With the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard currently airing, it's as good a time as any to dive deep into the show for Star Trek fans who haven't already done so. After being absent from the world of Star Trek for almost two decades, Jean-Luc Picard returned to lead one last big fight, even though he originally planned to live in peace in his vineyard.
The show garnered positive reviews from audiences. Unsurprisingly, many viewers compared it to another new Star Trek show currently airing, Star Trek: Discovery. Whether Discovery or Picard is the better Star Trek series is a question the fans continue to discuss. Each does better in specific areas, so here's a look at what each show gets right.
5 General Ratings: Picard
Average ratings online are a good indicator of how a show is doing with the fans, and which one they seem to prefer. Two of the biggest websites - IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes - both give an edge to Picard, albeit the difference in ratings between this show and Discovery isn't that big.
On IMDb, Picard scored an average rating of 7.3, while Discovery earned an equally solid score of 7.0. Picard also wins on Rotten Tomatoes, with a score of 91 percent from the critics and 56 percent from viewers. Discovery, meanwhile, has a rating of 86 percent from the critics and only 36 percent from general audiences.
4 Choosing A Different Approach: Discovery
One of the main objections many long-time Star Trek fans had against Discovery was the different feeling its storyline and atmosphere had in comparison to the older Star Trek shows. While the universe of Star Trek always had its issues, in the end, it remained a mostly optimistic series showing that no matter what, goodness and morality would prevail.
Discovery, on the other hand, threw a brutal interplanetary war into the mix, crushing the idea that this universe is something 21st-century people would like to live in. However, it's difficult to overlook that Discovery also came up with creative ideas that were unseen before, such as the spore engine or the Kelpien species that led to the creation of one of the more popular new characters, lieutenant Saru.
3 The Return Of Old Friends (And Enemies): Picard
Nostalgia is a powerful force, and it shouldn't be underestimated. Star Trek: Picard did something that many Star Trek fans dreamed of but no longer dared to hope for. It brought back beloved Star Trek characters that have become iconic since their first appearance in their respective TV shows. The center of all is Jean-Luc Picard, of course, portrayed by Sir Patrick Stewart, who once again easily slipped into the role he played for the first time in the 1980s.
However, Picard wasn't the only character whose return the fans celebrated. The series also brought back other beloved heroes such as Will Riker, Deanna Troi, Seven of Nine, and antiheroes as well, such as Picard's old frenemy Q. It was interesting to see how much these heroes changed over the years and the scenes in which Picard reunites with them were some of the best in the series.
2 Familiar Characters With New Faces: Discovery
Even though Discovery introduced multiple interesting characters, such as the villainous Gabriel Lorca played by Jason Isaacs, the most anticipated was the return of familiar characters, albeit portrayed by new faces. The fans got to see more of Captain Christopher Pike, who only appeared in the first pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series as well as the modernized Star Trek movie series. Notable characters who returned include the iconic Vulcan Spock, who turned out to be Michael Burnham's adoptive brother, and his father Sarek.
Fans also got to see more of Captain Christopher Pike, who only appeared in the first pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series as well as the modernized Star Trek movie series. Because he was so popular, Discovery helped set the ground for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which turned out to be one of the most successful new science fiction series of 2022.
1 The Story: Picard
In the end, Picard had greater freedom in what the show wanted to portray, and what story it told. Discovery was limited by the fact that it had to fit into an established canon, as the majority of its events took place only a few years before Star Trek: The Original Series. Another common objection was that the series put too much emphasis on the action, which didn't allow it to characterize the heroes properly and make the viewers care for them.
Picard, however, takes a lot of time to establish complicated relationships between the characters. At the same time, it contains a fair amount of action, but it never puts it at the core of the show. Instead, it uses action moments to emphasize the high stakes. It's more thought-provoking than Discovery as well, since it deals with topics such as artificial intelligence, and what makes somebody human. It addresses the question of aging, mortality, and fear of death. It shows the inner political workings of the Federation, but it never becomes too convoluted.
Picard Wins
As a result, even though both series are well worth watching, Star Trek: Picard has a slight edge over Star Trek: Discovery, making the show a winner of the duel between the two.