Star Trek: Picard — Episode 1, The Star Gazer Review
Look Up, Jean-Luc
By Mark
And so we are back, in outer space, but Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart (“ Logan “, “Green Room”), definitely does not have that same look upon his face. It is quite, quite different.
There’s no, ‘previously on Star Trek: Picard’, which is nice, instead we’re thrust right in the thick of things as Picard orders the self-destruct sequence onboard a ship just as someone says his name.
48-hours earlier and we’re on Earth at Chateau Picard and it is harvest time. Picard and his minimalist crew are having a merry old time making wine and I imagine drinking it too.
Later, he sits outside with Laris, Orla Brady (“The South Westerlies (TV)”, “ The Foreigner “), as they talk about things. She asks him when he’s going to think about himself, when has he ever thought about himself, they get closer and closer.
He remembers when he was a small boy growing up at the Chateau. His mother told him, should he ever hear her arguing with his father, that he should look up at the stars.
The next day he’s giving a speech to thousands of Starfleet Academy Graduates, including Elnor, Evan Evagora (“Fantasy Island”, “Home and Away (TV)”), the first full Romulan to go to Starfleet Academy. Raffi Musiker, Michelle Hurd (“Blindspot (TV)”, “Hawaii Five-0 (TV)”), is also there, now a Commander.
Out in space meanwhile we see Seven of Nine, Jeri Ryan (“ Devil’s Revenge “, “Bosch (TV)”), as her ship, formerly Cristóbal Rios’, Santiago Cabrera (“Big Little Lies (TV)”, “The Flight Attendant (TV)”), is boarded and she has to take care of them, with some help from hologram Cris. When she’s finished her attention is drawn to a large, green subspace anomaly outside her ship; they don’t know what it is.
Dr. Agnes Jurati, Alison Pill (“Them (TV)”, “ Devs (TV) “), is with Soji, Isa Briones (“American Crime Story (TV)”, “Lonely Boy”), on Raritan IV, the ban on synthetics having now been lifted. Agnes is getting drunk at the bar when Cris, the actual one, contacts her and she joins him on his ship.
He is now a Starfleet Captain again, of the USS Stargazer, NCC-82893. This is a new class of ship, hot off the production line. They arrive at the anomaly which suddenly starts sending out a loud message to them. The computer is unable to decipher it but Agnes manages to and it’s lots of voices all saying the same thing, “help us Picard”.
Picard is in downtown LA however, catching up with an old friend, I won’t spoil it. When he gets home he’s told about the anomaly which is now asking to join the Federation but it will only negotiate with him.
He arrives on the Stargazer and attempts to make contact with the anomaly. At first, nothing, but then something begins to emerge through it, something we and they haven’t seen before, at least, not like this.
What a start to a new series! No messing, no, ‘remember this from last time?’, just straight into it and straight into space too. For fans of The Next Generation this episode will not let you down and, I have a feeling — I certainly hope — this series is not going to let us down either. Who’d have thought they’d resurrect this little nugget?
Written by Akiva Goldsman (“Titans (TV)”, “ The Dark Tower “) and Terry Matalas (“Star Trek: Enterprise (TV)”, “Terra Nova (TV)”) and directed by Doug Aarniokoski (“Clarice (TV)”, “Star Trek: Discovery (TV)”).
Originally published at https://www.ocmoviereviews.com.
