After submitting the behemoth of a draft for my next New Yorker story, I finally got around to watching the first five episodes of Star Trek: Picard. In the interest of disclosure, I have generally been annoyed by all TNG Trek since 1996 (the last film I enjoyed was First Contact), and absolutely all Star Trek since 2005, when Enterprise ended. (Even then, I only loved the first season and absolutely adored the final, Manny Coto-led fourth season.)

Discovery is so abysmally written as to be literally unwatchable with the sound on, at risk of brain aneurysms. Picard Season 1 was a train wreck, and I gave up on season 2. It like both seasons were written by people that someone tried to describe Star Trek: TNG to, but never actually saw it. Under no circumstances was I going to watch Season 3.

But friends whose opinion I respect started suddenly to come alive with talk that this season might be different. So I decided to go for it, under protest.

At the end of the first episode of Picard, Season 3, I was speechless. Not only was it true to the characters, but it was a compelling setup, and filmed with restraint. It felt like Star Trek: TNG! After episode 2, I actually teared up and had a sort of momentary release of emotions that was half laugh, half sob, that gentle, brief convulsion that accompanies a deep emotional relief. (I wasn't weeping or anything. It was just a profound experience.)

Beyond Star Trek stylistically and culturally, I was most profoundly moved by the fact that on television were characters in their 60s or older, written like characters respectful of their advanced ages. I have often found (especially in Picard seasons 1 and 2) that inexperienced or weak writers tend to write "old" characters as brimming with uncontrollable regret at everything they have ever done in life, and lacking entirely the wisdom and comfort that accompanies living a long time. In other words, a 25-year-old writer thinks someone in their 60s will be miserable, and so writes them as either miserable basket cases, or as, well, 25-year-olds with crow's feat.

I'm in my mid-40s, well into middle age, and there are profound things I regret in life—things I know I will never get over. And I do sometimes get melancholy. But I also feel a great sense of joy in comfort at better understanding the world around me, and the nuances of human behaviors, and when losses come along, life has prepared me for many of them. Moreover, I am very good at my work and a master of my craft, and know generally how to handle myself in most situations in ways that do not escalate, and when escalation is required, I know how to do so confidently and respectfully, with empathy for the other person. When I am in an uncomfortable situation, I can always rely on those things, and my wit.

In my 20s and 30s, aging terrified me. But what I have found in recent years has astonished me: I enjoy getting older. It can be an ugly thing, of course—the loss of parents, the failing of one's body—but it is also beautiful. The greatest journey of my life. I have made many mistakes in life, and learned from them. So you can bet that when I make new mistakes, they are at least very interesting!

I say all this—and can say so much more about it, and will, in time—to say that the characters in Star Trek: Picard, Season 3, are older. But they are unapologetically older. I find it so refreshing and moving to see older characters on screen, wrinkles and all, and to see them written with dignity and an earned wisdom. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan did this beautifully, and is probably my favorite film about coming to terms with middle age.)

I hope the season comes to a graceful conclusion with the power, gravitas, and nuance that characterized the first five episodes. It is just beautifully written, with a compelling plot, excellent, character-accurate dialogue, and a Federation that is absolutely consistent with the one Gene Roddenberry left us. I do not say this lightly: Terry Matalas, this season's showrunner, might prove to be Roddenberry's heir.

I am so grateful that CBS finally got it right, and hope that the best Trek is yet to come.

Star Trek: Picard, Season 3 is highly, highly recommended.

#startrek #picard #season3 #trek #tng #enterprise #worf #riker #crusher #aging #maturity #life #art #newyorker #writing #streaming #television #series #space #thesearethevoyages

@dwb
I've been waffling on weather or not to watch it, having enjoyed all the Star Treks up to Voyager.

This only puts syrup and strawberries on my waffles. Can I skip the crappy bits and just start on Season 3?

@JKrotkov Yes! Aside from two insignificant lines and one character, it is fully self-contained. You can go straight from “All Good Things” to Picard season 3 and miss nothing at all. It’s masterfully done.