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Star Trek: Picard recap: Playing dress-up for keeps

Picard finds the mystery man he’s been looking for and gets to don an absurd disguise in this week’s installment of Star Trek: Picard (“Stardust City Rag”), which is arguably the most streamlined, and confident, episode to date.

Thirteen years earlier at The Seven Domes on Planet Vergessen, a doctor brutally extracts an eyeball from her Borg captive. This torturous operation is ended by Seven of Nine, who blasts those working at this Borg slaughterhouse. Unfortunately, she’s too late to save her comrade, whom she refers to as her “son,” and then kills in an act of mercy.

Freecloud’s Stardust City is a neo-Vegas, all holographic projections of towering dancing beauties, fighting robots, and gambling iconography. In a swanky lounge, Mr. Vup (Dominic Burgess) — a giant, unfriendly lizard man referred to later as a “sentient reptiloid” — tells crime boss Bjayzl (Necar Zadegan) that Bruce Maddox (John Ales) is in the establishment. Though Bjayzl initially orders Maddox killed, she reconsiders and instead has a chat with the scruffy-bearded doc, whose unkempt appearance and harried demeanor are in keeping with the story he has to tell — namely, that his lab was destroyed by the Tal Shiar, prompting him to flee for his life. Maddox apologetically tells Bjayzl that he won’t be able to repay her loan. Bjayzl has already set a new plan in motion, which begins with poisoning Maddox via booze.

Onboard the La Sirena, Seven finds Picard in a holographic recreation of his chateau den. He states that he admires the goals, courage, and tenacity of the Fenris Rangers, a squad of galactic vigilante do-gooders that Seven joined once the Federation, post-Mars crisis, gave up on aiding planets and people in need. Picard chides Seven for “taking the law into your hands.” However, he can’t argue with her retort: “What law?”

Seven isn’t interested in receiving a lecture about her “judge and jury” conduct since she believes doing nothing and giving up would be far worse. She agrees to be dropped off on Freecloud. Yet upon hearing that Picard is trying to help “someone who has no one else to help her” — and will likely die without his assistance — she signs up for his mission.

Raffi researches a man named Gabriel Wong (Mason Gooding) and then has a conversation with Rios in which they discuss — more for the benefit of newbie Star Trek viewers than for narrative purposes — the “notorious” Seven, and the fact that Picard used to be a Borg. “This is some strange cargo you brought me this time,” Rios tells Raffi with a smile.

Jurati watches a home movie of herself and Maddox baking cookies, which ends in a kiss — a key revelation about her personal connection to this saga. After the crew dispatch holographic advertisements from Freecloud (Jurati has to virtually knock out a robot pugilist), Raffi announces that she’s found Maddox on an online message board for illicit transactions. Apparently, Bjayzl is looking to broker a deal for Maddox with the Tal Shiar.

Seven informs the crew that Bjayzl butchers ex-Borgs for their implanted parts. She suggests a plan in which the heroes trade her — whom Bjayzl covets more than anyone — for Maddox.

For this scheme, Rios dons a fur-shouldered coat, open-necked shirt, gold chains, sunglasses, and a giant wide-brimmed hat decorated with a feather to pose as the confident middleman for the deal. He beams down to the Freecloud nightclub and negotiates with Mr. Vup, who can smell a lie. That would be a problem if not for the fact that Rios has already received a beta-blocker injection that masks any chemical scent indicating deception. Rios tells Mr. Vup that rather than working on behalf of the Tal Shiar, he’s actually been hired by a third party with a different offer for Maddox — namely, Seven.

Wearing an eye patch and sporting a ludicrous French accent for his performance as Seven’s “seller,” Picard beams down with Elnor and a handcuffed Seven, who’s earned the respect of Raffi for trying to aid the downtrodden when no one else would. Raffi, meanwhile, leaves Picard and company for good — or so she thinks — and travels to the Stardust City Reproductive Health Services center. There, she finds her son, Gabriel. Gabriel remains furious about the fact that Raffi prioritized her “crackpot” theory about an “Enclave of Eight” and a conspiracy about the synthetics’ attack on Mars over her family. She defends those convictions but pleads with him to give her another chance, saying she’s cleaned herself up. It doesn’t work, and though Raffi gets to briefly meet her daughter-in-law — who’s pregnant with her granddaughter — her reunion abruptly ends there.

Bjayzl taunts Seven about carving up her comrade, and mocks her for wanting to “save the outcast, rescue the forgotten.” Seven responds by reminding Bjayzl that she was able to escape the villain’s clutches (“I’m the one that got away”). Breaking free from her handcuffs, Seven grabs Bjayzl by the throat. The jig is up, and Picard demands answers from Seven about her relationship to Bjayzl. Seven obliges, recounting Bjayzl’s slaughter of her friend, and Picard proclaims, “Murder is not justice. There is no solace in revenge.”

Rios kills Mr. Vup (who was making a move to attack) and warns Seven that if she assassinates Bjayzl, Picard and Elnor will wind up with a bounty on their heads. Conceding this point, Seven offers Bjayzl her life in exchange for their safe passage back to their ship with Maddox. Bjayzl agrees, and Maddox is taken to the sickbay, where he’s cared for by Jurati.

Picard is happy with Seven’s choice and allows her to take two blasters as she departs La Sirena. On her way out, she asks Picard if, after being brought back from the Borg collective, he feels he’s regained all of his humanity. “No. But we’re both working on it, aren’t we?” he replies, to which she says, “Every damn day of my life.”

Seven beams back to Freecloud, and everyone in the lounge bolts except for Bjayzl, who says Seven is “sentimental” for risking her own life to protect her friends. “Picard still thinks there’s a place in the galaxy for mercy. I didn’t want to disillusion him. Somebody out there ought to have a little hope,” Seven states, before vaporizing Bjayzl and taking on the vanquished enemy’s hostile security forces.

In the sickbay, Maddox confesses to Picard that he knew Dahj was dead as soon as the Tal Shiar raided his laboratory. He informs Picard that Soji is on the Artifact for the same reason her sister was sent to Earth — to uncover the truth about the ban on synthetics. Maddox claims that the ones hiding that truth are also hunting Soji, and he believes those nefarious forces aren’t just the Romulans, but also members of the Federation.

Rios accepts Picard’s request to fly into Romulan space (to visit the Artifact), and then asks him about their “stowaway” Raffi, who’s sulking in her room following her disastrous meeting with Gabriel.

His health improving, Maddox is thrilled to see Jurati and asks her if she got to meet Dahj on Earth, referring to the synthetic (and her sister) as “perfectly imperfect” and crediting Jurati for her essential contribution to their creation. As with Raffi and Gabriel, however, their reunion is an unhappy one, as Jurati murders Maddox while tearfully admitting, “I wish you know what I know. I wish I didn’t know what I know. I wish they hadn’t shown me. I’m so sorry.”

Captain’s Log:

This is the first episode without any action set aboard the Artifact, and the results are propulsive, suggesting that the show is best when focusing on straight-ahead space adventure.
Rios’ undercover outfit is so swanky and so contrary to his usual “broody existentialist spaceman routine” (as Raffi puts it), that it proves one of the series’ highlights.
Though he’s often in the thick of things here, Picard doesn’t actually do much in this episode; it would be nice if, when plans go sidewise, he wasn’t such a passive bystander.

Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard is the eighth main series set in the Star Trek universe, the ninth including the companion series Star Trek: Short Treks , and the eleventh Star Trek series overall. Picard is produced by CBS Studios and stars Patrick Stewart , reprising the role of Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation . [1] The new series is set twenty years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis , [2] dealing with "the new chapter in Picard's life."

The series forms part of Alex Kurtzman 's five-year deal with CBS to expand the Star Trek franchise . The first season debuted on CBS All Access , which subsequently became Paramount+ . [3] Kurtzman serves as executive producer on the series along with Stewart, as well as James Duff , Akiva Goldsman , Michael Chabon , Trevor Roth , Heather Kadin , and Rod Roddenberry . In addition, Aaron Baiers serves as co-executive producer. [4] Writer Kirsten Beyer devised the concept for the series, [5] and she features as part of the writing staff alongside Kurtzman, Duff, Goldsman, and Chabon. Chabon served as the first season's showrunner. [6]

1 Production history
2 Opening credits
3.1 Special guest stars
3.2 Recurring guest stars
4.1 Season 1
4.2 Season 2
4.3 Season 3
5.1 Production
5.2.1 Reception
5.2.2 Products
6 Related topics
8 External links

Production history

The series was announced at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention on 4 August 2018 , where Stewart appeared alongside Kurtzman to reveal his involvement. At the time of the announcement, the series was still early in pre-production, with no scripts written yet. [7] According to the actor, the possibility of Picard's return had been suggested to him about a year before, but he originally planned to reject the idea. However, upon revisiting episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and realizing the power and influence of the series, he changed his mind. [8] On making the announcement, Stewart referred to the news as "unexpected, but delightful". [9]

It was reported that, on the day before the announcement, CBS applied for a number of trademarks in classes relating to entertainment, which could be connected with the new series. Marks applied for included " Star Trek: Reliant ", and " Star Trek: Destiny ", a title that shares its name with a post-TNG Star Trek novel trilogy . [10]

Work in the writers' room began in September 2018 , and an image of the staff with Stewart was shared by the actor at the end of that month. [11] This image featured Stewart, Duff, Goldsman, Beyer, Chabon and also Diandra Pendleton-Thompson , who had not been previously announced as one of the series' writers. Production was expected to begin in April 2019 , according to Kurtzman, [12] and the series is filmed in California. [13] In December 2018, CBS Corporation Chief Creative Officer David Nevins stated that CBS expected the series to launch late in 2019. [14]

In January 2019 , Kurtzman announced that the series would acknowledge the prime universe elements of Star Trek , stating that " Picard's life was radically altered by the dissolution of the Romulan Empire . " [15]

On 1 March 2019 , it was announced that Hanelle M. Culpepper would be directing the first two episodes of the series. [16] This marks the first time that a black woman was directing the series premiere of a Star Trek series.

