star trek picard s3 review

You are not prepared for the final season of Star Trek: Picard

The last season of Picard is truly wild, and while it’s filled with action, it never seems to lose that sense of wonder that makes Star Trek Star Trek.

By Alex Cranz , managing editor and co-host of The Vergecast. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for five years. Her work has also appeared in the WSJ and Wired.

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Two old men stare at a younger blond woman. They are all dressed in Star Trek uniforms.

After two middling but slowly improving seasons of Star Trek: Picard , the show has returned for one last hurrah — and god damn, was it worth the rest. If you have ever considered yourself a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation (or even, to a lesser extent, Deep Space Nine or Voyager ), then get ready for the love letter coming your way on February 16th.

While this season puts its characters in terrible spots, and there are rumors a few will die by season’s end, this wild ride has a real genuine affection for all the players. It's the absolute most fun I’ve had watching Paramount Plus’ myriad of Star Trek shows. And part of my love of this final season comes from how excited the show is to take some of Star Trek ’s most flawless heroes and find the humanity in them. These characters are messy dumbasses, and it makes the adventure all the better.

Back in Deep Space Nine , Worf, new to the station and struggling with the many conflicting personalities of the crew, speaks fondly of the crew of the Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. “We were like warriors from the ancient sagas,” he says wistfully, “there was nothing we could not do.” Which was true. The crew of TNG fought gods, survived wars, discovered new species, traveled through time, got turned into monsters and back to people again, and occasionally got busy with alien ghosts inhabiting antique candles (you had to be there).

An older woman points a phase rifle at someone off-screen.

But the problem with TNG was the characters seemed to be without significant flaws. Sure, Picard liked Shakespeare a bit too much, Riker had his love of the trombone, and Troi’s fatal flaw was her love of chocolate. But when put up against other crews, like the Deep Space Nine one (it had a terrorist on the team!) and Voyager (it had multiple terrorists on the team!), the TNG crew felt more sanitized. For many fans, this was the boring crew.

Yet, if you squinted, you could see where the show glossed over what might be some significant character issues. Picard’s love of adventure got him killed multiple times, while Crusher was so sure of herself she’d regularly ignore commands and once even was convinced the universe was the broken one. Riker cracked jokes and put his career first to avoid intimacy, and Geordi LaForge was so obsessed with engineering he fell in love with a hologram. These characters have always had flaws, but they rarely, if ever, drove the action.

Until Star Trek: Picard .

Twenty years after Nemesis , this crew’s last big adventure together, they’ve all returned, and they finally feel like messy humans instead of warriors from the ancient sagas. Picard and Riker race to save Crusher, Worf deals with a new threat to the Federation, and Troi, Geordi and whoever Brent Spiner is playing this time around get caught up in the action too. They all still feel like the characters of TNG — only pried out of the 1990s syndicated space adventure mold and put into the 2020s prestige streaming show mold.

A young Black woman dressed in a Starfleet uniform stares at something off screen with concern.

Watching the first six episodes of this season, I kept thinking this was what it must have felt like to be a fan of the original series and finally get great movies like Wrath of Kahn and The Voyage Home . These are still the same characters, played by the same actors, but we’re seeing them in a way the original show never could have allowed. And I don’t just mean that it’s more violent, although Worf does dismember some people. Sometimes the characters make bad decisions in Picard . They mess up. They fight.

But when you worry Picard is starting to feel like a too-edgy sequel, there will be little moments of wonder you can only get in Star Trek . New discoveries. Clever puzzles that get solved. Old villains reappear and feel more menacing thanks to the bigger budget and better special effects of Picard .

Picard and Riker flank Seven of Nine on the bridge of the Titan. They are all seated, with Seven seated in the center.

Like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, this feels like a proper Star Trek show in a way a lot of live-action Star Trek has failed to. But because these are characters we’ve known since 1987, there’s real emotional weight to these adventures. And some shockingly good acting. Jeri Ryan is back as Seven of Nine, and she continues to steal every scene she’s in by virtue of just being that good, but she’s not carrying the whole show on her back like she sometimes did the last two seasons. Patrick Stewart seems to sometimes doze his way through Picard , but there’s a scene with him and Gates McFadden’s Crusher that will have you sitting up straight — eyes glued to the screen. Michael Dorn and Michelle Hurd both have their own scene-stealing moments as Worf and Raffi, respectively, and in one scene, Brent Spiner reminds us of why he and his characters Data and Lore had such fervent followings in the ’90s. There’s something a little electric as all these characters come together.

There are still four episodes of Star Trek: Picard I haven’t seen, and the show could drop the ball spectacularly. The wildness of this show (you should really make an effort to avoid all spoilers) could veer into absolutely absurd territory. But in these first six episodes, you have a very goofy, very thrilling, and very fun sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek: Picard airs weekly on Paramount Plus beginning February 16 .

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Picard season 3 is great for me, less great for Star Trek

The Paramount Plus show is a little too good of a goodbye

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I should start by noting that I am probably, by most fans’ reckoning, a Star Trek Casual. I grew up at a time when there was a lot of Star Trek on TV — three shows at once! — and absorbed a lot of the stuff by both osmosis and by having family members that were super into the various adventures chronicled in The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager . Personally, I had a great time watching these shows, but I was mostly just along for the ride. That’s how I’d describe my level of investment in Star Trek: Along for the ride, and happy to be here.

From this standpoint, the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard was a wild success. While re-tooling the floundering series to be a full-on The Next Generation reunion read as an obvious Hail Mary play to go out with a bang (and maybe an apology for Star Trek: Nemesis ), it managed to do so while remaining earnest throughout, turning things around by not just bringing back the cast of The Next Generation , but by doing so in what turned out to be an ode to all of ’90s Trek .

Personally, I had a great time. My Trek knowledge is mostly built around major touchpoints; the big fan-favorite things that everyone knows about Trek in general and The Next Generation in particular. Q , The Borg, “make it so,” all that stuff. Picard is playing a tune just for me. It’s also, unfortunately, very much ending things in a narrative cul-de-sac: not just sending off its characters, but much of what they represented.

[ Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the end of Picard .]

Picard has ultimately made a mistake big franchises often make when their stewards’ primary interest is playing the hits: It makes its world smaller by making everything tie back to its legacy heroes. Its endgame literally makes nostalgia both the weapon that threatens to destroy the galaxy and the only thing that can save it: The Borg have, through Picard’s son Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), found a way to splice themselves into the genome of every Starfleet member that’s used a teleporter. The few immune? Older folks. Namely, The Next Generation cast.

The cast of TNG on the deck of the Enterprise in the finale of Picard season 3

This is the broadest and funniest way that Picard has traded The Next Generation ’s legacy as a thought-provoking show that was foundational to a whole era of science fiction for spectacle and sentiment, the former spectacularly empty-headed, and the latter just genuine enough to endear those who aren’t sticklers for narrative cohesion. Picard is all over the place , waving around the most iconic foes of ’90s Star Trek in the Changelings and The Borg, while completely eschewing what made them interesting ideological foils to Jean-Luc Picard and the Federation he represents .

As Picard digs into its initial antagonists, the Changeling Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and the crew of her ship The Shrike , the series reveals that she and her cohort are different from the Changelings of the Deep Space Nine era , enhanced by cruel experimentation by Federation scientists that Picard was not aware of. It’s a huge moral crisis, especially for a character that’s positioned as the moral center of Starfleet, and it’s all rather quickly elided to dispose of Vadic in favor of the real threat: a resurgent Borg, this time almost entirely represented by the Borg Queen, as few drones exist anymore.

Not only is this far less complex than the Changeling dilemma, it’s also — to briefly stake a claim in a meaningless war that’s been waged since Star Trek: First Contact was released — even more antithetical to the Borg’s whole raison d’etre than they’ve ever been. The main reason I can abide this is simply due to the fact that Picard doesn’t dwell on any of it. It’s a pretty thoughtless show when it comes to thoughts that don’t revolve around the Next Generation cast members saying nice things to one another and saving everyone from certain disaster one last time.

In “The Last Generation,” Picard sets up a new crew that could carry the legacy of The Next Generation onward — a curious notion, given that Star Trek: Discovery ostensibly exists for that purpose, Strange New Worlds is here to provide a modern spin on Roddenberry’s first Star Trek , and Prodigy and Lower Decks refract the mission of Star Trek for younger audiences and comedy, respectively.

If the speculative “Star Trek: Legacy” — which may only exist in Picard ’s coda — were to be realized, it’s hard to feel particularly inspired about where it might go. In the end, Picard took us on a hell of a ride, but it too definitively asserted that Jean-Luc Picard and his friends were the be-all, end-all of this era of Trek. They played the hits big and loud, and even I, a Trek casual, could smile and sing along with them. I just wonder if anyone remembers what brought us here to begin with.

Picard is now streaming on Paramount Plus.

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'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Finale Review: One of the Most Satisfying Series Endings Ever

“What began over thirty-five years ago, ends tonight.”

In today’s streaming landscape, few shows are afforded the chance to deliver happily ever afters, and even fewer of those—who are given the chance to wrap up their stories—take it upon themselves to deliver finales that are satisfying from beginning to end. From the start, Star Trek: Picard has been one of the best series on television. It smartly paid homage to the past, while charting its own course through the stars, and with the final season it returned fully to its Star Trek: The Next Generation roots with legacy-making success.

Other franchises could learn from what Star Trek has delivered with Picard . Your beloved heroes can be flawed, and their offspring can be tormented by galactic baddies, and everyone can still make it home at the end of the day. Franchises like Star Trek are precious and generational and when you’re bringing something so monumental to a close, you don’t want to leave your audience in tears of sorrow, you want to leave them with tears of joy.

To perfectly bookend the Season 3 premiere, which was aptly entitled “The Next Generation,” Star Trek: Picard comes to a close with stunning visuals and a deep well of emotion with “The Last Generation. ” The episode opens with a dire message from President Anton Chekov (voiced by the original Pavel Chekov actor Walter Keonig ) who warns that Earth’s planetary defenses are falling to the Borg’s attack, and while he urges listeners to save themselves from the young who have been turned against them by the Borg, he remains hopeful that there is a way out of the situation.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard's Gates McFadden Talks 'InvestiGates' Season 2, Dream Guests, and What She Loves About Beverly Crusher

The crew of the Enterprise accesses the damage that Spacedock is sustaining and, while it is managing to hold its own against the fleet’s attack, Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) questions where the cavalry is to save Earth. Unfortunately, as Data ( Brent Spiner ) reveals, the hails from the Federation and all other ships in the vicinity have gone completely silent. They are all that remains of the cavalry. With the realization that they are all that stands between Borg destroying Earth, they track down where the Borg Cube has been hiding within the gasses of Jupiter, and discover that they are using Jack ( Ed Speleers ) as a Command signal to broadcast their assimilation. With the solemness of a parent and the determination of a captain, Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) explains that in order to save Earth, and the galaxy, they will have to sever the beacon’s connection: no matter the cost.

From there, the episode is split into three distinct locations: the Enterprise , the Titan , and the Borg Cube. Each of which is gorgeously and impressively designed; lit and flawlessly designed to build on the intrigue and the anticipation of the unfolding story. Even the camerawork at times increases the sense of foreboding, creating a very off-kilter and uncertain sensation. While you may feel confident that Picard will deliver a well-crafted ending, you’re not entirely certain if everyone you care about will make it out alive.

