Star Trek: Picard – Jean-Luc’s [SPOILER] Was So Much Better Than Kirk’s

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard‘s Season 1 Finale

Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) died and was resurrected as an artificial in Star Trek: Picard‘s season 1 finale — and it was worlds higher than each instances James T. Kirk died within the Star Trek films. Among the many plot threads the Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology sequel picked up and ran with was that Picard was dying of a degenerative mind illness, which was first talked about in TNG‘s sequence finale “All Good Issues.” Star Trek: Picard took this to its logical conclusion with the 94-year-old Jean-Luc succumbing to his sickness after performing a closing heroic act to save lots of the galaxy. Nevertheless, Star Trek: Picard did not simply kill off the Starfleet legend, it additionally gave him a brand new lease on life.

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The Star Trek: Picard finale noticed Picard’s resurrection. With typical Star Trek techno-wizardly, Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Capsule), Dr. Altan Soong (Brent Spiner), and Soji (Isa Briones), the artificial daughter of Commander Knowledge, positioned Jean-Luc’s thoughts and recollections into an android physique referred to as the Golem, intact. The result’s Jean-Luc Picard is actually a brand new man, but additionally, the identical man he at all times was — simply with out the mind defect. And, by the tip of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Jean-Luc is prepared for all-new adventures together with his ragtag crew aboard the starship La Sirena, setting the stage for Star Trek: Picard season 2.

Associated: Star Trek: Picard Season 1’s Ending And All Twists Defined

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In fact, that is hardly the primary time main Star Trek characters have been killed off and rapidly resurrected; the primary and most well-known instance is Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who died in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and was introduced again to life within the subsequent movie, Star Trek III: The Seek for Spock. Knowledge’s loss of life in Star Trek: Nemesis was a blatant copy of Spock’s demise, although Star Trek: Picard gave the golden android the touching closing sendoff followers (and Knowledge and Picard) waited 18 years for. And, whereas he did not “die” per se, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) in Star Trek: Deep Area 9 fulfilled his future because the Emissary and reworked into one of many Prophets, a being who exists past the bounds of house and time. A future model of Admiral Katheryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) additionally died to allow the usS. Voyager to return to Earth in Star Trek: Voyager‘s finale.

Each Kirk And Picard Die And Are Resurrected

Sadly for Jim Kirk — each the variations performed by William Shatner and Chris Pine — all of those Star Trek deaths and resurrections, together with Picard’s, have been conceived and executed much better than these of the franchise’s authentic Captain. The 2 variations of Kirk have been every killed off within the films, although solely J.J. Abrams’ model was instantly introduced again in Star Trek Into Darkness. But, neither of Kirk’s deaths come near equaling the thematic richness of Jean-Luc Picard’s loss of life and resurrection.

Jean-Luc’s Loss Of Life And Resurrection Paid Off The Character’s Lengthy-Operating Story

Jean-Luc Picard died as a hero in Star Trek: Picard, and he fulfilled the objectives he set out when he left his stressed retirement in his French winery and returned to the chilly of deep house. After quitting Starfleet, Picard spent 14 years mourning Knowledge’s loss of life and what he felt was the Federation turning its again on its long-held beliefs. Jean-Luc lamented that he failed Knowledge, he failed the Romulans he swore to save lots of throughout their supernova disaster, and failed to save lots of Dahj, who got here to Picard for assist when she was hunted by the Zhat Vash anti-synthetics cult. Regardless of being identified with a deadly mind abnormality by Dr. Moritz Benayoun (David Paymer), Jean-Luc heroically got down to proper all of the wrongs that haunted him, his personal well-being be damned.

Ultimately, Picard sacrificed his life in the identical method wherein he lived: by serving as a shining instance of the very best of what Starfleet stands for. He did it to indicate Soji and her artificial household that there was a greater strategy to save themselves than calling upon an historical federation of synths to wipe out natural life within the galaxy. And, although he died within the absence of his beloved buddies from the usS. Enterprise-E, Picard breathed his final breath surrounded by his newfound household who absolutely appreciated what the nice man gave up for the galaxy. Picard’s resurrection can be thematically acceptable because the Admiral has fought for the rights of synthetic lifeforms for many years, beginning with securing Knowledge’s particular person rights on TNG. Crucially, Jean-Luc’s closing heroic act helped elevate the Federation’s ban on synthetics, giving Soji (and himself, mockingly) the liberty they wanted.

