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STAR TREK: PICARD series review

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The Return of the Picard. After a watchable first season, absolute garbage second season, Star Trek: Picard finishes its final season with an immensely welcomed (near) return to form. In a media landscape that increasingly demonstrates an aversion to the past in an effort to improve or refresh legacy characters or series, the ups and downs of Star Trek: Picard (from hereon Picard), prove that some characters and stories were already exemplary in substance and form from the beginning. Suffice it to say, it boldly goes where it has been before and shows it can thrive.

The third and final season of Picard has resonated with Star Trek fans young and old because it finally went back to its roots, went back to why these characters are beloved and an integral part of the cultural zeitgeist. At least, refocused on that goal, anyway. While I don’t feel that it landed sure-footedly on a return to the Star Trek (TNG, Voyager, and DS9) formula, it was in the ballpark of what makes those series rewatchable over and over. Hardly a week goes by that I am not rewatching TNG and Voyager (DS9, lesser so).

The characters, plots, and themes continue to teach us, they remain culturally relevant. TNG represented Roddenberry’s best expression of his idea launched in the 60s with Desilu Productions at Paramount (yes, that means Lucille Ball was in-part responsible for the launch of Star Trek: TOS). At the heart of what makes Star Trek, STAR TREK are the stories that can only happen on Star Trek and the exploration of what it means to be human, whether that is the 24th century or the 21st. Secondary to the aforementioned is the episodic format that Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks has proven is the best expression of Trek plots. On that topic, the last two episodes of Picard felt like an old school two-parter TNG in all the best ways possible. Why stick to the formula? Because it WORKS.

Anytime a Trek series has deviated from the formula or format, it has proven to be less successful with audiences. If it’s not broke, DON’T fix it. Not everything needs to be a 10-hour movie season after season. Why? Because a serialized format lacks the latitude to explore a variety of characters and plots. Serialized shows are ultimately limited to the stories they can tell, because they ultimately have one main outside/action plot supported by one or more inside/emotional subplots or motivations. The episodic format provides numerous opportunities to dive into Star Trek in both plot and character. While even in its third season, Picard is serialized, the structure of the episodes leans into a quasi-episodic format.

Up until the third season, and even at the beginning of the third season, Picard engaged in perpetual character assassination. Completely retconning the best of our friends from The Enterprise D, E, and Voyager. It’s like, the writers of Picard never watched The Next Generation or Voyager, much less rewatched the timeless series.

Not to oversimplify, but to spotlight the sins of the writers, Picard was reduced to someone that represented an outdated way of life and was responsible for negative development of those around him, Seven of Nine was no longer a strong character of mind and body that wasn’t afraid to question decisions in the pursuit of efficiency and order, Guinan was no longer a comforter and wise counselor and her younger-self hated humanity instead of always seeking the best in them, Riker was too quick to admit defeat and appeared to lose strength of character, Starfleet was constantly disparaged as an antiquated and corrupt institution, and I could go on. Fortunately, Q, Worf, Dr. Crusher, and Data were mostly treated with care, and actually felt like they should after we last saw them in Star Trek: Nemesis (or Voyager, which is the case with Q).

Another area where this series negatively deviated from the TV series is the significant increase in course language, especially in seasons one and two. I am glad they mostly fixed that in season three. Star Trek was always something that whole families could watch, and it upset me when Picard didn’t feel like something for whole families. My hope is that Star Trek, moving forward, will be a show that kids and teens today can watch with their parents in order to form the same kind of fond memories I have from watching TNG and Voyager with my family growing up. Star Trek is family, and “on the Starship Enterprise, no one is alone.”

But by the last few episodes of Picard season three, our friends were back to being themselves! It was so incredibly refreshing when our friends returned to their true selves. The return to form and character reunion that Sir Patrick Stewart said he was not interested in at the announcement of Picard, turned out to be the very thing that the series needed and lacked through most of its run.

