star trek picard season 3 episode 9 review

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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9 Review – Vox

The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Picard finally gives us the answers we've been waiting for -- and a whole lot of feelings too.

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This Star Trek: Picard review contains spoilers.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9

The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3 is an hour it feels like we’ve been waiting weeks to see. (Which, technically, I suppose we have, given how generally mediocre the last two episodes have been.) “Vox,” thankfully, seems to understand that there are two episodes left in this entire series and acts accordingly. The end result is an hour that may not be perfect from a narrative perspective, but that definitely hits all the right notes when it comes to the heart and emotion that have made this season of Picard such an improvement over the two that have come before it. 

After largely spinning its wheels through “Dominion” and “Surrender” , two mediocre installments notable only for the return of Deanna Troi and the successful merging of Data’s multiple personalities, the series’ sudden dash through a half dozen major plot points at once is certainly a welcome change, if only because it feels like things are finally happening again. In the course of an hour, we learn the truth of Jack’s secret history, lose a fan-favorite character, witness the return (again!) of Star Trek ’s all-time greatest villains, see the mysterious threat of an attack Frontier Day finally come to fruition, and watch our favorites head off together to save the day on the very ship we all fell in love with them on in the first place.

 If this is fan service, serve me forever, is what I’m saying. But, once again, the episode’s many Star Trek easter eggs , callbacks, and deep-cut references aren’t simply there to delight fans, although they surely do. They’re also relevant and necessary pieces of who these characters are and who they’ve become in the two decades since the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

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The return of the Borg was probably always the most natural place for this season (and Picard itself) to end. After all, they are Picard’s greatest nemesis and most crippling fear. There’s very little connective tissue between the three seasons of Picard , but the lingering trauma of Borg assimilation—for both Jean-Luc and Seven of Nine—has been one of the series’ few constants. It makes complete sense that this is the enemy Picard would have to face one last time, with the life of his child on the line. And, despite the fact that a lot of viewers had probably already guessed some portion of Jack’s heritage, the revelation still lands with plenty of emotional heft. After all, this is literally Picard’s worst nightmare and everything he’s ever been afraid of, all put into the body of the child who only just realized he had. That’s…a lot.

Granted, the revelation that Jack inherited organic Borg matter from his father would probably have been better served with a bit more time to breathe. Why Picard felt the need to drag this out for three episodes is indeed a mystery and I weep for the version of this season that told us who he really was back in “Dominion,” thereby allowing the story to dig into Picard’s complicated reaction for more than what felt like maybe ten minutes before his son literally ran away from him and the Borg attacked. It’s not hard to feel like that would have been a better story, even if it revealed the “twist” of the season’s true Big Bad a little bit earlier. 

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“Vox” also leaves plenty of questions unanswered and features several plot twists you’ll be a lot happier if you don’t think about too hard. Why are the Changelings working with the Borg in the first place? What does Jack have to do with any of this if they’ve already passed on their altered DNA to all of Starfleet’s youth? What, exactly, was Jack’s grand plan besides running straight to the Borg and surrendering immediately? Isn’t Agnes Jurati technically the Borg Queen now? And shouldn’t the events of Picard season 2 have made a whole lot of this Borg subplot impossible to begin with? Shrug emoji! Who knows! 

I realize I am part of the problem here, because, in truth, I’ve already accepted that Picard is likely never going to answer most (any?) of those questions, and I loved the crap out of this episode anyway. Primarily because it’s fully back on its nostalgia bullshit, and giving fans everything they wanted from this show in the first place: Our legacy favorites working together again to save the day against seemingly impossible odds, on a note-perfect recreation of the very set we first saw them take to the stars in. Yes, the reveal that Geordi’s been rebuilding the original The Next Generation Enterprise-D in what is essentially the Fleet Museum’s garage for the past two decades is kind of ridiculous on its face, but it’s also incredible , and my heart absolutely grew three sizes while everyone got emotional over the vintage carpet and antique weapons systems. Is this extended walk down memory lane the best use of everyone’s time while the Earth is under attack by a Borg-controlled Starfleet armada? Probably not. Do I care? Not even a little bit. 

With just one episode to go, there’s a lot of narrative ground to cover and we should probably accept that some of the specific plot questions we care about may not get answered satisfactorily. But if Picard Season 3 has taught me anything thus far, it’s that this outing still understands the emotional heart of these characters—and that’s what I really need from the conclusion of this story. Engage.

4.5 out of 5

Lacy Baugher

Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,…

'Star Trek: Picard' season 3 episode 9 is a predictable set up to an overkill of nostalgia

The show has yet again relied on the "What's in the box?!!" formula to get to this point that's little more than an excessive reliving of the past

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Picard" Season 3, episode 9

We've said it before and after next week we won't have to say it ever again, but this third season of "Picard" would've really benefited from being the first. And the reason is this: The same basic plot formula has been used for all three seasons, relying oh, so heavily on the "What's in the box?!" approach to teasing a story and like overexcited, tail-wagging puppy dogs, the audience has been misdirected and missed the fact that the box, almost all of the time, has in fact been empty. 

And while this was more enticing for the first season, it has sadly, now become commonplace. That said, if the Season 3 finale sticks the landing next week, we might find ourselves, for five minutes at least, feeling like we've been a teeny-tiny bit overcritical. The thing is, I Just Don't Think That's Going To Happen. And no media outlets have seen the actual S03, E10 episode yet; Paramount is keeping that one close to its chest and releasing it only a day or so in advance of the air date. 

So yes, if the very first time this repetitive tactic had been used had been this season, it would've made the whole nostalgia revisit over the last three years and three seasons much more effective. Sure, there are still some nice ideas, occasionally some good dialogue and lots of explosions, but for the most part, it just doesn't go anywhere. 

Related:   'Star Trek' movies, ranked worst to best

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Well, the die hards who insist on reliving the past will definitely go into a frenzy and spoilers are going to be near impossible to avoid on social media. And there is a lot to unpack this week. Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick) met a death as utterly pointless as Huw and Cristóbal Rios, so that was lame. And probably the other big takeaway is that yes, Jean-Luc Picard had Borg tech in his spermatozoa. And a little like actually quantifying the Force in "The Phantom Menace" by way of those pesky Midi-chlorians, that unique gift of being able to hear the Borg is now an identifiable physical attribute, rather than just being cool . 

And the terrorist threat or alien attack is always aimed at large social gatherings, so much so it makes you wonder why they're still considered a good idea. Admiral Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) last seen in the TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds" (S03, E26) pops up and ... is that the voice of Alice Krige I hear as the Borg Queen? Pity we couldn't get to see her. 

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And just like the semi-assimilated Spearhead Operations soldiers that we saw in episode 9 no less, of last season, the crew of the Titan become cannon fodder for frighteningly formulaic set piece. Plus there's the giant fleet gathering for a giant space battle, the salvaged saucer section from Veridian III, drones loading torpedoes undetected and of course the non-networked USS Enterprise D. 

As Michael Okuda said on Twitter , "As others have noted before, it partly depends on how many subscribers stream Picard, and how many times they watch it." Which makes one wonder why spend so much money on a show like this and then just rely on a cookie-cutter story template. Is it true that the best and only plan is play it super-safe every time? Truth be told, "Picard" is not something I will go back and rewatch. "Stargate" is something I go back and rewatch. And even then, I would still hate to see the old cast dragged out back in front of the cameras for spin-off series. Instead, I'd like to see some new "Stargate." Maybe that's why the next "Star Trek" spin-off is set at the Academy, because its target audience could be considered an easier target. The younger folk are so much easier to please than us crumblies who still bang our fist on the table and insist on quality. Heck, we're a dying breed. 

Really well-written shows can also make money as well as being fun and engaging to watch and rewatch. Take "Game of Thrones" or "Ted Lasso" or "Severance" or "The Boys" or "The Orville" — these are amazing television shows and they made money for the network showing them. It's also worth noting "Picard" made its first ever appearance in the Nielsen rankings, finishing ninth among original series with 310 million minutes of viewing as it reached the midpoint of its third season. 

To put it in perspective, it's also worth noting that "Ted Lasso" put Apple TV+ back in the rankings, racking up 539 million minutes of watch time with the premiere episode of its third season. The takeaway from this is that this took a collective effort of half the season of "Picard" to enable it to appear in the rankings for the very first time. Just one episode — the third season premiere episode — of "Ted Lasso" had almost double the viewership. Not even the third season premiere episode of "Picard" — or the second , which was actually much better — managed that. 

And the science fiction genre can't be an impossible nut to crack, because other shows have managed it.

This season of "Picard" has been fun, don't misunderstand that, but I suspect all the folk who were turned off from this third season because of the first two, will feel vindicated. It's just disappointing that Paramount and Alex Kurtzman, with all of the wealth and talent at their disposal, still couldn't come up with something less formulaic. Anyone looking for cerebral sci-fi should probably skip "Star Trek" these days. 

" Star Trek: Picard " and every episode of every "Star Trek" show currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US. Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the U.K. and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream exclusively on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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Star Trek: Picard

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3, Episode 9 Recap: A Familiar Home

Home is where the ship is. In this week’s episode of “Picard,” the crew goes home.

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By Sopan Deb

Season 3, Episode 9: ‘Vox’

If you’re going to lean into nostalgia, might as well go the whole way. If you’re going to bring back the old cast, bring back the old ship and the old villains, too.

Resistance to fan service is futile. Recall that in this season’s premiere, Jean-Luc wanted to give Geordi a gift of a painting of the Enterprise D.

“She wasn’t the first,” he said. “But she was certainly my favorite.”

Little did he know that Geordi was preparing a gift himself the whole time: the real Enterprise D, somehow excavated from Verdian III, where the ship unceremoniously crash landed in “Generations.” It’s the ship that many of us fell in love with, just as much as we did with the characters that served on the ship. The “Picard” showrunner, Terry Matalas, has used this season of “Picard” to right many of the previous wrongs of the “Next Generation” franchise. Giving the Enterprise D a proper send-off seems as appropriate as giving the crew one.

Seeing the crew take its familiar stations on the bridge felt like putting on your favorite sweater that you can never throw out. It just fits, no matter what. Seeing the renovated ship in high definition? Even better.

It’s not too much nostalgia at the expense of story either. It turns out only an old Starfleet ship can be dusted off to save the day, not one of these newfangled, high-tech ones Starfleet is at the mercy of now.

Once again, the Enterprise crew is all that stands between — surprise — the Borg and the Earth’s annihilation. The face that Vadic was referring to the whole time was Jean-Luc’s old nemesis: The Borg Queen. Just as the “Trek” universe keeps finding ways to bring Data back to life, it does the same with the Borg. I must confess some disappointment in seeing this become the Big Reveal that the season was building up to. Ever since “First Contact,” the Borg have been the well “Trek” writers keep going back to, including in “Voyager” and both seasons of “Picard.”

It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise: Vadic hinted at this on the bridge with Seven in last week’s episode.

The Borg Queen was already a major part of the story line last season with Picard’s friend Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill). You might remember, and it’s likely you don’t, since the season was so convoluted, that Jurati became the leader of a new, benevolent Borg. This goes totally unmentioned by Jean-Luc here. This felt odd, especially when Beverly said, “No one has seen or heard from the Borg in over a decade.” Well, it has assuredly not been a decade since Season 2. And what about the Borg cube in the first season that was being repurposed as a Romulan reclamation site ? And the season ended with an unexplained transwarp conduit that Queen Jurati suggests is a threat! Worth a mention from Jean-Luc, methinks.

