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“Star Trek: Picard” leans on nostalgia, pulls its punches

The newest Star Trek series is less woke than its immediate predecessor, “Discovery,” but is disappointing nonetheless.

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in the new series "Star Trek: Picard."

Star Trek hasn’t been very good for decades, and it got much worse in 2017, when CBS made an attempt to go woke with the series Discovery. The show had all the strong female protagonists, persons of various colors, and gay love required to reassure liberals of the show’s progressivism and their own moral righteousness. The only Kirk-like, manly man was an evil monster from a parallel universe.

Compared with the worst Star Trek to date, the new series Star Trek: Picard is a breath of fresh air—well, it’s a show full of our nostalgia for Star Trek: The Next Generation, so “fresh” isn’t the right word. And everyone is old now—Picard, Riker and Troi, even Data—so it’s not reliving the past, either.

When the show begins, a catastrophe has turned the Federation away from optimistic liberalism. A deadly android rebellion, coupled with a foreign affairs catastrophe, led to Picard’s resignation from a Starfleet he came to loathe, and to mankind’s stagnation. But the old man is about to die, and he gets one last adventure.

The key to Picard’s appeal is how child-like the senescent Patrick Stewart looks, marveling at the many wonders of the universe and of the human heart in order to rekindle for Starfleet that flame of love, curiosity, and ambition that was its defining characteristic (and which defines American liberalism in the broad sense).

Picard gets a second chance to redeem the Federation from its back-story of failure and suffering. The show turns dangerously close to tragedy at times, making the men and women crewing his new ship almost seem human. But in the world of technological liberalism, there’s no tragedy. Picard’s rhetoric and generous heart eventually solve every problem, and only the equivalent of the original series’ “Red Shirts” die.

So maybe the future isn’t really in danger. Picard rescues liberalism by getting us robots so we can download our souls into machines. After all, you can’t break a machine’s heart. But this is Star Trek—technology is often more human than the human beings, so the androids at the core of the story turn out to be very human after all.

So far are we from tragedy, we’re actually toying with eternal life and power. There you begin to see the problem. In one mood, there is sadness at our faults and failures, a sense that maybe our moralism was too arrogant, not serious enough about the limits necessity and ultimately mortality impose on us. The universe is not simply the playground of our fantasies! But in the next mood, immortal powers solving the human problem are at the tip of our fingers, instantly resurrecting the dead and turning sacrifice into a cheap stunt.

Picard is also constantly apologizing, as though Boomers were all apologizing their Zoomer successors. The character’s nobility was sacrificed to advertising a fantasy. When Picard deals with his failures, choosing mortality, and accepting the limits of human nature, the show is quite impressive, not just affecting. You get glimpses of what mid-century liberalism was like when it was confident, generous, and ambitious. We were all going to go the stars—not suffering miserable epidemics, corrupt partisanship the media sells for advertising money, and endless Twitter hatred.

But the national mood has changed since the 90s. Replaying old fantasies won’t do. This is a pleasant, but disappointing show. Maybe hard knowledge about technology and our own nature is more important than good intentions and proclaiming hippie feelings.

I hope the next season—since there is always a next season—will be better. It should show more respect for the characters who have suffered so much for their liberal idealism—and try to spare us the tenets of liberal ideology. If they tell a good story about the wonders of technology, it might be less creepy than downloading your soul into a machine while preaching tolerance.


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About Titus Techera 25 Articles
Titus Techera is the executive director of the American Cinema Foundation and a contributor to National Review, The Federalist, Law & Liberty, and Modern Age.

25 Comments

  1. Less woke? Not at all, and the impact on the franchise is even worse as fans could ignore STD but they can’t ignore what has been done to Picard’s character in this attack on patriarchy and “toxic masculinity.”

  2. W.a.y. too many women in high places. Seriously all of Star Fleet’s Admirals and leaders are women. It was distracting.

  3. I suspect that the author is not all that familiar with Trek, nor has he watched season 2 of Discovery

    1) I’ll agree that season one of Disc. was weak, and the preponderance of gays was irritating. However, Season two was much better. The assertion of there being no strong Kirk-like character in the show is patently false, if one has seen the entire series. Pike was temporary captain of the Discovery in the second season – strong, idealistic. And part of the purpose of the season was to show the evolution of Spock from the version in The Cage into the version we’ve come to love.