Aboard the Titan , Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) and Raffi ( Michelle Hurd ) try to make the most of their reduced crew, even though the over twenty-five crowd isn’t exactly their best and brightest. They do manage to take back the bridge by setting their phasers to the portable beam-me-up, and transporting all of the Borg-infected crew to the locked-down transport room. While they do technically have the upperhand, Seven realizes that the Titan is still connected to the fleet formation and, in order to get out of the situation alive, they are going to have to figure out a way to disconnect from the fleet without the Borg realizing what their doing—which proves to be quite the challenge. Once they locate the Enterprise and piece together that Picard and the crew chose that ship because it wasn’t compatible with the fleet, Seven concocts a plan to cloak the Titan , scramble the fleet’s scanners, and hope like hell that they have enough firepower to shoot their way out of formation. Like a true Starfleet Captain, Seven delivers a short but rousing speech to the crew to instill them with hope that they can get through this situation and that the risk is worth it.

Back on the Enterprise , Deanna ( Marina Sirtis ) remarks that she’s never felt anything like this version of the Borg Cube before—all she feels is quiet suffering. Naturally, Beverly ( Gates McFadden ) asks if she can feel Jack, but all she can feel is that he has been completely consumed by the Collective. Worf ( Michael Dorn ), who is prone to practical nihilism, theorizes that Jack is likely past the point of no return, but Picard is confident that Jack is still in there. After all, Picard should know what it’s like to be used and abused by the Borg.

While the Borg Cube is doling out a lot of damage with their broadcast, Data reports that it’s only 36% operational and almost all of its resources are being used to send out their message. Rather than attacking the Enterprise , the Borg Cube lowers their shields and—as Picard recognizes—it’s an invitation. Their plan comes together quite quickly after that: in order to sever the connection between the Collective and the assimilated fleet, they’ll have to find the beacon on the Cube and destroy it. Unfortunately, Geordi ( LeVar Burton ) is certain that the only way they’ll be able to destroy that beacon is by beaming down onto the Cube and accessing the system directly. Beverly and Data manage to pull the life signs from the Borg Cube and isolate the one that is Jack’s, which will help them locate where he is too.

In another long-awaited moment for the season, Picard finally seems to fully accept what it means to be a parent. While he’s come a long way throughout the back half of the season, it’s the moment between him and Beverly on the Enterprise bridge, where he acknowledges that she has brought him this far, and now it’s his turn to bring home, which feels like a monumental shift for the character. We’ve seen Picard go through a lot across the three-season series, but this is truly his final frontier: fatherhood. The weight of the moment is alleviated soon after by an unintentionally hilarious line delivered by Worf. After Riker agrees to go down to the Borg Cube with Picard, Worf offers to go with them to make it a “threesome.” There are a lot of 'eyes, look your last' vibes as the trio departs the Enterprise , made all the more ominous by Picard’s parting words.

As one may expect after the crushing defeat the Borg faced decades ago, the Borg Cube is not the hive of activity it once was. It’s quiet—too quiet, as Riker points out grimly. It is, for all intents and purposes, a tomb filled with Borg who have died and been consumed by the remaining Borg. Once Beverly sends over Jack’s location, Picard recognizes exactly where he is because he’s still somewhat compatible with the Collective. With this realization hanging heavy between them, Picard explains that it’s time for them to part ways. He has to go be a father. The trio says farewell to each other and, if you didn’t know better, you may truly believe that we’re going to lose one or all of them. Before Picard goes headfirst into danger, he once again assures Beverly that she did everything right with Jack, which serves as their farewell too.

Picard descends further and further into the eerie depths of the Borg Cube, which is where he finds Jack in his full Borg glory being used to broadcast their message of assimilation. Where Jack failed to use his phaser on the Borg Queen (voiced by Alice Krige ), Picard has no qualms about firing upon her twisted, gaunt form. This season of Star Trek: Picard has focused heavily on the theme of “home,” particularly with the notion that crews become families and starships become home. It’s not lost on the audience that Picard is steadfast in his belief that he’s going to bring Jack home, and the Borg Queen makes a point of saying that Jack is already home.

The Borg Queen is so sickeningly pleased with herself when she calls herself Jack’s mother, taunting Picard with the fact that she and Jack share a common loneliness—one born out of Picard abandoning them both. Picard tries to bargain with her, offering himself up to her in return for freeing Jack. But these Borg aren’t looking to assimilate: they’re looking to evolve. Which happens to be another theme consistently used throughout Season 3. At last, we get the answer about why the Changelings and the Borg joined forces, and it’s extremely simple. Revenge. They both had their reasons to lash out against Starfleet, and together they saw a path forward toward evolution, using biology against Starfleet, and propagating their new future throughout the galaxy. They wanted to create a new generation of Borg who were designed to not only assimilate but to annihilate.

While this is unfolding, Worf and Riker manage to track down the location of the beacon and relay it back to the Enterprise . But their victory is short-lived, and a few of the remaining Borg awaken and attack them. They both take quite a few hits, with Worf sustaining the worst of them—enough to make the audience nervous about his fate. Things really start to reach a fever-pitch at the halfway point, as the Enterprise starts to take fire from the Borg Cube and the Titan starts to draw the attention from the fleet. Everything is going wrong, and hope feels fleeting.

One of the best moments in the episode comes about in the midst of the chaos. When Geordi points out that he didn’t have time to get the weapons systems fully up and running, Beverly jumps right into handling the weapons manually. Everyone aboard the Enterprise looks equally impressed and terrified that their beloved doctor didn’t even hesitate when unloading the full array of weapons. She makes a good point, however, a lot has happened in the last twenty years! And a lot is continuing to happen. And another incredible moment comes right on the heels of this one.

The path to the beacon at the heart of the Borg Cube is an impossible journey, according to Geordi. It’s essentially a maze, one filled with tight turns and impossible navigational requirements, and even the best of the best wouldn’t be able to safely traverse it. At least that’s what he thinks. The new and improved Data giddily assures Geordi that he has it. It may be statistically impossible, but he is confident in what his gut is telling him. Of course, Geordi is willing to put his faith and trust in Data—even when the outcome seems bleak. They manage to work their way through the Borg Cube, thanks to Data’s impressive navigation skills, but it feels like too little too late. Back on the Titan , they watch in horror as the Spacedock falls, leaving the Earth utterly defenseless to the Borg’s planned attacks, and every major city and every major populated area becomes their target.

As the Borg Queen warns Picard that he will kill Jack if he severs his connection to the collective, the crew of the Enterprise discovers that destroying the beacon will kill everyone on the Borg Cube. It’s do or die and, unfortunately, the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. While they’ve all played fast and loose with who they’re willing to risk to save Jack, reality starts to set in. Deanna solemnly points out that if they wait too long to make a decision, the Borg will kill everyone, and with the subtlest of nods Beverly acknowledges that they have to do this—no matter the cost. Geordi relays this information to Riker, offering to beam him and Worf back aboard the Enterprise , but they also know what must be done. Once they destroy the beacon, they’ll have less than a minute to escape, and Riker is willing to risk his life for the lifetime of friendship he’s shared with Picard.

Riker and Worf locate Picard right as he makes the decision to connect to the Collective again in order to save Jack. After decades of running from his history with the Borg, Picard acknowledges that he finally has something worth fighting for again: Jack. Inside that connection, Picard locates Jack, and he’s completely drunk on the euphoria of the Collective. He rhapsodizes about how he can feel all of them and the fact that he’s no longer lonely. He’s convinced that what he feels is perfection, but Picard tells him what he feels is death. The euphoria isn’t real.

Picard and Jack have had their fair share of father-son moments, though none of them have had the emotional resonance of Picard’s desperate plea to save Jack from the Borg. Jack is fully convinced that the Borg is where he belongs, something that was set into stone before he was born—his fate. They’ve preyed upon the loneliness he’s felt and Picard sees right through that. He tells Jack that he is the piece of him that he never knew was missing, and promises that he won’t leave him. As the Borg Cube starts to implode and the ground shakes beneath their feet, Picard tells him that Jack changed his life forever. The realization that his father is willing to die for him is enough to pull Jack free of the Borg, but it almost seems like it’s come too late. Still, the Borg Queen fights to keep her control of Jack, but he’s fully aware of the fact that he is no longer alone.

The Enterprise desperately tries to lock onto them, but it’s an impossible task. With the dark shadow of death descending upon them, Riker reaches out Deanna through their telepathic bond and tells her that he loves her and that he’ll be waiting for her with their boy on the other side. This heartbreaking farewell proves itself as an unexpected salvation. Now that Deanna can sense Riker, she is able to navigate the Enterprise through the Borg Cube so they can beam them up directly.

With the Borg once again—and hopefully permanently defeated—all is right in the world once more. Aboard the Titan , the younger crew breaks free of their assimilation before they can dole out any serious damage against Seven and her makeshift crew, prompting a sweet reunion between her and Sidney ( Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut ). On the Enterprise the relief is palpable as Picard and the rest of the crew reunited with their loved ones. Jack in his full Võx glory all but collapses into his mother's arms; Riker and Deanna share a much-needed kiss, Data and Geordi share a tender moment with an exhausted Worf who immediately falls asleep, and Picard welcomes Jack to the Enterprise, and it fully feels like welcoming him home.

As the series finale of Picard begins to draw to a close, Riker narrates his Captain’s Log, which starts at Stardate 1—the first of a new day. Through Riker’s narration, we learn that Beverly discovered a way to fully purge the Borg DNA from all the young officers, and developed technology to allow them to root out any of the remaining Changelings hiding out within Starfleet. This development leads straight into a long-awaited Star Trek: Voyager reunion.

In the aftermath of everything that went down on the Titan , Seven meets with Tuvok ( Tim Russ ), who luckily survived the Changeling attack, to tender her resignation. Instead of accepting her resignation, he shows her the officer review that Captain Shaw ( Todd Stashwick ) submitted long before Picard arrived on the Titan . While Shaw was tough on Seven, the report reveals just how deep his respect for her actually ran. Addressing her as Seven of Nine, rather than Hansen , he recommends her for a promotion to Captain—praising her for her ability to break rules and push the limits. He may be “by the books,” but he was looking forward to seeing how great the book she wrote would be. It’s a beautiful send-off for Shaw and the perfect closure to their embattled dynamic.

Raffi gets some satisfying emotional closure too, by way of her family embracing her again and her son happily agreeing to set up a time for her to reconnect with her granddaughter. When Worf comes in to say goodbye to her, they talk around the fact that someone—Worf—leaked information to her family about her classified valor commendations, which helped tip the scales of her relationship with them. Elsewhere, we learn that Data is still adjusting to his newfound emotions, which include seeing Deanna for therapy. After everything they’ve been through, one has to wonder just how many people are seeing her for counseling! The hilarious part of the therapy session is that she’s busily looking at vacation spots to get away with Riker instead of giving Data her full attention.

From there, the episode jumps a year into the future and a lot has changed. Despite being reluctant to the idea earlier in the season, Jack has finally joined Starfleet and landed himself on an expedited track. Jack is convinced it’s due to nepotism—he’s the son of Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard after all—but Picard is confident that he succeeded on his own merit, and assures him that names mean almost nothing. Jack is clearly nervous about getting his post, but not exactly for himself: he’s nervous about the big thing that he and his mother have been keeping a secret from Picard. He reveals that he has been assigned to the U.S.S. Titan , only the starship has been newly christened, in Picard’s honor, as the U.S.S. Enterprise G. This reveal allows Jack to echo his father’s words with a twist: “Names mean almost everything.”

