In its third season, Star Trek: Picard finally arrives where it is supposed to be.
Home.
WHY CHINA FEELS PRESSURE OVER BALLOONGATE
The crew, the exceptional music choreography, the starships, and the story all intersect to make the show's final season its best. By far. From the first six episodes of the season's 10 I've seen, I'm confident old and new fans alike will be happy. All the main Star Trek: The Next Generation characters are back, some recurring fan favorites with them. I hope others will make appearances in the final four episodes. Still, this is more than just an honorable homage to a show that wowed TV audiences in the late 20th century.
In season three's active character development and skillfully developed backstories, viewers gain the tempting prospect of spin-off shows for the future. With shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Paramount has certainly made clear its intention to reinvigorate a Star Trek left dormant too long. The return of Michael Dorn as the Klingon warrior, Worf, is particularly rewarding. Seamlessly restoring the character he last played in 2002, this Worf is older, wiser, and somehow even more lethal. Beyond a little more gray hair, age does not appear to have caught up with the Klingon archetype. Prune juice obviously works magic.
Again leading as Admiral Jean Luc Picard, Sir Patrick Stewart flourishes here in a way that he did not in the two previous seasons. There's a renewed confidence in Stewart's performance, one that seems fueled by the return of his command crew. Picard's references to Shakespeare are presently lacking, but that's the only lament I have so far.
Season three's story, while still tempting undiscovered facets as of episode six, is well suited to its characters. Mixing intrigue with an ominous threat, it offers Star Trek's A-team a seemingly insurmountable challenge of the kind that defined the best Next Generation episodes. To their credit, the showrunners do not run from the darker, more uncertain Star Trek universe that Picard's first two seasons unveiled. A formidable enemy returns, forcing the crew to question Starfleet itself. Equally praiseworthy is this season's avoidance of unnecessary politics. Star Trek: Discovery has alienated some fans, for example, by obsessing over partisan politics at the expense of storytelling.
From the familiar music themes that join each character, location, and moment, it is clear how much genuine care has been put into this season. Whatever the final four episodes have in store, I'll be watching.