Star Trek: Picard

Nobody would mistake Picard for Star Trek in its prime. But it has captured some of that hard to define, easy to recognise Trek essence. And if not exactly at warp speed – there are still a few too many Stewart soliloquies – it has undoubtedly located its missing sense of derring-do and is hurtling satisfyingly towards interstellar overdrive.

We’ll see if Season Two turns out any better, but by leaning on some of what Star Trek has always done well, it’s off to a more promising start.

So far season two feels more promising now that character introductions are largely out of the way and the whole team shares a goal.

Overall, there are definitely improvements in Picard season 2, and I’ll be interested to see where the series goes next. But I’m still not completely sold on this show’s creative direction as a whole, and it’s easy to see this new story building to another disappointing conclusion. Hopefully, Picard can pull out one final manoeuvre to bring this one to land.

A warm reunion with some of the franchise’s most likeable characters, but it’s hard to get away from the fact that these are all places we’ve boldly gone before.