Star Trek: Picard - Season One (2020)

Star Trek: Picard - Season One (2020)

10 episodes, approx 44-55 minutes each.

Firstly, the important date stuff: it's set in the year 2399, which is twenty years after the tragic loss in ST: Nemesis (2002). We're told that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has been retired from Starfleet for fourteen of those years. No longer trotting through the stars on impressive starships, he resides now at Chateau Picard, overseeing the family business. [1]

Visually, it's modern sci-fi, which means it's darkly lit, has glary lens flare (real and CGI), and periodically weighs every happy moment down with a semi-dystopian undertone. As someone who loves the bright, futuristic, optimistic look of The Next Generation era of Star Trek, it's an affront to my eyes on almost every level. Even so, I watched all 10 episodes, because there was room in my life for more Picard adventuring.

Star Trek: The Official Motion Picture Adaptation (2010)

Star Trek: The Official MP Adaptation (2010)

Authors: Mike Johnson / Tim Jones (from a script by Robert Orci + Alex Kurtzman) | Illustrators: David Messina / Claudia Balboni | Page Count: 147

"Where I'm from, when someone hits you, you hit back. How is that not logical?"

A  tattooed Romulan group in an inexplicably heavily armed mining vessel attack a Federation starship. It's during that encounter that for the 2009 reboot of Star Trek a number of important plot threads are born.

It then skips some years and enters the 'establishing character' introduction phase of the story, showing how two of its main protagonists respond to differing situations according to their individual natures.

Both are rebellious and far removed from the men we know them to become in established TOS continuity; e.g., the youthful James Kirk steals, is rude, cocky, knowingly sexist, directionless and fights in bars.

He's an arrogant prick, basically, but he's presented that way for a reason, serving as both a contrast and exhibiting a foundational attitude that can be used to gain an advantage in future exploits.

The Art of Star Trek (1995)

The Art of Star Trek (1995)

Authors: Judith + Garfield Reeves-Stevens | Illustrators: Various | Page Count: 298

'If we define art as "the activity of creating beautiful things," then STAR TREK's futuristic, alien, often bizarre imagery most assuredly qualifies.'

I do sometimes 'state the obvious' for the benefit of folks that are curious but aren't a part of a particular franchise's fandom, but a book titled The Art of Star Trek explains itself. So if there's anyone still in any doubt as to what the content is, then you're probably reading the wrong blog.

What can't be gleaned from the cover alone is the sheer range of content inside, from rarely seen production sketches to familiar but still awesome key art, some of which has been used on posters and commercial home video formats for decades, and all presented on lavishly glossy paper stock.

Star Trek: Spock Reflections (2010)

Star Trek: Spock Reflections (2010)

Authors: Scott + David Tipton | Illustrator: David Messina | Page Count: 104

"Your path will be one similar to mine, lieutenant. Learning how to incorporate logic into your relationships and decisions is not merely a matter of Starfleet training — it will be a lifelong journey."

Being promoted as a 'follow-up' to the 'smash hit Star Trek: Countdown (2009) movie prequel' kept me from reading the Spock Reflections TPB for a long time. But it was in my possession and I thought I should at least give it a try before deciding whether to keep it or not. It tuned out there was no need for lowered expectations; the story stands apart and is genuinely quite good.

It could be considered a 'follow-up' to the previous embarrassment in that it came out afterwards, but none of what happened in Countdown has any major bearing on what you get in the newer collection.

It does, however, reference a significant portion of Spock's life before the reboot happened, so readers with knowledge of both TOS and TNG continuity will have an advantage over those without it.

Star Trek: The Return (1996)

Star Trek: The Return (1996)

Authors: William Shatner / Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens  | Page Count: 371

'For a silent moment after, even the rain stopped. When it began again, it felt gentle. Warm. Slow as tears.'

Like The Ashes of Eden (1995) did before it, The Return opens on Veridian III and continues the story of the Star Trek: Generations (1994) film. It's not a flashback narrative this time, though, it's the real deal, an actual continuation of current events.

