I've been waiting anxiously for the premiere of PICARD since the day the first announcement was made, because I knew I could expect nothing less than the best from Sir Patrick Stewart -- and the first episode definitely delivered. So many wonderful callbacks to the world of ST:TNG, a brand-new mystery, fascinating characters, beautiful cinematography. Part of me wishes the entire season was available now, but I know I'd plunge through it too fast if it was, and I want to savor it. Dole it out to myself a bit at a time.I'm paying no attention to the complainers and naysayers. As I was saying to a friend the other day, something like this is very, very subjective. What passes as "real Star Trek" for me might completely fail for someone else (and it's their right to be unhappy if they have to be). But for me personally, because ST:TNG was always "my" Star Trek (the series I was the most invested in, in a variety of ways), returning to those much beloved characters in a way that opens my imagination and makes me smile with fondness, gasp at the surprises, and shed some tears over terrible loss and missed expectations -- it's all I could ask for, and then some.Five stars. A thousand thumbs up.