It’s possible there is some timeline shift or something I’m missing, and I am eager to see the comments correcting me. (Annie Wersching, who played the queen in Season 2, died earlier this year .)

Now, it’s a New and Improved Borg. When Jean-Luc was Locutus, they implanted an assimilation gene inside Jean-Luc that would be passed on to his offspring. The changelings helped the Borg place the altered DNA into the transporter systems to assimilate anybody who uses them, which explains why changelings wanted to use shuttles before. But it affects only the youngest members of the crew, not anyone over, say, the age of the main cast of “Picard.” Got it? Me either. The Borg essentially have taken over Starfleet without anyone noticing: a coup without a shot fired. Until the shots are fired. And now, Earth can be saved only by the Olds.

Poor Jean-Luc: First he finds out that he has unwittingly been an absentee father and now he may have accidentally turned his son into a homicidal robot. As Jean-Luc remarks to Beverly: “He inherited the best of you. And the worst of me.”

(Also: Poor Jack, who now doesn’t have a solid answer to his question, “How much of me is me?”)

Jack is, in many ways, not your ideal candidate to lead the Borg collective. He has long been an independent, rogue actor who doesn’t want to play by the rules, while the very notion of individuality is anathema to the Borg. Jean-Luc’s use of Starfleet protocols to try to keep him confined to quarters was always doomed to fail, especially after he told Jack that the solution was to institutionalize him on Vulcan. Not exactly a great parental approach from Jean- Luc! In his defense, he is not exactly experienced.

Jack snarls: “What about the protocols of a father? Or were you never issued those?”

A fair point, and one that stands out even more when one considers how many times Jean-Luc broke protocol in this season alone. Remember when he stole a ship and put members of the Titan in mortal danger?

Jean-Luc has not had his fastball this season, but luckily, his former teammates have. Geordi dusting off the Enterprise D was a shrewd maneuver. Beverly and Data are able to quickly figure out what happened to Jack and the plot to overrun Starfleet. Troi discovers the Borg connection to begin with. Riker and Worf are in prime quip form and absorbing punches when necessary.

Now, they’ll have to find a way to keep Jack from becoming chief executive officer of the New Borg, which they have experience with from Data’s experience on “First Contact.”

All in all, a fun penultimate episode.

Odds and ends

In the opening scene with Troi and Jack, Jack references a planet Beverly used to take him to as a boy: Raritan IV. The planet is named after Matalas’s hometown, Raritan, N.J., and is also featured in the second season of “Picard.” Soji and Jurati visited deltans there in last season’s premiere .

Beverly mentions her other son, Wesley, again. That guy just doesn’t seem to be checking his phone as the universe threatens to implode again!

Some fun ship names in the fleet: Reliant (the commandeered ship in “Wrath of Khan”); Okuda (a reference to Michael Okuda, the longtime “Trek” graphic designer; and Sutherland (a ship that Data briefly took over as captain in “Next Generation”).

Cool cameo from the now Admiral Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy). We met her in the classic “Next Generation” episode “The Best of Both Worlds” as the ambitious commander angling to take Jean-Luc’s chair. She makes a rare reference to “Enterprise” and the NX-01. Jean-Luc points out the irony of Shelby’s schilling for a synchronous Starfleet system that is similar to the Borg, given her own history of fighting them. We don’t get to see her for very long before she is killed. At least she died doing what she loved: being in charge.

A bit unclear on why the Borg need Jack to begin with. They’re already assimilating the fleet! (This is similar to “First Contact,” in which the Borg Queen didn’t really need Data. Or going back further, did the Borg need Locutus?)

How did Starfleet set up fireworks to go off in space?

A (presumed) goodbye to Captain Shaw. He handed command of the Titan to Seven as he dies, which felt like an unearned moment given what their dynamic had been all season. Seven’s competence has been, shall we say, not exactly high, and in a similar moment earlier in the season, he gave command to Riker, not Seven. Seven hasn’t done much since then to justify earning Shaw’s trust. Even so, after all time spent being a huge jerk to the elder Starfleet officers, Shaw still dies saving them — a contribution which is barely mentioned by Jean-Luc and the rest of the crew. He also refers to Seven by her preferred name, instead of Hansen. Overall, his character seemed like a wasted opportunity.

I’m curious about the Enterprise E, which gets a glancing mention. It appears the ship was destroyed, somehow, and Worf had a lot to do with it.

Sopan Deb is a basketball writer and a contributor to the Culture section. Before joining The Times, he covered Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. More about Sopan Deb

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Star Trek: Picard Recap: The Needs of the Many

Star trek: picard.

When Vadic died at the end of “ Surrender ,” I breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, things were bad, but they were about to get better. How naive and innocent I was, how childlike and trusting! Shit really hits the fan in “Vox,” and I am very worried about the fate of my beloved crew.

We finally get the answer to the question we’ve been asking all season: What’s the deal with Jack Crusher? Apparently, he’s part Borg. To the point where the Borg Queen thinks of him as her son. Ew.

Dr. Crusher diagnosed Jean-Luc with Irumodic Syndrome at the end of  The Next Generation,  but organic technology within his body was what allowed him to operate as a communicator with the Borg. This answers a question I’ve had for years: Why, in  Star Trek: First Contact , could Picard still hear the Borg’s voices despite not having any Borg tech in his body? He then passed that ability on to Jack, who thought he was hearing the voice of his mother in his mind. Now we know it was the Borg Queen whispering to him. His love of order and ability to control people are all Borg.

Jean-Luc, a man who has no grasp of his or anyone else’s emotions, unsurprisingly does not handle this news well. It’s clear that Jack is scared and looking for answers, but instead of offering comfort, Jean-Luc can barely look at his son as he breaks the dire news. Instead of love, he offers a Vulcan institution and “the needs of the many.” It isn’t his finest moment. Jean-Luc could have handled this better, but he let his fear control him. He has passed much more than Locutus on to his son, but he can’t see past his guilt right now.

And it drives Jack straight into the arms (er … tendrils? Hoses?) of the person who has been pursuing him the entire time: the Borg Queen. It’s not the smartest decision, but it’s an understandable emotional one to go where you’re most likely to get answers. Jack doesn’t understand the power of the Borg Queen (Jean-Luc does all too well, which is why he reacted the way he did). He underestimates her, and he pays the price.

The Borg are back, and the Borg Queen has Jack (and named him Vox), and the Changelings have managed to work an assimilation protocol into Starfleet’s transporter systems so everyone under a certain age is now basically a Borg. Of course, I’m worried about Jack and Alandra and Sidney. They’re all in trouble. I care. Really. I really do care a lot!!!

That said, the problem with mixing legacy characters and new ones is that your heart is always with the people you’ve known for most of your life. I reveled in every joke, glance, and smile between these characters. And when they revealed the final cast member for this legacy reunion, something I hoped would happen after Alandra’s Hangar Bay 12 reference in the episode “ The Bounty ,” I fully lost my shit. I couldn’t care about anything or anyone else.

Yes, Starfleet is in trouble, and things look really bad, but the Enterprise-D is back and I got to watch my cast walk onto the bridge. It’s funny. This is a plot-heavy episode with a ton of big reveals — uncovering the Borg connection, the beginning of Frontier Day, all the young people becoming Borg, Shaw dying (oh no), Raffi staying behind to support Seven (oh yes) — yet it’s hard to focus on any of it because our ship is back and she’s perfect. (Did you hear that, Worf? SHE IS PERFECT.)

The big moments of this episode are rooted in nostalgia, especially the closing reveal. That’s not a bad thing (I absolutely loved it), but it makes it hard to talk about this episode rationally. It’s not about the plot or what happened; it’s how it made me  feel . That’s what I care about here. Despite the dire circumstances (don’t destroy Spacedock!! Starfleet is Borg now?) and having only one episode to wrap up a huge story, it feels good because we’re home. This is a family, and when they’re together, everything will be okay.

Captain’s Log

• The Enterprise-F ! It’s being decommissioned! Maybe we’ll see a new Enterprise at the end of this.

• Haven’t we learned by now  not to network the ships ? Come on, Starfleet! Admiral Shelby, shame!

• I was starting to get worried that we wouldn’t have  any  Raffi-and-Seven moments, but now they’re stuck on the Titan together and I have hope!

• But the sad thing is that Shaw is gone and the internet will be  very mad .

• The Borg Queen sounded a whole lot like Alice Krige, who played her in  Star Trek: First Contact . So creepy, so well done. (According to the credits, it is, in fact, Alice Krige!)

• Seven calling Data “the robot” made me laugh so hard I cried.

• Data  finally  has a grasp of humor, and I love it. His humor with the emotion chip felt so artificial, but this is natural and funny!!

• There’s something extra-moving about Geordi being back at the conn, which is where he started!!

• My heart is not ready for this show to end.

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Star trek: picard season 3 episode 9 review: võx.

The danger of filling Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9 with so many plot developments and reveals is it risks losing its narrative edge as audiences follow it from peak to peak, reveal to reveal, and tragedy to tragedy.

The tension crests multiple times in this one script. In a longer season, with more time to tease out each revelation, they could've easily devoted an hour to each plot point.

Jack's journey, the Frontier Day devastation, and the Enterprise-D's ultimate reunion with its crew each deserve our total emotional investment, but instead, we are overwhelmed with such dramatic excess that Shaw's death -- a painful loss in any other context -- is merely a footnote in the morass.

To be fair, Shaw's death at the hands of Borg drones and in the arms of Seven of Nine was foreshadowed by his very first scene.

His barely-concealed hatred for Picard and Seven's shared Borg-ness stemming from his survivor's guilt after Wolf 359 projected him going out in a blaze of glory, redeeming his damaged curmudgeonliness despite the fandom's shared hope he'd be a part of a proposed spin-off series based on the USS Titan.

Shaw has endeared himself as he's grown from obstacle to ally to hero.

His blunt disbelief at the mess his life and career have become and his tactless but honest observations have added a salty humor to the heroics.

Picard: We need to get to the Sol System right now. Shaw: Um, smack dab in the middle of Frontier Day, where pretty much every Starfleet vessel is assembled, running exercises, with our faces pinned to their dartboard? Picard: It’s our only option, Captain. Shaw: Of course it is. Permalink: Our only option.

Like Raffi and Ro, his perspective as an outsider questions whether things always need to be so insane within the orbit of Jean-Luc Picard and his posse.

In the end, Shaw turns out to be just as big a Big Damn Hero as any of the Enterprise-D crew, if more easily killed.

With Raffi and Seven left behind on the Borg-controlled Titan, which is part of the Borg-controlled Starfleet Armada, en route to the Borg-planned annihilation of Earth's planetary defenses, we can only pray they can hide away until the time comes for them to leap into action and save the day.

They'll be the aces up the sleeves of Picard and his merry band of disruptives aboard the rogue Enterprise-D, the last functional, non-integrated ship in the Sol System.

I’ve never been so happy to see so many wrinkles. Troi Permalink: I’ve never been so happy to see so many wrinkles.

