TREK REVIEW: PIC 3-9 - "Vox"

The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Picard proves to be tremendous fun, chock to the gills with fan-pleasing moments. It's also an utter mess, story-wise, guilty of many of the same sins that previous season finales have committed. SPOILERS throughout after the break.

So, it's the Borg. Of course it is.

The Borg were the single most obvious choice for the Big Bad this season, so much so that they seemed too obvious to really consider. Nonetheless, they do fit with the hints we've been given before. The Borg's impact on Picard, Seven, Shaw and others, and their continual importance throughout Picard's previous seasons means that they kind of had to be the main villain behind all this.

Yet, it also feels strangely anticlimactic, simply because it's so obvious. Had the season revealed their influence earlier, it may have worked better. As it is, the revelations are so late in the day that it's hard to fully appreciate it. Jack Crusher is revealed to be a new kind of Borg, a sort of sleeper agent whose very genetics are designed to service the Collective. This is a fascinating new take on the Borg, one which focuses on the organic side of the cyborg, not the mechanical. Ed Speelers gives an exceptional performance as the lost, angry and betrayed Jack.

But there's not enough time to let this story make its full impact. There should have been time for Jack's true nature to breathe. It's exactly the problem the previous two seasons had: a mystery is set up at the beginning, there's a ton of action, then the season slows down but makes little headway in advancing the plot, and finally everything is rushed in the final two episodes. This raises the stakes but limits the impact.

It's a pity, because the Borg are used so well here. I'm all for the Collective, battered and bruised following previous defeats, trying new gambits, even allying themselves with other powers (who they'd be bound to betray once the operation was complete). Having the Borg ally with the Changelings (albeit not the Dominion per se) is another great touch in making this the follow-up to the entire TNG era, with the top enemy from DS9 working with that of TNG and Voyager. Their new, long-term form of assimilation is genius: taking advantage of a (perfectly reasonable) data-saving element of the transporter system to add their own genetic material into all Starfleet officers over time. While the idea that it only affects those up to the age of 25 is a bit of a stretch (albeit based on real science, of the brain not finishing development until approximately that age), it builds into the season's theme of the generation gap nicely. The old boys get to save the day, which is a nice touch for the older fans too (at 39, I'm right in the middle, so I must remain studiously neutral).

On the other hand, it makes much of the season so far seem a bit superfluous, as the Changeling threat no longer seems essential, and all the investigation around them and their conspiracy seems almost like wasted story time. There are some parts that we can infer, but could perhaps do with spelling out: Serious Beef is presumably the Borg Queen, but it would be nice to actually have the episode marry these up.

There's one element, I must say, that I find hugely frustrating. The new networking of Starfleet, which turns out to be a crucial weakness allowing the fleet to be easily taken over once compromised, is precisely the same weakness that was at the heart of the finale of Star Trek: Prodigy's first season. This was seventeen years ago in in-universe time, making it something of an oversight on Starfleet's part, but perhaps, like the obvious security risk of having the entire fleet massed in one spot for a big party, it's down to Changeling's influencing decisions. In the real world, though, it's been a few months, and simply repeating the same plot point is incredibly lazy.

I also feel the need, like many, to pile on the appalling work of Deanna Troi in this episode. She really is the worst therapist ever. Sure, her telepathic abilities have improved, but she promises to be at Jack's side, forces him to confront something clearly painful, then freaks out and abandons him. Jack is right, her position as a Starfleet counseller raises serious questions. Fortunately, Marina Sertis saves the scene somewhat by giving an excellent performance. 

That's what really makes this episode: the old cast coming together and given it everything. Everyone is on form here, and there are some lovely scenes between them. The quiet moment of Data placing his hand on Picard's shoulder to offer support brought a lump to my throat, and brought home just how human this new version of the android is (and don't call him a robot, Seven!) I also love just how sarcastic this new Data is. There are plenty of lovely little touches for the fans, which aren't strictly necessary but just make the episode mean more. Elizabeth Dennehy appearing as Admiral Shelby, for the first time since TNG "The Best of Both Worlds" in 1990 (unless you count a very brief cameo on Lower Decks) was a particularly fun touch, even if she did only survive five minutes. And of course we got the new Enterprise, although that paled in comparison to the outrageous reveal that Geordi has been rebuilding the Enterprise-D in his shed.

However, one thing we'll never forgive the showrunners for is killing Shaw. Still, it was a realistic death, and it wouldn't have felt real if all the major characters had made it through this alive. Shaw's acceptance of Seven of Nine was a bit of an obvious moment, but it worked, and felt earned. So much for our hoped for spin-off, Star Trek: The "What Next?" Generation. 

Thoughts on the Borg:

It is, admittedly, hard to understand what the Borg's original plan with Locutus was. Did they actually hinge a plan on a middle-aged man having a lovechild, and thereby pass on genetic information to create the perfect new Borg spokesperson? Bit of a gamble.

As Shaw pointed out explicitly earlier in the season, Agnes Jurati's Borg as seen in season two are a completely different group than the main Collective. So it's not a contradiction that Starfleet haven't heard from the Borg in over a decade. Agnes surely has to turn up to help with her lot though, in the next episode, right? It would be truly bizarre if an entirely new group of Borg are created in one season and not utilised in the next.

There was apparently discussion of using the "Conspiracy" bugs, before the Changelings were settled on. Given that they were originally intended to introduce a new enemy, which eventually developed into the Borg, this actually could have worked rather well.

I had completely missed that Locutus means "he who speaks." Vox is pretty obvious, though. The Shatnerverse novel The Return had the Borg ally with the Romulans, and their own version of Locutus was named Vox.

Starships and stuffed shirts:

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-F is a straight-up lift from Star Trek Online, and is an Odyssey-class vessel. In that continuity, it wasn't launched until 2409, whereas here it's being decommissioned in 2401. It cna't have been in service for more than twenty years.

Shelby is in command of the Enterprise-F, although it's not clear if that's a regular posting or just for the ceremony. More likely the latter, as she's an admiral. In fact, she's called Fleet Admiral, which might again be ceremonial, or could be a permanent rank, in which case she outranks Picard.

It's hinted that Worf was indeed made captain of the Enterprise-E, and was responsible, somehow for its destruction. No one calls on Troi for crashing the Enterprise-D.

I know that vox:

Alice Krige returns to voice the Borg Queen, although we have a stand-in with her back to the camera for the visual, presumably because Krige is now 68, although old as balls androids aren't a problem.

The late Majel Barrett's voice is once again used for the Enterprise-D computer.