Star Trek: 10 Times Picard Proved The Future Was Worth Fighting For

10. Star Trek Picard

The version of the future that Star Trek Picard has shown so far has aged along with the audience that is watching it. The world now is a darker place than it was back then and the rise of extremism and toxic fandom are both symptoms of that.

Picard is older and more seasoned. The very idea that he would leave Starfleet was an adjustment for fans but the show has been handling it beautifully. It is the very idealism and speech making that Picard is so famous for that cost him his career in the end. Fear crept into the heart of the Federation, perhaps inevitably after the devastating Dominion War.

But Picard also seems intent on fighting back the wave of darkness that threatens to envelope the franchise. Jean Luc himself is a remnant of The Next Generation. Seven of Nine states at the end of Stardust City Rag that she doesn't want Picard to lose hope.

If Picard is and always has been a stand-in for the audience, then that statement alone is like a hand reaching out to beckon the viewer on. This is a darker universe and perhaps it's going to get a little darker along the way. But it is only darkest when everyone stops fighting for the light.

It is crucial to see that even though there may be more mature themes and occurrences in this iteration of Star Trek, it is still at its heart showing us that the future is worth fighting for, even if it takes an old idealist to show that.