Star Trek: Picardseason 3 was great, but it only had one trueStar Trekmoment.Picardseason 3 reunited Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) with hisStar Trek: The Next Generationcrew for one last nostalgia-filled adventure. Picard and his crew saved the galaxy yet again, using the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D to stop a Borg/Changeling plot to deal Starfleet a crippling blow. All themainTNGcast membersreturned, and thankfully, all of them made it out of the season more or less in one piece.

Since its inception,Star Trekhas always been about exploring strange new worldsand seeking out new life and new civilizations. After all, this goal is spelled out in the opening monologues ofStar Trek: The Original SeriesandStar Trek: The Next Generation. While most seasons ofStar Trekfeature their main cast visiting multiple new planets throughout a season,Picardseason 3 chose a different path. The season centers on its characters, showing how they have grown and changed over the past twenty years, and relies on returning villains and mostly familiar settings.

Anson Mount as Captain Pike, Jonathan Frakes as Captain Riker, Brent Spiner as Data

Jonathan Frakes Directed The Most Star Trek Moment In Picard Season 3, Episode 4

The Titan Crew Witnesses The Birth Of Thousands Of Aliens

Star Trek: Picardseason 3 delivers many great character moments, but its quintessentialStar Trekmoment comes in episode 4, “No Win Scenario.” With the USS Titan-A sinking into a gravity well in the Ryton system nebula, Admiral Picard andCaptain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes)prepare for the worst. However,Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) notices a pattern in the wavescoming from the gravity well and determines that they are contractions leading to a birth. Her son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), rides one of these waves out of the nebula as its energy recharges the Titan.

10 Best Star Trek Episodes Directed By Jonathan Frakes

Jonathan Frakes stars as Captain Will Riker in the Star Trek universe, but he has also become one of Trek’s most beloved and prolific directors.

Picard, Riker, Beverly, and Jack put their plan into motion, ultimately making it out of the nebula. Before they fully emerge into open space, the nebula breaks apart, releasing thousands of jellyfish-like creatures that swim around the ship.It’s a beautiful sight, especially after the rough day the Titan’s crew has been having. Dr. Crusher underlines the moment by whispering,“To seek out new life,“in wonder. The crew appreciates the alien creatures from a moment, beforeRiker suggests that they"should boldly get the hell out of here,” and the ship warps away.

Jean luc picard Enterprise D Frontier Day

Picard & His Friends Seek Out More New Worlds In The Show’s First Two Seasons

Based on the criteria of seeking out new life and exploring strange new worlds, the first two seasons ofStar Trek: Picardcould be considered moreStar Trekthan the third. ThroughoutPicard’sfirst season,Admiral Picard and his friends visited the vibrant Stardust City on Freecloud,the Romulan Relocation Hub on Vashti, and the home of the synthetics on Coppelius. These visits may not have been traditional away missions, but they allowed Picard and his crew to mingle with the locals and experience alien life on a different planet.

AlthoughStar Trek: Picard’sfirst two seasons have gotten a lot of online hate, they both received mostly positive reviews from critics.Picardseason 1 has a score of 86% on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, while season 2 has 85%.

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InStar Trek: Picardseason 2, John de Lancie’s Q returned to test Picard yet again, sending the former Enterprise captain to an alternate reality where the xenophobic Confederation of Earth ruled the galaxy. Picard then reunited with his friends, and, with some help from the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching), they traveled back to the 21st century to prevent this dark future. After they succeeded in this mission,Picard encountered a “new” lifeform in the form of the benevolent Borg Collective,led by their Queen, formerly known as Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill).

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Was Still The Best Season Of The Show

Picard Season 3 Particularly Appealed To Fans Of TNG

WhileStar Trek: Picardseasons 1 and 2 may have explored more strange new worlds than the show’s third season,Picardseason 3 still reigns supreme.Picard’sfirst two seasons had plenty ofStar Trekelements, but they focused too much on complicated storylines and not enough on strong character work.Picardseason 3 not only brought back one ofStar Trek’smost beloved casts, butit also understood its characters better than its first two seasons.The storyline ofPicardseason 3 was interesting, but it was ultimately the characters and their complex relationships that made the season great.

Star Trek Picard Season 3 Ending Explained (In Detail)

Star Trek: Picard season 3’s finale concludes the story of TNG in grand style and sets up the next generation’s legacy, along with a big surprise.

From Jean-Luc’s reunion with Beverly and his meeting his son toData’s (Brent Spiner) revivaland reunion with Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton),Star Trek: Picardseason 3 gaveTrekfans what they wanted. The season capitalized onStar Trek: The Next Generation’spopularity and the nostalgia associated with it, but still delivered a solid story in its own right.Star Trek: Picard’sfinal season may not have explored as many strange new worlds or sought out as much new life, but it still felt likeStar Trekin the best way.