Star Trek: Picard Looks Like Logan... in Space (and We're Here For It)

The Comic-Con International trailer for Star Trek: Picard was even more than many fans could have hoped for, as it not only not only filled in some of the blanks surrounding the further adventures of Patrick Stewart's former Starfleet captain, but it also reunited him with his Next Generation co-star Brent Spiner as Data, and featured the return of Voyager's Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine.

But couched between those warm moments of nostalgia is a somber, contemplative tone that, with the series' aging Jean-Luc Picard, evokes the acclaimed 2017 film Logan -- and not only because they both star Stewart.

PICARD'S DILEMMA

Announced in 2018, the CBS All Access series is set 20 years after the events of 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, the fourth and final film to feature the cast of The Next Generation. Nearing the end of the 24th century, Picard is deeply affected by the destruction of Romulus, as depicted in 2009's Star Trek. Retired on his family vineyard, Picard is forced by circumstances to assemble a new crew and venture back into space to confront ghosts from his past.

The despondent Picard seen in the trailer is similar to the portrayals of Wolverine and Charles Xavier in Logan. Both feature characters reacting to a devastated world that's seemingly passed them by. Similarly, the footage focuses on Data's death in Nemesis, which in some ways is comparable to the loss of the X-Men by the time of Logan.

TONE

Picard's trailer has a bleaker tone than what we've become accustomed to from the optimistic Star Trek franchise. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman plans on having the eponymous character "find his way back to Roddenberry's original optimistic vision, while allowing the character to go through some deep valleys." That mirrors the darker tone of Logan, which is arguably the darkest mainstream superhero film to dates.

Logan was known for its grounded tone, using X-Men comics within the film to draw a stark contrast between those costumed adventures and the grim reality that confronted Hugh Jackman's dying hero. Conversely, Kurtzman has assured Picard won't be "jokey," and that it will have more of a "real world" feeling. Stewart himself "didn't want to repeat what he had already done," similar to how Logan differs greatly from Fox's other X-Men films, notably in the way it portrays a frail Xavier, no longer in command of his powers.

WHO IS SHE?

The trailer also introduces the new character of Dahj (portrayed by Isa Brione), who seems to be a former Borg operative. The mystery surrounding the character, as well as her apparent fighting prowess and abilities, certainly invites comparisons to Laura from Logan. Dajh also intentionally seeks out Picard (the former Locutus of Borg), similar to how Laura gravitated more toward Professor X than Wolverine, her own "father."

LEGACY OF THE BORG

Much of Picard's initial plot deals with the ramifications of the surviving Romulans experimenting with the Borg. The idea of someone trying to create or control their own personal Borg is similar to Transigen's creation of its own mutants in Logan. That makes the similarities between Dahj and Laura even stronger.

This also makes Picard's story even darker than Professor X's arc in Logan. Whereas Professor X was overjoyed at the prospect of new mutants being born by the time of Logan, the idea of Picard's old nemeses the Borg coming back is far more troubling.

FURTHER ENGAGEMENT

One major difference is that, where as Logan was a long, somber goodbye to those characters, Star Trek: Picard is simply a next chapter. While the first season is just 10 episodes, Stewart has said there is already enough material planned for at least three years. Along with Patrick Stewart returning as Picard, the series will also feature Brent Spiner as Data, Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, Jonathan Del Arco as Hugh (Three of Five), Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, and Jonathan Frakes as William Riker.

It's unknown how Data will be revived for the series, but it would align with the continuity of "All Good Things...", the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Expected to release in 2020 on CBS All Access, Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart, Allison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Harry Treadway.

Source: www.cbr.com