Star Trek Picard "The Last Generation" SERIES FINALE REVIEW
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- A generation's finale journey ends... and a new one begins.
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The scene with Jack and Picard broke something open in me and deeply touched my soul. Entertainment hasn't done that for me in a long time.
I'm disabled with a neurological disorder. I've been mostly bed ridden for three years with pain. My burlesque community has dissolved and shown itself as not a true family. My relationship with my teen kids has grown distant. I've just been feeling very alone and disconnected and just in my head with some internalized ableism.
I say all this because that whole scene was just what I needed. That realization that I am ready for connection, to just be with my kids. To really create new healthy connections. I love it!
Jessie I found your channel after my oldest child came out to me as a trans woman. I've always loved her and supported her through her journey and by finding your channel you also taught me a new perspective about her experience that helped me connect with her more. She's on the ASD spectrum so talking about her feelings isn't going to happen so hearing your perspective helps me to help her. Thank you!!
I've also found a new community through discovering star trek again because of you, and now I feel like I'm ready to go out and find my people. I've also come out as pan at almost 50 and it feels glorious to live my truth.
Love this channel!
Loved this episode!
I want a seven show now!! With fingers crossed that they listen to your input and correct some things, because this story is worth continuing if done right.
Much love to you from all of us here at Muttley Manor. We are all connected even if we do not always feel those bonds. Our humanity beckons us to be compassionate to others and to bond, to share pieces of ourselves with others.
When my mother died I could sense so many of those fragments left by her, planted as seeds, blossoming and growing. Even the people we love and lose have left themselves inside us. So we who are lucky to have known friendship, loyalty, love, shared our sadness, cared for each other, we are never entirely alone.
Best wishes to you from Australia.
Solidarity. My condition is different but I also deal with chronic pain and being stuck in bed. I'm sorry that your support network has failed to support you during this. I totally understand what you mean about not being ready to connect with people again at first, my moment of realising I needed to find connection again happened a bit over a year ago but I'm glad you got yours from this episode. I wish you all the best of luck in moving forward!
Thanks for mentioning Laris. That's actually my only criticism for this finale. I was half-expecting her to show up in Ten Forward and admonish Picard for keeping her waiting so long.
I did enjoy finding out that Troi taught herself how to Tokyo drift a Galaxy Class star ship since we last saw her.
Mr. Floaty Goohead Man was the Borg Queen, I believe, (a partially assimilated changeling lump that Vadic carried around to receive orders) based on the shots of the Queen's face that looked very much like the floaty face.
I actually cheered that Deanna and Beverly had their own moments of awesome. And I was yelling at Picard, Riker, and Worf to stop saying good bye because I was afraid they might die. And oooh boy that body-horror look of the Borg Queen was awesome. And my heart felt tingly when we heard Walter Koenig as Pavel's son, Anton Chekov (a clear tribute to Anton Yelchin).
I love this finalé. Though I dislike the Titan being turned into the Enterprise. It felt kind of like a downgrade to go from the Ent-F to Titan/Ent-G. And Jack being fast tracked through Starfleet feels.....strange. And is it okay with Starfleet that Seven has a relationship with her First Officer? If they do move forward with a show, perhaps they could finally turn the lights on in the set. And please bring back Elnor!!!!
Exactly! When Jessie said that it was very TNG to have everyone have their moment... well troi would get an episode a couple times a year, same with crusher, generally speaking in a episode of this magnitude it would basically be riker/picard/data and sometimes Laforge solving the problem. And worf would have got his ass kicked. So this was better.
It was nice to see all the crew do more than take turns reading plotlines. You would be very drunk if you had to take a drink every time that happened this season.
@Deva Iyer Matalas has said he was not aboard
@@StorybyAtK Yep. I was afraid that was gonna happen since, much like in TNG, they gave Deanna dialogue that was basically stating the obvious (ie if Spacedock falls, then Earth is defenseless). I personally wouldve preferred if he went with Picard and helped him link with Jack since she did that previously in "Vox".
Maybe they can finally give Elnor a personality!
2 beats from the climax you didn't touch on that I thought were great-
1) the crew on the D figuring out where the beacon was and believing it was impossible to reach, but Data saying forget the odds and trusting his gut, and the rest of the crew supporting him.
2) It appearing that Riker, Worf, Picard, and Jack were all going to die with the cube, but Riker thinking "I'll be waiting for you with our boy, Imzadi," and Troi feeling him, this being able to find them all to rescue them.
In the IMAX Q&A, I loved how Frakes talked about how Encounter at Farpoint established that Troi and Riker have a psychic connection, but they never mentioned it again, and they finally brought it back here
@2) oh i LOVED that part. Not just "Troi beeing usefull" but you know the pair has his connection backed and healing is gone a big step.
data is a jedi now, confirmed!
Yes, I loved the Imazadi moment!
@Celeste sensing the location of the person you're bound to seems well within her abilities, and she would know how to translate that sense into coordinates I'm sure
Love the Q's surprise appearance. It seems having a Picard family name is a curse to any space-faring Picard to be tested and tortured for the rest of their lives 😊
For our personal home enjoyment, of course.
I know what you are saying, but technically, his name is Jack Crusher, not Picard.
It's done out of love.
Great, an omnipotent family stalker, cuz that’s not narcissistic at all 😂
And Q still died. This was just Q's many adventures before he died
I’m gonna go ahead and guess that Seven’s signature “Engage” line is “Comply.” As in “Lay in a course warp factor 9. Comply!”
I love that so much 🔥🔥🔥
No. Comply means Obey. Not something I see Seven saying from the chair.
Riker at the end when Geordi starts the shutdown sequence, "I miss that voice". Right in the feels.
Something that I picked up on. Jack running into the bridge and giving orders like he was in charge was a stiff poke at the JJ Abrams version of Kirk and how he also "fast tracked" through Starfleet. I laughed so hard when Seven said "Out!"
I felt same as you for the entire episode. "They are killing Worf here? No. They are killing Riker here? No. They are killing Picard here? No. They are killing everyone here? Oh, thanks no"
Honestly the last 15 minutes were very heartwarming and I'm full of joy now, but damn, my legs hurts so much for the tension before it
It was funny that just about the entire main cast was at the verge of dying somewhere in the episode, yet by the end absolutely none of them died.
I cannot think of many times in Star Trek where main characters died and stayed dead. Jadzia Dax is the only one who died and did not get a mulligan if you do not count her memories living on in the symbiote and Ezri Dax.
Just like almost everything else about this series, an emotional rope-a-dope about killing off main cast was something I expected, but that I was almost certain they'd never go through with. They'd been far too cavalier about bringing back old characters and obliterating them, and at the same time far too precious about re-establishing the main cast and their place in the galaxy, for me to believe they were going to kill someone. In other words, there wasn't much genuine set up for a heroic sacrifice play, just going through the motions.
