This assessment incorporates spoilers for the whole lot of Star Trek: Picard season 3, presently obtainable for streaming on Paramount+.
Picard season 3 has come to a detailed. Presented as the ultimate journey for the Enterprise-D crew, the season embodies the ultimate Crisis Point for these Starfleet legends. Loaded with connections that meditate on getting older, household, Star Trek, and legacy, this season is designed to supply partaking dialog fodder for you and your fellow Trekkies.
Generations
Picard season 3 consists of an particularly giant variety of allusions to 3 TNG episodes particularly. The first is, after all, “The Best of Both Worlds,” since Picard’s time as Locutus is central to this season’s plot. The different two are the sequence premiere, “Encounter at Farpoint,” and the present’s finale, “All Good Things.”
This give attention to each beginnings and endings can be current within the film’s many allusions to Star Trek: Generations. Not solely was this the primary time the TNG crew appeared in a film, nevertheless it was additionally the symbolic “passing of the movie baton” from the TOS crew to the TNG crew.
Speaking of the TOS crew, the Walter Koenig cameo on the opening of the season finale was a superb shock. Appearing because the implied “next generation” of the Chekov household – simply certainly one of many intergenerational references that fill Picard season 3 – Koenig’s cameo can be thought of to be one other tip of the hat to “Encounter at Farpoint,” because the pilot episode additionally featured a cameo from a TOS solid member.
Another proud Trek custom carried on by this season of Picard is the intelligent allocation of restricted sources with the intention to inform a unbelievable story. Consider this: the one purpose Trek options teleporters is as a result of scenes during which the ship landed on a planet can be cost-prohibitive. Now, beaming has develop into an integral factor of the Franchise – in truth, it even performs a component in a key plot level of this season of Picard.
In order to perform every little thing that made it on display screen on this season of Picard, it’s clear that the finances was spared wherever attainable – for instance, a number of flashbacks and holodeck scenes happen within the Los Angeles Ten Forward location. This set additionally featured closely in Picard season 2. Again, on condition that working with restricted units has all the time been a part of the Trek custom, this is only one extra manner that Picard carries on the legacy of the exhibits which have come earlier than.
Another Enterprise
One of my favourite parts of “The Last Generation” was the naming of the Titan-A to Enterprise-G. I didn’t see this growth coming, though on reflection, it appears inevitable.
The incontrovertible fact that Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) takes command of the Enterprise on the climax was additionally extraordinarily satisfying. Given that Seven’s arc this season concerned her defending her title, she is the best commander for the newly christened Enterprise, a ship that earned its personal title in battle (and making certain Michelle Hurd’s Raffi Musiker is her First Officer was the proper alternative).
Likewise, the choice to have Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) hold his mom’s final title somewhat than undertake Picard’s was a superb one.
Stacked Deck
One of my favourite parts of the season general was the way in which it unfolded as one thing partway between an episodic sequence and a serialized sequence. This is a departure from exhibits like Star Trek: Discovery or the primary two seasons of Picard, which really feel wholly serialized, in addition to from exhibits like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds or Star Trek: Lower Decks, that are extra episodic.
While Picard season 3 did inform a single serialized story, every episode was additionally constructed to ship a “satisfying chunk” of story every week – in addition to some key revelations to the general plot. This coupling ensured that dialog across the present continued to develop with every successive week, an integral part of a profitable sequence within the period of streaming.
Furthermore, the present (and its advertising) employed purple herrings with nice alacrity. One instance is the looks of Hologram Moriarty within the August 2022 trailer for the season. Another is the looks of the Changelings and the incorporation of the Dominion War into the plot of the season, which opened up the hypothesis to antagonists higher recognized from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine than TNG.
Familiar Faces
Introducing the Borg Queen (voice of Alice Krige) so late within the season labored nicely for me for a number of causes. For one, I loved each second Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer) appeared onscreen. And for an additional, this may very well be thought of an echo of the Borg Queen’s personal very late look throughout the TNG timeframe (on condition that she wasn’t truly launched till after the sequence had ended, in Star Trek: First Contact).
I additionally need to applaud the present’s indifference towards a possible viewer’s familiarity with sure plot factors. The visitor look by Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) in “Imposters” just isn’t going to play as nicely if you happen to aren’t acquainted with the character’s historical past with Picard over a number of episodes of TNG. However, Picard admirably permits for this; in any case, you’ll be able to all the time stream these TNG episodes elsewhere on Paramount+ (and they’re value watching again).
And lastly, Picard season 3 did a great job of introducing compelling secondary and supporting characters. I’ll admit that I used to be initially skeptical of a storyline involving the son of Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), however the charming character received me over, thanks partly to the superb casting alternative.
And I’m hoping to see extra of Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) earlier on the timeline as a result of as advised by Stashwick throughout our interview this season, the post-Wolf 359 model might make an awesome visitor star on Lower Decks. Perhaps the sadly late T’Veen (Stephanie Czajkowski) might seem in one of many animated exhibits as nicely. Plus, I’m hopeful the tales of the La Forge sisters, Sidney (Ashlei Sharp Chestnut) and Alandra (Mica Burton), might be continued within the 25th Century.
Picard Season 3
As I discussed in my preliminary assessment, this season is clearly meant to be a cinematic send-off for the TNG crew. In this, it succeeds, each adopting the trimmings of a “Trek movie” and additionally serving as a satisfying conclusion for the crew of the Enterprise-D… a conclusion that they’d beforehand been wanting.
Seeing each member of the TNG crew again was great, however seeing them collectively was extraordinarily vindicating – particularly because it occurred so late within the season in order to permit the characters to “earn” the reunion whereas happening early sufficient within the season that we bought to see all of them collectively for greater than only a scene or two. And the ultimate scene – which, in accordance with season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas, was culled from practically an hour of improv – each echoes “All Good Things” and leaves the characters proper the place we wish them to be: collectively.
The entirety of Picard is obtainable for streaming on Paramount+ now.
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