star trek picard season 7

• Tickets & Showtimes
• Trending on RT

• News & Guides
• Premiere Dates
• Renewed & Cancelled

Star Trek: Picard : 7 Things To Know About the Final Season From the Cast and Showrunner

The next generation is back to steer the paramount+ sci-fi series' last season into dock. the shows' star patrick stewart and more cast members along with showrunner terry matalas offer insights into season 3 and what fans may find beyond its final frontier..

TAGGED AS: Paramount , Sci-Fi , science fiction , streaming , television , TV

Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) is about to embark on his final mission in the third season of Pararmount+’s Star Trek: Picard . Of course, never say never when it comes to Stewart reprising his role or, indeed, the rest of his Star Trek: The Next Generation castmates finding a place a in Star Trek ‘s future. You need only look at bonus features on the Blu-ray releases of The Next Generation to see the group wrestling with notions of both retirement and continuing.

(Photo by Paramount+)

Those same concerns may become text in Picard ‘s final 10-episode run. As announced when the program was still streaming episodes of the second season, the majority of Stewart’s TNG shipmates – Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton , Marina Sirtis , Michael Dorn , and Gates McFadden – return as their classic characters (mostly). The intent of the season: to give the group the proper send-off they never quite received in the Next Generation ’s feature film series.

Nevertheless, Picard ’s final season acknowledges the gap of years between their last film, Star Trek: Nemesis , and now; in fact, that distance has been a constant in the show’s various storylines. And if you haven’t been keeping up, but want to see the last mission of the Next Generation crew, here are a few things we were able to learn from the cast and showrunner Terry Matalas about Picard ‘s third season.

1. It’s Set in the 25th Century

(Photo by Trae Patton/Paramount+)

Although Picard always took place in the last years of the 24th century – the era first explored in TNG and continued in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Lower Decks – the third season proudly announces itself as entering a new century. To TNG faithful, the century shift should offer a sense of momentum and reaffirm Star Trek ‘s commitment to setting out further in its own fictional history and future while Star Trek: Discovery tells stories in its far removed future and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seeks out new life in the original Star Trek ‘s 23rd century.

At the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January, Trek universe executive producer Alex Kurtzman suggested employing the various time periods allows Trek to grow while also holding onto its core ideals.

“It’s still always about [ Star Trek creator Gene] Roddenberry’s vision of optimism,” he said. “[But] you meet different crews who face different situations.”

2. The Ship Featured Is U.S.S. Titan  and Its Captain Is Unmissable

(Photo by James Dimmock/Paramount+)

One new crew viewers will meet in Picard ‘s third season is the complement of the U.S.S. Titan . The ship was first referenced in Nemesis as Captain Riker’s (Frakes) first command following a 10–12 year stint as Picard’s first officer. He has also been seen taking the ship out for missions on Lower Decks and the first season of Picard .

But the ship will be different this time around. Photographed with cooler color temperatures and featuring none of the famous carpeting adorning TNG ‘s Enterprise , the steeler vision of the ship also reflects the sterner disposition of Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick), its less-than-approving commanding officer. When speaking with Rotten Tomatoes, Stashwick joked that Shaw is “barely noticeable.”

“Fans want to see new things with characters that they love,” he continued. “He certainly is new. The way he treats them, we really haven’t seen that before; that sort of irreverence. That sort of passive aggression. I think they’re going to love it.”

As an ongoing character for the season, Stashwick said Shaw will get to “poke at their whole legacy” and that, eventually, fans will enjoy the character, who gets to be a critic of the Next Generation . Of course, it remains to be seen if that enjoyment will be direct or in a “love-to-hate” manner.

Despite Shaw presenting the ship as an icier environment for the TNG gang, there will be one familiar face aboard the Titan : Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Although the topic of her name – an aspect of the character going right back to her earliest Voyager days – continues to be a source of conflict for her.

“It’s very deep-rooted personal thing for Seven, and it took a long time for her to accept being [Seven versus ‘Seven of Nine’],” Ryan said. As fans who have seen the season 3 trailers know, Seven is finally in a Starfleet uniform, but despite its utopian ideals, she will “be butting heads with somebody else who doesn’t want that to be her name and wants this [her human name] to be her name.”

Ryan added it will be “frustrating for her” to once again tackle the issue of her name when “she has finally embraced it and accepted herself.”

