STAR TREK: PICARD
Dylan Roth May 18, 2020. 11 minute read
The Death and Life of Star Trek’s Utopian Fantasy
There’s a reason why Star Trek fans love to play dress-up, and it’s not just because we’re a bunch of nerds. Much of the appeal of Star Trek comes from the fantasy of Starfleet, the service of brave explorers around which most of the franchise’s 778 episodes and films are…
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FEATURES
Dylan Roth Apr 6, 2020. 9 minute read
A Star Trek: Discovery Primer to Get You Ready for Season 3
The Star Trek franchise is currently in the throes of an aggressive expansion, with plans to juggle as many as six ongoing series at a time to keep fans subscribed to CBS All Access all year round. And while the new Star Trek: Picard has attracted a lot of attention,…
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FEATURES
Colette Arrand Mar 30, 2020. 5 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 10 “Et In Arcadia, Ego Part 2” Review
It’s been easy to write about Star Trek: Picard‘s obsession with grief. The show is about a space-faring old man who has seen death on an unimaginable scale, a man who has seen civilizations crumble and loved ones sacrifice themselves on his behalf. Picard‘s work in this space has been good, often…
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Colette Arrand Mar 20, 2020. 5 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 9 “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part One” Review
It is not a good time to be watching new television. Elsewhere on Fanbyte I cover professional wrestling, and it is incredibly difficult to pay attention to what’s happening in the ring to sufficiently parse the narratives that should not be happening at the moment. I’m having similar difficulty with…
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REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Mar 16, 2020. 4 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 8 “Broken Pieces” Review
Now that we’re close to the end of its first season, it strikes me that Star Trek: Picard still hasn’t made an argument for itself as a television series. In my reviews thus far, I have been drawn to its examinations of grief and regret, the way it draws its…
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REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Mar 6, 2020. 4 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 7 ‘Nepenthe’ Review: Pizza Party at Will Riker’s House
With each passing week, I expect Star Trek: Picard to drop its veil, reveal its purpose, and start racing towards it. Its seventh episode, “Nepenthe,” would be a good time to start those engines, but the show asks, once again, for its audience’s patience, serving up a long, nostalgia-laden aside…
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REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Feb 28, 2020. 4 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 6: “The Impossible Box” Review: Finding Home
We’re past the halfway point of Star Trek: Picard, and with the merging of its A and B stories the strength of the former and weakness of the latter has come into sharp relief. I’ve written at length, over the course of the last two Jonathan Frakes-directed episodes in particular,…
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REVIEWS
Dylan Roth Feb 21, 2020. 11 minute read
A Guide to the Rough Early Seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation
With the new series Star Trek: Picard now in full swing, it’s only natural that viewers might want to check out its predecessor, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Premiering in first-run syndication from 1987 to 1994, The Next Generation (or TNG) was the first Star Trek TV series to become…
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FEATURES
Colette Arrand Feb 20, 2020. 4 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 5 “Stardust City Rag” Review: Heist in Space
Something that I let pass unmentioned in my review of last week’s episode “Absolute Candor” is that it was the first episode of Star Trek: Picard directed by Jonathan Frakes. Beyond playing William T. Riker on The Next Generation, Frakes is one of Star Trek’s most prolific, capable directors, helming…
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REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Feb 13, 2020. 4 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 4 “Absolute Candor” Review: Romulans Only
Last week, Star Trek: Picard promised that it’d really get going, putting Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) on the bridge of a starship, letting him say the word “Engage,” and heading off at high warp towards the unknown. This week, Picard reminds us that this is, among other things, a show…
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REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Feb 6, 2020. 3 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 3 “The End is the Beginning” Review: 24th Century Vape Clouds
At long last, real stakes. After beating around the bush for two episodes, Star Trek: Picard is finally ready to head out into open space in search of the unknown, its exploration of Starfleet’s failure as an intergalactic force for good shifted to the backburner as Picard establishes his crew…
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REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Jan 30, 2020. 4 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 2 “Maps and Legends” Review: The Super Secret Romulan Police
I don’t think Star Trek: Picard was produced with week-by-week viewing in mind. Yes, it’s being released that way, but the reason for this release schedule feels more motivated by economics than the way shows developed for streaming platforms are paced. The survival of CBS All Access depends on keeping…
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REVIEWS
Colette Arrand Jan 23, 2020. 3 minute read
Star Trek: Picard Episode 1 “Remembrance” Review: Earl Grey, Decaf
Now that it’s here, I’m not sure what I was expecting from Star Trek: Picard. Months of clips and trailers promised either a drama about a contemplative old man dealing with the successes and failures of his past, or a slick action show about a young woman breaking that old…
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