Star Trek Picard season 2 review: Make it so-so
Despite a new setting and some fun cameos, it’s hard to shake the idea that there’s a much better Star Trek show in here somewhere.
While fans were excited to see what came next for Star Trek: The Next Generation’s redoubtable captain, Patrick Stewart’s spin-off/sequel series Picard ended up getting some mixed reviews. Notably slower and less engaging than what fans had been used to in Jean-Luc’s adventures, by the final episode some had written the show off entirely as a failed mission.
But now Picard is back with a completely new storyline and setting, and season 2 works hard to win over audiences again. Gone are the complicated backstories about androids and synthetic bans (though the show does remind us that Picard is now a sort-of robot, thanks to the season 1 finale), replaced by a new threat as omnipotent TNG irritant Q (John de Lancie) decides to play one final game with his old adversary.
If you haven’t seen the first season of Picard, well, it honestly doesn’t matter too much. Apart from returning characters very little to no plot is carried over, with season 2 functioning as a soft reset that can be enjoyed on its own merits (more or less). Fans who’ve forgotten exactly what went on in season 1 may also be grateful for this – after all, it was about two years ago that the finale aired.
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The season starts quietly as Picard faces a new frontier: romance! For some reason, every character and their space-dog is now obsessed with Picard’s sex life, with the series implying that he first went to the stars as an escape from such difficult matters. This leads to a frankly bizarre subplot where Picard awkwardly considers a relationship with another character, and a more satisfying encounter when he goes to his old friend Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) for advice.
At this point, the series also makes about four consecutive “Tea, Earl Grey, Hot” references, in case we didn’t notice it the first time.
Anyway, this intergalactic matchmaking gets largely sidelined when a cataclysmic space battle goes wrong, sending Picard back into the orbit of his old sparring partner Q. De Lancie is slightly unique in this show in that he largely channels his TNG performance rather than trying to revamp it for a "modern" tone, and his and Picard’s dynamic is all the better for it.
With a click of Q’s fingers, Picard finds himself transported to a hostile world where nothing is as he knows it. I’ll try to avoid spoilers here, but something has clearly gone very wrong in history – and Jean-Luc’s not the only one who knows it. Also dragged into this new reality are Picard’s supporting cast, specifically Santiago Cabrera’s Rios, Michelle Hurd’s Raffi, Alison Pill’s Agnes, Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine (who has a bigger role this season) and Evan Evagora’s Romulan warrior Elnor.
Every member of this mini-crew find themselves in unfamiliar roles across the galaxy, though it’s not long before they reunite and make a plan to reverse this timeline and set things straight. All they need is a little bit of time travel, specifically back to 2024 Los Angeles. Shenanigans ensue.
(Frankly, Star Trek has done evil Mirror universes and parallel timelines to death by now, with even Q noting that that Picard is thinking too “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, and there’s not too much new here to add to that tradition – but given that the series fairly quickly moves on from the setting, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for now.)
Generally speaking, the early episodes of Picard season 2 are decent enough – there’s a fair bit of action, some cameos and Easter Eggs for the die-hard fans and some character development for the series’ central figure. But it’s hard to shake the sense that these raw materials could make a much better Star Trek series, rather than yet another dark-hued sci-fi show where everyone punctures the tension with irritating self-aware quips (Pill’s Agnes is a particular culprit).
There are a couple of moments early on where we see the “modern” version of Starfleet in action, and it was almost frustrating how much more appealing it is to watch that instead of whatever Picard is actually focused on. Why can’t CBS just make a ‘normal’ Star Trek series, instead of the grim and complex serials they’ve decided to go all in on (possibly excepting the upcoming Brave New Worlds)?
Overall, there are definitely improvements in Picard season 2, and I’ll be interested to see where the series goes next. But I’m still not completely sold on this show’s creative direction as a whole, and it’s easy to see this new story building to another disappointing conclusion. Hopefully, Picard can pull out one final manoeuvre to bring this one to land.
Star Trek: Picard begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video from Friday 4th March, and streams on Thursdays on Paramount Plus. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
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Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
