Star Trek is one of the most beloved franchises of all time, and while Star Wars is known best for its big screen feats, Star Trek has been a dominant force on the small screen for decades.
Patrick Stewart is a franchise legend, and he's made millions as Jean-Luc Picard. Fans learned a lot about The Next Generation, where the character debuted, and those same fans are now sinking their teeth into Picard, which has Stewart back in his iconic role.
Fans have been vocal about the new series, with some voicing a ton of displeasure. Do fans actually hate Picard? Let's take a look and find out.
Patrick Stewart Debuted As Picard In 'The Next Generation'
Star Trek: The Next Generation is a classic series that fans of the franchise still have quite the attachment to. Debuting back in the 1980s, The Next Generation is the show that helped put Patrick Stewart on the map, and his time as Jean-Luc Picard kickstarted what has been an immensely successfully career in entertainment.
For 7 seasons and nearly 180 episodes, the series was a thrill ride for fans, and its subsequent spin-off movies have found a mixed degree of success. Some were legit hits, while others didn't make much of an impression on audiences.
It's been years since The Next Generation came to an end, but the love for Stewart's Picard remains. Thankfully, fans were given a whole new show just a couple of years back.
'Picard' Is A Spin-Off Series
Back in 2020, Picard made its debut on the small screen, and Star Trek fans were interested to see how the series would handle the iconic character. It had been some time since he was featured in a project, and the folks behind the show knew that they had to bring something great to the table.
Patrick Stewart was back in the saddle as the titular character, but it took some convincing to get him on board.
"Initially, it was when I read the names of the executive producers who were also going to be writing and directing on the show. And I can tell you I was very, very impressed. So I agreed to take a meeting. But - and this may sound somewhat arrogant, but here goes - I wanted to meet with these brilliant people face-to-face to tell them why I was going to say no to their show," Stewart said.
The series had a successful launch, and currently, it is in the midst of its second season. As nice as it is that the show is thriving, some fans have voiced an immense amount of displeasure about the show.
How Fans Feel About It
So, do Star Trek fans really hate Picard? Well, members of the fandom have certainly been vocal about the show, and reactions have continued to be polarizing.
On Reddit, many users have talked about fans' reaction to the show.
"Not mad at it, but don't care for it. The actors are doing a fairly good job, and it's nice to see returning cast members, but the writing isn't great, and I don't like the tone," one fan wrote.
Another user was more positive, and they brought up an interesting fact about the loud vocal minority in the fandom.
"It’s a great show, and more people like it than don’t. But as is the case in many instances, the most toxic people are the ones who yell the loudest and most often. So then you see what appears to be a lot of negative reception. Same case with Disco," they wrote.
And finally, a portion of one user's post chalked it up to fans wanting something from the past and being unwilling ton accept anything else.
"There will always be people who won't accept any Star Trek show that doesn't look and feel like it was made in the 1990s and supervised by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. Just remember that these people are not indicative of the fandom as a whole and their opinions should be discarded," they wrote.
These are all interesting points. The truth is that, yes, plenty of fans hate the show, but there are lots of others who genuinely love it. A 63% fan score on Rotten Tomatoes is pretty bad, but again, it's not indicative of the fandom as a whole.
Picard is off and running on the small screen, and fans would love for the show to drop some great episodes during its time on the air.