It reminded me a little of "Rise of Skywalker" this is the place you can kill of legacy characters, toy with the audience that you will, then don't.
@@tekcomputers "It was funny that just about the entire main cast was at the verge of dying somewhere in the episode, yet by the end absolutely none of them died."
A bit like Lord of the Rings. The only important characters who died were Boromir and Theoden.
As far as Tuvok goes they actually did explain why he was still alive in the episode. The changelings were keeping them alive to get information from them. Hopefully when you re-watch it, and take notes you'll hear it.
It does seem that's a pretty common practice for them when they replaced people during/before the war.
As they did in DS9 :)
It makes sense that changelings would have to kidnap and interrogate the people they want to impersonate. Obviously they weren't able to kidnap and interrogate ensign laforge, and that mistake got a changeling killed.
@andrew jenkins Matalas was told he wasn’t making Avengers Endgame and he’d have to reset his expectations… annoyingly. Janeway should have been there.
They honestly chickened out. When they stuff the body of the Titan's transporter officer into his closet, but for some reason save Tuvok? Ugh.
They definitely fumbled the ball on not sending him off with Laris. Her character deserved better treatment.
As a person that likes Laris and the actress that plays her Ive never been cool with that relationship, especially after they just killed her husband off screen. Like with most of the shows original characters/actors, Laris has constantly been given nothing of consequence to play with Picard other than the weird ancestor of hers in S2. It’s a relationship that’s been odd because I’ve always been a Picard/Crusher champion, though I don’t think they are going to pair up romantically again either.
Nope, I’m very glad that for once, they didn’t patronize Patrick Stewart’s ego by showing him with a woman over twenty years younger than him.
@@langleymneely I'd maybe re-watch the mid-credit scene...
@@alexmaverick6647 Well, I didn't have the impression she was, Vulcanoids and all.
@@bobd2659 you talking about the photo? It was from when Picard and Crusher were younger - her hair is red. It looks like it's a red carpet photo from maybe Generations' premier?
Jean-Luc saying "it's been an honour serving with you" broke me
The Borg were always more terrifying to me when they were emotionless and not vindictive or wanting connection. Laris was kinda forgotten but overall solid fun ending great set up if Legacy does happen.
True but is anything more Trek than having your biggest enemies become allies?
It was inevitable that the Borg would end up friends of the Federation one way or another.
Just like having a Klingon on the bridge of the Enterprise in TNG it's inevitable that we'll have a Borg on the bridge of the Enterprise...
I think the developing emotions of the queen is a biproduct of her lonliness after endgame
I was definitely wondering if poor Laris was getting ditched for Beverly or what here. (And frankly I got bored of the Borg pretty early on, ...I kinda don't *like* zombie-like personality-less bad guys very much in general. Voyager added some detail which actually seems interesting now, but I was still sick of them when it was first on. It's as well that's pretty resolved, whatever Jurati's Borg end up doing.
She's always had emotions...
I think this makes the metaphor of the Borg as a right-wing, authoritarian cult even more explicit. The Borg we see in past incarnations are controlled, emotionless, calm, because they have power. The Queen can afford to kill off a few thousand, because she has millions more. So she gets to be the calm, rational one as her enemies fall prey to their emotions. "Facts over feelings". But when you strip them of that power, these formerly stoic types become entitled toddlers, throwing their Temper TanTrumps when they don't get their way. They become desperate, cruel, vindictive. The one thing I do think they could have done better is after she loses Jack, she should have shown her true face, shown that it was never about "connection" - that's just how she suckers in the rubes. It's about power. The power her control over people gives her. Just like any cultist, any fascist dictator.
As a new mom, I was in a position where I had to safeguard my child’s life and that grief is heavy. Your hormones kick in and you carry the weight, you figure out how to keep the ship afloat. So, I know that’s all a big stereotype and everything, but there were so many moments like that on the show which hit close to home for me. Riker was really carrying his own version of that, for real. Which is you can save the galaxy over and over again, but you can’t save your own kid from a deadly disease, you know?
I wasn't sure how I was feeling about this season of Picard, but that last episode gave me the feels big time. Terry Matalas did an awesome job! I do think Geordi needed a final scene with his daughters. I am here for a future show with Seven, Raffi and Jack 100%!
and Shaw (Terry has said he has a plan to bring Shaw back if they do get Legacy), Sidney, Alandra, Elnor, and Kestra.
And I really wanted to see Alandra as the chief engineer
Maybe, if we do get Legacy, LeVar could drop by from time to time to check on his daughters?
When I first hear Walter Koenig voice, I said to myself "Is Pavel Chekov alive!" I'm glad they clarify it quickly that it was his son. And about the Borg Queen, maybe what's happening to the Queen could be psychological effects after being disconnected from Hive mind. And also being alone for far to long, and also she could still suffering from the side effects of the Neurolytic pathogen she receive from Admiral Janeway in "Endgame".
If there's going to be a spin-off series after this (which I'm hoping that there is), I doubted that John de Lancie will return to play Q for the new series. Most probably the old Q will sent some new generation of Q to test Jack.
I was wondering about the remnants of the reclaimed Borg cube? Didn’t they have a “sort of queen “?
And a year later…..with the knowledge that the TNG crew has of Section 31….no follow-up especially involving Kirk’s remains.
I see another "transformation" ala Season 2 Picard as Q "adjusts" for the difference in physical age.
@@alexanderriley2979 there are so many Time Lord parallels to Q, there could just go all in and have him change into a new actor.
I mean Q junior is still out there - unless that was part of the dying continuum.
@@jmarquiso I hated jr. John de Lancie's Q could be a jerk, but he was liked for it. It was Q. Jr is just a boring knock-off. Hope that character bought it in the civil war.
In many ways, this felt like a repairing of the finale we got in Nemesis. The choice to bring back the poker game was comforting, if somewhat of an obvious finger point to the actual good ending of TNG. I definitely got really emotional knowing this will (very likely) be the last time we see this family all together on screen. You can tell that they really tried to give everyone a moment. I especially appreciated that Troi basically got to save half the crew, even if Data's flight through the cube was visually cooler. Super excited for Captain Seven of Enterprise G. My hope is that this is the very end of the borg (beyond ex-borg, of course). If there had been no borg since the Voyager finale, I think this would have been a fitting end, showing them making this last ditch effort, cannabalizing themselves in the effort to evolve and survive. I really hope that they find a way to continue on in the playground of this era, minus the cameos and reunions! And also to stray just a little further away from the season long mystery box arcs!
