Picard Season 1 Episode 2 Review · 4:14pm Jan 31st, 2020
Now, continuing on from episode 1... (Spoilers after the break)
Okay, so after the high tension opening, which… let’s be frank is more than an unsubtle critique at Donald Trump, Brexit and post 9/11 America, you’d expect the second episode to slow down a bit, correct? Well, yes and no.
Firstly, let’s get one thing out of the way. Fear and paranoia abounds in this episode, and given the potshots this show is taking at current affairs that’s probably unsurprising. And before anyone says anything, asking Star Trek to not be topical is like asking Game of Thrones to tone down the sex and violence interplays. FAT CHANCE! For the most part, however, the episode is fairly subdued despite switching moods a few times. It starts as a mystery, almost neo-noir in some ways. We’re introduced to an even secreter branch of the Romulan police. The Zhat Vash. So hatred and so despised, they dare not speak of them. Not even the Tal Shiar.
Funny thing, as it turns out? Laris and Zhaban? Former agents, imagine that. Adds a level of mystery and intrigue to their characters, and makes a nice contrast to the heroic if not somewhat jaded Admiral Picard. Still, they’re enjoyable -actually quite the loving couple- and now even more so with this revelation. Laris actually shows off her former Shiar capabilities in the opening section of this episode, helping Picard deduce that Dahj’s sister is off-world… somewhere. We’ll get to that in a minute.
See, remember that group of secreter than secreter Romulans? The Zhat Vash? As it turns out, they have a deep-seated loathing of anything inorganic or synthetic. This, combined with the brief flashback we have to Mars at the beginning plus a certain later revelation I’ll get to makes one wonder…
Now, the Cube. This place is all kinds of wrong and mysterious, but not in the usual Borg Cube way. Conspiracy abounds, with former borg drones being taken apart and their implants stuffed away for unknown as of yet purposes. (One must wonder what Seven of Nine would think of all this!)
Also, Romulans have infiltrated Starfleet, and one is even a Commodore, with her personal lieutenant keeping an eye on the goings-on in the cube. Rizzo, our not so fine lieutenant has even been ordered to hunt down Picard, wherever he goes, and take him down. Seriously, rogue Romulans in Starfleet for god knows how long. This leads one to think of all kinds of horrific scenarios. See what I mean about paranoia and possible connections to what happened 14 years ago? Yeeeeeeeaaahhhh…
As it stands, I am very interested to see where this leads...
Rommies in Starfleet Welp that ain’t good
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Indeed. Indeed...
Agreed, and like, I vaguelly recall even older Trek making the occasional topical comment. I am interested in where this goes.