3-10. The Last Generation.

Picard and the Enterprise save the Earth one last time.

Original Air Date: Apr. 20, 2023. Written by: Terry Matalas. Directed by: Terry Matalas.


THE PLOT:

The Borg have taken control of Starfleet!

With Jack in the Borg Queen (Alice Krige)'s clutches and acting as a transmitter, the Borg have remotely assimilated every Starfleet officer under age 25, granting them total control over all the starships assembled for Frontier Day. Earth's Spacedock is managing to hold off the assault, but Riker grimly observes that their defenses won't last long.

Seven and Raffi retake the Titan, using the ship's cloaking device to evade the Borg signal. Seven launches a series of sudden, short attacks on the assimilated starships to buy additional time. Meanwhile, Picard and his team take the reconstructed Enterprise D to the Borg Cube to confront the Queen directly. For Picard, it's a last chance to face his greatest enemy - and to rescue his son.


CHARACTERS:

Picard: It's clear that he doesn't expect to come back. The first half of the episode sees him making a series of farewells - to his old crew, to Riker specifically, and to Beverly. He not only forgives Beverly for keeping Jack's existence a secret, he acknowledges her choice in prioritizing the protection of their son: "You thought of Jack from the beginning, shielding him from danger. You did everything right." He faces his greatest fear - reassimilation by the Borg - in order to connect with his son. But first he directly gives Riker command of the mission: "I can no longer be your captain. I now have to be a father."

Riker: He is instantly nervous when they beam to the Borg Cube and discover no drones waiting for them. He observes that in all his years, he never had a "too quiet" moment that turned out well. As a father himself, he understands Picard's priorities completely. When the Enterprise tells him that time is growing short and that the ship will have to take action, Riker refuses to beam out without Picard, even knowing that this decision might mean his death.

Worf: "There was a moment today where I was worried we might actually survive." Worf has been awesome all season, and that carries through to the finale. He doesn't hesitate to join Picard and Riker in beaming to the Cube, even though he seems fatalistically resigned to their likely fate. He also acknowledges his friendship with Raffi with a particularly well-judged gift.

Data: Admits that he is having some trouble adjusting to having full emotions. Not, thankfully, in the manner of Star Trek: Generations' annoying "emotion chip" subplot, but rather in the way ordinary people sometimes struggle with strong emotions: an image that evokes nostalgia, such as a crew member petting a cat, or a strong feeling of hatred for the Borg over the misery they cause. This is generally well written, getting just enough attention to convince as part of Data's journey without being allowed to distract from the main plot.

Seven of Nine: The script wisely focuses on the TNG crew, splitting Seven and Raffi off in their own subplot on the Titan. Seven improvises like mad to disrupt the Borg plan as much as she can with the limited resources available. She is left with a very small crew that includes a nervous cook with some past piloting experience. She deals well with this, encouraging the man without coddling him. The implications of a modification she and Raffi make to their phasers is something that I'd love to see future Trek projects address, by the way.

Jack Crusher: It's made clear why his capture was so essential to the villains, as the Borg need him to transmit their assimilation signal. This does mostly make him more a plot device than a character in this episode: the mechanism of the Borg plan and the object of Picard's attempted rescue. Still, he gets a decent character moment within the Collective, where he finds the sense of belonging that's always eluded him - which is what Picard has to argue and urge against when he connects with him near the end.

Others: This season has a large ensemble, and it's inevitable that some characters will be moved to the background. To writer Terry Matalas's credit, every regular gets at least one moment. Geordi is left in command of the Enterprise, and he trusts Data with a near-impossible task. Dr. Crusher shows remarkable competence at tactical, surprising the others; as she explains, she hasn't exactly been idle over the last twenty years, which have involved a lot of running from various adversaries. Deanna's strong connection to Riker plays a critical role at the end. Meanwhile, on the Titan, Raffi provides unwavering support to Seven - though her best character scene comes opposite Worf. None of them are the focus of the episode, but they all get a moment or two to shine.


THOUGHTS:

Season Three of Picard has revolved, in large part, around themes of family and connection. The Last Generation does an excellent job of folding these into both the story and its resolution. Picard and Jack have awkwardly attempted to connect as father and son all season. By contrast, Jack's assimilation by the Borg sees him feeling an instant and effortless connection, one that Picard attempts to persuade him is illusory.

