Paramount+’s “Star Trek: Picard” is an homage to a generation of ’90s “Trek” fans who followed the seven-season and four-movie heroics of the “Next Generation” crew of the USS Enterprise. It offers a master class to holders of similarly valuable IP in how to delight fans both old and new. And in today’s crowded and highly competitive streaming landscape, it should offer a powerful incentive for Paramount to give fans more of what they want.
“Star Trek: Picard” is the most successful “Star Trek” show streaming today, according to viewership data from Samba TV. Not only did the Season 3 premiere perform well for Paramount+, topping the Season 4 premiere of “Star Trek Discovery” by more than 40%, but momentum built week after week as showrunner Terry Matalas and colleagues reintroduced a delightful cadence of familiar fan-favorite characters with each episode.