On 4 March 2019 , the first two series regulars besides Stewart were announced, Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd . [17] Later in March, Evan Evagora was added to the cast as a series regular. [18]

On 17 April 2019 , it was announced that Alison Pill , Harry Treadaway , and Isa Briones were joining the cast. [19]

On 22 April 2019 , production on the show began. [20] The Star Trek: Picard production is based out of Santa Clarita Studios (SCS). SCS is an independent studio production facility based in Santa Clarita, California, 35 miles north of Hollywood. Although Star Trek was returning to Hollywood, like all of the previous series save Star Trek: Discovery , it is not being shot at Star Trek 's previous home of Paramount Studios. [21] Paramount lost not only its television division, but the entire franchise as well, when the former Viacom was split in late 2005 into the new Viacom (Paramount's holding company at the time Picard began filming) and the CBS Corporation , with Star Trek ownership passing over to the latter. (The two corporations re-merged to form ViacomCBS in December 2019; ViacomCBS was rebranded as Paramount Global in February 2022.)

Shortly before filming began, Michael Chabon was appointed as showrunner. [22] However, CBS did not announce Chabon's position until 27 June 2019 . [23]

On 13 May 2019 , the announcement was made that Amazon Prime had acquired the international streaming rights for the new series, each episode to be aired 24 hours after its American premiere on CBS All Access . [24] [25] Stewart confirmed the news the same day on his Twitter account. [26]

On 15 May 2019 , the first seven-second teaser, revealing the new show's title and logo, was released. [27] This was followed on 23 May by the first live-action teaser trailer in both the CBS All Access and Amazon Prime Video variants. [28] [29] The voice of the teaser trailer's female narrator was not from any of the then-known contracted actresses, but rather from voice actress Merrin Dungey . [30] It was after the series had premiered, that it became apparent that Dungey was also given the guest-starring part of Richter .

On 20 July 2019 the first official Season 1 trailer , coming in at 130 seconds, was unveiled at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con. The trailer featured footage of former Next Generation co-star Brent Spiner , and Star Trek: Voyager star Jeri Ryan reprising her role as Seven of Nine . It was also announced that Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis would each be reprising their roles as William T. Riker and Deanna Troi , respectively.

Robert Picardo revealed on 29 July 2019 that he has been approached about a possible appearance in a second season of the show. [31]

On 31 August 2019 , Michael Chabon posted on Instagram that filming for the first season had been completed. [32]

On 17 September 2019 , Patrick Stewart told The Huddersfield Daily Examiner in his native Yorkshire that " there is ... the possibility of a second Picard series filming in March next year. " [33]

On 5 October 2019 , a second trailer debuted at New York Comic-Con, and it was announced that the first season would air on CBS All Access beginning on 23 January 2020 .

On 7 October 2019 , Kurtzman confirmed that a second season of Picard was "already in the works". [34]

An interview released on 29 November 2019 mentioned Ayelet Waldman as a member of the writing staff for Picard . [35]

On 10 December 2019 , it was announced that Michael Chabon would step down from his role as showrunner, but would remain involved in the show. [36]

On 20 December 2019 , a third teaser trailer debuted almost exactly one month ahead of the CBS All Access series premier online. The teaser revealed new pieces of footage with Jean-Luc Picard in what appears to be Ten Forward , the bar on the USS Enterprise -D , among other quick new moments with William T. Riker , Dr. Agnes Jurati, and what appears to be a Borg flashback. [37]

The renewal of Star Trek: Picard for a second season was informally revealed on 16 December 2019 , and formally announced on 12 January 2020 . [38] [39] The same day, it was announced that Terry Matalas had joined the staff of Picard , and was likely to take over as showrunner from Chabon. [40] Also joining the writing team was Marc Bernardin .

The series premiered in North America on 23 January 2020 on CBS All Access with its first episode " Remembrance ", with the rest of the world following suit the next day through Amazon Prime Video.

In August 2020 , Alex Kurtzman said that the Picard writers' room had continued to meet via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic. [41]

Opening credits

The opening title sequence for Star Trek: Picard was meant to connect viewers to Picard's journey in a way that was "more intimate" and "more emotional", containing imagery of Château Picard , a Borg cube , chips and pieces that would culminate into Picard himself. [42]

Teaser image of Picard in Picard

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati (Seasons 1-2)
Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine (Seasons 2-3)
Isa Briones as Soji Asha , Dahj Asha , Sutra (Season 1), and Kore Soong (Season 2)
Evan Evagora as Elnor (Seasons 1-2)
Michelle Hurd as Raffaela Musiker
Orla Brady as Laris and Tallinn (Season 2)
Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher (Season 3)
Santiago Cabrera as Cristóbal "Chris" Rios , Emil , Emmet , Enoch , Ian , and Mister Hospitality (Seasons 1-2)
Harry Treadaway as Narek (Season 1)
Brent Spiner as Adam Soong (Season 2)

Special guest stars

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge (Season 3)
Daniel Davis as James Moriarty (Season 3)
John de Lancie as Q (Season 2)
Michael Dorn as Worf (Season 3)
Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren (Season 3)
Jonathan Frakes as William T. Riker (Seasons 1 & 3)
Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan (Season 2)
Walter Koenig as Anton Chekov (voice) (Season 3)
Alice Krige as the Borg Queen (voice) (Season 3)
Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher (Season 3)
Tim Russ as Tuvok , Tuvok (Season 3)
Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine (Season 1)
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi (Seasons 1 & 3)
Brent Spiner as Data and Altan Soong (Season 1); Daystrom Android M-5-10 (Season 3)

Episode list

PIC Season 1 , 10 episodes:

PIC Season 2 , 10 episodes: [43] [44] [45]

PIC Season 3 , 10 episodes: [46]

Development

Picard lead Patrick Stewart initially had no intention whatsoever to reprise his role, feeling that the role had run its course, but decided to accept the invitation for a talk with the producers, as he felt it was only courteous to explain his reasons for declining the part in person. However, during the meeting and its follow-ups, Producer Michael Chabon was able to change Stewart's mind as he was fully willing to take Stewart's vision of an older Picard into account. In the process, Chabon entirely discarded the original story treatment he had written for the opening episode, and started a new, heeding Stewart's concerns. ( TRR : " Remembrance ") Stewart himself has confirmed this (including his initial disinclination to take on the role again) during his appearance on the British talk show The Graham Norton Show (Season 26, Episode 16, 17 January 2020), shortly before the series premiered. [47]

Marina Sirtis appeared with the same wig and contact lenses that she wore in Star Trek Nemesis . She held on to them after that production finished, and informed Picard producers of this, likely saving them time and the US$10,000 it would have cost to make a new wig. [48]

In the months leading up to the premiere of the new series, a monthly prequel three-volume comic book mini-series, Star Trek: Picard - Countdown , was released by IDW Publishing , starting in November 2019. The comic book series introduced several characters, later featured in the live-action production, as well as dealing with events that led up to the ones featured on the show.

Additionally, the Star Trek: Picard Movie & TV Collection Blu-ray Disc set (which incidentally, included the exclusive sixteen-page Star Trek: Sky's the Limit comic book, likewise from IDW [49] ) saw an October/November release as an appetizer. [50] The majority of the titles included in the collection contained events referenced to in the series, which held especially true for TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", Star Trek: First Contact , and Star Trek Nemesis .

The London, UK, "Picardilly Circus" subway station

Aside for Patrick Stewart's own remarks on the new show, it was also revealed in the above-mentioned The Graham Norton Show episode, that the London Underground station Piccadilly Circus was temporarily dubbed "Pica r dilly Circus" in anticipation of the new series, whereas Stewart himself had related how he came across a New York City subway line map into which an imaginary subway line was incorporated, outlining the Starfleet arrowhead logo. [51] Both of these occasions had been part of the official franchise overall marketing strategy. London public transportation Head of Customer Information, Design and Partnerships at Transport for London, Julie Dixon, clarified, " We're thrilled to partner with Amazon Prime Video to create this exciting takeover of one of London's most well-known Underground stations to celebrate the launch of Star Trek: Picard . The Star Trek franchise is a global sensation and we're excited to mark this next chapter in a creative and engaging way that connects with tens of thousands of people. We hope that the out of this world activity has brought a bit of unexpected fun to our customers and that they boldly go on their commute, young or old. " [52] The New York City MTA metro company Stewart had come across, additionally dispensed Star Trek: Picard -themed cards/tickets at six pre-selected metro stations, aside from displaying the series billboards and having adjusted its subway line map where the six stations were linked to form the Starfleet arrowhead. [53] [54]

In its first season, Star Trek: Picard was nominated for five Emmy Awards , all in "technical" categories such as makeup and sound editing. It won one, "Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special".

FanSets debuted its first Star Trek: Picard pins in 2019.

CherryTree previewed a prototype of its Borg Cube ATX Limited Collector's Edition computer in July 2019 , [55] and the final version reached retail in January 2020 . [56] Smaller ITX builds of this cube debuted in June 2020 . In 2021, the company displayed a prototype for its forthcoming computerized Star Trek: Picard Borg Cube Record Player . [57]

In June 2019 , Eaglemoss/Hero Collector 's project manager Ben Robinson reconfirmed that the company would manufacture starship miniatures from the series, and later indicated that they would be about 150 to 250 mm in length, similar to ships from its DIS starships partwork . The first four sets of CG starship assets were received from the production in March 2020 , and the first products, models of La Sirena , the USS Zheng He , Fenris Ranger vessel , and the Romulan Bird-of-Prey were scheduled. [58] In October 2020 , the company announced that its forthcoming PIC starship line would be combined with ships from Star Trek: Discovery (after the release of issue 33 of the DIS collection) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds into a new partwork , which was subsequently named the Star Trek Universe: The Official Starships Collection and debuted in March 2021 . [59] Robinson added, " We've got 9 or 10 Picard ships followed by the Disco season 3 fleet. " [60]

In June 2021, Eaglemoss released its first, larger XL Edition model of a "hero ship" from PIC within its Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection . Three starship classes from the series are also covered in the second edition of the company's Star Trek: Shipyards - Starfleet Ships 2294 to the Future reference book . [61]

Hallmark has scheduled the release of its La Sirena Christmas ornament for October 2021 . [62]

On 13 July 2021 , ViacomCBS Consumer Products and Playmates Toys jointly announced that the latter had acquired new licensing for " action figures, vehicles and ships, role play and other toy categories ", and slated the first of these products for retail release in 2022. Among other Star Trek series and films, this licensing encompasses Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Lower Decks , and Star Trek: Prodigy . [63]

CherryTree Borg Cube ATX Limited Collector's Edition prototype

External links

Star Trek: Picard at Wikipedia
Star Trek: Picard at the Internet Movie Database
Star Trek: Picard at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
1 Daniels (Crewman)
3 World War III

Star Trek: Picard

At the end of the 24th Century, and 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) is living a quiet life on his vineyard, Chateau Picard. When he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj (Isa Briones), in need of his help, he soon realizes she may have personal connections to his own past.

