It Takes an Enterprise to Save the Day

Story: The Last Generation

Written By: Terry Matalas
Series: Star Trek: Picard
Year: 2023

With the classic characters all back on board the Enterprise-D, they must go to Jupiter where the Borg cube is hiding and disrupt it's transmissions and hopefully save Jack in the process.  Meanwhile on the Titan, Seven and Raffi must try to retake the Titan and disconnect it from the hive.  Obviously...all of this is accomplished.  Picard saves Jack by offering to stay in the collective with him, which helps Jack decide to lead the collective.  Data weaves the enterprise thru the mega-cube's tubes and destroys the beacon and the cube (and the classic Borg queen to boot).  Seven and them do what they need to do and nearly fail but are saved by the bell of the Enterprise succeeding.  

The crew are all pardoned because they are heroes. All the assimilated youngsters are back to normal, Crusher is made head of Starfleet Medical and devises a transporter plan to remove the assimilation bits from them and detect changelings.  Data is endlessly babbling in therapy sessions with Troi.  Seven is promoted to captain by Tuvok (I dunno why he is in charge of that but whatever) and placed in the center seat of the Titan, which is now renamed the Enterprise-G in honor of Picard and co. (what the hell happened to the F?), and she has Raffi (whose boring ongoing storyline is wrapped up neatly by Worf leaking her hero status to the press so her son will be nice to her) as the first officer, and Jack Crusher as an Ensign.  Oh and Q apparently didn't die in the previous season and is now going to endlessly torment Jack.  And everyone else plays poker for a final shot that recreates the final shot of TNG's original finale rendering this whole endeavor pointless because I already got that ending and it was done better then. 

Anyhow...this was an okay overblown finale.  I enjoyed it partially, but it truly was overblown. And the whole Borg thing might have been a fun reveal and way to go out, had they not dealt with Borg stories in the past two years as well.  To the Kurtzman company of writers, what they actually know about TNG is that shot of Picard as Locutus.  That's it I think.  I doubt they even saw the whole episode, just that one shot.  To them Picard is the Borg guy, nothing more.  And so the show has heavily leaned into that.  Hugh and the Borg Cube thing from the first season.  The whole Jurati as Queen story from the second season (oh where is she? Wait...oh whatever it seems they are trying to sweep that awful second season under the rug and I do not blame them).  And now the Jack Crusher and Picard must draw the line here no further...he has been defined by the whole Borg thing since First Contact I guess, and that is how his tale shall end!

I enjoy the TNG characters and seeing the Enterprise D returned to it's former glory.  Did I enjoy the story of the episode? Not really. This was the final scene of a movie I half enjoyed.  But at least it is better than Season 2. 

NEXT TIME: Picard Season 3 Recap