After rehashing past events with his former first officer, Picard seeks a crew and a ship on his search for Bruce Maddox

When Star Trek: Picard has its first premiere in Los Angeles, the lucky viewers watched the first three episodes, and that’s probably the most effective way to take a run at the show. It serves as a lengthy pilot, and by the end of this episode it feels like we’re actually on our way.

That’s not to say everyone is now on board, and I assume that some of the touted fan favourites who are lined up for the show will make their appearance as the story requires. We do get to spend some time with Michelle Hurd’s Raffi, a complex character with a lot of baggage and addictions, and like Picard she has unfinished business with Starfleet; she has been living her life on pause.

Pilot and former Starfleet officer Cristóbal Rios (Santiago Cabrera) gets a fun introduction (I won’t spoil it), someone else who no longer has a great affinity with Starfleet – you’re seeing the theme here? We also get to catch up with Jonathan del Arco’s Hugh, who we last encountered in The Next Generation’s Descent, Part II in 1996 and is now in a very different place. As characters begin to reveal their motives we too gain a better understanding of this new future. Starfleet isn’t Starfleet any more

Verdict: The final essential building blocks are in place so that the Picard and his crew can set off on their mission. There’s a twinkle in Patrick Stewart’s eye in the closing moments, and that’s reflected on the faces of many fans who are thrilled to be with him. 9/10

Nick Joy

picard-lede-1300x893At the end of the previous instalment we were introduced to Picard’s erstwhile First Officer Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd, giving a very engaging performance) and it’s fair to say she wasn’t thrilled to see him. Here, in a useful flashback that serves to explain just why Picard has been wine-making instead of space-faring, we find out the cause of their falling out. They were clearly close (I doubt many could get away with insisting on calling him J.L.) but events damaged their relationship, perhaps beyond repair.

Raffi’s living situation flags up an issue which Trek, to the best of my knowledge, has never properly addressed on screen but I suspect has puzzled fans for years. Just how does their moneyless economy work in practical terms? The implication here is that property and possessions can be inherited just as they’ve always been, but that life might be a touch harder for those not so lucky, even ex-Starfleet personnel.

Finally, after a couple of episodes where she’s essentially been walking exposition, we get to know Alison Pill’s Dr Agnes Jurati a little better. She’s bright and breezy, in contrast to the hard-edged, world-weary nature of some of the other main cast. We also meet tough spaceship captain Cristóbal “Chris” Rios, played by Santiago Cabrera, best known perhaps as Aramis in the BBC’s Musketeers. Cabrera gets to have fun showing off his skill at accents and demonstrating just how hard this guy is, while also showing us an anguished side to the character. This latter aspect might have been better held back for a week or two; I’m not yet emotionally invested in him enough to care very much.

I was tough on this show last week for treading water to some extent. I’m pleased to say that there’s no such problem here; the direction and plotting are tight, lacking the longueurs of last time, for example with a long scene aboard the Borg Cube being effectively intercut with events happening elsewhere. As Nick Joy mentioned in his review above, the U.S. press were treated to the first three episodes, and it’s easy to see why. My preference would have been for a single bumper-length episode, or at least to have had them available at launch, but overall this has been an effective and engaging start.

Verdict: Most of the main players are in place and the adventure can really begin. As J.L. once said, “Let’s see what’s out there.” 8/10

Andy Smith