Star Trek: Picard is a wonderful show. It's packed full of the Star Trek lore we love. It's got one of our favorite characters at the helm, plus a slew of delightful new additions. It's got a mystery, nay, a conspiracy that has us hooked. It's definitely a must-watch.
Now that we've convinced you to watch it, only one question remains: how? Should you watch it weekly as it comes out? Or should you wait for the 10 episodes to finish being released and binge-watch it? We've done the work for you and created this handy pros and cons list to help you to decide whether to binge or not to binge.
Weekly: You Won't Waste 10 Hours In Front Of The TV
If you're an active, busy person, the idea of spending an entire 10 hours in front of the television may seem like torture. There are so many things you could be getting done instead! What about cleaning the house, walking the dog, running errands? If you're a go-go-go-er, binging might not be for you.
Watch it weekly instead, consuming one episode at a time. That leaves plenty of time for other tasks and won't stress you out by losing an entire day to the TV. If a good TV-sit makes you shudder, consider watching Picard weekly.
Binge: You Can Settle In With Snacks For The Long Haul
On the other hand, if you love a good marathon, consider binging. Those 10 hours spent in front of the TV are 10 hours you can spend all cozy. Gather your tools: your fuzziest blanket, your favorite lap animal, and some tasty snacks.
Layout a spread for yourself and a few friends. Order pizza halfway through. If you're a binger, there's no urge to do anything other than let auto-play do its job. The 10 hours is pure relaxation.
Weekly: You Can Discuss With Your Friends Between Episodes
Are you someone who likes to debrief on everything you watch? Are you the instigator of water cooler talk at work? Are you diving deep into online chats to meet your needs? If the answer is yes, you may benefit from watching Picard weekly.
Watching one episode a week leaves plenty of time for discussion with your friends, family, or strangers on the internet. Hypothesize about what comes next, note what you hated and what you loved, hype yourself up with the talk. Binging leaves no room for discussion until the very end.
Binge: The LA Premiere Showed The First 3 Episodes Consecutively
If you're looking for a sign that'll help you choose which way to watch Picard, look no further than the Los Angeles premiere. Cast, crew, and journalists were treated to a marathon of the first three episodes of the show. Now, that's what usually happens at premieres for television shows. And screeners sent to journalists often contain more than one episode.
That being said, if you want to do it the way the cast and the reviewers did it, binging is the way to go. You could even split it up into mini binges. The first three episodes, then the next three, and the last four. At least binging the first three would be "authentic."
Weekly: The Delicious Anticipation For Thursdays
Before Picard, Thursday was just another boring day of the week. It's not as lame as Monday, but it's no Friday either. Now, waking up on a Thursday is like Christmas morning. The present, obviously, is a new episode of Picard.
Watching the remaining episodes of the show weekly will keep you excited all week long. Thursday will become your new Friday. So if you need a little pick-me-up in your week, we recommend taking the weekly approach.
Binge: It'll Be Like A Movie
The last Star Trek movie came out in 2016. Despite much discussion about the future of Star Trek films, there's nothing concrete on the horizon. So unless you want to rewatch the many movies that have come before, you're out of luck.
But wait! What if you watched all the Star Trek: Picard episodes in one go? That's a 10-hour movie! Binging Picard would solve the problem of no future movies. It would give you a big chunk of Star Trek to dig into.
Weekly: You Can Savor It
Do you save dessert for after dinner? Or do you just skip all that and eat it for breakfast? If you think the rightful place of dessert is after dinner, you may benefit from a weekly schedule for Picard-watching.
Watching the show weekly will allow you to savor the episode, to digest it. You can go over every event that occurs. You can make sure you're ready for the next episode. You get to enjoy it at your own rate.
Binge: You Won't Forget What Happened Last Week
Sometimes it's hard to remember everything that happened in the previous episode. Sure, there's that little "last time on..." section before the new episode begins, but often that's simply not enough. There is a lot of stuff going on in each episode. It's okay if you can't quite keep it all straight.
Luckily, binge-watching solves this problem. You can watch all the episodes in one go so you're less likely to forget what happened a few hours ago. If you're someone who easily forgets, you might want to binge instead of watch weekly.
Weekly: You'll Stay True To How It Was Released
If you're someone who likes to do things the way they're "meant" to be, you might consider watching Picard weekly. Of course, we can't say for sure what the creators ideally intended, but the fact that the show is being released weekly might be a clue.
It's possible the show is being released weekly to maximize coverage but it's also possible it's the way the creators intended. If it's the latter, and that's important to you, consider watching the show weekly.
Binge: You Now Live In The Star Trek Universe
If you choose to binge-watch the entire season in one sitting, congratulations! You now live in the Star Trek universe! Nothing else exists except you and what's on the television in front of you. You're officially part of Trek.
If this idea horrifies you, watch the show weekly. If this is exactly what you've always wanted, definitely binge the series. After only a few episodes, you'll feel like you're right there next to Picard (Patrick Stewart). A few episodes more and you'll think you're the star. For an all-encompassing experience, binge.