I'll take a moment to admit on the record that I was W-R-O-N-G about Deanna Troi being a changeling.

However, I maintain that Vadic had no way of knowing she'd end up capturing Riker, so taking Troi hostage only had a one-in-four chance of being effective leverage. But, whatever, chalk it up to plot prescience.

Troi's more enhanced Betazoid abilities around Jack could be explained by the Borg genetic coding she'd have in her system from having used the transporter since changelings had infiltrated Starfleet.

If you're the kind of fan who needs things like that explained.

Jack: I don’t know what they are. Or what they mean. Troi: Symbols have nothing but meaning. Permalink: Symbols have nothing but meaning.

Admittedly, her stroll through Jack's mind is a powerful way to unveil his buried secret.

Short of a Vulcan mind-meld or Jack having a complete psychotic break -- and who's to say he didn't when he stole the shuttle? -- there really was no other device to unlock that piece of the puzzle.

With the Borg Queen's ship's arrival through the transwarp corridor (and to nitpick further, are we assuming this is a different one than the one Jurati-Queen was left guarding on Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Episode 10 ?), the parade of nostalgic guest stars continues.

Yes, that's Alice Krige's voice haunting and taunting Jack as he makes his way through the Borg ship.

Borg Queen: Jack, my child. My flesh, blood. For all my darkness, you are light. For all my suffering, you are life. Jack: I don’t know what I am, but I know I’m not yours. Permalink: I don’t know what I am, but I know I’m not yours.

I'm keen to see if Seven will have a chance to face off with Krige's Borg Queen next, providing more Star Trek: Voyager authenticity after Tim Russ's appearance on Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 7 .

I strongly suspect/hope Jack will prove his parents' son and become the most profoundly problematic assimilation ever.

If she wants me, then I’ll trade myself for answers, and when she’s close enough to give them, I’ll show her exactly who and what I am. Jack Permalink: If she wants me, then I’ll trade myself for answers, and when she’s close enough to give...

It's pretty much fifty-fifty odds of him surviving the final conflict, though. Same for Picard. Series finales have a way of putting a full stop to things and characters.

With Starfleet's entire armada controlled by the under-25 Borg-coded crew, there's a weighty message here about the importance of what can happen when the younger generation unites.

Also, one on the dangers of mechanical autonomy and integration. Consider that the next time you ask Alexa to tell a bedtime story to your toddler.

Funny. I’ve always known the world was imperfect. The broken systems, the wars, suffering, violence, poverty, bigotry. And I always thought if people could only see each other, hear each other, speak in one voice, act in one mind, together. Who knew a little cybernetic authoritarianism was the answer? Jack Permalink: Funny. I’ve always known the world was imperfect. The broken systems, the wars, suffering,...

Elizabeth Shelby's return is rather galling nostalgia as most fans won't remember her fondly and will likely roll their eyes at her pomposity as MC for the Frontier Days celebrations.

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, the Enterprise NX-01, the first Warp Five-capable vessel to be constructed by human hands made its maiden voyage. With it, a crew of eighty-three souls embarked on a journey, one of bravery, perseverance, and sacrifice that would lead to the birth of what we know today as Starfleet! Shelby Permalink: Two hundred and fifty years ago today, the Enterprise NX-01, the first Warp Five-capable...

For her to deliver her hypocritical address from the command seat of the Enterprise-F is irksome as well and only sort of balanced by seeing her die in that seat. (It's a horrible sentiment, I know, but don't tell me you didn't feel it briefly yourself. She was a terrible person.)

The salve to all our trauma here -- and, indeed, the only hopeful flicker that things will be okay -- is finally getting into the mysterious Hangar 12 and proving all the fan theories right that Geordi had done his magic and rebuilt the Enterprise-D.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 has been an inclusive love letter to all of Trek, but, in particular, it's been a new and welcome final season to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Picard: Computer, initiate system reactivation procedures. Computer: Authorization acknowledged. USS Enterprise now under command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Picard: Well, I hereby accept the field demotion. Permalink: Well, I hereby accept the field demotion.

Hearing the late Majel Barrett announce Picard's command of the Enterprise as the Computer's Voice is the first time this season my flinty reviewer's heart melted.

Mind you, seeing the crew gathered on that bridge did a lot to soften it up.

Y’know, it wasn’t until this moment, reunited with all of you, I realized what I missed most. The carpet. Picard Permalink: Y’know, it wasn’t until this moment, reunited with all of you, I realized what I missed most....

And now, we gird our loins as into the breach, once more, we go with the fate of humanity, the galaxy, and our heroes hanging in the balance.

Are you ready, Fanatics?

Be honest. No one's ready for this to be over. All we can hope is that Terry Matalas and his intrepid team will carry this monumental football into the end zone filled with All. Good. Things.

Who survives? Who doesn't? Where will The Last Generation take us?

Beam down to our comments for your second-to-last chance to voice your thoughts and theories! Make it so!

Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X .

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9 Quotes

Jack: I don’t know what they are. Or what they mean. Troi: Symbols have nothing but meaning. Permalink: Symbols have nothing but meaning. Added: April 12, 2023

Nothing is more elusive than a door the mind doesn’t wish to open. Troi Permalink: Nothing is more elusive than a door the mind doesn’t wish to open. Added: April 12, 2023

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9 Photos

4/13/23 Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9 Võx

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REVIEW: Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9 Sets the Stage for Its Epic Finale

Star Trek: Picard reaches the penultimate episode of the series with plenty of shocking twists. Here's a review of the final season's ninth episode.

As the familiar Star Trek: The Next Generation crew are finally reunited and ready to save the United Federation from an overwhelming threat one last time, Star Trek: Picard reaches its penultimate episode. The full scope of the Changeling plot and the mystery behind Jack Crusher's true nature and unique abilities stand revealed while the Titan races to stop it from coming to fruition. Establishing dire stakes while tightening the narrative focus to the TNG cast, the season's ninth episode, titled "Vox," manages to stand on its own while setting the stage for the series' grand finale.

Defeating the Changeling commander Vadic and reclaiming control of the Titan, Jean-Luc Picard and his old friends scramble to learn what the Changelings are up to with their plans to target the Federation on Frontier Day. Jack learns the truth behind his tumultuous background, sending him on a desperate mission to confront a sinister presence in the galaxy. These paths converge as the entirety of Starfleet's armada assembles near Earth for the Frontier Day festivities, unaware that a nefarious scheme is already underway.

On some level, the reveal of the Changeling conspiracy makes so much sense that it's a wonder it hadn't been spoiled earlier -- the mark of an earned and organic reveal. The revelation keeps the story centered on Picard as one of the more personal threats he and his family have ever known. The stakes impact the entire galaxy, but that level of intimacy behind the danger is also front and center. This distinction is clear throughout all the action.

There is plenty of action to go around, but what makes "Vox" work is how much is rooted in the performances. Whether they're in the heat of battle or in one of the episode's rare quiet moments, the actors all do excellent, emotive work. The reinvigorated friendship between Geordi La Forge and Data is among the subtler emotional throughlines o the episode, with Levar Burton and Brent Spiner masterfully playing it to the hilt. But as with the preceding episode, the real thrill of "Vox" is getting to see the TNG cast together as an ensemble again, with this episode providing plenty of moments that will have longtime fans grinning from ear to ear.

RELATED: Star Trek: Picard Reveals Why Riker Left Deanna Troi

With Picard as the first Star Trek series releasing new episodes on Paramount+ after Star Trek: Prodigy , there is a feeling that the finale will echo Prodigy 's first season finale. Some of the broader, thematic strokes are there, with all of Starfleet's armada present and a threat festering from within with only a lone starship capable of saving the day. Obviously, Picard presents this in a more intense manner, tailored to the perspective of its cast, but the similarities are noticeable.

It's bittersweet knowing there is only one episode left of Star Trek: Picard before the series, and likely its reunited ensemble, go quietly into the night. It's safe to say that the show has made a complete about-face in regard to quality, imbuing just enough fan service to hit major sentimental moments without overshadowing the story and characters. The stage is set for one Star Trek generation's last adventure, and hopefully, Picard has been saving its best for last.

Created by Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, Alex Kurtzman, and Terry Matalas, Star Trek: Picard releases new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+.

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REVIEW: Star Trek: Picard: “Vox”

The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Picard has arrived! This is our second to last episode of the series, and the plot to the third and final season is finally unfolding. Thankfully, this episode is packed with big reveals and explosive moments. Seriously, you don’t want to miss this episode as it culminates the events of the third season rather well. However, we’ve also got to discuss the episode’s writing and storytelling. 

RED ALERT – SPOILER WARNING, this is our full in-depth review of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9!

Jack & Locutus

Last week, we ended the episode on one of the biggest cliffhangers, Jack and Troi opening the Red Door. It turns out that behind the red door is the Borg, a Borg Cube in a nebula. Thankfully we finally got to the point where this mystery was revealed. Also, the vines symbolize connection, which makes sense with the Borg. But it connects with a location from Jack’s past. This is Raritan IV, a Deltan planet seen in the second season of Star Trek: Picard. 

We learn a little more about why Picard’s body was at Daystrom Station. It was Soong when transferring Picard’s mind from his dead body into his new flesh and blood synthetic body, who noticed the structural defect and wanted to investigate it more.

A nice scene is Jack talking to Picard. The emotion running through that room is so tangible. Picard deals with his trauma of assimilation and shares that with Jack. Jack is dealing with his identity issues. Not knowing whether who he was, is who he is and whether he has had free will or just been following instructions.

You then do have Jack trying to escape, taking control of the security guards, and asking Picard about not the protocols of Starfleet, not the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. But the protocols of the father. Where sometimes the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many.

Counselor Troi

One thing I will say is that Troi does not give the best Counselor actions in this episode or previous episodes. She took away Riker’s trauma and grief of losing his son, not helping him deal with it. Which I can understand. But her actions in this episode are not good. She is talking to Jack and saying she is with him, he is not alone. But as soon as she opens the door she runs away and leaves him alone. She goes straight to his parents voiding any counselor patient confidentiality and enacts protocols to section Jack into a Vulcan facility. Yes, Starfleet has dealt with many gifted children before, Charlie X for example. So probably has protocols in place to deal with things like this, but it still doesn’t look good.

Remains of the Borg Uni-Complex?

So Jack goes to the Nebula, which Troi saw behind the door with the Borg Cube, but it doesn’t look like a simple Borg Cube when Jack gets there. It looks more like a fragment of the Borg Uni-complex. It also seems to it appeared through a transwarp conduit, so either it was hiding in transwarp and appeared here, or it traveled there. 

I will say the VFX shots inside the Borg Uni-complex and its transceiver, with the eras and the spinning Dyson ring-looking device was a really cool effect. It reminded me a lot of the donut-shaped Borg interview we see at the beginning of First Contact .

So when Vadic said, “He wasn’t meant for you” to Beverly in a previous episode, we knew it referred to the Borg Queen, but it is nice to have that confirmation. Everything has been leading up to this, with every little thing Vadic said, such as telling Seven it is good she is there to witness where they are going. The Titan was very clearly going to head for this nebula. 

