Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Star Trek: Picard Season 2 premiere. Read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 is here, and it’s hard to ask for anything more from a season premiere than what was shown. Fans got to see Whoopi Goldberg back as Guinan, updates on what’s happening with all the main characters, a surprising twist involving the Borg, and John de Lancie’s Q making his grand return into Picard’s life. We also got some unexpected moments, such as a look at Picard’s childhood and a romantic scene that went awry.
It’s a look into moments in Picard’s life that aren’t often seen and something that I found most interesting about the Season 2 premiere. I asked Patrick Stewart to speak on the importance of those story elements, especially as someone who understands Picard better than most other people. He explained:
Well, first of all, I think I know him better than anybody else does because I lived him for twelve continuous years. We learn that much of what gave Picard his central personality was very much developed with childhood experiences. But, he had misunderstood those experiences and had got them wrong. I was intrigued when they told me that they wanted to look into that time in his life and examine who the child Jean-Luc really was. It intrigued me, and luckily we’ve been able to do it with wonderful writers and marvelous fellow actors.
Star Trek: Picard showed a brief scene with a young Jean-Luc and his mother, and how she always encouraged him to look to the stars. This was especially true in the cases in which his father physically abused his mother, which certainly led me to wonder if it subconsciously encouraged Jean-Luc to naturally brush off uncomfortable or concerning personal matters by focusing on “the stars” or his role in Starfleet.
A clue that could be the case that came via a conversation between Picard and his Romulan housekeeper Laris in the Star Trek: Picard Season 2 premiere. The two share a heavy conversation about romance, and just when it seems like the two might kiss, Picard balks despite the clear signs he wants to engage in some type of relationship. Patrick Stewart talked about that scene and what it meant for him to get a rare opportunity to do a romantic scene.
Believe me, it’s not the central theme of what’s going on. There are other far more dramatic and perhaps compelling scenes than something romantic. But it is for me, as an actor who has played very little romance in my career, it is delightful to have that kind of relationship and particularly with Orla Brady. It was so brilliant to work with [her]. It was deeply satisfying.
It’s kind of funny to hear Patrick Stewart dote on a scene that seemingly ends Picard’s relationship with Laris, as she feels the relationship is just too awkward for her to continue working for him merely as friends. Unfortunately, Picard didn’t get the chance to mend the relationship, as duty pulled him elsewhere. Based on all that happened at the end of the episode, it’s hard to tell whether or not he’ll get a chance to rectify that.
For more insight on Star Trek: Picard’s decision to feature both a flashback and romance scene in the Season 2 premiere, I turned to co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman. Goldsman spoke about the decision to include these moments and the value they provide for fans.
We have a little time to spend with Jean-Luc Picard and we want to know him more deeply over the course of the show Picard than we have before. Otherwise, why would you visit it? I think that if Season 1 was sort of a resurrection story quite literally as well as figuratively, I think that Season 2 is a redemption story. It’s a story where Picard gets to look inward in ways that he hasn’t before. [It’s] complicated because The Next Gen did a good job when it comes to Picard looking inward. So, we were looking to find some untrodden territory.
It’ll be interesting to see how much further we get to see Jean-Luc’s psyche explored, especially given the wild twist at the end. It seemed like Picard and other major characters were killed in a bizarre confrontation with the Borg, but then Picard arrived alive and well back in his own home. Q appeared, so it feels safe to assume he’s responsible and that this adventure is only just beginning. I can’t wait to see what comes next and how some of those changes we’ve seen in the trailers factor in.
Star Trek: Picard airs new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. Snag a Paramount+ subscription to watch it, as well as the back half of Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 as it heads towards its season finale. This would also be a good time to look back at the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes to remember why Q is such a beloved villain in the first place.
