‘Picard’ continues the legacy of ‘The Next Generation’

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On April 20, the third and final season of “Star Trek: Picard” concluded on Paramount+ in a triumphant finale that rocked audiences to their core. Without a doubt, the series brought “Star Trek” back to its best in over 20 years.

Following the mixed negative reception of the last two seasons from audiences, along with previous showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman departing to work on their own “Star Trek” projects, Terry Matalas, former production associate of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and writer of “Star Trek: Enterprise,” was brought on board to write season three. It is clear that this is a finale that was written by the fans, for the fans.

Between the immense love for the “Star Trek” series, the great respect for the source material and the imaginative ideas Matalas worked into the plot, the finale of “Picard” brings home an epic conclusion full of some of the most heartfelt and best-acted moments in all of the franchise’s history. 

The series finale finds the former captain of the Starship Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), on his most personal mission yet. He and his crew must race to stop the threat of annihilation by their most fearsome enemy, the Borg, after launching a series of terrorist attacks across the galaxy. The Borg Queen (Alice Krige), hopeful to finish off her 30-year vendetta against Picard, strikes a last-ditch assault against Earth. The captain rushes to save the fate of the universe on one more journey and at the same time, brings home his son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), who had been consumed into the Borg Collective and held a dark secret of his own.

The highlights of this episode are the emotional moments between Picard and the crew, specifically his son Jack. The acting dynamic between Speleers and Stewart this season have been extremely powerful and steal the show anytime they are together on screen, as they play off their differences from each other. 

All of this culminates in the final episode, where they finally recognize each other as family. The character of Picard as a whole comes to a full conclusion in this episode in a way that, as the character puts it, is “Something I never realized I needed.” This episode was truly some of Stewart’s finest work in his career of 60-plus years as an actor.

The finale of “Picard” not only pays off in a satisfactory conclusion for long-time fans, but it also reminds us of what the heart of the “Star Trek” series was always about: unique individuals banding together to overcome their differences and stop a massive threat for the greater good of humanity. This message is also something that audiences need now more than ever in today’s political and social climates. Messages of humanity and compassion have been extremely lacking in the “Star Trek” series over the last 10 years especially.

The finale of “Picard” not only gives the cast of “The Next Generation” a compelling swansong that concludes the 30-year journey of the crew’s cast, which they were denied and was left unfinished until now, but it also paves the way for the future of “Star Trek.”

Fans have been petitioning for “Picard” to have a sequel series about the crew of new younger characters introduced to us this season. This would include Speleers and Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut and have a tone, theme and style similar to this season, which harkens back to the core success of the “Star Trek” series. We see hints of this in the finale and the mid-credits scene of “Picard.” 

The show is being pitched as a “new ‘Next Generation’” of sorts. The petitions have gained an extreme amount of attention to the point where Matalas has taken notice of the online reaction to the positive reception and has expressed interest in returning as the lead showrunner should Paramount greenlight the series.

While nothing has been confirmed, it should be noted that fans were petitioning for a series to be focused on Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) after his well-received portrayal in the second season of “Star Trek: Discovery” that eventually became “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” 

Until fans receive official word about confirmation of this series being made, there are a plethora of Star Trek shows, including the most recent season of “Picard,” to explore on Paramount+.