Though some say Star Trek: Picard is overall pessimistic, the series stars disagree.
Not all Star Trek fans have been on board with Star Trek: Picard. In fact, many of them think the show is mired in gloom and eternally pessimistic. With Jean-Luc Picard older and lonelier, he appears to be frail and without much hope at the start of the show. After the first episode, some fans stopped watching, but with every series, there are bumps along the road. And Star Trek: Picard is no different.
One of the stars of the series, Isa Briones, who plays Soji, says “the spirit of hope and optimism is always there, and that’s what I think characterises Star Trek in such a big way.” The actress admits that the stories are different. They have to because the world has changed. That is what has caused the show to change.
Harry Treadaway, who plays the Romulan Narek, sees why Star Trek is needed now more than ever and points out the necessity for optimism for humanity, which is what Picard tries to bring to this new time period.
"I can see why Star Trek resonated in the ’60s, I can see now why we need it even more, and I think to have an optimistic, hopeful view of where humanity could go, even if Earth changes drastically, is a beautiful thing."
One of the issues fan have with season 1 of Star Trek: Picard is a now-corrupt Federation being portrayed as the villain in the series. For years, the United Federation of Planets had been a force for good, and to lose that has been a bit disheartening for fans. But the Federation has never been perfect, and clearly, some mistakes were made. As series star Michelle says “I love that we’re telling some imperfect stories.” Just as Raffi is imperfect and has inner demons and struggles so does the Federation.
The Star Trek franchise has weathered a lot of storms, and Star Trek: Picard is no different. Season 1 might not have been perfect for many fans, but it has the promise of being even better in Season 2 because, as Patrick Stewart said, “ It resonates positive feelings about the future that things can be better.”
Though some viewers saw pessimism in the 10 episodes of the series, many of us saw that as a jumping off point. When the show started, there wasn’t much to be hopeful about, but as the episodes played out and battles were won, Jean-Luc Picard saw more hope for the future than he had in a long time. And he’ll carry that hope into season 2.