Nostalgia is a big part of Star Trek: Picard’s appeal, but expecting too much of it could hold fans back, as the show contains its own story and should never rely solely on its connections to past Star Trek shows like The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine. The CBS All Access series revisits Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard, who was the captain of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, many years after he retired from Starfleeet.
Star Trek: Picard takes place several years after his last appearance in the Star Trek universe, and gives him a reason to come out of retirement. His latest adventure involves the search for the mysterious daughter of The Next Generation’s Data (Brent Spiner), and brings him into contact with established Star Trek characters, along with an assortment of all-new characters. So far, Star Trek: Picard has been packed with fun references to past acquaintances of Picard’s, memorable lines, and more.
Four episodes in, and fans have already picked up on quite a few references to The Next Generation, the original series, Voyager, and more, including the Easter eggs in Picard’s vault, Picard’s parietal lobe, and a homage to a classic original series episode. This emphasis on nostalgia is something that franchise fans both want and appreciate from Star Trek: Picard, but there can come a point when those expectations can become a problem for the show. Having plenty of classic references is, of course, a good thing for the series, but too many could cause the show to rely too heavily on nostalgia, and that wouldn’t satisfy new fans.
It should be pointed out that this isn’t a problem for Picard yet, but it could be at a later time. Episode 4’s big cliffhanger brought Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) from Star Trek: Voyager into the fold, which is sure to result in even more callbacks. A major issue with reliance on nostalgia is that it can shift focus away from the story at hand, and that’s something that Picard has to avoid as it moves forward.
Most importantly, fan expectations for nostalgia can lead to disappointment, as fans may not leave themselves open to change. Though Picard isn’t altering Star Trek canon, change is important to the story of the show. How Star Trek has handled Starfleet is a perfect example of how Picard is changing the landscape of the Star Trek universe. The series tore apart Picard’s relationship with Starfleet and hurt their image by trying to reflect modern-day politics. This sort of change could upset franchise fans. That’s why it’s important for Star Trek: Picard to carefully balance nostalgia along with crafting its own story.
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