I think we kind of put older trek on a pedestal and forget some of the problems it had even though it is great. This show had it's issues but it kept me interested throughout out, the character interactions were awesome and I think you made this point really well, it was a nice send off to the TNG era show and we no longer have to live with nemesis being the curtain call for these characters. That may be my favorite thing that this season did.
Heads up. That was not Alice Krige. She was indeed the voice of the Queen, but the physical body was a stuntwoman named Jane Seymour (not the same JS obviously). Krige could not safely perform those stunts at her age.
The credits kind of gave it away when they announced her as "the voice" of the queen
I kinda sensed as much with the slightly uncanny valley that can happen with line dubbing. Adore the Chucky season 1 flashbacks but they too were voiced by actors while others did the portrayals. Was nice to hear her regardless
The stuntwoman is named Jane Seymour? ...Can she also sing and dance? I ask because there's a musical theater role I suddenly want to see her in.
Of all the deliberate tear-jerker scenes, the only one that hit me was the one between Raffi and Worf, at the end of the episode. What Worf may or may not have done for her is exactly what we've wanted for her from the end of season one, onward. It was beautiful friendship.
I really hope Elnor was not on board the Excelsior when it was destroyed! If they make a spin-off series, I hope he comes back!
I had to have a heart stress test and echocardiogram today...as the nurse was hooking me up, I looked at her and asked if I was being assimilated...if resistance was futile...we both laughed so hard...I had just watched the episode before I went. (btw...all's good on the heart front!)
They should have told you sternly there are FOUR lights, lol
@@thegayestagenda012 I think I was doing pretty good that she knew what the Borg was...that might have been pushing their knowledge base...lol
@@scpatl4now haha 🖖
The Borg Queen came across to me like a vengeful cult leader who has lost her followers; like the mythical Medea meets Charles Manson, going after ex-cult members who dared to defy her. Her taking Jack and using him to destroy Starfleet/Earth in front of Picard seemed both epic and petty at the same time.
I guess Data saying that he hates the Borg is their attempt to emphasise the fact that he's not the original Data, but has Lore and B4 as a part of him? Especially since they wrung a lot of emotions out of his death in S1
Good point
Data's death felt like he had deep depression to me. Especially since this new Data harbors no such death wish whatsoever, even before assimilating Lore. Which I don't think was necessary. Cuz even a lil bit of Lore is still not a good look.
Ok, in terms of logic, I just think that Beverly would have been more likely to bring Jack out, I know it had to be Picard, the show is named for him, but still. On the other hand, I rarely choke at shows, but Shaw's hologram got me a little .
I loved the cameo by Walter Koenig as Anton Chekov, son of TOS's Pavel. Because of this, I was honestly expecting to see him in the show's final act.
In the IMAX Q&A, Terry talked about how they wanted to show him, but they ran out of time to film Walter, and so he just showed up at his house to record the lines
That he was named Anton, in honor of Yelchin and Kelvin Timeline Chekov, made it so much more heartwarming and bittersweet.
Wouldn't it have to be his grandson? TOS was a good 130 years earlier, at this point.
One of my favourite scenes was Geordie telling Beverly that he didn’t have time to work on the weapons so she would have to fire them manually. After almost instantaneously aiming and firing the weapons, the rest of the crew turns toward her with “WTF” expressions and she replies “a lot has happened in the last 20 years”. Also Loved the return of Q.
I'm so glad this episode was today. We buried my father this morning, so I needed to see the power of a father's love for his son triumph as it did.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Sorry for your loss.
My Dad died a few months before Picard S1 and I was looking forward to watching it with him like I used to watch TNG with him when I was little. That wasn't in the cards but I'm sure being the Trekkie he was, S1 or S2 would not have been his favorite. I remember him complaining about them destroying the D even towards the end of his life. He would have probably fist pumped and did a loud yell when those livery lights clicked on her. Not just for being back but for having purpose and that purpose making sense and the reason they even recovered the saucer being consistent with canon. S3 was everything I wanted and dreamed S1 would have been if I had been able to watch it with him.
Didn't mean to hijack your comment replies, I just thought of my Dad after reading your comment. Again, sorry for your loss. If I watched this episode the day we said good bye to my Dad, I would have melted into a puddle of tears. I fell apart when my brother offered me the "Last Dr. Pepper™" the day he died (Growing up, it was the rule we were never allowed to drink the last Dr. Pepper in the fridge). Good God, I don't think I ever cried that hard in my life nor have I ever had such a great tasting can of Dr. Pepper.
@@BurritoVampire Thank you for sharing that.
That move Seven did where everyone she shot was transported rather than killed feels like it was inspired by the game ST Elite Force, specifically the Etherians whom the player initially thought was killed when shot but were actually being transported away
It was in Star Trek insurrection.
@@chloestone89 yep, that too (although those in Insurrection were isolinear tags designed to cut through the Transport inhibiters that Picard and crew used to block Son'a transporters).
Or tng:the gambit.
@@DudleyStadler I've always imagined how that happened with Picard on Gambit Pt. I (TNG). It looks like we finally saw them do that on this finale with the Borg.
Also Sloan in DS9
When I saw the last scene with the TNG crew, I immediately said to myself "there's no other way they could have ended it." It was emotional, it was on the nose, and it was the perfect send-off to a cast of characters that have brought me such comfort and happiness throughout my life. This season had it share of issues, but overall it was the finale that the TNG movies deserved.
The episode where Data says the poem is "The Naked Now." Data is repeating it from a drunk officer over the comms
I really wish Guinan had played a round of poker at the end. I’m so happy they are bringing Q back, I didn’t know there was an after credit scene. Thank you Jessie for pointing that out. Hope you have a safe flight and best of luck in finding locations for shooting.
I secretly hoped Seven would say 'Make it Spin!' to cheer me up after being brought to tears so much. But the happy bar scene at the end was good too.
I assumed if they had put one in, she would have said "proceed".
😂😂😂😂
She should say "I want the ship to go . . . Now!"
She should honour the Canadian production teams that work on Disco and SNW and go: "Giv'r".
I wanted to hear "Fun shall now commence."
My heart was so warmed by the fact that NCC-1701-G is the 7th Enterprise which is Captained by 7 of 9. 7 Captains the 7th. Perfection....
Laris definitely should have appeared, also why didn't Kestra return or get mentioned. This was still a great way to send off the next-gen crew and thr scene at the end with them at 10 forward and playing poker during the end credits was so fun and really showed that the cast are all such great friends in real life. My biggest complaint is that we never see Geordi's wife or even found out her name! I've been wondering about that all season. Q's return was very intriguing, if we get the Legacy series I just hope the turn up the lights inside thr Enterprise-G
I kinda liked that the queen was psychologically shattered after how much loss happened after endgame. Having that many drones die at once, and then also being physically broken after First Contact, must have driven her insane. Clinging to the idea of family may be all she has left
I loved this season. It was made for an elderly man like me. I won’t badmouth any other trek show.
