I was given a chance by Amazon to watch a preview of Star Trek: Picard. I was able to watch the first three episodes via a private screening. Were my high expectations justified or not? In this review, I will provide my opinion about this spin-off. This one involves Admiral Picard, who is my favourite USS Enterprise captain after Captain Kirk.
I never really cared for science fiction. I guess I just didn't get it.
I was, or am, quite a bit of a Star Trek fan. Starting from the very first Star Trek from 1966, my birth year, up until this latest series in the franchise. It is no understatement that I had high expectations. And I can tell that those expectations have been met. Especially after the third episode finished when I was almost cheering at the screen. Picard is worthy enough to be labelled as a Star Trek series.
No, Picard isn't perfect. The story isn't like the story of most Star Trek series. There's no new adventure in each episode. Star Trek: Picard has a continuous storyline. It all starts when a young woman called Dahj (Isa Briones, American Crime Story) arrives at Picard (Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: The Next Generation) his vineyard and asks him for help. Indeed, it is an old story that has already been told many times. Sometimes in a better way. Nonetheless, Stewart manages to portray the ageing Picard incredibly well.
Picard wouldn't be Picard if he wouldn't help someone else and that is the start of a marvellous Star Trek adventure that once again takes the viewer to the final frontier. I'm not going to tell anything else about the story, as I would otherwise spoil too much. It is great to see all those familiar elements. Not just because of the now-retired Picard. The beautiful science fiction, the fantastic spaceships and the magnificent scenery and costumes all contribute to the atmosphere and recognisable setting as well.
The musical intro fits the style, and the leader looks impressive. Even for those who are no fans of Star Trek will find things to enjoy. The story is executed flawlessly. Good enough for me to actively follow the series. The first season premiered on CBS on the 23rd of January. All episodes will release - internationally - on Amazon Prime 24 hours later. A second season has already been announced—plenty of reasons to watch Star Trek: Picard. I cannot wait for the remainder of the first season—9 points for an excellent start.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
How cool that you got a sneak preview of this series! It should be broadcast tonight. I am very curious and have been looking forward to this for a while. I've also been a Trekkie from TOS. I did not see it live, but I did see it in the reruns in the 70s, including as Raumschiff Enterprise on German TV. And I can't get enough of it either. Bring on Picard, Discovery, Lower Decks, Section 31, Short Treks and whatever else they're up to (maybe a Pike, Spock & No. 1 spin off?).
Star Trek: Discovery brought me back into the Star Trek universe two years ago, not least because it finally deviated from "the space adventure of the week." I'm glad they don't do this with Star Trek: Picard either, because an ongoing story is more the way we experience series nowadays. I feel like it, but first wait until all episodes have been broadcast and then enjoy watching one after the other.