    2) “After all, you can’t break a machine’s heart”? Obviously he’s never seen Requiem for Methuselah

    3) The swipe at downloading a mind into an android? Remember I, Mudd, where that was the promise made to Uhura? Or The Schizoid Man, where Ira Graves downloaded his mind into Data (“To know him is to love him, and to love him is to know him”)

    4) The reason Picard is dying is because of the brain abnormality first mentioned in the TNG series finale. So, it’s tying things up, but they want the series to continue. And, the new body is one that was made by Dr. Inigo Soong – son of Data’s creator, and played by Brent Spiner. The body is actually engineered so that Picard would just have the normal life span that he would’ve had without the brain abnormality. So, it’s not talking about immortality.

    Some objection to the foul language.
    I would remind people of
    1) In Wrath of Khan – McCoy’s “Who’s been holding up the d***ed elevator?”
    2) Picard’s occasional use of the French equivalent of “sh*t” in the TNG

    Now, there are some valid criticisms, but I don’t believe he touched on them beyond Season One of Discovery (which, as I’ve said, was much improved in Season Two).
    One is the implicit denial of an eternal soul – I wonder how they’d get around the Vulcan Katra? And, as always in Trek, the acceptance of sexual libertinism.

    • Excellent, knowledgable points, Mr. Pizzuti. As you note, the reviewer has little command of the (admittedly quite large) Trek background and episodes that were earlier, salient attempts to address the major issues in Picard. And yes, Discovery Season Two, largely on the talents of Anson Mount as Pike and Ethan Peck as Spock, was much better. Here’s hoping for a solid future.

      • From the Internet a person typed:
        “This Dream I had back in 2002 about The Deep Space Nine episode
        “Trials and Tribble-ations” which was based on the Original Series episode
        “The Trouble with Tribbles” early in this DS9 episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” after the Defiant is thrown back in time from the 24th Century to the 23rd Century,
        Sisko says to Chief O’Brien
        “Chief, I need that Viewscreen”
        O’Brien replies “I think I’ve got it” then the static on the Viewscreen clears and we see the Popular Image of the face a Male Jewish Rabbi
        33 Years of Age, The Crew is filled with Shock,Joy & Awe at what they are seeing,
        Jadzia Dax says “That’s”
        Sisko Replies “Jesus”
        In this Dream The Lord Jesus Christ appears to the Defiant Crew”
        Christ was Eternity appearing in Time

  4. Ah yes, but the chance to watch Patrick Stewart, OBE, on the screen, be it Star Trek, Excalibur, X-Men, or as Charles Dicken’s Scrooge is certainly worth the price of admission.

  5. From the Internet someone typed
    “On YouTube there is a cool video
    Titled
    “Leaving Drydock (REMASTERED)| Star Trek: The Motion Picture” uploaded
    December 23, 2021 by
    Pavel M. Mihalik , in this video clip from the 1979 film ,
    At 2:10 to 2:21 in the YouTube video we see a beautiful view of the Enterprise passing by Earth as the Sun Rises & Shines. A beautiful scene that makes me think of the Bible verse
    John 3:16 which starts with
    Jesus saying the Words
    “For God so loved the world..” and also the Bible verse
    John 8:12 where
    Jesus says
    “I am the light of the world” “

  6. 1. From the website cheatsheet.com an article titled
    “Lies You’ve Been Told About
    ‘Star Trek'” by Katherine Webb
    On January 10, 2018 &
    2. From the website
    Trekmovie.com an article titled
    “The Myth of the Star Trek Fan” by
    John Tenuto on
    September 24, 2006

  7. The
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode titled
    “Far Beyond The Stars” at the end of this DS9 episode
    Captain Benjamin Sisko and his Father Joseph Sisko are speaking
    Joseph Sisko says to Benjamin
    “I’ve got to get back to the restaurant. My customers have never gone this long without me. The Question is what are you going to do ?
    Ben Sisko replies “The only thing I can do. Stay here and finish the job I started. And if I fail.”
    Joseph: I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.
    Ben Sisko: I’ve Never Known you to Quote from the Bible
    Joseph : I’m full of surprises, aren’t I ? And so are you, sounds like that dream you had helped you sort things out.
    Ben Sisko: I suppose it did, But I have begun to wonder. What if it wasn’t a dream? What if this life we’re leading, all of this, you and me, everything. What if all this is the illusion?
    Joseph: That’s a Scary Thought
    Ben Sisko: I know, I know, but maybe, just maybe. Benny isn’t the dream, we are. Maybe we’re nothing more than figments of his imagination. For all we know, at this very moment, somewhere far beyond those distant stars, Benny Russell is dreaming of us (we then see Benny Russell as Sisko’s reflection in the window)
    The Bible verse Quoted by
    Joseph Sisko is from the New Testament
    2 Timothy 4:7 Second Timothy Chapter 4 verse 7 , which was written by Saint Paul, and the book of Second Timothy is one of the Pastoral Epistles .. “Far Beyond The Stars” was a great episode !!!

