---
title: "Star Trek: Picard"
year: 2020
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/star-trek-picard"
fi1m_id: "star-trek-picard"
imdb_id: "tt8806524"
tmdb_id: 85949
wikidata_id: "Q62573305"
fi1m_score: 64
critics_score: 70
critics_reviews: 18
published: "2026-09-26T14:56:03.800297+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-26T19:51:32.790595+00:00"
region: "UA"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Star Trek: Picard (2020)

Created by Alex Kurtzman, Kirsten Beyer, Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama

## Identity

Star Trek: Picard

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/star-trek-picard
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** star-trek-picard
- **IMDb ID:** tt8806524
- **TMDB ID:** 85949
- **Wikidata ID:** Q62573305
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8806524/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/85949, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q62573305

**Fi1m score: 64** · Critics 70 from 18 reviews

*In a sentence:* Three seasons, three different shows, one Patrick Stewart holding all of them up

> Patrick Stewart gives Jean-Luc Picard an old age worth watching, and the series never settles on what to do with it. A promising first season, a lost second and a fond third add up to a show for those who already care.

## Synopsis

Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), a retired Starfleet admiral, lives on his family vineyard in France with his dog and two Romulan housekeepers, still angry about the abandoned evacuation of Romulus. A young woman called Dahj arrives at his gate after masked assassins kill her boyfriend, saying she has seen his face in her mind. Picard follows what she tells him to Starfleet’s archives and to Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), a scientist working on synthetic life, then hires a ship from Cristóbal Rios (Santiago Cabrera) and calls on his former officer Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), who has not forgiven him. Far away, on a Borg cube being dismantled by Romulans, Soji Asha (Isa Briones) works with Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco) on former drones, while a Romulan agent, Narek (Harry Treadaway), takes an interest in her.

## Review

*Star Trek: Picard* starts from a question the franchise had never bothered with: what happens to the captain once the ship is gone. Jean-Luc Picard is a retired admiral on his family vineyard in France, with a dog, two Romulan housekeepers and a Starfleet he no longer recognises. Kirsten Beyer, Alex Kurtzman, Akiva Goldsman and Michael Chabon, the credited creators, want a slower, sadder Star Trek about an old man’s regrets. Over three seasons of ten episodes each they make three different programmes: a promising first, a second that loses its way, and a third that drops the new questions to answer an old one.

What holds it together is Patrick Stewart, and he holds it almost alone. Early in the first episode Picard gives a television interview and is asked why Starfleet abandoned the Romulan evacuation. Stewart lets the courtesy drain out of his face, and his voice drops to nothing before it climbs. It moved us more than we expected, and the reason is not the writing, which is on the nose, but the face: here is a man who has been right for so long he has forgotten how to be wanted. He plays the whole first season on that.

The new crew is better cast than written. Alison Pill’s Dr. Agnes Jurati talks when she is frightened, which is constantly, and Pill makes the nerves funny before the plot makes them something else. Michelle Hurd’s Raffi Musiker is the one person allowed to be angry at Picard, and Hurd plays the grievance as something she has kept warm for years. Santiago Cabrera’s Rios flies a ship crewed by holograms of himself. On the reclaimed Borg cube, Isa Briones’s Soji Asha and Harry Treadaway’s Narek circle one another while Jonathan Del Arco’s Hugh tries to keep the other former drones alive. Hanelle Culpepper directs the opening episodes at a walk, and they are the best-paced hours in the run.

It looks expensive and consistent, which with four credited cinematographers, Darran Tiernan, Philip Lanyon, Jon Joffin and Crescenzo G.P. Notarile, is no small thing: shallow focus, dark backgrounds, lights that smear across the lens whenever a ship moves. Dave Blass and Todd Cherniawsky build the cube as a rusted cathedral of green light and wet walls, and the vineyard in oak and afternoon sun. Jeff Russo gives Picard a soft piano theme. Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage are credited for the fanfares the show borrows, and it plays them whenever it wants a cheer it has not yet earned. The 15 certificate is earned on the cube, where bodies are taken apart on tables, and we did not enjoy it.