But for me this series really stuck the landing.
The moments between Picard and Jack were very touching to me.
Worf voluntarily hugging Raffi also made me really happy.
Fanservice was the point to show love for the fans across the “generations”
It was why I did love TNG.
I wish they’d shown Picard coming home to Laris. But that’s a minor thing.
I think Laris is PIcard's fiancee. In my head canon I think Laris receives a text from Picard who apologized he had to dump her for his long-lost soulmate Beverly but he gave Chateau Picard in exchange, stating that Laris is a much better winemaker and Chateau manager than he was.
I agree that given metaphors and allegories in play up until then, the "de-borging" thing was "icky" if taken at face value. I choose to understand it as being shorthand they used for the sake of brevity, and what they did was remove whatever part of the borg technology responded to beacons such as Jack's, so they can no longer be 'activated' against their will. After all, decades later, Picard still had some borg in him, as the entire premise of this show hinges upon. The little tribute to Anton Yelchin was such a touching little detail I literally had to pause the show for a moment. And I'll bet Walter Koenig jumped at the chance, I remember him seeming genuinely distraught at the young actor's passing.
So, here's a thing... Seven is now the Captain of the Enterprise G... G is the 7th letter of the alphabet, and the 1701-G is the ninth Enterprise in Starfleet. That's too good to just be a coincidence, right? Somebody did that intentionally, right? 🤯
I just watched one of the TNG episodes where Data wrestles with what having a "Gut" means, and to see Data using his gut really brought a tear to my eye.
That was in the "Defector" episode from season 3 which was about a Romulan defector. Geordi explained to Data what a gut feeling meant and how it can be a better guide than logic and facts.
Here is the scene ,,, btw, I rewatched this episode earlier this week!
ua-cam.com/video/SDSn1KiJZxg/v-deo.html
Your take on the Borg Queen is excellent - I found Jurati's arc in Season 2 a twist on the Borg that was interesting, this is the mirror image of it. She literally *consumes* her children.
I also found it interesting that if the situation was reversed - the Borg would not hesitate to shed Worf, Riker, Picard, and Jack to save the rest of the collective. That the human connection and relationships were what kept them alive.
First Contact had done similar mirrors of Picard to the Queen - when Picard gets angry at Worf, for example - the command structure is in question and it takes Lily - as human as a human can get - to break him out of it.
There are things I wish they addressed rather than more fan service. Even Crusher meeting Laris :) That said, I do think it wraps up Picard's story.
Season 1 was a mess, starting as something about Synths vs. Romulans, introduced some interesting Brexit parallels in the failure to save the Romulans from their own isolationism - creating an isolationist Federation
Season 2 started with one really intriguing question - can the Federation make peace with the Borg. And then they took a sidequest thanks to Q and the whole thing got confused and an ending that was supposedly about Picard's personal journey regarding his feelings of guilt towards her mother...
Season 3 is about the rise of a fascist Borg through the hijacking of technology that the Federation is so dependent on (some parallels with Russia and social media fascism perhaps?), but it was also about found family.
Great summary of the three seasons. I liked all of them. But season 1 was too full - too many ideas and none of them got enough time. And season 2 did feel like a series of sidequests that didn't connect to the main plot at all. I've been trying to figure out how to say it, and your analogy is perfect.
I also think that Season 3 was about the danger of false connections. About the risk of falling in with a group that claims to care about you - like a cult - but only wants to use you for power. So many young white men fall into the alt-right because of this.
@cryofpaine Believe it or not the "toxic vs. healthy versions of found family theme" was something I took from the adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep. Both are about broken people finding one another, but in one case, they go to a cult, and in the other, they seek mentorship.
Season two could have been about something, but felt muddied, much like the Romulan stuff in Season 1.
Was S1 about the Romulans, Synths, Isolationism vs. Openness to the new? Was it about the secrecy of the Romulans vs. the counseling of feelings that Soji put them through?
S2 had so many good ideas thrown against the wall and nothing stuck. Seriously - how intriguing was the idea that the Borg wanted Peace? And it was on the wayside and the time travel muddied it. But then again I liked the idea of the Borg as loneliness, but Wirshing';s Queen (:( )forced people to join her, whereas Jurati wanted to keep individual distinctiveness.
One thing I will say about S3 is that it was "mostly" focused. That the Changeling splinter group were the lieutenants of the true threat IS part of the same problem that S1, and S2 had - the red herring was so tied into DS9 lore (and yet Worf never mentions Jadzia once, and hints at Odo) - something the TNG cast barely had involvement in. The first couple of episodes played out like "Conspiracy" in S1 TNG. That said - the emotional themes are definitely there - loneliness and love - and in this case actual parents that do what they can for their son. It's the most mature we've seen Picard in the entirety of Star Trek.
Alice Krige did not appear on screen. She was only the voice of the Borg Queen. The actress buried under all those prosthetics was Jane Edwina Seymour. They pulled the same stunt in the first three Star Wars movies. The actor providing the voice of Darth Vader was James Earl Jones, but the guy in the costume was bodybuilder David Prowse.
If Seven of Nine gets a new Enterprise show I hope it is stand alone maybe a two parter episode format like Strange New Worlds. More variety than one storyline. Probably didn't help I saw the Strange New Worlds season 2 trailer. That looked amazing.
We DID have teleportation probes in Star Trek: Insurrection. Which is why I was surprised they didn't put them in the holodeck as a twist.
Jess. I saved 3 video's of your channel before you moved up North. I played them, and the evolution from then , to now is nothing short of Amazing ! You're bad ass . Love your work ! Thank you !
So that’s a wrap. The bittersweet result is that it’s been great enough that now that it’s over I’m left feeling more postpartum than nitpicky.
It’s not high art cinema, it never was. This is a classic TV show that knows what it is, and how to appeal to its audience.
Picard Season 3 is a huge success, but simultaneously the end of something. The finale ends with bright eyes and a thumping heart, but what lies ahead is unmistakably meant for The Next Generation.
And that’s ok.
This was a great wrapping up of Picard. One thing I like was a wink and nod to Star Wars with Data flying thru the Borg cube. Wrapping up with the Poker game was pitch perfect. I love that Q is back!
Ha, when Data flew the Enterprise through the Borg cube, I yelled "Data is doin a Death Star!"
I think Data’s hate of the borg also was a throw back to the first time he felt anger & killed the Borg.
