The End Is the Beginning

Whine, whine, whine... it's not Star Trek...it's too Star Warsy... it's not TNG...BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Shut up!! Get a life!! Star Trek has always had much to say about the current conditions the world finds itself in. Picard is no different. For those of you who don't get it we are facing a mountain of fear, prejudice and entitlement. The governments want you to fear everything and give away your civil liberties in the name of security. Thank you Picard for holding up the mirror for society to see what is really going on. If you want endless action scenes that are pointless go watch the Avengers movies. Picard makes you think and reflect on where we are today. I thank the people who have put this show together. Bravo!

If anyone is complaining about this series, I honestly do not know what they are about. It is everything. I am a fan from the debut of Star Trek OS. I was just a kid, but it shaped how I thought about people and progress and how life 'could' be. I loved it then, I love it now. I have not missed any forays into the world of Star Fleet since the beginning. Some were great, yes I am talking to you STNG, some not so great - I gave up on Discovery. With Picard - ST is back, and I am in love all over again - with a story, a world, a mystery, and some fantastic characters. And now we are off - Engage.

I've no idea what detractors are on about. There was virtually nothing to complain about in this episode. The pacing was good, the 45 minutes flew by. They gave Rafi and Picard a basic backstory and the return of a familiar face. The final scene where the crew set off on their journey was awesome. Some people have just got to hate.... Who needs that toxicity in their life?

Picard attempts to acquire a warp capable ship in order to find Bruce Maddox.

This is another good episode that continues to lay groundwork for what is to come.

The story continues to reflect on Picard's departure from Starfleet under a cloud and also develops more intrigue into the mystery surrounding the synthetic life forms and the Romulans. Aside from the rather obviously exposition heavy dialogue I personally enjoyed all the world building that it does, as there is quite a lot to catch up on since the last TNG movie. However, I was definitely relieved by how it ended as a sign that the overarching narrative is about to move on.

It continues the themes introduced in the first two episodes with xenophobia and fear being mentioned explicitly in some of the dialogue. Some of this may not be in line with the Roddenberry vision of the future, but given the way the world is currently, it is far more relevant to be tackling these issues than just presenting a vision of the future based in one man's fantasy.

Production values remain excellent with great visuals and effects.

Patrick Stewart leads the show strongly and the supporting actors, while not as effortlessly charismatic as Stewart, give solid performances.

When your lead actor is almost 80 years old. The flashback scenes are never going to be too convincing. There is no getting away from Patrick Stewart's extremely hoarse voice.

The first season of Picard is a 10 episode arc. It is left to the viewer to try to figure out the precise relationships between various people. Just who is Raffi and how horrible was Picard to her to leave her adrift.

Picard was happy to put his career on the line to save millions of Romulans but he ignores his colleague who did the same. Raffi has spent her time living in a futuristic version of a trailer and vaping dope. It seems the Starfleet future is no paradise.

This was another episode with clunky lines and some odd pauses between scenes. Something about the writing just does not seem to gel.

Back at the dismantled Borg cube, there was the return of Hugh. I wonder if Hugh has guessed what Soji is all about.

The introduction of Rios seems to be a homage to Star Wars. He certainly is Han Solo lite with the silliest scene of not being in pain despite a spike through his body. He even sends the Emergency Hologram Doctor away before being completely fixed by him.

At least Picard has got on a ship and got to say engage. I just hope he is suspicious of Dr Jurati. Her convenient arrival when his chateau was attacked should had raised eyebrows.