Aboard the newly christened U.S.S. Enterprise , Jack is greeted by Captain Seven and her Number One, Raffi. But before he gets his official placement, Jack pulls out his typical Jack charm, jokingly ordering the crew to head to Matalas while commandeering the Captain’s chair. After cooling his jets, Jack questions Seven about what role he’s going to be assigned to, and advocates for why he fits practically every role, except maybe science. Instead of posting him somewhere far away from the bridge, Seven smartly decides to keep him right where she can see him, as Special Counselor to the Captain.

With that out of the way, Seven takes her seat in the Captain’s chair and Jack questions her about what her catchphrase is going to be. Connecting back to what Shaw said about the rule-breaking book that Seven will write as Captain, Jack refers to her catchphrase as her “writing the opening line of your legacy.” Rather than reveal what it will be, Star Trek: Picard leaves audiences anxiously waiting for Paramount+ to greenlight Star Trek: Legacy .

In a beautiful homage to the final chapter of The Next Generation and a fitting end to a series that started with Picard largely isolating himself from the world, Star Trek: Picard ends at 10 Forward, with Picard surrounded by friends and playing a captivating round of poker with not just his crew, but his family. So much of the season has centered around this idea of crew as family and starships as home and this final scene with the cast of The Next Generation truly exemplifies that theme. That idea extends even beyond the realms of fiction, bleeding into reality with this cast and, by extension, the audience that has found comfort and belonging within this corner of the universe.

The second season of Star Trek: Picard ended with the heartbreaking departure of one of the most constant fixtures of Picard’s life , Q ( John de Lancie ), and the series as a whole once again narrows in on the permanence of him in this universe. As Jack settles in aboard the Enterprise and begins unpacking his belongings (including a photo of his parents together) he quickly realizes he isn’t alone in his quarters. In the intervening time, Picard clued Jack in on Q’s existence (oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation) and he quickly recognizes that he has now been caught in his web. While Q told Picard that humanity’s trial was over, it turns out that was just for Picard—not Jack. Star Trek: Legacy may not be greenlit at this time, but Picard ends on the perfect note to drive fans to demand more. Q tells Jack that his trials have only just begun, paving the way for so many exciting adventures for the thief, pirate, and spy that Starfleet gave a ship to.

As much as I fell in love with the new cast members from Seasons 1 and 2, in the end, all I needed was exactly what Picard needed: the crew of the Enterprise (new and old). Mix in the Borg and a Q after dinner delight and Star Trek: Picard became something that felt uniquely created for me. It’s difficult to put into words what Star Trek: Picard has meant to me, as a lifelong Star Trek fan and as someone who genuinely loves incredible storytelling that has the ability to reach out and leave echoes of itself within its viewers. From start to finish, the series has soared above and beyond expectations, but they left the best for last. How can you tell Picard’s story, especially one that pushes him into situations he has never faced before, without giving him the moral support of the people who know him better than anyone else in the world? It’s also a testament to what beloved franchises can do with their legacy: paying respect to the generation that ignited a passion in the hearts of fans while showing the next generation that they too can have adventures that resonate with audiences long after the credits come to a close. It’s not hyperbole to say that Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard is one of the best series finales to ever grace television screens, and hopefully, it’s the beginning of more stories that explore the final frontiers of characters we all love until the end of time.

Star Trek: Picard is streaming now on Paramount+.

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Entertainment

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Review: The 'Next Generation' Reunion We've Been Waiting For

Patrick Stewart brings the TNG crew back together for their most character-driven adventure.

Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 marks the third and final voyage for Patrick Stewart's iconic captain, and I'm pleased to log that it follows the prime directive for a Star Trek show: It's really good. Make it so!

Episode 1 of Picard season 3 is streaming now on Paramount Plus in the US, with new episodes following every Thursday (it's on Amazon Prime Video around the globe). Even in just a couple of seasons, the show has fallen into something of a formula: Captain -- sorry, Admiral -- Picard is trying to enjoy his retirement on his vineyard when he's galvanized into action by a mysterious message for his eyes only. Along the way, he quickly encounters a former Trek star now transformed into a badass killing machine, for some reason. And a familiar baddie emerges in a new and much scarier form.

Following a few crowd-pleasing cameos in previous instalments, season 3 completes the reunion of the classic cast of The Next Generation. Patrick Stewart is joined by the rest of the cast of the beloved 1990s Trek series in which we first met Picard and crew, and it's a joy to see them back in action. Who wouldn't enjoy the japes of Stewart's Picard and Jonathan Frakes' Will Riker bunking together on a rogue mission? And fans who were on the fence about new Trek can bathe in the nostalgia of the distinctive Next Generation font, or the TNG theme blaring over Easter egg-packed closing credits.

On the other hand, the show refuses to take the easy path imagining a future for the beloved characters. You might wince at Gates McFadden's Beverley Crusher John Wick-ing aliens with a phaser rifle, and nobody really needs Jean-Luc Picard wearing leather jackets and saying "fuck." But there's a genuine sense that life has happened to these people. They haven't just been preserved in a transporter buffer for 30 years waiting to be beamed down the same way we used to know them. Seeing Riker's cockiness tempered by tragedy, or Picard facing a mistake he never knew he made, is heartbreaking -- but, y'know, in a fun way.

It's not perfect, of course. Even though she kicks off the series, Crusher is quickly upstaged by the new character she brings with her. And having watched the first half of the 10-episode season, I noticed that some of the crew still haven't turned up at all. But judging from the episodes I have seen, I have faith they'll be treated in interesting and respectful ways. It's particularly great to see Worf kicking ass and being funny without ever being the butt of the joke.

Familiar faces don't just show up for the sake of it, for a crowd-pleasing back-slapping lap of honor. There's a particularly compelling cameo a few episodes in that drives the story and challenges Picard to face an ugly side of himself, Stewart sinking his teeth into his portrayal of a 30-year-old grudge. That particular cameo (no spoilers) also reminds us that old-school Trek did in fact develop its characters and their flaws. Classic Trek was more than capable of complicating their lives, and didn't always deliver happy (or predictable) endings.

Picard presents a challenge to old-school fans, but that's good. The show isn't comfort viewing, or a nostalgic rehash. It genuinely justifies its existence, moving forward the characters and the Trek universe.

The season starts with Crusher up to no good, calling in Picard and Riker (and Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine, returning from previous seasons) for a less-than-legit mission into deep space. Picard must face both his personal demons and a horrifyingly powerful new enemy (played with giggling intensity by Amanda Plummer) as his crewmates old and new uncover something far bigger than they ever imagined.

White-haired Klingon warrior Worf in grey armor faces Captain Picard in TV show Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: Picard is well Worf your time.

This storyline is possibly the most "Trek" the show has been so far, unfolding on an actual Starfleet starship with characters wearing uniforms and everything. It even features that fan-favorite TNG element: a dickhead rival officer (y'know, a Jellico type) who's less than enamored of the Enterprise fam's adventurous spirit.

But it's all brought up to date from vintage Trek's mission-of-the-week format with ongoing storylines, season-long character arcs and lashings of drama. It's great to see that the actors and characters all have something going on rather than just waving tricorders and pushing buttons each week. That said, there is an element of manufactured drama, as in all the new-generation Trek shows (Discovery and Strange New Worlds ). A lot will depend on your tolerance for characters trapped in life-or-death situations stopping for a heart-to-heart chat, or having a heated argument on the bridge when the red alert should be focusing their minds on the situation.

And why is everything so dark? Engineering, divert some power to the damn lights!

Overall, though, Picard has turned out to be a thoroughly engaging Star Trek revival. It's more than an exercise in nostalgia, more than a box of Playmates action figures pulled out of the attic with plastic phaser accessories popped back in their hands. Season 3 doesn't just reunite the much-loved crew, it actually gives the actors something to do -- possibly confronting more character development and emotion than they ever did in the original. Picard may not follow the cozy formula of vintage Star Trek, but we have Strange New Worlds for that. Instead, for all its nostalgia, Picard keeps boldly going in the most important direction of all: forward.

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‘Star Trek: Picard’ Series Finale Recap: Saying Farewell

In the end, the final season of “Picard” was a worthy send-off for the “Next Generation” crew.

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Two men and a Klingon walk into a starship

By Sopan Deb

Season 3, Episode 10: ‘The Last Generation’

“What began over 35 years ago ends tonight,” Jean-Luc Picard says, standing on his favorite bridge and glaring at his most distasteful enemy. It recalled his “The line must be drawn here!” from “First Contact.”

This was ostensibly a reference to the Federation’s longstanding battle with the Borg, but it also applies to “The Next Generation” franchise. (The show began airing in 1987 and 35 years ago would be 1988.) And if this is the last time we see these characters, that’s OK. Not because this season of “Picard” wasn’t a strong one. Quite the opposite, in fact: It was quite good and recaptured everything that made “Next Generation” what it was.

The characters all used special skills to work together and save humankind. Some of the dialogue was campy. There were plot holes. And there were classic “Star Trek” tropes, like Jean-Luc nonsensically going to the Borg cube, when he was likely the least physically capable of the old crew in fighting off the Borg.

But overall, this season was a worthy send-off for the crew. It wasn’t perfect, but neither were the show or any of the movies. But it was worth doing. The story justified its existence, advancing each of the main characters and filling in some gaps.

And it confirmed one last time that “The Next Generation” was greater than the sum of its parts. That might have been why the first two seasons of “Picard” didn’t work as well. Jean-Luc wasn’t the best character he could be without his old friends. The chemistry wasn’t as fluid, and the story wasn’t as deep.

In the finale, we learn a bit about what the Borg have been up to, though I remain baffled that no one brings up Jurati or the whole Good Borg thing from last season . (Maybe it was for the best.) There was no collective left — only the Borg Queen remained, she claimed, though we know from last season’s events that this isn’t exactly true.

It was Jack who found the Borg Queen, at least in her telling. She speaks in a way that is contrary to what we’ve known about the Borg: She says she was lonely and that the Borg were left to starve. (This kind of undercuts the Borg’s whole message of being the perfect beings.) But now, the Borg want to evolve rather than assimilate, and Jack is the perfect partner to do that. (In order to survive, the Borg Queen, I think, resorted to Borg cannibalism. Yikes! Hope those drones won Employee of the Month or something.)

The Borg and the changelings came to an agreement in which the changelings would be the Borg’s vehicle to carry out some villainous plan to help them procreate. Aside from an ill-fated revenge that they didn’t really need the Borg for, I don’t know what the changelings really got out of this alliance.

Elsewhere, classic Star Trekking happens. Worf and Riker fight off some baddies on the cube. Beverly uses her now finely honed combat skills to fire weapons. (It’s somewhat amusing that Geordi refurbished the Enterprise D for display at the fleet museum and also included a loaded torpedo system. Thank goodness he went above and beyond!) Data shows off his lightning fast piloting skills, assisted by his newly acquired gut instinct.

Beverly is faced with an impossible decision: Blow up her son and save the galaxy, or, uh, don’t. I loved that Geordi is the one who asks her permission, because he now understands a parent’s love for a child. And when it comes time to fire on the beacon, Geordi really, really doesn’t want to do it.

Jean-Luc finds another solution. He assimilates himself so he can get in contact with Jack in the Borg collective. Jean-Luc isn’t human, of course. He is an android — apparently, he can just plug himself in to the network like a flash drive. Jean-Luc tells Jack that he is the missing part of Jean-Luc’s life. (Patrick Stewart plays this perfectly.)