I didnt overly mind the "borg infection" line, but a better line couldve been "forced genetic assimilation" in my opinion as how I logiced the assimilation is that the below 25 had no borg sequences in their DNA until they steped into Starfleet transporters at that point, they had the DNA added into their own
I felt like everyone making it out alive from the old crew was the boldest way to write it. Media went wicked dark after 9/11 and honestly the hard brake check almost killed the franchise. Star Trek however has always been a story of hope and this episode was a return to form.
Next time on LD: Hey did you hear the whole fleet got assimilated and attacked SB1?! Ceritos: No... we were on the other side of quadrant on a 2nd contact mission to round up some animals that escaped from a petting zoo but hey! the fact that you're not a Borg means we won right? Go team!
9:05 On Data saying "I hate them" about the Borg, I think what's important to remember about NewData is that he really is half Lore. And just like Kirk in The Enemy Within, in order to make a full human personality, you need the "good twin" integrated with the "bad twin". This new Data has integrated Lore within him (or infiltrated Lore and hijacked his baseline personality, maybe?), and has all the good and bad sides of emotionality. Data's hatred of the Borg is a specific reference to the TNG two-parter Descent, where Data spontaneously feels an emotion when killing a Borg on a mission, and that emotion is hateful, reveling in a kill. It turns out that that emotion was being fed to Data by Lore, and Data is so attracted to it, he's pulled away from the Enterprise crew and temporarily aligns with Lore. The basic idea of that episode - Lore feeds Data the emotion of hate when he confronts the Borg - is exactly what's happening within Data's integrated brain in The Last Generation.
I got up an hour early just to watch it before work. I'm only sad that we didn't get a moment with Laris.
This whole final season blew my expectations out of the water. I thought for sure "Riker is gonna die... this is gonna suck." I was worried about how they were gonna handle the "New Data" but I was pleasantly surprised and laughing my ass off. Jack however is the highlight for me. He was the most relatable character to me since Spock or B'Ellanna. Jack wanting to surrender to the hive reminded me of Joy wanting to fall into the Bagel because it's easier to surrender into the serene, quiet, dead emptiness rather than deal with the pain of being empty and alone ourselves.
Before my "attempt" my step-father said "I can't mind-meld with you to understand what goes on in there." Jack and Jean-Luc's moment in the hivemind is the mind-meld I so desperately want with my step-father. He fed me, clothed me, sent me to school but little else. The bare minimum. Didn't even attend my promotional martial arts tests. He might as well have not been there at all. It wasn't until after the "attempt" did he start rethinking how he raised me... or didn't in this case. I have, however, recently gained some insight into my step-father's psychology that had me stewing on "maybe he would've raised me a little differently if I had been born a certain way" but after watching multiverse stuff like Everything, Everywhere All At Once and The Man in The High Castle I came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter, not at 28. I'm still me. I can't snap my fingers and change who I was born to. I have no choice but accept who I've become. I would love to watch this scene over with him. Jean-Luc telling Jack "if you're staying here to die, I'm staying with you." had me bawling. "You have forever changed my life." Is something my step-father told me only once. It didn't have the impact on me that it does now.
I would love to see a 7o9 spin off, I think the crew has been explored enough that seeing all of them would be great tho I worry about having a similar show to strange new worlds, that too with another enterprise. That said I think the modern period is full of potential, my problem with discovery is that they went too far into the future
I totally agree.... a spy, a pirate, and a pilot. A bunch of rule breakers.... Who better to command the Enterprise!
I think that is what legacy could be, a show with Seven commanding the G, and Jack serving. The fleet was decimated enough to give it that sort of earlier trek explorative feel.
Data did a Death Star run on the Borg cube with the Enterprise! I did not know how much I needed that.
I really appreciate that the Enterprise wasn't just a fanservice moment, then a way to travel back to the Sol system. She got to play a role and got her highlight scene, just like all the other characters.
I was of two minds about the Titan being re-christened, mostly because it felt like a downgrade for the Enterprise to be a smaller ship and I had hoped it would be new. But I reminded myself that the Enterprise-A was smaller than the newer excelsior-class ships of the time (and was also a re-christening of a ship that had been intended to have a different name), and the G definitely earned the name while defending Earth.
I believe Terry Matalas inferred/confirmed that Floaty Head Boss was the Borg Queen. I kinda liked that she had changed from being so dismissive of her drones. If we assume the Borg have basically been slowly dying off since the finalé of Voyager, over the years she's gone from billions of voices to maybe a half dozen, based on what we see? She's probably been experiencing an ever-increasing existential crisis, and instead of taking responsibility for her part in it, blames the Federation, and Picard in particular since he was basically the first being (that we're aware of) to break away from her.
I did love the poker game. I fully believe that entire sequence, even the no-dialogue part during the credits, was the cast just riffing off each other in-character.
I'm so happy with this show, though I absolutely see where you're coming from with the queer-coding of the Borg. I hope this is the end for the crew, maybe apart from the odd cameo or guest appearance in future shows. They've earned their happy ending.
This was a great season --- really well written! The finale was such a tear jerker. They also set up the next spinoff well.
Surprised we didn't get a scene with Picard and Laris. Other than that, I loved this episode.
Very nice ending and send-off for the TNG crew! 👍
It was fun. Did I expect more or better? Yes but they didnt have much time to work with even though it was about 15 mins longer than other episodes. They had a fitting end. I did find Jack's ending or beginning was interesting since we thought that chapter had ended. I'm excited for Seven. I've always have loved Jeri and found her fascinating.
Tuvok was explained by a bit of voiceover before that scene, when it was said that the Changelings captured a number of people they imitated from the “lowest ranks to the highest” to extract information from them. Considering that the person we then see is higher ranking, but far from “the highest,” that gives me continued hope that Shelby survived but was incapacitated and we will see her again if Legacy goes forward. She was shot in both shoulders by two assimilated officers who were within a few arms’ lengths of her - we’ve seen other people this season survive similar wounds, and they could have easily hit her somewhere that would have been immediately unaliving - like right in the head.
As far as the Borg analogy around Seven is concerned, at this point I think that is more linked to Jurati’s Borg, who are a separate entity.
I don’t think Jack will have lost that desire for connection just because the voracious form of the Borg have been vanquished once and for all. Even if he still has that part of him built-in, it’s not really going to do much without anyone else similarly affected around. Seven, on the other hand, has her implants that work whether or not she’s connected to anything else.
“You always felt different. Hungry to connect while needing to keep people distant so they never see the real you.”
Damn, does that hit home.
