Star Trek Picard
CBS All Access
Season One Episode Seven
Nepethe
We finally get to see what caused Dr. Jurati to take the actions that she did against Bruce Maddox and what Starfleet’s fear of the continuation of synthetic life will be. The question is whether this vision is the result of fact or fear on the part of the Vulcan Intelligence Officer. Also, is she even Vulcan? I continue to have my doubts about Commodore Oh, but the performance by Tamlyn Tomita is fantastic.
Picard and Soji’s escape brings them to the planet Nepethe and face to face with old friends. The inclusion of Riker and Troi has been teased since the first trailers for the series began, but the culmination of their appearance on this episode is perfectly executed. Rather than detached reverence for the moment, the return of these characters plays out like family coming home and that made every moment feel warm and sweet. The Rikers personal loss is played perfectly as well even though the reason for it felt a little convenient. What makes that moment work is how it connects to the bigger story of the Federation and its ban on synthetic life.
Rios and his team’s escape from the Borg cube is done well, but Jurati’s arc felt flat and rushed as the story kept hinting at her either betraying the crew or confessing what she’d done. In the end, the storyline worked to move the plot forward, but it went on a little too long.
Elnor and Hugh’s storyline was too short and the climax was both frustrating and sad. I wanted more from those moments because they seemed to be building to something great in both action and revelation.
The Picard/Soji dynamic is interesting. Soji’s distrust is expertly explained by Troi (who was awesome in every scene she appeared in) and Picard’s reaction and evolution were well done. A great episode when it was satisfying the fans, but the bigger story felt jumbled.