Star Trek Picard (Season 3 Finale) Episodes 9 & 10: As more time passes, this season of Star Trek Picard stands out more and more just because of how anomalous it had been from the outputs of the franchise in recent years. Sure, it has been nostalgia bait, and with hindsight, now a legitimate factor in criticism, it has leaned into the iconography of The Next Generation, which has made them popular.
Thankfully though, this season’s reliance on older moments, plot threads, and nostalgia porn has been intermixed with legitimate plot progression and a genuinely compelling story. So while Star Trek Picard is symptomatic of the ouroboros nature of decades-running franchises, there is a genuine fandom and love for the characters here.
Star Trek Picard (Season 3 Finale) Episode 9 Recap:
Episode 9 – “Vox”
Unlike my prediction in the last recap, the Pah-Wraiths weren’t involved. This would have been cool, considering the changelings were involved pretty heavily in the narrative until the last episode. But the last episode also contained one of the more revealing and, “in hindsight,” pretty obvious dialogues when Vadic told Seven of Nine that it is poetic that she is there to learn about Jack’s abilities.
That was the definitive red flag, which should have revealed the mastermind behind these entire events once and for all. I am still glad, though, that, continuing from the last episode, Deanna had been accompanying Jack in her mind to the red door, but once the door opened and she witnessed the horror behind it, she immediately left him and ran to tell Beverly and Picard.
Yes, it was the Borg all along. But unlike the other Borgs shown in the last two seasons, this is the “true Borg—or this is the Borg cube hidden in the yellow nebula, which had been the same Borg cube housing “The Borg Queen,” who had been responsible for kidnapping Picard into Locutus, and the Borg Cube that Picard had faced off against in Star Trek First Contact.
This was also the same Borg Cube that Janeway and the crew of Frontier had faced off against as well. The fact that something resembling connectivity and rigid structure were involved had already been hinted at by Jack describing the thousands of flowers in his dreams connected by vines. These are many connections that Jack wants to make, which alarms Deanna enough.
As Picard and Beverly reel in shock and rack their brains for explanations on how it is possible, Beverly, in all possibilities in this season, retcons Picard’s Irumodic Syndrome, which he had passed on to Jack. Beverly hypothesizes that Altan Soong knew something was off about his Irumodic Syndrome, which is why his body was kept in the Daystrom Institute for research purposes, while Vadic and the changelings somehow knew that Picard had passed something to Jack that had already been present within him from the time he had been assimilated as Locutus in “The Best of Both Worlds.”
As Picard and Beverly wonder how to tell Jack, Deanna reminds them that Jack is now a “security risk,” as Vadic had been looking for a weapon to use against humanity. As previous episodes have shown, Jack is pretty dangerous as a weapon. Picard finally chooses to take responsibility for breaking the news to Jack.
Jack had been pacing around in his room, confused and frustrated at the lack of answers and at being heralded by the appearance of his father. Deanna abandoning him makes him irate, and he vows not to let any “Betazoid” get near his head again. When Picard tries to defend his crewmate, Jack understandably loses it and screams at Picard to tell him what she has seen.
In reply, Jack finally reveals to him about his time being assimilated by the Borg and being Locutus. While Jack had been given a crash course about that incident from Captain Shaw (back in Episode 6), this is the first time he has been hearing from the horse’s mouth. Picard also reveals that the Irumodic Syndrome, with which he had been diagnosed and which had been responsible for his “death” at the end of Season 1, was a “seed” that had been transferred by the Borg collective. Starfleet had cleared him for duty, but that event had left him scarred. And now he had passed on something to Jack, and the Irumodic Syndrome had been a side effect of that “seed.”
Jack realizes that makes him like a “worker bee” in search of his hive and the queen. He also rationalizes how he had been against imperfections and cruelty so apparent in the world and wondered if a stronger hand would be the necessary corrective, a kind of “cybernetic authoritarianism.” But the Borg is also coldly logical; emotion and individuality don’t factor in. So how does that work?
As Jack’s mind races with these thoughts, Picard urges them to take “precautions,” even suggesting that they transfer him to a research facility on Vulcan, which Jack immediately rejects. Jack knew he was talking about Keslovar, the Vulcan facility where Vulcan mind-melding had been done for lobotomy purposes.
Self-preservation, with his now-revealed Borg instinct, acts as the catalyst here for Jack to try to find his way, but two security officers stop him. When asked by Jack as to why, Picard gives the “needs for the many” reason, which is perfectly in line with Picard’s character as someone completely oblivious to handling human emotions.
