Star Trek: Picard Episode 8

by Russ Brown “The Opaque Senator,” GGR contributor

Well, what an eventful couple weeks it has been since my last Picard review. Apparently, if you look at social media, the regular media, or well...talk to anyone, you might as well replace the dialogue with this song...

Well, I'm not getting all bogged down by the apocalypse! These types of events are the reason I think are exactly what shows like Star Trek: Picard are around for: so that we can view and reflect. 

Speaking of reflecting, I wanted to also share a quick thought on the previous episode. Man, how nice was it to see Riker and Troi again? And for a full episode? This is the first time we've seen Riker since the TNG movies; but really, its the first time we didn't see a caricature of Riker since the TNG series ended. Riker was not given much to do in the 4 movies so it was great to see how his actual character evolved in the intervening years. Same with Troi. They were also dealing with their victories and losses as we saw the crew of La Sirena in my episode 6 self-titled review “PTSD” (my name for it at least, haha). Episode 7 to me, presented a road map to Picard from someone he trusts as much as anyone in the galaxy for how to move forward from trauma: you have to look inward, you have to make the best decisions you can, but you also cannot completely forget or try to erase your pain. You have to face it, in some cases daily, and make the best of it. That's what I saw from Riker and his family on Nepenthe in what they meant to Picard and Soji. And honestly, what better bridge to Episode 8, Broken Pieces (there's definitely a theme to season 1)? 

Anyways, setting course at maximum warp. Engage review! 

We start with the season 1 every-episode recurrence of a flashback before we get to the meat of the episode and title screen. This time, we are brought 14 years earlier on  Aia, the Grief World (alright, now they’re just hitting us over the head with it). We see the not-yet Commodore Oh and a Romulan posse about to do some kind of ritual. Oh says that those who can come out of the ritual will be her soldiers moving forward. They all touch the light table as I'll call it, leaving only Narissa able to move beyond the vision of destruction they all see. We see Narissa after a conversation with Oh return to the side of Ramdha, the red-headed Romulan that Soji was questioning about her assimilation from a few episodes prior. We jump to present day with Narissa talking to her now-unconscious aunt Ramdha, who was assimilated by the Borg.

Elsewhere on the Borg cube, Elnor is still hiding and fighting to stay alive. He is about to be captured and killed when his beacon call is answered buy Seven of Nine! Together, they eliminate the rest of the Romulans they are surrounded by, to which Elnor embraces a confused Seven out of thanks. She consoles him.

Cue opening credits. 

We are back on La Sirena, where Picard is giving orders to Rios, whose in a complete fog after seeing Soji. Only after shouting at him, Rios comes to. Rios, still shaken, agrees to get Picard to Deep Space 12 but after that he's done. Raffi introduces herself to Soji, and chastises Picard. She grabs a gun and pulls it on Soji, revealing to Picard Agnes' betrayal. She is (rightly) skeptical of Soji considering Picard's error with Agnes. They return to Agnes, who is still unconscious. They discuss her motives, but they agree she is the one that killed Bruce Maddox. We then jump to Picard, who is having a virtual video conference with Starfleet's Admiral Clancy (I think is her name) who was the original one to deny Picard’s Starfleet reinstatement and request for a ship. After his report, she agrees to send a fleet to meet with them at DS 12. 

Next, we jump to fun little section of the episode where Raffi plays Sherlock Holmes. She approaches each of the Rios holograms that are maintaining the ship one-by-one trying to piece together both Rios' mannerisms since Soji was aboard as well as her theories on the Tal Shiar. This comes in and out of the next several scenes. Santiago Cabrera has a lot of fun playing the variable personalities and accents of the Rios holograms in these intervening scenes. Raffi puts together a lot from these conversations, even bringing all the holograms together at one point. Raffi talks to Rios, and Rios reveals what his PTSD is all about. He had a captain, not all that unlike Picard, who he admired and loved as a surrogate father. While serving on board the Ibn Majid under Captain Alonzo Vandermeer, Rios encountered a diplomat from an unknown world named Janna who looked absolutely identical to Soji. Yep, you guessed it, she was also a synthetic. Starfleet (Commander Oh specifically) ordered Captain Vandermeer to kill her and her companion in cold blood. Stricken with grief and guilt for his actions, Vandermeer killed himself. Rios took this whole thing hard, as he was the one who confronted his old CO about his choices and went hard on him before he did the deed to end his life. Rios spent the next 6 months in turmoil before being kicked out of Starfleet. So, now we know a lot more about his PTSD. Again, this happens in the scenes in between below. 

Raffi looking at a picture drawn by a crewman on the Ibn Majid showing that Janna and Soji look identical.

Back on the cube, Elnor and Seven of Nine are talking while Seven works to create a solution to take control of the cube. She activates it and it starts to regenerate itself. This alerts the Romulans, who work out that their best defense against the Borg coming after them is blowing them out to space and killing all the XB's. Seven of Nine plans to reconnect the Borg to a consciousness...hers...making her the Borg Queen. She hesitates, knowing how that feeling power could hurt her and how being completely controlled always keeps the XB's slaves. She ultimately decides to go through with it. 

Back to the La Sirena, Picard and Soji share a nice conversation. Soji doesn't know who she is, what she likes, has no purpose, she's basically a hyper intelligent and hyper strong teenager. Picard empathizes with her plight and tries to talk through it with her. Picard tells her even though she has no real memories, she has a past and a future, and it lies with Data and his mannerisms. He describes so eloquently who and what Data was (definitely need to watch this scene, it's really nice). Patrick Stewart is still the same actor he always has been. But I finally realized what's really made him stand out more so now than maybe any role he has had before (save maybe Logan) and that is an immense vulnerability. Soji asks him how Picard thinks Data saw him. He says how he hopes Data viewed him, and Soji reveals that Data no doubt “loved” him. 

