Midseason Picard. Seeing Patrick Stewart on screen once again in the role of Jean-Luc Picard has been a dream come true for fans—particularly those who grew up with Star Trek: The Next Generation. But while the opening scene brought us two familiar faces aboard a familiar ship, this new series is far from a return to TNG. Nearly twenty years after the film Nemesis, Picard finds himself in the midst of a mystery involving old enemies and Starfleet that is unlike the one in which he served. While some elements may be familiar, this is a modern take on Star Trek of old. In this episode of The Ready Room, host C Bryan Jones is joined by Matthew Rushing, his co-host from The Orb, to discuss the first half of Star Trek: Picard Season 1. We share our thoughts on the tone and direction of the new show, characters old and new, what happened in the first five episodes, what we feel has and has not worked in the writing and pacing, and where we would like things to go from here. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Change of Heart (00:05:30) The Premise (00:12:26) Federation Gone Bad (00:15:40) Do You Need to Read The Last Best Hope? (00:19:35) Every Universe Has Its Own Rules (00:31:22) Romulan–Borg Disconnect (00:32:46) Laris and Zhaban (00:41:02) Dahj and Soji (00:47:39) Narek and Rizzo (00:51:07) Jurati (00:57:31) Raffi (01:05:12) Rios (01:11:53) Seven of Nine (01:15:40) For Mature Audiences Only (01:20:17) Episode Rundown (01:28:43) Where Is the Story Headed? (01:34:02) Are 10 Episodes Enough? (01:39:47) Final Thoughts (01:42:00) Closing (01:44:31) Host C Bryan Jones Guest Matthew Rushing Production C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Renee Roberts (Associate Producer) Zachary Fruhling (Associate Producer) Sam Piassick (Associate Producer) Kay Elizabeth Shaw (Associate Producer) Tim Robertson (Associate Producer) David Shuford (Associate Producer) Joo Kim (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)