“Remembrance” is the pilot episode of the TV show “Star Trek: Picard”. It’s available in the USA on the CBS All Access streaming platform and in many other countries on Amazon Prime Video.

Note. This article contains some spoilers about “Remembrance”.

Dahj (Isa Briones) is enjoying what’s supposed to be a pleasant evening with her boyfriend when a group of men with their faces covered appear, kill him and attack her. Suddenly, something in Dahj’s mind clicks and she knocks them all out then runs away. In her mind she sees a face and when she sees an interview with retired admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) she recognizes him and looks for him in the hope of discovering the truth about what’s happening to her.

Despite criticisms not always positive, the return of the Star Trek saga to TV with “Star Trek: Discovery” was successful. That convinced CBS to start more projects and in June 2018 showrunner Alex Kurtzman signed a contract to expand the saga. The return of old characters such as Captain Pike and especially Spock showed that there’s still a lot of interest in their stories and the first new project to be produced was focused on Captain Jean-Luc Picard, already protagonist of the tv show “Star Trek: The Next Generation“. Other characters were created specifically for the new show but some returns have already been announced.

“Remembrance” has deep roots in Star Trek’s past. It starts with Jean-Luc Picard playing poker with Data (Brent Spiner): it’s not exactly five-card stud, nothing wild, but the sky’s still the limit in the reference to the final moments of the TV show “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Explicit references are made to the events of the movie “Star Trek: Nemesis”. Other events are explained thanks to the interview with Picard and his subsequent investigation.

This is only the beginning of a new story after many things happened that concern the Romulans and synthetic life forms. Jean-Luc Picard has been retired for years and lives in Chateau Picard, where there are also two Romulans. There are still many things to udnerstand, especially after watching this episode ending.

The impression that “Remembrance” gave me is very good. It’s not only an attempt to exploit the nostalgia effect but gives the idea of ​​using the events of the past to build a new story. After years in which many people claimed that Star Trek modernization had to go through frenzied paces, lens-flares and characters always on the edge of hysterical, “Star Trek: Picard” offers us a story in which action is measured out and the twists are at the service of the plot and not the other way around.

This is only an introduction to a story-arc whose development will reveal the true value of the show but the beginning is certainly good. Patrick Stewart confirms yet again that he’s an extraordinary actor, reprising the role of Jean-Luc Picard showing his evolution. Honestly, I haven’t had such good feelings watching at a Star Trek product for many years.

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