It engineers a ridiculous scenario that brings together aspects and crew of TOS, TNG and DS9 for a ret-conning adventure that's thick with melodrama and action movie clichés. Some of the connections made are mind-blowing and may have fans either happy-clapping or furiously fighting. Either way, some of the reveals in the last quarter are extremely memorable. It's unfortunate that a large portion of the remainder of the book is such a damned chore to get through.

Star Trek: The Ashes of Eden (1995)

Star Trek: The Ashes of Eden (1995)

Authors: William Shatner / Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens  |  Page Count: 309

'He gulped a mouthful of Scotch. Felt it burn his throat — ice cold and fire hot at the same time. That was his poetry. Sensation. Being alive.'

TAoE begins just a few hours after the ending of the Star Trek: Generations (1994) movie, so you'll need to have seen it first. But to really get the most from the book you'll need to have seen all the TOS movies because the story is one of reflection on what's passed as well as a look to the future. Even though it's technically set post-Generations, ninety-nine percent of it is a flashback to an era before Kirk stepped aboard the Enterprise-B, shortly after the political upheaval that occurred at Camp Khitimer (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)).

Without a ship to command Kirk is a little lost, as if his reason for living has been suspended, and daily Starfleet duties do little to assuage the feelings. He's secretly hungering for adventure, and more often than not someone with that goal will either find what he's looking for or set it in motion himself.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: TV Movies (1987-94)

Star Trek: TNG: The Complete TV Movies

Dirs. Various / 10 feature-length TV Movies / 835 mins (approx total)

I've covered the individual seasons of The Next Generation elsewhere on The 7th and Last blog, but in order to keep those posts at an acceptable length I didn't dwell too much on the two-parters; aka the TV 'movies'. This post indulges my desire to give them a little more attention.

There are ten in all, and because there's some TNG moments in Deep Space 9's pilot episode I'll add it, too. Naturally, given the number, it'll be longer than my usual post length.

Star Trek: Countdown (2009)

Star Trek: Countdown (2009)

Authors: Mike Johnson / Tim Jones | Illustrator: David Messina | Page Count: 98

"It's worse than we thought."

A prequel comic to the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise. I consider such tie-ins to be mostly easy milk from the cash-cow, but ST:C is mostly water.

Set post-Nemesis (2002) it attempts to link The Next Generation cast with events from the film, acting as yet another passing of the torch, but it's ham-fisted. In most cases cameos from TNG's crew exist for no reason other than to have cameos from TNG crew.

Their actions and dialogue aren't properly tailored to fit how their TV show counterparts would act or speak in the same situation; change the facial likeness and it'd be difficult to guess who it's meant to be. Speaking of which, the artwork is generally good, with characters looking like the actors they represent, and both light and shadow are handled well by the colourist(s).

Star Trek X: Nemesis (2002)

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)

Dir. Stuart Baird

TNG's final cinematic venture was directed by Stuart Baird, who admitted during a video interview that he hadn't bothered to watch even a single episode of The Next Generation television series, and, while viewing Nemesis, it shows.

Instead of constructing what could've been comparable to a TNG version of The Wrath of Khan (1982) he made a dark Star W_rsy film with characters that he clearly didn't understand.

It's saved mostly by the regular cast members, particularly Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Data (Brent Spiner), who imbue their roles with their usual professionalism. And like Insurrection (1998) did, it creates a situation that allows crew members who would ordinarily be absent to be on board the Enterprise (E) when things kick off.

Star Trek IX: Insurrection (1998)

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Dir. Jonathan Frakes

The usually dependable Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) goes ape-shit whilst on an alien planet, during an undercover mission for Starfleet. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew make it their business to find out why.

Insurrection is a mixed bag. The good bits are exciting and even sometimes funny, but for long-time fans it's obvious that it's treading old ground.

However, if you can somehow ignore that you've seen the same kind of thing multiple times already in the weekly TV series, then the story itself is entertaining enough. It's less action-filled than the previous TNG feature film, but on the flip side it contains more quiet, reflective moments, focussing on family and environmental concerns.