3. Echoes of “All Good Things…” Are Inevitable, But Not Necessarily Intentional  

(Photo by ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Reuniting the TNG cast 20-or-so years after Nemesis will undoubtedly put the group’s TV finale, “All Good Things…,” into the minds of fans. The Next Generation  two-hour closer sees Picard experiencing a possible future some 20 years ahead. His crew has scattered, some are estranged, and Picard himself has retired to the family winery in France. Naturally enough, Picard , as a whole, features some similarities to “All Good Things …,” but Matalas maintained direct thematic connections are not intended, although they may still occur.

“We did look at it,” he said. “It’s the greatest television finale of all time, and it is a proper send-off to Star Trek: The Next Generation . This [season] is a send-off to them now, post feature films and looking at them decades later.”

For McFadden, whose ultimate future may feature a few more ties to the one seen in “All Good Things…,” added, “I loved the way it was dealt with this time because all of our characters have such a huge history, both as people, the actors, and as the characters.”

That history matters in either vision of the future, but where “All Good Things…” reverted to TNG ’s status quo – something largely unchanged in the Next Generation feature films as well –McFadden felt Matalas and Picard ’s overall tendency for character examination opened a “new world of exploration, of conflict in our characters, and the loneliness and the vulnerabilities and the humanity of our characters.”

At the TCA press conference, Stewart echoed her comment, wishing “more of those elements with Beverly could’ve been touched on earlier.”

Burton noted the life of his character, Geordi LaForge, diverts “significantly” from the one Picard glimpsed in the TNG finale. But one commonality does exist: “I’m really, really pleased that Geordi has kids and that we see him as a father. That was hugely attractive to me, and I thought really a satisfying arc for him,” he explained.

The one definitely intentional call-back to TNG ’s final mission log, the names of Geordi’s daughters, Alandra and Sidney, were pulled directly from a scene in “All Good Things …,” Matalas added.

“I thank Terry Matalas for that,” Burton continued. “He agreed with me that it was important to right what I considered a great injustice done to Geordi in terms of his inability to form healthy and lasting relationships with human beings [during The Next Generation ]. And so he addressed that right away, right off the bat, and I’m really grateful.”

4. Picard and Riker Get To Have an Informal Adventure

One of the more fun elements of the season is a chance to see Picard and Riker pal around on an adventure while no longer being tied to the rigid Starfleet command structure.

“That provided us with a new starting point obviously, but also the opportunity for a new type of behavior since the hierarchy of the [Horatio] Hornblower military setup that Roddenberry set was not there,” Frakes said of the storyline. “We were there together as peers, if you will, or brothers.”

He also thanked Matalas for pitching a “Butch-and-Sundance type of thing” to him and Stewart as an opening adventure for the season. And, as viewers will quickly see, the informality between the two characters pays dividends.

5. Raffi Gets Back To One

Although the second season of Picard wrapped up the stories of nearly all its supporting characters, Michelle Hurd ’s Raffi carries on as a major part of the story. Introduced as Picard’s attaché at the time of the Romulan relief effort and as a capable intelligence officer, Raffi’s more obsessive traits saw her booted from Starfleet by the time Picard ’s first season began. Across the two previous seasons, though, she returned to the fold and now returns to gathering intelligence. In Hurd’s estimation, it is the character’s best destiny.

“This is what she did before she was in Starfleet. She’s a master spy,” the actor said.

When viewers first met Raffi, she was quite critical of some Starfleet actions and its politics, but according to Hurd, “Starfleet was always this force that kept her grounded, kept her sober, because it was a place for her to be and she had a job.”

As the season begins, Raffi is at the helm of the starship La Sirena , formerly owned by departed Picard character Cristobal Rios ( Santiago Cabrera ), and “given free rein [aboard that ship].” Once again working as an intelligence agent, she’s “able to really use the skills that she’s always had.”

“She’s able to navigate and she doesn’t have to deal with anybody else talking in her head,” Hurd continued. “I think it’s just a natural progression.”

Raffi’s continued presence on the series also maintains a level of crossover for Picard with the character holding the banner for the group assembled in its first year, Seven bringing her continued story from Voyager , and Dorn feeling he represents both his time on TNG and his work on Deep Space Nine .

“[The DS9 writers] really delved deeply into [Worf] and into the Klingon Empire, and the stories they came up with were spectacular and it gave him a lot to do,” he said of his time on the third live-action Star Trek spinoff, the first to use serialized storytelling and set itself away from a starship.

As seen in the season 3 trailer, Worf claims to adhere to pacifism at this point in his life, but as Dorn clarified at the TCA press tour in January, “Worf has always been on a journey for who he is” and the teasing comment in the preview is the latest step in that trek.

