Contains spoilers
Plot threads collide in this sixth episode of the Amazon Prime Star Trek series that continues its build of momentum to deliver an action-packed offering that also nicely ties in the ghosts of Picard’s past.
Picard and his crew are quickly on their way to the Romulan controlled Borg artifact, the location of Soji, who is working as a part of the reclamation project aboard the abandoned Borg Cube. With Picard forced to face one of the darkest memories of his past assimilated with the Borg, he must also hurry to find Soji before the Romulan spy Narek manages to force her to discover the truth of what she is so that he may find out where she is from before removing her from the equation.
Once again, this is an episode of Picard that thrives more on a sense of frenetic pacing, combining elements of Picard’s past to drive both his mission and much of the drama at the focus. His grappling with memories of assimilation certainly feels a little more forced than you would like them to be; would Picard really be that debilitated by such memories after we have seen him reconcile with such trauma in the franchise’s past? It’s an element that seems to play more on Picard’s age and frailty, meaning that this is a Picard that feels quite different from what we’ve seen before. The differences between Picard the character and Stewart the actor have most certainly blurred within this series, but there’s definitely a lot of heart and passion behind Stewart’s more vulnerable performance for Jean Luc.
Elsewhere, each member of Picard’s small crew aboard the La Sirena are all on shaky legs, which is all seemingly but pilot Chris Rios. Where Dr. Jurati struggles with the guilt of her actions that saw her murder Maddox but lies to the crew, she looks to Rios for a warm embrace, but one has to think just how long can she keep up her secret. And where Raffi continues to spiral in her booze and drug stupor as a result of failing to reconnect with her son on Freecloud, it is Rios who seeks to help her, to listen, and fetch her a cup of coffee. He’s ended up almost as the ship’s agony uncle, and Santiago Cabera’s easy charisma as an actor means that it feels like a good fit for the character. Evan Evagora’s Elnor has felt a bit like a spare part the last couple of weeks, but the end of this episode provides him some purpose, even if it feels less than organic.
I am glad that we have finally gotten to the point where Picard and Soji are together and Narek’s true intentions have come to light. While it is also confirmed that Narek has been conflicted about his mission the whole time with feelings for Soji, the lack of chemistry between the two means that that plot thread never particularly felt all that convincing. But now that Picard and Soji are together, separated from their crew and with the Romulan Tal Shiar surely hot in pursuit, these last four episodes have plenty of excitement to offer; let’s hope it sticks the landing!
