Star Trek: Picard returns with the explosive “The Star Gazer”
Star Trek: Picard‘s second season debuts with familiar friends, old enemies, and the road not taken.
Star Trek: Picard experienced a rocky start with its first season. After two acts of mostly set-up featuring a new ship, a new crew, a ban on synthetic life, and Romulan conspiracies aplenty, the story wrapped on a largely unsatisfying note.
Yes, Picard is in a new, synthetic body. Yes, our crew saved all synth life. But so what? Who cares! Rios is still a bummer. Jurati is still a murderer. Raffi and Seven of Nine are dating but we don’t know how or why. And Elnor… who is Elnor? Despite being in more than half of season one, I couldn’t tell you.
All that said, with new seasons come new possibilities. Fans are hopeful for more action, more classic characters, and more actual fun with the new cast. And the good news is that “The Star Gazer” gives us all of the above. The season premiere represents such a giant warp forward, in fact, we’d go so far as to say that, somewhere, Riker’s beard is growing.
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To Boldly Recap
A year and a half has passed since season one’s conclusion. It’s a sunny day at Chateau Picard and the grapes are perfectly ripe for picking. And as Picard ruminates over the changing seasons with Laris, the two pour one out for their lost comrade Zhaban.
It turns out that Laris and Zhaban were a couple. Who knew! But with Zhaban out of the picture, Laris is looking for a new romantic companion and she’s got her eyes set on Ol’ Jean-Luc. But while Picard may be one for wining and dining, he is not looking for love.
Laris wonders what from Picard’s past makes him want to turn her down. That’s cocky as hell and I respect it. Someone should tell her about that time Dr. Crusher ditched Picard for her grandmother’s orgasmic, alien space candle. But there’s no time for candle talk because Picard has a speech to give to the new Starfleet cadets. Elnor is there and is the first full Romulan to be a cadet. He’ll be shipping off with Raffi (now Commander Raffi) on the USS Excelsior.
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A Very Familiar Hat
Picard is still thinking over Laris and the romantic roads not traveled. Over a bottle of cheap Saurian brandy, he reminisces with a very familiar listener and bartender: Guinan. And while Guinan tries to pry some uncomfortable truths out of Picard, the admiral stays tight-lipped. Fortunately for us, we’re able to see some flashbacks involving his mother and what appears to be an abusive father.
The past however will have to wait. Captain Rios and Dr. Jurati on board the newly minted USS Stargazer encounter a rift in space and time that is sending out two things: a request to join the Federation in general and a call for help from Jean-Luc Picard specifically. Seven of Nine hears the signal from the anomaly as well. Picard takes the first shuttle over and, hey, hey, hey the gang’s (almost) all here.
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Resistance Is… Well, You Know The Rest
But bad news, everyone. That species who is capable of tearing a hole through time and space just to say “you up”? Yeah, it’s the Borg. It feels like the sickly, green glow of the anomaly should’ve been a dead giveaway.
Are the Borg actually serious about joining the Federation since Janeway wrecked them in Star Trek: Voyager‘s series finale “Endgame”? Or is this a deception? That’s the debate between Seven and Picard. But there isn’t much time to discuss the finer points of Borg theory, because the Collective is already sending over their Queen to discuss things with Picard.
Despite invading the ship and taking it over, this new, faceless Borg Queen insists she wants peace. Instead she gets a whole lot of pointless phaser fire which she responds to with a little fire power of her own. Interestingly, her weapon only stuns and does not kill.
The Stargazer utilizes Borg technology. The Queen uses that tech to not only assimilate the ship but the entire fleet as well. Picard responds to this by setting the ship to auto-destruct. As the ship explodes the Queen speaks to Picard in his mother’s voice. “Look up,” she says. But it’s too late. Boom.
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Mon Capitan, I Thought You’d Never Get Here
Despite the Stargazer exploding, Picard finds himself alone back at his Chateau. He’s dressed in an unfamiliar, black uniform and the chateau has taken on a decidedly more Spartan vibe.
Laris is gone and in her place is a synth named Harvey. And there’s someone else here, too – Q. Yes, the omnipotent, puckish entity who treats Picard like his favorite pet is back. But Q seems far more malevolent than usual. He tells Picard that humanity’s trial, the one Q introduced way back in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s debut episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” still has not ended. And this circumstance Picard finds himself in, according to Q, is the very end of the road not taken. What road is that? You’ll have to wait until next week to find out.
Ominous music swells and we cut to credits.
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To Boldly Review
Wow! What a difference a couple years can make, both within Picard’s narrative and in the real world. It feels like a lot of lessons were learned between last season’s finale and now. Chief among them is that there are aspects from TNG’s past worth culling. “Best of Both Worlds,” “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” and “All Good Things…” are just three classic episodes it seems like “The Star Gazer” is gently pulling from. And that’s a very good thing.
