'Star Trek: Picard' Episode 1: Picard remains as warm as ever despite the horrors he witnessed
There is a warm rush of nostalgia when watching 'Star Trek: Picard', the latest spin-off spearheaded by CBS-All Access. Peppered deliciously with references to 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', 'Nemesis' and the 2009 film 'Star Trek', the new show revolves around the retired captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who is as eloquent as ever. He is a little out of action as he has been far away from intergalactic missions for over two decades. He is seemingly living an idyllic lifestyle in his beloved France with two Romulan staffers and his dog Number 1 for company. But it's not entirely a happy picture.
The show opens with a scene that would be enough to make fans' hearts weep with happiness. Picard is seen playing a game with his close synthetic friend Data (Brent Spiner), in the old spaceship we love so much. There is a delightful banter between them and Data notices that Picard is stalling the game.
"I don't want the game to end," Picard says wistfully.
A few seconds later, there is an explosion and Picard wakes up from his dream. His Romulan friends tell him the next morning that he was muttering in his sleep. Was he having a nightmare, they ask. Picard quietly answers, "The dreams are lovely. It's the waking up, I'm beginning to resent."
And so, slowly through the episode, we begin to get a clearer picture of Picard. He's far from his heydays and some wounds are still fresh. He doesn't wish to be associated with the Starfleet, ever since the Romulan rescue mission over 20 years ago bombed disastrously. He resigned after the supernova that annihilated Romulan and a terrorist attack on Mars that occurred in tandem, right after that. The Starfleet had initially promised to rescue the Romulans, but went back on the promise, leaving Picard smarting with betrayal. There was a ban on synthetic life forms as well, adding insult to injury.
In an interview with a journalist on the anniversary of the supernova, she attacks him on his sensitive spots with jarring questions. Picard storms out from the interview after explaining why he left, saying that "Starfleet is not Starfleet!"
Picard is a shadow of his former self in this episode, but he is slowly returning to the action that made him the hero he once was. Yet, he still possesses that empathy and love that made him such a respected figure in Star Trek lore. He is still strong with his moral compass and that's evident when the journalist snipes at him saying, "Romulan lives were lost," and he corrects her, "Lives were lost."
Picard's trademark gentleness is there and is evident when he meets Data's daughter, Dahj. He tells her the truth about her parentage in a wonderfully emotional way, making her realize that the line between humans and AIs are not so blurred.
There are a million reasons why Picard is such a revered figure and this is just a few of them. There are so many layers to this philosophical character who exudes such Shakespearan eloquence in a composed manner. As always he gives beautiful quotable lines with impeccable delivery, including this, "I haven't been living. I have been waiting to die."
Picard is back and is determined to set things straight on a new quest with a new crew, but with the same old affectionate heart that he always had.
'Star Trek: Picard' airs on CBS- All Access on Thursdays, 12:01 am.