The writing is where it falls down. The first season’s Romulan conspiracy needs explaining in every corridor, and the season ends by answering its mystery with a larger one we will not describe. The second season is the low point. It sends the crew into Earth’s past, splits them into pairs and gives each pair a waiting room, and Brent Spiner turns up as Dr. Adam Soong, enjoying himself more than we were. Somewhere around the sixth episode we stopped following and started counting how many were left. Ten hours is a long time to spend on a story that would fit in two.

The third season, with Terry Matalas writing and directing, is the one most critics prefer, and we liked it too. The crew of *The Next Generation* reassembles, Ed Speleers arrives as Jack Crusher, and Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine, the best thing in the show after Stewart across all three years, at last gets a uniform and a chair. Stephen Barton’s cues lean hard on the Goldsmith theme. It is a fond, well-made reunion. It is also the least ambitious of the three: the first season asked what a synthetic person is owed and what Starfleet had become, and the third flies a familiar ship down familiar corridors and says nothing further about either.

*The Next Generation* was a programme about a room full of grown-ups solving a problem by talking. *Picard* is a programme about one grown-up and a great many people shouting in the dark, and it is at its best when it lets him sit down. Watch the first three episodes for Stewart and the last ten for the company. The middle ten are for the committed, and we say that as people who committed.

*Fi1m score 64, published 26 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics welcome the series as a considered return rather than a nostalgia exercise, and the praise clusters almost entirely around Patrick Stewart. Review after review singles out his older, more uncertain Picard, remorseful and less remote than the captain of old, as the reason to watch. Several also credit the writing for keeping his empathy intact and for balancing familiar faces with new stories.

The reservations are about pace. Several find the opening episodes slow and heavy with exposition, and Consequence adds that convoluted plotting and clunky dialogue hold the show back. Vulture goes further, arguing the series lacks the curiosity and chemistry that make Star Trek work, while Radio Times wants more optimism and less Borg torture. The spread is wide, from the low forties to ninety, and the warmest reviews are for the third season, which Collider and /Film treat as a marked improvement.

## Straight answers

**Is Star Trek: Picard worth watching?**

*Star Trek: Picard* is worth watching for those who already care about Jean-Luc Picard, and we scored it 64. Patrick Stewart gives the retired admiral an old age worth watching, but the three seasons are three different programmes: a promising first, a lost second and a fond third. Watch the first three episodes for Stewart and the last ten for the reunion; the middle ten are for the committed.

**Where can I watch Star Trek: Picard in Ukraine?**

*Star Trek: Picard* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Ukraine. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Star Trek: Picard, and is it suitable for children?**

*Star Trek: Picard* carries a UK 15 certificate, and it earns it on the Borg cube, where former drones are taken apart on tables in scenes we did not enjoy. Elsewhere it is a slow, talky science-fiction drama with masked assassins and shipboard action rather than sustained gore. It is not for children; older teenagers used to the franchise should manage it.

**How does Star Trek: Picard compare to Star Trek: The Next Generation?**

*Star Trek: Picard* is a sadder, slower show than [*Star Trek: The Next Generation*](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation), and the earlier series is the better of the two. The original is about a room full of grown-ups solving problems by talking; the sequel is about one grown-up and a great many people shouting in the dark, and it works best when it lets him sit down. Newcomers should start with the older programme.

**What should I watch after Star Trek: Picard?**

After *Star Trek: Picard*, try [*Star Trek: The Next Generation*](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation) (1987, Fi1m 84): Where the man came from; a room of adults talking problems into submission. Then [*Logan*](https://film.one/film/logan) (2017, Fi1m 83): Stewart old and failing in a different franchise, and given a better script; and [*Blade Runner 2049*](https://film.one/film/blade-runner-2049) (2017, Fi1m 83): What a made person is owed, asked patiently and answered on screen.

