USA TODAY International Edition
Stewart soars in stellar ‘ Star Trek: Picard’
For Patrick Stewart, space is more a personal playground than the final frontier.
The headliner of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” has become the modern face of the “Trek” franchise ( sorry, William Shatner), and not just because he has chosen to reprise his beloved role as Captain Jean- Luc Picard in CBS All Access’ latest swing at the long- running sci- fi franchise.
It’s because he loves “Star Trek” just as much as you do.
“Star Trek: Picard” ( due weekly, starting Thursday) is both the safest and most perilous addition to the “Trek” universe in recent years. Bringing back the great Picard will win legions of fans to the still- nascent streaming service, but it could also risk tainting the legacy of a character who’s almost universally adored if the series doesn’t get all the beats right.
Thankfully for “Trek” devotees, casual fans and curious subscribers alike, “Picard” ( ★★★☆ is a delight. The series, already renewed for a second season, is unlike “Next Generation” and All Access’s “Discovery.” It’s less immersed in finding new planets and peoples or fighting wars. Instead, it tasks its characters with saving just one life.
Slipping back easily into the role ( although not often into the uniform), Stewart makes a seamless transition to an older, weathered Jean- Luc, and remains the Federation’s most valuable player.
Our captain is now a retired admiral, living on a vineyard in France and genuinely eschewing his previous life as a Starfleet captain. He still mourns the death of Data ( Brent Spiner), a synthetic android from his time on the Enterprise, and resents Starfleet for its role in a tragedy that left millions of Romulans dead. The Federation also has outlawed synthetics after a group goes rogue on Mars and blows up the planet. ( For those deeply invested in “Trek” canon, co- creator Alex Kurtzman assures us this is the prime timeline.)
Picard is drawn out of his sleepy retirement by the arrival of Dahj ( Isa Briones), a young woman recently attacked, unprompted, by Romulans, and drawn to Picard by some unknowable force. Picard, with the help of synthetic specialist Dr. Agnes Jurati ( Alison Pill), surmises that Dahj is Data’s “daughter,” a synthetic created from his code. Picard, along with a ragtag crew of characters, including those played by the great Michelle Hurd and Santiago Cabrera, set out to save Data’s legacy.
The singularity and focus of Picard’s mission is what makes this new “Trek” stand apart from its cousins. So does the smaller cast and its groundedness ( the show largely takes place on Earth, rather than the cold vacuum of space).
It has a strong emotional center, and has earned its place as more than just another placeholder to keep “Trek” alive.
Picard wouldn’t come out of retirement for just anyone, but this is Data’s daughter. Even if you’ve never seen “Next Generation,” “Picard” excels at quickly communicating the significance of that bond.
Stewart is the type of actor who seems to genuinely love this genre of material, a rarity in today’s blockbuster era. He attacks his lines with the finesse and care he would give to a Shakespearean play, and off screen he speaks about Borgs and starships with the same encyclopedic knowledge as the writers.
After watching attractive young actors stuffed into tights, handed laser swords and repeating talking points about comic- book arcs and alternate timelines they only half understand, it’s welcome to see someone take the fictional world as seriously as his fans.
Surrounded by a new and intriguing supporting cast, “Picard” is more than just another rehash. It’s the best continuation of the “Trek” universe since J. J. Abrams’ 2009 film, with Chris Pine as Captain Kirk. Like “Next Generation” and the original series, “Picard” explodes with heart, using its sci- fi trappings to tell a deeply human story about love lost and potentially found.
And when it comes to “Trek,” that’s all we really want.