Star Trek Picard:
The Third and Final Season
review by Bobby Blakey
Since its debut in the 60s Star Trek has become easily one of the most popular franchises in history. With several TV shows, movies, cartoons, comics, books and products the property shows no sign of slowing down. After their success with Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All-Access that has since become Paramount+, they brought the next chapter of the famed Enterprise Captain with Picard featuring the highly anticipated return of Sir Patrick Stewart in the role. Now fans can continue the adventure with Star Trek: Picard Season Two.
Picard follows the end of the 24th Century, and 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet, where Jean-Luc Picard is living a quiet life on his vineyard, Chateau Picard. When he is sought out by a mysterious young woman, Dahj in need of his help, he soon realizes she may have personal connections to his own past. In season two Picard and his crew go on a bold and exciting new journey into the past. Picard must enlist friends, both old and new, to confront the perils of 21st century Earth in a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future – and face the ultimate trial from one of his greatest foes.
Season three follows a desperate message from a long-lost friend that draws Starfleet legend Admiral Jean-Luc Picard into the most daring mission of his life, forcing him to recruit allies spanning generations old and new. This final adventure sets him on a collision course with the legacy of his past and explosive, new revelations that will alter the fate of the Federation forever. The third season was sadly not only the last, but features returning cast members Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd from the previous seasons, but also
the next generation crew including Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, and Gates McFadden who are joining Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner and the only two “Picard” series Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd.
I wasn’t as big fan of Next Generation for no other reason that I just didn’t watch a lot of series TV when it was on. Obviously since then I have dived headfirst into the shows and have had the chance to get into some of the Next Generation series. That being said I was both excited and worried initially to see this show being made. I love Stewart so could not wait to see his latest take on the character, but also didn’t want the show to sully the memory of such an iconic character like has done in other projects. I really enjoyed the first two seasons but wasn’t a big fan of a lot the characters. Despite that I was still eager to dive into this new season to see where we were headed.
This latest season kicked right into high gear and immediately felt like an improvement to the previous seasons making it more of a final chapter for Next Generation than just more Picard alone. It takes its time bringing them all back together with some great moments for every character as well as some interesting evolution to their histories. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work or just feel forced in this format, but they knocked it out of the park. It does a great job of being its own thing as well as connecting to both the TV series and the feature films, further expanding the already fun universe.
Everyone is on their A game here and looked to pick up where they left off seamlessly. I love seeing this family back together in this format that felt like a love letter to its legacy as well as the perfect send off they never really got. Have no fear they get in some great action and intrigue as the previous seasons of Picard, but with the clever banter and comradery of the long-standing crew of the Enterprise.
This release not only includes all 10 episodes of the third and final season, but also over 2 ½ hours of special features, including behind the scenes featurettes with the cast and crew, a hilarious gag reel, and never-before-seen deleted scenes. Beam down and grab your copy of Star Trek Picard: Season Three when it hits Blu-ray™, DVD and limited-edition Blu-ray™ Steelbook as well as Star Trek Picard: The Complete Series available now from CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment.
Also coming October 17th will be the definitive release for Next Generation fans, Star Trek: The Picard Legacy Collection. The limited edition individually numbered 54-Disc Blu-ray collection features one of a kind packaging that houses every series and film featuring Jean-Luc Picard. Along with over 35 hours of special features, films and series include “Star Trek: The Next Generation – Seasons 1-7,” “Star Trek: Picard – Seasons 1-3,” Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Nemesis, and Star Trek: Insurrection. This limited set also includes an exclusive edition of The Wisdom of Picard featuring brand new artwork and quotes, along with a one-of-a-kind deck of playing cards, a magnet sheet featuring all of Captain Picard’s badges and four custom Chateau Picard drink coasters.
