Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 1 - "The Next Generation"Star Trek: The Next Generation movies never did. Picard recruits Riker as his partner-in-crime after he receives a distress call from Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). Jean-Luc and Will quickly concoct a scheme to rescue Beverly by hijacking the USS Titan-A from under its current Captain, Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick).
Aboard the Titan, Picard and Riker find a friendly face and a willing collaborator in the ship's First Officer, Commander Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). But the iral and Captain from the USS Enterprise-D and E using their combined clout to mount an unannounced "inspection" raises the suspicions of Captain Shaw, and he's proven correct. Picard and Riker do shanghai the Titan and take it to a dangerous edge of Federation space, and they further steal a shuttle to find Beverly on the USS Eleos. Riker and Picard drive the plot of Star Trek: Picard's season 3 premiere, and the duo is a sight for sore eyes the TNG movies didn't even attempt.
Picard & Riker Didn't Team Up In The TNG Movies
Star Trek: Picard season 3's Riker and Jean-Luc team up brings to light the startling fact that they never shared a common story in any of the TNG movies. Star Trek: The Original Series formula of centering on a triumvirate of characters. In place of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the TNG movies placed Picard with Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn). This is because Paramount felt the android and the Klingon were the most important characters besides Captain Picard.
The TNG movies' core Picard/Data/Worf triad left Commander Riker out of the loop. The First Officer was left minding the USS Enterprise while Picard was away, or he led the B-plot, as Riker did in Star Trek: First . The fact that Jonathan Frakes directed First and Star Trek: Insurrection contributed to Riker being de-emphasized, but there was no question Picard, Data, and Worf were the focal points of the TNG movies. Riker and Picard did have a few notable scenes together, like when they picked through the Enterprise-D's wreckage at the end of Star Trek Generations, but they never worked as a team in the films like they do in Star Trek: Picard season 3.
Jean-Luc & Riker Are The Best Part Of Picard Season 3's Premiere
The team-up of iral Picard and Captain Riker is the best part of Star Trek: Picard season 3's first episode. From their delightful meeting at 10 Forward to their elaborate ruse on the Titan, it's clear that the two top TNG icons are having a ball working together again (just as the actors are). Picard's premiere even winks at the joy evident between the two men when Picard jokingly asks Riker, "Are you enjoying this?" and Will pretends, "Of course not!" Both Starfleet legends are on in years, and Riker even vocalizes their physical limitations, but their old TNG magic is indeed back.
The TNG crew will gradually reassemble in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but starting out with Riker and Picard together was a masterstroke. Both heroes have saved the galaxy together countless times, and the spark they feel toward the mission to rescue Beverly Crusher brings a new life to Picard and Riker. They are each driven to slake their curiosity as to why Crusher cut ties with them for 20 years. Star Trek: Picard season 3 is, in essence, a 10-hour Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, and it was incredibly wise to correct one of the films' biggest failures by making Picard and Riker's team-up its centerpiece.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.