Jean-Luc is finally able to admit to himself how lonely he was outside of Starfleet, and that Starfleet merely covered up that loneliness rather than filling it entirely. Jean-Luc gives his son something he’s craved his whole life: approval and unconditional love. And Jean-Luc also won’t let his son go. He offers to stay in the hole with him so they can climb out together, and Jean-Luc gets to be the father he never knew he wanted to be.

Eventually, Jean-Luc pushes Jack to unassimilate himself and turn against the Queen. And that’s that: The universe is saved again. Our thanks to the crew of the Enterprise for the umpteenth time.

The episode ends in the only appropriate way for the “Next Generation” crew: They sit around and toast one another. Jean-Luc quotes Shakespeare, and then they whoop and play cards just like at the end of “All Good Things…,” the series finale of the original “Next Generation.”

The end wasn’t perfect, but it was proper. And that’s about all you can ask from a season like this. I don’t need any more — I want the Enterprise D crew to Costanza it and leave on a high note. They’ve earned it.

Odds and ends

Somewhat amusingly, Jean-Luc does not express any concern for or otherwise mention Laris throughout this season , another example of the team behind “Picard” trying to erase the first two seasons of the show from existence. But Laris, for her part, actually appeared in the season premiere and, one could argue, help put the events of the reunion in motion.

I keep thinking about that scene early this season with Riker and Jean-Luc at the bar, when Riker has to defend the honor of the Enterprise D. We didn't know it then, but that foreshadowed the whole season.

I would have liked to hear more about what Worf has been up to since the events of “Nemesis.” At the end of “Deep Space Nine,” Worf was named an ambassador to Qo’noS. In “Nemesis,” Worf somehow just becomes a member of the Enterprise crew again with little explanation. In this season, it is implied that Worf helped destroy the Enterprise E — more detail would have been nice.

The “Worf as comic relief” thing, as when he fell asleep on the bridge immediately after he helps to save civilization, also wore thin. But there is a fun callback in the last scene of the episode: Beverly saying Worf should have another glass of prune juice. A warrior’s drink!

Pavel Chekov’s son, Anton, being president of the Federation was a nice touch. Anton is likely a reference to Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the rebooted feature films beginning in 2009. He died in 2016 as a result of a car accident .

When Seven and Raffi figure out a way to transport assimilated crew members off the bridge using phaser rifles, it’s quite the deus ex machina. That technology would’ve been helpful all season!

That was a funny moment when the cook is ordered to pilot the Titan. He didn’t even finish flight training, why is Seven making him take the wheel? Have Raffi do it! (Within minutes, the cook executes complicated evasive maneuvers, so that must have been some training.)

At first, I found New Data to be jarring but after a couple episodes, this version grew on me. When he says he hates the Borg, you can see the Lore side of him burst through. It’s a fresh take on Data and Brent Spiner pulls it off.

That was a nice bit of wordless acting from Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis when Riker heads down to the cube for yet another mission with Jean-Luc. The swashbuckling Riker gives the slightest of smiles, as if to say, “You know who you married. You know why I have to do this.” And Troi reluctantly agrees. Later, when Troi tells Riker he will only have a minute or so to save Jean-Luc once the Enterprise fires on the Cube, he responds again with cool confidence in a near death situation.

There will certainly be some disappointment among fans that Kate Mulgrew did not reprise her role as Admiral Janeway this season. The events in “Voyager” presumably are the reason the Borg cube was in such terrible shape when Jean-Luc beams aboard. Given the multiple references to Janeway and what was happening on Earth, it would have been nice to have gotten a glimpse of her. (And man, how gnarly does the Borg Queen look now?)

Ah, there’s Tuvok, offering Seven her own ship. As Vulcan as ever.

In the grand scheme of things, this is still only the second most successful attack by the Borg on Earth. Sure, they get to Earth, bring down the planetary defense systems and attack cities directly, all while using Starfleet ships. But in “First Contact,” they actually went back in time and assimilated all of Earth before the pesky Enterprise crew initiated a do-over. And honestly, if Jean-Luc and his merry band hasn’t been able to rescue Earth from Evil Jack, they could have just done what they did last season or in “First Contact”: Go back in time. It’s easy!

Troi gets to drive the Enterprise D again. It went better than it did last time, when she crashed it.

Beverly is an admiral now? What a promotion, considering the decades she spent out of Starfleet running a rogue operation. I wonder if Riker, Geordi or any of the others were like, “Hey, what about us?”

Ed Speleers did an admirable job as Jack Crusher. It’s not easy to go toe-to-toe with Patrick Stewart, but Speleers fits in seamlessly as Beverly and Jean-Luc’s son. (While we’re here, what’s up with Jack’s brother, Wesley?)

I hope all of you stuck around for the post-credits scene. Q is still alive! Of course he is. We don’t acknowledge last season around these parts.

Sopan Deb is a basketball writer and a contributor to the Culture section. Before joining The Times, he covered Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. More about Sopan Deb

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TV Series |

Star Trek: Picard – Season 3 Review

Streaming on: Prime Video

Episodes viewed: 6 of 10

All starships will, at some point, stray off course. They get lost in a nebula, sucked into a spatial anomaly, or waylaid by ornery Klingons. As far as inconvenient diversions go, though, Season 2 of Picard was a big one. While it began promisingly enough, the series rapidly fell down a wormhole of recycled ideas and daft plotting that strayed perilously close to the kind of fan fiction you might stumble across on Reddit while trying to find out if there’s a Klingon word for ‘colander’ (there is not). Season 3, however, marks a significant, and welcome, course correction. Instead of attempting another reheat of Star Trek ’s greatest hits, this final series is a genuine attempt to recapture the thrill of Trek in its prime.

Of course, the headline draw for this third and final season is the much-touted return of the Next Generation OGs. While Riker, Data and Troi all popped up in Season 1, here, we’re also treated to the return of Beverly, Geordie (LeVar Burton) and Worf (Michael Dorn), meaning that, save for Wesley Crusher (whose season 2 cameo is best consigned to the ice mines of Rura Penthe), all the Enterprise’s MVPs are now back on the bridge. It’s to the credit of now solo showrunner Terry Matalas that beaming in this many old school Next Gen -ers feels largely organic, each joining the ongoing mission at a different point, and furthering the plot — not stalling it — whilst doing so.

Picard’s latter-day relationships with Jurati, Rios, Soji et al, while well-intentioned, failed to truly sparkle across the first two seasons, the chemistry never quite there. However, with almost all of Picard ’s new characters now set aside, there’s room for Starfleet legends to take centre stage, and the effect is seismic. Each exchange and sideways glance carries the weight of seven seasons, four films, and countless tie-in novels, games and comics — the sheer volume of shared experience setting phasers to ‘feels’ with surprising potency. The relationships have heft and history, weaving a rich tapestry of human emotion against which to stage the obligatory sci-fi shenanigans. Hearing how the Enterprise crew drifted apart shortly after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis strikes home like a well-placed photon torpedo, and seeing the genuine hurt in Picard’s eyes when confronting Beverly Crusher (who apparently ghosted him after a shore leave shag two decades earlier) rings true in a way that his awkward dalliance with Romulan housekeeper Laris never did.

Picard ’s strongest season by far — one last trip to the final frontier with the men and women who charted it.

The story, meanwhile, hits all the beats you’d expect from classic Trek : a mysterious signal, a technologically superior foe (fronted by a superbly over-the-top Amanda Plummer, complete with evil cigar), and an assortment of unexplained and occasionally wondrous interstellar phenomena. While this is a tight, serialised story to fit the streaming age, time is even made for the ship to get stuck in an anomalous gravity well halfway through the season, neatly harking back to the show’s episodic, science-problem-of-the-week roots, while helpfully slowing down the action to allow the characterisation room to breathe.

There are new faces mixed in with the old — Ed Speleers’ Solo-esque space rogue is a welcome addition, as is Todd Stashwick’s delightfully salty Captain Shaw — but this is a show that, like its protagonist, defines itself primarily by things past. Nods and throwbacks to missions of yore dot scenes like distant stars on a viewscreen, ranging from the subtle (a familiar painting) to the very much not (important callbacks underscored by clunky use of archive footage). None prove too distracting from the overarching plot, however, enriching rather than detracting, and paying tribute to the long legacy of The Next Generation , as well as that of both Voyager and Deep Space Nine , in surprising and often delightful ways.

From the streamlined titles (complete with familiar cobalt typeface) to a score that unapologetically riffs on Jerry Goldsmith’s original theme, Season 3 finally feels of a piece with its Next Gen roots, shedding the chilly glaze of Kurtzman-era Trek for the good-natured warmth of its heyday. In doing so, it brings us Picard ’s strongest season by far — one last trip to the final frontier with the men and women who charted it. The tragedy is that it took until the show’s last hurrah to finally find its groove. All good things must come to an end, but it's hard not to feel that we’re bidding farewell to Picard at the very moment it got us to engage.

Screen Rant

Star trek: picard season 3 review - the epic finale is the best trek since ds9.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 takes the series out in style as the epic farewell story the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation always deserved.

It's a minor miracle that Star Trek: Picard even exists. The idea that Sir Patrick Stewart would return to the role that made him a household name two decades after last portraying Star Trek: The Next Generation icon Captain Jean-Luc Picard seemed impossible until the day it was announced by the man himself in 2018 at a Las Vegas Star Trek convention. The initial excitement and buzz around the project somewhat dissipated when the show's polarizing first season debuted. Set 20 years after the final TNG film, Star Trek: Nemesis , there was no Enterprise, Picard's old crew were nowhere to be found, and Starfleet had seemingly lost its moral authority. Moreover, the empathetic, brilliant Jean-Luc Picard had become something of a sad old man. Season 2, hindered by pandemic restrictions, was met with an equally divisive reaction. This time, however, Trekkies can breathe a sigh of relief. Star Trek: Picard season 3 takes the series out in style as it tells the epic farewell story the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation always deserved.

Available To Stream On Paramount+

Set shortly after season 2, the new season begins with the retired Picard receiving a mysterious distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) , the Enterprise's former chief medical officer who disappeared years earlier for reasons unknown. Beverly informs Picard he can't trust Starfleet Command, so he enlists his former first officer and close friend Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to help him rescue the good doctor. With the help of Commander Seven Of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Picard and Riker hitch a ride on the USS Titan-A to search for Beverly. The pair end up uncovering both personal revelations and a galaxy-altering conspiracy. Over the season's first six episodes (which were screened for this review), Picard reassembles his old colleagues from the Enterprise to take on one final threat that could potentially decimate Starfleet and the Federation.

Related: Where Every TNG Character Is Before Picard Season 3

While Picard, Riker, and Crusher are the early focus in season 3, the entire TNG cast eventually show up, all of them in fantastic form. The noble Klingon warrior Worf (Michael Dorn) now considers himself a pacifist, though one who carries a very large sword. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) has become a decorated Starfleet officer and family man, with both of his adult daughters now serving in Starfleet. Brent Spiner, most famous for portraying the late android Data, returns as Lore, Data's evil twin brother, though his return is not as straightforward as it might seem. The lone holdover from the first two seasons of Picard is Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), who mostly manages to hold her own among all these franchise legends.

The entire TNG cast is still at the top of their game, embodying these characters like they never stopped playing them. However, the standout performance is Frakes as Riker, who has become much crankier and funnier in his old age. Frakes largely abandoned acting in favor of directing gigs after Star Trek , but the twinkle in Riker's eye suggests Frakes is still very good at this, and he's clearly having a blast back in his Starfleet uniform. He even manages some genuine pathos in scenes with Stewart's Picard, as the two old friends grapple with personal failings and potentially disastrous starship shenanigans.

