I only watched the first episode of this TV series, but I used to be a huge fan of the franchise.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) was in fact my favorite. It introduced the titular character here.
The Next Generation is what made now Sir Patrick Stewart a star, well known to American audiences. The character and show in general were in stark contrast to the protagonist in the original
Star Trek (1966). That series was about a military-style spaceship that is exploring the galaxy, which had a leader in Captain James T. Kirk, a veritable space cowboy, although not really. The protagonist in the 1987 series wasn't a cowboy or any kind of action figure. He was a captain that never flexed his muscle but instead led with morals and using fancy words to resolve issues. The 1987 series as a result was more intellectual and quiet, even in its conflicts.
However, since the 1987 series ended, there have been a number of films, following the titular character here. Those films have become increasingly action-oriented, moving the character from the 1987 series to being less about being a quiet, intellectual drama and less in the vein of brainy science-fiction. Instead, the franchise has taken steps to be more like George Lucas'
Star Wars (1977) and the subsequent films in that franchise. JJ Abrams' film in 2009 was definitely a huge step toward making this franchise, originally created by Gene Roddenberry, more akin to Lucas' franchise, which is an attempt to make more money in the box office but undermines the integrity and intention of the 1987 series.
Patrick Stewart (
X-Men and
American Dad!) stars as Jean-Luc Picard, the former captain of the USS Enterprise. He'ss from Earth. His nationality is French. He's an accomplished diplomat. The series picks up with him as he's retired to his family's vineyard in France. It follows
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), a lame film which resulted in the death of Commander Data, an android who served under Picard on the Enterprise. Data was the most advanced android or piece of artificial life that was ever made. This series picks up that idea and explores more about artificial or robotic life.
The problem is that it involves Picard or rather drags him along a serial adventure that's all about taking him into situations that revels more in things like martial arts and what's the equivalent of gun violence. It's more about bringing Picard into situations with kinetic and at times hyper-kinetic action, fight sequences and space battles, or just explosions. These are things that are further away from the original intent of Roddenberry's vision of this character. It therefore becomes fan-fiction from people who weren't really fans of the character in particular. It's more about people capitalizing off a known character in sci-fi and jamming him into a structure and archetype where he doesn't fit.
As others have also pointed out, the vision of the future, especially that on Earth, also doesn't fit with Roddenberry's original vision, a vision that saw a more utopian view. This series warps that view and regresses it in fact, so that the Earth of Picard's time, which is the late 24th century, resembles more the Earth of the 21st century. The writers and producers of this series probably want to make the series more relevant to our current time, but it betrays the groundwork that Roddenberry laid down over 30 years ago.
Rated TV-MA.
Running Time: 1 hr. / 10 eps.
Available on CBS All Access.
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