I’m just going to say it right up front. The season premiere of Star Trek: Picard season 2 beats the pants off of the entirety of season one. I said what I said! I’m so pleased with how “The Star Gazer” opens the season. I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do with the show this year. That being said, here are a few of my further thoughts on episode 2×01, “The Star Gazer.”
Look Up
The refrain of the episode is, “Look up.” It’s the command of Jean-Luc’s mother. It’s something the Borg Queen says to Jean-Luc right before Q takes them out of that timeline. It’s also an interesting nod to the name of Picard’s ship of first captaincy and the name of the newly refitted Stargazer. I feel like there’s a little more than meets the eye to this. I’m really curious as well about why the Borg Queen used that particular phrase. Lots of questions, not so many answers just yet. Let’s stay tuned.
The Road Not Taken
We’ve been waiting for Q since they announced his return last April. His introduction in this episode was expertly timed. And of course, John de Lancie never fails to deliver. I love how much he loves playing Q. It shows in his performance. Also, the silver hair and goatee is a good look, Mr. de Lancie. I’m excited to see him pop up some more this season. Everyone loves a good trickster, and that’s certainly what he is.
Final Thoughts
I love the set-up we’ve got here for multiple storylines this season. We get a glimpse into Jean-Luc’s past with some disturbing images from his family. Some of that stuff looked straight out of a horror movie. I love that we’ve got Rios, Raffi, and Elnor all in Starfleet! It was exciting to see all of them in uniform and I’m quite happy for Elnor to be breaking new ground at the Academy. We’ve got a new look for the Borg Queen, who I felt was frankly, quite scary. I got Alien and Doc Ock vibes from her at the same time, which made me happy while also freaking me out. Plus that new Borg ship is wicked cool! Now we’ve got our crew stuck in an alternate timeline that’s just as disturbing as the other stuff we saw.
I’ve got a few questions…why did the Borg reach out? Do they actually want to join the Federation or is this just a ploy to assimilate Earth? Don’t let all of Janeway’s hard work go to waste, Picard. No one wants to fall victim to the Borg or the Janeway Death Stare™.
What did you think about “The Star Gazer”? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
The next episode of Star Trek: Picard will air on March 10, 2022, on Paramount+.