‘Star Trek: Picard’ Recap – ‘Remembrance’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Over the course of its illustrious fifty-plus year run, the Star Trek franchise has accomplished some true storytelling wonders. For these shows have broken all kinds of fascinating barriers, all while consistently providing fans everywhere with thoughtful stories that showed us a better way if we took the time to get past our petty differences and work together. But of its many achievements, its proudest most certainly has to be the fact that each series found a way to provide powerful and thoughtful commentary in regard to the era in which it was released. For example, The Original Series often spoke to the civil unrest and other geo-political problems that the United States was facing back in the late 1960s.
 
As for other the shows, well The Next Generation took the time to celebrate the prosperity and hope of its respective era, all while emphasizing the best parts of our society and how we can uphold them. Deep Space Nine often pondered upon how peace is a messy venture at best and that sometimes the good guys do questionable things, something that was often reflected by American military action in the mid 1990s and it even took the time to explore the nature and the horror of war. In regard to Voyager, well that show more or less explored the nature of American values in places that knew nothing of us, something that was more or less an expansion of themes touched upon in the aforementioned DS9, but it never properly fleshed out that particular exploration. And surprisingly, the back end of Enterprise made a valiant attempt to explore the immediate impact of September 11, with mixed results.
 
But the bottom line is that this franchise loves to explore the human condition, especially when modern society can be properly examined and while Discovery has in essence, focused on our current obsession with nostalgia early on it its existence, it has yet to find its true voice and it really hasn’t taken the opportunity yet to dive into our current world and some of the challenges we face. Which begs the question, is there going to be a Star Trek show that is willing to take on the horrendous divide currently present in the United States? As it turns out, there most certainly is, and it is going to be Star Trek: Picard. For the fascinating premiere of this series showed us a vastly different world at the end of the 24th Century, one that parallels are own and one that finally answers the question that’s been burning on our minds since the trailer premiered ages ago; what would prompt Jean-Luc Picard to leave Starfleet behind?
 
Unfortunately, ‘Remembrance’ informs us that it took a shocking decision from the two institutions that Picard believed in above all else, to break his desire to wear the uniform and the badge and honestly, his decision is one that makes total sense. For in essence Starfleet and the Federation turned their backs on the ideals that they asked Jean-Luc to defend. For the evacuation of Romulus and in turn, the Romulan Empire was called off after the Synth attack on Mars and well, while that’s something one would assume a peaceful coalition of planets would never do, that horrible and cruel decision did indeed happen and countless people died because of it, and it is how this series is going to relate to the modern world. For in essence, the Mars assault was the Federation’s 9/11 event, and fear is something that has prompted poor decisions from the Federation Council and Starfleet before (see Star Trek: Insurrection). So, having one of the core worlds of this proud union come under attack would indeed rattle senior leadership and prompt them to recall Starfleet and hide behind the comfort of Federation space, all in the name of keeping the members of its alliance safe from potential threats.

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Which should sound familiar to all of us. For in the days and years following 9/11, our nation has also retreated behind its borders and questioned its role in the world and become far more fearful and judgmental and skeptical of other cultures. Plus, folks from other parts of our world are often viewed through a stereotypical lens rather than be seen as human beings and this seeing this parallel on screen makes this premiere a somber one since it really does reflect the times, unfortunately. And truly, it should be interesting in the weeks to come to see how Jean-Luc Picard navigates a world and a Federation that he no longer recognizes in the slightest, and how his belief in unity and equality and all the best parts of humanity will clash with folks who let fear take hold over anything else. But of course, in order to have that kind of conflict, the series will require Picard to step away from his vineyards and interact with the universe once again and that’s what truly makes this episode so great, the fact that it goes beyond mere commentary and takes the time to set up a grandiose adventure, one that is quite personal for our intrepid Admiral.
 
For in this particular tale we are introduced to a young woman named Dahj, who is bright and happy and hiding a secret she isn’t even slightly aware of. But others know the truth about her and have come to take her away and that leads her to Picard and his desire to protect her, uncovers an incredible truth about her past. For this young woman, is the offspring of the late Lieutenant Commander Data, and her existence, while forbidden, still represents an incredible scientific breakthrough. And keeping her twin safe, since dear Dahj lost her life in one ugly battle with Romulan soldiers, would allow for Picard to do right by the officer that gave his life to keep his captain safe in Nemesis and well, this is about as Trek as it gets. Because it will eventually get us to the stars, where Picard belongs, and where he is doing something good and just in a universe that seems to be filled with apathy and indifference.
 
In the end however, this was simply an incredible series premiere, the finest in fact that Star Trek has ever put forth. Because it was focused and filled to the brim with top level production values since the special effects were top notch, and Brent Spiner’s digital de-aging made him look exactly as he did in Nemesis. Plus, you can’t go wrong with all of the beautiful moments and Easter eggs that harkened back to Picard’s time in Starfleet. But truly, the centerpiece of this story and what made this premiere so great, was the overall plot and the poignant moments that it features. Because all of it sets the stage for a powerful season of storytelling, one that will challenge the viewer and Picard like never before as this story ponders upon whether or not one man can make a difference in a world or a galaxy where hope seems like a fleeting memory. Until next time.

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