He then uses his abilities to take control over the security officers and walks away while the security officers point the guns at Picard. When Beverly catches up to Jack and tries to stop him, he reveals to her that he isn’t running away; he is escaping because he is going to face the Borg queen on his own. Prepping a shuttlecraft, Jack reaches out to the Borg Queen through his mind, automatically feeds in the coordinates to the location, and disables the transponder before pulling out of the bay.
When the stolen shuttle finally comes out of warp, we see it stuck in the same cosmic storm Jack had seen behind the red door. The shuttle’s computer reports tachyon impulses, neutrino emissions, and gravitational flux, but when Jack wonders aloud if it’s a wormhole, the computer corrects him by stating it’s a transwarp conduit. Jack then doubles over in pain as the voice of the collective overwhelms him. He sees a Borg cube appear in front of him.
Geordi calls Picard to explain that unlike the regular alterations and enhancements done by Borg, Picard had undergone new and extensive alterations during his Locutus days. The borg had written an entirely new genetic code within him, which hadn’t been possible to detect 35 years ago with the technology they had at hand.
Thus, the anomaly that was discovered by Dr. Soong in Picard’s brain in Season 1 is a Borg modification. This addition finally answers the question that has been raised ever since Star Trek: First Contact: “How could Picard hear the voice of the collective even after being disconnected from them.” Worf finally surmises that the changeling stole Picard’s body from the Daystrom Institute to extract and weaponize his altered DNA.
Jack is essentially an organic transmitter drone of the Borg, able to send command signals. And since the current day is Frontier Day, Worf reminds them that all of Starfleet has assembled at this moment on Earth. As Geordi warns them that Starfleet would take the policy of “shoot first, ask questions later,” Picard consents that they have to try, contacting Shaw and telling him to return to the Sol system. Poor Shaw, who had a very bad couple of hours, resigned and agreed to Picard’s statement that this was the only option, even as he questioned the validity of such a move.
If we are truly talking about deep cuts and how closely this season of Picard is connecting to the lore of the Borg by putting Admiral Elizabeth Shelby as master of ceremonies for Frontier Day, for the uninitiated, Shelby was first introduced in “The Best of Both Worlds” as an expert on the Borg and a young hotshot lieutenant eager to climb up the ranks, with her eye specifically on Riker’s position on the Enterprise-D.
Riker and Shelby finally have to work together when Picard is kidnapped by the Borg and transformed into Locutus, but Riker never really liked Shelby. The irony here is that Shelby’s expertise on the Borg has perhaps affected her perspective because she announces Starfleet’s newest advancement: “fleet formation,” a new technology that synchronizes all the Starfleet ships to act like one. As the Titan is approaching the Sol system, they are listening to Shelby’s announcement on the broadcast. Subsequently, Picard voices literally what everybody is thinking—this sounds very Borg-like.
On the other side of the system, Jack enters the Borg Cube with a phaser and a heart full of gumption and courage, having been transported via a transwarp conduit. The Borg queen taunts Jack, calling him her “child,” her voice to command her troops, or “Vox.” Jack rejects it outright, pointing his phaser at the Borg Queen suspended above him, intending to grant her “mercy.”
The Borg Queen remarks that the Borg and the Changelings united for a common cause—retribution against those who destroyed their lives. She then laughs and says that if Jack had wanted to kill her, he would have done so already. But Jack finds that he is unable to pull the trigger. As Jack finally stands up, resigned, the queen (voiced by Alice Krige, who also voiced the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact) reminds him that “resistance is futile” as cables descend from the ceiling and connect to Jack as his eyes turn inky black.
Aboard the Titan, Geordi explains to Beverly that he and Data had been going over the intel that Raffi had recovered from the Shrike before its destruction. They discovered Starfleet transporter code inside Picard’s human DNA. Beverly instructs the computer to check this transporter code into the transporter system of Titan. Her suspicions are confirmed when the computer answers that it is part of the Transporter architecture. Data explains that to simplify the processing of millions of pieces of data, the system stores species-specific coding for ease.
We do see a similar kind of trick used in “Strange New Worlds,” where Dr. M’Benga stores his daughter’s biological coding in the transporter structure so that she can stay in “limbo” till he figures out a cure for her life-threatening disease. And now Picard’s Borg-infected DNA has become part of the transporter architecture, which Beverly realizes was always the plan.
