‘Star Trek: Picard’ heads in the right direction with third season
Capt. Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and retired Adm. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) face a ruthless enemy in “Star Trek: Picard.” Behind them are Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden, far right) and her son Jack (Ed Speelers).
Editor’s note: There are plot spoilers for episodes that have already aired.
“Star Trek: Picard” is back on course.
The series had a fantastic first season and a second season with mixed results, but the third season easily is its most dramatic within a cliffhanger at the end of every episode.
The series streams with new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+, and today’s episode is called “No Win Scenario.” (This writer has not seen it in advance.)
The first season, which addressed artificial intelligence and the synthetic species of androids inspired by Data, remains the most mysterious, but this season raises its own share of questions.
The best thing about this season is the reunion of “The Next Generation” cast, and the friendship between retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) and his former Number One, Capt. Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) stands out for its sense of emotion and fun.
This season began with one of the better storylines for Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), who has brought medical treatments to worlds not on the Federation’s radar with help of her son Jack (Ed Speelers). They’re being chased, and Beverly, who hasn’t stayed in touch with the Enterprise crew for 20 years, reaches out to Jean-Luc for help. That sets events into motion, and Picard and Riker end up on the USS Titan, where Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), is the first officer. They end up being chased by the villainous Vadic, who’s after Jack.
It won’t be spoiled here in case you missed the episode, but there’s a dramatic revelation about Jack.
Meanwhile, Raffi (Michelle Hurd) is on a Starfleet intelligence assignment that eventually leads her to working on a mission to defeat a dangerous enemy. Her partner in this effort is none other than Worf (Michael Dorn), who has learned to balance the fire of his Klingon energy with philosophical calm.
Complicating matters is a rogue group of Founders/changelings from the Dominion, who are involved in both storylines.
The writing, the acting, the growth of the characters, the impressive special effects and the imaginative plot add up to a great season of “PIcard” so far. The producers are keeping fans guessing on various questions, but not too long, with each episode answering old questions and raising new ones.
The ride is far more thrilling than the second season and has even more cliffhangers than the first one. What’s more, this season shows that showrunner Terry Matalas is both able to be nostalgic about the “Next Generation” characters and take them in bold new directions.
email: dmason@newspress.com
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New episodes of “Star Trek: Picard” stream on Thursdays on Paramount+.