I would agree that they didn’t really need that montage of scenes, but on the other hand I think it illustrated well what was going through Jack’s mind right there. When Jean-Luc tells Jack that if Jack won’t leave the Collective, that he’ll stay with him until the end, and that just that brief time getting to know Jack has changed Jean-Luc’s life forever, Jack starts thinking about their interactions, and realizes that Jean-Luc isn’t just saying that to get him to leave the collective, but that he actually does care and wants to have a life with Jack in it. It puts into context the first attempt he made to meet Jean-Luc.
There were two points when I was sure Picard wasn’t coming back, and one where I thought Picard, Jack, Riker, and Worf were all going to die.
Major props to both Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis in this episode. The nearly wordless communication between Geordi and Beverly when they’re getting ready to fire on the Borg transmitter is incredibly well-done. The look on Beverly’s face when she knows that she has to fire, even if it means killing her son and three of her closest friends, is utterly perfect. She’s anguished, almost broken, but there is a resolve there to end the threat once and for all before it can spread again.
Likewise, the look on Troi’s face when it looks like she’s about to lose Will forever, and then picks up his “goodbye” thought and gets a “hang on, I can do this, we can get everyone back” look of determination on her face as she jumps for the helm console - excellently played by Ms. Sirtis. Bonus points to Mr. Spiner and Mr. Burton, who both look at her like “what the hell is happening?” And some points to the F/X team for not only showing the 1701-D swooping overhead through the crumbling wreck of the cube, but that flat spin *through* the wreckage to get there. Nice touch.
Worf’s “I was afraid for a minute that we would survive” line was great, especially in light of the line a few episodes back when Riker said “what happened to you? You used to poke back!”
I think we will find out more about the Changelings and their goo-faced handler if Legacy gets greenlit. The Changeling conspirator caught while filtering out the extraneous Borg DNA indicates to me that we’re not done with them yet.
If we do get a show about a thief, a pirate, and a spy running a starship, I hope it digs into the underworld and politics of the 25th century - and we get more Krenn.
Q was a pretty cool callback. Technically Q are nonlinear, like the wormhole prophets. He knows every moment of his life.
I loved the ending but I was left with a few questions. What happen to Laris? did Picard dump her? what happen to the Jurati borg? Did they just erase all of season two? Q is back! So season two like never happen and it was just a dream for us all right? lol
I read the Picard + Jack "montage" as less of an artistic choice. The moment Picard tells him that he will stay and embraces him is akin to surrendering to the assimilation -- part of that is a sort memory transference. Them receiving each-other's experiences and emotion pulled them both back out.
Given the maelstrom that is Jupiter's magnetosphere, I was surprised that the signal, even a Borg-generated one, survived transmission.
What's irritating to me is the show seemingly ignoring its own past seasons...
Especially with the Borg: Season 2 ended with them becoming good guys (bc time travel stuff) and joining the federation - and you could argue that's not the whole collective, but nobody ever mentions it again or picks up on it. Bc having a "good guy" collective as allies would have probably helped immensly.
Overall, despite the slips and certain choices, this was a smashing ending to a truly quality season and a momentous ending to the journey of the crew of TNG. I am so happy to have grown up with them and overjoyed to have witness this final voyage. A toast to all, cast and crew and producers and fans, all who made this story happen! 🥂 🖖
I wondered whether the reason why he got such a 'special' role on the new Enterprise was because he had some residual telepathic abilities, so in that way, he functioned a bit like Deanna did in TNG?
Minor Changeling detail: one line that really doesn’t seem to get enough attention is that the enhancement done to Vadic and the other Changelings was said to have shortened their lives - and Changelings don’t die of natural causes. Thus, by spreading the enhancements to other Changelings, she has already harmed her own kind by knowingly limiting their lifespans. At that point, she probably figures the “no Changeling has ever harmed another” rule is already out the window.
Another plot hole with the Borg Queen's latest mass assimilation attempt is that we've seen in the past (both in reality and in this fictional universe) that assimilation works in both directions, and the assimilated affect the whole they are joining. Even one drone has been able to influence the nature of the Borg Collective. So in a situation where there's one Borg queen and a few Borg zombies left, assimilating thousands of Starfleet members would presumably change the Borg more than the Borg changes them.
I think that was the point of using Jack as the "transmitter." The Borg were too weak to be used as a hive mind anymore. The Queen had been feeding off the drones just to stay alive. The assimilated officers were merely just being controlled, not acting as a shared mind.
Yeah it's really a Numbers game. Picard and 7s assimilation did not lead to mass changes, altho Picard did become a voice or ambassador for the Borg because they believed that'd be the best way to negotiate with the Federation. That was a change but not a fundamental one and the changes made to humans were more making them more Borg than the humans making the borg more like them. In voyager we see the willingness to avoid assimilating some groups since they're viewed as too inferior; this ingrains the notion that assimilation is a too way street and could actually impact the Collective negatively. In Picard we really see the Borg next. In season 2 we see one queen disconnected from the ENTIRE collective. Tbh that's why I think it was possible for the doctor to convert her. In this one season and episode there was either a group of Borg still alive on that cube or parts of the Collective are still around since Jack was able to be persuaded somewhat by the Collective but was able to be pulled out of it. Who knows if that would've been possible had the Collective been at full strength. It's also worth noting that there had to be more Borg than Human drones at this point or else how could most humans fall to the sway of the Borg rather than having what took place in season 2? It's worth noting in season 2 that the borg queen fused with an existing person to survive so maybe that's why the converted good borg became a thing
I think you have it backwards with the Borg splicing. The younger officers were forcibly assimilated to be the same identical mind. In that way to me, that was clearly a metaphor for conversion therapy. Riker's words at the end was denouncement of that and being "cured" was restoring them to the way they were before assimilation and reinforcing that no one should be forcibly changed against their will.
21:35 Me too. Jack was promoted into an Ensign after just one year in the Academy? Starfleet must've been so desperate for new officers after the latest Borg attack killed millions of officers that they had to do it. Harry Kim must be so jealous of Jack's good fortune now.
At least he wasn't made Captain like Kirk in the Kelvin movies. Lol.
Still miss Stashwick.
My other ONLY nitpick about the season was that they relegated Rafi to the background like she was Riker in a movie.
As the show is "Picard" it was a shame that so many Picard cast members were ditched beforehand . . . The only Picard cast that managed to make substantial screentime were JL and 7.
Lets be honest, if they bring out a stand alone feature for sale, of the reunite evening of the crew, just the evening without plot just an hour of the crew togather, id buy it in a heartbeat and im sure most TNG Fans will do the same.