The changeling would infiltrate starships, introduce this code into the transporter structure, and add new Borg DNA to every species by utilizing a transporter. They have essentially done a “secret invasion—assimilated Starfleet right under their noses. Further examination of the simulation by Data reveals that the Borg DNA would only propagate in species until the end of their development cycle. Beverly surmises that the human brain becomes fully developed by the age of 25, thus proving that the Borg DNA infects Starfleet members above or below the age of 25.
Picard hails Shelby directly when the Titan finally reaches the spacedock, and the fleet tries to command the Titan’s systems. Picard tries to warn Shelby of the Borg invasion, but the Borg takes control of the entire Starfleet Armada as an energy spike completely overwhelms the Starfleet systems.
We watch in horror as all the younger members of the Titan’s crew begin to be assimilated by the Borg as the Borg cube activates and sends out its signal. Seven, on the count of her implants, gets hit with a piercing headache. Shaw and the rest of the old timers manage to escape into a turbo lift long enough to hatch a plan.
We see in the in-built elevator map that the fleet is currently organized (looking at the ships, it seems that Starfleet has ordered a significant overhaul of the ships because the oldest ship among the lot seems to be the Defiant class, which had been developed in 2366, perhaps because of the implementation of the fleet formation mode). Then they listen to a message from Captain Benbassat of the USS Excelsior, who reports that they had managed to retake the ship.
However, the automated system takes the ship out of formation and destroys it by putting it right in the sights of the fleet. While Picard angrily orders all communications to be terminated, Riker and Shaw both figure out that Bambasaat had managed to contact him from one channel, which Shaw realized was Channel 99 Delta, the maintenance channel. Shaw immediately hatches a plan and orders the turbo-lift to the maintenance deck; no guards or drones would be present, and there could be an escape shuttle to hop on, as the shuttles aren’t connected with the fleet integration program.
On the maintenance deck, all the crew members finally meet up, with Deanna remarking, “I have never been so glad to see so many wrinkles.” But their reunion is short-lived as the drones descend upon them, leading to a firefight with Shaw, Seven, and Raffi lying down covering fire for the rest of the crew to escape in the shuttle. Shaw is shot by one of the Borg-influenced officers in front of a distressed Picard.
The one character who warmed notorious Trekkie fans over with his surly disposition who “mistook asshole for charm,” the moment where he is lying gasping for breath, is truly heartbreaking. But what clinches the emotional resonance is him reassuring Seven that the ship is not his to command anymore; it’s hers, and he signs off forever, but not before forgetting to call her “Seven of Nine.” While every member of the crew leaves, Raffi opts to stay back with Seven to help her take over the Titan.
The final moments of this episode are when it all reaches an emotional crescendo where nostalgia evokes the perfect dopamine rush. As the shuttle flies to the fleet station, Geordi reveals that there is one ship he has been working on in secret, an older ship of a discontinued class that is not included in the fleet program. Much to the shock of Picard and the rest of the crew and the fans, we are shown a vision of the Enterprise-D, the original ship of the TNG show that had been destroyed in “Star Trek Generations.” Geordi explains that the saucer had been recovered from the Viridian III system (as per the prime directive).
The secondary hulls had been rebuilt by him over 20 years with nacelles refurbished from the USS Syracuse, repairing the damage inflicted on the saucer section. As the ship elicits emotional reactions from the whole crew, we also learn that the Enterprise-E has been destroyed. Presumably, Worf is responsible, though we are not given details on it.
As the crew entered the bridge of that ship for the first time in 30 years, a collective of Trek fans too had longed to see that moment, and we share Picard’s sentiment on having missed the carpet. It is also fascinating how modern-day lighting techniques completely change the dimensions of the ship from the TV lighting used during the 90s, but it is still the old ship TNG fans love.
And now, as Picard reactivates the ship and “field demotes” Riker to Number One, the rest assures him of his crew that they are with him to the bitter end. With all the usual suspects in their respective chairs (Riker even has his leg up on the helm console in a classic maneuver), Beverly reports systems being ready, with Worf voicing the same for tactical, and Picard orders that familiar “Engage” as the Enterprise-D leaves the old spacedock for a literal “last ride.”
