The first episode of the new Star Trek: Picard (STP) gives reason for hope: it proved to be a stylish, carefully designed, beautifully written hour of television that hits almost all the right notes.
Unlike its most recent relative, Star Trek: Discovery, STP successfully blends the new with the old: it feels modern in its presentation yet it returns Star Trek to its intellectual, thoughtful, philosophical roots. While Picard looks great, it also means something.
Let’s deal with the Star Trek stuff first.
STP appears to adopt the timeline created in the JJ Abrams 2009 Star Trek reboot movie series. Romulus has been destroyed by a supernova and the galaxy is dealing with the aftermath of this tragedy. We now get an image of Spock working to stop the supernova from occurring (as described in the film) while Picard brings together a massive fleet to evacuate the Romulan home planet, an effort he himself likens to the World War Two miracle of Dunkirk.
While a rogue Romulan mining-ship captain, Nero, blames Spock for his failure, the small percentage of Romulans whom Picard manages to save holds Picard up as a hero, despite the decision by the Federation and Star Fleet to abandon the rescue mission as a result of a devastating assault by “synthetics” on Mars.
Interestingly, we see no Vulcans in this first episode, which raises the question: is STP set in the alternative timeline created by Nero and his vengeful destruction of the planet Vulcan in the early career of James T. Kirk (also in the JJ Abrams reboot movie) or is STP in the same original timeline in which The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Discovery are set?
What we do know is that STP takes place 20 years after Picard leaves Star Fleet, which must have occurred some years after the end of TNG. Picard is approaching 80 years of age and, to the great credit of the production team, they don’t try to hide that fact. Picard is shown early in the episode as an old man, ambling through his vineyard with a walking stick and a cloth cap; the word “codger” is used by his Romulan household staff; and he becomes quickly and visibly tired in the one action scene in which he finds himself, an action scene that is carried completely by his much younger companion.
The writers have fun with Picard’s favourite hot beverage – it is well known that Picard drinks “Earl Grey [tea], hot”. In a dream sequence, we see him add milk to his tea (unheard of!). Later, he orders “Earl Grey, decaf”. The years are indeed catching up with him.
At the core of the episode, however, is the rejuvenation of Picard’s spirit, from doddering old man back to Star Fleet power house. This is accomplished in a number of very clever, creative ways:
· At the start, he is an old man, in body and spirit, dressed in civilian clothing, walking with a cane and being called Jean Luc; the music is orchestral, filled with strings, sweeping but gentle;
· As he prepares for his first media interview in years, his staff tell him: “After so long, I often worry you have forgotten what you did, who you are. We have not.” And then, “Be the captain they remember”;
· In that masterful interview scene, Patrick Stewart’s Picard begins meek and nervous, then permits himself to be goaded into anger and righteousness. He finally takes control and ends the interview;
· In the scene where Dahj first appears, Picard is dressed in a trim red turtleneck sweater, complete with gold pin on the right breast and a gardening implement in a holster on his hip, like a phaser, a look that reminds one of his TNG captain’s uniform;
· In the ensuing dream sequence, he is back in that TNG uniform – Data asks him to finish the painting upon which he is working. “Would you like to finish it, Captain?” Data asks. “I don’t know how,” Picard answers to which Data responds, “That is not true, sir.” – Uniform, “Captain”, “sir”, the reassurance that Picard still has it in him;
· In the scenes at Star Fleet Museum, he is called “Admiral” for the first time;
· After Dahj’s murder comes the climactic scene in the rebirth of the Picard we know and admire: “She came here to find safety… she deserved better from me. I owe it to her to find out who killed her and why,” he states. “Sitting here, all these years, nursing my offended dignity, writing books of history people prefer to forget. I never asked anything of myself... I haven’t been living; I have been waiting to die.” Tympanies build in the background. Picard is back.
On a lighter note is the difference between how Picard (as a show and as a person) deals with the memories of two of the most significant supporting officers in Picard’s past: Riker and Data. I can’t help but think that there is some kind of a campaign of mocking for the former, even as the latter is venerated. Picard’s dog is named “Number One”, his nickname for Riker, and, while the dog is adorable, it is also quite meek and subservient; later, when Dahj disappears from Picard’s chateau, the staff member mentions that Dahj was gone and only Number One remained in her bed – is this a tongue-in-cheek reference to Riker’s womanizing ways?
Data, meanwhile, is much mourned and continually praised. Picard calls him “all meaning, all courage” and seems to venerate him beyond measure. His delight at the possibility of finding any part of Data remaining (in Dahj, in B4, in Dahj’s twin, Soji) is palpable and, thanks to Stewart’s effective performance, he seems visibly moved when he visits B4’s remains at the Daystrom Institute.