The first two seasons of Picard came under fire for their relatively slow pace, largely personal stakes, and the amount of time they spent on Earth. New showrunner Terry Matalas has corrected essentially all of these issues. In many ways, season 3 feels like an entirely different show from the previous two, one that embraces the traditional trappings of Star Trek in ways Picard actively avoided before. There's no more wallowing in grief or confronting long-buried mommy issues for Jean-Luc Picard this season — the man is once again on a mission to save innocent lives at any cost.

The details of the season's overarching plot deserve to remain secret, but it's clear this is a story Matalas, a lifelong Star Trek fanatic, has wanted to tell for quite some time. Crusher sends the initial distress call as she's being pursued by Vadic (Amanda Plummer), a mysterious new villain with a grudge against the Federation. To say more about Vadic's motivations would spoil too much, but her vendetta against the Federation has some inspired roots in a much-loved corner of Star Trek lore.

After experimenting with form and tone over its first two seasons (with mixed results), Star Trek: Picard season 3 is an unqualified triumph. The plot is compelling, the performances are strong across the board, and it's even surprisingly funny. It's arguably the best Star Trek story since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended its run in 1999. The love and respect for these characters and their universe is apparent, and if this truly is the final chapter for Jean-Luc Picard and the cast of TNG , it's a more than fitting sendoff.

More: Star Trek's Future Lies With Picard, Not Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Picard season 3 begins streaming on Paramount+ Thursday, February 16. Season 3 consists of ten episodes that will stream weekly.

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Patrick Stewart

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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Review: A Mix of Old Friends and New Blood Makes the Final Season the Best Yet

Dave nemetz, west coast bureau chief.

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It’s almost a total reboot from previous seasons of Picard — and frankly, that’s not a bad thing. The first two seasons had their moments, but too often, they got bogged down in convoluted stories and characters that didn’t grab us like the originals did. Season 3 fixes a lot of these issues, streamlining the story and politely jettisoning most of the original Picard cast. In fact, if you haven’t watched Picard at all, you could probably just jump in here with not much of a learning curve. Michelle Hurd is thankfully back as Raffi, though, and she and Worf make a great pair as they dig up the roots of the Starfleet conspiracy.

Showrunner Terry Matalas guides the Season 3 ship with great reverence and affection for Star Trek history, and it’s a pleasure to watch Jean-Luc and his friends back on the bridge again; there’s a giddy energy to the actors as they get the band back together. Their banter is laced with sly teases and inside jokes, and the scripts are packed with nods, references and deep-cut cameos that will delight TNG super fans. This is more than just a nostalgia tour, though. Jean-Luc and company have to confront age-old grudges and long-forgotten dreams as they face their mortality, leading to some highly emotional scenes three decades in the making. (There’s one big twist I can’t reveal that changes everything we know about Jean-Luc and rocks his very foundation.)

Season 3 moves along a lot more nimbly than the previous two as well, with plainspoken storytelling that doesn’t get lost in overly complicated twists. The season does follow a serialized story, but it still finds time for quiet character moments along the way. This is the rare revival that goes beyond just coasting off what we loved years ago; it actually deepens and enriches the characters and relationships we know so well. It’s kind of what Star Trek: Picard should’ve been from the very beginning — but hey, better late than never.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Picard ‘s final season brings back Next Generation favorites and introduces new wrinkles in what is easily the best season yet.

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So excited for this, I can’t wait to see.

Been anticipating this for months. Can’t wait.

What about Laris/Orla Brady?

This is a binge-watch for sure!

This really says nothing as the first season was middle of the road ‘ehh’ and the second season was simply terrible.

I liked both seasons. :D

Good for you. The second season showed that no one writing it has ever actually watched TNG.

You missed the easter eggs?

Thought the same. I’m trying to be hopeful that this final season is at least middling once again because if Discovery is the trend line it could get even worse.

I just want to point out that the only reason it’s taken this long to get the revival we wanted is because Patrick Stewart was hard set against the concept of reviving the old crew and old style. He wanted something different. You can cast judgement on the first two seasons all you want but without them, this one would never have happened.

Is Jeri Ryan back for the whole season? Her imdb page only lists one episode for season 3.

Addition by subtraction if true

I just finished S2 recently, and I guess I’m in the minority, but I enjoyed it. But, I’m so ready for this!

I’m with you. I enjoyed both seasons of Picard and am so looking forward to Season 3.

“easily the best season yet…”

that’s a low bar. But definitely feel like this season is going to be different, mainly cause of Matalas

I have enjoyed it… hardly a low bar.

The lowest of bars. They couldn’t have the bar set any lower.

Nothing on 7?

Seven of Nine is in Picard 3.

You didn’t bother to watch the trailers?

Thanks, Dave. You’ve convinced me to give it a try again.

And if the Picard big plot twist is what I think it is (See Kirk in Wrath of Khan) I think my eyes will roll out of my head.

As long as it ain’t wesley – i’ll be alright

The rumors say Picard season 3 is using the plots from Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country. Because Kirk was surprised with a son, I suspect Picard will be told about an unknown child of his in season 3. It’s funny that Q didn’t mention anything about a child in season 2.

Thanks for this review of season 3. I lost interest halfway through the first season but my husband has been loyal to Pickard. Given your advance review, I’ll give S3 a second chance. Because who doesn’t love Picard and Number 1!

Apparently you can’t have an opposing opinion towards the author. My previous comments were never posted

I believe it when I see it.

TNG season 3 all over again?

I need spoilers. I won’t watch until I know that Beverly won’t be tortured or killed off. She’s the only reason I’m vaguely interested in watching this, and hurting her would be the fastest way to hurt Picard.

She was woefully underused in TNG, and I’m glad she’s a bit more present, here, but I won’t watch until I see spoilers saying Beverly is safe, and actually has a good storyline she deserved.

Literally the only reason I paid for Paramount+ this month and next. I’m so excited and scared at the same time.

You liked the one about the whales, right? Or how about the one with the guy who used to be an (not-so) evil hologram? What about 1701A? Do the kids still think it’s cool? But, hey, we know you like the one about the whales. . .

In terms of touchbacks to Trek that’s gone before, this show stumbles over itself to remind us of the Golden Age of the 1980s-90s. I wish the first two seasons had been good enough that this sort of checklist of greatest hits wasn’t needed to draw people back in because I find this sort of thing distracting since it bogs down the pacing and obscures character motivations and actions with a huge assortment of fun dieus ex machin-ahs (auto-correct won’t let me spell that the way it should. The future doesn’t need to worry about a robot uprising on Mars, the evolved AI of the ghost of the Microsoft Paperclip is what’s going to get us first.) Also, the digging up of Kirk’s corpse and hiding it in the back rooms of Starfleet Air and Space Smithsonian is in poor taste besides being creepy. Why stop with him? What closet are those poor whales stuffed in?

You liked the one about the whales, right?

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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 10 Review: The Sky's The Limit In The Series Finale

When the third season of "Star Trek: Picard" began, this old Trekkie declared it to be the best "Star Trek: The Next Generation" movie we never got. This was a bit of a dubious comparison, as the four extant "Next Generation" movies never quite reached the intellectual highs of the TV series on which they were based. "Star Trek: Generations" was weirdly preoccupied with "passing the torch" moments, bending over backward to get Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and James T. Kirk (William Shatner) on screen together. "First Contact" was an enjoyable enough action picture, but it dumbed down a lot of the show's more interesting notions about the Borg, and, in being a full-scale action picture, only served to highlight how ill-suited the NextGen cast was for such a genre.

"Insurrection" more or less repeated the premise of the episode "Who Watches the Watchers" (October 16, 1989), but tried to stage it as an action/mystery story rather than an ethical dilemma, only with a paltry budget. And finally, "Nemesis" was such an unabashed "Wrath of Khan" retread that few embraced it; "Nemesis" remains the lowest-grossing Trek film of them all.

While each of the above films possesses its own appealing qualities, they all bear the same central error: they tried to present "Star Trek" as something more action-forward than it typically is on TV. The movies have much simpler plots, a lot more violence, and way too many dumb, action-movie one-liners. Trek is best when it's less action-heavy and more cerebral . The movies, in attempting to be "events," eschew that.

This season of "Picard," essentially being the fifth NextGen movie, also fell into the "action trap" to resolve its story, ending events with a daring rescue and a big explosion.

The epilogue, however, is where its heart lies.

Setting up the big fight

It won't be until the plot is resolved, and the survivors have a chance to sit and talk and merely be themselves outside the purview of the crisis at hand that "Picard" will reveal itself. The actual action climax of the season is quite silly, relying on an action sequence that closely resembles a notable moment from "Return of the Jedi."

At the end of the last episode, " Võx ," Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ) had given his powerful psychic mind over to the evil Borg Queen (voice of Alice Krige), and had used their combined abilities to take over the minds of thousands of Starfleet officers. Meanwhile, Picard, Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Worf (Michael Dorn), Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and the resurrected Data (Brent Spiner) sped off to the rescue in a reconstructed Enterprise-D. Many have seemingly responded very positively to the reappearance of the decades-old ship and the re-use of a well-worn "Star Trek" villain, while some of us rolled our eyes at the showrunner's reliance on blunt nostalgia imagery.

Some of that nostalgia continues into the show's final episode, "The Last Generation," which begins with a recreation of the "Next Generation" opening titles while a voice cameo from Walter Koenig plays in the background. Koenig — Pavel Chekov himself — plays a character named Anton Chekov, likely as a tribute to the late Anton Yelchin who played Chekov in the J.J. Abrams movies. Or perhaps as a reference to the playwright. He announces that the Federation is under attack.

The Enterprise-D can't enter the fray, but they can investigate the Borg ship in control of it all. As it so happens, it was hiding within the storms of Jupiter this whole time.

Return of the Jedi

The Borg ship in question seems to be on its last legs, and the Borg Queen has transformed herself into an H.R. Giger nightmare monster of piled-up mechanical guts. It's a pretty cool image. Jack, meanwhile, has been assimilated, complete with a robot suit and mechanical facial prostheses. In order to free Jack, Picard confronts him face-to-face and plugs a Borg wire into his neck, allowing them to have a psychic conversation. The "psychic conversation" now seems to be the commonest trope on "Picard," as it was previously done with Data, with Picard's late father, and between Data and Lore just a few episodes ago.

While Picard confesses his love for his son, the Enterprise flies through the guts of the Borg ship, firing weapons and seeking an explosive core. The sequence is straight out of "Return of the Jedi," turning the massive Enterprise-D into a quick-moving attack craft. For those who didn't study Enterprise schematics as teenagers, the saucer section of the ship is .29 miles across . The Borg ship was kind enough to construct ducts and passageways that can accommodate a Galaxy-class vessel.

That I was concerned about such nerdy details in the middle of the show's action climax perhaps speaks to how unengaging it is. The action is certainly competent, and the stakes are certainly high, also all the characters are appropriately panicked as they fight for their lives. But there is a distant, nagging sense of disappointment seeing "Star Trek" once again rely on a space battle and mere explosive spectacle to resolve its plot issues. As the action progresses, one can merely wait for it to end and for the heroes to emerge before they can begin connecting to the characters again.

