Image via Paramount Pictures
When season 2 of Picard hit Prime Video earlier this year, it confirmed that Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, Kirsten Beyer and Alex Kurtzman were right to follow their gut. Now well into his eighties, Patrick Stewart still personified the ideal amongst Star Fleet captains, within a world which had all begun with Gene Roddenberry back in 1966.
Since then, there have been countless Star Trek movies, various animated efforts, not to mention the eponymous Next Generation, which had provided Trekkies everywhere with their beloved Jean-Luc. A captain who had the demeanour of an RSC thespian, alongside the patience of a UN diplomat. Combined with Jonathan Frakes as Riker, Patrick Stewart effortlessly won over the fan faithful, by treating their life blood like Shakespeare in space.
Such was the reverence Jean-Luc Picard commanded, that when Amazon announced a standalone series featuring Patrick Stewart back on the bridge, there was the Star Trek equivalent of VE day. After the staggering success of that opening season, it was inevitable that a sophomore effort would be forthcoming, not to mention a season 3 due for release in early 2023.
Now on Blu-ray and coming in hotter than a firecracker, season 2 opens on board the Stargazer under attack from a space-based anomaly. Planted on the bridge and stunning crew members in all directions, a Borg queen tries to negotiate through brute force. Not only making Jean-Luc take self-destructive action, but putting Raffi (Michelle Hurd), Elnor (Evan Evagora), Dr Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) Seven (Jeri Ryan) and Cris Rios (Santiago Cabrera) in danger.
Image via Paramount Pictures
At the exact point of annihilation audiences are pulled into a flashback, which returns them to chateau Picard – where vines heavy with fruit are being harvested in peace. Donning a sun hat and sampling the spoils of this idyllic getaway, Jean-Luc Picard seems content to settles into his dotage.
Unfortunately, this being a sci-fi melodrama, that tranquillity is soon destroyed when Star Fleet forces him back into action. Back on board the Stargazer everything soon comes full circle, except this time when Raffi, Jurati, Elnor, Rios, Seven and Picard are obliterated – someone adjusts their timeline forcing them into an alternate reality.
This is a universe where the benevolent Jean-Luc Picard is known as the destroyer of worlds. Where other lifeforms are crushed beneath the jackboot of human progress and he is their figurehead. A man who has not only murdered his peers, but had their skulls mounted like trophy pieces as an ultimate sign of dominance.
His chateau is now filled with slaves, rather than shared by servants who respectfully live alongside this former Star Fleet captain, as he enjoys his twilight years. His tyranny knows no bounds and he is solely responsible for upholding that barbaric traditional through the systematic execution of others. This is the reality that Jean-Luc Picard and his cohorts now live in, while an ancient adversary plays fast and loose with their lives.
Following on from season one, which itself started directly after Star Trek: Nemesis and Next Generation – his most formidable foe Q (John de Lancie) soon reveals himself. Over the remaining episodes Jean-Luc must join forces with a Borg Queen (Annie Wersching), return to his original timeline and put right a wrong. Only then will Q be satisfied and some semblance of normality restored for himself and his friends.
Image via Paramount Pictures
What Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, Kirsten Beyer and Alex Kurtzman have done here is give fans more of what they want. Season two excels at telling a good story with familiar faces, but adds in just enough intrigue and originality to convert new comers. Production design across this series is also exemplary, allowing the universe to feel grounded without distracting audiences with overt visual effects.
In terms of stand out performances, it is fair to say that Patrick Stewart now inhabits Jean-Luc Picard effortlessly, granting him grace under fire and diplomacy under duress. Likewise, John de Lancie imbues Q with all the impish qualities which made him such an appealing villain throughout Next Generation. However, in this series he has toned it down slightly to give Q the demeanour of an elder statesman, who favours directness over ambiguity.
All these elements combined only make Picard better, meaning that season 2 not only exceeds expectations, but lays down some firm foundations for what promises to be a decisive final run come January 2023.
“STAR TREK: PICARD – SEASON TWO IS OUT NOW ON DVD, BLU-RAY™ AND LIMITED-EDITION BLU-RAY™ STEELBOOK®
