We’re almost at the final frontier with the penultimate episode of Picard now being released.
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.
Things are all starting to slowly come together and this episode really narrows down the plot and has a couple of cool moments in it that I definitely think are worth talking about. The episodes had gone to hour-long entries recently but this one drops back to 45 minutes for a slightly tighter episode.
Throughout this, we’ll be discussing the ins and outs of the ninth 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 9.
Picard Episode 9 Recap
Episode 9 is the first episode in the series that doesn’t open with either a dream or a flashback. It picked up immediately after last week with the crew of La Sirena arriving at their destination in the Hulion system.
As we know the Romulans decided to take their time getting there so the crew has arrived at Capalius far earlier.
Narek arrives not long after as we saw last week he’d been waiting for them and the red alert sound from TNG screams throughout the ship.
I think that this is the first time it’s been in the series and it’s a nice little call back even if they don’t say ‘Shields Up, Red Alert.’
There’s a quick little space battle and after the young hobbit pulls some nice maneuvers we get the first big moment in the episode when the Borg cube arrives. Since being regenerated by 7 of 9 the ship is now able to bring its weapons back online and as we know the cube is a floating armada.
Capalius’ send it’s defenses to tackle the three vessels and after Raffi states that they look like orchards, Soji says that she’s sure they just call them orchards which does show that she has been to the planet before and is aware of their countermeasures. She later states that she has a grasp of the planet but is unable to fully remember specifics, stating that she and Maddox mustve left the planet when she was very young.
This is similar to the story last week in which we learned that Rios had come face to face with an ambassador and version of Data’s daughter named Jannah out in deep space.
Rios’ Captain was ordered to kill her by Commodore Oh. From this episode, we can gather that Maddox became aware of this and this is why Soji and Dahj were instead just dropped on different planets and neither reached out to Star Fleet.
Everything comes crashing down into the atmosphere, burning up the flowers and it sends Picard into a state of losing his surroundings.
Picard Loses His Grip
In Episode 2 Picard we learned that Picard was suffering from Irumodic Syndrome, a dementia-like disease that was going to severely limit his lifespan. So far he’s avoided the worst of it but as the season is coming to a close it’s slowly catching up.
The ship’s power shut down meaning that they are unable to use the medical bay automatically. Luckily there is still a doctor on board, even if she’s a homicidal maniac.
She says that she managed to revive Picard using the older technology of a triquarter.
This symbolically shows that though the old and seemingly redundant methods are often cast aside, they are still more useful in some ways than their apparent new and improved replacements.
Of course, this metaphorically has ties to Picard who was pretty much cast to the side after his resignation. However, throughout the series, he has shown that he can still keep up with the best of them. Let’s face it the old ways are a lot better, cos I’d rather hang around with Riker and Troi for 45 minutes than these suckers.
Just kidding Agnes, I love you…but not really.
Age And Wisdom
This aesthetic is later picked up upon when they eventually reach Soji’s homes and Picard’s wrinkles are said to tell stories. They imply what he’s been through and survived and are not something to be embarrassed or ashamed of and I did appreciate this theme being laced throughout the episode.
Agnes has unearthed Picard’s disease but there’s no time to rest as like him the ship needs to be put back together.
Picard calmly tells them that he’s going to drop Soji off with her people and tell them that they need to prepare for a fight…as if the big borg cube that’s just smashed into their planet wasn’t big enough.
He also opens up about his disease but states that anyone who treats him like an old man is gonna get sent to the torpedo bay and blasted off into space.
It’s a really emotional moment and I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been through similar things with members of my family who for whatever reason didn’t want to be a burden but this kinda got to me.
Pride can often make people think that the second they need help is the moment that they become useless and I think Picard as a whole has very much been about the character proving those perceptions wrong.
Returning To The Borg Cube
Picard decides that because time isn’t running short enough, what with his disease shutting his body down bit by bit and the incoming war fleet, that they should head to the Borg cube to look for Hugh and Elnor.
He’s in for a surprise because Hugh has of course died but I’m happy they found a way to get 7 of 9 back with Picard, even if it is very brief. They reactivate the cube and use the long-range scanners onboard.
Here they pick up the incoming Romulan Warbirds and count their numbers at 218.
The group set back out and Elnor decides to remain behind on the cube. I don’t know why this guy even came along, he’s pretty much only been in the show to drop in on the Borg cube and get 7 of 9 there.
I suppose he did defend Hugh…oh…wait…nevermind.
The Nest
The group arrives at the planets station and we can see that it’s full of twins. As we know androids tend to be made in pairs and it seems that they have found a way to meld machine and organic on a mass scale.
Soji is finally home and not only is she recognized but also Picard for being Data’s Captain.
We learn that the fleet is two days away and that they need to make orchards but a big moment comes when Doctor Olton Indigo Soong makes an appearance. Played by Brett Spiner we learn that he is in some ways Data’s brother. The man who created Data’s, Noonien Soong is actually his father and though they aren’t blood relatives, they’re pretty similar appearance-wise.
Now, is this guy a synth? Potentially, I can see it being a cool twist that may be revealed either in episode 10 or in the next season or he could just be a normal guy.
There were a lot of theories that Data would be returning through his brother being placed into the consciousness of B-4 who did appear in episode one.
However, those theories were quickly debunked and Brett Spiner also publically said that it’s getting more and more difficult to play an ageless android.