Jesse, First of all I love your Channel and I wish you the best with your movie. I am really old school Star Trek fan and loved Picard. I am a 57 year caucasian male.. I watch the original reruns when I was young and grew up with Next Generation. At first I had to think about your criticism on the last few episodes . At first , I thought they were too hard.. Yet, As I think of them as a whole, I agree with your points. Yet, I also agree with you that this has to be the last Next generation focus story. Every generation needs to be representative and yours does too. While I am not the biggest fan of the New Trek series ( mostly writing), I am glad it represents this time frame with its diversity. Yet, this old man wonders as Spock puts it in Star Trek 6 "IS it possible that we two, you and I, have grown so old and inflexible that we have outlived our usefulness?".. Live Long and Prosper and I hope you don't mind me stoping by to say Hi..
I am also really mixed on the Borg coming back for this season. On one hand, I get it, they are Picard's greatest enemy and the obvious connection to Seven. But on the other hand, the Borg have been done to death and this time, it felt like they were bringing them back, just to bring them back. That being said, that was my only issue with this season. Everything else was fantastic
The explanation for Tuvok survival was:
"Not all the Changelings were totally evil af, and they kept the person they replaced alive but locked away"
I thought it was a nice closure, but didn't like that they just jumped ship on the Changeling set up.
It was done really perfectly for me. I literally laughed, cried, was full of tension.
Data saying he hated the Borg reflected the TNG episode of the Away team being attacked by some guys & Data killing one in anger(I can't remember a million episode names so I just describe them).
Excellent flying scenes, particularly with Data getting them to the center of the cube. I loved that Deanna got the ship directly over them to beam them up.
I saw MANY MANY comments that Seven should be captain and Raffi her Number One. I really enjoyed that.
That opening scene got me so excited.
I personally love that it was basically a TNG episode because I needed that proper send-off and what a great way to end it.
Absolutely appreciated the constant real emotions from the cast.
Yeeaaah, I was confused and surprised by Q suddenly not being dead, but always love him! Can't wait for him to start harrassing Jack. 😁
I liked the subtle shout out to the possible Legacy spin-off when Jack asked Seven what her first official command would be.
WORF GAVE A HUG. 🥺
I'M SORRY THEY DIDN'T ADD JANEWAY.
The TNG character writing was the strength of the series but the weakness was using the Changelings as a "fake out" villain with Borg as the mystery box, then what was actually a good storyline virtually evaporated like Laris when they opened the mystery box and pivoted to the Borg.
The scene where Data asked everyone to trust him really made me think about acceptance. Data's abilities were taken for granted for so long everyone's doubt was shocking. As an android, if Data said he could do something everyone just trusted him to do it. That scene showed he wasn't an android running a human program, but a human who used to be an android.
My only complaint would continue to be raffi. And even that would be so bad if she’d tone down the eye shadow. Maybe even discontinue it seeing as she is uniformed on a bridge crew now… but no….
I like your take on how the Borg Queen was an awkward statement about 'mother rage' and how it's a mismatch with how drones aren't treated in other contexts as 'children' to be attached to but as subordinates. Rather than framing parental love as something common (?) between even us and this eldritch horror, the horror could have been that some entities 'love' only a continuation of themselves: like an abusive household inflicting violence to keep its captives in line... but furious when access to those captives is taken away. The Borg just don't consider an individual or even a ship as significant; something must be like what Janeway did in scale to feel to the Borg like a true loss of control.
THIS is what we have wanted since 1994 a Trek through the very hearts of this crew. It's a beautiful, gracious farewell that puts me at peace.
I thoroughly enjoyed this season. Some of the subtextual implications were troubling to think about, but looking at the plot, the evolution of the Changelings and Borg, the wrapped-up TNG storylines, I really enjoyed it a lot. It was the ending to TNG I never knew I wanted.
And there was one scene in this episode that just made me cry. After Picard got Jack out of the collective, when the Borg Queen turned to him and said, "You will be different, changed, broken, ... alone."
And Jack looks at Picard, smiles, and answers, "No, I am not alone."
That scene felt so powerful because of the queer reading of the Borg in this season. It's easy to feel alone as a queer person living in a queerphobic world. But Jack isn't alone anymore. There's someone with him who knows exactly what he feels like. It was such an impactful scene about the power of family and connection.
I agree with you so much re: the Borg Queen. I feel like there was a massive potential for the reflection of the Queen to be *Picard*, of two people who are damaged by trauma and isolation (Picard by being assimilated + being the hermit on the vineyard vs the Jupiter-Queen being disconnected from the Collective and trapped there presumably for decades) that man I am so sad that they didn't grab at
ALSO YES LARIS the after-credits scene had a picture that seems to have JL and Beverly get hitched so... damn
@@deepstonecostco Eh, it looked like a picture of them from an earlier time. Beverly had red hair!
If they make the last two episodes into a film, I would gladly go to see it in a cinema.... :-)
They DID - some people got IMAX pre-screenings yesterday!
I saw it in IMAX and it was presented as a movie, with no credits in between. It smoothly transitioned from the end of episode 9 right into the beginning of 10. When Walter's voice sounded, you could feel it in the theater. Then during the poker scene, they showed credits for both episodes. I hope they release it in this format somehow
I had forgotten about Laris. At least they could’ve had her on a communication screen with Picard telling her he’ll be home soon, or something. And I’m not sure about the Enterprise G, I saw that coming from a mile away. On the other hand, perhaps they did it better than ST IV, in the sense that in IV, a nameless ship got rechristened Enterprise, where in Picard, a ship that was actually significant to the crew was the one honored with the name. However as others have pointed out, there are other ship names being reused without having the suffix letter, so that should’ve been consistent. Oh, but hearing Water Koenig’s voice in the beginning…that was gold.. And yes it does coincide with the name of the famous Russian writer. But I’m sure it was meant as a touching tribute to Anton Yelchin, gone way too soon. Koenig says the line “There are always possibilities” which I believe was said by Spock in ST II. Overall this was the best season of the 3. I say that as someone who watched all of TNG, but it was never my favorite. Well done.
It is obvious that referring to the "Borg infection" was not meant as anti-trans/gay rhetoric. This is Star Trek, not Fox Entertainment News. Interpreting it that way is a choice by the viewer, not an intention of the writers.
So I can’t seem to separate my critical brain from my emotional fan brain on this finale? There are elements that aren’t perfect but the stuff that hits REALLY HITS. I actually cried at Picard’s admission of living in the vineyard waiting to die. It’s sadly an emotional experience Ive been wrestling with for the last 10 years of my life after my family died. I surprisingly knew exactly what Picard & Jack were feeling. It really took me off guard in a huge way. I do have a question for everyone else, especially those that watched or liked Picard Season 2: did this finale and it’s end credit stinger feel like a giant middle finger to everything that happened with the NuBorg and Q?! As someone that despised that season Im ok with it but I can’t imagine those that liked the way S2 ended thought this was cool? Q is going to tie with Data for the most pointless retconned deaths of a Trek character!
