With 2020’s CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard, Patrick Stewart came home to the role that made him famous, Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

On this 3-Blu-ray set, we find all 10 episodes for 2022’s second season of Picard. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.

The Star Gazer: “Starfleet must once again call on legendary Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) after members of his former crew - Cristóbal Rios (Santiago Cabrera), Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), and Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) - discover an anomaly in space that threatens the galaxy.”

After an action-packed opening, “Gazer” goes back a couple days in time to reintroduce the main characters. This feels slightly unnecessary but manages to offer adequate exposition to launch the series’ second year – and perhaps the producers felt it necessary given two years between seasons.

Eventually “Gazer” builds toward a mission, one that feels more than slightly reminiscent of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Derivative elements aside, “Gazer” offers a reasonably positive start to Season Two.

Penance: “Picard finds himself transported to an alternate timeline in the year 2400 where his longtime nemesis, Q (John DeLancie) has orchestrated one final ‘trial’, Picard searches for his trusted crew as he attempts to find the cause of this dystopian future.”

Trek always loved its “alternate timelines” stories, and “Penance” falls into that category. Despite the well-worn nature of the topic, the episode finds some clever twists and becomes an intriguing launch into a narrative theme for S2.

Assimiliation: “Picard and the crew travel back to 2024 Los Angeles in search of the ‘Watcher’, who can help them identify the point at which time diverged. Seven, Raffi and Rios venture out into an unfamiliar world 400 years in their past, while Picard and Jurati attempt to gather information from an unlikely - and dangerous - ally.”

How to save money on a sci-fi series? Take the characters back in time… to the present day!

Okay, Picard goes to 2024, but close enough. It’s not like we’re gonna have flying cars by then.

Unlike some time travel tales, “Assimilation” doesn’t use the setting for overt anachronistic laughs – at least not yet, though future episodes may go that way. “Assimilation” becomes a bit spotty – and offers some predictable moments connected to Rios and the beautiful doctor who treats him – but it does enough to advance the season’s narrative to work.

Watcher: “With time running out to save the future, Picard takes matters into his own hands and seeks out an old friend for help. Meanwhile, Rios ends up on the wrong side of the law and Jurati makes a deal with the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching).”

If nothing else, “Watcher” scores points due to a fun callback to Star Trek IV, and it brings back a prominent Next Genertation character too – in a much younger incarnation, that is. The rest of the episode doesn’t dazzle but it offers some useful momentum.

Fly Me to the Moon: “Picard discovers an important person from his past may be integral to the divergence in the timeline. Q continues his manipulation of the timeline, taking an interest in Dr. Adam Soong (Brent Spiner). Seven and Raffi attempt a daring rescue of Rios, while Jurati faces the consequences of her deal with the Borg Queen.”

Of course, Spiner’s appearance becomes the big draw here, though we get a cameo from a Picard director better known as a 1980s actor too. These fun elements combine with engaging story elements to make “Fly” one of the better episodes to date.

Two of One: “Tallinn helps Picard and the crew infiltrate a gala on the eve of a joint space mission to protect an astronaut they believe is integral in restoring the timeline - Renee Picard; Kore makes a startling discovery about her father's work.”

“Two” offers something of a caper show, as the crew needs to get Renee onto a space mission. This allows for some excitement as well as the usual drama.

Monsters: “Tallinn enters Picard's subconscious mind to help him wake from a coma and face his deepest fears; Seven and Raffi search for Jurati fearing she's succumbed to her inner monster; Rios struggles to hide the truth about himself from Teresa.”

With Picard in a coma, “Monsters” becomes more about his internal life than anything else. This leads us down a dark and compelling journey.

Mercy: “With time running out before the launch of the Europa Mission, Picard and Guinan must free themselves from FBI custody. Seven and Raffi come face-to-face with Jurati and the horror of what she's become.”

As S2 nears its end, “Mercy” ups the ante on various story domains. Some of these fare better than others, but they nonetheless come together well enough to make this a solid episode.

