Star Trek: What We Want to See in Picard’s New Series

Star Trek, at its best, and in any of its incarnations, is about hope, about coming together, about doing the right thing as far as is humanly possible. And not just the right thing for the human race, but for all of the races that we encounter. Questions of ethics and morality sit at the very heart of Star Trek, and are integral to its stories and its characters.

Star Trek seems to promise that with self-reflection and hard work we can create a better and more equal future for everyone. And that kind of hope is something that we very much need right now. There are currently plenty of dark and dystopian shows that reflect what’s going on in the real world, or warn where the paths that we are currently following might lead, but there is very little that shows us where the right change of direction might take us: to the end of poverty and inequality; to friendship and unity; to the very stars. We need some utopia right now. Please Star Trek writers – give us something positive and hopeful.

At least one episode with Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) in. Wesley got something of a bum deal in Star Trek: The Next Generation, especially in the early episodes, becoming the target of undeserved viewer hatred and scorn within the show. Wil Wheaton, to this day, still has to put up with people shouting ‘Shut up, Wesley!’ at him, and one can only imagine how unfunny that has become, if indeed it was ever vaguely amusing in the first place (spoiler: it wasn’t).

Last seen in Starfleet uniform at the wedding of Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), it would be enjoyable to see Wes written as the likeable and capable adult that he has doubtless become, and gratifying to see him given some well-written dialogue and plot to counter some of the crap that both Wes and Wil have had to put up with over the years.

We know that Picard can be a little bit socially awkward at times, but he’s had his fair share of love affairs over the years. Did Jean-Luc ever end up with someone? Did he get married? Does he have children? Which old friendships has he maintained? And which unlikely ones have blossomed? Where have his hobbies and interests taken him? Is he still affected by his experiences with The Borg?

Star Trek: The Next Generation, quite rightly, presented Picard first and foremost as a Captain, but it gave us enough insight into his personality to love him as a man too. Any exploration of Picard’s personal life is likely to be contentious, but we need to know where Picard has been all these years, and what he’s been doing, and not just from a career perspective.

Whilst no one would expect a full-on history lesson on the entirety of the Star Trek universe, it would be illuminating to at least partially catch up with what has happened with some of the major characters, races, and situations, after the events of ‘What You Leave Behind’ on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ‘Endgame’ on Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Nemesis. There is so much to explore in terms of political progression, peace processes, and personal enlightenment, from across the board, that it would be a shame if we didn’t hear a little about these things in passing conversation, as background information, or from cameo performances. News on the evolution of old favourites will always be a winner.