After receiving a cryptic, urgent distress call from Dr Beverly Crusher, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard enlists help from generations old and new to embark on one final adventure.

Promoted as being its final season, Picard’s third year is as much a TNG mini-series as anything else, and how much you enjoy this opening hour will depend on much on how much goodwill you have towards this specific corner and timeframe of the Alpha Quadrant.

While it had its moments, Season 2 was for me something of a meandering mess, and I’m glad to report that Picard has returned with a solid season opener. But be warned, in the same way that the Star Wars sequel trilogy relied heavily on fan service by recycling previous ideas and legacy characters, so too does this show suggest it’s going to be a reunion with the band playing its greatest hits.

First and foremost, I love TNG, and scenes reuniting the cast/characters after 20-plus years will always be time well spent. We begin with Beverly sending Picard an encoded message, which pulls him out of retirement. He’s soon recruited Riker and they concoct a scheme to hitch a ride on a Starfleet vessel to come to Dr Crusher’s aide.

I’m deliberately avoiding even the mildest of spoilers, because showrunner Terry Matalas has structured his script to squeeze out Easter Eggs for the fans at regular intervals. What I can confirm is that the visual effects are wonderful, there are musical cues and end credits calling out to the past… and just how cool is that starship set?

Verdict: Deja vu be damned, this is a season opener that ticks the requisite boxes and I had a great time in the company of some TNG legends. 8/10

Nick Joy