This character mix was perfection, as Seven would put it, from season three of TNG and beyond. Each one of them represented a different element of humanity, and only when together can we truly explore the human condition. Star Trek needs its Captain. Whether we are talking Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Pike, or Kirk. And that captain needs to be a strong leader, upholding the best expression of the morals, ethics, and order of Starfleet. It doesn’t mean those values and beliefs can’t be challenged–we certainly saw many times Picard challenged Starfleet’s decisions over the course of TNG–but it’s the pursuit of the best humanity can be to one another that is most meaningful. It’s what keeps Q always curious about humanity, in particularly Picard, a strong moral center.

Picard season three embraces this return to form, despite the naysayers that are negatively criticizing the show for looking backwards instead of forwards (which the Star Trek TV series consistently did). Clearly those that are accusing Picard of a disappointing third season missed the whole point of what makes something Star Trek, what makes Picard the definitive Starfleet captain and role model for his crew and all of us. It’s the same thing that fascinated Q: Picard’s (and for us Star Trek‘s) order, morals, ethics, and reflection of humanity. Just because a series continues to feature starships, uniforms, military-like rules, and an ethical center does not mean it is look backwards–those are the tentpoles that significantly impact the form the show takes and the viewer experience. Remove the tentpoles, and the show collapses.

I remember very little from the first and second seasons, but you know what I do remember? Opening with the Enterprise-D and Data/Picard in the series pilot, the Q scenes from season two, and the return to the stately peerless bridge of the Enterprise-D in the final two episodes of the third season and series. Why? Because if you are reviving a series or crafting a long-awaited spinoff series, you have to start with what is most familiar and true to character and plot, and go from there. If there is an established storytelling formula, then follow it. Formulas are formulas for a reason: they work, they’ve been proven to work.

While there are elements in the story of the third season that feel like Wrath of Kahn meets First Contact meets The Best of Both Worlds, that’s because those two movies and that highly rated two-parter from Season 2/3 of TNG represent the best of Star Trek. Why not take inspiration from them??? There was very little of Seasons one and two of Picard that I felt would inspire new fans to seek out the TV series or previous movies. But season three will undoubtedly prompt those that have not seen the TV series or First Contact to seek them out.

And DON’T stop watching when the credits roll, because there is a mid-credit bonus scene that gave me the BIGGEST smile! Because of the cameo AND how it perfectly sets up a spinoff series with a new generation of Enterprise crew.

The following section(s) contains some series finale spoilers.

The series finale features the rescue of Starfleet and humanity by the crew of the Enterprise-D. In the series, the Enterprise was always the calvary, and it plays out in the series finale as well. And for what it’s worth, the series explains how Geordi was able to rebuild the former flagship of Starfleet following the disastrous crash in Star Trek: Generation (1994) well enough. The showdown is a cross between The Best of Both Worlds and First Contact. And as such, nothing happens that isn’t somewhat predictable, but it’s okay. HOW the story unfolds is exciting because Picard finally embraces its legacy. In a media landscape of TV series that really feel like long movies, this one feels more like a TV show, and that’s a great thing! Trek excels more on TV than it does in the cinema because of the formula of its storytelling.

I love how Picard reclaims his legacy as the definitive Starfleet captain and simultaneously allows himself to be vulnerable enough to embrace his former love Dr. Crusher and his son Jack. When Picard encounters his son reprising the role of Locutus of Borg, Picard must deal with the trauma of that experience that has haunted him throughout his life and risk it all to save his son. This demonstrates tremendous growth for Picard. While this is going on, we witness the ramifications of the human youth’s corruption and assimilation by the Borg. For those that appreciate the thoughtful subject matter of Trek, this can be read as a cautionary tale of how the impressionable youth of our world are the most susceptible to toxic ideology under the guise of peace and a pain-free existence. In other words, an ideology that claims to be able to build a utopia, but utopia is an impossibility, and the pursuit of it comes at the cost of the loss of individuality and human dimension. While the series lacked the thought-provoking content of the TV series, these last few episodes attempt to get back to that.