New Borg Queen

Talking of the Borg Queen, she looks remarkably similar to the design of Annie Wersching’s Borg Queen from the Confederation timeline. However, she does look a little more messed up, the room is covered in wires, and her looking somewhat frayed as well. So perhaps this is the fallout of the Neurolytic Pathogen that spread throughout the collective at the end of Voyager.

The voice of this Borg Queen is Alice Krige from Star Trek: First Contact . Her body double is played by Jane Edwina Seymour . Unfortunately not reprised by Annie Wersching, who passed away earlier this year. 

So the Borg Queen gives Jack the name of Vox, not Locutus being the One who speaks, but Vox the voice itself. This is interesting because we have a Borg called Vox in Beta Canon. As Locutus was the speaker for the Borg for the Federation, Vox was the speaker for the Borg for the Romulan Empire. Anyway, Jack gets assimilated. So I guess the finale will be Picard trying to reach his son and convince him to turn on the Borg or something.

Season 2 Borg

I also have to remind anyone who may be confused why the actual Borg collective is here because some people think Season 2 completely changed the Borg timeline, which is not true. Jurati’s Borg Collective, born from a Confederation Timeline Borg Queen, stayed out of the way of time so that time could still progress as normal. That is why at the end of Season 2 of Picard , Picard was still himself, Seven was still herself, and the Timeline was not changed.

Not using The Borg from the second season does feel like an odd choice. Especially when we are using The Borg in this season. Surely the storylines could have been tied together. But then again, the creatives of Picard Season 3 clearly did not want to play in the toy box of the second season actors like Alison Pill , which is a shame as I think she could have done really well.

The Borg Plan is an interesting one. So they put some genetic code into Picard’s brain, and the side effects of that structural defect became Irumodic Syndrome. This is somewhat nice because it actually explains why Picard could still hear the collective in Star Trek: First Contact , despite having none of the technological Borg components in him.

The biological component in his parietal lobe was a receiver, so he could still hear the call of the Borg. Picard may have had the receiver, but that seed, somehow through Jack, became a transmitter. The receiver code was then stolen from Picard’s body by the Changelings and put into the transporter system to propagate it into the brains of everyone using a transporter in Starfleet.

A really big contrivance is that it doesn’t work on anyone over the age of 25. This also explains some limitations of Jack’s abilities. Why could he only control certain people, like Mura on the bridge?

This plan of the Borg to assimilate all the young people of Starfleet is clever and did require the Changelings to infiltrate Starfleet. And take the place of people like low-level transporter technicians aboard the Titan and other ships. The plan almost reminds me of the plan the Borg had to assimilate Earth in Voyager . Using a biological weapon, an assimilation virus, to slowly assimilate Earth after introducing it to the planet.

Enterprise-F & Admiral Shelby

Finally, the Odyssey-class USS Enterprise-F shows up! You do not know how long I have been waiting to see the NEXT Enterprise. Actually, if you’ve been here long enough on our channel, you will know how big of a fan of this ship we are. The scene of it leaving Earth Spacedock was fantastic. Who could have seen Admiral Shelby in command of the USS Enterprise F? That was a surprise to be sure. It’s also something that was not leaked about Star Trek: Picard Season 3.

I will say I really like the bridge of the Odyssey class from Star Trek Online, so I am a bit disappointed not to see that. Didn’t even need to be a full set. Just a green screen set would have been fine. But I do understand the need to use the Titan Bridge set just for convenience. It also reveals some of the budget constraints of the third and final season. Clearly, a lot of money was spent on the guest stars and the CGI of the USS Enterprise-D. Admiral Shelby can be seen speaking about the NX-01 and Jonathan Archer. This is the cornerstone of the Federation Starfleet we find ourselves in. If it were not for Archer and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise, then none of this would be around right now. Sadly, it does seem like Shelby does not last long. Once the fleet is taken over by the Borg, Shelby seems to be killed in action on her bridge by the Borg Kids. Guess that is what we are calling them.

Starfleet Automation

It’s actually Riker who points out a rather odd problem here. Shelby endorsing something so Borg-like seems out of character. Naturally, the Changelings appear to have taken out other people who likely would have pointed out the problem with the Fleet Synchronization plans. I mean, has anyone seen ‘Battlestar Galactica’ ? The characters haven’t, but the writers clearly have. 

Automation has never worked with Starfleet, they have a long history of this. From the M-5 computer in Star Trek: The Original Series trying to destroy other Starfleet ships for its own protection. Control amassing all the Section 31 ships and using them to wipe out life as life is the biggest threat to the Federation in Star Trek: Discovery . Only 20 years prior we had the Texas-Class issue from Star Trek: Lower Decks . And ‘The Battle of Gamma Serpentis’ from Star Trek: Prodigy , so many examples!

How Fares the Titan?

Back on the Titan, things aren’t going any better for them as they did for Shelby. We have Mura, Sidney, and Esmar all being assimilated and taking control of the ship, forcing the senior staff members to try and evacuate the ship.

Funnily Raffi is nowhere to be seen in this entire episode until the end where she appears with the rest of the group on the maintenance deck where they are going to evacuate. 

Shaw, Raffi, and Seven stay on the Titan and make sure the old TNG crew manages to get off the ship. Shaw gets shot, and it is actually a really emotional moment, which I didn’t expect. Todd Stashwick has really been the best of a lot of these scenes, and he finally gets his moment of redemption here. He gives the Titan to Seven and finally says her proper name.

So for all those people asking for a Shaw show… guess that won’t happen anymore. Unless Seven does what she did to Neelix and assimilates him to bring him back to life!

The Humor of Data

Data has been growing on me a lot. I really disliked how they brought him back. I would have preferred Brent Spiner to play a new character, or as originally envisioned – a combination of all his other personalities.

How Brent has managed to give such emotion to this version of Data is so good. I particularly loved the scene where Geordi tells Data to be more positive and Data says “I hope we die more quickly!”.

Your Technological Distinctiveness Has Been Added To Our Own

The Borg now has control of an entire fleet of starships and is going to destroy Earth Space Dock and the Planetary Defences.

To this point, they should have shown the Space Dock being destroyed as well as the Excelsior earlier in the episode. Seeing it on an LCARs display and alluding to the destruction of Earth Space Dock doesn’t really hammer home how big a threat this is. So far we have only seen a couple of people die, and a light on a screen flash out.

Back to the Fleet Museum

The final part of this episode is the crew heading to the fleet museum, something we all suspected when they started to talk about fleet automation. Using the non-automated to fight the automated. Again as we all suspected, Hanger 12 has the USS Enterprise D. Last season we did see a note on a display saying the saucer of the Enterprise D was recovered from the planet it crashed on. Geordi has been repairing it for the last 20 years, which also gives us a little indication that Geordi has been at the fleet museum since 2381. This does conflict with some ancillary information of Geordi helping out at Utopia Planitia up to 2385, but he could be being vague and saying 20 years.

A nice little note is when Geordi says they cannot use the Enterprise E, “for reasons” and everyone looks at Worf who says “That was not my fault”. I fully believe Worf was captain of the Enterprise E for a short time, and probably rammed the ship into something and caused such major damage to it.

Enterprise D

We get a nice look at the bridge, and I am sure people will talk about how better-lit this bridge is to the bridge of the Titan and other Starfleet ships of this period. And in another weird piece of dialogue, Picard says that he has missed the carpet. I don’t know whether this is mocking fans who have been talking about carpeted floors on starships or agreeing with them.

As you might expect, a handful of people cannot operate a Galaxy class ship alone, but Geordi does mention the ship is being operated by drones. So it may not be automated, but it is indirectly automated. We saw these droids repairing the Titan in a previous episode.

Legacy of Family

There is a lot of talk about family, Sidney, Alandra, and Jack also being part of the family. However, I find it weird that Kestra isn’t mentioned, or Soji for that matter. This season seems to be about the legacy of our TNG crew, and having some of their children hardly mentioned just seems weird.

The planet Soji was on in Season 2 was even mentioned in this episode, Raritan IV, so not mentioning her seems weird. If we do get another show, I so hope Data and Soji can interact. Anyway, with the final member of the family acquired – the Enterprise D – they can finally get to work. Exiting the fleet museum with an “engage”, and that is the end of the episode. A 40-year-old relic against a fleet of automated state-of-the-art starships. I wonder how they are going to fix this one?

Episode 9 of season 3 of Star Trek: Picard entitled “Vox” was written by Sean Tretta & Kiley Rossetter, and directed by showrunner Terry Matalas. Overall this is a really good-quality episode, but it is not without its flaws. While some scenes, such as the return of the Enterprise-D and the proper introduction of Enterprise-F are fantastic, other plot elements somewhat fall flat. For example, Jack Crusher and the resolution of his storyline. Well, not an entire resolution, but rather the Borg reveals.

The struggle of the last eight episodes of Star Trek: Picard is invalidated, as the first 5 minutes of the penultimate episode reveal that it was just a choice for Jack to hand himself over. Yes, he tried to do this originally with Vadic. But now the mystery is revealed, he just walks straight into the Borg Queen’s hands, thinking he knows better. We could say this is due to him being isolated by his parents and friends. That is somewhat made clear via his line to Jean-Luc about being a good father. 

One downside of Picard ’s third season is the dragging out of the plot. It’s something this entire series has had a problem with. Thankfully, the penultimate episode gets straight to the point of what Jack’s visions are. These are related to the Borg. We somewhat guessed what direction the season was going here. This type of plotting is described as “Mystery Box” storytelling. 

Another problem is the tension. While the stakes are very high in this episode with the kids being assimilated, in our opinion the narrative tension falls off when we get to the Enterprise-D. They could have assimilated Earth in the time it takes them to get back from the Fleet Museum. In all honesty, getting the Enterprise-D should have been mid-episode. The final cliffhanger should have been something like the USS Excelsior being destroyed by the fleet. The Enterprise-D could have warped into Sol-System, with the cliffhanger watching Earth Space Dock being destroyed. It would effectively highlight the scale and depth of the infiltration. 

Speaking of the Enterprise-D. This is where fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation get fed well. You could not have made this scene better in my opinion. While we somewhat knew something like this was coming, thanks to the signposting in the series writing, the effect of seeing the Galaxy class back on our screens was fantastic and emotional. Seeing the crew walk around this bridge again really sold this reunion for me. While the cast may be the real stars, so are the ships in the Star Trek Universe.

Now we ask ourselves, how the hell are The Next Generation crew going to get themselves out of this mess? The Enterprise-D is like a 40-year-old starship at this point. It’s been updated and restored but there is no way it will take on the entire Starfleet Armada. Not even the crippled Borg themselves. The final episode this season, and for their whole series of Picard is titled, “The Last Generation” and will air next week. With the USS Enterprise-D back and kicking, again, who saw that one coming? It surely is going to be an explosive ending. I hope.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 airs on Paramount+ in the United States and on CTV Sci-Fi Channel and Crave in Canada. However, the series will be available on Amazon’s Prime Video service for most international locations in the following days. For coverage of all things Star Trek: Picard Season 3, follow Trek Central!