The Borg Queen describes the Cube as Picard's "true family." Picard reaches Jack through sacrifice: surrendering his command to "be a father" and facing his greatest fear in order to reach him. Deanna's link to Riker (her family) plays a major role in the climax. Even the epilogue carries the theme through, from Raffi's reconciliation with her son to the final scene of the old TNG crew sitting down for a hand of poker as the credits roll.

While I find myself somewhat missing the standalone storytelling of older Trek series, a well-paced season arc offers a big advantage: If previous episodes have done their jobs properly, the finale can hit the ground running. Previous episodes of this season established the overall relationships, as well as the situation and the stakes. That leaves this episode free to zip right into the action. The threads are quickly established: Seven on the Titan, trying to delay the Borg attack; Picard, Riker, and Worf on the Borg Cube; and the Enterprise crew. The episode moves quickly, with plenty of action and incident, but it never feels rushed or overstuffed. As a result, in addition to thematic unity, The Last Generation benefits from being extremely enjoyable to watch.

Complaints are relatively minor. The Seven/Raffi strand feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the episode; it would not be difficult to rewrite this script to remove them entirely. The worry I expressed in the previous review, that the Borg would render the previous changeling threat into an afterthought, ends up being fully realized. Exposition tells us that the changelings were important to the Borg plan. Still, after previous episodes made the changeling infiltration all encompassing, leaving Picard and his crew with nowhere to turn for help, in this episode the changelings are suddenly unmentioned and irrelevant. I could charitably posit that, after the failure of the plan, the infiltrators decided to pull out and wait for another opportunity... but it does feel as if the changelings went from practically omnipotent in previous episodes to borderline irrelevant at the end.


OVERALL:

Despite my gripe about the treatment of the changelings, this was an overall excellent finale. It uses themes established throughout the season in a way that connects both to the overall threat and to the characters. It finds important things for every character to do. It also moves fast and is highly enjoayble to watch.

I'll put more thoughts together about the season as a whole for my season overview. Ultimately, though, Picard's best season ends on a strong note. It's not quite the season's best episode - but it's a good episode, and a worthy finale.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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3-09. Võx.

An old enemy lies behind the mysterious red door in Jack's subconscious...

Original Air Date: Apr. 13, 2023. Written by: Sean Tretta, Kiley Rossetter. Directed by: Terry Matalas.


THE PLOT:

With the Frontier Day celebration about to begin, and still with little idea what the changelings are planning or why they are pursuing Jack, Deanna uses her abilities to try to guide the young man into opening the red door that lies in his subconscious. She is able to prod Jack into opening the door - and is shocked to discover the Borg waiting on the other side!

When the Borg assimilated Picard and turned him into Locutus, they also rewrote his DNA. This is the source of Jack's abilities. He is a Borg "transmitter," able to seize control of assimilated or partially assimilated Borg. Jack responds to the news by fleeing, stealing a shuttle and taking off for an unknown area of space.

Picard does not have the luxury of following. If Jack's abilities were Borg, then how was he able to take control of members of the Titan crew? The answer lies in the theft of Picard's original remains from Daystrom - and in the transporters the changelings have been using throughout Starfleet.

Picard and his crew rush back toward Earth. It may already be too late to stop a disaster, however. Thanks to the changeling infiltrators, the Borg assimilation of Starfleet has already begun - without anyone even noticing it...


CHARACTERS:

Picard: "It's my responsibility. I'm the cause. It's my fault." Picard already felt guilt at Jack inheriting his Irumodic Syndrome, which is only worsened when he discovers that what Jack inherited was actually a link to the Borg Collective. The scars of his own assimilation affect his attempt to talk to Jack. His usual compassion is blunted by his memories of being forced to do the Borg's bidding. He prioritizes the need for precautions over clear explanations, which only pushes Jack to flee that much faster than he otherwise might have.

Deanna: The instant she sees the Borg in Jack's mind, she leaves, locking him in sickbay as she runs to tell the others what she's found. This is the right thing to do; for all she knows, telling Jack might activate some dormant program. However, it also makes a lie out of her promise that whatever's behind that red door, he won't be left to face it alone - adding an extra dollop of betrayal onto the young man's fear.

