Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Star Trek: Picard - Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 16, 2022

Picard's second season is no stranger to the preestablished story themes, plot arcs, and characters (beyond the title Picard) that have shaped some of its finest entries of decades past. Broadly, of course, the season is reminiscent of classic Star Trek time travel shenanigans, notably the "modern day" setting that was central to the popular Star Trek IV. The season also recalls the theme of time's forward march that shaped the larger, overarching theme that ran through Star Trek II. Much of the season also centers on the Borg Queen (First Contact) and Q (who was the villain in TNG's innagural episode and several other memorable episodes thereafter). Yet for all of the borrowed concepts, recurring themes, familiar faces, and a general lack of structural novelty, the season proves fairly engaging as it explores not strange new worlds but rather the most complex and formidable space yet: man's very essence, what makes him tick, what drives him forward, and what holds him back.

Picard's second season may have a conventional plot device focus with familiarities abounding, but the show takes some interesting and agreeable turns along the way, leading to a finale that offers a surprise of the best kind: an ending that is more about heart than it is contrived action and dramatic repetitiveness. The story is, for more than one character, about personal progress forward amidst life's emotional steps backward. Broadly, it is about the hauntings of the past and healing in the name of progress for the future. What kind of healing that is, and involving what and whom, why and when, and how is best left for the show to explore, but suffice it to say that the season goes in the expected, but also the unexpected, directions.

That is really the season's strength: its ability to walk the line between carrying familiar cues while blazing dramatically unique paths that ultimately put a new perspective not simply on two seasons' worth of Picard but also a whole litany of Star Trek history. It does so respectfully and honestly with some great revelations and surprisingly tender resolutions to its primary conflicts. Viewers will never see various characters or events in the same light after finishing the season, and that's a good thing. That is what a show like Picard needs to do. It lives in the past, literally and metaphorically as the case may be, but it is also eyeing the future. Most fans are going to enjoy what it does with each end of the perspective.

There are some delicious performances and revelations here. The Q-Picard relationship is explored with an eye to the future. There is a fiercer, harder edge to De Lancie's Q in this season, but there's so much more brewing below the surface. Picard's relationship with Guinan earns a huge boost that will leave audiences flashing to Picard with every watch of TNG. Picard's personal history and bloodlines are central to the overreaching story arc, and while they are not always handled gracefully or in a novel way, it does reveal some deep and personal insights in the captain's past that play not only to this season's story but to the larger picture through his Starfleet career. There are a number of other surprises throughout the season that are best kept quiet, but the show does a fine job of arranging familiar faces and managing old content with fresh yet tradition-respecting eyes.

Star Trek: Picard - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Picard's second season arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer that is marred by significant banding. Certainly, this issue is pervasive, but it is not constant. Its intensity when present, however, counts it as a fairly sizeable issue overall. Otherwise, the image is in good shape. Bright daytime exteriors – the 34-minute mark of episode two, for example – show an image that is as clear, stable, and well detailed as any other on the Blu-ray format. Viewers will see skin and clothing textures with ease as the picture shows every line on Picard's face, Rios' thick facial hair, and the Borg Queen's makeup and prosthetics with all of the tactile clarity one could want at the 1080p resolution. Colors are healthy, too, whether greens in low light abord the ship or thriving tones in 2024 Los Angeles where bright sunny exteriors allow colors to thrive with plenty of intensity and vividness. Black levels hold stable though sometimes with a modest dark gray push. Whites are appropriately bright and skin tones look healthy across the season's diverse character roster. Beyond the aforementioned banding, there are no significant source or encode maladies to report.

Star Trek: Picard - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This second season Blu-ray release of Picard beams onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Much like the video presentation, everything is generally good to go, though with a caveat here or there that lowers the score from perfect. Chief amongst the relatively minor concerns is that the track is a little timid and not full throttle at reference in some early moments, but the track accelerates quite a bit later on. In fact, the track can get fairly intense, never to the point of pounding out extreme bass, but certainly with enough low end kick to give necessary weight to modern gunfire, phaser fire, and some various high yield impact audio cues. Surround content is very good. In fact, it's great with several incredible discrete effects that present a specific sound in a specific place with transparently lifelike efficiency; listen for localized back-end voices about 20 minutes into episode five, the 21-minute mark in episode seven when heavy beatings on a door emerge through the background, and the 26:50 mark of the final episode for a wonderfully discrete back-channel example. Music is clear with solid front end stretch, immersive but never overpowering wrap, and seamless clarity. Dialogue is clear, centered, and well prioritized for the duration.

Star Trek: Picard - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This three-disc Blu-ray release of Picard's second season contains extras on all three discs.

Disc One:

• Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "Assimilation" (2:41).
• The USS Stargazer (1080p, 18:29): Building a new Federation starship for the show.
• The Chateau (1080p, 15:24): This piece focuses on the design and purpose of the Picard chateau as seen in the series.

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "Fly Me to the Moon" (3:18) and "Monsters" (1:18).

Disc Three:

• Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p, 2:11): Scenes from "Farewell."
• The Trial Is Over (1080p, 12:04): Looking back at the dynamic between Q and Picard through the history of Star Trek, de Lancie's performance as Q, season themes, and more.
• Rebuilding the Borg Queen (1080p, 11:11): A look at the character, Annie Wersching's performance, character design, and more.
• Picard Props (1080p, 12:06): Looking at some of the key props seen in the season: artwork, comm badges, futuristic military gear, business cards, medical devices, drones, weapons, tricorders, apparel, and more.
• Picard Passages (1080p, 24:59): A solid piece exploring Picard's character arc and his past as it's revealed in this season. It also explores additional character arcs and storylines throughout this season.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 3:55): Humorous moments from the shoot.

Star Trek: Picard - Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Picard has been renewed for a third season, but season two certainly ends in a way that satisfies this season's particular arc with unforgettable closure. While season three will certainly be influenced and impacted by what happens through season two, it has plenty of opportunity to chart its own destiny and to see what's out there for the future of Star Trek. Paramount's three-disc Blu-ray set delivers solid video and audio and a nice selection of bonus content. Recommended.