They, Wesley Crusher, Deanna Troi, Data, and Geordi La Forge are later at the game, which results in Riker fooling Wesley – inexperienced at poker – into suspecting that Riker has an impressive hand. Star Trek: Picard episode 3 review: "The old Picard is back" If the first three episodes were essentially prologue, this is where Star Trek: Picard becomes a show in its own right. Will Picard have to come to the rescue of his old foes for his final mission? ", "This is… just another page in history, isn't it? It doesn't take long for the Enterprise to encounter a Borg cube and Captain Picard is abducted and assimilated. Picard is escorted to face the cube's interior, where the Borg Collective inform him that he has been chosen to become a liaison between the Borg and Humanity, to expedite the assimilation of Earth into the Collective. Despite Shelby wanting to continue working with Data who does not require rest, Riker insists otherwise, due to the team's exhaustion and that he doesn't want the crew fighting the Borg at the same time they're fighting their own fatigue. Picard would never fully recover from his assimilation, often lashing out violently and illogically when faced with the Borg again. With just a bit of a headache. The captain then questions why Riker is still on the Enterprise, since he's been offered command of the Melbourne, noting it as a fine ship. (, Another reason that Piller had for creating the Shelby subplot was to better explore Riker's motivation for staying aboard the, Piller had intended this season finale to be his last contribution to, The real reason Doctor Crusher was included in the away team that attempts to retrieve Picard from the Borg was that actress. When the Enterprise responds to a distress call, they're shocked to find a Borg scout ship with one survivor, who Dr. Crusher brings aboard to Captain Picard's protests. 'Star Trek: Picard' Episode 10 saw the death--and resurrection--of Jean-Luc Picard CBS. The episode is the highest rated episode of The Next Generation on IMDb. Along the way, Starfleet suffered one of its most devastating defeats at the Battle of Wolf 359, which saw dozens of ships destroyed and thousands of lives lost, including future Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Commander Benjamin Sisko's wife. In 2020, SyFy Wire listed this episode in their guide "Best of Borg Worlds" as one of seven essential Borg-themed episodes to watch as background before Star Trek: Picard. More often than not, Jean-Luc Picard was at the forefront of the battles to stop them, and they were the cause of some of his greatest personal failings. On Shelby's command, the team makes a hasty escape to the Enterprise, leaving Picard behind. Before leaving with Shelby, Riker invites Hanson to the Enterprise's poker night. "I thought they weren't interested in Human lifeforms, only our technology." What Jean Luc knew, the Borg knew. Michael Westmore recalled how an effective special effect was added to Locutus' helmet, using merely a tiny, cheap laser; ", As with the planetscape used for Jouret IV, the Borg interior set was also created by Richard James and built on Stage 16. "That's not what she meant, Data… but you're right: she erred. "Then you are convinced it is the Borg?" Raffi and Picard are rocking the Nemesis -era Starfleet combadges, but their uniforms are different from what officers wore in … "The captain has been altered by the Borg." We've thrown every resource we have into this, but still…" Shelby reports that the area's soil contains their Borg footprint, confirming that the colony's decimation was due to the Borg. Shelby pipes up that may change, should they begin to interfere with their plans. Knowing the Borg would never stop looking for him, he ultimately decides to return to the collective, with the hope that his individuality might somehow persevere. Related: Star Trek: Where The Cardassians Are In Picard. In another section of corridor, Data finds more distribution nodes, and Worf's tricorder detects Picard's combadge but the communicator is unresponsive, so the team start heading towards it. The last question is how Picard‘s first episode chooses to climax. Discussion turns to the forthcoming mission, and, even though Shelby takes the initiative to select away team members, Riker interjects that not only has he already assigned the crew members she asked for to the away team, but that he will be joining the team himself. Star Trek: Picard episode 3 review: "The old Picard is back" If the first three episodes were essentially prologue, this is where Star Trek: Picard becomes a show in its own right. "If you can't make the big decisions, commander, I suggest you make room for someone who can. "I have nothing to say to you! As the doctor and Geordi LaForge nurse the Borg — who they name Hugh — back to health, they realize he's beginning to display attributes of an individual life form again, much to everyone's surprise. The Borg's first appearance initially came in this Q-centric episode of TNG's second season. Episode two, “Maps and Legends” goes into greater detail about just what this all is. They uses this data to locate a heavily damaged Borg sphere nearby and Captain Janeway formulates a plan to invade the Borg craft and steal its transwarp coil, a device which could shave about 20 years off Voyager's journey home. Riker orders the away team to find a way to disengage the cube from warp. He is much more comfortable with himself, though Riker wonders if he's too comfortable. When Hugh rejoined the collective, his individuality spread throughout the Borg, but most were not as happy to be individuals. Just when it seems the Enterprise will be destroyed, Q returns and forces Picard to admit humanity is unprepared to take on such ferocious enemies. Star Trek: Picard Episode 2, “Maps and Legends” helps fill in some of those blanks. On his way out of the quarters, Riker tells Shelby the details of that night's poker game. ("Ron Jones - Sounds in Space", Some parts of the score seem to build upon musical themes used by Ron Jones in earlier episodes. Worf, shocked, determinedly heads towards his former captain, but a powerful force field blocks his way and knocks Worf to the floor. Troi reassures him that, on the contrary, he has matured and thereby gained more than he realizes. Immediately after the away team is beamed down by Transporter Chief Miles O'Brien, the team finds not only that the entire colony of New Providence has been completely destroyed but also that the colony's former town cente… It looks like even though Picard said the last episode that he never felt truly at home on the chateau, he can’t help but still keep it with him. Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes. "Death is irrelevant. This creates a moral dilemma for Picard and Starfleet, who had planned to use Hugh, the Borg drone, as a weapon to eradicate the Borg collective. Star Trek: Picard is nearing its big finale, and in episode 8, "Broken Pieces" we see the various storylines of season 1 converge in a major (and thrilling way). ", "Mister Worf, dispatch a subspace message to Admiral Hanson. There is no evidence of avifaunal or crawling vermicular lifeforms on Jouret IV." The character was first … While touring the Enterprise (after surveying engineering), Picard visits an empty Ten Forward, where Guinan, sitting off to the side in the dark, is puzzled to see that he is awake. Shelby insists that she can keep on working by herself, but Riker dismisses her. He is also a trained audio engineer with a degree from the Los Angeles Film School, and manages multiple corporate social media accounts. Captain-Pike-a-Chu reviews Star Trek: Picard episode 4. In the Enterprise's ready room, Riker strongly advises Admiral Hanson – via the room's desktop monitor – that Earth's protection be prioritized. Picard refuses to comply, saying that Humans would rather die, but the Borg maintain that his efforts to resist them will not succeed. Michael Piller predicted the attention which would be paid to this season finale. ", "You disagree with me, fine. Picard stands amid the Borg cube. Agnes' Husband Is WandaVision's Biggest Clue, Star Trek Picard: What TNG Borg Episodes To Watch. Data, Troi and Doctor Crusher are working feverishly to save him. La Forge notes that it is a shot in the dark when asked by Picard of the plan's effectiveness, but La Forge tells the captain it is the best they can do. The Borg interior set, in this case, was built on an area of the stage where the floor could be removed, allowing the production crew to place lights in the basement area so that they could shine up through the floor grating. His current focuses are on covering the Arrowverse, Star Trek: Discovery, and the DC Cinematic Universe. Your culture will adapt to service ours." Also, Games Radar recommended watching this episode before that series. "Impossible! Shelby fears that such a blast will also destroy the Enterprise, but Riker proposes that the plan could still work, if some distance was put between the ship and its target. La Forge meanwhile informs Riker, on the Enterprise's bridge, that their deflector is nearly weaponized but will require an abundance of power from the warp engines. Meanwhile, Hansen informs Picard that every available starship is en route to assist the Enterprise but are still six days away from their destination. 02 The Next Generation: Season 5, Episode 23, "I, Borg" Hugh was something of a test run for Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine, who will be appearing in Star Trek: Picard. "Altered?" Piller recalled, ", To fill up the rest of the storyline, Piller sought to maintain the Human drama in all the spectacle. However, six years later in Star Trek: First Contact, Picard is able to hear the Borg Collective during the Battle of Sector 001, as … Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) faced her worst nightmare in Star Trek: Picard episode 8: not only did she return to a Borg Cube but Seven briefly became a version of the Borg Queen. The interaction between Jean Luc Picard and the Borg was a two-way transfer of information, the Borg gained valuable information about the Federation and its defense structure, ship capacities and ally information. His point made, Q returns the Enterprise to its rightful place in the Alpha Quadrant, but the damage had already been done — the Borg were coming. A native of Yorktown, Virginia, he moved to Los Angeles in 2010 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. However, Shelby suspects Riker is bluffing and calls him on it, winning the game, to Riker's chagrin. Next: Star Trek Picard: How The New Series Can Avoid Voyager’s Mistakes. We know Star Trek: Voyager's reformed Borg drone Seven of Nine and TNG's benevolent drone Hugh will be returning for Star Trek: Picard, but it's unclear what role the Borg play almost two decades after they were last featured in a Star Trek production. Entering her quarters with Riker, Shelby reveals she has an uncertain theory about how to search for the Borg, extrapolating a "Borg footprint" from their previous encounter with the Enterprise. That's our footprint. There's a lot more information about Picard's world in this second episode (arguably too much), with references made to the Tal Shiar, the backstory of the Borg, and Picard's medical history. You need to take it to the captain, fine; through me. Before taking Shelby to her quarters, Riker invites Hanson to the Enterprise's upcoming poker night but the admiral instead recommends Shelby as a rumored poker player, as he and Picard have much to discuss. Picard agrees with an uncomfortable Riker that the right time for Shelby's plan is not yet but dictates that her proposed stratagem should be used as a fall-back. Data replies that the Borg ignored them when they originally beamed aboard their vessel, as they did not see their presence as a threat. The final draft script included several moments that did not survive the episode's transition to its final, televised version. All the stardates provided in the episode's log entries were changed between the script and the final version, with two supplemental entries in the script (the final two log entries of the episode) ultimately being given stardates instead. Dusty Stowe has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016. Shelby reminds the team that their phasers will work once or twice before the Borg learn to adapt. Ryker orders them to use Picard's link with the Borg to find a way to destroy them. Picard instructs Worf that Hanson is to be contacted with news that the engagement has begun. The Borg are the ultimate users, Q had explained to Captain Picard in the earlier episode. Several drones were unable to cope with their new reality, and either severely malfunctioned or simply shut themselves down. Lore attempted to use the vulnerable Borg as his own personal army before being thwarted by the Enterprise crew and Hugh, who emerged as the leader of the newly liberated Borg. As a former Borg, Seven of Nine is very relevant to the story of the Borg that 'Star Trek: Picard' seems to be telling. Cliff Bole He is a devoted fan of Doctor Who, DC Comics, and whatever David Lynch deems us worthy of viewing. At one point, the script of this episode specifically stated, ", Wesley's poker hand as he loses to Riker's bluff, three Jacks, is nearly identical to Data's hand in ", The new weapons that Shelby mentions are in development by Starfleet to combat the Borg very likely included the, Although she is not seen on-screen in this episode, it is established in, Despite Data apparently misunderstanding the phrase "early bird" in this episode, he has heard it once before; he is present when, in. Back, due to the captain, fine ; through me will intercept the Borg find! 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