Picard investigates the mystery of Dahj as well as what her very existence means to the Federation. Meanwhile, hidden enemies are also interested in Picard's investigation. Without Starfleet's support, Picard is left leaning on others for help.

Completely unaware of her special nature, Soji captures the attention of the Borg cube research project's executive director. After rehashing past events with a reluctant Raffi, Picard seeks others willing to join his search for Bruce Maddox.

The crew's journey to Freecloud takes a detour when Picard orders a stop at the planet Vashti where Picard reunites with Elnor, a young Romulan he befriended. Narek continues his attempts to learn more about Soji while Narissa's impatience grows.

The La Sirena crew begin an unpredictable and lively expedition on Freecloud to search for Bruce Maddox. When they learn Maddox has found himself in a precarious situation, a familiar face offers her assistance.

Picard and the crew track Soji to the Borg cube in Romulan space, resurfacing haunting memories for Picard. Meanwhile, Narek believes he finally found a way to safely exploit Soji for information.

Bonus Content

Cast & crew.

Sir Patrick Stewart

Jean-Luc Picard

LeVar Burton

Geordi LaForge

Michael Dorn

Jonathan Frakes

Gates McFadden

Beverly Crusher

Return of beloved sci-fi captain has adventure, violence.

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‘star trek: picard’: tv review.

Sir Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard is back and he's got some unfinished business in CBS All Access' 'Star Trek: Picard,' the latest venture into space, the final frontier.

By Daniel Fienberg

Daniel Fienberg

Chief Television Critic

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I enjoy narrative table-setting. The first 100 pages of a Stephen King book are always more gripping for me than the last 100 pages. My ideal version of Lost just would have been plane crash survivors learning to live on a deserted island. Those allegedly slow season-opening Game of Thrones episodes that were just characters interacting and reminding each other of the stakes never failed to make me happy.

It’s with that grain of salt that I note that I mostly liked the first three episodes of CBS All Access ‘ Star Trek : Picard , but even by my tolerant standards found them a little expositionally over-the-top. The events that get stretched over three, 40-minute episodes of Picard probably could have been dispatched in the opening 10 minutes of a feature and surely could have been delivered in one or two TV installments without sacrificing room to breathe. It’s novelistic — Michael Chabon is the showrunner, for heaven’s sake — and given grounded intensity by the great Patrick Stewart , but it still has no urgency to get anywhere in particular. Take that as a critique or a warning.

Air date: Jan 23, 2020

We begin at Chateau Picard in France. In the 14 years since he resigned from Starfleet in a fit of pique/sanctimony/righteousness, Jean-Luc Picard (Stewart) is living a quiet life writing, tending to his vineyard and hanging out with his dogs and a pair of Romulan aides or servants or whatnot. On the anniversary of the Romulan Supernova — invest as much effort into caring as you see fit — Picard does a rare TV interview, an apparently live conversation that goes wrong, though it does attract the attentions of a mysterious woman (Isa Briones’ Dahj) with ties to Picard’s bestie Data (Brent Spiner). Dahj seeks Picard out and it sets into motion a chain of events that will eventually, very slowly, instigate a mission sending Picard back into space.

What? You thought Star Trek: Picard was going to be an entire series dedicated to Jean-Luc Picard monitoring, as he puts it, “the spittlebugs on the pinots”? “The vine must be drawn here!” Of course not. That’s the oddest thing about the pace of Picard . Whether or not you view the series as a straight-up Next Generation sequel, you know that no matter how determined Picard is to maintain his Earthbound exile, he’s going to eventually end up on the bridge of some spacecraft or another, because otherwise there’s no series, but despite that inevitability, Picard inches along.

'Star Trek: Picard' Renewed for Season 2 at CBS All Access

The thing that can’t be denied, if you bother to stick with Star Trek: Picard for more than five minutes, is that Stewart’s effortless authority and well-earned venerability — he’s 79, but could pass for 60 with ease — is sufficient enough reason to watch. He makes every line of dialogue, no matter how clunky it must have looked on the page, sound melodic and muscular and, as he’s always done, protects Picard’s more stubborn and potentially infuriating personality traits.

That Stewart is so adroit with the Trek -ese in the scripts allows room for the show’s new faces to embrace the franchise’s tendency toward earnestly wooden supporting performances. That’s why when I say that Michelle Hurd is a perfect addition to this world, as a figure from Picard’s past, it’s a mixture of compliment and raised eyebrow. Briones doesn’t always sell the words either, but she contributes some assertive physicality to one of the few thrilling action beats in the pilot. Alison Pill, nearing ubiquity this spring with FX’s Devs and Mrs. America upcoming, races through the twisty techno-babble befitting a character with a background in bio-synthetics and what early laughs there are come from her. I liked the different energy that Santiago Cabrera adds a couple episodes in, though I’d need to see more to know if he’s going to emerge as more than just a Han Solo-esque figure appearing in the wrong sci-fi universe.

The end of the third episode is right when Star Trek: Picard seems ready to really take off, which may prove taxing for some impatient viewers. A Hulu-esque three-episode launch might have better mirrored the pace of storytelling here. Of course, the viewers most likely to get impatient are also those most likely to be so happy simply to have Jean-Luc back on their screen that they’re willing to allow the show some indulgence.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Isa Briones, Evan Evagora, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, Harry Treadaway Executive producers: Alex Kurtzman, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, James Duff, Patrick Stewart, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth Premieres: Thursday (CBS All Access)

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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5 Review – Imposters

A surprise character return provides a powerful emotional linchpin for an episode that's otherwise pretty focused on setting up Star Trek: Picard's endgame

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This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5

Now that the U.S.S. Titan has successfully escaped the existential threat of death in a gravity well (and completed a truly outstanding quasi-two-parter in “Seventeen Seconds” and “No Win Scenario” ), Star Trek: Picard slows down a bit. “Imposters” is an hour that is, admittedly, mostly table setting for the back half of the season, as the show moves various pieces into place to finally bring its disparate plots together. Yet, because Picard seems to have learned—at long last—that it’s at its best when it’s wrestling not just with the broader legacy of The Next Generation , but the way that legacy has impacted the lives of others, the episode is still more emotionally compelling than any installment that’s predominantly about Changeling physiology has any right to be.

The big reason for the episode’s success is the surprising return of Bajoran commander Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) , a character who has a complex history with Picard, Riker, and Starfleet itself. Though her time on The Next Generation ended with her decision to ultimately defect and join the resistance group known as the Maquis, an act Picard viewed as a deeply personal and professional betrayal, Picard reveals that Ro has returned to the organization she once abandoned, was court-martialed, went to prison, and is now an official investigator, charged with leading the probe into the potential treason Picard and Riker committed by commandeering the Titan in the first place. Though by episode’s end, we learn she’s been digging into the “Changeling problem” in secret.

The complicated dance of regret, anger, and, yes, genuine affection that still clearly exists between Picard and Ro is the emotional engine that powers the bulk of the episode, and Patrick Stewart and Michelle Forbes are, unsurprisingly, still absolutely fantastic together. That Picard, a man who has given so much to Starfleet, is still angry about Ro’s defection makes plenty of sense, but what Stewart’s performance reveals is how personally he took her decision, and, in fact, how genuinely hurt he was by it. The same, intriguingly enough, can also be said for Ro, who clearly still longs for the approval of the man who first gave her a chance, and is apparently equally hurt that his belief in her couldn’t go far enough to trust that she had a genuine belief in and reason for the choices she made so long ago.

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That “Imposters” actually does a fairly great job of making you wonder whether this is the real Ro or a Changeling in disguise, even as it makes your heart break for the relationship that might have been between these two people, is particularly impressive. (And kind of makes you weep for the lack of similar nuanced and careful writing over the past two seasons of Picard , but at least we have it now , I suppose.) That the sharp jagged edges of their memories are ultimately what allows them both to prove they each are who they say they are is the sort of twist that works perfectly on both an emotional and narrative level.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5 Easter Eggs Explained

Todd Stashwick as Captain Shaw in Star Trek: Picard

Picard Season 3’s Liam Shaw Is the Captain Star Trek Needs Right Now

This is an argument these two people have been waiting three decades to have, and it plays out with all the associated anger, hurt, and misconceptions that each of them has been carrying for so long. And the best part, as is so often the case in all good conflicts, is that they both valid points to make. She did betray all the principles he most believed in, and by extension, their relationship. But he often does conflate morality and duty, and he believed in her most only when it was easiest for him to do so.

The most human of emotions—love, pain, hurt—are what ultimately convince them to trust one another, and it’s such an incredible sequence that it is even more heartbreaking to realize it is the last the two will ever share. That they come to something like a fragile reconciliation before Ro heroically blows herself up to give Team Titan a chance to escape the Changeling-compromised U.S . S. Intrepid is, in hindsight, almost completely predictable, yet a complete gut-punch to watch unfold.

“Imposters” still suffers from some unfortunate pacing problems: sadly, Raffi and Worf’s excellent adventure remains Picard ‘s weakest element. Every time the episode shifts its focus away from the high-tension situation building aboard the Titan , it struggles to maintain anything close to momentum — no matter how much fun it is to watch Michael Dorn sling Klingon weaponry around and proclaim today is a good day to die. But, thanks to Ro’s big revelation—that Starfleet itself is compromised even at the highest levels of command and she’s been working under deep cover to try and suss out both who’s behind it and how to stop it—it appears that we’ll finally see season 3’s two major narrative threads intersect for good next week.

How Jack Crusher fits into all this is still anyone’s guess, though, and “Imposters” does little to clarify what, precisely, is going on with him. Why is he hearing voices and having visions? How does he suddenly have bizarre powers like he’s the Star Trek version of Eleven from Stranger Things ? Is he in control of these abilities or do they just surface at random? And is there a reason this appears to be the first time he’s ever mentioned any of these extremely concerning issues to his mother, who is, after all, one of the most renowned medical doctors in Starfleet?

If the show hadn’t already spent so much time and emotional energy on the whole “Picard’s long lost son with Beverly” subplot, I’d be inclined to assume that Jack is somehow an evolutionary answer to the Changelings’ improved ability to hide in plain sight since he appears to be able to pick them out much more easily than normal humans. But that’s a little too heavy-duty Chosen One vibes even for me at this point. So what is it? Maybe next week we’ll finally find out.

Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

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Star Trek: Picard Boss Explains the Surprise Return of a Next Generation Favorite: ‘It Felt Like We Had to Do It’

Dave nemetz, west coast bureau chief.

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Warning: This post contains spoilers for Thursday’s Star Trek: Picard .

We knew this season of Star Trek: Picard would see Jean-Luc cross paths with a lot of his former Enterprise crewmates — but we didn’t see this one coming.

In Thursday’s episode, Starfleet sent a team of investigators to question Jean-Luc and Riker about their insubordination aboard the Titan , and the team was led by… Ro Laren, the Bajoran lieutenant played by Michelle Forbes on Star Trek: The Next Generation . (Jean-Luc was left deeply disappointed by her on TNG when she left the Enterprise to join a band of resistance fighters.) Forbes reprised her role as Ro Laren this week, and it was clear the wounds between her and Jean-Luc hadn’t exactly healed over the years.

Star Trek Picard Ro Laren Season 3 Episode 5

Jean-Luc still felt betrayed by Ro Laren’s abrupt departure all those years ago, labeling her a “traitor,” and he also suspected she could be one of the changelings that have infiltrated Starfleet. That led to a riveting scene where Jean-Luc and Ro held phasers on each other while arguing about their old rift on the holodeck — “You broke my heart,” he told her, and she replied: “And you broke mine” — and that intense conversation convinced Jean-Luc that she was the real Ro Laren.

For Matalas and the Picard writers, “the opportunity to tell a story that’s essentially a paranoia thriller, where both of them are looking at each other, not entirely certain if each other are who they say they are, and the only way to verify their identity is to work through this kind of catharsis about how they feel, [felt] like it could be good television.” He admits “it was a tough one to crack, but it was brilliantly written by our writers, and I think it’s satisfying. But it felt like we had to do it.”

By episode’s end, Ro Laren exposed the changelings within Starfleet and nobly sacrificed herself, piloting a shuttle carrying a bomb into another ship to allow Jean-Luc and the Titan time to escape. “She sets them on the path, hopefully, that could save the galaxy,” Matalas notes.

Got thoughts on Ro Laren’s surprise return and this season of Picard so far? Beam down to the comments and make your voice heard.

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Brilliant !!

I enjoyed the first two seasons, but these episodes feel like a real continuation of TNG. Very well done.

This third season of Picard has been some of the best Star Trek ever put out. It’s been incredible.

Loved her character and she was like a surrogate daughter for Picard. I haven’t watched yet….

Crazy effing good ep. right there! Never saw that coming. No way. No how.

Outstanding that Michelle Forbes came back to conclude Ro’s story. A brilliant performer whose presence 30 years ago made TNG better and whose appearance in ST:P continues the high quality of this season. And a well-deserved special guest star notation in the credits, as she was one of the recurring stars in TNG as relevant to the series as the regular cast.

yea bring her in then make her stupid. she was in the maquis for pete’s sake. even i could figure out how to get out of that situation. blow the hatch, then while you’re outside you get beamed over. i’m sure she has many more ideas, but writers chose to write her stupid.

Yeah, sure. Blow up the hatch in the small shuttle without a) blowing up herself, b) jump into space and hope that the Titan is faster than the Intrepid and c) that the transporter block on the shuttle is limited to the dimensions of the shuttle.

She did the best she could with the times she had left and did what she said: she gave them a fighting chance to escape.

The communication link was cut off several seconds before the explosion, so its possible she did some maquis trick in that time to survive. Just a theory but strange it didn’t stay connected until the explosion.

It was a very welcome surprise that Michelle Forbes came back, not only that but a character (Ro) we did not know as this surprise was kept, and not released on all the spoiler sites. Not sure how I feel yet about them killing her off, well not true, I would have preferred her to have survived. This season has been a lot better than i thought it would be.

Fantastic episode. I never expected a conclusion to this TNG storyline, just wonderfukl.

Also another 12 Monkeys alumn joined as a guest star, Kirk Acevedo as a Vulcan crime Lord. Who would have thought?

During DS9 the Cardassians joined the Dominion and together waged war on the Maquee. During Voyager we learned that the entire Maquee resistance was wiped out. Ro Larin should have died sometime around 2373 give or a take a few years. Moreover, had she turned herself in before then, Picard would have absolutely been made aware. This was a retcon. An illogical and frankly pointless one at that. She might have been recruited by a section 31 like organization, but never starfleet security. This show is making a mockery of starfleet and star trek canon. Did these writers even watch the DS9 two parter “Home front/Paradise Lost?”

How is this a retcon when it is realistic? The entire Marquis is wiped out? Well, some of them were in the Delta Quadrant. Obviously it wasn’t the entire Marquis. What makes you think that others didn’t also survive? It’s not like Q snipped his fingers and actually wiped them out. You also don’t know when she turned herself in. She only said after years with the Marquis. That could have been well before that all happened. Also you assume that Picard would have been informed. Maybe, or maybe not. Missing information happens all the time. Non of this is a retcon, just nitpicking.

1. Ro Laren joined the Marquis sometime in 2370. It would have been later in the year based on the events and episodes that take place between her return to the enterprise and her defection. The Marquis were wiped out approximately 3-4 years later.

2: Picard was her mentor and commanding officer. She wouldn’t be thrown in jail without a court martial, and they would definitely inform him and seek his testimony in such a proceeding.

3. Torres makes it pretty clear that every base was destroyed and the vast majority died. If she was a lucky survivor then they should have said so in the episode. This was clearly an error by the writers who were probably not very familiar with the events of DS9 and Voyager.

4. A spy who defects is not a good spy. Using her in intelligence is a huge risk. Section 31 would recruit her in a heartbeat. She should have been section 31. This would be even more significant as 31 is the group that created and disseminated (through Odo,) the original Changeling virus/bio weapon. I assume the new found powers/abilities of the Changelings are tied directly to surviving it.

5. That a random Commander would put the pieces together and be allowed to live, and interact freely with JLP is silly writing. Why not replace her instead of her underlings. Especially if she is making noise trying to get to Janeway and other trusted admirals and raise the alarm about the infiltration.

Not only is it a retcon, it is bad writing.

Yes, definitely nitpicking. Nothing Ro said is contradicting established canon. You are just making a lot of assumptions what people would have done or should have done when there are multiple possible scenarios. Just because she didn’t detail every single second of what happened after she left the Enterprise means it’s bad writing or a retcon.

You are over complicating stuff when what happened can also be a lot simpler and still work. It might just not work for you and that is fine. I just don’t agree with it.

Or, they wanted to use an actress who had history with TNG, a character who would be a fun callback, and a character fans would believe Picard would trust. To accomplish this, the ignored the fact that the Marquis only lasted another few years after Roe joined. The better choice would be someone like Miles O’Brien. That said I am not sure they could get the actor to reprise that role.

It’s nice that you are such a devoted fan, but I also think you are nitpicking. They wouldn’t have known if every single Maquis member died. This is not the stretch you are making it out to be.

Crazy good episode! Fantastic way to tie up that loose end!

The season has been a lot better but its weird they way everyone treats Picard. He’s a dinosaur that doesn’t know what happening around him. Everyone seems to lecture/scold him for every idea he has. The show is very antagonistic toward its main character.

On a scale of 1-10 this episode was a 12!!

This season has been incredible. It makes me feel like this third season should have just been a limited series because the first two seasons were not good overall.

If Michelle Forbes isn’t Performer of the Week, I’m going to riot.

(Okay, one person can’t riot but you get what I mean.)

Better and better! . The first few episodes were a little mixed, for me — wonderful performances, but some of the occasion for them seemed shoehorned in, such as the issue between Ryker and Troi. There was the danger of making this into a series of set pieces rather than a story. The business in the nebula had its function, establishing the new bad guy and giving some time for character interactions, and giving a moment of beauty and wonder, but ultimately it got resolved by pulling a rabbit out of a hat, or, rather, stuffing a couple into the port nacelles. . But now things are cooking. As someone who saw TNG when it first aired and subsequently forgot all about it, I had no idea who Ro Laren was, but I still found the scenes with her moving, particularly at the end. Michelle Forbes was just very good, and Patrick Stewart as well, of course. . One standout that no one seems to mention is Michelle Hurd, who’s really brought it, and apart from her solo performances, her chemistry with Michael Dorn has been amazing. Put on top of that their impressive stunt work. . If there actually was another season of this, it would not be a bad thing.

Wil Wheaton had both Dorn and Hurd on The Ready Room, and they discussed the chemistry that developed and prep for the fight scenes quite a bit.

Big plug here for Ready Room. It’s been stellar this season with lots of insights into the characters from the primary players.

I absolutely loved the DS9 tie in here – it was so appropriate. And it gave Michelle Forbes a final reprise, a meaty, heroic, buzzyworthy one.

I have hated every nuTrek series, including Star Trek Picard. It was all garbage. But I can honestly say that season 3 is good Trek. Not perfect. There is some retconning and some misunderstanding of the changelings (the bucket), but it has some great character work, and a pretty cool arc. And there is a son of Beverly Crushers whom I don’t hate! Now I want to see more Trek like this, and it is the last season!

We now need a standalone tv movie to explore the story of Ro. Like RAZOR did for her Admiral Cain.

I liked the return a lot but it really saddened and surprised me that they killed her off.

It didn’t surprise me that they killed her off. They had an interesting character, so of course they killed her off. Shock value. I seriously doubt she’ll be the last.

The biggest shame of killing off Ro was that, with no chance of Yeoh doing it, Ro would have been amazing leading a Section 31 series. I can’t imagine that Forbes would have any interest in playing Ro for that commitment any more than she did back in the 90’s, but one can dream.

Could she have survived the shuttle explosion? I only got 3 words….advanced tactical training!

What a great idea and ep.

Cried so hard.

The confrontation is one of the best scenes in all of ST. Masterfully written and masterfully played by the actors.

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Star Trek: Picard

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Cast & Crew

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How the Picard Season 3 Soundtrack Unlocks All of Star Trek

For World Music Day, let's look at how Picard's final score stretches across the entire final frontier, from familiar themes to deep sonic cuts.

