It should be noted that spoilers will be unavoidable here, so if you plan on watching Star Trek Picard and don’t want any details revealed to you, stay clear of this post.
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Still here? I can assume you don’t mind spoilers!
We’re halfway through, and so far, PIC has established itself as a slow-burning character piece. Sir Patrick Stewart gives us a Jean-Luc Picard who is every bit the compassionate kind soul we knew him to be in TNG – only he is less guarded with that side of himself. Beneath that however, is a man embittered by seeing the organisation he devoted his life to change, into something unrecognisable. The Federation and Starfleet no longer represent compassion; they have turned away, turned inward, doing so in the face of tragedy, but doing so nonetheless, and in doing so, condemning millions of Romulans to die.
They’ve also allowed for a lawless frontier to develop, where the borders between Federation and Romulan space used to be. There are acts of savagery happening that the Federation ignores now, and Picard… he feels in part responsible, even if it could be argued he had no choice but to resign.
Stewart himself made the point that PIC is a reflection and examination of our current society – Star Trek continues to be a reflection for who we are. Having high and mighty ideals is all well and good, but holding onto those ideals is not easy, especially when there’s a shock to the system. Take a look at how Donald Trump came to be President, or how Brexit became a reality – to assume the Federation couldn’t make bad choices (especially in the presented circumstances) is to err.
Then again, the Federation has never been as perfect as some fans would lead us to believe. The Federation sanctioned the forced relocation of the Baku in the movie Insurrection, agreed to trick the Romulans into entering the Dominion War, and acquiesced to a plot to commit genocide against the Founders in the same war. These aren’t simply the actions of a rogue commander, but state-authorised plans. The apparent paradise of the Federation is a fragile thing, much as our own treasured freedoms are precious, and that’s what PIC is reminding us of. Do not take for granted what we have.
I get that some fans will not like the show, but some call it ‘dystopian’. The very word dystopia means ‘undesirable or frightening society’. The Federation isn’t being portrayed in such a manner, but we’ve peeled back some of the fluffy, cuddly outer layers to see what lies beneath. There are areas of lawlessness where the Federation has withdrawn its presence and takes no action. Not everyone experiences the utopian lifestyle presented in TNG. There’s a grittier tone to PIC, as a result of changing circumstances, which is, once again, a reflection of our society – and Star Trek has always been a vehicle for telling stories relevant to our here and now.
As far as the show itself is concerned, as mentioned before, we have a less-guarded Picard, but also a Picard who is embittered with the establishment he once fought for so passionately. He also carries guilt – he took a stand and resigned, leaving him unable to do anything to help the Romulans, when he might have been able to influence things from inside Starfleet. He sacrificed his career for his principles, but at a greater cost.
This makes PIC a look at redemption. Picard is looking for it, in the shape of trying to help a young woman who turns to him, and then, to try and help the woman’s sister. His former executive officer, ex-Captain Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd in the show) is seeking it, in the form of healing her relationship with her estranged son. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) is hoping to find a way to redeem her work in synthetic/cybernetic life, with synthetics being a major influence on the story arc so far.
There’s intrigue everywhere. Captain Cristóbal Rios is, like Picard, out of love for Starfleet, and now acts as a freelancer (he has an entertaining EMH modelled after himself). Soji and Dahj, the twin sisters, have to be pivotal somehow (I don’t want to give away too much, but the roles – played by Isa Briones – have to be significant). As I said earlier, this is slow-burner, but as we’re halfway through, I can see things picking up now.
One issue – one that I have to voice – is that in episode five, we are ‘treated’ to a very overt display of gory violence. Whilst Star Trek is not pacifist (just google violence in TNG alone), this particular scene seemed to go out of its way to horrify with the intensity. I’m not one of the fans who buys into the notion that Star Trek is family entertainment – it can be, but there have been plenty of episodes of DS9 and VOY that weren’t necessarily in that category, and a few movies too – but this was overkill.
That’s my only gripe. I know it will polarise the fandom, but then again, the mere existence of new Star Trek can do that. I am intrigued to see where this tale will end.
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