Chapter 10 – The Last Generation
The opening scene of this episode is emotional, even if it’s simply a voiceover. The voice belongs to Anton Chekov, son of Pavel Chekov, one of the original crew members of the USS Enterprise, played by Walter Koenig, who also voices Anton Chekov, the President of Earth. It’s also a nice touch that the character is named Anton, in memory of the late Anton Yelchin, who played the character of Pavel Chekov in the Kelvin timeline movies. And while his message broadcast from Earth sounds dire, he ends with the familiar “There are infinite possibilities.”
Back on the Enterprise-D, the crew discusses and is hit with the sobering thought that they are the “cavalry,” as all emergency transmissions from Starfleet and civilian ships have gone silent. Picard believes that the Borg collective is controlling the ships and that they must be nearby, which Data confirms via long-range sensors that there was a Borg vessel located in the gases of Jupiter. Picard orders the crew to intercept.
When the Enterprise arrives, they intercept a massive Borg cube right in the middle of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. Beverly can narrow down the transmission of the collective to Jack’s location within the Borg Cube. Picard finally stands on the bridge that has seen the genesis of numerous adventures and bellows, “What began 35 years ago ends tonight”, firmly cementing that this will be the end of the saga of Picard dealing with the Borg. It is even more personal at this point.
Back aboard the Titan, the drones, led by Sidney LaForge, were commanded to destroy the unassimilated. The unassimilated, led by Seven and Raffi, made their way through the corridor and blasted the drones away. However, those shot by the team led by Seven and Raffi get hit by the transport beam, which transports them to the locked-down transport room.
They enter the bridge, make quick work of the Borg-infected crew, and take over the bridge. Sealing the bridge off, Seven orders the remaining unassimilated crew to take their stations. While they have taken over the Titan, they aren’t out of the crucible yet, as the Titan is still connected with the Fleet Formation. They figure out that the Enterprise-D (which wasn’t supposed to be active and was a relic) is being piloted by Picard against the Borg ship because it isn’t connected to the “Fleet Formation” program.
Seven concoct a daring plan to cloak the Titan because the fleet formation works when the ships are all in line of sight. So cloaking the Titan would allow them to break the line of sight, scramble the scanners of the ship, and hope they have enough to fight their way through. The cook, who is now the reluctant pilot, having only attended flight class, protests against using complicated flight maneuvers to fight against so many starships.
Seven of Nine, finally ascending to her role of Captain, a character arc in the making since her appearance on Voyager, delivers a rousing speech, urging them to fight for their families on Earth, as the Borg had taken everyone, including Captain Shaw, and they are what’s left of Starfleet. Raffi reports the cloaking device is online, and Seven finally orders the Titan.
Back aboard the Enterprise, Deanna remarks that the Borg Collective feels different, as if consumed by quiet suffering. In answer to Beverly’s question, Deanna believes that the Borg has completely overtaken him. Worf, with his brain calculating the worst-case scenario, asks whether Jack has completely fallen to the “dark side,” as it may. Picard vehemently denies it, believing that a sliver of Jack is still there. It does make sense, considering he is speaking from personal experience.
Data reports that the Borg cube is at 36%, with all of its energy utilized to broadcast its message. As they see the cube lowering its shields and powering its weapons down, Picard realizes it’s an invitation. They finally plan out their attack: locate and destroy the beacon that had been transmitting the signal. But considering that the signal is too powerful, their sensors are being scrambled, and the only way to locate it is to beam aboard the cube.
Picard also acknowledges, in a full character arc completion, how much she has brought up Jack on her own and brought him to where he was, and now he is ready to step up and bring him home. Riker and Worf volunteer to accompany Picard, with an eager Data wanting to be in tow, but Picard stops the emotional android, reassuring him that his expertise is needed on the ship.
A beautiful silent moment is passed between Deanna and Riker, with Deanna feeling pained at what she undoubtedly senses as a feeling of resigned determination in Riker. Picard leaves Geordi, the captain’s chair, and, before entering the turbo-lift, looks back at his crew for the supposed last time, stating, “It has been an honor serving with you all.” If that doesn’t strike at your heartstrings, what does?
They beam aboard the cube, which looks deserted, possibly after the defeat it suffered decades ago. Riker worries about the lack of sound and, consequently, the lack of drones in a cube of this size. As they move forward, they find the Borg drones, or more specifically, the dead bodies of Borg drones, with necrotic tissues being consumed. Someone is nourishing themselves from the inside out. Beverly reports from Titan Jack’s location, which is located a chamber below the one they are standing on.