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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 9 Review: Nostalgia Bait

In the episode of "The Ren & Stimpy Show" called "Space Madness" (September 8, 1991), the feckless young space cadet Stimpy (Billy West) is charged with guarding a mysterious button called the History Eraser Button. No one knows what the History Eraser Button does, but Stimpy is immediately intrigued. He paces, looking at the button, sweating nervously. He wants to push the button. An announcer begins to dictate Stimpy's temptation. Will he push the beautiful, shiny button? The button that, even now, beckons him ever closer? Stimpy breaks down, wails that he cannot help himself, and pushes the button. History is erased and all the characters immediately cease to be. The end. 

"Star Trek: Picard" has been pacing similarly around its own History Eraser Button for eight episodes. The "Picard" button, however, is a nostalgia button. A History Indulging Button, if you will. Showrunner Terry Matalas has been eyeballing his button for eight episodes, judiciously avoiding pressing it, steering clear of plot points that felt like brazen fan service. Yes, there have been several moments constructed for Trekkies, of course — the scene in episode six , where Jack (Ed Speleers) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) ogle ships from other TV shows was pretty insufferable — but this season of "Picard" has felt largely organic in its references to the past. When a legacy character emerged — as they do on the regular — each one had been permitted to grow up and change. 

With episode 9, called "Võx," the jolly, candy-like button became too alluring. Matalas wailed, slammed his fist down on it, and, lo, the entire show instantly became insipid nostalgia bait. Such a pity. This season was doing so well. 

The Mystery of Jack Crusher

The last few episodes of "Picard" have been building up a mysterious secret about Jack Crusher . Not only was he being relentlessly hunted by the now-defeated Vadic (Amanda Plummer), but he seems to have developed eerie psychic powers as well as a disturbing propensity for murder. He has also been infected by visions of a mysterious red door that hides a secret. At the beginning of "Võx," Jack and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) open the door to see what the visions mean. On the other side is a Borg ship. Just like in the last season of "Picard" ... and in "The Best of Both Worlds" ... and in "Descent" ... and in "First Contact" ... and in "Scorpion" ... and in " Dark Frontier " ... and in "Unimatrix Zero" ... and at least 17 video games ... the story will revolve around a twist with the Borg. What a dull surprise. It seems the writers of "Star Trek" just can't tear themselves away from the Borg. One might be tempted to say that the malevolent cyborgs have been overexposed to the point of no longer being interesting. 

It's explained that Jack's psychic powers are the result of a gene inherited from his father's brain, previously thought to be an incurable disease called Irumodic Syndrome. It was, however, a Borg gene (?). It seems when Picard (Patrick Stewart) was assimilated by the Borg, they also left a single gene in his brain. One might immediately wonder how a species of cyborgs, who kidnap humans and surgically inserts machinery into their bodies have their own unique gene, but it seems that's not of concern to the "Picard" writers. They wanted a clever way to get Jack assimilated and this was their means of doing so.

D for effort

It's tiresome to return to the Borg again, and it defies what was previously known about them. The "big twist" is, quite frankly, dumb. 

Jack's knowledge of his Borg heritage causes him to flee the ship and fly to a nearby Borg ship, hidden in a nebula. He hears the voice of the Borg Queen ( Alice Krige , reprising her role from "Star Trek: First Contact"), and goes to her. A Borg plan is implemented which, thanks to some byzantine explanations involving the Changeling and the transporters, causes every Starfleet officer under 25 to become a Borg. This handily all took place in and around Frontier Day, a Federation holiday wherein hundreds of Starfleet vessels will be together in the same place. The Borg more or less takes command of all of Starfleet. This is a dramatic turn of events that will elicit eye rolls more than nostalgic bliss. 

But now that the muscles that control your eye rolls have been thoroughly worked out, they'll be prepared for what happens next. Matalas didn't just press the nostalgia button. He seems to have fallen asleep on it. 

It wasn't enough to gather the main cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in one room. Matalas has contrived a way to get Stewart, Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, and Brent Spiner ... back on board a familiar ship. Perhaps when Geordi (Burton) opens up his garage doors and reveals that he's been secretly restoring a certain Galaxy-class vessel in secret, some viewers will smile with comfort and recognition. Some, however, will be screaming in frustration. 

The third season of "Picard," previously so ginger with nostalgia imagery, has gone full-bore "Star Wars."

Somehow Palpatine returned

To elucidate: remember Boba Fett ? He debuted in "The Star Wars Holiday Special" riding a dinosaur. In the 1980 film "The Empire Strikes Back," he was a near-mute bounty hunter whose defining character trait was merely the helmet he wore. He returned in 1983's "Return of the Jedi" where he was killed in the mouth of a carnivorous desert creature. That could have been the end for Boba Fett. Fans, however, became enamored of the character's design, intrigued by his mystery, and his importance to "Star Wars" was unduly expanded. In the "Star Wars" prequels, Boba Fett was revealed to contain the genetic material that was used to make all the Empire's Storm Troopers. Filmmaker George Lucas essentially created an entire army of Boba Fetts. The series added importance to the character after the fact. 

The same has now happened in "Picard" and with the Enterprise-D. The characters, now in their 80s, 90s, 100s, might have pleasant memories of the Enterprise-D, but would they really be this aggressively wistful about walking back onto its bridge again? Haven't they lived entire lives since their eight-year stint on the ship they crashed? Haven't they all served on other ships and filled other, more edifying professional roles in Starfleet? Is it really all about the Enterprise-D for them? 

Indeed, didn't the third season of "Picard" begin with the title character packing up all his nostalgic stuff in a box, declaring openly that he has no interest in legacy? It seems that box fell wide open again, and he — and the audience — are encouraged to feast on Memberberries . 

What a disappointment.

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Finale Review: One of the Most Satisfying Series Endings Ever

“What began over thirty-five years ago, ends tonight.” 

In today’s streaming landscape, few shows are afforded the chance to deliver happily ever afters, and even fewer of those—who are given the chance to wrap up their stories—take it upon themselves to deliver finales that are satisfying from beginning to end. From the start, Star Trek: Picard has been one of the best series on television. It smartly paid homage to the past, while charting its own course through the stars, and with the final season it returned fully to its Star Trek: The Next Generation roots with legacy-making success.

Other franchises could learn from what Star Trek has delivered with Picard . Your beloved heroes can be flawed, and their offspring can be tormented by galactic baddies, and everyone can still make it home at the end of the day. Franchises like Star Trek are precious and generational and when you’re bringing something so monumental to a close, you don’t want to leave your audience in tears of sorrow, you want to leave them with tears of joy.

To perfectly bookend the Season 3 premiere, which was aptly entitled “The Next Generation,” Star Trek: Picard comes to a close with stunning visuals and a deep well of emotion with “The Last Generation. ” The episode opens with a dire message from President Anton Chekov (voiced by the original Pavel Chekov actor Walter Keonig ) who warns that Earth’s planetary defenses are falling to the Borg’s attack, and while he urges listeners to save themselves from the young who have been turned against them by the Borg, he remains hopeful that there is a way out of the situation.

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard's Gates McFadden Talks 'InvestiGates' Season 2, Dream Guests, and What She Loves About Beverly Crusher

The crew of the Enterprise accesses the damage that Spacedock is sustaining and, while it is managing to hold its own against the fleet’s attack, Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) questions where the cavalry is to save Earth. Unfortunately, as Data ( Brent Spiner ) reveals, the hails from the Federation and all other ships in the vicinity have gone completely silent. They are all that remains of the cavalry. With the realization that they are all that stands between Borg destroying Earth, they track down where the Borg Cube has been hiding within the gasses of Jupiter, and discover that they are using Jack ( Ed Speleers ) as a Command signal to broadcast their assimilation. With the solemness of a parent and the determination of a captain, Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) explains that in order to save Earth, and the galaxy, they will have to sever the beacon’s connection: no matter the cost.

From there, the episode is split into three distinct locations: the Enterprise , the Titan , and the Borg Cube. Each of which is gorgeously and impressively designed; lit and flawlessly designed to build on the intrigue and the anticipation of the unfolding story. Even the camerawork at times increases the sense of foreboding, creating a very off-kilter and uncertain sensation. While you may feel confident that Picard will deliver a well-crafted ending, you’re not entirely certain if everyone you care about will make it out alive.

Aboard the Titan , Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) and Raffi ( Michelle Hurd ) try to make the most of their reduced crew, even though the over twenty-five crowd isn’t exactly their best and brightest. They do manage to take back the bridge by setting their phasers to the portable beam-me-up, and transporting all of the Borg-infected crew to the locked-down transport room. While they do technically have the upperhand, Seven realizes that the Titan is still connected to the fleet formation and, in order to get out of the situation alive, they are going to have to figure out a way to disconnect from the fleet without the Borg realizing what their doing—which proves to be quite the challenge. Once they locate the Enterprise and piece together that Picard and the crew chose that ship because it wasn’t compatible with the fleet, Seven concocts a plan to cloak the Titan , scramble the fleet’s scanners, and hope like hell that they have enough firepower to shoot their way out of formation. Like a true Starfleet Captain, Seven delivers a short but rousing speech to the crew to instill them with hope that they can get through this situation and that the risk is worth it.

Back on the Enterprise , Deanna ( Marina Sirtis ) remarks that she’s never felt anything like this version of the Borg Cube before—all she feels is quiet suffering. Naturally, Beverly ( Gates McFadden ) asks if she can feel Jack, but all she can feel is that he has been completely consumed by the Collective. Worf ( Michael Dorn ), who is prone to practical nihilism, theorizes that Jack is likely past the point of no return, but Picard is confident that Jack is still in there. After all, Picard should know what it’s like to be used and abused by the Borg.

While the Borg Cube is doling out a lot of damage with their broadcast, Data reports that it’s only 36% operational and almost all of its resources are being used to send out their message. Rather than attacking the Enterprise , the Borg Cube lowers their shields and—as Picard recognizes—it’s an invitation. Their plan comes together quite quickly after that: in order to sever the connection between the Collective and the assimilated fleet, they’ll have to find the beacon on the Cube and destroy it. Unfortunately, Geordi ( LeVar Burton ) is certain that the only way they’ll be able to destroy that beacon is by beaming down onto the Cube and accessing the system directly. Beverly and Data manage to pull the life signs from the Borg Cube and isolate the one that is Jack’s, which will help them locate where he is too.

In another long-awaited moment for the season, Picard finally seems to fully accept what it means to be a parent. While he’s come a long way throughout the back half of the season, it’s the moment between him and Beverly on the Enterprise bridge, where he acknowledges that she has brought him this far, and now it’s his turn to bring home, which feels like a monumental shift for the character. We’ve seen Picard go through a lot across the three-season series, but this is truly his final frontier: fatherhood. The weight of the moment is alleviated soon after by an unintentionally hilarious line delivered by Worf. After Riker agrees to go down to the Borg Cube with Picard, Worf offers to go with them to make it a “threesome.” There are a lot of 'eyes, look your last' vibes as the trio departs the Enterprise , made all the more ominous by Picard’s parting words.

As one may expect after the crushing defeat the Borg faced decades ago, the Borg Cube is not the hive of activity it once was. It’s quiet—too quiet, as Riker points out grimly. It is, for all intents and purposes, a tomb filled with Borg who have died and been consumed by the remaining Borg. Once Beverly sends over Jack’s location, Picard recognizes exactly where he is because he’s still somewhat compatible with the Collective. With this realization hanging heavy between them, Picard explains that it’s time for them to part ways. He has to go be a father. The trio says farewell to each other and, if you didn’t know better, you may truly believe that we’re going to lose one or all of them. Before Picard goes headfirst into danger, he once again assures Beverly that she did everything right with Jack, which serves as their farewell too.

