Fix: Revisiting the Best Star Trek, Science Fiction, Space Adventure, Sir Patrick Stewart
Platform: Paramount+
CBS All Access Summary:
At the end of the 24th Century, and 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard is living a quiet life on his vineyard, Chateau Picard. When he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj, in need of his help, he soon realizes she may have personal connections to his own past.
FYA Summary:
Although he’s no longer part of Starfleet, Jean-Luc Picard isn’t content to live a life of complacency. So when a mysterious woman shows up at his idyllic vineyard asking for his help, he happily drops everything to figure out who she is and how she’s connected to his past. If it means one more adventure traveling around the galaxy and risking his life (and the life of his crew) in the process, so be it. He has plenty of practice getting out of tricky situations.
Familiar Faces:
Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
My gosh, you guys. When I first heard that Sir Patrick would be playing Picard again, I literally started crying. This character (and all of Star Trek: The Next Generation) means so much to me; I even have the Enterprise D immortalized in tattoo form. This Picard is older and a bit less likely to toe the company line, given certain events and the situation he’s in at the start of the show, but the traits I loved so much about this character from the start are still there and still wonderful.
Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati
At first, it doesn’t seem like Agnes has a whole lot of layers, but there’s more to her than first meets the eye. Pill does a great job of playing up the character’s innocence and naivety, but I look forward to seeing her use her range, as seen in other roles she’s played, to create an unexpectedly nuanced character.
Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker
Every time I look at Hurd, I see Donna, the lesbian with the excess of facial hair that Maggie dates in that one episode of Younger. And that isn’t fair to Hurd at all, who’s had a varied career in things like Law & Order: SVU and Blindspot. I don’t much care for Raffi, but mostly because she calls Picard “JL,” which was the name of a cat I had growing up (yes, he was actually named Jean-Luc) and feels far too familiar for a character we’ve only just met. He’s Captain Picard, thank you very much.
Harry Treadaway as Narek
Treadaway plays Frankenstein on Penny Dreadful, which I watched a few episodes of and then gave up on so I have no idea if the character of Narek is Treadaway doing something different or if he always plays his roles the same way. And he looks way too much like Ethan Peck’s Spock from Star Trek: Discovery for anyone’s good; the Romulan and Vulcan species are related, but they’re not that close.
Santiago Cabrera as Cristóbal Rios
Until working on this post, I’d completely forgotten that Cabrera played Lancelot in Merlin. Rios is a totally different role, but both have a suavity that Cabrera absolutely exudes. There’s a lot to learn about this character’s backstory, and I hope we get the opportunity to do so as the show goes on.
Plus a lot of other faces familiar to those of us who’ve watched Star Trek shows over the years, but I don’t want to completely spoil all of the cameos.
And Peyton List, but I really wish Hollywood would stop trying to make her happen.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Call the Crew
Before the series premiere, I had high hopes of gathering a bunch of like-minded nerds together for a Picarty. (Picardy? We never decided.) Sadly, life got in the way of my plan, but we have been watching each week with some close friends—one of whom has never seen a Star Trek other than a couple of the movies in the Kelvin Timeline. We try to fill her in on the many Easter eggs and details that she might not understand, not having that baggage background, but she’s said that the show is enjoyable regardless. (There was definitely a bit of surprise in her voice. She’s a good friend.)
Suffice it to say, this is the kind of show that you can force on your non-Trekkie friends and they might enjoy it, but those who are more familiar with the franchise will truly appreciate all of the little things in addition to the larger plot. Which is good, y’all!
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Earl Grey, Hot
Spoiler alert: In the first episode, Picard orders a cup of Earl Grey tea … decaf. MY WORLD WAS ROCKED. I won’t judge you if you also partake in the non-caffeinated version.
I suppose you could also break out bottles of a particularly good vintage of wine, because although Chateau Picard wine exists, I can’t promise it’s any good. And you know Picard’s wine would be really, really good. The man never does anything halfway.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Make It So
We’re only five episodes into the first season of Star Trek: Picard—or six, if you woke up early to check out today’s episode before work—so I feel like I’m stretching the rules of Stream It by writing this post. That said, #idowhatiwant if the fact that Sir Patrick is back on in the role he made so famous in Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequent movies isn’t a reason to bend the rules, I don’t know what is.
I am absolutely living for this show, and I want to shout it from the rooftops. CBS All Access has limited value, considering the channel’s other offerings, but I’d absolutely pay $6 a month (yes, I suffer through commercials) solely for this show. (Star Trek: Discovery is an added bonus, and there are a few other shows—like The Good Fight, as Sarah corrected me on my post about Star Trek: Discovery‘s second season—that make it worth the price, but for the most part this channel is not one I watch on the reg.)