Perhaps most important, from a Star Trek standpoint, is the fact that STP appears to be focused more on character and philosophy than on action. Picard, who in retirement has become something of a historian, makes several allusions to historical events and movements. Further, Picard’s split from Star Fleet is rooted in ethical, moral, philosophical considerations. In the interview, he states that he left Star Fleet because it “was no longer Star Fleet”. In abandoning the effort to evacuate Romulus and save the Romulan race, Picard says “Star Fleet slunk from its duties,” behaviour which he describes as “not just dishonourable… downright criminal”.
Picard states at one point that “There is no legacy as rich as honesty” but I think he likely meant “as rich as moral and ethical honesty”. He recognises that the Federation, the human race, is descending back into human-centrism, into a racist past that almost resulted in (and may still result in) the destruction of our race and our planet. In the interview, Picard talks about the effort to evacuate Romulus and save countless millions of lives. The reporter counters that they were the lives of the Federation’s oldest enemy, that they were merely “Romulan lives”. Picard angrily drags it back to the main point: that they are “lives” and therefore worthy of saving.
“You are a stranger to history,” he spits at the reporter and I think for Picard that is the most nasty of critical comments he could have offered.
It is clearly no coincidence that the interviewer is one of the few Black characters in the entire episode. Hearing that level of racism come out of the mouth of a member of a group that continues to be the target of significant race-based abuse is jarring – but it is also jarring, and a significant criticism of STP, that the only two characters with speaking parts who are visibly “non-white” in the entire episode are Dahj’s boyfriend who is murdered almost as soon as he appears on screen and this racist reporter.
Music, art, history, all play significant roles in STP. Characters discuss important philosophical issues, even as the tension is being ramped up and the action rising. One review I skimmed suggested that this the “same old” Star Trek, slow and chatty, but that misses the point: STP is indeed “old Star Trek”, but in every good way possible. It is “slow” by the standards of 2020 because it takes the time to mean something, to develop character, to examine the moral and ethical implications of the events that have and are taking place. It is a show about an 80-year-old man, after all! But one who realises that the past has value, that moral and ethical considerations have a role to play, that newer/younger does not necessarily mean better.
From a production standpoint, STP represents a considerable step up from previous iterations of the Star Trek franchise. Yes, ST series became more and more sophisticated in their presentation as the years passed – papier mache rocks from TOS are replaced with the remarkable digital artistry of Discovery.
But STP takes the time to be beautiful, visually, audibly, musically. I don’t know enough about television production to be able to say who gets all the credit for the wonderful score (Music and Theme are credited to Jeff Russo), which begins with “Blue Sky”, moves through the evocative, orchestral theme and then provides wonderful moments like the re-introduction of the TNG theme when we arrive at Star Fleet (deliciously descending into the simplicity of a soft piano) and the pounding tympanis that accompany Picard’s re-awakening.
I want to credit Director of Photography Philip Lanyon and Director Hanelle Culpepper for the visual presentation of the episode – this show looks like a lavish film production, with creative camera movement, remarkable and varied use of lighting, that changes to support the story depending on the scene, and careful composition of the frame in shot after shot after shot. No doubt, a huge team supported their work (including the editing team) but STP, Episode 1, is visually stunning throughout.
And then there are the screen writers (the teleplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and James Duff, though several others were also credited with creating the story). To be honest, the story itself is somewhat derivative – based on events from earlier films and shows, borrowing freely from the Bourne series and from Blade Runner (thanks Nick and Jula) – and not particularly inventive, the script itself is remarkable.
In order to convey the significant amount of information required to set up the entire series’ storyline in this single hour of television, the script writers effectively employed a series of strategies to ensure that exposition did not replace excitement and tension. For example, that interview scene: its function in the story is to provide background information – where is Picard now and how did he get here – but it is so skillfully written (and presented) that it actually becomes one of the most intense, riveting scenes in the entire episode.
And then there is the extended conversation on the plaza outside the Star Fleet Museum between Picard and Dahj, whose basic purpose is to provide the viewer with a clear understanding of both the current situation with regard to synthetics (replicants?) and Picard’s relationship with Data and to introduce the central theme of racism that will drive the remainder of STP’s plot. Though not quite as effective as the interview, it is still a well-written, well-acted scene that maintains interest while providing much needed information.
The episode is filled with intelligent, thoughtful dialogue. Never indulgent and always aimed at providing information, moving the plot forward and/or developing character, the dialogue is nevertheless beautiful.
I could go on (and on and on) and I may already have done so. Sure, Star Trek: Picard has its flaws (Romulan assassins who carry knives? A fire fight at a Star Fleet institution and no security shows up?) but, for the first time in a long time, I am that excited about a new Star Trek television show.
