3 best moments from Star Trek: Picard “The Next Generation”

Star Trek: Picard returned with an exceptional episode that reunited Captain Riker and Admiral Picard. This post contains spoilers for “The Next Generation,” the first episode of season three.

I’ve been looking forward to Star Trek: Picard season three since the announcement that it would bring back the crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the first episode of the season, we only see the familiar faces of Captain Will Riker and Dr. Beverly Crusher from the Enterprise, but Picard staples Seven of Nine and Raffi are back as is Orla Brady’s Laris for a few minutes.

Honestly, it was difficult to choose the moments that really stood out in this episode as i was fascinated from beginning to end, but instead of focusing on those that are exciting like Dr. Crusher in a shootout with unknown villains, I’ve made an effort to highlight those that really stood out to me as they set the tone for the next nine episodes.

Riker and Picard con their way onto the U.S.S. Titan

The Next Generation crew has broken rules before, but this was a joint effort between Riker and his former captain to fool the current captain of the U.S.S. Titan. They needed a ship to get to an injured Dr. Crusher who was just outside Federation space, and Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick), who apparently has an issue with both of the men, isn’t welcoming their “surprise inspection” and immediately denies their suggestion to take a detour from their present course. Still, it was great to see Riker and Picard working together even though Picard was clearly more hesitant than Riker who seemed practically gleeful.

Seven of Nine betrays her duties as Commander aboard the U.S.S. Titan

Seven of Nine has always had trouble obeying rules. Even when she was helping Picard in seasons one and two, she made her own decisions and objected when she didn’t think something was right. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that, when she senses there’s a real reason why Picard and Riker are aboard the Titan, she demands answers. Then she disobeys Captain Shaw’s orders and takes the Titan to the Ryton system and tells Picard and Riker when a shuttle will be available. Yes, she knows she’s risking her career, but from what she said to the two earlier, she isn’t happy as Commander Annika Hansen. So it’s a good moment to see her stepping back into her former self.

Raffi struggles with being undercover as a drug user while still doing her job

Michelle Hurd said that Raffi would be a superspy this season on Star Trek: Picard, and her time on the episode starts with a clandestine meeting with a drug dealer to supposedly score. But what she’s really looking for is information on “The Red Lady.” We quickly learn that she’s working intelligence for Starfleet, but it’s her meeting with her handler (who is only available via voice) that shows just how difficult this assignment is for her. She admits she’s struggling, but her handler still gives her the same instructions. “Find The Red Lady.”

Hurd did an especially good job at showcasing just how hard it was for her to drop the drugs from her hand and focus on her assignment. And her realization that her discovery of the woman’s identity came too late is heartbreaking. Overall, excellent work from Hurd!

The tone has been set for this season of Star Trek: Picard with cons, betrayals, clandestine meetings, battles, beloved characters near death, and an enemy that appears to have the upper hand for now. And I can’t wait for the next episode!

What about you? What did you think of “The Next Generation?”