With this review I will not be splitting it into non-spoiler and Spoiler. Simple reason for this, is because there was not much in the way of Spoilers, when it comes to the main story.
So instead I am going to split this into Review and Nic-picking.
The Picard series is not a stand alone episode show like The Next Generation was and is following the root must TV shows are doing these days with serialised Storytelling. This is nothing new to Trek as Discovery is doing this, but Deep Space Nine did it first.
The Episode opens with a flashback to 2385, 14 years before the main Events of Picard. It Frist Contact Day, but due to relief effort Mars Ship Building Yard are not taken the day off.
We see a bunch of Android, that are meant to remind us of Data is a storage locker be awaken and sent off to do their work.
At some point during the day, a bunch of android get an update/ reprograming similar to the one seen in Discovery for the Airiam Charcter and the android drops Mars planetry defence system then proceed to kill everyone in the room. This is followed up by the show opening credits.
Picard is with his Romulan housekeepers investigating Dahj who was killed in the first episode. It turned out that both of Picard’s Housekeepers are former Romulan Tal Shiar agents. (Secret Police / Secret Agents) Laris goes with Picard to Dahj apartment in Boston to do some CSI work. The Apartment is clean as if nothing has ever happened there, they start to investigate what happens and this very CSI like, but it not done as well as the actual CSI shows.
They find out that Dahj Sister Soji is off world. This prompts Picard to Head off to Starfleet Command to be reinstated, and if needs be demoted back to Captain in order to get a ship.
The head of Starfleet turns him down and sends Picard on his way, at this point Picard start looking for a non Starfleet ship is can use to find Soji.
while all of this is going on we learn more about the Borg Cube that the Romulans have control off, seen at the end of the first episode.
It not stated how long the Romulans have had the Borg Cube, only that there is a sign that states that there has not be an assimilation in so many days which works out to be around 14 years.
It states the Borg Cube and the Drone within have been cut off from the Borg Collective and the Borg have not come back to claim it as they see it as junk.
The Romulans with help from the Federation or at least aliens from Federation Member worlds are stripping down the Borg Cube and it technology. As for the Borg Drone, they are kept in stasis while their implants are being removed and they then can be returned to some form of what ever race they where before being assimilated.
We also lean that the head of Starfleet security or at least the head of security on Earth is behind the attacks on Dahj that got her killed.
This Commodore is a Vulcan and is working with the Romulans and a Romulan undercover agent discussed as a Human. This is all pointing to a conspiracy.
Was this episode any good? Once again it was just okay, but it was not as good as the first episode, it was slow moving and put it simple a bit boring.
There was a few information dups, which seems to be the trend with these writers, but what do you expect from a novelist (Chabon) & Akiva Goldsman who wrote this episode.
This episode came across more as a filler episode than anything else. Something that should not be done on your second episode out the door. It should also be something that is not done when you are limited to 10 episodes. Star Trek of old could get away will a filler episode (Bottle Episode) as they had an episode run of 24 to 26 episode a season. It was also done so they could save money and spend more on other episodes.
It still missing what made Trek, Trek. But far better than anything that has come out of Discovery.
I give this Episode a 4.5 out of 10.
With the review done onto the Nic-Picking.
I have no issues with the Android at the begging of the episode, compared to Data they look very basic and very low on the intelligent level. But when you got a work force, that can work 24 hours a day, why are you putting them into a storage container? We know they are building ships to help Romulus, which has a time limit until the Star goes supernova.
So why are they not working around the clock? If they where recharging then that would make sense but there is no mention of this.
The Backstory of Laris & Zhaban (The two former Tal Shiar agents in the employment of Picard), will never get answered on screen. Reason for this is that it was answered in the Comic Countdown. No not the Comic for Star Trek 09 which has the same name. When it come to Star Trek, if it not mentioned or show on Screen it not canon. Why do I mention this, well if the books, games and comic where canon. It would be a mess keeping track of what going on. Not everyone read them so simply keeping it to just what shown / mention on screen make it easier for everyone, including the writers. Point of not, The Comic for Star Trek 09 (Countdown) was said to be canon, but we already know that this not the case. As in the comic Data in the body of B4 was the captain of the Enterprise. Yet in the first episode of Picard, we see B4 has been dissembled and put into a draw and it mentioned that when Data copied his memory’s to B4 it never to hold. IE it failed so Captain Data could not happen.
When Picard goes to Starfleet Command, he arrives though a teleporting arc. There are about four of them next to each other, They are meant to be some sort of Transporter.
But the problem with them is that people are walking though them like a door. There are no operators to set the location of where that person what to transport to. So how does it know where to send you, there are no signs above the arc stating where it goes if it locked to just one location.
Then you got the issue of people walking with no barrier to stop someone walking into the transporter beam. What happened when someone beams in just as your stepping though to beam out. I tell you it would be very messy like the Transporter accident seen in The Motion Picture.
Speaking of Transporters, we seen Picard Transport to Dahj Apartment arriving inside it (A thefts paradise if you can do that, without security issues.), and to Starfleet Command. But when he goes to see a friend/ former colleague who lives at the bottom of Vasquez Rock, he used a Taxi Cab that built out of a STD era Shuttle. Really? Was that worth the cost of putting that VFX in when Beaming him in would be cheaper as you already established that he can be into people home.
Finally We see a former Borg Drone working the cube. I have not issue with this, But I do with the way he look. We get told that most of the Borg implants are being removed so they can regained their “humanity”. No problems there Voyager did this with 7 of 9, who was on the other side of the galaxy and she looked pretty much normal except for some implants that could not be removed.
So how it these former drones can’t look “normal” when the lasted and best medical Technology is on your door step?
These nic-picks are not story related but are to the world Star Trek has creating over 50 years. It has established rules so use them.
There was thought and function behind the Technology used, from the early days of Star Trek right up to Enterprise. Since Trek 09 that has gone out the window and replaced with, “What would look cool?” Drives me made.
Anyway enough of that as I could spend more time nic-picks things like seeing the Discovery Version of the original Enterprise.
But I will leave it there. Episode three is meant to be the last episode of Picard being Earth bound and is the one we will see Troi, Riker and 7 of 9.
Freak Art 