STAR TREK: Picard Episode 6 Breakdown + Ending Explained

This article we’re breaking down Picard Episode 6.

Our mission is to boldly go where no one has before and give out thoughts on the new entry as well as what could be happening in the future.

We’re now past the halfway point of the season and things are really starting to take shapen.

Throughout this, we’ll be discussing the ins and outs of the sixth episode’s plot, it’s easter eggs and what we thought of it as a whole.

We will be ENGAGING with heavy spoilers here so if you haven’t had a chance to catch the show yet and don’t want to know what happens then I highly suggest that you turn off now.

With that out the way let’s get into our breakdown of Picard Episode 6.

Picard Episode 5 Recap

Ok so just a quick recap of the series so far. After the Death Of Data’s Daughter Dahj, Picard made it his mission to track down her twin sister Soji.

Picard put together a crew and set out into the stars to find her. After he and his allies managed to get Bruce Maddox they set out to the Borg cube to discover what was going on.

Episode 6 Recap

Episode 6 like all episodes in Picard opens with a look at the past. This comes in the form of a nightmare that Soji is having and we see her as a child wandering into her father’s lab. I love how everything looks warped and twist in the corridor mainly due to its design and this gives it an almost otherworldly feeling.

Soji doesn’t know if it’s a real memory or if it’s something that she fabricated and we later learn that it’s an implant. Now this could be a memory of the real Soji and perhaps she stumbled across her father creating a replicated version of her or it could just be a manner in which she discovers that she’s not a real person.

On the ship Dr. Agnes has some splaining and she pretty much gets away with murder. This episode is very borg cube centric and even the title, The Impossible Box is referencing its design. It’s also a puzzle in the episode but it’s great seeing this box within a box.

Borg Cubes Explained

Borg Cubes are known as some of the most dangerous weapons ever created and it’s a very formidable craft in the right hands. As the Borg operates with a hive-like mind, it has no real identifiable spaces that we tend to see on ships. So there is no bridge, no sections dedicated to certain things and no living quarters.

Though the Romulans have fitted bedrooms to the ship they don’t typically come with it.

Borg Cubes can carry up to 130,000 Borg Drones and it’s pretty much a flying armada.

Soji Is The Borg Queen Theory

Picard has had run-ins with the Borg in the past and he was assimilated himself. Because of this, he has very little sympathy for them but I do think that the arc of the show will change Picard’s mind and these will be painted out in a less malevolent role. This is heavily hinted at in the episode with Picard seeing them up close and personal.

Everything for me is pointing to Soji being a Borg Queen. Whether it’s the opening scene of the series in which Data held Five Queens Of Hearts to the fact that Soji is pretty much the combination of Synthetic and Organic.

I’m gonna read a comment on my last video from Joe Grimes that I think sums it up best but obviously leave your thoughts below.

Soji appears to be attuned to the Borg’s Neural Matrix, learning things like languages and cultural practices seemingly just popping in her head. The badge on her jumpsuit that changes color to indicate the collective’s presence when the Romulan trauma victim freaks out and she suddenly became hyper-aware of the feelings of the XB around her all unified with revulsion. Almost seeing her primarily as the source of and target of their pain.

Soji seems to know the ins and outs of the Queen’s tech including a Spacial Trajector which is in her cell.

Picard discovers Hugh and comes across an old image of himself when he was assimilated which triggers him and kicks off the title sequence.

Now we see Hugh later in the episode and he mentions the Queen but says that they are a Romulan now, still though there is mention of the Queen and I think this adds more weight to the theory.

They arrive at the Beta Quadrant which is a formal neutral zone. The Beta Quadrant exists in the Milky Way and is home to the Klingon Empire, the Vulcans, the Romulans and many more.

Why Dr. Agnes Killed Maddox

Rios and Agnes get it on but this is likely just a play by the character, we know she was romantically involved with Maddox and look what happened to him. The guilt seems to be weighing upon her though we don’t know exactly why she killed Maddox.

Now there are theories that when Commodore Oh met her she showed her the truth about synthetics that fuels the Zhat Vash to hate them. There was lip service paid to the fact that learning the secret of the Zhat Vash can break someone’s mind and this could explain why she went off the deep end. It is possible that she knows that Soji is the destroyer that is prophecized to end all life and thus she wanted to kill Maddox who had ultimately created the end of all life.

Narek solves the puzzle and the crew arrives at the cube after tricking their way into portraying the mission as a diplomatic mission. After the rejection of her son, Raffi has turned to the bottle and we realize that when Picard resigned she pretty much lost absolutely everything. This mission is sort of a redemption for her too, giving her at least a reason for the thing that destroyed her life.

Soji Learns The Truth

Soji recontacts her mother and she says that her father is in his lab. Once more we see that Soji’s mother is an A.I. by the fact that she pauses at several points during the conversation and glitches too. Now whether she is of Romulan design or not we don’t know yet but it is possible that this is why there were two different versions of their mothers.

Soji scans all of her items and discovers that they’re all aged 37 months indicating that she was only made three years ago. Everything from her past is a fabrication.

Picard boards the Borg cube and gets flashbacks to when he was a member of the collective.

He’s saved by Drones which again shows how the Borg may be being reinvented in this series. Picard and Hugh come face to face.

Hugh Explained

In case you missed our video on episode 3 Hugh starred in The Next Generation and he was a former Borg Drone that Picard and crew met in the show.

Hugh was critically injured during the episode and taken back to the Enterprise D where he was cut off from the collective. The character never knew what it was to be like this, away from the hive. Through the crew, he learned that humans did not want to be assimilated which contradicted what he’d been told.

He was given his name and developed his own individuality. On the cube, he has been mentoring Soji and he leads Picard to her on the way showing that the Borg are victims.

Narek takes Soji through the pointy ear only room where you can enter into your own mind. Now I kinda get the feeling that Narek is falling for Soji genuinely and he does seem to be opening up to her. He even tells her his true name and I can see him becoming her ally whilst his sister becomes the big bad.

Soji Activates

In the room, Soji journies into her dreams to discover the truth that she was made like Pinnochio. She notices two red moons and this is likely where the nest is that The Romulans have been after this entire time. With that found Narek walks out and locks her in the room. He’s clearly torn up by it and the puzzle sends out a gas.

Soji activates and smashes her way out of the room, escaping between two levels.

She finally comes face to face with Picard and he shows her Dahj’s necklace, they escape to the Queen’s cell and after using a spacial trajector they transport through that. Elnor shows up to buy them time and he does so much Legolasing for the finale.

We don’t see if he kills those onboard the ship but at least he gives them the option to live.

Picard and Soji are out in the Galaxy on a forest planet and now everyone is after them. Riker is coming back by the looks of it and it seems as if Picard will be pulling from his numerous allies which the Romulans and his crew try to get to him.

Again I really enjoyed this episode and it hinted at a lot of things and gave some more evidence to the theories that I’ve had so far. The show is doing really really good things right now and I’m glad that a lot of people are finally getting on board with it.

With just four episodes left I feel like we are really making headway and though next week looks like it will potentially be holding back a lot more of the answers that we are so desperately seeking, that doesn’t mean that I’m not enjoying the ride.

Picard keeps getting better for me and I’m hyped to see what happens next week with the character and his new ally.