Also, I love how Seven of Nine gets promoted to the Captain of the newly christened Enterprise-G, flanked by Raffi (a character for whom I never particularly cared, because the show made her unlikable in the first two seasons, and never gave her any real agency until season 3) as her No.1, and Jack Crusher as special counsel (a sort of Deanna Troi minus the empathic abilities). The new Enterprise has her crew, all set for new adventures!

So what is that mid-credit scene? Jack is putting away his belongings in his quarters on the Enterprise-G when Q shows up. That’s right, John de Lancie returns as the indelible Q. Jack questions him because he thought the trial against humanity ended. Q responds with Picard’s trial ended, but Jack’s is just beginning. Does this mean a Star Trek: the New Generation series featuring this crew plus occasional appearances by Q? I certainly hope so.

There you have it! A triumphant return of Star Trek. Perhaps the series started out, and even developed negatively, but it finished well. I’ve been a fan of Star Trek ever since my family would gather around the TV to watch TNG and Voyager each week with a pizza. These characters, settings, and even plots feel like a warm hug from a long-lost friend. I hope that Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and the series that Picard will hopefully inspire become the types of shows that years from now we will still be rewatching over and over.

Ryan teaches Film Studies and Screenwriting at the University of Tampa and is a member of the Critics Association of Central Florida and Indie Film Critics of America. If you like this article, check out the others and FOLLOW this blog! Interested in Ryan making a guest appearance on your podcast or contributing to your website? Send him a DM on Twitter. If you’re ever in Tampa or Orlando, feel free to catch a movie with him.

Follow him on Twitter: RLTerry1 and LetterBoxd: RLTerry

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Review of “Star Trek Picard” Season 1

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For the full audio review and discussion with the Besotted Geek Podcast, click HERE.

Engage! Captain Jean Luc Picard is back in CBS All Access Star Trek Picard! The premiere season wrapped up this past week, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. And it’s not just getting to see the definitive captain of the Enterprise or a handful of familiar, beloved characters from Next Generation and Voyager; this show has the warp core of TNG whilst delivering a fresh story, perfect for 2020. What separates Star Trek from Star Wars is the former’s character-driven exploration of humanity at the core of every episode. While there may be action and adventure in most episodes, the action elements are serving as a conduit through which the characters explore what it means to be human–whether organic or synth. When the show was formerly announced by Sir Patrick Stewart, he made a point that Jean Luc Picard would not be the captain that you remember from TNG, that the events of Star Trek Nemesis greatly impacted Picard. And he was right. At least, in part. However, he is still very much Captain Picard, just a version whom has been disillusioned by Starfleet that has lost its way and carrying the burden of losing a close friend due to self-sacrifice.

We sometimes remark that we may have the weight of the world on our shoulders, but Picard quite literally has the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. Throughout the TNG series, Captain Picard gave his officers and crew, and by extension the audience, the impression that he was consistently as strong as a mountain, even though we still got glimpses into his softer side on occasion. The Picard we follow in Star Trek Picard is a relatable, believable Picard that that has withstood decades of psycho-social trauma, but in his heart, he remains the Picard we have known and loved since his first took command of the Enterprise D. This first season of Picard follows our title character as he is on his journey to rediscover the self that made him great.

Without getting into spoilers, retired Admiral Picard finds himself caught in the middle of a war between synthetic humanoids and the vile, calculating Romulan Empire after encountering a young lady he believes to the the daughter of Data whom is later assassinated by Romulan covert operatives. When a Starfleet synth researcher at the Daystrom Institute informs Picard that Data’s daughter may have a twin, Picard sets out to find her and stop the Romulan covert operation. When Starfleet refuses to temporarily reinstate Picard, he takes matters into his own hands, and finds a crew and ship for one last mission. Along his mission to find out why the Romulans are attacking Synths and to find Data’s other daughter, he encounters Star Trek Voyager’s Seven of Nine (who later becomes a regular on the show), Will Riker and Deanna Troy, and other familiar characters. While the series is incredibly thrilling, it manages to still drive home the philosophical ideas that have always been at the foundation of Star Trek.

