Contains Spoilers
Okay, here we go! This week’s episode of Star Trek: Picard, after an intriguing pilot and two episodes which did get a bit too bogged down in plot and setup, starts to really find its feet in this fourth episode, very much proving to be the first episode that has found that more natural balance between being something new as well as reminiscent of classic Trek.
The episode sees Picard’s newly assembled crew of ex-Starfleet first officer Raffi (Michelle Hurd), cigar chomping pilot Chris (Santiago Cabrera) and scientist Dr. Jurati (Alison Pill), head out on their first stop on their journey to Freeworld to seek out Bruce Maddox, the man responsible for creating Data’s android offspring. That first stop is to make a detour to the planet Vashti, one of the sites that Picard and Raffi established as a Romulan refugee camp, before the synthetic attack on Mars led to the Federation deciding to abandon the Romulan relocation program. There, Picard is seeking the assistance of the Quwat Milat, an order of warrior Romulan nuns, in his quest. But he’s not in for as warm a welcome as he had hoped.
‘Absolute Candor’ brings together some of the key threads that have been driving the revolving around what has happened in the world following the destruction of Romulus by a supernova and the synthetic attack of Mars over 10 years ago. The mission to Vashti allows us to see just how Romulan culture has been left to stagnate, justifying the anger and frustration felt by the alien race in the face of their abandonment by the Federation. It means that Picard cannot simply rely on the level of respect and admiration that his name and appearance may usually inspire, something which is becoming an increasing reality to the once great hero of the Federation.
It is always interesting to see how Picard reacts and navigates situations of tension that he knows he is largely responsible for. His guilt drives him to try and mend fences and find ways to aid the Romulans he left behind, which is largely demonstrated by his desire for Elnor (a Legolas-esque Evan Evagora), a young orphaned Romulan who was raised by the Quwat Milat, to join his quest. Much of what has been driving Picard this series has been a question of chances not taken and causes abandoned, and the e sense of guilt associated with that, and this episode is one that face those issues head on in a suitably tense fashion. It does feel like a very different Picard to The Next Generation, but Stewart’s performance keeps him anchored to an essence that we recognise as belonging to Jean-Luc Picard.
Elsewhere in the episode, things are getting more complicated for Soji aboard the Borg Cube, as she begins to dig deeper into what happened aboard a Romulan ship that was assimilated, and just how she may be wrapped up in all this. This is most certainly the weaker subplot of this episode, with the romance between Soji and Narek not standing as particularly convincing as a measure of reluctance begins to seep into Narek’s observation of Soji.
With a strong sense of momentum focused around a plot that involves dropping down to an alien planet in order to carry out a mission, it shouldn’t be a surprise that this episode more in the mould of a classic Trek episode, irregardless of the fact that it is still serving the larger series arc. Just even down to the interplay between the crew, this feels more lively and with something that has a bit more personality to it, rather than something that has just felt like it is moving through the mechanics of the plot. The tease of an ending which sees the return of Star Trek Voyager’s Jeri Ryan as reformed Borg Seven of Nine, in heroic and dramatic fashion, makes one even more excited to see where next week takes this show as it now seems to have found its stride.
Star Trek: Picard is now streaming.