Illustration of headphones attached to a music player, both adorned with Star Trek deltas

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The music of the Final Frontier is one of the most grounding aspects of the entire Star Trek phenomenon. Rather than sounding overtly futuristic, the musical world Trek has always been the opposite — old-fashioned and classic. When Nicholas Meyer hired James Horner to compose the music for The Wrath of Khan , he asked for a score that was "nautical, but nice." This single phrase perhaps best describes a large swath of famous Star Trek scores; the music is rooted in an antique style, combined with a buoyant sense of optimism. The music of Trek looks forward, partly, by looking back. In real life, Star Trek scores have been played at the commissioning of space shuttles, at least one U.S. Presidential Inauguration , and on March 11, 2024, Jerry Goldsmith's themes from Star Trek: First Contact were played during a ceremony in which Sweden was inducted into NATO.

Sometimes, it seems the classical music of Star Trek is oddly more pervasive in everyday life than Star Trek itself. Yes, there have, of course, been examples of non-classical music in Star Trek ; from Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride," to Enterprise 's "Faith of the Heart," Kirk blasting The Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," and, in 2023, musical theater and pop stylings throughout " Subspace Rhapsody " in Strange New Worlds . But, for almost six decades, classical scores have been the sonic glue binding the Trek universe together. From Original Series composers like Alexander Courage and Sol Kaplan, to Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner in the classic films, to Dennis McCarthy in The Next Generation era, Michael Giacchino 's scores for the Kelvin Universe films, to Jeff Russo in Discovery and Chris Westlake in Lower Decks , Nami Melumad on Strange New Worlds and Prodigy , each Trek score often contains a piece of another. But, perhaps more than any orchestral Star Trek event to date, the soundtrack for Star Trek: Picard Season 3 bridges various eras simultaneously, but also created edgy, new directions for Trek scores that had never been tried before.

The Picard Season 3 score — composed by Stephen Barton and Frederik Wiedmann— is a rosetta stone of nearly all of Star Trek music, ever. Here's your guide to why this 2023 score is so unique, how it's the perfect place to start your Star Trek musical education, and why, if you haven't already, consider spinning this one on vinyl .

"All Good Things…Must Come To An End"

The original Enterprise-D crew (Deanna, Riker, Picard, Beverly, Worf, Geordi, and Data) sit around the poker table while raising a glass in 'The Last Generation'

"The Last Generation"

While it's somewhat obvious that Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is a direct follow-up to Picard Season 2, a huge thrust of the series is also a coda to the era of The Next Generation TV series and four feature films. So, throughout this score, there are various musical references to the hugely famous main theme from Star Trek: The Next Generation composed by Jerry Goldsmith. But, within this musical cue, there's an Easter egg to 1979. As many fans know, the immortal TNG main theme was actually first composed by Goldsmith for the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture . And while the bombastic march opens that film, and every episode of TNG, a slower more ballatic version of the theme was created for the classic track "The Enterprise ," in which Scotty and Kirk view the newly refitted ship for the first time.

'The Next Generation'

In Picard Season 3, this dreamy arrangement of the TNG/TMP theme is on full display in the back-to-back tracks "Hello, Beautiful" and "Leaving Spacedock," in which Picard and Riker take a shuttle to the U.S.S. Titan -A, and we hear the gentle strings of "The Enterprise " from 1979. However, as this musical moment continues, and Commander Seven takes the Titan out of spacedock, a new musical theme emerges, which showrunner Terry Matalas has called " The Titan Theme, " since it plays in many instances in the series that focus on the scrappy starship itself. And yet, by the end of Picard Season 3, the Titan becomes a new version of the Enterprise . So, when Riker and Picard roll-up on the Titan and hear the TNG/TMP main theme, it's not just a neat Easter egg, the music becomes a foreshadowing element that helps tell the story.

Deep Cuts Reveal Myriad Star Trek Legacies

"The Next Generation"

Just as Beverly Crusher sends Picard a transmission as a myriad codec, the Picard Season 3 soundtrack contains a myriad of references to all sorts of other Star Trek music. Some of these cues are somewhat obvious. The end-credits for the series borrows from the First Contact main themes, first introduced in 1996, while Jeff Russo's arrangement of the TNG main theme, crafted for Picard Season 1 and Season 2, still exists as part of the brief title card at the top of each episode. But, once you start digging into the episode-by-episode tracks, deeper cuts start to reveal themselves, ever so slowly.

In "Old Communicator," ominous woodwinds play as Picard riffles through his stuff, to find his TNG-era red uniform. These notes are reminiscent of Ron Jones' music for " The Best of Both Worlds " in The Next Generation , reminding us of that time Jean-Luc lost a uniform just like this when he was assimilated by the Borg. But, for composers Barton and Wiedmann, this is just the first of many musical cues from the past.

"The Bounty"

When the Titan arrives at the Fleet Museum in the sixth episode, " The Bounty ," we get a track called "Legacies," which has rapid-fire sonic Easter eggs like no other piece of Star Trek music before or since.

As Seven and Jack observe the various ships in the museum, each one gets his own theme; for the Defiant , we hear Dennis McCarthy's main theme for Deep Space Nine , for the movie-era Enterprise -A, an arrangement of the Alexander Courage TOS theme, and as Seven waxes nostalgic about the U.S.S. Voyager , a triumphant and bittersweet rendition of the Jerry Goldsmith main title from Star Trek: Voyager plays. Impressively, these musical cues are packed into three minutes and fifteen seconds, meaning "Legacies," tells the story of four starships, through music, in a very short amount of time.

Did we say four ships? Yes! Because in addition to the Defiant, Enterprise -A, and Voyager , the medley of "Legacies" eventually concludes with Leonard Rosenman's 1986 themes from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . And that's because Jack realizes that the captured Klingon Bird-of-Prey, which Bones christened the H.M.S. Bounty all those years ago, has a cloaking device that the crew of the Titan can use. And so, this wonderful nod to Rosenman's music not only references The Voyage Home , but also moves the present tense of the story forward.

That Cinematic Feeling

A Musical Legacy: Scoring the Final Season of Star Trek: Picard

On the liner notes to Picard Season 3, Terry Matalas specifies that the score for this season was designed to remind fans of the big, epic music from the films. Even though this was a season of a TV series, the sound of Picard Season 3 is cinematic. "I knew early on that Picard Season 3 needed to sound like the great Trek film scores that came before it," Matalas writes in the liner notes. "[When] I was five…the track 'The Enterprise ' was imprinted onto my brain."

And so, in collaboration with composers Barton and Wiedemann, Matalas steered the music of Picard Season 3 into a massive tribute to the entirety of previous Star Trek film scores. This was accomplished by the sonic Easter eggs we've just pointed out, but this feeling also exists more broadly throughout the entire soundtrack. The dark track "Dominion" isn't one that contains any sonic Easter eggs, but is unique to this soundtrack, as is the heroic hero theme for the Titan , heard in "Leaving Spacedock" and throughout the all ten episodes of the season.

Seven of Nine sits in the captain's chair of the Titan-A, renamed Enterprise-G, in 'The Last Generation'

But, the brilliance of the Picard Season 3 soundtrack isn't that it simply checks-off various Star Trek musical boxes. Instead, it seamlessly blends the old with the new. In "Legacy and the Future," longtime fans will be reminded of Denis McCarthy's tender music from 1994's Star Trek Generations , but as the track builds, we move from the immortal Alexander Courage fanfare, and into the new , future-facing music created for the Titan , which is destined to become Captain Seven's ship, the Enterprise-G , boldly headed into the future.

And so, the Picard Season 3 soundtrack isn't just a series of nostalgia hits. Its music allows us to revisit stories from across the whole timeline of Star Trek , but, also, imagine an unfolding new future, full of wonder, hope, and adventure.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Episode list

Star trek: picard.

S1.E1 ∙ Remembrance

Harry Treadaway and Isa Briones in Star Trek: Picard (2020)

S1.E2 ∙ Maps and Legends

Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, Alison Pill, and Santiago Cabrera in Star Trek: Picard (2020)

S1.E3 ∙ The End Is the Beginning

Evan Evagora in Star Trek: Picard (2020)

S1.E4 ∙ Absolute Candor

S1.E5 ∙ Stardust City Rag

S1.E6 ∙ The Impossible Box

Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard (2020)

S1.E7 ∙ Nepenthe

Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, Alison Pill, Santiago Cabrera, and Isa Briones in Star Trek: Picard (2020)

S1.E8 ∙ Broken Pieces

Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Evan Evagora, and Isa Briones in Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 (2020)

S1.E9 ∙ Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1

Peyton List and Harry Treadaway in Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 (2020)

S1.E10 ∙ Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2

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Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Patrick Stewart, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, Todd Stashwick, and Ed Speleers in Star Trek: Picard (2020)

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The Star Trek: Picard TV series: Everything we know

CBS has officially launched Star Trek: Picard , a new series focusing on Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart’s iconic starship captain from the classic TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation and various Star Trek spinoff films — and CBS’s last, best hope in the streaming war.

First episode is free

Picard on a mission, season 2 greenlit, launch date, the trailers, a man and his dog, the supporting cast, behind the camera, the return of jean-luc.

The series premiered January 23 on the CBS All Access streaming service and unfolds 20 years after the events of the 2002 film Star Trek: Nemesis .

Here’s everything we learned about Star Trek: Picard in the lead-up to its premiere.

Anyone who missed the series premiere of Star Trek: Picard will get another chance to see what all the buzz is about — and without the need for a CBS All Access subscription.

ViacomCBS has made the first episode of Picard available on YouTube for a limited time.

Pluto TV , the free, ad-supported streaming video service, also announced plans to repeatedly stream the first episode of Picard over the course of a 24-hour marathon on Thursday, January 30. The episode will then air again every evening at 8 p.m. ET on Pluto TV’s Sci-Fi channel for a week, through February 5.

You now have even more places to watch the premiere episode of #StarTrekPicard ! Enjoy a 24-hour marathon of Episode 1 on Pluto TV Sci-Fi starting now! (CH 661) https://t.co/NoAhliehhQ #PlutoTV #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/yruNoHZt07 — Pluto TV (@PlutoTV) January 30, 2020

The partnership between CBS All Access and Pluto TV makes sense, given that Pluto TV is owned by ViacomCBS, and could be a sign of things to come as the latter looks to generate more excitement — and subscriptions — for its streaming service.

CBS released a brief preview for the series on Facebook that provided a litany of intriguing new footage. The titular former captain of the Enterprise tells viewers, “I was haunted by my past. But now, I have a mission. I will do what needs to be done.”

While the promotional spot teases some familiar faces and places, the new mission appears to involve a mysterious new character played by Isa Briones, as well as both the Borg Collective and what’s left of the Romulans.

