The Star Trek: Picard Season Finale Was A Missed Opportunity
This week saw the Star Trek: Picard Season Finale hit screens.
This article is going to go into what happened in the finale of Picard. So obligatory SPOILER warning for Picard Season 1 folks.
**SPOILERS lurk below**
I assume if you are still here, you either watched the final episode of Picard, or don’t care about spoilers. So I’ll get right to it. The finale saw Jean Luc Picard succumb to his brain abnormality and pass away, after completing his mission of course. Fans had predicted the show would end with Picard’s death right from the start. There was, however, a slight twist in the tail.
The twist was one I think most fans would have seen coming from last week’s penultimate episode. I thought the twist was a little obvious, and yet I was surprised it didn’t go quite how I expected. Of course, I’m talking about the fact that Picard’s consciousness was transferred into a synthetic body. Picard died, but was effectively resurrected.
The big surprise for me, was that they didn’t recast the role. The opportunity was there, I could see it clear as day. Recast and have this new actor as the same Picard in a different body. It could have allowed the showrunners to progress into almost a sequel to The Next Generation, something Patrick Stewart has no interest in.
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Instead of a new brand new body, the Synth was designed to look exactly like Patrick Stewart, or him playing a 94-year-old anyway. It really just became a Deus-Ex Machina for how to ‘fix’ Picard’s issue. I, therefore, felt a little cheated. Not by the lack of my theory coming true, but that it undermined the death scene. For a moment, I actually thought I had been wrong, and Picard was really dead. But to then bring him back exactly the same, minus the death sentence felt like a con. Imagine at the end of Endgame Hulk just says, “wait, I’ve got another hand!” and brings back Tony? That’s what this felt like.
If they had actually retired the actor, and given us a new Picard instead, it wouldn’t have felt so bad. In some ways, we really were saying goodbye, but also welcoming in something new. Patrick Stewart may only be in his ’70s, unlike Picard. However, how can they really top this as a way to bow out?
Season 2?
The only conclusion I have for this ending is that we are getting a Picard Season 2. At the end, we have Picard, Rios, Maggie (that murder seemingly forgiven), Raffi, Elnor, Seven, and Soji all heading off into the great unknown.
Ok, here’s the thing. I like that crew, and I want to see more of what they get up to. However, they need to go back to Starfleet. There was a purpose for Picard having this adventure away from Starfleet, but he’s fixed those problems now. The conspiracy has been exposed, and the Synths are protected by Starfleet. Everyone save Elnor on that ship would be a natural fit to crew a bigger ship.
I don’t want to see the writers having to justify reasons for this crew to be rogue in Season 2. That’s placing limits on where the story can go. I’d rather see Picard get back on an actual Federation vessel and have an adventure with this crew.
Recast Picard or not?
This is a tricky one, but if you can recast Spock, you can recast Picard. This would have been a braver choice, and allowed a transition into a larger Star Trek show. Patrick Stewart will retire eventually, why not take the opportunity to sign someone up to a longer-term deal?
The thing is, the writers can totally still go this way. It would feel more telegraphed, obvious, and boring to do this at the end of Season 2, but possible. I personally feel like the moment had passed. To do it now, would have had a little power, to do it using this Dues-Ex Machina later, less so.
So, was the Star Trek: Picard Season Finale a missed opportunity to recast Picard? You let us know what you think in the usual place below.
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