"Look up, Jean Luc, and let's see what's out there" (Picard Season 2 Review)
Our initial thoughts on Picard Season 2 having watched the first three episodes.
00:00 Intro
01:23 Initial Thoughts
04:36 Characters & Performances
09:23 Story / Plot
13:30 Visuals
15:41 Soundtrack / Score
16:35 Verdict
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Review (Episodes 1-3)
“I first saw you as a man who chose the stars, but after all this time I’ve come to wonder — have you been seeking, or running?” With season two of Picard heading to Paramount+ and Prime Video this week, producer and director Akiva Goldsman is boldly going where no one has gone before – delving into the legendary admiral’s internalised trauma and mysterious past. Briefly touched upon in The Next Generation (TNG) episode “Family”, Picard has overcome a number of monumental struggles, most notably his assimilation into the Borg collective. While the series features a gripping overarching alternate universe/time travel narrative, at its core is a touching look inward at a man who’s spent the majority of his life escaping amongst the stars.
Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard sees the now admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) aboard The USS Stargazer, reunited alongside captain Cris Rios (Santiago Cabrera) and crew, including Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), Cris Rios (Santiago Cabrera), Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) and Elnor (Evan Evagora). Answering a distress message specifically addressed to Picard following the appearance of a concerning spacial anomaly – the crew quickly find themselves thrust on a brand new journey – the road not taken. Thanks to trickster Q’s (John de Lancie) machinations, Picard faces his final trial – a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future in a dangerous timeline.
Following an impressively action heavy, cold opening aboard the USS Stargazer, we are once again transported to the idyllic vineyards of Château Picard, as Picard and his Romulan housekeeper Laris (Orla Brady) mull on life, love and loneliness. Thematically, Goldsman has swapped the ethical debate and conflict over synthetic life for a much more introspective human story, cleverly interwoven throughout the heavily TNG inspired narrative device – a gripping ‘dark Starfleet’ timeline with a Q time travel twist. The central mystery – which sends the crew back to Earth, 2024 – is thoroughly captivating and full of intrigue, with plenty of clues and Trek references sprinkled throughout. For those who found the pacing of the first season on the slow side, the pacing in this series has been cranked up to warp speed. So much is jam-packed into the first two episodes, it can feel like a bit of a whirlwind – but in the best way possible.
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Read Nicola Austin's full written review at We Have a Hulk
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