6. Some Things Never Change

Although modern Trek follows more of the serialized storytelling of DS9 and looks more like a feature film each week than its 1980s and 90s TV antecedents, the cast said actually shooting the show feels very much the same from the days on the Paramount lot in the 20th century.

“It certainly felt familiar being together,” Burton explained. “We have acted with one another more than anyone else in our respective careers. We’ve spent hours on soundstages in each other’s company, and plus the nature of our relationships offscreen got deeper over time. And so we were all able to bring that depth [to the characters].”

Also supporting the ongoing TNG atmosphere are several other cameos from established characters and actors. The two revealed so far: Spiner returning as Data’s corrupt brother, Lore, and Daniel Davis as the holographic but sentient construct of Professor James Moriarty. Additionally, Matalas teased in January “there are a few Next Gen –adjacent characters who will return this season, but we’re holding them back until [the episodes] air.”

7. It May Not Be the End

Although this third season Picard is billed as its last, it may not be the end for the characters. Back in January, Stewart told reporters during the show’s TCA press panel that he would consider subsequent appearances after Picard ‘s final episode streams.

“If we can maintain the work we did on seasons one, two, and three, than yes. There is still enormous potential in the narrative. And there are doors left open,” he said.

Kurtzman added at the time that while the show was always envisioned as a three-year mission, “anything is possible.”

When McFadden spoke to us, she expressed her hope that even as Star Trek continues to expand into the 25th century, it still has a place for the TNG cast. “I read all those 10 scripts and I didn’t see it as a send-off as much as we are engaged in the present of the world,” she said. “It’s a new world, things have changed, and there is so much yet to be done.”

“You can do anything you want to do [with Trek ],” added Dorn. “You never know what’s in studios’ minds, but it seems like it’s the right thing [to continue with the characters.]”

Matalas, for his part, suggested more stories set in the new century may happen. For one, Ed Speleers (pictured above), who has appeared in Outlander and Downton Abbey , plays a new character in season 3 of Picard .

“What [this season of Picard ] does feel like is a completion of the Star Trek Next Generation arc. It does feel like a passing of the torch to sort of a ‘next generation.’ I think that these legacy characters should be a part of that [and] I would love nothing more than to see [it happen].”

He continued. “I don’t want to say what happens to Beverly Crusher [as an example], but let’s just say that she has a role in, possibly, the future of the Federation that’s important. And so it is very much an ending and a beginning at the same time.”

And, just as it seemed on those now 10-year-old Blu-ray bonus features, the future of Star Trek and the Next Generation characters is something the cast welcomes if and when the call comes to join Starfleet once more.

On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.

Related News

Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the 2024 Emmy Nominations

The Best Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Watch Right Now (May 2024)

8 Things To Know About The New Season Of Doctor Who

TV Premiere Dates 2024

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

Roger Corman’s Best Movies

May 11, 2024

May 10, 2024

100 Best Movies on Tubi (May 2024)

Top Headlines

• Roger Corman’s Best Movies –
• 100 Best Movies on Tubi (May 2024) –
• The Best Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Watch Right Now (May 2024) –
• 66 Best Baseball Movies of All Time –
• The 100 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video (May 2024) –
• Planet of the Apes In Order: How to Watch the Movies Chronologically –

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Showrunner on Possible Spinoff, How [SPOILER] Returned for the Finale and Getting That Final Shot

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

• ‘The Phantom Menace’ at 25: A Lover, Hater and Newcomer Debate Jar Jar Binks, Podraces, Droids and Darth Maul 1 day ago
• ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ Sequel in the Works, With Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez Returning 2 days ago
• Marvel’s ‘The Fantastic Four’ Adds ‘The Witch’ Star Ralph Ineson as Galactus 3 days ago

SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot developments in “The Last Generation,” the series finale of “ Star Trek: Picard ,” currently streaming on Paramount+.

The last time the cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” cast performed together on screen — in 2002’s “Star Trek: Nemesis” — it ended with a sour one-two punch: the sudden death of Data (Brent Spiner) and the financial failure of the film, which caused Paramount to stop making movies with the cast. Effectively, after a brilliantly successful seven-season run on TV, “The Next Generation” had been canceled from movie theaters.

