CONTAINS SPOILERS
So, Picard is finally out in space. The first time Star Trek took off on an arc-long mission into unknown space, we were with Captain Archer looking for the Xindi, and that was widely regarded as a plotting mistake. It wasn't written well, with lengthy detours and difficulties in motivation and tempo. And so, when I realised that Picard wasn't going to go directly to hunt down Maddox on Freecloud, I became concerned. All voyages that take detours get bogged down and lose their way, and it never goes well.
Nevertheless, Picard wants to go to Vashti, en route to Freecloud. Vashti, as we discover during the pre-credits sequence was one of the first Romulan Reclamation camps set up even before the Synth attack on Mars, and Picard was well-regarded there, due to his key role in the Romulan evacuation. There is a special Romulan group on Vashti, known as the Qowat Milat - inaccurately but simply described as Romulan warrior-nuns; assassins that you can hire (except they aren't assassins and you can't hire them). Most importantly, they are the feared enemies of the Tal Shiar, and they believe in absolute candour (which is the exact opposite of typical Romulan behaviour).
I was delighted to see Raffi's gentle insistence that they stick to the plan. My concerns about the plot wandering off course are alleviated.
Picard does not get the reception he was expecting at Vashti - his suggestion that his crew, "Call Central Station and tell them it's me," was not well-received on the planet. We continue to see the Picard is not as welcome as he used to be, and his name doesn't carry the gravitas it used to have - Starfleet are not impressed; Raffi is not amused; the Romulans aren't much impressed either. Picard isn't a has-been, but he's not the hero he thinks he is, or was. Nevertheless, he beams down... and still gets a cold reception. I suspect this is because Starfleet stopped the evacuation of Romulus following the attack on Mars. Nonetheless, he is welcomed again by the Qowat Milat, and I spy another crew member joining Picard's band of three musketeers.
On the Borg Cube/Romulan Reclamation Camp, Soji and the Romulan brother continue to play cat and mouse. After an initial burst of interest in this relationship, this has settled down into a steady game of espionage and counter-espionage. Thankfully, there is plenty of intrigue in the Borg Cube and the secrets it holds to keep their relationship interesting, although sliding down a shiny corridor seems a bit mundane and decidedly disappointing. They're both keeping secrets, but they're open secrets - they both have information they could trade. She has information on her past; he has information on the Borg.
There is an extended and creepy scene between Narissa and Narek, the Romulan sister and brother who are trying to uncover the identities of all the synths. Their relationship is downright weird, and makes for some unpleasant and uncomfortable viewing. Narek has his plan - to enable Soji to uncover her true identity slowly and through questioning her own personal history - and to be fair, it seems to be working. His sister, however, driven by jealousy or pressure from the Tal Shiar (or whoever) wants results sooner and is losing patience.
Back on Vashti, Picard's mixed reception continues. He's welcomed by the older members of the Qowat Milat, but their young ward, Elnor, is unhappy and bitter at Picard, and reflects the feelings of the rest of the planet's population. Picard attempts to recruit Elnor to his 'quest', outlining the story so far, and Picard's need for - well, a bodyguard. He has his own ingenuity; Raffi's paranoia and skills in security; Jurati's science skill, Rios at the conn - if he was assembling a bridge crew, then he needs someone at tactical. In the absence of a suitable Starfleet Klingon, he's hoping to recruit a Romulan.
However, Elnor is not willing to follow Picard in his quest. There is significant and deeply-felt resentment to Starfleet for abandoning the Romulans - collectively, to their fate on Romulus, and across the planet, for leaving them in a poor, barren wilderness. Picard is the personal embodiment of all that these Romulans resent, and this is made abundantly clear through various devices, the most obvious of which is the "Romulans only" sign on the outdoor cafe (Picard tears it down at tramples on it. Classic), and culminates in a sword fight in the town square. Picard is in no state to defend himself, and declines to fight. Elnor flies in (well, almost) and with a swift swipe of his sword beheads Picard's would-be attacker. It's brutal, it's quick, and it's surprisingly gore-free - think of a lightsaber wound. Picard is disgusted and appalled by Elnor's actions, and after their swift beam-out demands that Elnor does not engage in battle again without Picard's approval.
The final sequence of the episode is the space battle between the Romulans (in an antiquated bird of prey) and Picard's crew on the La Sirena (The Mermaid). The Romulans may have an out-of-date ship, but they also have the planet's orbital defence system on their side. There's no real sense of danger here - the arrival of the Emergency Tactical Officer, an inept Spanish-speaking hologram, sees to that - but the ship is taking shield damage. The crew are aided by the surprise arrival of a small, agile fighter vessel, which helps Picard and crew disable the Romulan bird of prey. It's exciting stuff, with phasers and flying - and the battle results in the small fighter being critically damaged.
Classic moment of the episode: "Open a channel" from Picard, on somebody else's bridge, acknowledging a hail from the damaged fighter's pilot. Clearly there are some chains of command to be sorted out, but it played out well.
And who is the mystery pilot? None other than Seven of Nine, who insists on a replacement ship before passing out.
So, Picard gets two crew members for the price of one. We have Rios as the captain (or first officer, depending on the situation); Jurati at Science; Raffi at Ops; Elnor at Security or Tactical or both, and now Seven. As Kathryn Janeway would tell you, every bridge crew needs a Borg. Now, hopefully, on to Freecloud.
