The Worst Episode In Star Trek: Picard Season 1
The newer "Star Trek" shows have received mixed reviews among fans, and "Star Trek: Picard" is no exception. From writing that is perceived as clunky and heavy-handed to certain inconsistencies based on timeline confusion that have some longtime viewers pulling their hair out, fans have a myriad of issues with the Patrick Stewart staring series. And even though critics loved Season 1, which boasts a strong 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the 53% audience score illustrates that many viewers don't feel the same. Regardless of all the dissent, the show was still successful enough to earn a Season 3 from Paramount+. And fans are looking forward to it with hopeful speculation about what they would like to see next.
But it wasn't always guaranteed that the show would make it this far. Approval ratings on IMDb fell from a strong 8.2/10 with the season debut all the way down to a disappointing 6.9/10 by Episode 5, "Stardust City Rag." The latter half of the season bounced back somewhat after that, but critics and fans agree that an even worse episode rounded out the end of the show's debut outing.
Ironically, the Season 1 finale was the biggest disappointment of all
When they work well, season finales are renowned for catching the most attention and leaving audiences on the edge of their seats waiting for the next installment. But that, unfortunately, didn't happen with "Star Trek: Picard," as evidenced by the middling 56% critics rating the Season 1 finale has on Rotten Tomatoes. It seems that for many, a big reason for the poor reception is the lack of tension created by Picard's resurrection into a synth body after he succumbs to his brain disease. Zack Handlen of The AV Club called the episode underwhelming for this reason, citing Picard's resurrection as a low point. He also wrote of the finale: "thoughtless, rushed plotting, meaningless twists, and bold decisions which are absolutely weightless."
Fans on social media felt similarly let down with the fumbling of this particular story arc. And this Reddit thread is all about how disappointed they were. Original poster u/BareFootJacob thought that causally bringing Picard back to life at the end of the finale undid any potential poignant moment that his death might have given the show. Another Redditor, u/davewh, even pitched an alternate, more satisfying scenario for the resurrection, writing, "I would have had Picard's death be final. Have the whole funeral and everyone's reaction and grief and so on. Really make the audience feel it. Then fade to black and we hear Q say 'Oh Jean Luc, not again.' And roll credits." That obviously isn't how Season 1 ended, but the fact that their comment alone earned 80 upvotes is a pretty glaring sign that fans wanted better from the showrunners.