How season three of Star Trek: Picard served Gene Roddenberry’s vision

Gene Roddenberry had a particular vision when it came to his creation of Star Trek.

Gene Roddenberry had specific rules in this world that he created, and most of them were non-negotiable like conflict among the crew. It’s safe to say that current Star Trek series don’t take the late creator’s edicts quite as seriously now, but beneath each series still lies the essence of what began in 1966.

Jonathan Frakes, who just completed a ten-episode guest stint on Star Trek: Picard, told People Magazine that he is sure Roddenberry would be thrilled with what was achieved in the final season of Patrick Stewart’s series.

"“Even as cynical a man as he was, I’m sure he’d be thrilled. And I think we’re serving his vision.”"

But Roddenberry wouldn’t have been thrilled with every episode of the entire series as Frakes admitted to The Hollywood Reporter in 2020. The first season episode of Picard—”Stardust City Rag”—included a wealth of conflict and drama that the creator wouldn’t have liked. And, most likely, the same could be said for some of the episodes in the third season as well which were chock full of conflicts and emotional drama. But there’s no denying one aspect of Roddenberry’s vision was there.

Gene Roddenberry believed that diversity was at the heart of the future.

In 2020, Startrek.com tweeted a quote from Roddenberry where he spoke of the importance of diversity.

And the one thing that Star Trek is right now is diverse, and in spite of the conflict and perhaps myriad other things Roddenberry wouldn’t agree with, I can certainly understand why Frakes would feel that the Great Bird of the Galaxy would be thrilled with season three of Picard.

This season almost took things back to the way they were in Star Trek: The Next Generation, just with a 21st century twist. How could Gene Roddenberry not appreciate that, even with the conflict he didn’t like? Humans haven’t reached the point where we don’t have dissension with one another, and it’s doubtful that’s going to happen any time soon. To that end, even though its set centuries in the future, Picard was being realistic.

Yes, season three was darker, more intense and violent, and more dramatic than most anything we saw during Roddenberry’s lifetime, but it was also a perfect look at humans and aliens working together, people that were former outcasts reaching the top rung of the ladder, bonds being forged, and a close look at what can be accomplished if everyone is united in a common goal. In this case, the common goal was saving humanity, and really, isn’t that what we’re trying to do in 2023?