Let's have a drink

After the Enterprise crew has rescued Jack and had a teary moment when it looked like all was lost, and after the U.S.S. Titan-A, commanded by Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Raffi (Michelle Hurd), tried to singlehandedly fight off a thousand attacking Starfleet vessels, the day is won.

The final scene of the series sees the NextGen cast gathered in Guinan's bar, enjoying cocktails and talking about nothing in particular. It's this final scene where "Picard" actually begins to shine. These are characters well-known to Trekkies, now decades older and with new lives, finally being allowed to converse and be themselves outside of a crisis situation. Their social dynamics click immediately back into place, and their friendships emerge. There is no longer any need to force sentimentality or nostalgia into the equation. Riker and Troi talk about taking a vacation. Data is going to therapy. Picard is, finally, finally, just allowed to be himself. Just like at the end of " All Good Things... ," the final episode of NextGen, the characters end the day with a poker game. None of the show's previous stabs at manufactured wistfulness — such as when they ogled old starships in episode six — can match the naturalness of these scenes. It's a wonderful way to shut the book on the characters. We don't hold them up as heroes. They merely get to live.

As all the NextGen movies have proven, action will always be secondary to character, thought, and philosophy. "Picard" may have been low on philosophy, but this season was strikingly strong with character. It ended quite well. Quite well, indeed.

But, because of the nature of modern entertainment franchises, there had to be a spinoff tease. This was handled ... relatively well.

The spinoff tease: it's now been a year after Jack was a Borgy-Worgy bugle boy, and he was gleefully fast-tracked through Starfleet Academy, becoming an ensign right away. He acknowledges that he only got the gig because his parents were Dr. Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard. His first assignment will be back on board the U.S.S. Titan-A. For sentimental reasons, however, the Titan-A has been renamed the U.S.S. Enterprise-G. Seven of Nine is now the captain, following the death of Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) who, quite sadly, remained dead; there was no twist that could have brought back the show's standout new character. Quite the pity. Seven's first officer is Raffi, and the Enterprise-G will now go on its own merry adventures. One might say this twist was broadcasted earlier in the series when the Titan-A was reclassified as a Neo-Constitution-class vessel. Trekkies know that Kirk's Enterprise was a Constitution-class ship.

And, not to be outdone, there is a mid-credits tease wherein a certain, familiar, presumed-dead trickster god reappears to Jack and lets him know that he might be the lead in a new TV series. After the genuinely warm scenes of the NextGen cast talking and relaxing and drinking, the tease might feel a little mercenary on the part of the showrunners, a deliberate plea to make a new series called "Star Trek: Legacy."

Don't get me wrong. I would watch "Star Trek: Legacy" in a heartbeat, especially if the storytelling and pace and settings and characters were as strong as they have generally been in the third season of "Picard." But teasing a returning character and leaning heavily on nostalgia will not be what draws me to the show. After the last season of "Picard," perhaps Terry Matalas has worked the nostalgia out of his system. Perhaps now, he can go someplace new. Boldly go where no one has gone before.

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Star Trek: Picard Series-Finale Recap: Captain’s Log, Final Entry

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Picard began as a series partly dedicated to giving Jean-Luc Picard, the aged but unbowed former captain of the Enterprise , a late-in-life shot at returning to the stars and partly as a torch-passing exercise that surrounded Picard with new characters (a kind of next generation, you could say). Across three seasons, that mission didn’t so much drift as grow in scale. This third and final season has extended the autumnal adventures to almost all of the original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation (while keeping Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd around from the preceding Picard seasons) and making the torch-passing theme even more explicit by bringing in Picard’s previously unknown son, Jack Crusher, and a pair of Geordi LaForge daughters to boot.

That’s a lot to ask of any series, much less one that has to give the beloved TNG characters the proper send-off (maybe?) they were denied by the less-than-beloved Star Trek: Nemesis. And, by and large, the season has shouldered that burden well. The TNG characters have all had their moments in the spotlight as the show reassembled the team, Ryan’s Seven of Nine and Hurd’s Raffi have had plenty to do (as did Todd Stashwick’s Captain Shaw, RIP), and Jack has proven to be a charismatic addition when he could have felt like an interloper shoehorned in to bring down the cast’s median age.

But does this final episode stick the landing? Pretty much, yeah. “The Last Generation” both brings the season-long story — which began as a confrontation with the Dominion before that dread foe essentially handed over villain duties to the Borg — to an exciting conclusion and gives the original cast a nostalgic valedictory moment while also leaving the door open for future adventures.

As it opens, however, any possibility of a happy ending seems unlikely. Federation President Chekov (not that one but his son) issues a dire warning that the Federation’s younger generation has been assimilated, and there’s little to be done about it, but in the words of his father, “There are always possibilities.” Picard and the crew are not an easily dissuaded bunch, and recognizing, as Data puts it, they “are the cavalry,” they come up with a plan.

Sure, it’s a desperate plan, but a plan nonetheless: Head to Jupiter, board the Borg vessel, and shut down the beacon that allows the Borg to do what they do. (And hopefully rescue Jack in the process.) For Picard, it’s personal. The Borg have his son (whom he’s come to like quite a bit despite a messy start), and he’s been plagued by their threat for over 35 years. For everyone else, it’s, well, also pretty personal. If this is truly a last stand, it’s a last stand against an enemy with whom they have a long, nasty history. The newly emotional Data sums it up as they approach: “I hate them.”

No one knows that better than Seven, of course, who leads a party to reclaim the Titan. She and Raffi will play a crucial role in the confrontation that follows, but it’s the newly reunited TNG crew that drives the action. And, in classic Trek faction, that means breaking into smaller groups. Picard, Will, and Worf head into the cube. (“And I will make it a threesome,” Worf says, by way of announcing his intentions.) Their farewell is one of the episode’s first heart-tugging moments. Could this be the last time these characters see each other? The look on Deanna’s face as Will walks away says it all.

On the cube, they find a lot of rotting Borg drones but little action. Then it’s time to split up after another wrenching farewell scene in which Picard can’t bring himself to tell Will how much he means to him. “You know that I know. Always,” Will says, letting him off the hook while making the scene that much more intense, with Worf’s own final words about Klingon’s not knowing the words “defeat” and “farewell” providing poignant punctuation.

When Picard reaches Jack, it’s worse than he feared. His son appears fully Borgified and the Borg Queen (voiced by Alice Krige and looking more like a nightmarish H.R. Giger creation than ever) looms over him. She’s mostly interested in mocking “Locutus,” calling his arrival a homecoming. The Borg Queen also announces that assimilation is old news. The new Borg goal is evolution. And it looks like that plan is working out for them. Thanks, unwittingly, to Jack, Starfleet is now filled with unwitting hybrids walking around with Borg DNA just waiting to be told what to do.

But despite the odds stacked against them, our heroes prevail via a series of pretty good fight scenes that mix aerial combat, a hand-to-hand battle with Borg drones, some fancy flying from Data, and a battle for Jack’s soul. The latter involves Picard plugging himself into the Borg network and selling Jack on the pleasures of life outside the Borg cube, despite the possibility of loneliness and fear. Picard’s pitch includes freely expressing his emotions (never an easy thing for the captain), including his feelings for his son. “You are the part of me that I never knew was missing,” he says. Later, they hug. (This episode just does not let up on big emotional moments. Will’s farewell to Deanna, if anything, hits even harder: “I’ll be waiting. Me and our boy.”)

Star Trek is a franchise dedicated to following intriguing science fiction concepts wherever they lead, but it’s also one in which occasionally love saves the day, and the Borg Queen’s dying shout of “No!!!” shortly before her cube explodes signals that this is one of those Star Trek installments. (Even Seven’s in a hugging mood when the Borg control lifts from the Titan crew.) It’s a happy ending for all, and the tableau of everyone posing on the Enterprise bridge (an image that includes Will and Deanna embracing and Worf asleep) could be a fitting end to the series.

But there’s more to be done. That includes giving the TNG crew some more time together and setting up future adventures. Will’s log reveals that Beverly has developed a method to eliminate Borg DNA and scan for Dominion holdouts. Tuvok, the real Tuvok, is still alive, it’s revealed. Seven learns that Captain Shaw actually liked and respected her, even recommending she be promoted to the rank of captain. Data is still sorting through his new emotions with a lot of help from Deanna, who’s a little distracted planning a vacation during the latest of their marathon sessions. But, essentially, all is well.

One year later, the long good-bye continues as Will, Picard, and Geordi put the Enterprise D to bed. A bit later, Picard and Beverly escort their son to his first Starfleet assignment aboard … the Enterprise ? Rechristened in honor of Starfleet’s fabled flagship, the Enterprise is now under Seven’s command, with Raffi and Jack by her side. That looks like a setup for a whole new series featuring this crew. (I would watch.)

We’re not done: Over drinks and a stirring recitation of one of Brutus’s speeches in Julius Caesar from Picard (“There is a tide in the affairs of men”), the TNG crew spends the evening in each other’s company, reflecting on their time together before, in a nod to “All Good Things …,” the original TNG finale, a game of poker breaks out with Picard enthusiastically participating. It’s an indulgent moment that calls on decades of accumulated affection for these characters, and boy does it work. It feels like a fitting farewell, albeit one that suggests all good things, or at least all good shows, don’t always come to an end. They just kind of lay around waiting for someone to pick them up again.

Captain’s Log

• Hello! No, I am not your regular Picard recapper (though I did cover the first season). I’m just filling in for the excellent Swapna Krishna, who was unexpectedly unable to cover this episode.

• This episode pretty clearly sets up a Seven/Raffi/Jack–focused series and that’s a pretty exciting prospect. Ryan is, of course, already a Trek legend and her reprise of Seven has broadened the character and confirmed she has a range we never saw on Voyager . Hurd was always a Picard highlight and Ed Speleers has fit right in when Jack could easily have been the series’ Poochie.

• If there is a series, please, please find room for the “Ma’am, I’m just a cook!” guy. He’s great.

• Over the end credits, there’s one last surprise: Q is back and ready to put Jack to the test. Nothing really ends or dies with this franchise, does it? (Okay, except for Ro Laren, Capt. Shaw, etc., etc.) After a first season partly dedicated to putting Data down, he’s back and the Data who wanted to die got hand-waved away. Now Q’s mortality, a big part of the second season, is out the window. It’s inconsistent, but is any going to complain, particularly after a season this strong?

• That said, the sudden transition to a mostly different supporting cast hasn’t been without some awkwardness. Whither Laris?

• Is this the last time we’ll see the TNG characters all in one place together again? Another reunion seems unlikely, but then this reunion seemed pretty unlikely. If it is the end, it’s a warm, affectionate send-off. If not, let’s hope the next reunion strikes as deft a balance between nostalgia and adventure.

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Star trek: picard season 3 episode 10 review: the last generation.

If we've learned anything from the Star Trek: Picard series, in general, and Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 10 , specifically, it's that endings are never final.

And these last few episodes of Star Trek: Picard have taught us that showrunner Terry Matalas does not hesitate to provide us with many, many endings in a one-hour narrative.

There's a sense of checking off an itemized list of the different Trek fan clusters, all of whom have a LOT to say throughout this farewell season about plot, character, nostalgia, and canon.

The first grand conclusion settles the central conflict of this specific adventure and happens at about the forty-minute mark of the sixty-two-minute runtime, which says something about how much business Matalas needed to settle before the credits rolled.

Jean-Luc Picard's road to fatherhood spans a lifetime, including a bitter relationship with his father and traumatic events that ended with his mother's death, as explored throughout Star Trek: Picard Season 2 .

