"Picard"

I'll start by being honest.  Unlike, well, everyone, Picard was not my favorite Star Trek Captain.  Much like Sisko in DS9 I found Picard to be aloof and superior, almost cold and quite distant.  Episodes to humanize him (often with the character Vash) felt unrealistic and forced.  By the end of the series he became a tortured soul but I still wasn't able to connect.  I enjoyed Next Gen for the full cast, not really for his specific character.

Now we have the latest CBS All Access Star Trek series, "Picard".  It is good, to a point.  CBS has shown real skill at reviving the franchise.  "Discovery" is quickly becoming my favorite Trek.  That being said I'm still on the fence about this one.  It has the quality and complex story-telling of "Discovery" but it is slow.  Soap-opera slow.  And, while it is delightful to see all those friendly old faces (from various Treks) the guest stars tend to distract from the new cast, whose stories are intriguing but don't have a lot of time alloted to spin them out.  We get little bites rather than a narrative.  (Okay, yes, I also wouldn't mind seeing more of Santiago Cabrera who seems to be shirtless a lot.  Like, a lot. ... thank you ...)  There is also the disturbing issue of a Romulan spy who looks nearly identical to young Spock in "Discovery".  What, they couldn't be bothered to come up with a unique look???

It's also 21st Century dark.  I mean, yes, "Discovery" is dark, too.  Treks of the modern age show a more nuanced Federation, one where bad things happen and bad people subvert the good intentions.  This series, in particular, is pure Trump era.  The Federation has become speciest, won't allow refugees to come into the fold, turned away millions when crisis loomed.  Sound familiar?  I guess it should be comforting.  What is Trek without a heavy moral lesson about the modern world?  That's really how the series started.  And it is wonderful to see Jean Luc, who is still tortured, a little softer, a little mellower, a little quieter, and without his holier-than-thou speech-making.  Mostly he is an old man trying to fix a wrong or two in the time he has left.  If anything gets me to like the character, this may be it.  So, I'm in.  For now.