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| 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
Next Episode: The Last Generation
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