Picard recalls being near the matrix array and below the transporter platform. Realizing that some part of him still has a “phantom limb” of a connection with the hive, Picard decides to part ways with Worf and Riker, as he should now focus on being a father and searching for his son. He instructs Worf and Riker to find the beacon and thanks Riker for his loyalty for so many years. Worf stops him from spouting a similar sentiment by remarking that a Klingon never admits to knowing two things: defeat and farewell.
Picard asks Beverly to lead them to their son, to which she warns that she can lead him to the next level but no further because the interference will completely disrupt communications. As she is about to confess, Picard stops and assures her that she has done everything right with Jack.
Picard proceeds inside the cube, finally finding Jack, dressed in an attire similar to the one worn by him when he had been Locutus, connected with wires to the hive mind and giving orders to the Borg-infected Starfleet ships. He preaches a universe of uniformity and perfection as if they are assimilated. Picard tries to reason with Jack and bring him back, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by a burst of laughter from above, echoing throughout the chamber.
He looks up to see a damaged, battered, and hung together by wires but still alive Borg Queen (Alice Krige) telling Picard that Locutus has finally returned to her. As Picard angrily asks the Borg Queen what she had done to Jack, she smugly replies that all she had were reassurances of a “mother’s love.” She taunts Picard, revealing that there hasn’t been a collective, just a loneliness that both she and Jack shared—a loneliness borne out of Picard’s abandonment.
Picard tries to reason with her, offering himself in favor of releasing Jack, but the Queen refuses, revealing that she isn’t only interested in assimilation but evolution. We finally get why the Borg joined forces with the Changeling: revenge. And both of these species utilized biological manipulation to propagate throughout Starfleet because assimilation isn’t the goal anymore; it’s destruction.
In the process of tracking down the beacon, Riker and Worf discover a central access terminal, thanks to Worf. Riker hopes the Borg have been too busy perishing to modernize their codecs. One of the drones that had been considered “dead” awakens as Worf interacts with the Enterprise, and a second one does the same as Riker locates the broadcast transmitter.
On Earth, the Titan maneuvers through the assimilated fleet while decloaking, firing, and then recloaking to escape being recaptured by the fleet automation to allow Picard and his crew some time to halt the Borg. Things start to reach a fever pitch as, aboard the Titan, the drones manage to force their way out of the locked transporter room, while aboard the cube, the drones start attacking Riker and Worf. Worf passes Riker his kur’leth, revealing a phaser hidden at the hilt, much to Riker’s joy. The Borg cube begins firing at the Enterprise as Geordi orders evasive maneuvers.
He warns Beverly that he didn’t have time to get the weapons systems fully up. Beverly starts controlling the weapons manually, which is a glorious sight to behold as the Enterprise weaves, dodges, and fires bursts of photon torpedoes, sustaining significant damage to the Borg cube. When the rest of the crew looks at Beverly in surprise, she reminds them that a lot has changed in 20 years.
Riker sends the schematics of the beacon to the enterprise, which show that the path to the beacon is directly at the center of the cube, which, according to Geordi, is impossible to reach. But this new version of Data, who is also emotionally open and excited, states that even if this journey to the center is statistically impossible, his “gut” tells him he can do it. As Geordi looks on in disbelief, he still chooses to trust Data.
These moments, where Brent Spiner chooses to play Data’s childlike glee and emotional outbursts, feel far more real than the ones depicted in the films. Data takes them, weaving in and out of the contours of the cube, as Deanna wonders why she can suddenly feel joyousness through the room, and we see an ecstatic look on Data’s face.
Back on the Titan, the crew watches in horror as the space dock falls, leaving the Earth defenseless to Borg attacks as the Borg begins to target all major cities. As Seven orders another run, the ship shudders, and Raffi informs them that their cloak has lifted. The drones Sidney and Alandra have destroyed the cloaking device, so the collective can now retake the Titan.
Back in the Cube, Picard begins tearing out the cables from Jack’s suit while the Borg Queen warns him that disconnecting Jack forcefully would send his mind into shock; only Jack can choose to disconnect himself from the collective. The crew of the Enterprise, meanwhile, has reached the beacon, but they discover that destroying it would set off a chain reaction, destroying the cube and everyone inside it.
Initially protesting, Beverly finally relents silently to Geordi’s unsaid proposal of “the needs of the many.” As they lock on the transporter to Worf and Riker, they realize that they can’t beam Picard out. Riker has no intention of leaving Picard behind, and as Troi warns him that he would only have a minute to get out. Riker quietly replies that he can spare a minute for the life that he owes to the old man. He then promises to see “Imzadi” soon.
