Mind-Blowing Time Travel: Unraveling the Epic Journey in 'Strange New Worlds' vs Star Trek: Picard Season 2!
Discover why the time travel in Strange New Worlds surpasses Picard Season 2 as La'an's encounter with Khan takes precedence over Picard's meeting with Renée Stay tuned for an exploration of the significance and impact of these time travel narratives
Summary
Star Trek: Picard falls short in its handling of time travel compared to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The story gains a newfound depth and character growth through the exploration of La'an's journey and the repercussions of Khan's atrocities.
In Strange New Worlds, Khan's encounter with La'an holds greater significance compared to Picard's meeting with Renée. The ethical dilemma of whether to spare or end Khan's life exposes and fundamentally alters La'an's true nature.
The time travel element in Picard lacks coherence and fails to spur substantial development in the characters. Despite unraveling enigmas, there is a lack of genuine transformation for the main cast, including Jean-Luc Picard.
In its second season, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds delves into the popular theme of time travel in episode 3, titled "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", and executes it far more effectively than Star Trek: Picard does in its messy second season. Both shows send their protagonists back in time to 21st-century Earth, which parallels the present day, with the objective of identifying the moment when history diverged into a dystopian alternate reality. Their mission is to rectify this error and secure the familiar utopia of the Star Trek universe.
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (played by Christina Chong) assumes a personal mission from a deceased Department of Temporal Investigations agent, thrusting her into a war-torn present. Inadvertently, she also ends up bringing back an alternate reality version of Captain James T. Kirk (portrayed by Paul Wesley) to the past. On the other hand, Star Trek: Picard presents a glimpse of an altered timeline dominated by the Confederation of Earth, where humans are xenophobic and the planet is decaying. This alternate reality is revealed by Q (played by John deLancie). In order to return to 2024, the ship La Sirena in Star Trek: Picard abducts an incapacitated Borg Queen (portrayed by Annie Wersching) and employs a slingshot maneuver around the sun as a calculated means of time travel.
Strange New Worlds' Time Travel Is Better than Picard Season 2
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" surpasses Star Trek: Picard season 2 as a superior time travel narrative. The effectiveness of time travel lies in its ability to showcase how the past shapes the present and influences personal growth. In Picard, the main characters find themselves entangled in disconnected storylines set in the 21st century, which hinders the overall objective. The journey to the past fails to serve as a catalyst for any character development, not even for Jean-Luc Picard himself, despite being the central character. Other than uncovering a few mysteries, the experience brings no significant changes for him.
On the other hand, Strange New Worlds captures La'an's attention as it focuses on her infamous family name and its direct impact on her fear of intimacy. In this alternate timeline where Khan Noonien Singh never rose to power, the version of James T. Kirk in this reality fails to recognize La'an's connection to him. Consequently, she discovers the beauty of genuine emotional connections. While this world grants La'an some relief from prejudice, it also lacks the united front that fought against Khan's horrors, resulting in a less favorable environment. The thematic cohesion of the story lies in Khan's influence, as La'an and Kirk learn that a Romulan conspiracy to assassinate him as a child is the pivotal moment that separates their universes.
La'an Meeting Khan Is More Important Than Picard Meeting Renée
In each Star Trek time travel story, our hero encounters a notable ancestor. However, the significance of La'an's meeting with Khan Noonien Singh as a child surpasses that of Picard meeting Renée Picard. Khan is a renowned dictator with a well-established historical impact in Star Trek's past, whereas Renée and her historical importance are only introduced in Star Trek: Picard. Both of these encounters serve as divergence points in the timeline, with the future utopia relying on Khan's atrocities and the success of Renée's Europa Mission. Both Jean-Luc and La'an bear the responsibility of ensuring these events occur or deciding otherwise.
Due to Jean-Luc's pride in his heritage, he easily persuades Renée to embark on the mission in Star Trek: Picard, without any personal change or revelation. On the other hand, La'an must carefully consider whether sacrificing Khan's life now to save countless others and relieve the burden of her name is worth allowing him to grow up and commit heinous crimes against humanity. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds presents La'an with a genuine moral dilemma, exposing her character and bringing about fundamental changes within her. As a result, it surpasses the storytelling of Star Trek: Picard.
