Warning: contains spoilers

It is no secret that the Star Trek fandom has been divided since the launch of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. Like most Star Trek spin-offs, Discovery has struggled to find its footing. A rapid turnover of producers and writers resulted in an uneven — though not unenjoyable — first two seasons; in fairness, the second season was a marked improvement over the first.

Since the official announcement that Patrick Stewart would reprise the iconic role of Jean-Luc Picard, longtime Star Trek fans have expressed evrything from excitement to pessimism about the new show. Given the somewhat controversial creative decisions made in Discovery, some fans feared a new Picard-centric series would tarnish the beloved character’s legacy, and further mire the franchise in controversy.

With the first episode of Star Trek: Picard now available for streaming, it’s plain to see the worry was misplaced. The rumblings of the series being rampant political commentary — or a ‘woke’ incarnation of Trek — were off the mark.

The first episode, entitled “Remembrance,” is a welcome return to form for the franchise. It presents fans with a world that has drastically changed, but is still very familiar. It’s threaded with continuity and nostalgia, yet charts a new course for one of the Trek’s most beloved characters.

Summary

As the song “Blue Skies” plays (the song Data sang at Troi and Riker’s wedding) the camera dollies in on the Enterprise-D, until we enter the Ten Forward lounge where Picard and Data are engaged in a game of poker. Looking out the window, Picard sees Mars, and is puzzled by the ship’s orbit. Suddenly a series of explosions ripple across the planet, until the Enterprise herself is destroyed…

Picard awakens in his bed with his dog, “Number One,” barking at him. It is over twenty years since the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. Picard is now an old man, living as a recluse, at his family Chateau in France.

Meanwhile in Boston, a young woman and her boyfriend are enjoying a romantic evening in her apartment. The woman (Dahj) has just been accepted to the Daystrom Institute, and the couple are excited by the prospect of their impending future. Suddenly, three armed men beam into the apartment, kill Dahj’s boyfriend and attack her. The soldiers pull back when one of them screams, “She’s activating!” Dahj fighting with violent efficiency, kills all three intruders. As she recoils in horror at her own actions, an image of Jean-Luc Picard appears in her mind.

On the anniversary of the Romulan Supernova, Picard grants a rare interview with the Federation News Network. It is revealed that, some years earlier, a group of rogue Synths (Androids) attacked Mars, killing over 92,000 people, destroying the Federation Shipyards; and the planet remains on fire to the present moment.

In the aftermath of this devastating attack, Starfleet abandoned its rescue mission to save Romulan lives. Picard, furious with this decision, resigned from Starfleet. Additionally, as a result of the attack, the powers of the galaxy have banned the construction of artificial lifeforms.

While Picard is lamenting his decisions — over a glass of wine, in his vineyard — Dahj arrives, and asks if he knows who she is. Everything inside her, she tells him, makes her certain that she will be safe with him. Though confused, Picard, agrees to protect her.

In another dream sequence, Picard encounters Data, painting a portrait of a woman. When he awakens, he is shocked to find the exact painting hanging in his den. Dahj has fled, and the security system in the Chateau is unable to track her.

In the streets of Paris, she contacts her mother, who, without Dahj recounting her recent experiences, tells her to return to Picard immediately, as only he can protect her.

Picard arrives in San Francisco at the Starfleet Quantum Museum, where all the artifacts and keepsakes from his career are stored. He locates another painting that Data gifted him, thirty years earlier. The painting is of Dahj and titled “Daughter.”

Dahj locates Picard, and he recounts his findings. He believes that somehow Dahj is a flesh and blood Synth — and Data’s daughter. Soldiers similar to those seen in her apartment appear. As she fights them, the soldiers are revealed to be Romulans. Before they can be stopped, Dhaj is killed: some form of acid is sprayed on her and she explodes.

Injured in the blast, Picard awakens in his Chateau. He is told that the police have no record of the attack, and that there is no evidence that Dahj was even with him. He travels to the Daystrom Institute, where he meets Dr. Agnes Jurati, who has spent her career studying Androids.

Jurati says that Dahj could have been created using a technique, theorized by Dr. Bruce Maddox, called “fractal neuronic cloning,” a process that would result in an Android with an organic body, but a Positronic brain, which could only be completed using one of Data’s Positronic cells.

If Maddox did manage to accomplish this, it would make Dahj “the essence” of Data. According to Jurati, this process would result in twins, meaning that there is another android like Dahj out there.

Meanwhile, at a Romulan reclamation site, Narek (a young Romulan male) meets with Soji Asher, Dahj’s twin. Soji reveals to him that she has a twin sister, which causes Narek to lament the recent passing of his brother. There seems to be an attraction between the two. As they continue to talk, the camera pans out to reveal that the reclamation center is, in fact, a Borg Cube.

Analysis

Without a doubt, this is one of the strongest debut episodes of any Star Trek series to date. This is likely due to the fact that the episode centers on a previously established — and beloved — character, and an actor who is completely comfortable in his role. Unlike other pilots, the episode only introduces us to a few of the series leads, and takes its time in doing so.

The episode is character-driven, and well-served by Stewart’s magnificent portrayal of an older, slightly frail, Picard; Isa Briones is fantastic as Dahj. While her character’s death is an unexpected turn of events — thankfully — Briones will continue on as Soji. Alison Pill makes a solid impression in her brief appearance as Dr. Jurati.

The cinematic scale of this episode sets it apart from anything we saw in The Next Generation. Interestingly, the special effects and cinematography loom larger than in the four movies. It really does feel worlds apart from the setting and tone established in the Trek shows of the 1980s and 90s.

Picard feels like a hybrid between the optimistic and morally driven Next Generation, and the grittier character-focused Deep Space Nine.

Despite being centered on a well-established character, the show — so far at least— does a good job of balancing the new with the old. People who have never seen an episode of The Next Generation may struggle with some of the references, but will be able to understand the plot. For long-time fans, this first episode’s numerous throwbacks will make them happy.

Not only are there references to past events and characters, but there are also a number of great musical cues too. The main theme — very subdued, with a contemplative aspect — interlaces musical references to The Next Generation theme, particularly at the end. Also, Narek’s entrance is marked by the Romulan theme from the classic Trek episode “The Balance of Terror.”

This is an engaging (no pun intended) first episode that reintroduces us to Picard, while setting up several threads to carry through the next nine episodes. For many fans, I suspect, it will feel as though Star Trek is back on solid footing.