His journey through time and memory primed him to be open to emotional attachments and opened his eyes to how he'd sought connection throughout his career, his retirement, and now his reunion.

His attractiveness to the Borg Queen and his attraction to the Collective are side effects of his need to belong, hindered by his fear of being rejected. But everything he undergoes in his "retirement" adventures clarifies how his vulnerabilities are, in fact, his strengths.

Jack: You said you’d never give up on me. Picard: Starfleet protocols dictate that we act in the interests… Jack: …of what? Picard: Of everyone else. Jack: And what about the protocols of a father? Or were you never issued those? Permalink: And what about the protocols of a father? Or were you never issued those?

True, learning of his son's existence sets him back on his heels a bit. He retreats into a shell of duty and Starfleet integrity for much of his initial encounters with Jack.

Even learning how he's genetically linked Jack to the Borg doesn't jumpstart the paternal instincts.

Beverly: You’re going down there. Picard: I need you to lead me to him. You brought him this far. Let me bring him home. Permalink: I need you to lead me to him. You brought him this far. Let me bring him home.

But there's a saying about old dogs and new tricks. Also, one about leading horses to water. Picard overcomes both adages and solves his dilemma with courage and flexibility.

Returning to the Enterprise-D with his son intact and his crew alive is a triumph by any measure.

Successfully defeating the Borg Queen's ultimate gambit through a willingness to sacrifice and choices driven by purely human emotion establishes who stands victorious at the end of this decades-long struggle.

What began over thirty-five years ago ends tonight. Picard Permalink: What began over thirty-five years ago ends tonight.

The Borg-Changeling plot arc ends with some happy-ending housekeeping that conveniently glosses over the lifelong trauma counseling the assimilated young crew members are going to need.

And, once again, the Federation's war crimes against the changelings go unanswered and unacknowledged. But we won't dwell on that because that's not what we're here for.

Our second ending scene is Riker, Geordi, and Picard bidding farewell to the Enterprise-D.

Fittingly, Geordi gets the final word here, reminding everyone how the ship always took care of them.

Knowing the Enterprise-D is safely stowed but still ready to fly is quite the wink at the fandom. It never did sit right with many of us that her pieces were scattered and forgotten after the events of Star Trek Generations .

Picard: Will, thank you. It means so much to me. Riker: You know that I know. Always. Permalink: You know that I know. Always.

The next ending is for the fans who've stuck with the innovation, canon-tweaking, and side-eye plot twists that have been the trademark of Star Trek: Picard.

With rumors of a Seven-Raffi-led spin-off swirling and sparking -- seeded by the incredible chemistry of Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd established on Star Trek: Picard Season 1 -- Matalas does nothing to slow them down with Jack joining the newly-christened Enterprise-G.

Raffi: I still can’t believe Starfleet saw fit to give a thief, a pirate, and a spy their own ship. Jack: Bunch of ne’er-do-wells and rulebreakers, really. Seven: What could possibly go wrong? Permalink: Ne'er-do-wells and rulebreakers

Jack even uses the word "Legacy" as he and Raffi goad Seven with the gravitas of the moment, waiting for her to choose her captain's catchphrase. Leaving us hanging is a pregnant promise with the potential explosiveness of a billion tribbles in a cargo hold.

(ICYMI, Ryan and Hurd teamed up between Picard Seasons 1 and 2 for an epic audiobook adventure, "No Man's Land," available from Simon and Schuster Audio. TV Fanatic even spoke with the writers Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson about it when it launched.)

After leaving us panting after the Enterprise-G with its sexy, funny, adorable crew, Matalas hits fans with his nostalgia bazooka.

It's not like he didn't delight us with cameos and Easter Eggs throughout.

This is President Anton Chekov of the United Federation of Planets, broadcasting on all emergency channels. Do not approach Earth. A signal of unknown origin has turned our young against us. They have been assimilated by the Borg. Our fleet has been compromised and as we speak, our planetary defenses are falling. Sol Station is defending Earth as best it can, but we’re almost out of time. We have not been able to find a way to stop this Borg signal and unassimilate our young. But I know if my father were here, he’d remind us all that hope is never lost. There are always possibilities. Until then, I implore you. Save yourselves. Farewell. Chekov Permalink: This is President Anton Chekov of the United Federation of Planets, broadcasting on all...

The Federation President opens this final installment with his emergency transmission. President ANTON Chekov, no less, voiced by Walter Koenig, TOS's Pavel Chekov himself, named in memory of Anton Yelchin, the Kelvin Timeline's Pavel Chekov. It was a touching detail, both thoughtful and perfectly pitched.

After the changeling Tuvok's appearance on Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 7 , Tim Russ let it be known he would appear again.

The level of Star Trek: Voyager cred chalked up by watching him promote Seven to permanent captain cannot be measured.

But the real kicker is Shaw's recorded officer review.

Hansen is reckless. She’s unrelenting. Doesn’t give a damn about protocol or procedure. However, she’s brave. And loyal and the book that she writes is going to be great and the rules that she breaks, maybe they were broken to begin with. Shaw Permalink: Hansen is reckless. She’s unrelenting. Doesn’t give a damn about protocol or procedure....

Captain Liam Shaw joins the ranks of Rachel Garrett and [Prime Universe] Phillippa Georgiou as Starfleet captains made memorable by their integrity, personality, and sacrifice.

Every season of Star Trek: Picard has given us new characters to love, wonder about, and mourn. Shaw is, without exaggeration, the most curmudgeonly one yet and a real highlight on this outing. I can only imagine (and chortle about) how he and Rios would've gotten on.

And there's some tragedy in that he was never dealt in at the poker table.

Of course, the poker game is emblematic of the Next Generation crew. They sat down for a game around fifteen times in the original Enterprise-D series. The final scene of Star Trek: The Next Generation is a poker game in Riker's quarters, with Picard declaring, "The sky's the limit."

Seeing the old crew close out Ten-Forward with raucous toasts and plans for the future -- complete with an incomplete dirty limerick from Data and Shakespeare from Picard -- is the final flourish on this love letter of a series.

There are questions left unasked and unanswered, certainly. For instance, what happens to Laris? Is she still holding that seat at the bar on Chaltok IV? Does Chateau Picard have room enough for two admirals and an ex-member of the Tal Shiar?

How about Kestra? Does she want to leave Nepenthe? Does she get a say as to whether they go to Orlando or not? Or did Captain Crandall formally adopt her?

What it boils down to is our Enterprise-D gang only has eyes for each other, and, for the most part, that's true of the fanbase as well.

I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s like… quiet suffering. Troi Permalink: I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s like… quiet suffering.

Will anyone ever wonder what would've happened if Troi had delayed helping Jack open his Red Door until after Frontier Day?

Probably not.

Will Data ever visit Coppelius? Presumably, Soji's still doing the synth-ambassador thing. Will she make time for some father-daughter bonding?

I'd watch that.

Good shows leave us with on-ramps for potential narrative and character development.

Great shows make us want to take them at breakneck speed and see where they lead.

As much as this finale spends a lot -- A LOT -- of time and energy looking back, it lays intricate groundwork for the future.

Yes, today's Trek confronts the shadowy truths of conspiracy and black ops and dishonorable bad acts, but there's still humor and hope and tenderness.

Riker: You’re not going alone. Worf: And I will make it a threesome. Riker: Do you even hear yourself? Permalink: Do you even hear yourself?

Worf and Raffi are a duo so perfect it hurts my heart to think we won't see more of them together.

I have been told tears are the body’s weapon against pain. Worf Permalink: I have been told tears are the body’s weapon against pain.

I want to know what sort of welcome awaited Geordi and his daughters after Frontier Day. Was Mama Leah just relieved they survived, or did she tear the strip off them the width of the Milky Way?

(Before y'all flame me, I'm just going with the assumption. No one's confirmed or denied it yet, so I choose to live in that possibility.)

Four concluding scenes before the credits roll, and still, Matalas isn't done with us.

He throws a stinger on for the first time and sets the gameboard up for a whole new match between House Picard-Crusher and the Q Continuum.

By my estimation and interpretation, the Trek Book of Terry reads thusly:

I. Death will not be an end.

II. Time is only perception.

III. The only constant is change.

IV. Lead with your heart, and those who love as you do will join.

So much more could be said about this finale, this season, this series. It has pushed the limits of intellectual inclusion. It has stretched our imagination. It has tested our capacity for emotional connection. It has gone boldly, unapologetically, and with joy.

What were your highlights and challenges as the curtain fell on our heroes? Who are you riding shotgun on in the epilogue? Would you suit up again if the call of adventure came again?

Engage your thoughts, Fanatics, beam them down to our comments, and make it so!

The Last Generation Review

Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X .

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 10 Quotes

It is confirmed. Your son is the command signal. Worf Permalink: It is confirmed. Your son is the command signal. Added: April 19, 2023

This is President Anton Chekov of the United Federation of Planets, broadcasting on all emergency channels. Do not approach Earth. A signal of unknown origin has turned our young against us. They have been assimilated by the Borg. Our fleet has been compromised and as we speak, our planetary defenses are falling. Sol Station is defending Earth as best it can, but we’re almost out of time. We have not been able to find a way to stop this Borg signal and unassimilate our young. But I know if my father were here, he’d remind us all that hope is never lost. There are always possibilities. Until then, I implore you. Save yourselves. Farewell. Chekov Permalink: This is President Anton Chekov of the United Federation of Planets, broadcasting on all... Added: April 19, 2023

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 10 Photos

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Review: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 4 On Blu-ray Brings It All Together

| April 15, 2024 | By: Matt Wright 21 comments so far

Before the fifth ( and now final ) season arrives this fall, the fourth season of the adult animated Star Trek comedy arrives on physical media this week in the USA.

Star Trek: Lower Decks – Season Four

Creator Mike McMahan and his team have consistently impressed with each successive season of Lower Decks . This fourth season could be considered the unifying theory of everything Lower Decks . Season 4 ties junior officers from all over the quadrant, some of which we’ve met before, into the namesake and inspiration of the show ( Next Generation’s “Lower Decks”), and that episodes’s roots which go even further back to TNG’s “The First Duty.” Of course the series continues to have meta fun with fan questions, such as whether Tom Paris and Nick Locarno are the same person — they’re not. The latest season also expands on Trek canon, such as exploring Orion culture thanks to Tendi (and her alternate life as Mistress of the Winter Constellations), which is most welcome. Despite being one of the more well known (and infamous) species in Trek we still know so little about the Orion way of life.

A young wide-eyed Mariner tries to impress upperclassman Sito Jaxa

While there’s a lot of fun and often irreverent comedy, something that continues to stand out is the general optimism of the show and the caring that nearly every character demonstrates. There’s been clear character growth from season to season, and this season shows us Mariner getting to the roots of her disdain for rank (and thus promotion) and procedure.

Personal favorites this season include: “I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee” (it scores points for the title alone, and of course the episode gives us the terrifyingly cute Moopsy), “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” “Caves,” and the season finale “Old Friends, New Planets.”

Rom and Leeta play Admiral Vassery for a sucker

The Blu-ray Set

The episodes and special features are on two Blu-ray discs. As has become standard for these CBS/Paramount+ releases, each disc has the names of the episodes it contains printed on them as well as a full listing for the set on the inside front/back of the case.

Video Quality

Lower Decks is a modern high-definition-era cartoon; as such, everything looks sharp, the lines are crisp, and the primary colors of the uniforms pop. The cartoon looked great streaming and looks a bit better here on disc.