Popular on Variety

In doing so, Matalas sought to rectify some of the perceived sins of the “TNG” movies: He resurrected Data and endowed him with a consciousness that allowed the android to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming fully human. And he brought back the Enterprise-D, the starship that had been destroyed in the climax of the first “TNG” film, 1994’s “Star Trek: Generations.” 

“In the most fanboy sense, I wanted to place the action figure set neatly and safely back on the shelf,” Matalas says. “If it’s the last we see of them, we see them in a wonderful grand moment together around the poker table. Not mourning the loss of Data. The Enterprise-D not crashed, but in a museum. Knowing that there is a bright future for ‘Star Trek’ and for their families. For me, that felt important as a fan, to feel like that’s where we left ‘The Next Generation.’”

If that wasn’t enough, in the aftermath of the battle with the Borg, the U.S.S. Titan is rechristened the U.S.S. Enterprise-G, and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) — the “Star Trek: Voyager” character who has been on “Picard” from Season 1 — is promoted to be its captain. Jack, a new member of Starfleet, is stationed on the ship, along with Geordi’s daughter Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). Even Q (John de Lancie) — the omnipotent being who has been a “Trek” mainstay since the “Next Generation” series premiere “Encounter at Farpoint” — shows up in a post-credits sequence in which he tells Jack that his trials “have just begun.”

That certainly seems like the set up for a “Picard” spinoff series, but in his interview with Variety , Matalas says that wasn’t quite his intention. He also shares the scenes he wanted to shoot for the finale but couldn’t, and his unconventional approach to filming that poker scene.

How much of the finale did you have in your head when you were building out the season?

A very surprising amount, actually. I knew that the initial pitch to Patrick, that he would have to assimilate himself again, to face the big trauma of his life, to save his son. I knew that they would be in the Enterprise-D for the last two hours, reunited. I knew Seven of Nine would become captain of the Enterprise. That was a delightful thing to say to Jeri, who was my old friend from way back. I was like, “By the end the season, you’ll be captain of the Enterprise.” She was like, “Excuse me, what?! ” So there was quite a bit. Some of the how and why was why you need the brilliance of a talented writing room team to help you get there and figure that all out.

There was a moment in the finale where it seemed like Riker and Worf and Picard or some combination might actually die. Was that really on the table?

No, but I really wanted you to think that it might be for the drama. I don’t have it in me to kill my childhood heroes like that. I think some creators probably would. It felt like those characters would certainly feel like this is probably our last run. So I really wanted the surprise ending to be a happy ending.

Were there any other alternative endings that you considered?

There were things that we just simply didn’t have the time and money to shoot. In the very first iterations of script, we had discovered that Ro Laren had in fact survived, and had been beamed off of her shuttle and was still being used by the Changelings for information. It was already too ambitious of a schedule, so we weren’t able to be able to pull that off. We had a scene with [the Data-based android from Season 1] Soji and Data that we were also not able to shoot. We have wanted some more “Voyager” folks to come be part of Seven of Nine’s promotion to captain. It comes down to how many pennies you have left in the piggy bank after building a Borg cube and an Enterprise.

We had discussed it. We did toy with a different name, that it might be the Picard. But ultimately, it didn’t feel as genuine and as right for the legacy of “Star Trek” and Seven of Nine as the Enterprise. And certainly when you see the Titan with that name on its hull, you’re just like, yeah, it deserves that name. It just looks so right.

Did you always know you were bringing back Q after he supposedly died in Season 2 of “Picard”?

Yes. All the way from Season 2. John’s a dear friend of mine. On his last day [on Season 2], I said, “Look, I want to bring you back literally in the post-credit sequence for this final season. I will have no time and I will have no money, but I guarantee it will be one of the coolest Q scenes and it will be touching back to ‘Encounter at Farpoint.’” And he was like, “I’m in.” 

We only had 20 minutes to shoot that scene. Right after we shot the scene in which Picard tells Jack that he’s Borg, we ushered John in in that awesome new costume and we just banged out real quick.

You’ve mentioned on social media that you’d like to continue this story with a “Star Trek: Legacy” spinoff. Have you heard from Paramount or Alex Kurtzman about the possibility of doing that?

Alex and I talk all the time. If it’s something that’s going to be done, we want to make sure we don’t rush into it. We want to make sure we do it right. That’s where we’re at with it, I say coyly. At the moment, there’s nothing developed on it. But we talk all the time.

Part of why I’m asking is that I’ve rarely seen a finale set up a spinoff series more completely than you do with this one, with the scenes on the Enterprise-G. Am I right in thinking you wanted that to seed a future show?

