I just finished the penultimate episode of Star Trek Picard. I have the credit score to First Contact playing as I type. And I’ve wiped the tears of joy from my eyes.

All I can think is… this is all we really wanted.

I grew up with American mythology. You can call it comic books or science fiction. But it speaks to something greater, something we’ve lost.

Something has been taken from the last few generations; a gift that we were granted. Heroes. Characters that taught us that honor, self-sacrifice and our fellow man were more important than our own desires.

As I watched the final moments of the 9th episode of Picard (Season 3), what I saw was pure… well, I suppose that covers it. Pure. Seven people united by duty and love, willing to risk it all against hopeless odds.

I’ve watched my favorite characters and stories shredded and burned time and time again by modern writers with no sense of the grandiose nature of mythology. I keep hearing about how I’m somehow a bigot just because I wanted Luke Skywalker to save the day in his own franchise. We’re all just bitter old men, they say. We want to hate everything.

But if you give us greatness, we will be grateful.

Star Wars fans were denied the opportunity to see our childhood heroes together again, one last time in all their glory, against the Dark Side of the Force and the might of the Empire.

Babylon 5 fans will never get that chance, as so many of the beloved actors have been lost to what feels like a curse.

Deep Space 9 simply couldn’t and shouldn’t be replicated.

But as I sit here typing, I’m grateful. I had one last chance to see the crew of the Enterprise D together again… exploring the vast depths of space and philosophy.

And it gives me hope.