The second episode of Picard aired last week. This episode brings us a few more pieces of the puzzle that started in episode one. The Romulans are working on a Borg cube while Picard is trying to find out where the other half of Dahj is. Little does he know his path will be bringing him back to his old friends.
Plot
We find ourselves trying to piece together the murder and cover-up by the Romulans that took place during the first episode. Admiral Picard is working with Laris as they start to understand why Dahj was attacked in the first place. The rest of the episode is mostly about Picard trying to get back into the cold. Either being with the Federation or on his own with a new crew. What’s actually more interesting than the Romulans hiding in the Federation is the flashbacks. At the start of the episode, we see the synthetics attack Mars. It’s interesting to note that this whole attack could have taken place because some faction has decided they don’t trust synthetics. By hacking into the synthetics they could have easily caused the attack. This is something I hope we see more of as the show progresses. Oh, how can I forget this one part, Data has daughters. Discuss amongst yourselves.
Performance
This is definitely not the same Star Trek that I grew up with. Between the sex and use of some foul words, I’d say this is definitely a better version. Nothing is perfect in the future, not even the Federation. Patrick Stewart continues to control the show with his portrayal of an elder Picard. His character may not be able to physically do everything he once was able to, the fire is still burning inside him though. The rest of the cast continues to do a wonderful job, Isa Briones (Dahj and Soji Asha) and Harry Treadaway(Narek)Â are working well together on screen. The character of Narek is one that I’m eagerly awaiting to interact with Picard.
Cinematography
Star Trek is normally a show that goes above and beyond in their imagery of space. Star Trek: Picard is no different. Seeing that big beautiful Borg cube in the darkness of space brought tears to my eyes. It brought back all those wonderful memories of watching the show and movies when I was younger. For the most part, we are just stuck in two places. Either on Earth or in the cube, at some point, I hope we will journey to a few more places. Visually I was hoping for something stunning and I did receive it at times, I’m just waiting for something more.
Verdict
The second episode really gave us a better glimpse at the Federation of the future. After being almost torn apart trying to help the Romulans, they won’t even really recognize one of their best. I was worried when the show was first announced. I didn’t want a Star Trek show that didn’t show the reality of what could happen if things didn’t always go the way our favorites characters wanted. We now get to see Picard work his way through this new mission with the vigor he had on so many countless ones before his retirement. Next week Jason takes over as he reviews the third episode.
