TV Review: Star Trek: Picard Season 3

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 created by Kirsten Beyer, Michael Chabon, and Akiva Goldsman based on Star Trek: The Next Generation created by Gene Roddenberry

A retired Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is preparing to give a great speech at Frontier Day (the celebration of the beginning of Star Fleet) when he gets a distress call on an old comm link. A friend he hasn't seen in over twenty years is in a dire situation and needs help. That friend is Doctor Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). She's just outside of Federation space and insists that Starfleet not be involved in helping her. Picard turns to another old friend, William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who is willing to help in the spirit of an old-buddy, road-trip vibe. They make an excuse to get on the USS Titan, one of Riker's old commands, which now has Seven (Jeri Ryan) on board as second-in-command. The trio does some typical shenanigans to get to Crusher. Crusher and her son Jack (Ed Speleers) have run afoul of a ship called the Shrike, led by Vadic (Amanda Plummer) a somewhat over-the-top villain who want Jack for mysterious reasons. Meanwhile, a terrorist plot is afoot with Raffi (Michelle Herd) investigating on a less than charming world. Her investigation eventually ties into the Crusher situation, leading into a larger conspiracy bringing back some old enemies and forcing the recruitment of a lot of old friends.

I had heard the first season of Picard was terrible and had avoided it, since there's plenty of other stuff to watch that's less terrible or at least would be less disappointing. Then some friends recommended season three as more entertaining and generally better. I gave it a try and was not disappointed. The show is built around Picard but shovels in every possible reference, cameo, and plot line it can from previous Star Trek shows, especially Next Generation. By the end, the whole crew is back together working to save the galaxy from the baddies (this statement is not a spoiler, just look at the cover art above). Some characters have aged more gracefully than others, so there's a mixed bag of character development and performances. I was surprised at some of the gore and language (there's at least 2 f-bombs) but I guess they got away with it since the show was direct to streaming. The Federation ships are much darker and grimmer than back in the day, like the optimism of the past became a thing of the past. They get away from such pessimism by the end, making it a fun nostalgia ride for Star Trek: The Next Generation fans.

Mildly recommended, much more so for fans.