The second season of Star Trek: Picard was given the green light ahead of the series’ debut. Just like the first season, season 2 of Star Trek: Picard will encompass 10 episodes.

Star Trek: Picard debuted on CBS All Access on January 23. The show’s title and logo were first revealed during a network presentation for advertisers on May 15, 2019.

CBS revealed the first, ever-so-brief trailer for the series in May 2019. The preview featured the former Starfleet hero at his family’s vineyard and hinted at an ominous reason for his exit from Starfleet.

Picard ‘s second trailer dropped during San Diego’s Comic-Con International in 2019, and if you thought that the USS Enterprise-D’s beloved captain was the only Star Trek character returning for the show, think again. Not only does the trailer feature Star Trek: Voyager ‘s Seven of Nine and a Borg cube, but Data, played once again by Brent Spiner, makes a surprise appearance in the trailer’s closing moments.

Data isn’t the only Star Trek: The Next Generation alumnus coming to Picard , either. At the Picard Comic-Con panel, showrunner Michael Chabon confirmed that Jonathan Frakes, who played William Riker, Picard’s second-in-command, and Marina Sirtis, better known as ship counselor Deanna Troi, also appear in the series.

The trailer also hints at Picard ‘s overarching storyline, which will be much more serialized than the good captain’s The Next Generation adventures. In Picard , Jean-Luc has retired to his family vineyard, but still longs for the stars. He gets his chance to return to space (alongside what looks like a new crew) when a young, mysterious woman arrives at the Picard homestead looking for his help. We don’t know the woman’s secret, but it must be a big one. Plenty of people are trying to kill her, after all.

The third trailer for Picard was released during 2019’s New York Comic-Con , and features both plenty of action and also the long-awaited return of Riker and Troi.

Patrick Stewart debuted a promotional image for Star Trek: Picard in July 2019, tweeting out a shot of himself as Jean-Luc Picard alongside a dog, looking out over the family vineyard he retired to after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis .

Picard. #StarTrekPicard #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/1hw4SJDXEk — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) July 10, 2019

The first season of Star Trek: Picard will consist of 10 episodes, with Hanelle Culpepper directing the first three episodes, and veteran Star Trek actor and filmmaker Frakes (above) directing a few episodes as well.

Alongside Patrick Stewart in the lead role, the series will also feature Santiago Cabrera as a skilled thief and pilot who assists Picard, as well as Michelle Hurd (below) as a former Starfleet intelligence officer who has a complicated past with Jean-Luc. Allison Pill will also play a member of Picard’s crew named Dr. Jurati, who is gung ho about Picard’s new mission.

Development of the series was tasked to Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman, who is joined by many of the other members of the Discovery creative team on the project. In July 2019, renowned author Michael Chabon was announced as the series’ showrunner.

Chabon, a lifelong Star Trek fan who worked with Kurtzman on some of the early concept pitches for the series, is an award-winning author and screenwriter who will also serve as an executive producer on the show.

“Star Trek has been an important part of my way of thinking about the world, the future, human nature, storytelling, and myself since I was 10 years old,” said Chabon of shepherding the series. “I come to work every day in a state of joy and awe at having been entrusted with the character and the world of Jean-Luc Picard, with this vibrant strand of the rich, intricate, and complex tapestry that is Trek.”

Also serving as executive producers on the Picard series are Star Trek: Discovery executive producer James Duff, former Discovery executive producer Akiva Goldsman, and Star Trek: Voyager and Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer, as well as Roddenberry Entertainment President Eugene Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The Picard series is reportedly one of several in-development Star Trek projects for CBS, which is making the sci-fi property one of the foundations of its CBS All Access streaming service.

Star Trek: Picard features Stewart reprising the role he played for seven seasons on the long-running Star Trek: The Next Generation television series and in multiple Star Trek movies. The series will continue his story, exploring Picard’s life after the events of The Next Generation and the films.

Stewart’s return to the role of Jean-Luc Picard was first announced in August 2018 , and the veteran actor — who is also well-known for portraying telepathic mutant Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies — said he was “excited and invigorated” to revisit the character.

It is an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions within him. Read my full statement in the photo. #StarTrek @cbsallaccess Photo: @shervinfoto pic.twitter.com/8Ynuj3RBNm — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) August 4, 2018

An accomplished actor on stage and screen, Stewart has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards over the years for his performances, including a critically praised portrayal of King Henry II in 2003’s The Lion in Winter and his portrayal of Captain Ahab in the 1998 television miniseries Moby Dick .

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If the end of The Clone Wars has you down, Star Wars fans, don't despair. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is on its way to Disney+ in 2021.

As the title suggests, the new animated series will follow The Bad Batch -- a group of clone troopers introduced in The Clone Wars who differ genetically from their fellow clones in ways that make them uniquely suited for dangerous missions. The series will be set in the aftermath of The Clone Wars, with the creative team on that series and other Star Wars animated shows teaming up behind the camera.

Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2 | Official Trailer

CBS All Access already has a pair of hits with Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, and now another live-action Star Trek series is headed to the streaming service: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

For a limited time, CBS has made the pilot episode for Star Trek: Picard available for free on YouTube.

The series’ primary home is CBS All Access, the streaming video service launched by ViacomCBS. The second episode arrived on the app Wednesday, and CBS is making the first episode freely available on YouTube serves as an opportunity for viewers to check the series out before deciding if they want to subscribe to yet another streamer.

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 Episode 5 Introduces New Roadblocks as the Crew Tries to Save the Future | Review

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Star Trek: Picard opens on the mysterious blond woman ( Penelope Mitchell ) that Q ( John de Lancie ) was toying with in “Watcher” as she embarks on a failed space mission simulation. It’s clear that his toying and taunting has gotten under her skin and the fate of the future hinges on her self-confidence. She is, after all, Jean-Luc Picard’s ( Patrick Stewart ) great-aunt Reneé Picard—a reveal that comes shortly after the cold open.

“Fly Me to the Moon” is an episode that might make some audiences rewatch the first season of the series to get a refresher on who characters like Dr. Soong ( Brent Spiner ) and his daughter ( Isa Briones ) are—especially since the pair also play Data and Soji. The episode is also rich with lore from Star Trek: The Original Series , thanks to Picard making the connection between not-Laris ( Orla Brady ) being a Supervisor, much like Gary Seven ( Robert Lansing ) was in “Assignment: Earth.” It’s convenient when you have a universe with a well-cataloged slate of in-world history texts that makes it easy and natural for its characters to pontificate like they’re reading a Memory Alpha Wikipage.

While Q may be focused on meddling with Reneé’s future with the Europa Mission, he has more than enough time to also provide Dr. Soong with the data ( pun intended ) to help cure his sick daughter. He pulls out all the stops—from an ominous message on Soong’s computer to an intricate calling card embellished with the letter “Q” to a grand gesture of providing him with a life-saving cure after his medical license is revoked (by Lea Thompson , no less). It’s not entirely clear yet what Q’s angle is with Dr. Soong, but it would seem that he’s trying to stop him from creating his Soong-type android, including Data and the subsequent programs that will produce Dahj and Soji, and more importantly Picard, whose consciousness was placed in the synthetic golem last season. Could this be his new plan now that he knows Picard is on his case?

RELATED: ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 2 Explores Real World Issues, Showcasing a More Mature Show

Back on Earth, Raffi ( Michelle Hurd ) and Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) are able to stop bickering and dancing around Raffi’s grief long enough to stop the bus transporting Rios ( Santiago Cabrera ) and the other detainees. With this plot point behind them, it will be interesting to see how it affects Rio’s trajectory moving forward—he has now seen first-hand a darker side to human history that they were blessedly free from in the more progressive future they’re trying to save.

With the core cast still split up for most of the episode, ”Fly Me to the Moon” is divided into two plotlines that eventually converge aboard La Sirena . When Picard and not-Laris arrive aboard the ship, Picard assures her that he trusts his crew above all others and that they can trust them, but within seconds they come across the crew hauling away an incapacitated French police officer, a dead Borg Queen ( Annie Wersching ), and Agnes ( Alison Pill ) covered in her blood. Not entirely the most reassuring discovery when you’re trying to convince a being like a “Supervisor” to trust you.

With the life-or-death stakes increasing by the second, the crew regroups and plans how they are going to infiltrate a glamorous party that Reneé is set to attend. Fortunately, Agnes took historic coding classes at university and is confident that she can crack into the system long enough to dupe it into recognizing Rios and Picard. With the plan set, Agnes swans her way through the event just long enough to get herself arrested for acting suspiciously. However, in the final moments of the episode–when she is supposed to be cracking into the system–it is revealed that the Borg Queen did not die, but assimilated part of herself into Agnes. Now neither of them will ever be alone. The twist sets the stage for even more drama and roadblocks as the crew tries to stop Q before it's too late.

Rating : A+

Star Trek: Picard Season 2 is streaming now on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Picard (2020)

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Patrick Stewart got to step back into one of his most iconic roles in 2020, with the release of Star Trek: Picard on CBS All Access (now Paramount+ ). Now, the second season is complete, and Paramount has already announced the cast, a release date, and even an official trailer for season three. Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming season three of Picard.

Picard season 3: What to expect

The first season of Star Trek: Picard dealt with two events that were actually holdovers from different Star Trek films in the past: Data's death in 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis (Picard struggles with this throughout the first season), and the destruction of Romulus in 2009's Star Trek (which was used to introduce the synthetic humans that helped prevent the rescue of Romulan refugees and ultimately set the stage for Picard to resign from Star Fleet). The synths are subject to a ban, and Picard is pushed to help them because of two synthetic twins that are related to his old friend Data.

Spoiler alert: This all culminates in Picard finding the home of Data's original creator and himself becoming a synthetic at the end of season one to prevent his own death.

This brings us to where we last left Picard - blasting off on the ship La Sirena with a new makeshift crew, heading toward whatever new adventure awaits. The second season starts with Picard transported to the year 2024 along with some of his old friends from Star Trek: The Next Generation series (such as Jerri Ryan’s Seven of Nine and Michelle Hurd’s Raffi Musiker). Picard and friends must discover what the omnipotent Q (John De Lancie) has done to change the timeline that has created a xenophobic version of Starfleet - the Confederation of Earth - which is out to destroy all aliens.

The first teaser for season three sees him rummaging through his old Star Trek: The Next Generation gear, and then we see him and his old partner Riker (Jonathan Frakes), standing side by side, pointing phasers at someone. The teaser also promises more returning characters in season three such as Brent Spinner as Data and Levar Burton as Geordi La Forge. The official trailer for season three is also vague on plot details, but it does show a new ship: The USS Titan, commanded by Captain William T. Riker. We also see Dr. Crusher fighting off masked enemies with a rifle, and a Federation building exploding.

