The first episode ofStar Trek: Picardfinally arrived Thursday on CBS All Access, the streaming video service launched by ViacomCBS that’s the streaming home to much of the Star Trek franchise.
The premiere ofPicardfollows nearly two years of buzz, dating back to star Patrick Stewart’ssurpriseannouncement of the seriesin August 2018 during a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas, and fortunately for fans, the first episode lives up to the hype.
Aptly titledRemembrance,the show’s premiere episode manages to blend nostalgic call-backs toStar Trek: The Next Generation— the series that introduced Stewart as iconic USS Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard — and the events of various other Star Trek shows and spinoff films with plenty of fresh, intriguing concepts that will shape the story to come.
Remembranceis a fantastic debut forStar Trek: Picard— but is this franchise enough to finally makeCBS All Accessa serious competitor in the streaming world?
As has been showcased so effectively by TV and movies in recent years, nostalgia is a powerful force. Whether it’s the generational throwback appeal of Stranger Things on Netflix or Disney’s wildly successful dip into old-school (read: original trilogy) Star Wars mythology withThe Mandalorian, streaming services have seemingly gone all-in on the past to secure their future.
Look at thehundred-million-dollar bidding wars waged by various streamersover beloved sitcoms likeFriendsandThe Office, and it becomes abundantly clear that streaming services see plenty of value in tapping into the familiar and making it a foundation of their offerings.
ViacomCBS seemed keenly aware of this fact when it launched CBS All Access, having promised a bounty of new Star Trek projects in addition to the existing vault of Star Trek shows and movies, and plenty of other CBS classic series. It also delivered a new version of another classic franchise,The Twilight Zone, updated for modern audiences and featuring one of Hollywood’s hottest filmmakers, Academy Award winner Jordan Peele, as the face of the project and host of the sci-fi anthology series.
Despite arocky beginning for the show, CBS All Access seemingly delivered on its Star Trek promise withStar Trek: Discoveryeventually winning over franchise fans and critics alike and earning a second season that received even more positive praise, as well as an upcoming third season (and potential spin-off projects).
ViacomCBS certainly seems willing to fund its streaming future, having reportedly poured upwards of $8 million per episode into the first season ofDiscoveryand likely even more into future seasons andPicard. And though it’s not spending the kind of megabucks Netflix is (amounting to billions every year on new content) at $6 per month for an ad-supported version of the service and $10 monthly for ad-free access, CBS All Access is priced very competitively.
At this point, CBS All Access is running out of reasons to explain away its low profile in the streaming landscape, andStar Trek: Picardis shaping up to be its best hope to turn its fortunes around. With acast representing some of the most popular Star Trek projects, a story that walks the fine line between nostalgia and innovation, and a lead actor who is just as popular now (or more so) as he was whenThe Next Generationwas still in its broadcast run decades ago,Picardchecks off all the boxes for a tentpole production with the widest appeal possible.
After one episode,Star Trek: Picardcertainly looks like a hit, but it will be interesting to see whether its compelling blend of old-meets-new is powerful enough to finally elevate CBS All Access from minor player to serious contender in the battle for the hearts and wallets of streaming audiences.
There’s a lot of ground to cover, but if anyone can do it, it’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