When developing a series based upon a beloved one that is so incredibly engrained in popular and geek culture, there is a risk that it may either pay too much fan service in order to appease lifelong fans, sacrificing a truly original story; or it may do the opposite and sacrifice what fans love in exchange for taking a familiar IP in new directions to attract new fans. Thankfully, Star Trek Picard falls somewhere in the middle, skewing a little towards the former more so than the latter. But ultimately, it is on brand with TNG (and a little STV). In the beginning, I didn’t particularly like Picard because I was looking for the captain that I remember; but therein lies what makes this series deep. Audiences are rediscovering Captain Picard as he is doing very much the same. It took most of this season for him to remember who he truly is. And little by little, I began to get glimpses of the captain that we all respect and love. Just as time, in real life, changes, so does time in a TV series. Starfleet is not the same as we remember, but that is to be expected after nearly 20 years since we last saw it. Some of the moments that may make longtime friends have tears in their eyes is when we see the Enterprise D and Picard in his TNG uniform. Won’t lie, there are moments that this series did bring tears to my eyes.

I can only imagine that in the series’ development, the writers and producers thought of which past characters to include in this new series as regulars or one-offs. And it’s of no surprise that Voyager’s Seven of Nine was likely at the top of their lists. She is inarguably the most popular fan favorite out of Star Trek Voyager. In many ways, she was STV’s answer to Data and Spock, and truly brought the former series into its own after she was introduced in Season 3. Like Picard, she too has changed over the nearly 20 years since we last saw her. But she is, at her core, still the Seven we respected and loved from Voyager. I can liken Picard to Voyager in that the introduction of Seven was the missing element from the cast and plot in order for it to feel fully fleshed out. She still challenges authority when the logic doesn’t compute but seeks to understand what it means to be human and a team player throughout her return to the Star Trek universe. Something that I don’t particularly care for with the return of Seven, she is much more of an action hero than engineering genius or intellectual as she was on Voyager. I miss her oddly precise moral compass and inquisitive nature from Voyager; but, it’s not a big deal. I will chalk it up to one of those stubborn fan ideals. Even as much as I appreciate and enjoyed Star Trek Picard, even I have things that I miss about the old series and would have liked to have seen.

I am excited for the second season of the series! I approached this new series with cautious optimism, and it mostly met, and even exceeding my expectations a few times. Yeah, there are elements with which I am disappointed, but that is naturally the case whenever an older series is reimagined more than twi decades since the TV series ended to make way for the movies. All in all, I am not disappointed in anything that keeps me from enjoying season one and looking forward to season two. After an interview with Sir Patrick Steward on The View, we learn that Whoopie Goldberg will be reprising her role as Guinnan in season two. I hope we also get John de Lancie back as Q! Outside of my favorite TNG character of Picard, Q is right up there! Every episode of TNG and even the 2-3 STV episodes he was on were crowd favorites because his chemistry with Picard (and to a lesser extent Janeway) was priceless. At the heart of this series is what has long since given Star Trek greater depth than Star Wars, and that is the blending of social commentary with what it means to be human. Those same philosophical questions are alive and well in Star Trek Picard, and if you’re a fan of TNG and STV, I’ve a feeling that you will mostly likely enjoy this new series as much as I did.

Don’t miss the two-part discussion on the season finale and a recap of the whole series on the Besotted Geek Podcast, where I sit down with Stork and Peacock.

Ryan teaches screenwriting at the University of Tampa. If you like this article, check out the others and FOLLOW this blog! Interested in Ryan making a guest appearance on your podcast or contributing to your website? Send him a DM on Twitter or email him at RLTerry1@gmail.com! If you’re ever in the Tampa area, feel free to catch a movie with him!