Well, not specifically seeding for a spinoff, as lovely as that is to think about. I definitely wanted the feeling that it could go on, that it was a passing of the torch of the last generation to the next. That I really wanted. I think that’s the spirit of “Star Trek,” that they’re going to continue exploring strange new worlds. That’s a feeling of hope. So you want to get just a little taste of what that might be — for it to be a satisfying ending, it needed to be a satisfying beginning. Having said that, of course, I want to see Jack and Seven and Sidney and Raffi and everybody go on forever. But yeah, that was the creative impulse behind it.

Do you know what’s next for you?

I do not. Do you? 

I saw your tweet that you would love to work on the “Galaxy Quest” spinoff TV show .

Oh my god, “Galaxy Quest” is like my most favorite thing ever. I just literally was showing it to my kid the other day. It remains one of the most perfect movies of all time. And I just lived it! I actually just lived it in every way. So yeah, I said put me in coach. I know what that is.

Yes. To make this a little different than “All Good Things,” I wanted the audience to feel like they were really with this cast, to have a little wish fulfillment. So I actually ran the camera for 45 minutes and let them just play. Let them be themselves. I really wanted the audience to be immersed in what it’s like to hang out with Patrick, Jonathan, Marina, Gates, LeVar, Michael, Brent. So all those smiles and all those jokes are real. And so we hang on it much longer than you normally would, so that the smiles and the jokes are genuine. They were all playing a form of poker as best as they could, you know, because they like to monkey around. Maybe when the Blu-ray comes out, we’ll have a longer chunk of it so you could see more.

Do you remember who won the game?

They played so many rounds. But I think they always made sure Patrick won.

I’m laughing because I asked Patrick that question , and he said, “I think I won.”

Yeah, I think they rigged it a little bit so he would win.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

More From Our Brands

Roger corman, trailblazing b-movie director and producer, dead at 98, a manhattan mansion by architect robert d. kohn hits the market for $13 million, messi injury scare leads to criticism of mls’ new sit-out rule, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, snl video: maya rudolph’s beyoncé returns to hot ones, suffers through more wings in a cowboy carter outfit, verify it's you, please log in.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Link to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
• The Fall Guy Link to The Fall Guy
• The Last Stop in Yuma County Link to The Last Stop in Yuma County

New TV Tonight

• Interview With the Vampire: Season 2
• After the Flood: Season 1
• Bridgerton: Season 3
• Outer Range: Season 2
• The Big Cigar: Season 1
• Harry Wild: Season 3
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Season 11.1
• RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars: Season 9
• Spacey Unmasked: Season 1
• The Killing Kind: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• Dark Matter: Season 1
• Bodkin: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• A Man in Full: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• Hacks: Season 3
• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Them: Season 2
• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Doctor Who: Season 1 Link to Doctor Who: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Roger Corman’s Best Movies

100 Best Movies on Tubi (May 2024)

Asian-American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the 2024 Emmy Nominations

8 Things To Know About The New Season Of Doctor Who

• Trending on RT
• Furiosa First Reactions
• Streaming in May
• New Doctor Who
• Planet of the Apes Reviews

Star Trek: Picard – Season 3, Episode 7

Where to watch, star trek: picard — season 3, episode 7.

Watch Star Trek: Picard — Season 3, Episode 7 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

More Like This

Cast & crew.

Patrick Stewart

Jean-Luc Picard

LeVar Burton

Geordi LaForge

Michael Dorn

Jonathan Frakes

Gates McFadden

Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis

Deanna Troi

Critics Reviews

Episode info.

Advertisement

Supported by

Star Trek: Picard

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3, Episode 7 Recap: Moral Ambiguity

It turns out Starfleet is not the force for good that “The Next Generation” had us believe.

• Share full article

By Sopan Deb

Season 3, Episode 7: ‘Surrender’

For much of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Starfleet was presented as the most virtuous force in the universe — a body with the aim to do good. No conquest. No fighting. Just good old fashioned exploration. Any time a photon torpedo was fired, it was because the Enterprise was forced to fire by hostile forces. If there were corrupt admirals here and there , they were just bad apples. If the Federation tried to move Native Americans away from their home without their permission to satisfy a silly treaty, it was with noble intentions : to avoid war.