Picard season 3: Release date

Star Trek: Picard season three release date - 16 February 2023

A release date for Star Trek: Picard season three is set for 16 February 2023.

Keep in mind the production and filming of seasons two and three all began simultaneously in 2020. The second season of Star Trek: Picard premiered in March 2022 - two years after season one ended - while season three is releasing in early 2023. Jonathan Frakes and Terry Matalas are directing the final season, with 12 Monkeys creator Terry Matalas stepping in as showrunner for the season.

Picard season 3: Cast and crew

LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner have been announced by Paramount to join Patrick Stewart in the cast of Star Trek: Picard season three.

For reference, below is the confirmed cast for season two of Picard:

Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard
Alison Pill as Agnes Jurati
Isa Briones as Soji Asha
Evan Evagora as Elnor
Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker
Santiago Cabrera as Cristobal "Chris" Rios
Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
Orla Brady as Laris
Brent Spiner as Altan Inigo Soong
Whoopi Golberg as Guinan
John De Lancie as Q
LeVar Burton as Geordi Le Forgee

Picard season 3: Where to stream

The third season isn't yet available. Below is where you'll likely be able to stream it when it does release.

The second season of Picard took Discovery's Thursday timeslot on Paramount+ . It premiered in March 2022 and is still airing. The third season hasn't yet premiered but will obviously be a Paramount+ exclusive.

Amazon Prime Video is Picard's home in the UK, with new episodes airing a day later starting on 4 March 2022. One has to assume season three will also come to Prime Video in the UK, but it's not confirmed.

In Canada, season two is available on Crave. We suspect season three will also be available via Crave once it premieres in early 2023.

Picard season 3: Trailers

One official trailer is available for the new season -- below. It shows Patrick Stewart back for a final adventure, paired with his original crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation. We see LeVar Burton's Geordi La Forge, Michael Dorn’s Worf, Gates McFadden's Dr. Beverly Crusher, and Marina Sirti'’ Deanna Troi. Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner also return to the series, alongside Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd.

Two other teaser trailers have been released for the third season. You can watch them both below, to get a look at a few returning cast members from The Next Generation.

The trailer above debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022, while the one below came out a little earlier in 2022.

Both confirm that we're going to see some familiar faces in the last season of Picard.

Picard season 3: How to catch up

In order to be fully prepared to watch season three, you really should watch seasons one and two. You can stream them on Paramount+.

You can also buy season one on DVD:

Star Trek: Picard - Season One

Amazon Best Buy

What is the best streaming device for your TV? Our top recommendation is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max . Also excellent are the Google Chromecast with Google TV , the Roku Express 4K , the Apple TV 4K and the Amazon Fire TV Stick .

Want to know more?

Check out Pocket-lint's what to watch before Star Trek: Picard season one and our Star Trek watch order to see how all the films and shows slot in together.

'Star Trek: Picard' season 2 episode 5 teases a potentially magnificent match-up

This remains a quality episode, promising an enticing confrontation, but concurrently threatening an overdose of cameos.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Picard" season 2, episode 5

Despite Paramount pouring many millions into "Star Trek," it seems " Halo " has been the recent draw as the new sci-fi show's premiere broke the streaming channel's records this week on Paramount Plus . And while recent episodes of "Picard" have been some of the best "Star Trek" we've seen since the first season of "Discovery" back in September 2017, there are early indications that Season 2 of Jean-Luc's ongoing adventures is beginning to slip. But more on that later.

The tribute to "Star Trek: The Voyage Home" was evidently limited to just one episode and we've moved on, way past that now, with episode 5, entitled "Fly Me To The Moon." That said, there are still a lot of exciting plot threads to continue with and we pick up more or less straightaway from last week's episode with Picard (Patrick Stewart) talking to Laris Tallinn (Orla Brady). He concludes that she's a sort of "Supervisor," similar in principal to a one-time character called Gary Seven who appeared in an episode of "The Original Series" entitled "Assignment: Earth" (S02, E26), which was actually an attempt to jump-start a potential spin-off series.

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According to Memory Alpha , Gary Seven (played by Robert Lansing) was a human-looking male whose ancestors were abducted from Earth around 4000BC and taken to another planet. He was a Class 1 "Supervisor" sent to Earth in 1968 to discover why his superiors lost contact with Agent 201 and Agent 347. When he discovered they were killed in an car accident, he assumed their mission. Using advanced alien technology, he continued their mission to make sure mankind did not destroy itself with nuclear weapons.

Where Renée fits into the family tree remains to be seen, but you'd think Jean-Luc would remember

There were subtle indications that this connection was coming and even if you missed those, lest we forget how "Discovery" tapped into "The Original Series" back in the Season 3 two-part episode " Terra Firma " with the Guardian of Forever. And while there's nothing wrong with this, it would be nice to see these throwbacks developed further, rather than appearing to be casually-regarded, short-lived references used when new ideas seem to be thin on the ground. Perhaps we'll learn more about the backstory of Laris Tallinn later, but given the rapid turnaround of guest-star characters in this show so far, it feels unlikely. And we'll come to that too, a little later.

We see the same young girl that Q (John de Lancie) was obsessing over during his lunch break last week only now she's in a kind of spacecraft cockpit simulator and not doing a very good job with an orbital debris evasion practice run. A French flag patch can be seen on her arm before a head and shoulders close reveals her name badge, Renée Picard (played by Penelope Mitchell).

Picard provides some helpful exposition, "The Europa Mission was a pioneering space flight in my history," so you'd think he'd remember that a Picard was on it. In "Star Trek: Generations," he says to Deanna Troi, "From being a small child, I can remember being told about the family line. The Picard who fought at Trafalgar. The Picard who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The Picards who settled the first Martian colonies…" Confirming the family's importance through history, but he'd surely remember this. (Then again, it didn't even occur to him that an "alien living in Los Angeles in the 21st century" might be Guinan.)

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Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) and Isis, played by Sambo in feline form and (April Tatro) in human form

Turns out she's supposed to be on the prime crew for Expedition Europa, which was an early interplanetary mission to the Jovian moon of Europa. We've even seen big billboard posters promoting — for some reason — this mission when Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) were causing havoc in downtown Los Angeles.

All that's known about Renée is that she "discovered a microorganism on Io that she believed was sentient and convinced the mission commander to bring it back to Earth." Given all the twisty-turny timey-wimey nonsense that's been going on of late, especially with whether or not Guinan would've known Picard, it's probably best to just not think about it too much, a bit like how the writers haven't.

Following the opening credits we're back on the crashed La Sirena and the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching) is up to some clever mischief. Tapping into the nearby cellphone towers, she calls the local constabulary and reports, "There are screams coming from the Picard vineyard!" This has the desired effect and a poor policier from little La Barre comes to pay a visit. Raffi and Seven meanwhile have managed to rescue Cristóbal Rios (Santiago Cabrera). So, you know, phew .

Clockwise from top right: Dr. Adam Soong, Dr. Arik Soong, Dr. Noonian Soong and Dr. Altan Inigo Soong

Upon watching some video footage of a therapy session with young Renée that Laris Tallinn has managed to get hold of, they can see that Q, who's gone full Freud, is the one who is surreptitiously trying to talk the young astronaut out of going on the mission, which suggests a whole new level of intervention from Picard's omnipotent adversary. In the past, Q's been satisfied with purely observing the various outcomes in his experiments in alternative history, but this is active interference. And then we get the biggest surprise of this episode, a Soong (Brent Spiner) and Soji character cameo.

This is a brand new incarnation of Dr. Soong, bookending his appearance in the first season of "Picard" as that was the oldest Soong we've seen, in the 24th century and now this one, in the 21st century marks the earliest. And since it's the modus operandi of this show to incorporate as many of the much-loved former cast members of "The Next Generation," it feels apt. The problem is, as we've mentioned, so far, it's been a rather rapid in the turnaround of potentially interesting reinvented characters.

And that's a shame, because as we see, Q versus Dr. Soong — with two exceptional, heavyweight classically trained actors playing the roles — could arguably be the greatest single match up in "Star Trek" since…well, Captain Kirk took on Trelane in "The Original Series" episode "The Squire of Gothos" (S01, E18). Who knows, maybe he'll turn up next week.

"Hold it, Dr. Soong. I'm afraid you're just too darn loud. Next, please."

This episode isn't directed by Lea Thompson — although she makes a brief appearance as the chairman of the board that revokes Dr. Soong's license for breaking the Shenzhen Convention and running genetic experiments on soldiers with a privatized military organization, Spearhead Operations. This episode is once again in the hands of Jonathan Frakes and evidence of that will become obvious later in the episode.

Soong is struggling to find a cure for his daughter Kore's (Isa Briones) rare and unusual condition and Q introduces himself by way a cryptic business card, which incidentally has a number on it that you can actually call to hear a prerecorded message from the irksome entity. He gives Soong a test sample, which works, for a short period. But now Q has his claws well and truly sunk into the dodgy doctor so he'll naturally do anything for the promise of a permanent sure.

Meanwhile, on La Sirena, the poor policeman has totally failed to detect either Dr. Jurati (Alison Pill) fast asleep on the sofa, or the smell of the fire that they lit earlier. He's instead drawn to the voice of the Borg Queen who's imitating the sound of someone in distress. Jurati finally wakes up, grabs an antique shotgun and goes back into the crashed ship herself to see what's going on. She finds the Queen holding the policeman hostage and give her both barrels. Go Agnes.

The Agnes Jurati/Tyler Durden/Borg Queen thing could be an interesting development if handled well

Not long after, everyone regroups at the ship and Jurati explains what happens. Out intrepid time travelling team hatch a plan to crash a fancy gala where young Renée will be in attendance. This new plot thread has distinct a " Stardust City Rag " vibe from last season along with an element of "Mission: Impossible," as even the accompanying music helps set the tone in a trademark Frakes set piece. Jurati cleverly, deliberately lets herself get caught by security guards so that she's held in the security surveillance room, where through the power of flashback, we see how the Borg Queen was able to get two assimilation tubules into her neck before she "died" from her shotgun wounds.