Jack Crusher: It's hardly surprising Jack is thrown into turmoil. Within a short time frame, he's had his existence turned upside down: he's been hunted, he's been told that he has Irumodic Syndrome, he's discovered that he has impossible abilities, he's had Vadic dangle the prospect of answers in front of him, and now he learns that he's a product of the Borg's assimilation of his father. There's basically been no rest for him to come to terms with anything. The action that he settles on is rash and ill-advised... but given his week, I'd have been surprised if he had been in a fit state to stop, think, and listen at this point.

Capt. Shaw: After realizing the Borg connection, Picard orders the ship to Earth. This prompts Shaw, in his role as the Designated Realist, to point out that everyone who is hunting them will be there. But when Picard tells him that this is their only option, he no longer argues. Instead, he lets out a resigned sigh - "Of course it is." - and gives the order. Over the course of the season, he's gone from an adversary to a proper member of Picard's crew, albeit one who doesn't hesitate to point out uncomfortable realities. He also is once again paired with Seven, finally showing her the respect of calling her the name she identifies with.


FAN SERVICE, IN THE BEST WAY:

One area in which I've generally been impressed by Star Trek: Picard is in its careful balance of fan service against being its own show. From the beginning, Picard has done a fine job of using nostalgia just enough to enhance without allowing it to overwhelm the story. There have certainly been occasions that I've found the stories themselves a bit lacking (Season Two), but the use of past elements has largely shown restraint and careful judgment.

I think that might be one reason why the final ten minutes of this episode works so well. For the first time, in the closing Act of its penultimate episode, Picard leans fully into fanservice. I watched Encounter at Farpoint back in 1987. I was one of the kids in the schoolyard dismissing TNG as "fake Star Trek" and "diet Star Trek," and I watched as it slowly transformed into a cultural touchstone in its own right. I have a hard time believing that too many fans of my generation weren't at least somewhat moved by this episode's closing minutes.

Yes, it's blatant fanservice. But as a fan, I felt well-served - and I think it lands just right because the series has been cautious in its reliance on fanservice elements up to this point. In short, by the time Picard finally goes full fanservice, it's earned the privilege.


OTHER MUSINGS:

"So how much of me is me?"
-Jack Crusher asks the season's key question. As of yet, it goes unanswered.

Questions of identity and inheritance have pervaded the season. Picard, Jack, and Beverly have all grappled with what traits Jack inherited. Picard keeps defaulting to seeing his worst traits in Jack: his stubbornness, his willfulness, more than a hint of his youthful arrogance. But Jack has also displayed courage, quick thinking, and even selflessness on multiple occasions - which is to say, some of Picard's best characteristics.

Throughout the season, the characters have talked about Jack almost as an extension of Picard, though. Riker marvels at the similarities he sees between them. Picard worries about the traits he's left the young man. Jack has worried about the same, from the Irumodic Syndrome to this episode's revelation of inherited Borg influence. At every turn, the characters seem to ignore what Geordi and Sidney acknowledged about each other back in The Bounty - that whatever was passed on, Jack, like Sidney, is also his own person.

Jack ends this episode by coming face to face with the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), who also sees him not as himself but rather as an extension of her will. I am hoping that the finale will actually come back to the thread of Jack's own identity, however, to answer the question quoted above: Beyond what he inherited from Picard, from Dr. Crusher, from the Borg, who is he? Given how much of the season has circled around that question, I'll feel a bit churlish if Jack as himself isn't important.

Beyond that, Võx is a solid episode. This is another installment that's mostly there to put the characters in place for the finale, so I suspect more detailed thoughts will wait until the finale. I will say that the nature of the Borg assimilation is rather clever. The mechanism is unique, but it also makes sense given the way the Borg have previously been shown to work.


OVERALL:

I have a few worries about the Borg revelation. Picard has spent the entire season building up the threat of a changeling infiltration. The bait and switch with the Borg has the potential to be interesting... but it also runs the risk of making the changelings, up until now the season's villains, into irrelevance.

I will hope that the finale manages to pull all the threads together.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Surrender
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