Picard Season 1 Finale: One Stellar Cast
The cast of this show may be one of the best casts assembled for a science-fiction show. Take many of the casts of the other Trek shows in their first season, and I think Picard’s crew stacks up with the best of them. Isa Brionnes shines above them all. Her portrayal of Soji, Dahj and Sutra really cemented what this show would be about. Her characters all came from completely different points of view yet she executed them all brilliantly. Alison Pill played a great Dr Agnes. Her character sits the fence nicely between sympathetic and disgust. Is she a naïve scientist following Dr. Maddox’s research? Or has she been co-opted to the darker side of the fight by Commodore Oh? Michelle Hurd and Santiago Cabrera did well with their roles, but I want to see ho far they can take them in the seasons ahead.
To me Harry Treadaway brought an almost Theon Greyjoy type feel to Narek. Narek worked for the Romulans against our heroes, yet Harry showed the conflict that rose up within him as the role progressed. By the end we are left wondering how much sympathy if any should we be feeling for this Romulan snake? If I remember correctly, we do not know what happens to him by the end of the season. Will he return as friend or foe to the crew of the La Sirena?
Picard Season 1 Finale: Its Called Story, Not Fan Service
Perhaps the most magnificent and deft part of this show belongs to the writers and the use of older, established characters. Many call this fan service, but fan service deals more with throwing fodder onto the screen for the sake of saying ‘hey, look at me! I’m so-and-so!’. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a perfect example of how to do this poorly. Things and people were crammed into the movie without rhyme or reason other than to say ‘here I am! Know me!’. Conversely, Star Wars: Rogue One is perhaps the best property to properly harness past people, events and happenings and make them fit the narrative, becoming integral parts of the story.
Writers did not simply go: “We need a big pair of boobs and a nice ass on the show. Let’s get Jerri back!”. Instead they brought back Jerri Ryan as Seven-of-Nine to add depth and quality acting. The best Voyager stories always seemed to revolve around her and Seven. Seven’s story worked perfectly within the plot of the XB’s and what the Borg were going through. Picard’s Seven transformed into a bad ass space ranger, albeit broken and a bit lost from where we left her at the end of Voyager. Also, the inclusion of Jonathan Del Arco as Hugh was nice to see as well. Once again, he became our eyes and ears into the Borg state. When Seven kills Hugh, rates as one of the most moving moments in the new show as well as showing Picard meant business.
Picard Season 1 Finale: Number One Must Be There – and Not the Dog!
Then of course they had to bring back William T. Riker and Deanna Troi Riker. You knew if a show was to feature Jean-Luc, the Rikers had to be a part of the show too. Again, their presence went above just simple fan service. They helped focus and detail the personal journey Jean-Luc was going through. Even their new daughter served a purpose other than to just be cute eye candy. Of coursed when you get to the end of episode 10, we see further proof that William T. Riker is the greatest starship captain we have never seen, but that’s the next article.
Picard Season 1 Finale: And Then He Dies
Just like referencing the “Picard Maneuver”, the show did an excellent job bringing in small threads from The Next Generation to sprinkle in the new show for flavor, but one that telegraphed the final episode more than any other was the inclusion of Jean-Luc’s Irumodic Syndrome. The minute they did that we knew Jean-Luc would be toast. Then again, the second they mention a body waiting for a consciousness to be scanned into it, you knew Picard would simply be changing bodies not dying for good. They stole a page right out of X-Men: The Last Stand.
So nope. Jean-Luc is not the one who says goodbye. At long last, it is Data who gets his tear-jerking farewell. Data gives a wonderful monologue that strikes true throughout so many franchises. It is not eternal life that makes one powerful. It is the finite, the mortality of a being that makes them who they are. I could dissect that last speech for hours, but in the end, we say goodbye to the one character who should be indestructible. Did you notice the song being sung in the background as Jean-Luc pulled the chips out? It was the exact same song from Nemesis, the one B4 hums at the end not knowing what it was – “Blue Skies”. I about cried! It is amazing all the themes from Nemesis that they filtered into this first season.
Picard Season 1 finale: Now Where?
With the entire crew of the La Sirena staring expectantly at the now synthetic Jean-Luc, he steps forward with the trademark ‘engage’ gesture. The show launches into season 2. I have no idea where the ship and crew will go for season 2, but they have set a very high bar for themselves. The nice thing about a show like this is it has time (or at least until Patrick Stewart reaches his expiration date). The season does not have to be a great war with the Romulans (did I mention how awesome the new Warbirds look?!) or the Klingons (What new ridges will they have now?). They can take small threads of bigger ideas and run with them.
Picard never had a fast-paced feel to it. It took its time, which was fine, because it told the story it wanted to tell. Let Kirk and Spock run around the galaxy at breakneck speeds (if they can get the movies out of spacedock). Picard did a wonderful job creating a new universe inside a well-known universe with characters that may be good now but have tons of room for us to watch them grow. I can’t wait for season 2!!
It isn’t Hugh you were thinking of who loses an eye and gets killed by Seven. I won’t say who it is although anybody who has read this far is immune to spoilers. I found the final episode to be deplorable. Deus ex machina all over the place including one deus ex ocarina. The use of the Picard maneuver was silly. Why did Starfleet suddenly change its mind and send the fleet? Great job of getting Riker cleaned up and put in charge within hours. And the end? If you’re going to do that why do what they did? Obviously there is only one Patrick Stewart and he is 79 years old but still. It seemed goofy and defused a touching ending. Given that the rest of the series was incredibly impressive, the acting sublime, the writing wonderful, I don’t know what the hell got into them there at the end.