The long awaited third season of Star Trek: Picard is here! The Next Generation crew is back, and with some other familiar faces as well. The episode begins with Beverley Crusher being attacked on her vessel. She sends an encrypted message to Admiral Picard, who then meets up with Captain Riker to figure out more clues from the message because Crusher says to trust no one, not Starfleet. It leads them to the Ryton system to find Beverley, as the two discuss that no one from the Enterprise crew has talked to her in over twenty years. Meanwhile, Raffi is undercover to find out about what is known as “Red Lady.” Skipping a bit ahead in her story, she is part of Starfleet Intelligence and discovers that Red Lady is where an attack will happen. But, it is too late and it takes place during “Frontier Day.” Back with Picard and Riker, they board the Titan with Commander Hansen AKA Seven of Nine. She disobeys Captain Shawn to take them to Ryton. There they find Crusher’s vessel with her locked in a stasis tube hopefully recovering from wounds. They are attacked by…Beverley’s son! And the Crushers’ attackers are back.
Here we go with our analysis of this season premier!
Music
Mr. Daps: ” The music made me so happy. It was a new music that also utilized very well known themes from the past. It very much played on Star Trek fans heartstrings as it utilized themes that are absolutely beloved and connected with the Enterprise and iconic moments in Star Trek history. It also had new themes that were beautiful as well, particularly for the USS-Titan A. Since this new Star Trek renaissance that began with Star Trek: Discovery, this is already easily my favorite soundtrack that has been introduced. I can’t wait to hear more of it!”
Murray: “The music was impressive! It pulled at all the heartstrings of the classic Next Generation series and movies, but even added in some film scores. I liked how the Picard series themes were woven in as well. Overall, I’m impressed by this season’s music, maybe more than the others so far.”
Design
Mr. Daps: “A+! I could really just stop there but I won’t. I absolutely loved just about everything in regards to the design. The updated uniforms have a fantastic look that is new but also feels connected to everything we have seen before. The Neo-Constitution USS-Titan A is absolutely beautiful and I love her already. It was wonderful seeing the return of space dock as we had seen previously. The design for the first episode just felt right. I’m very happy with it. It connected with the past and also moved things into the future. Very well done.”
Murray: “I loved the Neo-constitution class design of the Titan! It had the nostalgic Enterprise look while adding some new features. It shows how Starfleet has gotten advanced in their designs while keeping that classic look. Uniforms were fun to see on the Titan ship. The reason is that they looked like the Lower Decks uniforms, and perhaps on purpose. Everything design wise both pays tribute to Next Generation past while giving an updated Starfleet look, and I think they did a great job of that.”
Story
Mr. Daps: “The first episode definitely exceeded my expectations for story in this episode. Yes, there were some things that seemed a bit predictable. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. The adventure was there. The pacing was spot on. The characters felt like they were growing but also believable but also still the ones we know and love. I am really looking forward to seeing how things develop with them and to see more differences. It feels like this season has really done a solid job of moving things forward and making things new while staying grounded in the history and lore of the past. This might be one of the best first episodes of a season in a very long time, perhaps since The Next Generation?”
Murray: “It was certainly a beginning to a season. It was to introduce us to what is happening, and it did the job. The pacing was some of the best. I wanted it to keep going. It had the speed of a film, while keeping it as an introductory episode. It’s hard to really do that in a series, but this did it. The only criticism is that some of the twists were a bit on the nose. It didn’t take away much from the story, though, since it was just the beginning of the season. I’m glad they introduced Raffi being undercover and Crusher having another son so fast. It was good to get going right away and not tease it further down the episodes.”
Hit or Miss?
Mr. Daps: “This was a very solid hit for me. The entire thing was so wonderfully crafted in a way that brought me back to the feel I had seeing some of my favorite Star Trek movies and episodes through the years. It was like they pulled some of the greatest moments and feelings from all of the movies (both The Original Series and The Next Generation) and then created something new with them. I am very thankful for this. It isn’t just holding onto the past. Instead, it leaps off from it. I can’t wait to see where this season of Star Trek: Picard goes and have very high hopes and expectations for it!
Murray: “I might be riding high on the nostalgia factor, but this was a hit. It had that rush of being an epic film, yet packed into an hour episode. It and whatever is first resolved in the second episode is easily a standalone film already. But that makes this an epic beginning of what could be one of the best Trek seasons ever. Everything seems to be smooth and unified with the cast and the writing so far. So, this episode definitely did its job at creating a great pull for the rest.”