Follow him!

Twitter: RLTerry1

Instagram: RL_Terry

“Arrival” movie review

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arrivalposterYou’ll want to see it again. Prepare yourself for an extraordinary cinematic journey in this science-fiction thriller complete with commentary on the human condition. From the exhilarating cinematography to the incredible awe-inspiring visual effects, Arrival will have you hooked from the very beginning. Based on the book Story of Your Life and Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario & Prisoners), Arrival boasts an outstanding cinematic experience that is as much cerebral as it is visceral. Your very perceptions of time and memory will be questioned and force you to open your mind to endless possibilities. Poignantly, this film takes you on a journey that will show you that we need to change and that we can change. On the verge of avant-garde, Arrival pushes the limits of traditional visual storytelling and creates an innovative method for conveying social commentary within the science-fiction genre. Following the final fade to black, you’ll want to discuss this film with your friends. Reignite your sense of wonder. Arrival is more than a story; it’s an experience!

After twelve egg-like unidentified objects land on earth, the U.S. Government calls upon expert linguist Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to crack the mystery and develop a means of communication with the homogenous alien species. While much of the world is on the brink of an all-out assault on the aliens, Banks is determined to establish a rapport and open communications with the species. Starting with basic words and working up to complex sentences, Banks knows she has to learn the aliens’ language in order to better understand why they have come. When things take a turn for the worst, Banks and Donnelly have precious little time to stop countries from engaging in battle with risk of war. With so little time to unravel the mystery of why the aliens are here and what they want, Banks will find herself on a mind-blowing journey of her own.

You’ve just got to see it. There is so much that I want to talk about, but it would spoil so much of the film. I’ve mentioned before that there are great ‘movies’ that are mediocre ‘films,’ but this is a prime example of an excellent movie AND brilliant film. The brilliance of this film is not in the stunning visuals, although that is certainly part of it; the brilliance lies within the cinematic and experiential storytelling. During the big reveal at the end of the film, your mind will be blown. You’ll find yourself wanting to watch it again to more clearly understand the strategic placement of the pieces of the puzzle. During a time in which the country appears so incredibly fractured, this film will provide audiences with a renewed sense of wonder and appreciation for that which one may not fully understand. Making the tough calls and putting one’s life at risk of what is right is also woven throughout this story. The theme of Arrival is not fully realized until the latter half of the film. More than a surface-level story about that which I cannot mention without giving it away, this film possesses a dynamic range of themes just beckoning for interpretation. As this film bares much similarity to avant-garde cinema in the reimagining of traditional storytelling, it will evoke a powerful emotional response.

Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner deliver outstanding performances in the lead roles. Taking center stage for most of the film, Adams breaks new ground as an actor in this role that is nearly a complete departure from most of her other roles. Both Adams and Renner display excellent chemistry in their respective characters. Although Adams is the central character and responsible for the drive of the plot, Renner is strategically placed to reinforce the affects Adams’ character has upon the plot. Forest Whitaker also plays a strong colonel and was an excellent choice for his role as well. The success of the cast can be attributed to both the outstanding direction from Villeneuve and the incredible screenplay by Eric Heisserer. Bradford Young’s cinematography is so simple but yet so beautiful and profound. It is of no surprise that this film is being touted as one of the best movies of the year and has a nearly unprecedented 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Whether you are a linguist yourself or just enjoy an exhilarating cinematic journey, Arrival is definitely the film to catch this weekend. For the Star Trek TNG or Voyager fans out there, you will find that Arrival possesses some of the same great content that sets Star Trek apart from other science-fiction shows due to the human condition being central to the overall plot. If you enjoy movies that prompt you to revisit how you perceive your life, time, or space, then you will not be disappointed. There are so many levels to this film. You’ll likely find yourself wanting to see it again after fully realizing the innovative plot. Hopefully this film receives some Oscar noms in the upcoming award season.