Maybe so, but most good shows don't need such obviouly written fan surrogates there on the screen to prop up their heroes.
well, you don't turn 97 over night. (unless, of course, you're 96 on the evening before your birthday)
I didn't see them as fan surrogates. I saw them as characters there to help Picard navigate his daily life. It seems he's written a lot of books on history, and if that was his "career", then he would need people to tend to the vineyard.
They were his family, ersatz Riker and Troi, Crusher even, people he had saved that tied into the overall story, formed a bit of a callback to his relationship with Spock, even a slight callback to when he was The Picard to the Mintakans. With their position on his vineyard, you could even stretch them to being a representation of Federation Colonialism, but he treats them as equals. Plus, I think he’s got something going on with Lady Romulan. She fixed his collar. That’s the Wifey Manuver.
Great first episode, possibly one of the best of the whole franchise. I just read this review: "Star Trek Picard Premiere is a Return to Form" and totally agree with it!
At the very least, they've shown me today that they are capable of making good Star Trek. It brightens my feelings towards Discovery season three.
.. or perhaps a live-in housekeeper who cares deeply about her employer who literally saved her life.
The notable thing is they don't treat him as their equal. Like fans, they appear to feel entirely indebted to him. And that's probably warranted, but it is what it is when viewed from this side of the screen.
Yes, they revere him for who he is and have a deep respect for his way of living in treating all people as equals.
I'm not so sure. This will be about doing the "right" thing along with some action-adventure and moralizing. The format may be a bit different, but it still felt like TNG in spirit to me.