The many rewrites are obvious, but production values are high, and aside from one face-palm moment involving Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and a joystick, it's worth watching.

Star Trek VIII: First Contact (1996)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Dir. Jonathan Frakes

The Borg, having had a rather dramatic redesign to make them look a lot more menacing than they did in the weekly TNG series, attempt to bring the entire Federation to its knees once and for all.

Naturally, the Federation take up arms and fight back. The majority of the fleet is deployed to stop the aggressors, but the Borg have a Plan B.

First Contact is Picard (Patrick Stewart) and  Data's (Brent Spiner) story, everyone else is just along for the ride. That suits me; those two stalwart characters are my all time favourites.

More than just duty, for Picard it's personal. They invaded his ship in Season 02 (episode 16), and they invaded him in Season 03 (episode 26); so he'll fight to the bitter end to protect what's his.

Following in the footsteps of Leonard Nimoy and The Shat, actor Jonathan Frakes is a Trek actor turned Trek director; it was his first feature film, although he'd directed episodes of TNG, DS9, and VOY previously, so he wasn't new to the gig.

Star Trek VII: Generations (1994)

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Dir. David Carson

There's a feeling in Trek fandom that when it comes to the movies the odd numbered entries generally aren't as good as the even numbered ones – at least, up to a point. I don't know if it's a majority feeling or merely a more published one, but for me it rings true. Generations, being film number VII, is an odd numbered entry.

Even though it has Captains James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard in the same film (Oh my!), it's simply not as good as the even numbered features that came immediately before and after it.

It begins in the TOS era (2293), with three of the original cast members doing a kind of royal visit - followed by a news crew, they watch the maiden voyage of the Enterprise-B. Kirk is antsy that he's not in the big chair, but deep down he knows change is inevitable: the torch must be passed.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Dir. Nicholas Meyer

While TNG was kicking ass on TV, TOS returned to the big screen for one last old-crew hurrah.

And it went out in style. From the dramatic opening to the bitter-sweet ending it rarely puts a booted-foot wrong. I don't understand why it so often gets overlooked by many people.

Writer/Director Nicholas Meyer, having co-worked on the screenplays of II and IV, did the same for VI but took the helm as director, too.

Thematically, the end product is darker than Star Trek often dared to go. The optimism is still evident but it's bullied by heavy political issues, prejudices and ingrained racism, all of which are dissected and put under a microscope.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Dir. William Shatner

I love all but one of the TOS films. I've watched them dozens of times and would never want to be without them. I've upgraded from VHS to DVD to Blu-ray. I've gave Paramount more money than they probably deserve for the same film over and over. Nevertheless, even from a vantage point of that nature, I'm able to look at them objectively. So, Star Trek V... eh? Set phasers to critique.

It's new challenges time and a new ship for the old crew. There's a problem in the Neutral Zone (again) and only Captain Kirk can sort it out. Why only Kirk? Because he's William Shatner, of course. Oh, and he's now also the film's director.

I doubt that anyone who isn't a Trek fan would've made it this far into the films, so I'll not be saying anything that deep down most fans don't already know. The Final Frontier has got some problems.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Dir. Leonard Nimoy

Star Trek II, III and IV are a connected trilogy, with each film telling its own story but equally one part of a longer three-part journey. Among other things, the end section explores the dangers of shortsightedness, while highlighting mankind's follies and the consequences of actions.

During a return voyage to face the music after stealing the Federation's flagship, the close-knit group find themselves in temporal trouble.

Previously they were fighting against time to help their friend. This time they're traversing time itself in order to help the whole of Earth, which is under threat from a powerful probe of unknown origin.

The Voyage Home has its detractors, like all things inevitably have, but I'm a big fan of it.

There's something absurdly entertaining in seeing the ship's crew wander around San Francisco like a retirement home science club on a field trip.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Dir. Leonard Nimoy

Star Trek II, III and IV are a trilogy telling one story. The middle section explores the benefits of friendship and the burden of responsibility.