Mariner (overdoing it) with Quimp on Ferenginar

Audio Quality

As we’ve come to expect, the episodes have losslessly compressed DTS-HD MA 5.1 channel soundtracks. While this is standard for a TV show release, the sound design is excellent as always, we’d expect nothing less from the Emmy nominated team.

Mariner with a disgruntled Nick Locarno look out at the Nova Fleet

Special Features

The season set comes with a couple of new documentaries, and a generous five audio commentaries — which means half the episodes have a commentary, pretty cool.

Featurettes

Lower Decktionary: Setting Up Season 4 (9 minutes) – Showrunner Mike McMahan talks about the first episode of season 4, set on the USS Voyager. Including where we left off with the crew at the end of season 3, and the goals for the season. We hear from Eugene Cordero about how he couldn’t believe there was a “cheese episode” of Voyager , also Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells, and Jack Quaid chime in about getting promotions at the beginning of the season, rather than the end. Mike McMahan also weighs in on the Tuvix ethical dilemma.

Old Friends (28 mins) – Mike McMahan starts off saying how he much he loved “ wej Duj ” from season two, and that he realized this season’s cold opens could be vignettes showing various alien ships and their disaffected lower deckers. He then takes the audience through his process to develop Mariner’s backstory, tying it into the show’s inspiration: TNG “Lower Decks”, and how they handled incorporating the legacy characters, including tracking down Shannon Fill (who had retired from acting) to come back to do the Starfleet Academy flashbacks. Robert Duncan McNeill, Shannon Fill, and Wil Wheaton meet up (virtually) for the first time in years to discuss the filming and the legacy of TNG: “The First Duty.”

Robert Duncan McNeill, Wil Wheaton, and Shannon Fill discuss “The First Duty”

Episode commentaries

There are audio commentaries on five episodes. As one might imagine, with the amount of camaraderie seen at conventions and in previous documentaries, and the fact that a lot of these folks are voice actors and comedians, these commentaries are a good listen.

“Twovix” with Jack Quaid, Mike McMahan, and Brad Winters
“Something Borrowed, Something Green” with Tawny Newsome, Noël Wells, and Gabrielle Ruiz
“Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place” with Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Chase Masterson, and Mike McMahan
“The Inner Fight” with Dawnn Lewis, Tawny Newsome, and Mike McMahan
“Old Friends, New Planets” with Robert Duncan McNeill, and Mike McMahan

Final Thoughts

For most people, this Blu-ray is the highest quality way to watch Lower Decks , so for those who care about getting the best audio-video experience, this is the set for them. It’s also the only way to get the episode commentaries. Recommended for collectors as well as anyone who wants an offline copy of the show; this includes people who cannot or do not want to stream the show and folks who have concerns about the fleeting rights to streaming media.

Captain Freeman mistakes a familiar looking alien for a puppet

Available Tuesday

Lower Decks Season 4 will be available on Blu-ray and DVD in the USA and Canada on Tuesday, April 16. You can order it from Amazon by clicking on your preferred format below.

Season 4 is also available at Amazon on digital which also includes special features.

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Keep up with all the home video and streaming news, reviews, and analysis at TrekMovie.com.

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McMahan, I know you worship Star Trek, but just commission the designers to come up with original posters please. You don’t have to copy *EVERYTHING* from classic Trek.

When I read this I get the impression you don’t really get Lower Decks.

Sure, but that’s kind of the entire gimmick with these seasonal posters. It’s… it’s the whole point.

Much like Picard Season 3, strip away the nostalgia, cameos and references… is there anything else there? With Lower Decks there is, but it’s a struggle to find it sometimes, and rip-off posters don’t help.

Of course there is, I think perhaps the animation and/or humor distracted you too much from the pure Trekkiness at the heart of every story.

Copying everything… like every single post I’ve read of yours lately?

That’s the *joke*. When they announced the cancellation, I was immediately sad that they wouldn’t be able to do the first six movies at least.

Yeah, purchasing something digitally isn’t actually “ownership,” and we’ve all seen that streaming isn’t the magical vault where movies and TV will live forever.

If you want to make sure you have access to Lower Decks (or any film or show for that matter), physical media is the way to go.

I wholeheartedly second this comment….

My copy should arrive tomorrow. Star Trek is one of those franchises I will always have on physical media. I mean, we’ve been told Paramount Plus isn’t planning on removing Lower Decks from the service like they did Prodigy , but who the heck knows how that will look a year from now?

Especially if Paramount’s financial issues get even bigger and they need to make more drastic cuts.

Canceling a relatively inexpensive (by comparison) and generally well-liked show like Lower Decks…and make no mistake, this was a cancellation…shows to me that Paramount is already in serious cost-cutting mode.

I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely confident SNW will make it to S4 either…we’ve seen greenlights reversed before.

My guess is Lower Decks was canceled to make room for another project. I do think Strange New Worlds will see a fourth season. Will it see a fifth season? My guess is that will depend entirely on whatever merger happens.

I wish I shared your optimism. I don’t think Paramount is going to replace Lower Decks with anything. I’d bet it’s going to be just SNW and Starfleet Academy, and maybe the occasional streaming movie, from here on out.

Maybe one of those streaming movie projects will relate to Lower Decks …

EXACTLY!!!!

I’m definitely ordering it. Lower Decks looks great on bluray. I’m watching S3 on bluray and the animation is stunning. I hate that this is the penultimate season. These writers can pack a lot into 22 minutes and it’s delightful. I can’t wait to hear the commentaries.

Definitely picking this up!

Pre-ordered and should arrive today or tomorrow. I LOVE how each DVD slipcase season copies the classic Star Trek movie poster — LOVING the copy of the Voyage Home poster. Been binge-watching season 2 and three and loving the series. So much optimism, so meta and still so much FUN.

Picked up my copy today, and can’t wait to dig in. The commentaries on the previous two seasons have been a lot of fun, so much so that I took the discs with me when visiting friends a few months ago and we had several people in our circle of friends, Trekkers all, listen in a group. So much fun.

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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 4 Review – No Win Scenario

A life or death threat brings out the best in Star Trek: Picard's characters.

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This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 4

Star Trek: Picard ’s “No Win Scenario” feels like the closest we’ve come yet to an old-school Star Trek: The Next Generation episode on the Paramount+ series, complete with a main story that highlights the necessity of collaboration and teamwork, a textbook inspirational captain’s speech, and a reminder that the vast and wondrous potential of the universe is the real reason this franchise exists in the first place. There are life and death stakes, a seemingly unsolvable problem, a surprise revelation about the season’s Big Bad, and more than one surprising heart-to-heart talk between legacy characters reflecting back on a lifetime in Starfleet and what its mission has both cost and meant to them.

Of course, the whole “impending death by gravity well” thing is technically the least interesting part of the hour, possibly because we know the threat only goes so far. This is the fourth episode of the season, after all, and there won’t be much show left if Picard, Riker, and young Jack Crusher all bite it in the middle of what’s essentially a black hole. They’ll be fine, we all know it, and the episode deserves praise for at least being relatively creative in finding a way to get them out of their predicament while rightly keeping the bulk of its attention on other things.

The hour is primarily dominated by its smaller, more emotional moments: Perhaps most impressive is the way that “No Win Scenario” weaves two timelines together, as Picard, via flashback, recounts a previous mission to a rapt crowd of young cadets at 10 Forward while the present-day version of the character struggles to connect with the son he never knew by telling the same story about his namesake, Jack Crusher. That the lessons of his tale—the necessity of community, the strength of the bonds that form between a captain and his crew, the power of believing in and trusting others—are the same reasons that the U.S.S. Titan manages to fight its way back to freedom is thematically lovely and honestly works better than it has any right to, narratively speaking.

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But there’s also Captain Shaw ’s bitter and traumatized recounting of escaping the Battle of Wolf 359 when 11,000 other souls perished, Riker’s confession of his loss of faith in the wake of his son’s death that has nearly destroyed his marriage, and Seven’s embrace of the fact that she’s never going to be the textbook Starfleet officer some people insist she should be. (And that’s okay.) And, of course, there’s Picard, Riker, and Dr. Crusher’s group decision that if they’re going out, they’re going out as the best versions of themselves. “No Win Scenario” is full of emotionally rich character work, the sort of stuff that’s compelling precisely because of the pre-existing history at work, both between individual characters and within the world of the show at large. Heck, I don’t even like Jack Crusher that much, and the revelation that he did actually try to find out if Admiral Picard’s life had space for both him and Starfleet was still an emotional gut punch.

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That said, the more action-oriented aspects of the hour also have a lot to recommend. This is the second episode in a row directed by Jonathan Frakes—a surprise, to be sure, given how much he appears on screen in both—and he does an exceptional job balancing those genuinely moving emotional beats with explosions and life-or-death threats. Plus, once again, everything about this episode looks great, and we love Paramount+ for not skimping on any of the cinematography or effects budgets here.

The Titan’s ultimate escape from the gravity well is tense and thrilling, as Picard pilots the ship blind through the nebula and Riker literally throws an asteroid at Vadic and her Shrike . The sequence is topped off by the nebula essentially giving birth to a new species of beautiful jellyfish-like creatures in the vacuum of space, providing everyone with a timely reminder that the reason they started all this in the first place was to seek out new life and new civilizations. (Plus, an “Encounter at Farpoint” shout-out !!) Truly, how does anyone who has ever watched a single episode of The Next Generation not love the heck out of this?

In fact, it’s all so compelling that I suspect I’m not the only person who didn’t even realize until the final credits rolled that “No Win Scenario” completely ignores the Raffi and Worf subplot. This move was probably for the best, given that that particular story often feels like it’s happening on a completely different show at the best of times, though last week’s episode made it fairly obvious (portal tech, echoes of the Dominion War) that the two stories will converge in the weeks to come. Instead, it is left to Seven and, strangely, Shaw to advance the Changeling story as they fruitlessly search the Titan for whoever has been sabotaging the ship.

Jeri Ryan and Todd Stashwick have excellent, vaguely antagonistic chemistry with one another, and the grudging almost respect Seven and Shaw seem to slowly develop over the course of the hour is even more satisfying when you realize that, of course, the reason he has been nasty toward her is that she’s a former Borg, and he has a whole lot of lingering and clearly unprocessed PTSD from his admittedly extremely traumatizing experience at Wolf 359 . That they learn (albeit begrudgingly) to work together (resigoo!) is maybe predictable, but it’s also exactly the kind of story that Star Trek excels at telling.

As for the Changelings, the biggest reveal this week is likely the fact that Vadic herself is one, working for a mysteriously powerful boss who wants Jack Crusher badly enough to send the Shrike back into the gravity well to get him. The strange PTSD-esque vision (flashbacks?) Jack experiences at the end of the episode indicates that trying to find his father isn’t the only life experience that the youngest Picard has been lying about. The reason for the Changelings’ interest in him remains a mystery whose answer could be anything—Did he see something he wasn’t supposed to? Steal something that wasn’t his? Find a cure for a rare species-specific illness they can’t survive without? All of the above? —and something only future episodes can solve.

Of course, none of those guesses explain why he’d be hearing—or remembering, it’s not entirely clear—disembodied voices telling him to come and find them, but I think we have to assume that the answers to those questions will somehow tie into the rogue group Raffi and Worf are chasing, what they’ve been doing since the end of the Dominion War, and why they’ve chosen this moment to take on the Federation again. Here’s hoping, anyway.

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4.5 out of 5

Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

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