Picard descends further and further into the eerie depths of the Borg Cube, which is where he finds Jack in his full Borg glory being used to broadcast their message of assimilation. Where Jack failed to use his phaser on the Borg Queen (voiced by Alice Krige ), Picard has no qualms about firing upon her twisted, gaunt form. This season of Star Trek: Picard has focused heavily on the theme of “home,” particularly with the notion that crews become families and starships become home. It’s not lost on the audience that Picard is steadfast in his belief that he’s going to bring Jack home, and the Borg Queen makes a point of saying that Jack is already home.

The Borg Queen is so sickeningly pleased with herself when she calls herself Jack’s mother, taunting Picard with the fact that she and Jack share a common loneliness—one born out of Picard abandoning them both. Picard tries to bargain with her, offering himself up to her in return for freeing Jack. But these Borg aren’t looking to assimilate: they’re looking to evolve. Which happens to be another theme consistently used throughout Season 3. At last, we get the answer about why the Changelings and the Borg joined forces, and it’s extremely simple. Revenge. They both had their reasons to lash out against Starfleet, and together they saw a path forward toward evolution, using biology against Starfleet, and propagating their new future throughout the galaxy. They wanted to create a new generation of Borg who were designed to not only assimilate but to annihilate.

While this is unfolding, Worf and Riker manage to track down the location of the beacon and relay it back to the Enterprise . But their victory is short-lived, and a few of the remaining Borg awaken and attack them. They both take quite a few hits, with Worf sustaining the worst of them—enough to make the audience nervous about his fate. Things really start to reach a fever-pitch at the halfway point, as the Enterprise starts to take fire from the Borg Cube and the Titan starts to draw the attention from the fleet. Everything is going wrong, and hope feels fleeting.

One of the best moments in the episode comes about in the midst of the chaos. When Geordi points out that he didn’t have time to get the weapons systems fully up and running, Beverly jumps right into handling the weapons manually. Everyone aboard the Enterprise looks equally impressed and terrified that their beloved doctor didn’t even hesitate when unloading the full array of weapons. She makes a good point, however, a lot has happened in the last twenty years! And a lot is continuing to happen. And another incredible moment comes right on the heels of this one.

The path to the beacon at the heart of the Borg Cube is an impossible journey, according to Geordi. It’s essentially a maze, one filled with tight turns and impossible navigational requirements, and even the best of the best wouldn’t be able to safely traverse it. At least that’s what he thinks. The new and improved Data giddily assures Geordi that he has it. It may be statistically impossible, but he is confident in what his gut is telling him. Of course, Geordi is willing to put his faith and trust in Data—even when the outcome seems bleak. They manage to work their way through the Borg Cube, thanks to Data’s impressive navigation skills, but it feels like too little too late. Back on the Titan , they watch in horror as the Spacedock falls, leaving the Earth utterly defenseless to the Borg’s planned attacks, and every major city and every major populated area becomes their target.

As the Borg Queen warns Picard that he will kill Jack if he severs his connection to the collective, the crew of the Enterprise discovers that destroying the beacon will kill everyone on the Borg Cube. It’s do or die and, unfortunately, the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. While they’ve all played fast and loose with who they’re willing to risk to save Jack, reality starts to set in. Deanna solemnly points out that if they wait too long to make a decision, the Borg will kill everyone, and with the subtlest of nods Beverly acknowledges that they have to do this—no matter the cost. Geordi relays this information to Riker, offering to beam him and Worf back aboard the Enterprise , but they also know what must be done. Once they destroy the beacon, they’ll have less than a minute to escape, and Riker is willing to risk his life for the lifetime of friendship he’s shared with Picard.

Riker and Worf locate Picard right as he makes the decision to connect to the Collective again in order to save Jack. After decades of running from his history with the Borg, Picard acknowledges that he finally has something worth fighting for again: Jack. Inside that connection, Picard locates Jack, and he’s completely drunk on the euphoria of the Collective. He rhapsodizes about how he can feel all of them and the fact that he’s no longer lonely. He’s convinced that what he feels is perfection, but Picard tells him what he feels is death. The euphoria isn’t real.

Picard and Jack have had their fair share of father-son moments, though none of them have had the emotional resonance of Picard’s desperate plea to save Jack from the Borg. Jack is fully convinced that the Borg is where he belongs, something that was set into stone before he was born—his fate. They’ve preyed upon the loneliness he’s felt and Picard sees right through that. He tells Jack that he is the piece of him that he never knew was missing, and promises that he won’t leave him. As the Borg Cube starts to implode and the ground shakes beneath their feet, Picard tells him that Jack changed his life forever. The realization that his father is willing to die for him is enough to pull Jack free of the Borg, but it almost seems like it’s come too late. Still, the Borg Queen fights to keep her control of Jack, but he’s fully aware of the fact that he is no longer alone.

The Enterprise desperately tries to lock onto them, but it’s an impossible task. With the dark shadow of death descending upon them, Riker reaches out Deanna through their telepathic bond and tells her that he loves her and that he’ll be waiting for her with their boy on the other side. This heartbreaking farewell proves itself as an unexpected salvation. Now that Deanna can sense Riker, she is able to navigate the Enterprise through the Borg Cube so they can beam them up directly.

With the Borg once again—and hopefully permanently defeated—all is right in the world once more. Aboard the Titan , the younger crew breaks free of their assimilation before they can dole out any serious damage against Seven and her makeshift crew, prompting a sweet reunion between her and Sidney ( Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut ). On the Enterprise the relief is palpable as Picard and the rest of the crew reunited with their loved ones. Jack in his full Võx glory all but collapses into his mother's arms; Riker and Deanna share a much-needed kiss, Data and Geordi share a tender moment with an exhausted Worf who immediately falls asleep, and Picard welcomes Jack to the Enterprise, and it fully feels like welcoming him home.

As the series finale of Picard begins to draw to a close, Riker narrates his Captain’s Log, which starts at Stardate 1—the first of a new day. Through Riker’s narration, we learn that Beverly discovered a way to fully purge the Borg DNA from all the young officers, and developed technology to allow them to root out any of the remaining Changelings hiding out within Starfleet. This development leads straight into a long-awaited Star Trek: Voyager reunion.

In the aftermath of everything that went down on the Titan , Seven meets with Tuvok ( Tim Russ ), who luckily survived the Changeling attack, to tender her resignation. Instead of accepting her resignation, he shows her the officer review that Captain Shaw ( Todd Stashwick ) submitted long before Picard arrived on the Titan . While Shaw was tough on Seven, the report reveals just how deep his respect for her actually ran. Addressing her as Seven of Nine, rather than Hansen , he recommends her for a promotion to Captain—praising her for her ability to break rules and push the limits. He may be “by the books,” but he was looking forward to seeing how great the book she wrote would be. It’s a beautiful send-off for Shaw and the perfect closure to their embattled dynamic.

Raffi gets some satisfying emotional closure too, by way of her family embracing her again and her son happily agreeing to set up a time for her to reconnect with her granddaughter. When Worf comes in to say goodbye to her, they talk around the fact that someone—Worf—leaked information to her family about her classified valor commendations, which helped tip the scales of her relationship with them. Elsewhere, we learn that Data is still adjusting to his newfound emotions, which include seeing Deanna for therapy. After everything they’ve been through, one has to wonder just how many people are seeing her for counseling! The hilarious part of the therapy session is that she’s busily looking at vacation spots to get away with Riker instead of giving Data her full attention.

From there, the episode jumps a year into the future and a lot has changed. Despite being reluctant to the idea earlier in the season, Jack has finally joined Starfleet and landed himself on an expedited track. Jack is convinced it’s due to nepotism—he’s the son of Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard after all—but Picard is confident that he succeeded on his own merit, and assures him that names mean almost nothing. Jack is clearly nervous about getting his post, but not exactly for himself: he’s nervous about the big thing that he and his mother have been keeping a secret from Picard. He reveals that he has been assigned to the U.S.S. Titan , only the starship has been newly christened, in Picard’s honor, as the U.S.S. Enterprise G. This reveal allows Jack to echo his father’s words with a twist: “Names mean almost everything.”

Aboard the newly christened U.S.S. Enterprise , Jack is greeted by Captain Seven and her Number One, Raffi. But before he gets his official placement, Jack pulls out his typical Jack charm, jokingly ordering the crew to head to Matalas while commandeering the Captain’s chair. After cooling his jets, Jack questions Seven about what role he’s going to be assigned to, and advocates for why he fits practically every role, except maybe science. Instead of posting him somewhere far away from the bridge, Seven smartly decides to keep him right where she can see him, as Special Counselor to the Captain.

With that out of the way, Seven takes her seat in the Captain’s chair and Jack questions her about what her catchphrase is going to be. Connecting back to what Shaw said about the rule-breaking book that Seven will write as Captain, Jack refers to her catchphrase as her “writing the opening line of your legacy.” Rather than reveal what it will be, Star Trek: Picard leaves audiences anxiously waiting for Paramount+ to greenlight Star Trek: Legacy .

In a beautiful homage to the final chapter of The Next Generation and a fitting end to a series that started with Picard largely isolating himself from the world, Star Trek: Picard ends at 10 Forward, with Picard surrounded by friends and playing a captivating round of poker with not just his crew, but his family. So much of the season has centered around this idea of crew as family and starships as home and this final scene with the cast of The Next Generation truly exemplifies that theme. That idea extends even beyond the realms of fiction, bleeding into reality with this cast and, by extension, the audience that has found comfort and belonging within this corner of the universe.

The second season of Star Trek: Picard ended with the heartbreaking departure of one of the most constant fixtures of Picard’s life , Q ( John de Lancie ), and the series as a whole once again narrows in on the permanence of him in this universe. As Jack settles in aboard the Enterprise and begins unpacking his belongings (including a photo of his parents together) he quickly realizes he isn’t alone in his quarters. In the intervening time, Picard clued Jack in on Q’s existence (oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation) and he quickly recognizes that he has now been caught in his web. While Q told Picard that humanity’s trial was over, it turns out that was just for Picard—not Jack. Star Trek: Legacy may not be greenlit at this time, but Picard ends on the perfect note to drive fans to demand more. Q tells Jack that his trials have only just begun, paving the way for so many exciting adventures for the thief, pirate, and spy that Starfleet gave a ship to.

As much as I fell in love with the new cast members from Seasons 1 and 2, in the end, all I needed was exactly what Picard needed: the crew of the Enterprise (new and old). Mix in the Borg and a Q after dinner delight and Star Trek: Picard became something that felt uniquely created for me. It’s difficult to put into words what Star Trek: Picard has meant to me, as a lifelong Star Trek fan and as someone who genuinely loves incredible storytelling that has the ability to reach out and leave echoes of itself within its viewers. From start to finish, the series has soared above and beyond expectations, but they left the best for last. How can you tell Picard’s story, especially one that pushes him into situations he has never faced before, without giving him the moral support of the people who know him better than anyone else in the world? It’s also a testament to what beloved franchises can do with their legacy: paying respect to the generation that ignited a passion in the hearts of fans while showing the next generation that they too can have adventures that resonate with audiences long after the credits come to a close. It’s not hyperbole to say that Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard is one of the best series finales to ever grace television screens, and hopefully, it’s the beginning of more stories that explore the final frontiers of characters we all love until the end of time.