Yeah, as much as season 3 is mostly solid and great, essentially erasing season 1 and 2 makes me upset that I spent 20 hours getting to know characters and being introduced to concepts that pretty much mean nothing canonically.
I know exactly what you mean. The Picard and Jack conversation was definitely a "I didn't expect to be targeted" moment for me. Much like the episode Tapestry.
I'm ok with the way the Borg were shown here, though I would have liked to see the Federation get some help from the NuBorg. The fact that they didn't show up at all did feel like a massive 🖕to the previous seasons. (Same for the lack of Wesley - I would have liked him to show up, he deserved a spot in here somewhere.)
For Q, I'm torn. It does take away some of the context of his actions, but then it gives it a slightly different meaning. One last jaunt with an old friend, a way to say goodbye.
I liked what they did with this season. I just wish they could have honored the previous ones more, because they weren't bad. It felt like any reference they made to the past seasons was like the scene with Data giving his memories away. "Hey, you remember this thing that happened in the previous seasons? No you don't, because it's totally changed or irrelevant now." It's too bad they couldn't have found a way to have season 3 live in harmony with seasons 1 & 2.
@@cryofpaine Yes! I really didn’t like S2 BUT I am a stickler for dealing with the canon & universe you got instead of ignoring or painting over the rough spots. The Q situation made me think shouldn’t this be Qs son from Voyager instead? Granted if you are going to do Q theres really only one man for the job but it really undermines the one moment I thought worked last season: Qs death & farewell with Picard.
@@collin5052 One of my biggest problems with the first 2 seasons of Picard was how it would bring up or pose really intriguing ideas and concepts (XBs, Romulan displacement, synth Picard, synthetic life evolving, Q dying, a new benevolent strain of Borg petitioning for Federation membership, etc) and just fumble them SO HARD. A lot of it made me frustrated with S3 and the Borg reveal because if we hadn’t dealt with them in the previous seasons I think the S3 reveal would have hit better.
The fact that Larys gets totally dropped after the first episode does really bother me. I'm not sure how I fully feel about the Titan A becoming the Enterprise G. There's a slew of thoughts about it that none are positive to me. But, overall I liked this season. A few minor hiccups in an otherwise strong outing of Trek.
I needed this, im not super into Star Trek but i can listen to you talk about it for hours!
30:30 Jack is Ensign and Seven's "special counselor" - which made him to have more power among the ship's senior officers than Troi ever did 😉
I perceived it as he was like her administrative assistant
I suppose it's cause he's an experienced multipurpose guy despite the rank and might drive his department head nuts wherever they put him? :) I suppose if I were Seven I might want him on the command team but maybe be sure he actually gets in remedial study in various departments after that Academy fast-tracking. Maybe a combination of thinking like a Fenris Ranger, Starfleet, and Voyager improv with a guy like Neelix. )
@@OllamhDrab I also saw it as their connection as xBs
I *was* expecting him to be a nurse, but counselor fits really well.
Thanks for this review, Jessie. I am especially grateful for the point you made about Riker's "cleansing the infection" comment, which I did not initially consider but on reflection I think I agree with. I think your point about the depiction of the Queen relying on wrong-headed tropes about mothers is also very plausible, though I wonder if there's in-universe room to explain the change in how the Queen thinks about the rest of the Collective. I am also glad that you aren't annoyed about renaming the Titan. To me, that was about the strongest possible way they could say to Sydney, Alandra, Jack, Raffi, and above all Seven (and Jeri Ryan herself, who has absolutely earned this) that 'you are the next generation, you are part of the family, and we love you,' and there's no better place than from the big chair of the ship with the most storied name in the fleet that Seven can serve as an inspiration to a younger generation that is surely deeply traumatized by the events of ep's 9 and 10. They certainly did not have to change the name of the Titan, and I'm glad that the fanbase does not think that the hero ship always has to be named Enterprise. But in this case I think the name change was perfectly fine, and maybe even the best thing they could have done. Thanks for this review and I look forward to seeing your review of the full season!
"Hey dad, remember that time in Guinan's holo-bar? Back when the Shrike was chasing us and we didn't even know the changelings were involved, let alone the Borg? Just a couple of trauma-filled days ago? Ah, those were the days." 😅
I watched the finale last night and the ENTIRE TIME I was asking my partner, “So… where’s Laris?” I also kept yelling, “Please just let this old man REST!” I’m pretty sure they were sick of me by the end of it 😅
I love the way you broke the episode down, it lines up well with how I felt watching it. It was a very sweet ending, and though there were definitely rough patches and events that didn’t quite line up, it was pretty satisfying. I do wish we’d gotten more of the Changelings, but I suppose that story could be covered in Seven’s spinoff.
The season’s storyline of Jack and Picard’s relationship really hit me hard bc of my own struggles to connect with my dad. TNG was the first Star Trek I watched with him and while I didn’t quite get it yet, it was one of the few times we could bond. As an adult, it’s kind of inspiring to see that for Jack it wasn’t too late to reconnect with his father.
I worked with a nepo baby when they were small. I get kinda sad when they call her a nepo baby because she was such a sweet little kid and was so talented by her own merit when I knew her
You make great points about the issue with the motherhood theme. And they definitely ran with way too many metaphors at once when it came to the Borg.
Overall, it was a good episode and a good season. If we do get that spin-off with Seven and crew, I hope we get to see Seven and Jack connect over both having a connection to the Borg. The rushed pace of the last couple episodes of Picard didn’t allow for that, but I thought it would be a natural way to continue the bond between Seven and Jack when they were looking at the ships in the fleet museum and Seven was talking about her time on Voyager.
I’m so happy nobody died and we got a “happily ever after” ending with our TNG characters. They all deserve it.
This totally explained my question about the borg between season 2 and now.
Love how this new Data is tho and how it gave a feel of the Death Star with the Death Cube and the impossible shot.
Can't wait for the 7of9 show!
Great review. You always make me think. I would suggest looking at the motherhood portrayals a little bit differently. For instance, the Borg Queen killing one cube and willingness to destroy many more was most likely for Janeway's benefit. This is a mother where the ends justify the means. Her desire for vengeance against all of humanity and specifically finding a way to put a Borg plague on Starfleets youngest and brightest was fitting.
But a different type of motherhood is exhibited thru Beverly, who grudgingly accepts that Jack must die to save Earth. And Deena's choice to take on all the grieving tracks with the deepest qualities of motherhood, imho. I also found that mothers tend to absorb the death of a child far more comprehensively than fathers. While most fathers will grieve it's just not the same. And some Fathers are even family annihilators. Which is not really an instinct we see expressed by any woman ever.