Right as Picard decides to reconnect to the Collective once more to save Jack, Riker, and Worf find him. Picard realizes that Jack is the first thing he has that is worth fighting for again after years of avoiding his past with the Borg. Picard finds Jack inside that connection, who is utterly intoxicated by the collective’s bliss. He extols the virtues of being able to feel them all and of no longer being alone. He believes what he experiences to be perfection, but Picard informs him that it is death.
Picard frantically requests that Jack disconnect himself from the collective, but Jack is adamant that the Borg is where he belongs because that has always been his fate. They took advantage of his loneliness, and Picard can see right through that. He assures Jack that he won’t abandon him and claims to be part of him that he didn’t even realize was missing.
As the Borg Cube begins to collapse and the ground begins to tremble beneath their feet, Picard admits that Jack has changed his life irrevocably. This heartfelt confession is enough for Jack to pull himself out of the collective’s grasp. And even as he realizes that it might be too late, he is ready to face the Borg Queen with his father, whom he manages to disconnect from the collective. He is now armed with the knowledge that he isn’t alone.
Aboard the Enterprise, Geordi realizes they are out of time and gives Beverly the signal. The Enterprise fires torpedoes and phaser fire to destroy the beacon. As the cube begins to fall around them, Riker reaches out with his telepathic connection to Deanna to bid her goodbye and promises that he will be waiting for her with her son on the other side.
This proves to be the “beacon” Deanna needs because she sits at the helm and takes control of the Enterprise. As Jack and Picard take their last stand against the Borg Queen, the Enterprise flies overhead with an entrance that could only be categorized as “gorgeously badass” and manages to beam all four of them up as the Borg Queen screams as the cube is torn apart and destroyed.
Aboard the Titan, the assimilated crew finally manages to enter the bridge. As Seven, Raffi, and the rest of her crew prepare themselves for a fight, the collective’s transmission dies out, and the crew becomes disconnected from the hive. Sidney, realizing she was pointing a gun at Seven, starts to apologize and breaks down, and Seven hugs her.
Back on the Enterprise, a palpable sigh of relief spreads among the whole crew as we see the turbo-lift open and Picard enter along with Jack with his full Vox regalia, but his Borg implants removed. Riker and Deanna finally share a deep, heartfelt kiss, while on the screen, Geordi looks relieved at seeing his daughters cured of the Borg infection, while Worf, injured and exhausted, finally sits to the left of the captain’s chair and promptly falls asleep. As Jack is reunited with his mother, Picard welcomes him to the Enterprise.
Star Trek Picard (Season 3 Finale) Episodes 10 Ending, Explained:
The series finale of Picard draws to a close with Riker narrating his captain’s log, beginning Stardate-1, the start of a new day. We learn that Starfleet has implemented a fleet-wide solution to purge the transporters of Borg DNA. This movement has been led by Admiral Beverly Crusher, who has developed newer technologies to root out any remaining changelings.
Meanwhile, Seven meets with Tuvok (Tim Russ) (a long-awaited Voyager reunion), and Tuvok informs her that all members of the Titan are being granted full pardons in light of recent events in saving the galaxy, but Seven’s helping her crew and defying the orders of her captain need to be taken into account. Resigned, Seven tries to tender her resignation.
In response, Tuvok shows her the official report sent by Captain Shaw to Starfleet Command while they were setting the course for the Ryton system. Addressing her first as First Officer Hansen and then by her given name “Seven of Nine,” Shaw reveals that Seven is opposite to his “old-school” method of conducting captaincy “by the book.” She is insubordinate and reckless, but he also admits that she is fiercely loyal, and maybe the rules she breaks were meant to be broken. Thus Shaw recommends her for the post of captain, knowing very well that the “rule book” she writes would be interesting, to say the least. After showing this message to an emotional Seven, Tuvok rejects her resignation.
Raffi also has some heartwarming emotional closure as a result of her family’s enthusiastic acceptance of her and her son’s gracious offer to schedule a meeting with her grandchild. When Worf enters to bid her farewell, they avoid mentioning the fact that her family’s knowledge of her classified valor commendations was leaked by Worf, which may have tipped the scales in their favor. We also see that Data is still getting used to his newly discovered emotions, including visiting Deanna for counseling. She’s busy researching getaway locations to take Riker, which makes the therapy session amusing.
