Star Trek: Picard (4/5)
...so this was pretty neat, actually.
I'm going to address the borg in the room and comment that yes, ST: P is probably the least favourite series of NuTrek (as in, everything from Discovery) right now. No, I don't have a source for that, but it's the impression I've got. As to why people don't like it, I'm going to address that first, because if you're a fan of TNG, I can see where you're coming from. Unlike TNG, STP is:
-Serialized (one overall story)
-Grungy
-Filled with flawed, often broken characters, rather than the best of 24th century humanity)
-Vulgar (there's off-screen intercourse, plus swearing)
-Violent (not excessively so, but people use blades, phasers, and kill each other)
-Morally ambiguous (e.g. with the collapse of the Romulan Star Empire, there's a swathe of space that has fallen into lawlessness, and the Federation itself isn't the shining beacon on the hill it once was)
So, yeah, if you loved TNG, jumping from it to STP (heck, even jumping from Nemesis, which is referenced extensively) will be jarring. It might even be more jarring if you dislike the Kelvinverse, since the Romulan supernova is a major plot catalyst, with the destruction of the Star Empire, plus the Federation's refusal to save them due to an android uprising (of sorts) on Mars. Basically, STP is very much a Star Trek made for the era of streaming, plus in the era of global uncertainty. If TNG was "the end of history," STP is very much a story of a Federation past its prime, with characters past their prime, with things generally not that good in large areas of the galaxy.
So, yeah, if you don't like STP for how much it differs from that, I get it. Really. I don't even like TNG that much (granted, only seen the first two seasons), and I get why STP puts so many people off. However, speaking personally, I really liked it, and while I'm not going to go into a plot summary, I'll try and give brief pointers as to why:
-Picard is great, and exactly as he should be. In spite of everything I said above, he's the show's moral compass, firm to his convictions, right up until the end. It's more engaging to see this Picard IMO than early TNG Picard, because while it's easy to be a saint in paradise, it's much harder to be a saint where paradise has been lost. Yet he (or rather, Patrick Stewart) pulls it off excellently. Really, I don't know why so many people dislike the take on Picard here, because IMO, he's how he should be - intelligent, humble, kind, etc.
-The crew is mostly a solid bunch as well. To be clear, some are better characters than others - Elnor is basically a space samurai, and Jurati cries far too much, to the extent that towards the end, it feels like it's the actress's only expression. But the crew overall is solid, whether it be Picard himself, Chris Rios (space scoundrel who's duplicated himself via emergency holograms, which is hilarious), Soji (who's a latecomer, but effectively part of the crew, and a compelling character overall) and Raffi (probably the "straight woman" character of the bunch). To be clear, this is an ensemble cast that feels more in keeping with the spirit of shows like Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, or Farscape, to name a few - a collection of misfits and broken people who've come together to do the right thing, albeit bringing their baggage with them - far removed from TNG's vision of a 'perfect' humanity. So again, if you're after a 'pure' Star Trek experience, you won't find it here, but as its own thing, the cast is solid.
-The overall plot is compelling. I'm not going to do a plot summary as it would take far too long, but what starts as a search for one individual gradually morphs into layers of conspiracy that threatens the galaxy (trite as that plot point might sound, it's actually well done in this case as far as stakes go). It doesn't do things perfectly (IMO, the ending is far too 'neat'), but overall, it's solid.
-I'm going to address something while I'm here - without getting into spoilers, many have accused STP of ripping off Mass Effect in regards to the Reapers (just saying that may have spoiled stuff, but oh well). On that, I say, yes, there's definite similarities that do go beyond the trope of "ancient machine race," but I'd counter with the points that a) ancient machine race/synthetic-organic strife is still a trope, and b) if we accept the claim that Star Trek is the thinking man's sci-fi (I don't necessarily agree), then I think this is quite in keeping with Star Trek. I really don't get the detractors calling STP a dumb action series or whatnot, because its core premise/conflict/themes is still dealing with the type of stuff that sci-fi does well.
-While I've mentioned a lot of stuff that STP differs from in regards to past Trek shows, there's still a lot of stuff that it does right, and even as someone who isn't much of a Star Trek fan, and who's generally not fond of TNG, I think it does a lot of stuff well that ties in well with what's come before. I've already mentioned how the series deals with the aftermath of the supernova, but there's also the personal side of things. For instance, when Picard reunites with Troi and Riker, and later...well, spoilers. Even if you've never seen TNG, you can tell that these people are as close as family (that Riker and Troi are literally family notwithstanding), and the amount of warmth involved...mm, warms my heart. Also, a more minor point, and this has almost certainly been done in EU material, but Seven features, and while I don't have much to say on her (as I've seen maybe one episode of Voyager, ever), she and Picard being able to bond over their shared experiences of being assimilated by the borg...good stuff.
So, yeah. Solid stuff. I can understand why it's quite iffy among the fanbase, but speaking personally, thoroughly enjoyed it. And for shits and giggles, my current Star Trek show rankings are now as follows:
6: Discovery
5: The Next Generation
4: Enterprise
3: Lower Decks
2: Picard
1: The Original Series
