Picard (S2 Finale)
Dir: Michael Weaver
Starring: Patrick Stewart; Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Jeri Ryan; Orla Brady; Santiago Cabrera.
So Picard is over and we finished the finale finally, which aired Thur May 5, and it’s time I shared my thoughts about it and yes, include some spoilers.
As you may have read – I loved the fact that Q was involved in this series, since he was completely ignored in the movie franchise.
So Q appears, and of course we all cheer, and he starts messing with Picard again just like old times. When this happens, I thought – great! Finally! The big Q comes to town! Unfortunately, this was no game of whits, as it usually was in ST:TNG, but more of a farewell, I love you kind of thing. Yes Q is dying and he wants to give Picard one last gift – actually, a huge favor to hopefully improve his quality of life and make him experience a happier more fulfilling life in his golden years.
You see, apparently, Picard has always had a hard time getting close to people – namely females. He never really wanted to settle down and be with a person – and this season tells us why. As a boy Picard witnessed his mother suicide. She hung herself from the rafters of their mansion in France, and a young Picard was the first one to find her, swinging away, dead as can be.
The story tells us that because of this, Picard was always willing to put his life first, to save countless others. He was always striving to safe life, consequentially putting his own on the shelf for later.
And by the way – this mansion that Picard grew up in, is like, the whole story. We are always in there – or on the streets of LA, someone mentioned to me that this was because Covid was in full swing at the time, and they were doing their best to keep everyone safe while still making the series. Which is something I can buy – because not many location or people are involved in this season.
Anyhoo – as you remember, a Borg comes through a space anomaly and asks for Picard directly then proceeds to take over his ship and the rest of the fleet. Picard starts the self destruct sequence and in walks Q – and this whole time warp thing happens and off to the past we go.
Well, we learn Q is dying – something even Q didn’t know was possible. He calls it “moving on” – though no one really know what that means or where he’s going to. Q said he just changed one thing – and that altered everything else. Well Picard finds that one thing with a borg’s help and that one thing pits him against a Dr. Soong – who as you may remember, created Data. Of course this isn’t THAT Dr. Soong, but it’s a few generations ahead and he’s still tinkering with the creating synthetic people.
Anyway – so Picard fights Dr. Soong, and the Borg and while dealing with his memories as a boy which Q is making him have and live through. Why Q just couldn’t do this alone, without the whole time travel thing we don’t know.
Picard has a chance to skip himself as a boy, discovering his mother – but he doesn’t. He knows that is what made him the hero he is today. Q calls it “forgiving himself”, I just call it, not messing with your life – but whatever. Q says this will enable Picard to have a loving relationship with a female, and that he has come to terms with himself not having to save everyone, and blah blah blah. Whatever it was, it was a lovely sentiment from Q to Picard. “Even Gods have favorites” Q says, “and you were always mine”. Which I thought was a very sweet and endearing way for the two to say goodbye.
That moment alone, for me, was worth watching this season. Those two were always at odds and now finally, Q gave Picard the great gift of being able to forgive yourself, before “moving on”. I guess maybe Q entities have a conscience too? Who knows.
Other notables – Jeri Ryan’s 7 gets the superhero treatment. She goes the whole show with blood on her shirt, she gets the girl, and gets the ship. Picard commissions her to be captain of the ship as a member of Starfleet and she does so without hesitation. Hopefully 7 will get her own series – she has definitely earned it with this show.
This season was very slow, with many detours, and not many ST:TNG cameos, except for a horrible Wesley Crusher cameo as a “Traveller” which I totally forgot he became. I just remember all those “shut up Wesley” videos on YouTube.
For Season 3, I would need Jordi, Ryker, and Worf back in some capacity. Though this cast is good, 7 should move on, Rios is dead, and the rest should join Picard with Jordi, Ryker and Worf. I’m not saying they should be in uniform, or even still active in Starfleet – but we do need them here. This series seems to be about caring for each other, and old friends and those 3 definitely fit the bill and should be here.
If they can bring back Q, they can definitely bring back these guys for one last round up. It seems to be last call for this team – and I want to see all of them, take their bow. We as fans earned it, and they as beloved characters and magnificent actors have earned it as well.