  8. From the Internet someone typed
    “Now, Myself and other Christian Trek Fans, when we think of what Life after Death, is like, what Heaven/The Afterlife is like, we are
    Reminded of this Famous Scene from the 1982 Film
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
    The Famous Genesis Cave Scene, in the Regula I Cavern
    Carol Marcus says to Kirk
    “Let me show you something … that’ll make you feel young as when the world was new”
    Kirk and Carol Marcus walk together, holding hands and see the Results of Project Genesis, how beautiful it is
    Kirk says “You did all this in a day ?”
    Carol – The matrix formed in a day. The lifeforms grew later at a .. substantially accelerated rate..
    Leonard “Bones” McCoy says to Kirk “Jim This is Incredible, Have you ever seen the like?” Saavik is also standing in the Genesis cave , Carol says “Can I cook or can’t I ?”
    This Famous Scene and Dialogue from
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was also brilliantly spoofed line for line in the episode of “Family Guy” Titled “We Love You, Conrad” which aired on May 3, 2009, it had an animated Lauren Conrad, star of
    “The Hills” Brian Griffin the talking dog and Lauren Conrad were walking together just like Kirk and Carol Marcus were in The Wrath of Khan
    See, the book Heaven: By Randy Alcorn”

  9. Some Christian Star Trek Fans have said that the Music in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is very sad, moving & Epic, that it reminds them of the Nazi Holocaust of World War II, the sadness & Tragedy of the Holocaust, It was Truly Satanic, Hitler and the Nazi’s tried to Eliminate a entire race of People from the Face of the Earth, the sad Music in the Opening of the Movie where we see the Opening Credits then the words
    “In the 23rd Century…” appear on the Screen, other sad Music in
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan that reminds people of the Holocaust is near the end of the film where
    Kirk lures the Reliant into the Mutara Nebula
    Spock:They are reducing speed
    Kirk says to Uhura –
    “Uhura,patch me in ”
    Uhura: Aye Sir, Your’e on Admiral
    Kirk then says to Khan
    “This is Admiral Kirk, we tried it once your way Khan are you game for a rematch? Khan! I’m laughing at the superior intellect” In Total 11 Million people were killed in the Holocaust

  10. I love this scene of dialogue at the end of the Star Trek: The Original Series episode
    “Bread and Circuses”
    “KIRK: Gentlemen.
    MCCOY: Captain, I see on your report Flavius was killed. I am sorry. I liked that huge sun worshiper.
    SPOCK: I wish we could have examined that belief of his more closely. It seems illogical for a sun worshiper to develop a philosophy of total brotherhood. Sun worship is usually a primitive superstition religion.
    UHURA: I’m afraid you have it all wrong, Mister Spock, all of you. I’ve been monitoring some of their old-style radio waves, the empire spokesman trying to ridicule their religion. But he couldn’t. Don’t you understand? It’s not the sun up in the sky. It’s the Son of God.
    KIRK: Caesar and Christ. They had them both. And the word is spreading only now.
    MCCOY: A philosophy of total love and total brotherhood.
    SPOCK: It will replace their imperial Rome, but it will happen in their twentieth century.
    KIRK: Wouldn’t it be something to watch, to be a part of? To see it happen all over again? Mister Chekov, take us out of orbit. Ahead warp factor one.
    CHEKOV: Aye, sir.”

  11. Also about Star Trek and Catholicism
    The Virgin Mary and Saint Anne were depicted in the Leonardo da Vinci painting The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, which was found among the relics in Kathryn Janeway’s da Vinci holodeck program. (VOY: “Scorpion”, “The Raven”, “Scientific Method”, “Concerning Flight”)

  12. Also about Star Trek & Catholicism , the Star Trek: Enterprise episode
    “Cold Front” which takes place in the year 2151 has this exchange of words between
    Captain Jonathan Archer
    & Dr.Phlox
    “ARCHER: I didn’t realise you were familiar with Earth religions, Doctor.
    PHLOX: Oh, yes. In fact, while I was there I made it a point to study a number of them. I spent two weeks at a Tibetan monastery where I learned to sing chords with the high lamas. I attended Mass at Saint Peter’s Square.”

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