Arguably the biggest improvement, though, is with our new characters. Gone is stuffy Rios. Now the captain of Picard’s original command, the Stargazer, Rios is excited about being out among the stars. No more Snakeleaf for Raffi who is back in a command role taking Elnor under her wing. The relationship between Raffi and Seven of Nine is rolled back exactly enough. The two are clearly still interested in each other, but they’re on different paths at the moment.
Rios and Agnes Jurati broke up, too, thank goodness! A relationship begun under that level of trauma isn’t a healthy one. Jurati, while not the happiest person alive, has embraced drinking. Bless that relatable mess. Who hasn’t become a bit of a wine mom in the last two years? Soji is back, too, but only briefly. And that’s okay! Maybe we’ll see her later. Maybe not! There are already plenty of chess pieces in play.
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Guinan, The Borg, And Q
In TNG’s second season, Trek fans were first introduced to the Borg – relentless beings with assimilation on the brain and no respect for life, human or otherwise. It was Q who brough the Collective into Picard’s world. And it was Guinan’s people the El-Aurians who were rendered near extinct by the Borg. Guinan shepherd’s Picard through that first interaction and she and Q are both back for this latest encounter.
Guinan, like Riker and Troi in last season’s “Nepenthe” hits you right in the nostalgia. The conversation between her and Picard over love being the next frontier worth exploring is pitch perfect TNG-era Trek. Whoopi Goldberg brings exactly that same, needed charisma now to Picard that she did all those years ago to TNG.
The Borg? Well, they are scarier than ever precisely because we don’t know what they’re after. And the Queen speaking in Picard’s mom’s voice? Goosebumps. It could very well be that the Borg aren’t the villains this time. Then again, no enemy is more dangerous than when their backs are against the wall.
And then there’s Q. When last he and Picard met, it was on far friendlier terms. Sure, all of existence was nearly wiped out in the TNG finale “All Good Things…” but Q actually helped Picard save humanity for a change that time. This time, though? Oh boy. This time Q almost seems like he’s got a vendetta against Picard. If the Borg are actively reaching out for help, what is Q up to? And are the two related?
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Pulling From Patrick Stewart’s Real Life
Let’s discuss the elephant in the room: the Laris and Picard romance plot. Yes, it kind of comes from out of nowhere. Yes, there is a very big age difference between the two actors. Then again, people half Patrick Stewart’s age were thirsting heavily back when TNG was in its hey day. And in real life, Stewart is married to someone much younger than himself. So, in practical terms, this is not that weird a choice. But does it work? It… doesn’t not work. But time’s going to have to tell on that one.
Far more interesting however is Picard’s new backstory. The idea that Jean-Luc’s father is abusive is ripped straight from Patrick Stewart’s real life. Stewart is dedicated to finding safe haven for battered wives and it’s clear that this backstory is another way for him to call attention to an issue he is deeply passionate about. On TNG, Gene Roddenberry wanted to portray a humanity free of hunger, disease, and war. But even the most progressive societies still struggle.
Incorporating this part of Stewart’s life is a risk, no doubt. It’s so vulnerable for Stewart to share his trauma with Picard and us. If it doesn’t work it could be agonizing. But if it does work, it’s a chance for a moment of healing between other abuse survivors and Stewart himself.
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Stray Observation Deck
Jurati gets chatted up by a Deltan. Unless I’m mistaken, we haven’t seen the Deltans since Star Trek: The Motion Picture. They’re still as bald and pretty as ever, though!
It’s very cute that Guinan’s bar is located at 10 Forward Ave.
Guinan knows Picard is in her bar before she even turns around to greet him. Is this her psychic ability? Or is this a “Time’s Arrow” situation and Guinan’s past is about to be Picard’s future? We know Q and Guinan know each other but we don’t know from where. Maybe we’re about to get the answer! Or maybe Guinan just saw Picard in the mirror.
Is something wrong with Q? Way back when the original teaser trailer dropped I suspected that Q might be dying and I’m not convinced I’m wrong so far.
Why does the Borg Queen insist there’s “no time” when she visits the Stargazer? It seems like there would be plenty of time if she hadn’t assimilated the fleet! Are the Borg running from something? if so, who are the running from? Is it Q or someone else?
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Questions, Queries, Quibbles
We know that this season will take us to the past – the year 2024 to be exact. And clearly something from the past is the reason why Q’s new version of the present is so messed up. As we’ll mention over in our latest DISCO recap, we also don’t know if this time shift will impact any other Trek shows. We’re only one episode in, but feel free to throw out any wild guesses for where you think Picard will go this year. Will Picard get hair? Will Beverly Crusher show up, alien ghost candle in hand? Tell us what you think will happen next!
Until then, this is your humble recapper signing off. Computer: end program.
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