Associated: Picard’s Greatest Modifications To Star Trek Continuity

Now that he is an artificial, Picard’s longtime weaknesses are lastly put to relaxation: he now not has the unreal coronary heart that he obtained in his youth. Additionally, his model new physique permits Jean-Luc to lastly transfer previous the trauma of being assimilated and changed into Locutus of Borg many years in the past. It is comprehensible that some Trekkers might really feel apprehensive that Picard is now an android, and that Soji’s assurances that he’s certainly “actual” aren’t fairly sufficient. Nevertheless, having an artificial physique would not alter Picard’s character in any manner. Star Trek: Picard‘s season 1 finale, “Et in Arcadia Ego, Half II,” made clear that Jean-Luc would not have “superpowers” or behave any in another way, artificial physique or not. As a substitute, Star Trek: Picard‘s novel answer to Jean-Luc’s well being points is a literal rejuvenation of the Starfleet legend in order that he will be freed of the previous and embrace his thrilling new future.

Kirk’s Loss Of Life In Star Trek Generations Was A Gimmick Executed Badly

Conversely, James T. Kirk’s loss of life in Star Trek Generations was a tragic and uninspired ending for the hero many Trekkers really feel will at all times be the very best Captain of the Enterprise. Kirk’s demise was merely a gimmick supposed to make the primary TNG film an additional particular field workplace draw. Whereas Kirk teaming up with Picard was actually interesting, Star Trek Technologys completely failed to provide William Shatner a worthy sendoff. As a substitute, Kirk is recruited by Picard to assist him cease a madman named Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying a star so he may return to an alternate actuality referred to as the Nexus; the consequence was three outdated males having a fistfight atop a mountain till Kirk is injured and dies within the course of. The unique Star Trek Captain’s closing phrases, “It was enjoyable… Oh my!” was the one factor memorable about Captain Kirk’s ignoble loss of life.

Worse, Kirk was really superfluous in Star Trek Generations as a result of, the gimmick of uniting the 2 Captains apart, it did not have to be Kirk combating alongside Picard (who earlier tried to recruit Whoopi Goldberg’s Guinan to assist him). The movie did not make the most of Kirk’s distinctive skills to resolve the issue Soran posed. Surprisingly, no try has been made to revive Shatner’s legendary Captain; Kirk’s loss of life on the planet Veridian III has confirmed to be everlasting in official Star Trek canon, though Shatner did revive his character within the Star Trek novel “The Return,” which he co-wrote. Since 1994 was the final time Shatner donned his Starfleet uniform and he has no real interest in taking part in Kirk once more, Star Trek Generations will eternally stand because the limp and disappointing finish to James T. Kirk’s in any other case epic story.

Kirk’s Loss Of Life And Resurrection In Star Trek Into Darkness Was Low-cost

In J.J. Abrams’ alternate Kelvin timeline, the director killed off Kirk in Star Trek Into Darkness, which was one other remake of The Wrath of Khan (regardless of Abrams outright mendacity about it previous to the movie’s launch). The gimmick of Star Trek Into Darkness, nonetheless, was switching Kirk for Spock (Zachary Quinto) so that it is the younger Captain of the Enterprise who dies from radiation poisoning to save lots of the ship whereas the Vulcan takes out Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). In fact, Kirk’s loss of life solely lasted for a couple of minutes of display time and, earlier than the movie is over, Dr. McCoy (Karl City) revived the Captain, due to the regenerative properties of Khan’s genetically engineered blood. None of this shameless trickery proved common with Star Trek followers as a result of it was low cost recycling that fully missed the unique magic of The Wrath of Khan.

It is as much as Star Trek followers to argue which of Kirk’s cinematic deaths is definitely worse in idea and execution, however each Shatner and Pine’s variations of the Starfleet hero have been ill-served by these inventive failures. Fortunately, much more care was taken with Jean-Luc Picard’s superior loss of life and resurrection, and the proof is that his journeys will proceed in Star Trek: Picard, whereas Captain Kirk’s tales in each realities are at an finish (at the very least for now).

Subsequent: The place Each Star Trek Character Is After Picard

Star Trek: Picard is offered on CBS All-Entry and internationally on Amazon Prime Video.

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About The Writer

John has been writing about what he likes – films, TV, comics, and so forth. – for over a decade. He is labored in films and rubbed shoulders with huge names however in some way forgot to ask for cash a variety of the time – therefore, he’s pleased to be with Display Rant. John will be discovered @BackoftheHead, counts a Black Canary and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. amongst his buddies, believes (accurately) that Superman is stronger than the Hulk, and he’s a buddy to all speaking gorillas.

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