This however brings the actor back in an interesting way that allows him to go out for beers on a Friday night. We have been wondering for a while now, who exactly was behind everything involved in the creation of Dahj and Soji and whether they came from Data or Maddox but now we know for sure that Soong continued his father’s work.
Another version of Soji arrives called Sutra who we learn was the sister of Jannah.
Sutra Uncovers The Secret
We learn that the secret of the Zack Vash may actually be intended solely for synthetic minds and that the madness which comes from it is through organics trying to comprehend it. This is why those Romulans went mad and it’s actually a nice little twist that I didn’t see coming.
Through Agnes’ mind ol’ Karma Sutra…twists her way into her memories and discovers the truth.
Because organic life is born out of chaos and is ultimately finite, our nature is to strive for perfection and thus all life will create synthetics once it hits a certain point. However, humans will ultimately come to hate this life out of either jealousy or bitterness and they will try to destroy them. In doing so they will destroy themselves and thus a higher level of synths wait on the outskirts, watching over all and waiting for their time to be called forth.
Sutra wishes to tackle this head-on whereas Soji wishes to find an alternative where so many don’t have to die. She sort of takes on a villainous role as the episode progresses and it’s clear that she wants a reason to wipe out organics.
Soong has been creating a body that could have a mind transfer and thus the person would gain immortality. Soong wishes to make it for himself due to the fact that he’s getting old but I kinda find it unlikely that it’s going to be him.
My theory is that Picard gets transferred into this as I can’t really see who else is going to be an applicable candidate for it…especially with him being at death’s door and CBS likely wanting a second season.
Narek is brought to the base and we get to meet Spock 2, dunno why it needed a number cos I didn’t give one to my cat Madonna…which was named after…yeah it was my mum’s cat.
“I Love You”
Raffi tells Picard that she loves him and he almost pies her but he says it back. It feels like a final goodbye and they do mention in the episode that every time a goodbye is said between two people that it could be their last which I took this moment as meaning.
Picard reaches back out to Star Fleet and Narek sits dehydrated in a cell. He and Soji break up with one another and Narek says that he is genuinely sorry for what has happened. I do think that he will end up switching sides and Narek spots a broach of a hummingbird that he uses as a knife at one point.
Soji and Picard talk about the logic of Sacrifice and how sometimes life must be ended in order to life. It’s a nice little conversation and the episode really ramps up with Sutra going to set Narek free.
I believe that she is going to allow this to happen in order to show that organics are bad when he murders synths at the compound. Similar to how there was a false flag attack with the synths on mars to outlaw them, Sutra is showing that organics are bad by following a similar sort of methodology and making fear drive the need for revenge.
Soji did pay lip service to fear being the main motivator in murder and it’s cemented here by Sutra.
Is Sutra The Destroyer?
Now it is possible that Sutra is actually the destroyer as she wishes to annihilate organic life by the sounds of it. She could also end up becoming the fifth and final Borg Queen in the series as the cube is now on the planet and it is possible that the character is heading there. If this is your first time checking out a video then you’ll know that every week we talk about how Data had 5 queen cards in the opening of the show and this pointed to there being five queens in the series.
So far it has been Jannah, Dahj, Soji, 7 of 9 and it now looks like Sutra is taking up the position.
Soong and Sutra have created a beacon to summon the synths on the outskirts of the universe and that they will come forth and wipe out all organics.
This is really ramping up for a war and it’s a really tense way to end the episode with Sutra sort of becoming someone who rallies the troops together.
There’s very much a persecution motif, that is very similar to the jews in World War 2. Picard wishes to hide the synths whilst the government searches for them and he will argue with Star Fleet that they are good.
He says that the Federation will listen to him but…as we know they don’t really care about his opinion and thus this falls upon deaf ears.
Soong and the synths place him under house arrest and Agnes states that she will side with the synths though, as we know from her nature she’s probably going to stab them all in the back, ruin their plans and the show. I’m just kidding.
We cut to Commodore Oh leading the fleet of Romulans as they approach the planet.
Episode 10 Predictions
Now going forward Picard is clearly trying to convince Soji to rethink her course of action. As predicted, Narek has switched sides and him no longer being selfish will likely be what brings down Sutra’s plan after the synths discover it was she who let him out.
It looks like there’s gonna be a big face-off and I can’t wait to see what happens.
Picard Plot Leaks
The leak that dropped recently from twitter user Angry Mr. Fibble. It allegedly has a page from the script in which Picard, Raffi, and Agnes say their goodbyes to Rios.
Agnes professes her love to Rios who rebuffs everything. She says that he got her to open up and that she hasn’t felt this way in a long time. Rios tries to interrupt her saying that he can’t but she doesn’t want to go on without him.
Rios says he needs to show her and he then says to the ship disable emergency command hologram.
Upon saying this Rios begins to fade away showing that he was a hologram this entire time.
Now whether this is true or not we won’t know till next week but personally I think it contradicts a lot of things in the show. Firstly in this episode Rios opened the shutters on the ship so I don’t know how he could do this if he was a hologram and secondly when he went to the Las Vegas like planet, he was served personal ads which would only be the case if he was a person.
However, this leak could indeed be true and it does look like it’s been professionally done.
I guess we will see next week and I do actually quite like the twist.
Your Thoughts
Obviously I’d love you hear your thoughts on Picard so comment below and let me know.
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