'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Is 'The Next Generation' Sequel We've Yearned For
NO SPOILERS! But this review does include info about the upcoming episodes that has been released in advance of the premiere, so be warned if you'd prefer to know nothing! Like, who's THAT new guy?!
As of Monday morning, even free subscribers can read this review. I first shared it Friday night as one of the many advantages of being a paid subscriber to this newsletter! Plus, when you do the math, paying $5/month works out to $0.25 an issue!
What’s the story this season?
Season three of Star Trek: Picard opens in space… …on a spaceship… in a scene that is both eerily unfamiliar but yet also familiar, in that music from the 20th century is being played, nostalgic items are strewn about the cabin and someone is listening to an old captain’s log entry recorded by one Jean-Luc Picard.
We see a case marked as the property of the late Commander Jack Crusher, which could only belong to Dr. Beverly Crusher, played by Gates McFadden, who has boldly gone from ship’s surgeon to phaser-packing medic and mercenary.
And that’s all in the first minute!
As promised, there will be no spoilers here, but suffice to say that unlike seasons one and two, action is the bedrock of this final season upon which showrunner Terry Matalas has built a thrilling, moving and ultimately, deeply satisfying conclusion to the adventures of The Next Generation.
Fans of the TV series and films will be overjoyed to see almost the entire crew reunited, not all at once, and with each actor given a fleshed-out arc that explains what’s happened since Star Trek: Nemesis played in theaters 21 years ago.
As has been established by trailers and other promotional material, Dr. Crusher needs help, and calls out to her former captain and friend, Picard, of course played by Sir Patrick Stewart.
What happens next reunites Picard with a newly promoted Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan in Star Trek: Voyager and seasons two and three of Picard.
Michelle Hurd is also back as Raffi, a Picard regular character whose Starfleet career has taken a dramatic turn.
The first six of the ten episode series pits our heroes against a mysterious and dangerous new enemy, played with villainous joy by Amanda Plummer.
There are enough enigmatic breadcrumbs to shows and films past to keep the fanboys busy for weeks. What the enemy captain is after can’t be revealed here, but just let’s say I’ll wager you won’t see it coming.
Brent Spiner is back! As Data’s twin, Lore?
Yes! And, well, yeah, sort of. It’s not something I can discuss without spoiling anything.
Who’s that new guy on the poster?
Can’t say, except to confirm Ed Speleers’ character is on that same ship as Dr. Crusher with the mission to lend medical aid to faraway civilizations forgotten by the Federation, and we meet him in the first episode, which streams starting Feb. 16 on Paramount+.
What did you love most about this season?
As a lifelong soundtrack fan, I have to say it was the music selected by Matalas that pays tribute to Trek’s rich musical history, followed closely by the message an LGBTQ+ viewer will especially appreciate: that found family matters, and can be as important as the family from which we originated.
Was there anything you didn’t love?
That there are only ten episodes.
That I’ve only seen six.
That this is billed as the final season.
Let’s hope it’s such a hit Paramount+ decides to do more with The Next Generation and the new next generation introduced in season three!
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