Footnotes:
Why, when the holomatrix of Picard's study is paused, and the birds freeze in mid-air, does the fire in his study keep burning?
Again with the f-bomb. Seriously, writers: why? It's as unexpected and unwelcome as a wrong note played loudly during a piano recital.
So, Picard is finally out in space. The first time Star Trek took off on an arc-long mission into unknown space, we were with Captain Archer looking for the Xindi, and that was widely regarded as a plotting mistake. It wasn't written well, with lengthy detours and difficulties in motivation and tempo. And so, when I realised that Picard wasn't going to go directly to hunt down Maddox on Freecloud, I became concerned. All voyages that take detours get bogged down and lose their way, and it never goes well.
Nevertheless, Picard wants to go to Vashti, en route to Freecloud. Vashti, as we discover during the pre-credits sequence was one of the first Romulan Reclamation camps set up even before the Synth attack on Mars, and Picard was well-regarded there, due to his key role in the Romulan evacuation. There is a special Romulan group on Vashti, known as the Qowat Milat - inaccurately but simply described as Romulan warrior-nuns; assassins that you can hire (except they aren't assassins and you can't hire them). Most importantly, they are the feared enemies of the Tal Shiar, and they believe in absolute candour (which is the exact opposite of typical Romulan behaviour).
I was delighted to see Raffi's gentle insistence that they stick to the plan. My concerns about the plot wandering off course are alleviated.
Picard does not get the reception he was expecting at Vashti - his suggestion that his crew, "Call Central Station and tell them it's me," was not well-received on the planet. We continue to see the Picard is not as welcome as he used to be, and his name doesn't carry the gravitas it used to have - Starfleet are not impressed; Raffi is not amused; the Romulans aren't much impressed either. Picard isn't a has-been, but he's not the hero he thinks he is, or was. Nevertheless, he beams down... and still gets a cold reception. I suspect this is because Starfleet stopped the evacuation of Romulus following the attack on Mars. Nonetheless, he is welcomed again by the Qowat Milat, and I spy another crew member joining Picard's band of three musketeers.
On the Borg Cube/Romulan Reclamation Camp, Soji and the Romulan brother continue to play cat and mouse. After an initial burst of interest in this relationship, this has settled down into a steady game of espionage and counter-espionage. Thankfully, there is plenty of intrigue in the Borg Cube and the secrets it holds to keep their relationship interesting, although sliding down a shiny corridor seems a bit mundane and decidedly disappointing. They're both keeping secrets, but they're open secrets - they both have information they could trade. She has information on her past; he has information on the Borg.
There is an extended and creepy scene between Narissa and Narek, the Romulan sister and brother who are trying to uncover the identities of all the synths. Their relationship is downright weird, and makes for some unpleasant and uncomfortable viewing. Narek has his plan - to enable Soji to uncover her true identity slowly and through questioning her own personal history - and to be fair, it seems to be working. His sister, however, driven by jealousy or pressure from the Tal Shiar (or whoever) wants results sooner and is losing patience.
Back on Vashti, Picard's mixed reception continues. He's welcomed by the older members of the Qowat Milat, but their young ward, Elnor, is unhappy and bitter at Picard, and reflects the feelings of the rest of the planet's population. Picard attempts to recruit Elnor to his 'quest', outlining the story so far, and Picard's need for - well, a bodyguard. He has his own ingenuity; Raffi's paranoia and skills in security; Jurati's science skill, Rios at the conn - if he was assembling a bridge crew, then he needs someone at tactical. In the absence of a suitable Starfleet Klingon, he's hoping to recruit a Romulan.
However, Elnor is not willing to follow Picard in his quest. There is significant and deeply-felt resentment to Starfleet for abandoning the Romulans - collectively, to their fate on Romulus, and across the planet, for leaving them in a poor, barren wilderness. Picard is the personal embodiment of all that these Romulans resent, and this is made abundantly clear through various devices, the most obvious of which is the "Romulans only" sign on the outdoor cafe (Picard tears it down at tramples on it. Classic), and culminates in a sword fight in the town square. Picard is in no state to defend himself, and declines to fight. Elnor flies in (well, almost) and with a swift swipe of his sword beheads Picard's would-be attacker. It's brutal, it's quick, and it's surprisingly gore-free - think of a lightsaber wound. Picard is disgusted and appalled by Elnor's actions, and after their swift beam-out demands that Elnor does not engage in battle again without Picard's approval.
Classic moment of the episode: "Open a channel" from Picard, on somebody else's bridge, acknowledging a hail from the damaged fighter's pilot. Clearly there are some chains of command to be sorted out, but it played out well.
And who is the mystery pilot? None other than Seven of Nine, who insists on a replacement ship before passing out.
So, Picard gets two crew members for the price of one. We have Rios as the captain (or first officer, depending on the situation); Jurati at Science; Raffi at Ops; Elnor at Security or Tactical or both, and now Seven. As Kathryn Janeway would tell you, every bridge crew needs a Borg. Now, hopefully, on to Freecloud.
Footnotes:
Why, when the holomatrix of Picard's study is paused, and the birds freeze in mid-air, does the fire in his study keep burning?
Again with the f-bomb. Seriously, writers: why? It's as unexpected and unwelcome as a wrong note played loudly during a piano recital.
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