Given the amount of bad press that this new TV show was getting even before it was released, I was somewhat skeptical about the quality of what I would find, when I finally got to see the first episode. Alas, all my qualms and misgivings have been put to rest. Even though the show resembles the look of the much derided Star Trek : Discovery show, as it apparently has most of the same creative team behind it; this one stays more true in spirit to what we remember Star Trek being.
The show has a very interesting premise. It picks up 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, with a Jean Luc Picard retired to his vineyard and winery in France after, as we discover later on, resigning his commission as a Starfleet officer on account of a moral disagreement with the Federation, caused by a catastrophic event that forever changed the political landscape in the Galaxy. Soon enough, he gets embroiled once again in another difficult situation when a young woman, who claims to have some sort of connection to Picard’s past, comes knocking on his door, asking for help.
The interesting thing about this new TV show, without giving much away, is that the Federation as we once knew it, has been turned on its head, some new laws that affect characters loved by all of us have been passed, and a once mighty military, and economic force in the Galaxy, is no more. So far, on this first episode, we’ve only been given a few tidbits of information as to what happened, and we’ve been left wondering what’s gonna happen next. Which can only mean good things.
Needless to say, the show has amazingly good production values; Visual effects, Production design, Make-up and Costume design are still top notch. Not so sure about the music, though. I still think that Jeff Russo is not a good match for Star Trek. Surely they could’ve come up with a better Composer for the proyect. Michael Giacchino comes to mind. Patrick Steward slips right back into the role of Picard. He’s clearly grown more comfortable over the years as an actor, and is not as stiff as he used to be in the old days, due mainly to his background as a British stage actor for The London Shakespeare Company. He, like the wine produced from Picard’s winery, has got better with age. But, the absolute standout so far, is Isa Briones as Dahj. I’m really intrigued to see where they go with her character. On the few instances that she was onscreen, she managed the rare feat of making her completely believable, and compelling. They still need to work on the editing of the action scenes, as the quick cutting style they decided to go with, turn these into a jambled mess. As a said, an interesting beginning, with a promising plot, and engaging characters. Looking forward to seeing where they go with it.
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The Flick Geek 