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Star Trek Picard: Grading CBS All-Access’ new show

By Chad Porto

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: Sir Patrick Stewart attends the "Star Trek Picard" UK Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on January 15, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: Sir Patrick Stewart attends the "Star Trek Picard" UK Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on January 15, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images) /
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Nov. 2, 2015 – CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new “Star Trek” television series in January 2017. The brand-new “Star Trek” will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.Pictured: William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk fighting the Gorn in STAR TREK (The Original Series)Screen grab: ©1967 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Nov. 2, 2015 – CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new “Star Trek” television series in January 2017. The brand-new “Star Trek” will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.Pictured: William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk fighting the Gorn in STAR TREK (The Original Series)Screen grab: ©1967 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. /

Special Effects

There’s an argument for special effects against conventional practical effects. Practical effects are undeniably the best looking because they’re real. You can’t fake reality. The quality of special effects is all determined by the amount of money a show or film has to use. They’re expensive and they’re not always worth the money spent.

Is that the case for Picard? No, the effects are spectacular. There’s also a whole use of practical effects, and you may not even realize that. With things like set pieces, sets, buildings, sunsets, etc, there’s so much there that can be and have been CGI’ed to death. Think about the Star Wars prequels, there were hardly ever any sets built for the films. Everything is shot on a green screen with very few exceptions. Why? Well, some believe that special effects are “cool and hip” and it’s better to use them, even if they look worse than actual sets.

It’s the notion that new is always better, and it’s not. Sometimes a grandly built set piece makes the scene so much better. It’s not always feasible, obviously but when it is it should be utilized. That’s what Picard has been doing, utilizing real sets at times as opposed to just green-screening every scene.

The fight scenes look fantastic and the phaser fire has never looked better. The makeup for the Romulans has been beautifully implemented though it is a stark difference from the original four shows design of them. So that comes down to more of one’s personal opinion on it.

Special Effects: 5/5

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