Star Trek: Picard is better when it embraces its silly side

Slate

"Picard thus far has been a relatively somber entry in the Trek canon, down to the contemporary-feeling jackets and sweaters the characters tend to wear, but at the sight of these goofy costumes, (last week's) episode instantly felt more like Trek to me than any previous Picard episodes did," says Megan Kallstrom, adding: "Despite what Picard has shown us so far, Star Trek in its heyday was rarely about grand schemes to save the galaxy. Rather, its focus was exploration, wherever that pursuit led, and the occasional silliness of that journey is a classic part of the franchise. Sure, exploration could involve confronting major threats and weighing ethical questions, but it could also involve situations where the unknown is less dangerous and more misunderstood, like the rocklike Horta, or downright silly, like the fuzzy, multiplying Tribbles—or even just a nuisance, like Q."