Star Trek: Picard is streaming now on Paramount+.

• You are not prepared for the final season of Star Trek: Picard

The last season of Picard is truly wild, and while it’s filled with action, it never seems to lose that sense of wonder that makes Star Trek Star Trek.

By Alex Cranz , managing editor and co-host of The Vergecast. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for five years. Her work has also appeared in the WSJ and Wired.

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After two middling but slowly improving seasons of Star Trek: Picard , the show has returned for one last hurrah — and god damn, was it worth the rest. If you have ever considered yourself a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation (or even, to a lesser extent, Deep Space Nine or Voyager ), then get ready for the love letter coming your way on February 16th.

While this season puts its characters in terrible spots, and there are rumors a few will die by season’s end, this wild ride has a real genuine affection for all the players. It's the absolute most fun I’ve had watching Paramount Plus’ myriad of Star Trek shows. And part of my love of this final season comes from how excited the show is to take some of Star Trek ’s most flawless heroes and find the humanity in them. These characters are messy dumbasses, and it makes the adventure all the better.

Back in Deep Space Nine , Worf, new to the station and struggling with the many conflicting personalities of the crew, speaks fondly of the crew of the Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. “We were like warriors from the ancient sagas,” he says wistfully, “there was nothing we could not do.” Which was true. The crew of TNG fought gods, survived wars, discovered new species, traveled through time, got turned into monsters and back to people again, and occasionally got busy with alien ghosts inhabiting antique candles (you had to be there).

But the problem with TNG was the characters seemed to be without significant flaws. Sure, Picard liked Shakespeare a bit too much, Riker had his love of the trombone, and Troi’s fatal flaw was her love of chocolate. But when put up against other crews, like the Deep Space Nine one (it had a terrorist on the team!) and Voyager (it had multiple terrorists on the team!), the TNG crew felt more sanitized. For many fans, this was the boring crew.

Yet, if you squinted, you could see where the show glossed over what might be some significant character issues. Picard’s love of adventure got him killed multiple times, while Crusher was so sure of herself she’d regularly ignore commands and once even was convinced the universe was the broken one. Riker cracked jokes and put his career first to avoid intimacy, and Geordi LaForge was so obsessed with engineering he fell in love with a hologram. These characters have always had flaws, but they rarely, if ever, drove the action.

Until Star Trek: Picard .

Twenty years after Nemesis , this crew’s last big adventure together, they’ve all returned, and they finally feel like messy humans instead of warriors from the ancient sagas. Picard and Riker race to save Crusher, Worf deals with a new threat to the Federation, and Troi, Geordi and whoever Brent Spiner is playing this time around get caught up in the action too. They all still feel like the characters of TNG — only pried out of the 1990s syndicated space adventure mold and put into the 2020s prestige streaming show mold.

Watching the first six episodes of this season, I kept thinking this was what it must have felt like to be a fan of the original series and finally get great movies like Wrath of Kahn and The Voyage Home . These are still the same characters, played by the same actors, but we’re seeing them in a way the original show never could have allowed. And I don’t just mean that it’s more violent, although Worf does dismember some people. Sometimes the characters make bad decisions in Picard . They mess up. They fight.

But when you worry Picard is starting to feel like a too-edgy sequel, there will be little moments of wonder you can only get in Star Trek . New discoveries. Clever puzzles that get solved. Old villains reappear and feel more menacing thanks to the bigger budget and better special effects of Picard .

Like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, this feels like a proper Star Trek show in a way a lot of live-action Star Trek has failed to. But because these are characters we’ve known since 1987, there’s real emotional weight to these adventures. And some shockingly good acting. Jeri Ryan is back as Seven of Nine, and she continues to steal every scene she’s in by virtue of just being that good, but she’s not carrying the whole show on her back like she sometimes did the last two seasons. Patrick Stewart seems to sometimes doze his way through Picard , but there’s a scene with him and Gates McFadden’s Crusher that will have you sitting up straight — eyes glued to the screen. Michael Dorn and Michelle Hurd both have their own scene-stealing moments as Worf and Raffi, respectively, and in one scene, Brent Spiner reminds us of why he and his characters Data and Lore had such fervent followings in the ’90s. There’s something a little electric as all these characters come together.

There are still four episodes of Star Trek: Picard I haven’t seen, and the show could drop the ball spectacularly. The wildness of this show (you should really make an effort to avoid all spoilers) could veer into absolutely absurd territory. But in these first six episodes, you have a very goofy, very thrilling, and very fun sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek: Picard airs weekly on Paramount Plus beginning February 16 .

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Star Trek: Picard – Season 3, Episode 9

Where to watch, star trek: picard — season 3, episode 9.

Watch Star Trek: Picard — Season 3, Episode 9 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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TREKNEWS.NET | Your daily dose of Star Trek news and opinion

New photos from Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 “Face the Strange”

Star Trek: Discovery “Under the Twin Moons” Review: Clues among the moons

New photos from the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5

First Photo from Star Trek: Section 31 revealed, legacy character confirmed

New Star Trek: Discovery posters revealed ahead of final season premiere

Star Trek: Discovery “Mirrors” Review: Navigating Reflections

Star Trek: Discovery “Face the Strange” Review: Embarking on a Temporal Odyssey

Star Trek: Discovery “Jinaal” Review: One step forward, two steps back

Star Trek: Picard — Firewall Review: The Renaissance of Seven of Nine

From TNG to Enterprise, Star Trek VFX Maestro, Adam Howard, shares stories from his career

Strange New Worlds director Jordan Canning talks “Charades,” the versatility of the series & Star Trek fandom

‘Star Trek Online’ lead designer talks the game’s longevity, honoring the franchise, and seeing his work come to life in ‘Picard’

Gates McFadden talks Star Trek: Picard, reuniting with her TNG castmates, InvestiGates, and the Human Condition

Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating talk ‘Enterprise’, their relationship with Star Trek in 2023 and their first live ‘Shuttlepod Show’

57-Year Mission set to beam 160+ Star Trek guests down to Las Vegas

John Billingsley discusses what he’d want in a fifth season of Enterprise, playing Phlox and this weekend’s Trek Talks 2 event

Veteran Star Trek director David Livingston looks back on his legendary career ahead of Trek Talks 2 event

ReedPop’s Star Trek: Mission Seattle convention has been cancelled

56-Year Mission Preview: More than 130 Star Trek guests set to beam down to Las Vegas convention

New photos + video preview from Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 6 “Whistlespeak”

New photos + video preview from Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 “Mirrors”

2023: A banner year for Star Trek — here’s why [Op-Ed]

‘Making It So’ Review: Patrick Stewart’s journey from stage to starship

54-Disc Picard Legacy Collection, Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Complete Series Blu-ray box sets announced

Star Trek: Picard series finale “The Last Generation” Review: A perfect sendoff to an unforgettable crew

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrives on Blu-ray, 4K UHD and DVD this December

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds “Hegemony” Review: An underwhelming end to the series’ sophomore season

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 finale “Hegemony” preview + new photos

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 209 “Subspace Rhapsody” Review: All systems stable… but why are we singing?

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds “Subspace Rhapsody” preview + new photos

Star Trek Day 2021 to Celebrate 55th Anniversary of the Franchise on September 8 with Live Panels and Reveals

Paramount+ Launches with 1-Month Free Trial, Streaming Every Star Trek Episode

Paramount+ to Officially Launch March 4, Taking Place of CBS All Access

STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS Season 2 Now Streaming For Free (in the U.S.)

[REVIEW] STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS “Children of Mars”: All Hands… Battle Stations

‘U.S.S. Cerritos Crew Handbook’ Review: A must-read Star Trek: Lower Decks fans

New photos from this week’s Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 finale

Star Trek: Lower Decks “The Inner Fight” Review: Lost stars and hidden battles

New photos from this week’s episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Prodigy begins streaming December 25th on Netflix

Star Trek: Prodigy lands at Netflix, season 2 coming in 2024

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 sneak peek reveals the surprise return of a Voyager castmember

Star Trek: Prodigy canceled, first season to be removed from Paramount+

Revisiting “Star Trek: Legacies – Captain to Captain” Retro Review

The Wrath of Khan – The Making of the Classic Film Review: A gem for your Star Trek reference collection

The events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture to continue in new IDW miniseries “Echoes”

Star Trek: The Original Series “Harm’s Way” Book Review

William Shatner’s New Book ‘Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder’ Review: More of a good thing

Star Trek: Infinite release date + details on Lower Decks­-themed pre-order bonuses

‘Star Trek: Infinite’ strategy game revealed, set to be released this fall

Hero Collector Revisits The Classics in New Starfleet Starships Essentials Collection

New Star Trek Docuseries ‘The Center Seat’ Announced, Coming This Fall

Star Trek Designing Starships: Deep Space Nine & Beyond Review: a Deep Dive Into Shuttlecraft of the Gamma Quadrant

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Illustrated Handbook Review: Terok Nor Deconstructed in Amazing Detail

Robert Beltran Is Officially Returning to Star Trek as Chakotay on ‘Prodigy’ + More Casting News

Robert Beltran Says He’s Returning to Star Trek in ‘Prodigy’

John Billingsley Talks Life Since Star Trek: Enterprise, Going to Space and Turning Down Lunch with Shatner and Nimoy

Star Trek: Enterprise Star John Billingsley Talks Charity Work, Upcoming TREK*Talks Event

Preview: Star Trek: Discovery 505 “Mirrors”

The fifth episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s fifth and final season “Mirrors” premieres this Thursday, April 25 . The episode is written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan .

Today, we have a video preview, a clip, and a few new photos from the episode — featuring Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham, David Ajala as Book, Mary Wiseman as Tilly, Blu del Barrio as Adira, Anthony Rapp as Stamets, and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner

You can check out the new photos below. Please be aware of some minor spoilers.

Official description:

Captain Burnham and Book journey into extradimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors’ power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the  U.S.S. Discovery , and Culber opens up to Tilly.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 castmembers include Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner). Season five also features recurring guest stars Elias Toufexis (L’ak) and Eve Harlow (Moll).

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Prodigy , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Lower Decks, and more.

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• May 1, 2024 | Star Trek Event Coming To ‘World Of Tanks’ Online Game – Watch Mission Preview
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Prep Begins For ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Season 3 Finale; Cast And Directors Share BTS Images

| April 25, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 15 comments so far

Work on the third season of  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  continues to move swiftly in Toronto and looks to be set to wrap up next month. We have some fun bits from the set shared by the cast and a couple of directors, as well as some details on the production.

2 more episodes to go

First up, a selfie from director Jordan Canning, who previously directed the season 2 episode “Charades.” The image posted earlier this week shows the director with Ethan Peck and Rebecca Romijn and has the message, “Always happy to be the redshirt between these two.”