### Reviews we read (18)

- **IndieWire**, Christian Blauvelt (B+): The critic says the episode is exceptionally well written and directed, with its character-driven turns making familiar revelations powerful. They praise Picard’s return to the Borg cube and the empathy shown toward former Borg, while faulting the scant follow-up to Jurati’s shocking actions. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/star-trek-picard-episode-6-review-recap-impossible-box-spoilers-1202214117/)
- **Empire**, Dan Jolin (80/100, inferred): Jolin finds the series a welcome, forward-looking return for Star Trek and its beloved captain. He praises Picard’s enduring empathy and the show’s character-focused approach. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/star-trek-picard/)
- **The i Paper**, Jeff Robson (★★★★): Robson calls the premiere an impressive, emotionally engaging start and says it could become a worthy addition to the canon. He praises the action, special effects and Stewart’s quietly intelligent performance. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/star-trek-picard-review-amazon-prime-patrick-stewart-389854)
- **The AV Club**, Danette Chavez (B): Chavez finds the series a rousing, forward-looking return that balances nostalgia with new stories, though its packed plotting and action sometimes struggle to find their footing. She singles out Patrick Stewart’s vulnerable, soulful performance as Picard for praise. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/star-trek-picard-is-so-much-more-than-a-hero-s-homecom-1841155555)
- **The Telegraph**, Ed Power (70/100, inferred): The review finds the series hokey and short of prestige-TV polish, but says it comes close to balancing nostalgia with a modern story. It singles out Patrick Stewart’s performance as sensational. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/star-trek-picard-review-cheesy-prestige-tv-patrick-stewart/)
- **Evening Standard**, Alastair McKay (65/100, inferred): The review is cautiously positive about the series, despite finding its approach less adventurous and more weary than earlier Star Trek. It praises Patrick Stewart’s reassuring presence and Shakespearean diction in the allegorical future. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/star-trek-picard-amazon-review-a4343696.html)
- **The Guardian**, Jack Seale (65/100, inferred): Seale finds the comeback solid, though not exceptional, and is cautiously hopeful about where it goes next. He praises Picard’s moral conviction and the series’ thoughtful ethical questions, while noting the opener’s heavy exposition. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/24/star-trek-picard-review-patrick-stewart-goes-guerrilla-in-skintight-velour)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (65/100, inferred): Fienberg mostly likes the series’ methodical world-building but finds its opening episodes overly slow and exposition-heavy. He singles out Patrick Stewart’s effortless authority as the strongest reason to watch. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/star-trek-picard-review-1271981/)
- **Variety**, Daniel D'Addario (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the series initially hesitant and slow-moving, but ultimately promising enough to keep watching. Patrick Stewart’s performance as a retired, uncertain Picard is singled out as a major strength. [Read](https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/picard-star-trek-review-1203475609/)
- **Vulture**, Angelica Jade Bastién (45/100, inferred): The critic finds the series intriguing but uneven, saying it lacks the curiosity and chemistry that make Star Trek work. Patrick Stewart’s tender, regretful performance is singled out as a compelling strength. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/star-trek-picard-review.html)
- **Radio Times**, Huw Fullerton (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the series needs more optimism to work at its best. They call for more Jonathan Frakes and less Borg torture. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/star-trek-picard-riker-troi-review/)
- **Collider**, Maggie Lovitt (9/10): Lovitt calls the final season an exceptional return to The Next Generation and a fitting send-off. She praises how its clever storytelling makes the reunion feel natural while balancing franchise lore with fresh adventure. [Read](https://collider.com/star-trek-picard-season-3-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Kayti Burt (4/5): The reviewer finds the premiere a thoughtful, successful return that updates Picard for a changed world while preserving his essential character. She praises its handling of Picard’s history and empathy, while criticizing Dahj’s thin characterization. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/star-trek-picard-episode-1-review-remembrance/)