Later, Agnes awakens to a stern and angry Picard. Picard tells her he is turning her over to Starfleet when they meet. He asks why she killed Maddox. She reveals everything to him that we all know (Commodore Oh's arrival to see her, the mind meld, the vision, and the tracking device). Soji interrupts when Agnes starts to talk about how a synth is supposed to be the end of times. Soji then spends some time with Agnes when Agnes asks her a bunch of questions, the answers to which are all very human. Agnes is amazed by Soji, vowing not to murder anyone else and working for the betterment of the crew. 

Back on the cube, the Romulans extermination of the Borg pushes Seven into action. She activates the cube further, implanting its cables into her. Her eyes go black with green targeting lights and we hear it...

WE ARE BORG. (shivers)

It's amazing. What a battle we're about to watch! But it's not to be. As the Borg begin to activate, Narissa makes her move, and opens the shields and walls of the cube to space, and the Borg who are “waking up” are sucked out to space in droves. We see Seven scream in pain and anger “NO!” Honestly, whoever would have thought an enemy like the Borg would have me showing pity? I'll talk more about that in a second.

Back to the ship, the crew huddles. Agnes makes her vow to them, Rios brings an odd concoction to Soji that he knew Janna liked (peppermint ice cream of some kind with french fries). Soji is confused, as she loves it. Rios reveals the connection of Soji and Janna. Raffi reveals the Romulan vision, as she's figured out why Commodore Oh is after the synths. It's basically their Book of Revelations. Something comes when synths get close to being completely equal or superior to humans, and destroys everything. She also reveals how Oh is the mole who burrowed herself into Starfleet, and how she's the cause of the Mars attack even to prevent the further creation and research of synthetics. With Narek's mind manipulation of Soji, they realize the entire Zhat Vash is going to where Soji revealed her dreams were. Soji takes control of the ship and sets a course for her home, but Rios intervenes by activating a fail safe. Though Picard convinces Rios and the crew to “do it Soji's way” and try to save her home planet. 

Off they go through the Borg trans-warp conduit we saw in Voyager.

Back on the Borg cube, Narissa gets ambushed by another group of Borg being controlled by Seven, but she narrowly escapes by getting warped out. After being asked by Elnor if Seven would assimilate him, Seven releases control and says “Annika still has work to do.”

Back on La Sirena, Picard and Rios have a bonding moment over Rios' former captain. Picard had met him and revealed his belief that he “was a good man” despite the actions he took. Rios is saddened, revealing how he had hoped it was Starfleet that had betrayed him and not his captain. Picard says “Starfleet DID betray them”. Yes, Oh laid the trap, but they could have “merely side-stepped it.”

Picard reveals they clearly gave way to fear and that is why events have led to where they are. Rios then brings it back to the here and now, saying  that Soji “had hacked his ship in 5 minutes, and that now there may be a whole planet of synths? What if the Romulans were right?” Picard, ever the optimist, says he only knows they were right about the past, but that the future hasn't been written yet, and there are powerful tools on their side to prevent another apocalypse. Soji returns to the cockpit and they arrive to the trans-warp conduit. Nefariously, Narek's ship was in hiding and follows them out. Cue ending credits. 

First thing I have to mention, how is it possible I now feel for the Borg? Even towards the beginning of the series, as Picard himself says in episode 6, “they are a cancer, they metastasize.” Now, between Seven's interaction and reaction to them, as well as Hugh's work on the XB's, I find myself feeling sorry for them. Most of the Borg truly are just slaves, overtaken and controlled by a select few. It's amazing, first with the Klingons, then (some) Romulans, now even the Borg. Star Trek has an amazing way for building up villains and having us show the other side. Even the current crop of Romulans, tough and assassin-like as they are, are truly only trying to prevent the apocalypse. Whatever their means, they look at this whole situation as key to their survival. There have been a lot of movies lately that have done a great job writing villains, but not as many television shows in my opinion. Star Trek is writing some deep and complex antagonists. They've really done a great job continuing to mirror today's life; lines between people blurring, society giving way to fear and things feeling like their on imminent collapse. It's been well-written and very interesting, not to mention, entertaining.

But they aren't forgetting to add a bit of fun in the chaos and difficult scenes. The multiple Rios holograms and Santiago's acting as each of them was super fun, yet also plot relevant. Soji, though in a serious situation, still finds elements of compassion and humor in her when interacting with Picard, Agnes, and Rios. Raffi, very under the radar, is vindicated. All her theories and worrying have been founded. First about Agnes, then about the Mars attack, then the Romulans and their intentions. Elnor's moment at the beginning of the episode with Seven of Nine, and her reaction were also very under the radar. Elnor, though a skilled warrior and fighter who has racked up a kill count now, is still very innocent and child-like. Seven, though a bounty hunter basically and shrugging off emotions, shows some of the humanity she's gained since being enslaved by the Borg. I'm very curious what her and Elnor are going to do with the cube.

I'm excited for the remainder of the season. It appears episodes 9 and 10 will be a two part finale to season 1. So strap in everyone for what looks to be a great season 1 conclusion. Also, stay safe out there amid all the craziness of our current world. Engage!...in the washing of your hands and maintenance of your hygiene.

Until next time folks, Senator out!