Star Trek: Picard is one of several Trek spinoffs currently streaming on the Paramount+ network. Now entering its third season, the series has been an enjoyable, but sometimes uneven, ride in the past. In each of its first two years, the show started off with strong concepts and ideas, but often veered into secondary story lines that were not as interesting as the main plotline, losing focus on character development and the overall arc in the process. For its final season, the series is giving long-time fans a gift; a reunion of the The Next Generation era crew in a compelling story featuring all the hallmarks of classic Trek: great characters, humor, action, a dangerous villain, and fantastic visual effects and music.
Spoilers ahead: The story begins as an about to retire Admiral Picard receives a distress call from his old friend Dr. Beverly Crusher, who he hasn't spoken to or seen in many years. It turns out Beverly's in danger, and needs Picard's help. She advises him not to trust anyone, especially Starfleet. Picard reaches out to his friend and former first officer, Will Riker. The two men come up with an under the radar plan to locate Beverly, and offer assistance. Along the way, they'll run into familiar faces like Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine, who's now the first officer aboard an upgraded version of Riker's old command, the Titan, and a new threat in the person of a bounty hunter named Vadic, who's hunting Beverly and her son, Jack. That's right, Trek fans, Beverly has another son aside from Wesley. But why is Vadic after them, and who's Jack's father?
I've seen three episodes thus far, and this season of Picard feels like a heartfelt valentine for Trek fans, featuring the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast in an exciting tale that will serve as a proper farewell for these beloved actors, a much better sendoff than the uneven Star Trek: Nemesis, the last film to feature these characters. In fact, the final season of Picard looks to be a sort of epic, ten hour Next Generation movie, featuring a mix of familiar characters and intriguing new faces, as well as some surprising plot twists and turns, and a starbase full of Trek easter eggs for longtime fans. Just wait until you see Michael Dorn as an older Worf, who first shows up in episode 2. He also gets some great lines in episode 3, which is well-directed by Jonathan Frakes, aka Will Riker.
Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes appear to be having a ball together, and Jeri Ryan offers excellent support in her role as Seven. Todd Stashwick steals every scene he's in as Liam Shaw, a by the book Starfleet captain who's a thorn in Picard's side, and Amanda Plummer is magnificently evil as Vadic, the mysterious villain of the story. There are some powerful and emotionally resonant scenes between Stewart and Gates McFadden's Beverly in the third episode, and some sharp moments of conflict between Stewart and Frakes. I can't wait to see what happens next on this last (?) voyage of The Next Generation crew. Star Trek: Picard has rebounded in it's final season to become one of the best Trek series currently airing, along with the excellent Strange New Worlds. Here's the trailer for Picard, Season 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw0pg11OzCQ.
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