- **/Film**, Witney Seibold (80/100, inferred): The critic finds season three a major improvement and calls it the best Next Generation movie they never got. They praise its familiar relationships and starship setting, while faulting one episode’s heavy-handed nostalgia. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1187607/star-trek-picard-season-3-review-the-best-next-generation-movie-we-never-got/)
- **Paste**, Kenneth Lowe (7.5): Lowe finds the third season finally delivers an engaging reunion adventure for The Next Generation crew, though it does not reach the original series’ heights. He praises the crew’s clever teamwork and the awe-inspiring deep-space phenomenon in one episode. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/star-trek-picard/star-trek-picard-season-3-review)
- **Digital Spy**, David Opie (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the series balances its familiar roots with a fresh direction and recommends it warmly. They single out Number One the dog as a meaningful symbol of Picard’s trauma and attachment to his past. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a30640975/star-trek-picard-review-amazon-patrick-stewart-dog-number-one/)
- **The Ringer**, Ben Lindbergh (75/100, inferred): Lindbergh finds the series a worthwhile, quiet departure from the familiar Star Trek template. He singles out Patrick Stewart’s return as a remorseful, less remote Picard for praise. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2020/01/23/tv/star-trek-picard-review-cbs-all-access)
- **Consequence**, Clint Worthington (60/100, inferred): The critic finds the series promising but not yet engaging, and says it needs to tighten its pacing. Patrick Stewart’s return is a standout, while convoluted plotting and clunky dialogue hold the show back. [Read](https://consequence.net/2020/01/tv-review-star-trek-picard/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Alex Kurtzman, Kirsten Beyer, Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon
- **Creator:** Alex Kurtzman, Kirsten Beyer, Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon
- **Director:** Jonathan Frakes, Douglas Aarniokoski, Hanelle Culpepper, Akiva Goldsman, Maja Vrvilo, Deborah Kampmeier, Dan Liu, Lea Thompson, Terry Matalas, Joe Menendez, Michael Weaver
- **Writer:** Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, Terry Matalas, Cindy Appel, Christopher Monfette, Jane Maggs, Kirsten Beyer, Sean Tretta, Matt Okumura, Christopher B. Derrick, Kiley Rossetter, Juliana James, Ayelet Waldman, Travis Fickett, Samantha Humphreys, Nick Zayas, Alex Kurtzman, James Duff
- **Story:** Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman, Juliana James, Ayelet Waldman, Travis Fickett
- **Teleplay:** Michael Chabon, Jane Maggs, Juliana James, Ayelet Waldman
- **Cinematography:** Jon Joffin, Crescenzo G.P. Notarile, Philip Lanyon, Darran Tiernan
- **Editor:** Drew Nichols, Michael Benni Pierce	 	   , Eric Litman, Steve Haugen, Andrew Coutts
- **Music:** Jeff Russo, Jerry Goldsmith, Alexander Courage, Stephen Barton, Dennis McCarthy, Frederik Wiedmann, Leonard Rosenman
- **Production design:** Dave Blass, Todd Cherniawsky
- **Costume design:** Christine Bieselin Clark, Michael Crow
- **Producer:** Paul Gadd, Cindy Appel
- **Cast:** Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard; Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati; Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker; Evan Evagora as Elnor; Santiago Cabrera as Cristóbal 'Chris' Rios; Harry Treadaway as Narek; Jonathan Del Arco as Hugh; Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher
- **Release (Ukraine):** 23 January 2020
- **Genres:** Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FySrgrKJguE

## Where to watch in Ukraine

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-26.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Saturn Awards 2024: Best Science Fiction Television Series (won)

## If you liked this

- *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (1987), Fi1m 84: Where the man came from; a room of adults talking problems into submission. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation.md)
- *Battlestar Galactica* (2004): Another tired commander, another fleet with nowhere to go, and far tighter writing.
- *Logan* (2017), Fi1m 83: Stewart old and failing in a different franchise, and given a better script. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/logan.md)
- *Blade Runner 2049* (2017), Fi1m 83: What a made person is owed, asked patiently and answered on screen. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/blade-runner-2049.md)
- *Solaris* (1972), Fi1m 87: Grief and regret in orbit, at a pace that makes Picard look hurried. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/solaris-1972.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/star-trek-picard