Star Trek Picard: Ranking All 10 Episodes From Season 1

While "Remembrance" was an advertisement for the kind of show that didn't always materialize in season one, "Nepenthe" is the fulfillment of that promise. All the ups and downs of the first season were worth it for the sight of Jean-Luc Picard in the warm embrace of his old friends, Will Riker and Deanna Troi, and the insight that they could share into his character and into the running plot line of the show.

Star Trek: Picard's first season wisely avoided the trap of being a Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion special, it didn't constantly throw Memberberries at the audience to artificially ramp up feels, it didn't unnecessarily stuff its legacy cast members into their old uniforms and ask us to believe they could still be doing the same thing they were doing 30 years ago. Instead the series built out a new set of characters around Picard, did the heavy lifting by carving out its own storyline, and then allowed itself to dip into nostalgia.

In keeping with the theme of the show and the passage of time, Riker and Troi have aged, they've changed. Their life together developed in a believable way and their reunion with Picard is believable because of that. Their shared history allows them to express their unique insight into the character and "Nepenthe" allows them the time and breathing room to do so. Picard's on the run in this episode, but the most revealing moments don't happen in dire straits or life and death struggle, they take place over a wood fire pizza oven, a tomato garden, and a dining room table.

"Nepenthe" is the slower, quieter, intellectual, emotional character study the show set out to be. Star Trek: Picard at its very best.