But, as the producers of Star Trek: Picard know all too well, that kind of affection can be a double-edged sword. How do you give TNG fans what they want, but also give them something new? It’s a tricky needle to thread, balancing nostalgia with innovation, and Picard — debuting today on CBS All Access; I’ve seen the first three episodes — gets off to an admittedly bumpy start in its attempt to weave Jean-Luc into a fresh story with lots of twists and turns. It takes a while to fully gel, and some fans might start to get impatient, but I’m happy to report that Picard does eventually set up an intriguing mission that’s worthy of its lead character.
Picard is a decidedly sedate affair as well: talky, meditative and barely sci-fi at times, with nary a space battle to be found in the first three episodes. (We spend a lot of time on Earth, too, which stands in stark contrast to Discovery‘s zippy galaxy-hopping.) We do get some nods to Jean-Luc’s Next Generation days — his drink order is an early highlight — but Picard admirably blazes its own trail, assembling a solid crew of newcomers to join Jean-Luc on his mission. The Newsroom‘s Alison Pill is charmingly awkward, a la Discovery‘s Tilly, as geeky robotics professor Agnes, and I instantly liked Jean-Luc’s jaded ex-Starfleet pal Raffi (played by Blindspot‘s Michelle Hurd), since she doesn’t just gawk in admiration of the great captain and even dares to challenge him a little. Plus, Santiago Cabrera (Salvation) adds a dash of swagger as Rios, a Han Solo-ish pilot with a checkered past.
Really, though, Picard centers on Stewart, and the 79-year-old actor brings keen new insight to an old role here, as Jean-Luc faces his own mortality in a harsh world that treats him like a delusional old coot. (Picard also recognizes, wisely, that Jean-Luc isn’t up for big action scenes anymore, and mostly sidelines him when fights break out.) It’s a true pleasure to see Stewart in his element again, and it’s a relief that Picard has managed to build a new universe around him that we’d actually like to spend more time in. By the end of Episode 3, I was starting to feel those familiar Next Generation vibes again… and that might be the highest recommendation of all.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Though the plotting gets dense at times, Star Trek: Picard has created an intriguing new mission for star Patrick Stewart.