I had some reservations about Star Trek Picard as I'm not a Discovery fan but Stewart's performance is absolutely outstanding. This episode in some respects scores highly because of his stellar acting performance. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it's some of his best work in Trek.
I nearly cried when he said in his dream to Data that he "didn't want the game to end" and I felt so sorry for him when he said shortly afterwards "that the dreams are lovely, it's the waking up I'm beginning to resent." Simple lines in themselves but Stewart imbued them with level of sadness that only the finest actors could create. Stewart's acting in those moments is on a par with McConaughey in Interstellar when McConaughey's character is watching the pre-recorded tapes of his family. It's that good.
Stewart is by far the best actor to have ever graced Star Trek and it shows here. Having said that, there are some very good performances from other members of the cast.
I must also say that top marks go to the special effects team...they're outstanding and are the quality you'd expect in a feature film.
So in conclusion, I was surprised by how good the first episode was.
I nearly cried when he said in his dream to Data that he "didn't want the game to end" and I felt so sorry for him when he said shortly afterwards "that the dreams are lovely, it's the waking up I'm beginning to resent." Simple lines in themselves but Stewart imbued them with level of sadness that only the finest actors could create. Stewart's acting in those moments is on a par with McConaughey in Interstellar when McConaughey's character is watching the pre-recorded tapes of his family. It's that good.
Stewart is by far the best actor to have ever graced Star Trek and it shows here. Having said that, there are some very good performances from other members of the cast.
I must also say that top marks go to the special effects team...they're outstanding and are the quality you'd expect in a feature film.
So in conclusion, I was surprised by how good the first episode was.