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jordan Canning (@jjhcanning)

TrekMovie has confirmed that Canning directed episode 8, which has wrapped. Filming for episode 9 has already begun, with Andrew Coutts directing. This will be the directorial debut for Coutts, a co-producer and editor on the show. The 10th and final episode of the season will be directed by Maja Vrvilo, a Paramount+ Trek veteran who has directed episodes of Discovery , Picard , and Strange New Worlds . Earlier this week, she posted an image of her office door, indicated prep work for her episode had already begun.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Maja Vrvilo (@majavrvilo)

Anson has a challenge for cosplayers

There have also been a couple of fun recent social media updates from the cast. First up, Anson Mount posted on Twitter/X that season 3 will require cosplayers to bring their “A-game” as he shared some creative fan costumes.

I will say this about season 3 of #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds : Cos-players, you better be ready to bring your A-game. #Cosplay @StarTrek @StarTrekOnPPlus pic.twitter.com/mZ9gMmIhsL — Anson Mount 🖖 (@ansonmount) April 16, 2024

One new look for cosplayers to try is an armed Nurse Chapel, as seen in this short video from Jess Bush showing off her phaser holster.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Jess Bush (@onejessa)

Finally, on the day of the big eclipse, some of the Strange New Worlds team took a moment to check it out. Bush shared an Instagram story with herself and co-star Melissa Navia rocking their eclipse glasses. (They had 90% totality in Toronto.)

Last week brought big news for Strange New Worlds: It’s been renewed for a fourth season. Paramount+ recently confirmed season 3 will debut in 2025.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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I LOVE holodeck dude in cosplay!

I’m curious how long their entire season shooting period actually is.

Usually 5 to 6 months. This one started just before Christmas.

I know I’ll end up watching it, but I’m just not excited for the next season. Season 2 was all over the place, in my opinion. For every episode like Those Old Scientists or Ad Astra Per Aspera, there was rubbish like The Broken Circle and Under the Cloak of War and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I like the cast, but the quality isn’t there- and for all the talk of “big swings” and pushing the envelope- Season 2 was almost painfully generic.

Same here. I’ll be tuning in, but it’s not up there on my ‘must-see right away’ list. I feel like overall, the storytelling floundered during S2, legacy characters written badly, and a distinct corny popcorn feel to it. Both Spock and Pike were reduced to bumbling sidekicks. Hoping S3 has a bit more gravitas to it. Like you said, not the fault of the cast. All blame goes back to the writer’s room. I’m more than happy to consider this show as existing in its own separate timeline, as has been confirmed.

I still can’t get over how *boring* the finale was. It felt like it went on for hours and yet nothing actually happened besides a super-quick and appallingly shot fight in zero-g. Season Two really dropped the ball.

I agree. I don’t even remember what happened in the finale, except Pike at the end hesitating like a scared junior officer when the situation called for fast decisive action. As for the season in general, it feels empty, like nothing really happens in the episodes. I hate the way they turned Spock into a moron. There are better ways if the writers wanted to put some humor in… I’m sure the 12 year olds found it funny but adults are watching too…

They seem to be testing the water for the Academy show with teen romances also. Spock, Chapel / La’an, Kirk and Pike, Batel were all shallow romances and just really boring that took up way too much time in the season. They seriously need to get back to writing some good sci fi stories or this show will go down as one of the worse Star Trek series for me. It seems more of a comedy starship show than the Orville at times. And season 1 had so much promise as well.

The SNW writers room has a chalk board titled Gimmick Board only they misspelt it Big Swing Board. Hopefully they can’t destroy Spock’s character anymore as they have already scraped the bottom of the barrel with their writing of his character.

So relieved I’m not the only one who felt this way. I hear “game changer” and “big swing” and I think “great, they’re effing with my show again to bring in the non-Trek fans”!

Yes, to them “big swing” means having the characters do things completely out of character and turning Star Trek into a Broadway play. Sure the musical was original and unexpected, but really out of place, and I will never be able to get the K-Pop Klingons out of my head.

I didn’t mind the musical episode (probably because I love musicals!) but on the whole, the season felt soulless and devoid of anything interesting to say (outside of Ad Astra Per Aspera). It’s as though the entire season was written by committee and was deathly afraid of offending the fandom by doing anything even slightly controversial.

I’ve had this feeling since the first season. Anson Mount is a wonderful lead, but they’ve completed destroyed the character that we got to know in Season 2 of Discovery. And they need to do something with Spock besides him being a complete and utter pig to women.

I’m absolutely giddy for this next season. Season two was fantastic and I cannot wait for this next season.

I really wish studios would get it together. They used to be able to turn out twice the number of eps or sometimes more every year without year-long pauses between seasons.

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Star Trek’s Michael Dorn Wanted Worf To Kill A Popular Deep Space Nine Character In Picard Season 3, And I’m Glad This Didn’t Happen

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Although Star Trek: Picard Season 3 reunited most of the Star Trek: The Next Generation starring actors for the first time since 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis , they didn’t all show up at once. In the case of Michael Dorn’s Worf , his first scene in the episode “Disengage” saw him rescuing Michelle Hurd’s Raffi Musiker from the crime lord Sneed, and he beheaded the Ferengi on his way out. But if Dorn had his way, he would have killed a different Ferengi instead: Quark, one of the other major characters from S tar Trek: Deep Space Nine , and I’m glad this didn’t happen.

Armin Shimerman, who played Quark for the entirety of Deep Space Nine ’s seven-season run, shared this tidbit of information while appearing on TrekMovie ’s All Access Star Trek podcast. Dorn came aboard Deep Space Nine at the beginning of Season 4 following The Next Generation’s conclusion, so he and Shimerman spent a lot of time together in the mid-late ‘90s, but decades later, the latter wasn’t particularly enthused about the former wanting to slice Quark’s head off. As he recalled:

Dorn called me up and said, ‘I’m doing an episode of Picard where I kill off a Ferengi. Wouldn’t it be great if it were you?’ I said, ‘Michael no, it would not be great.’ I told him just to forget about that idea altogether.

Jonathan Frakes, who was also a guest on this episode, speculated that Michael Dorn didn’t know Worf would be cutting Sneed’s head off, but Armin Shimerman told the William Riker actor and longtime Star Trek director that, at the very least, Dorn was aware Worf was going to kill a Ferengi. In the end though, it was Sneed who met this fate, with the character being played Aaron Stanford, who previously worked with showrunner Terry Matalas on the 12 Monkeys TV show.

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I am so relieved this Quark idea for Star Trek: Picard never came to fruition. Worf killing off a Ferengi criminal lord mere minutes after we meet this character is one thing, but for him to behead a character that not only is beloved by many Star Trek fans, but whom Worf had known for many years is another. Granted, as Dr. Julian Bashir once said, Quark was definitely not Worf’s “favorite person,” and he tried to steer clear of the bar owner whenever possible. But not only do I not believe that Quark would ever become a crime lord on Sneed’s level, I also don’t buy that Worf would have just killed his former… associate without blinking an eye.

If the day comes that Armin Shimerman reprises Quark in live-action, the character needs to be treated with the proper respect and not just be killed off for shock value. Star Trek: Lower Decks had the right idea, as Shimerman voiced Quark for a meaningful role in the Season 3 episode “Hear All, Trust Nothing.” The fan-proposed Star Trek: Legacy would be the best place for that to happen, though there’s still no word if that project stands a chance of becoming one of the upcoming Star Trek TV shows .

Picard , Deep Space Nine and all the other Star Trek shows (except for Prodigy , which is now at Netflix ) can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription . Discovery is currently in the midst of its final season, and Lower Decks ’ final season will follow sometime afterwards on the 2024 TV schedule .

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Screen Rant

Seven of nine & raffi’s star trek: picard love story origin revealed by michelle hurd.

Michelle Hurd tells the story of what in real life inspired Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker to become an on-screen couple in Star Trek: Picard.

• Jonathan Del Arco's photo of Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan sparked the romance between Raffi Musiker and Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard.
• The love story between Raffi and Seven was not originally planned but was added after Del Arco's photo caught the showrunners' attention.
• Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan's chemistry in the photo led to the creation of an unexpected romance storyline in the series.

Star Trek: Picard 's Michelle Hurd reveals how the love story between Lt. Commander Raffi Musiker and Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine came to be. Hurd played the troubled but noble Raffaela "Raffi" Musiker in all three seasons of Picard , and Raffi was the only original character created for the series who was in every season. At the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Raffi and Seven were seen holding hands, sparking a romance that was explored in Star Trek: Picard season 2, although their relationship cooled off in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

It turns out Raffi and Seven was a match made by Jonathan Del Arco, who played Hugh, the former Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard season 1. At a Calgary Expo panel hosted by Collider , Michelle Hurd explained that Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker's romance wasn't originally planned, but Del Arco snapping a photo of Hurd and Jeri Ryan together and showing it to Star Trek: Picard 's showrunners prior to season 1 led to a love story between Seven and Raffi being added to the show. Read Hurd's quote below:

I believe it was at the San Diego Comic-Con, that same event, which was huge and fantastic. And they had a green room, a space where all the actors and everybody goes to get ready for whatever. And Jeri was in this fantastic red dress. She was absolutely gorgeous, and I was wearing a white Helston jumpsuit, so I didn't look too bad myself. And we’re friends, I adore her, and we were standing together and I kind of put my arm around her waist and I kind of gave her a squeeze. And Jonathan Del Arco, Hugh, [and] Jeri's manager is Jonathan's husband. So we're all friends, with Kyle [Fritz]. So Jonathan was standing over there, and he was like, ‘Oh my God, look at me.’ And so we both just looked at him, and he took a picture. And then, I swear to God, he took that camera, walked right over to our producers, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, [and] Michael Chabon. We’re all sitting right there, and he said, ‘You guys look at how big these two look together.’

Michelle Hurd continued her story and said that Star Trek: Picard 's showrunners immediately approached her and Jeri Ryan and told them, "'Ladies, we have an idea,' and that’s how [Seven and Raffi''s romance] started."

Star Trek Picard Season 3 Ending Explained (In Detail)

Seven of nine & raffi's future depends on star trek: legacy, "raffi loves seven," confirms michelle hurd.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 ended with Captain Seven of Nine in command of the USS Enterprise-G and Commander Raffi Musiker as her First Officer. That setup is rife with dramatic (and comedic) potential, especially as it's the first time a couple is in command of a starship. However, Star Trek: Picard 's proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy , has not been greenlit as a series , although there is talk it could instead become a 2-hour Star Trek streaming movie on Paramount+ . If Star Trek: Legacy ever happens, Hurd told Calgary Expo via Collider what she'd like to see of Seven and Raffi commanding the Enterprise:

It would be an amazing thing to see that kind of dynamic, to see the respect that each other has to have for each other's space as well as, [some] jealousy[...] I think it would be a phenomenal story. So I can't say for sure whether there's going to be, you know, a white picket fence. But if you're asking Raffi, there’s a white picket fence.

Even if audiences never see Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker together again, Michelle Hurd is confident about how their love story will bear out. Hurd said that she and Jeri Ryan have discussed Raffi and Seven's relationship at length, and Michelle reminded Jeri, " You do understand that Raffi loves Seven, period. End of discussion.’ She will love Seven [until] the end of time. " Star Trek: Picard created something special between Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker, but fans can thank Jonathan Del Arco for seeing the vision and snapping the photo that set it all in motion.

Source: Collider

Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Paramount+