Hide and Seek: “Picard must face the ghosts of his past when he and his crew are attacked by a new incarnation of an old enemy; Seven and Raffi face Jurati in a final showdown.”

With S2’s penultimate episode, “Seek” builds the tension related to the existing story domains. It pushes toward the finale in a worthwhile manner.

Farewell: “With just hours until the Europa Launch, Picard and the crew find themselves in a race against time to save the future.”

S2 reaches a not unsurprising conclusion here, though it comes with some twists – and a few fun cameos. “Farewell” delivers a satisfying finish to an enjoyable collection of shows.

Picard appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on these Blu-ray Discs. Expect strong visuals.

Sharpness worked well. Wide shots occasionally came across as a little soft, but the majority of the episodes appeared accurate and well-defined.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

Colors leaned a little toward the usual amber and teal, but many other tones arrived as well. These looked lively and full.

Blacks appeared deep and dense, while shadows felt smooth and concise. The shows offered pleasing visuals.

I also felt pleased with the dynamic DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of Picard. With plenty of action across the episodes, the material often came to life.

This meant the speakers got a lot of usage, what with many moments that created vivid set pieces. All the elements integrated well and created an encompassing collection of soundfields.

Audio quality worked well, with speech that seemed natural and concise. Music showed nice range and fidelity.

Effects came across as accurate and dynamic, with deep lows. The audio suited the shows.

Three episodes come with Deleted Scenes. We find clips for “Assimilation” (3 scenes, 2:41), “Fly Me to the Moon” (3, 3:18), “Monsters” (2, 1:18), and “Farewell” (2, 2:11).

These tend toward modest additions such as a longer intro to Doctor Ramirez or a bit with “Q” and a waitress. Most of the scenes feel interesting but inessential.

On Disc One, The USS Stargazer spans 18 minutes, 29 seconds and provides comments from production designer Dave Blass, executive producer Terry Matalas, concept illustrators John Eaves and Doug Drexler, supervising producer Jason Zimmerman, graphic designer Michael Okuda, computer playback supervisor Todd Marks, and actor Patrick Stewart.

The featurette looks at the design and creation of the series’ main ship. It gives us a solid view of this domain.

The Chateau spans 15 minutes, 24 seconds and involves Blass, Stewart, property master Jeffrey Lombardi, lead creature designer Neville Page, and prosthetic designer Vincent Van Dyke.

Here we learn about the Chateau set and its execution, with an emphasis on production design. Expect another informative little reel.

Disc One opens with an ad for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season Two.

On Disc Three, The Trial Is Over goes for 12 minutes, four seconds and offers notes from Stewart, co-creator Alex Kurtzman, executive producer Akiva Goldsman and actor John de Lancie.

“Trial” covers the return of “Q” and his use in Picard. The show offers some useful notes about the role and the series’ take on him.

Rebuilding the Borg Queen occupies 11 minutes, 11 seconds with remarks from Page, Van Dyke, Zimmerman, makeup and prosthetics department head James MacKinnon, and actor Annie Wersching,

Unsurprisingly, “Rebuilding” looks at the series’ version of the Borg Queen. Plenty of insights emerge.

Next comes Picard Props, a 12-minute, six-second reel that features Lombardi as he takes us through many of the season’s gadgets and elements. We get a fun view of these objects.

Picard Passages fills 24 minutes, 59 seconds with material from Stewart, Goldsman, Wersching, and actors Orla Brady, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Jeri Ryan, Alison Pill, and Santiago Cabrera.

“Passages” covers the season’s story and character arcs as well as cast and performances. A few insights emerge but not a lot of substance results.

Finally, a Gag Reel runs three minutes, 55 seconds and displays the usual goofs and giggles. Nothing especially unusual emerges.

Season One of Star Trek: Picard seemed up and down, but Season Two feels more consistent and satisfying, as it tells a compelling tales across its episodes. The Blu-rays come with strong picture and audio as well as a decent collection of bonus materials. I look forward to Season Three.