What I’m Watching: Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard: Season 1, Episode 4 “Absolute Candor” (B)

Now we’re getting somewhere. As soon as a mysterious ship appeared, it was clear that a fan favorite character was back. I expected it to be someone from Picard’s show, and was pleasantly surprised by a different character I know well, Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan. I can’t say I remember what happened to her at the end of “Star Trek: Voyager,” or how she knows Picard, but I’m very excited to have her on board. The rest of the episode wasn’t entirely thrilling, but at least it did cover an interesting time from Picard’s recent past, when he bonded with a young boy who looked up to him and was later abandoned as a result of Starfleet pulling out. Picard is definitely guilty of becoming too attached to causes and to experiencing problematic dismay when things go awry, unable to contribute to something good if he isn’t able to save everyone. His return to the planet of Vashti, which just makes me think of the Queen Esther story, read on the Jewish holiday of Purim, enabled him to find a protector in the form of that young boy, now all grown up, though he’s only pledged himself to Picard because he’s a lost cause. I’m enjoying Agnes’ presence on board, particularly her assessment of the potentially irritating nature of the overly candid race and her attempts to engage with the captain who would rather just be reading when he’s not being overshadowed on the bridge by another former captain.