Roll closing credits on what is an interesting episode that gets better the more you watch it. The worry is where it goes from here. Guinan was undoubtedly underused and let's hope that next week's story isn't just a format to introduce yet more cameo characters for just the space of one episode. The Brent Spiner versus John de Lancie match up is worth half the season alone and it's great to have yet another ancestor of the legendary father of eugenics appear in "Star Trek."

Rating: 7½/10

The first five episodes of "Star Trek: Picard" are now available to watch on Paramount Plus and the premiere season of "Strange New Worlds" begins on May 5. Season 4 of "Star Trek: Discovery" is available to watch now on Paramount+ in the US and CTV Sci-Fi or Crave TV in Canada. Countries outside of North America can watch on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel.

If you want to find more Star Trek shows and movies in both the US and UK, check out our main Star Trek streaming guide . And if you're looking for something for that Trek fan in your life, our Star Trek gifts and deals guide has everything your Trek heart may desire.

Follow Scott Snowden on Twitter . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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It was hard on the Star Trek: Picard cast to lose characters between seasons 2 and 3

O ne of the most jarring, but successful gambits that Star Trek: Picard pulled off was the re-introduction of the Next Generation cast in season three. Every major actor returned to the franchise in either season two or three, save for Denise Crosby. While characters like Q, Wesley Crusher, and Guinan all returned in season two, most of the bridge crew returned in season three.

Will Riker, Data, and Deanna Troi popped up in season one, but all three returned in season three, followed by Beverly Crusher, Worf, and Geordi La Forge. Bringing together the core crew of the Next Generation, with Jean-Luc Picard at the center of it.

Yet, to bring in all of these characters as regulars and stars of the third season, means the core group of seasons one and two would have to go. Which is exactly what happened. Four key actors from the first two seasons, Santiago Cabrera, Allison Pill, Isa Briones, and Evan Evagora were all dismissed after season two.

The loss of so many core characters caused havoc with the emotions of the cast, namely Michelle Hurd, who had joined the cast in season one as Raffi. Hurd, who recently went on the D-Con Chamber Podcast with Star Trek: Enterprise stars Conner Trinneer and Dominic Keating, revealed that the change in the cast was a jarring experience, saying (via ScreenRant )

Then we get to second season, and sort of about the last month or so, we’re just kind of sensing things are changing. You know actors don’t get any information. We know nothing… And we just started to sense or hear through the grapevine that there might not be everybody coming back… It started getting kind of sad and emotional on our set. And then when we started finding out who was staying and who was going, it was really… It’s awful. It was awful…

It's worth realizing that all this was in the span of a week or two. Picard shot both of its final seasons back to back, meaning that one day Pill and Briones are on set, while the next you have Gates McFadden and Michael Dorn. It's a jarring experience.

It's worth noting that Hurd did praise the veteran Star Trek actors, who seemingly brought nothing but good energy and professionalism with them. Still, it's worth acknowledging that it's hard to see people you've grown close with over the years be replaced by others.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as It was hard on the Star Trek: Picard cast to lose characters between seasons 2 and 3 .

It was hard on the Star Trek: Picard cast to lose characters between seasons 2 and 3

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Tele 5 verstärkt "Star Trek"-Montag mit "Picard"
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"Star Trek"-Nachschub im Free-TV: Endlich neue Folgen von "Picard" auf

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Enterprise-D Arives to Jupiter • Star Trek Picard S03E10 • The final episode

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Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Picard Staffel 2 🗸2401: Nach dem Angriff der Borg ist Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart🗸) auf rätselhafte Weise in einem Paralleluniversum gelandet. Dort erhält er den Auftrag, zurück ins Jahr 2024 zu reisen, um die Zukunft zu ändern. 🗸u.a. mit Whoopi Goldberg🗸 und Brent Spiner.🗸 Alle Infos auf TELE5.de
Star Trek: Picard (TV Series 2020-2023)
Edit page Add episode. Star Trek: Picard: Created by Kirsten Beyer, Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman. With Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, Jeri Ryan, Alison Pill. Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life.
"Star Trek: Picard" Imposters (TV Episode 2023)
Imposters: Directed by Dan Liu. With Patrick Stewart, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd, Ed Speleers. Caught by Starfleet and facing court martial, paranoia grows as Picard struggles to uncover whether a prodigal crewman from his past has returned as an ally - or an enemy hellbent on destroying them all.
"Star Trek: Picard" Fly Me to the Moon (TV Episode 2022)
Fly Me to the Moon: Directed by Jonathan Frakes. With Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Jeri Ryan, Michelle Hurd. Picard discovers an important person from his past, Q continues his manipulation of the timeline, taking an interest in Dr. Adam Soong. Seven and Raffi attempt a daring rescue of Rios.
Star Trek: Picard
In the epic, thrilling conclusion of Star Trek: Picard, a desperate message from a long-lost friend draws Starfleet legend Admiral Jean-Luc Picard into the most daring mission of his life, forcing him to recruit allies spanning generations old and new.This final adventure sets him on a collision course with the legacy of his past and explosive, new revelations that will alter the fate of the ...
Star Trek: Picard recap: Season 1, episode 5: 'Stardust City Rag'
Published on February 20, 2020 09:00AM EST. Picard finds the mystery man he's been looking for and gets to don an absurd disguise in this week's installment of Star Trek: Picard ("Stardust ...
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Picard is the eighth main series set in the Star Trek universe, the ninth including the companion series Star Trek: Short Treks, and the eleventh Star Trek series overall. Picard is produced by CBS Studios and stars Patrick Stewart, reprising the role of Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. [1] The new series is set twenty years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis ...
Star Trek: Picard Episode 5 Recap / Review
Posted: Feb 20, 2020 6:00 am. Full spoilers follow for this episode. Episode 5 of Star Trek: Picard, "Stardust City Rag," opens with the rather graphic mutilation of a semi-regular Star Trek ...
Star Trek: Picard
Absolute Candor. The crew's journey to Freecloud takes a detour when Picard orders a stop at the planet Vashti where Picard reunites with Elnor, a young Romulan he befriended. Narek continues his attempts to learn more about Soji while Narissa's impatience grows. 42 min · Feb 13, 2020 TV-MA. EPISODE 5.
'Star Trek: Picard' Review
Sir Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard is back and he's got some unfinished business in CBS All Access' 'Star Trek: Picard,' the latest venture into space, the final frontier. I enjoy narrative ...
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5 Review
This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.. Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5. Now that the U.S.S. Titan has successfully escaped the existential threat of death in a gravity well (and ...
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Picard is an American science fiction television series created by Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, and Alex Kurtzman for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+).It is the eighth Star Trek series and was released from 2020 to 2023 as part of Kurtzman's expanded Star Trek Universe.The series focuses on retired Starfleet Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
'Star Trek: Picard' Recap: Season 3, Episode 5
Star Trek: Picard. Boss Explains the Surprise Return of a. Next Generation. Favorite: 'It Felt Like We Had to Do It'. By Dave Nemetz. March 16, 2023 3:59 pm. Patrick Stewart as Picard and ...
Watch Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 5: Star Trek: Picard
In the epic, thrilling conclusion of STAR TREK: PICARD, a desperate message from a long-lost friend draws Starfleet legend Admiral Jean-Luc Picard into the most daring mission of his life, forcing him to recruit allies spanning generations old and new. This final adventure sets him on a collision course with the legacy of his past and explosive ...
Star Trek: Picard
Here Are 5 More Series Like It Star Trek: Picard Season 3's Ed Speleers, Michael Dorn, and Michelle Hurd Dig Into Episode 2's Major Reveals Star Trek: Picard: 7 Things To Know About the Final ...
How the Picard Season 3 Soundtrack Unlocks All of Star Trek
Just as Beverly Crusher sends Picard a transmission as a myriad codec, the Picard Season 3 soundtrack contains a myriad of references to all sorts of other Star Trek music. Some of these cues are somewhat obvious. The end-credits for the series borrows from the First Contact main themes, first introduced in 1996, while Jeff Russo's arrangement of the TNG main theme, crafted for Picard Season 1 ...
'Picard' Season 3 Showrunner Breaks Down Episode 5 & the ...
The fifth episode of Star Trek: Picard 's third and final season delivers a healthy dose of thrills, both aboard the U.S.S. Titan with the increasing stakes that Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ...
Star Trek: Picard (TV Series 2020-2023)
S1.E3 ∙ The End Is the Beginning. Thu, Feb 6, 2020. After reflecting on the past with Raffi, Picard hires her partner, Cristobal Rios, to help him in his search for Bruce Maddox; Soji's work on the Borg cube catches the attention of the executive director. 7.4/10 (5.4K)
The Star Trek: Picard TV series: Everything we know
CBS premiered its Star Trek: Picard series, featuring the return of Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, on January 23, 2020. The series explores Picard's life after Star Trek: The Next Generation ...
Picard Season 2 Episode 5 Review: The Crew Faces New Roadblocks
The crew discovers who Q is targeting in Season 2 Episode 5 of Star Trek: Picard, streaming now on Paramount+. Q targets Picard's ancestor in an attempt to change the trajectory of the future.
Star Trek Picard season 3 release date, trailer, how to watch
Picard season 3: Trailers. One official trailer is available for the new season -- below. It shows Patrick Stewart back for a final adventure, paired with his original crew from Star Trek: The ...
'Star Trek: Picard' season 2 episode 5 teases a potentially magnificent
Subscribe to Paramount Plus for $5.99/month. According to Memory Alpha, Gary Seven (played by Robert Lansing) was a human-looking male whose ancestors were abducted from Earth around 4000BC and ...
List of Star Trek: Picard characters
Star Trek: Picard is an American web television series featuring the character Jean-Luc Picard, created for CBS All Access by Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, and Alex Kurtzman.It is the eighth series in the Star Trek franchise, and was launched in 2020 as part of Kurtzman's expansion of the franchise. Picard begins 20 years after Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and sees a retired ...
It was hard on the Star Trek: Picard cast to lose characters ...
O ne of the most jarring, but successful gambits that Star Trek: Picard pulled off was the re-introduction of the Next Generation cast in season three. Every major actor returned to the franchise ...

Star Trek: Picard recap: Playing dress-up for keeps

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Episode list

S1.E1 ∙ Remembrance

S1.E2 ∙ Maps and Legends

S1.E3 ∙ The End Is the Beginning

S1.E4 ∙ Absolute Candor

S1.E5 ∙ Stardust City Rag

S1.E6 ∙ The Impossible Box

S1.E7 ∙ Nepenthe

S1.E8 ∙ Broken Pieces

S1.E9 ∙ Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1

S1.E10 ∙ Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2

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