One year later, we see Geordi, Riker, and Picard standing on the bridge of the Enterprise-D for one final time before Geordi initiates shutdown. As Picard looks over the bridge, he remarks that the existence of this ship is ample proof that the past matters, and as both Geordi and Riker concur, this ship has saved their lives more times than “three old men could remember.” As they finally begin to depart, Picard asks Geordi to “take care of her,” which he promises to do, as she has taken care of them for so many years.
We see the rebuilt spacedock and a shuttle piloted by Beverly flying towards it. Inside the shuttle, we see Jack Crusher, now an ensign, pacing while his parents look on in bemusement. Jack remarks that this must be a result of nepotism, that his slate is wiped clean, and he is now Starfleet; after all, he is the son of Admiral Beverly Crusher and Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
But Picard denies that, stating “names mean nothing,” and all the credit goes to Jack, and he couldn’t be prouder of him than at this moment. But he remarks that Jack hadn’t informed them where he had been posted. This is why Jack had been nervous. As the shuttle nears, we see the Titan, only now rechristened as the “Enterprise-G” in honor of the crew of the Enterprise. As Picard looks at that ship, overwhelmed with emotion, Jack leans over to his father and says fondly, “Names mean everything.”
For context, Enterprise-D is the flagship TNG starship that got destroyed at the end of Star Trek Generations, only to finally be rebuilt and used one last time in this season. If we look closely, we would still see the saucer section as scarred and dirtier than the rest of the ship, possibly because it had been recovered from the Viridian System after the crash.
The Enterprise-E had been the ship that continued through the Next Generation movies until it was destroyed by an event for which Worf might be responsible. The Enterprise-F was the starship made popular in the Star Trek Online game. It was finally referenced in Episode 9 when Admiral Shelby piloted it until it got assimilated by the Borg through the “Fleet Formation” program and was finally destroyed in the ensuing battle against the Titan.
And finally, the Enterprise-G is the rechristened USS Titan, led by Captain Seven of Nine, First Officer Raffi Mussiker, and Jack Crusher, their special counselor, because Seven doesn’t want him out of his sight. As Seven takes her chair, Jack asks what her catchphrase is going to be because a catchphrase serves as “the opening line to your legacy.” We see Seven order, but we aren’t privy to the catchphrase as we see the ship go to warp. Fingers crossed, we get “Star Wars: Legacy.”
Finally, we end at 10 Forward, with the old crew chatting, planning their next adventures, lectures, or a much-needed holiday. As they call for a final toast from Captain Picard, Picard quotes from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar –
“There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood leads on to men of fortune.
Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current where it serves or lose our ventures.”
The show finally ends as the credits roll with a beautiful homage to the final scene of the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All Good Things…” as the camera pans upward and we see the crew having a game of poker, and we leave them with that final shot lingering in our memory.
Only, that is still not the end. In a post-credit scene, we see Jack Crusher being visited by Q (John De Lancie). Jack asks him what every one of us wonders—wasn’t he supposed to be dead? But as Q says, reports of his deaths are greatly exaggerated, which is code for we shouldn’t remember Season 2, like we have been trying to avoid or not refer to Season 2 for the entire season.
Honestly, that feels like a good decision. But Q clarifies what he had told Picard, that humanity’s trial was over; that had been only for Picard, not for Jack. Jack’s troubles are only beginning if Star Trek Legacy is ever greenlit. Also, it’s interesting that Q wears red regalia, hearkening back to the first time he appeared to Picard at “Encounter at Farpoint.”
Star Trek Picard (Season 3 Finale) Episodes 9 & 10 – Final Thoughts:
These few weeks of recapping Star Trek: Picard, Season 3, have been hugely exhausting but also exceedingly rewarding because Season 3 finally becomes the coda The Next Generation always deserved to go out on. It is not a perfect season, but it manages to intermix nostalgia within the plot through sensible twists and turns while simultaneously managing to wrap in elements of Deep Space Nine and Voyager so that this season also feels like a full circle for all of those shows.
The use of the Borg does feel like overkill, but after this season, I sincerely hope the Borg isn’t used again. Most importantly, this is a season of Star Trek that truly felt like it had been made by creators who genuinely loved the franchise and wanted to tell a great story with real stakes and the true evolution of characters. And Star Trek: Picard Season 3 succeeded in spades.
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