulan fiercely loyal to Picard.
This mix of new faces is a mixed bag. It’s really tough to become invested in Elnor, for example. On the other hand, that Raffi struggles with demons that include addiction makes her more human than many a “Trek” figure. (Over the years, the franchise has given the idea that such problems were a thing of the past, but it’s nice to see them included here. Same goes for the occasional F-bomb.)
Along the adventure, we meet up with some old friends, including Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), the Borgturned-Starfleet officer from the series “Star Trek: Voyager.” She, too, is no longer in “Starfleet” but is instead out kicking butt in the galaxy for a cause important to her.
As lovely as it is to see Seven again, the high point of the season is “Nepenthe,” the seventh episode, which features Picard’s reunion with the now-yearsmarried William Riker (Jonathan Frakes, who directed a pair of episodes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). It is especially wonderful to see Picard again confide in Riker, his first officer aboard the Enterprise for so many years and his real “Number One.”
While “Picard” is, disappointingly, at its best when it dips into the nostalgia well, it has much more to offer.
First, there’s its continuing story, a nice change from the generally episodic nature of most “Trek” series. That it’s easy to stay interested in the tale probably has a lot to with the fact the showrunner for this season of “Picard” is Michael Chabon, the author of the incredibly rich, Pulitzer Prizewinning 2000 novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.” We don’t usually get that level of storyteller in the captain’s chair for “Trek.”
Plus, the show is quite cinematic. The production values are high.
It does pretty well in the villain department, too, namely with Narek (Harry Treadaway), a Romulan newly assigned to a Borg cube in which former Borg drones are being rehabilitated and given their old personas back.
Treadaway gives one of the better performances of the series, as does Briones, with whom he shares much screen time.
Of course, “Picard” ultimately is all about Stewart being back in that titular role. He’s done stronger work over the years as Picard, but this aging, more-vulnerable version of the figure is, like the show itself, compelling.
There are missteps, including silly hologram-related fare — a “Trek” series is gonna ‘gram, I guess — but I very much look forward to the finale, which may be available to stream by the time you read this.
CBS All Access already has renewed “Star Trek: Picard” for a second 10-episode season, so you really should be encouraged to, as Picard would say, “Engage.”
Binge TV is a semi-regular regular series about something we’re enjoying that can be watched on demand, be it via a streaming service or cable/ satellite.