STAR TREK: PICARD Season Three
Old dogs, new tricks
UK/US Paramount+, streaming now Showrunner Terry Matalas Cast Sir Patrick Stewart, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, Ed Speleers
When Picard season three concluded, Russell T Davies took to Instagram to shower it with bouquets (“How good? I’d say perfect”), leaving showrunner Terry Matalas blushing in the comments (“You set the standard, sir. We’re just following you”). A sweet interaction, and one which left us thinking how Matalas’s crowdpleasing run has parallels with what Davies did with Doctor Who.
Consider, firstly (SPOILERS!) the bombardment of blasts from the past. Reuniting Jean-luc with Riker, Troi, Crusher, Data, Laforge and Worf is just the tip of the iceborg. There’s also the return of the Changelings, the Borg, Lore, Ro Laren, Shelby, Tuvok, the holographic Moriarty, and even Spot! At times – as with the rapid-fire glimpses of a Tribble, the Genesis device and the remains of James T Kirk – you can’t help but laugh, but it’s joyful laughter. We’re reminded of how fannish some of Davies’s past ideas seemed: pitting Daleks against Cybermen, for example. A Changelings/borg team-up (in a plot echoing TNG season one’s “Conspiracy”) is on the same level. Fanfic can be thrilling when it’s written by a skilled professional.
Then there’s Davies’s disregard for signposting plot turns – something which led to fan critics lambasting him for “deus ex machina”. Matalas is clearly of the same school – pulling teleporting phaser tech from thin air, for example. In The Writer’s Tale, Davies discussed the abrupt appearance of UNIT’S flying base the Valiant – a characteristic snook-cock at Chekhov’s Gun. Matalas trumps that, pulling the Enterprise-d out of a hat! The idea Geordi’s been tinkering away in his garage for 20 years (with no one querying the receipts) doesn’t hold a thimbleful of water. But then it’s hard to harrumph with a lump in your throat.
That brings us to the series’ emotionality. Here again, Matalas is in lock step with Davies. Not for him Gene Roddenberry’s tiresome edict that the people of the future would have transcended petty discord. Picard is brimming with conflict, with practically every episode featuring a emotionally raw two-hander – all captivating, all glorious. The TNG cast have rarely been handed such good material. They’re so well served here, with Jean-luc experiencing fatherhood, Riker grief, and Data instincts, while Beverly becomes a badass, and Worf actively funny.
It’s not that Matalas’s Picard copies Davies’s Who. But in key respects they share the same ethos, prioritising heartfelt emotion and delivering audacious surprises, never afraid to metaphorically throw an asteroid at the audience. The result is a final bow for this adored ensemble that’s so completely satisfying it washes away the lingering bitter taste of Nemesis.
In case you hadn’t twigged: Walter Koenig supplies the voice of Federation President Anton Chekov in the final episode.
The TNG cast have rarely been handed such good material