Clarence Whynot

The world needs more TNG and less Star Trek Discovery. I was very hopeful that this show would redeem the Star Trek franchise, but I was (mostly) wrong. Like Discovery, there is too much shooting and over-the-top bad-guy acting. The second episode really goes downhill after Picard visits Starfleet HQ. The scene with the Starfleet officer and her Romulan brother (I don't remember their names) in particular is laughably overdone. Evil comic-book characters. At least ST Picard has Patrick Stewart (a huge plus) and the moral compass of his character. It appears that they are working on developing some chemistry with him and his Romulan house guests as well--time will tell. It also shows some glimpses of TNG humour. But the writers just don't trust that a show can make it today without adding in evil-doers and lots of shooting. Picard is definitely better than Discovery (which is nothing but over-done acting and tons of special effects and battles), but it still falls short of the mark. Maybe it can still find its way. What people loved about the original ST and TNG shows was the character development, the relationships among the characters, the sense of optimism for the future, and even the way they tackled important 20th and 21st century topics. The shows were far from perfect, but watching them was like visiting old friends. Why don't the current producers and writers get that????