In order to write what I want to write about the film, I'll need to refer to events from the previous one. Therefore, there will be SPOILERS for ST II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) hereafter.

Having left the Mutara Nebula behind (see events in TWoK), the USS Enterprise crew are set to return home to Earth for repairs, but their hearts are heavy and the bridge has a missing member.

It's fascinating (no pun intended) that the absence of the characteristically emotionless Spock causes such strong emotions in his human colleagues.

The ship feels half-empty to Admiral Kirk (William Shatner), and in a strange way having Leonard Nimoy ever-present in his role as director yet largely absent onscreen as Spock that same sense of loss affects the viewer. He's there, but he isn't. He's in our hearts and minds, but not visible.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Dir. Nicholas Meyer

Watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan makes the disappointment of The Motion Picture (1979) seem even worse than it was, by comparison.

Regarded by many fans, including myself, as the best of TOS's big-screen adventures, TWoK is what a Star Trek film ought to be. Respectful of the series history, it uses the Kirk, Spock and McCoy triumvirate as a strong foundation to heap layered levels of danger and tragedy atop. The story recognises that the steadfast closeness of the Trek family is its greatest strength.

The villain of the piece is the titular Khan, played with aplomb by Mexican actor Ricardo Montalbán. Full name Khan Noonien Singh, he's a character first seen in the TOS episode Space Seed (S1, Ep 22), but you don't need to have seen it in order to enjoy Ricardo's spectacular performance because the screenplay manages to recap his backstory successfully, without it seeming like some kind of info-dump or intrusive exposition scene.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Dir. Robert Wise

TOS's transition from TV to big screen certainly was spectacular, but not in a good way - it was a spectacular disaster. By making the established world more cinematic, the warmth and personality of the TV Series was severely compromised.

Often referred to as 'The Motionless Picture' affectionately by fans and from the opposite viewpoint by haters, writer Alan Dean Foster's final draft (screenplay by Harold Livingston) forgets that it's supposed to be Star Trek.

The final product is closer to the cold and clinical end of the science-fiction spectrum, the kind that puts its emphasis on science over characters.

That approach is fine in theory, but TOS has always worked best when its characters were put up front; I feel it's more relatable, and therefore more successful, that way. I'd even go so far as to argue that it's the human/emotional side of things that really defines Star Trek, at least for me.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Season 7 (1998–99)

Star Trek: DS9: Season 7 (1998–99)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

The religious aspects that are a defining feature of DS9's scripted world play a major role in the series closing season. As before, the pairing is arguably as damaging to the whole as it is beneficial. There's a weighty revelation centred around such that I'm sure will divide viewers. Unfortunately for me, I'm one of the folks that feels it was too convenient - but I acknowledge it may have been planned from day one, it's not something that's completely left field.

A new primary character is introduced; it might seem a little late in the day to be doing such a thing, but that shakeup makes sense when put into context. I won't go into further detail because it's spoilery.

The holographic Vic Fontaine (James Darren) character that made his début in S6 gets a lot more screen time, functioning as a kind of advice-giver to the crew. It's a silly idea that sometimes works.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Season 6 (1997–98)

Star Trek: DS9: Season 6 (1997–98)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Note: I do my best to avoid spoilers in my posts, but the following text will refer to events that happened in Season 5, so if you're as sensitive to spoilers as I am and haven’t watched all of Season 5 it would be advisable to not read beyond this sentence.

Anyone still reading will maybe know that the long-building Dominion War is finally underway and that the entry-point into the Alpha quadrant is guarded by Starfleet and its allies. But not everyone in the Alpha quadrant sees the aggressors as a threat; some see the invasion as an opportunity to (re)gain power, forcing Sisko and his team to fight a war on two sides. That situation is the basis of Season 6.

Furthermore, even though they're Federation allies, some races are enjoying the war (the Klingons, naturally) and are happy to see it take shape. But their presence on DS9 causes problems of its own.