After “Next Generation,” Gene Roddenberry’s utopian vision of mankind’s future began to give way to darker versions. “Star Trek: Insurrection” gave us a Starfleet-sponsored plan to steal a planet away from an Indigenous species. In “Deep Space Nine,” we saw Starfleet personnel repeatedly operating in a moral gray area, especially when it came to the Dominion War. In one of the best episodes of “Deep Space Nine,” Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), the show’s hero, helped orchestrate the murder of a Romulan Senator in order to lure the Romulans into the war. Later in the series, we learned that Starfleet tried to orchestrate a genocide of the changelings through a virus — a story line that returned with gusto this week in “Picard.”

“When you’re constantly subjected to these self righteous, self-proclaimed heroes, spewing their morality as if vomit were somehow virtuous, then sometimes, dear, a little bend, a little arch, a little antagonizing flair is required,” Lore snarls in front of Geordi in this week’s episode. It seems the “Picard” writers really wanted to take our favorite characters down a peg this season. (Note Shaw’s repeated mention of how often the Enterprise crew got themselves into trouble.)

Geordi responds, “Lore has a perverted sense of what it means to be human.”

Does he? Or does he have a perfect grasp of what it means to be human based on what we learn in this episode from Vadic?

Vadic, after being “captured” on the Titan, tells Beverly and Jean-Luc that the Federation reneged on its promise to give the changelings the cure for the virus at the end of the Dominion War, and in fact, someone had to steal it. I’m a bit unclear as to how this is possible: This would seem to be in direct contrast with what we saw onscreen when Odo cures the Founders himself as a condition of the Founders’ surrender to end the war. Unless the Founders themselves chose to withhold the cure from certain changelings.

But nevertheless, Vadic also reveals that she and nine other changelings were experimented on by Starfleet as prisoners of war, as part of Project Proteus. It’s a startling revelation: Starfleet tried to convert changelings into, as Vadic calls them, “perfect, undetectable spies, able to drop into any species and spread chaos,” and instead created the biggest threat to the Federation since … well, since the last one.

It’s a far cry from the noble Starfleet that Jean-Luc loved and eschewed a family for. Even the enlightened Beverly isn’t as righteous as she used to be. She introduces the idea of a biological weapon to root out the changelings, which she acknowledges would be tantamount to genocide. The New Jean-Luc indulges the proposal and, later, floats the idea of executing Vadic, once he realizes that they won’t get anything of use from her once she is captured.

“Are you and I so fundamentally changed that we’re willing to compromise everything?” Jean-Luc asks Beverly.

“Yes,” Beverly says. “I think I’m losing my compass.”

In “Next Generation,” this exchange would have led to a moralizing speech from Jean-Luc about how they cannot play judge, jury and executioner. And everyone would have gone home happy, and there would have been virtuous solution. But Jean-Luc and his friends are older now. Harder. They’ve seen some stuff. And deep down, they know Lore was right about what he said.

Jean-Luc and Beverly move to execute Vadic and, of course, it doesn’t work. The force field goes down. Vadic escapes and takes over the Titan. Worst of both worlds!

Odds and ends

While finding out Vadic’s motivations in becoming a baddie was certainly a worthwhile addition to the season’s story line, Jean-Luc’s plan, like many of his actions this season, made no sense. His grand idea was to lure the changelings from the Shrike, a superior ship, onto the Titan? When he, of all people, should know is Lore is also onboard and really wants to get revenge on him? Why would Shaw leave a powerful villain alone in a room with just force fields and two older humans not known for their hand-to-hand combat? That’s what security teams are for!

Fun cameo from Tim Russ as Tuvok. One takeaway from the conversation, despite its not really being with Tuvok, is that Seven still considers Tuvok a friend — another indication of how fondly she thought of her time on Voyager.

It turns out that the generational inheritance Jean-Luc passed onto Jack is actually the abilities of Professor X, now that Jack can read minds and control other people just by thinking really hard .

The Shrike needs an upgrade in its scanners. The ship can read that the Titan’s warp core is offline and that the ship is running on emergency power only, but it cannot tell if there is any life on board.

Geordi’s speech to Data about mourning him was a nice moment for LeVar Burton. He got to say the goodbye to his favorite android that he didn’t get to say in Data’s previous two deaths.

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

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help.a.

Andy Serkis, the star of the earlier “Planet of the Apes” movies, and Owen Teague, the new lead, discuss the latest film in the franchise , “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”

The HBO series “The Sympathizer” is not just a good story, it’s a sharp piece of criticism on Vietnam war movies, our critic writes .

In “Dark Matter,” the new Apple TV+ techno-thriller, a portal to parallel realities allows people to visit new worlds and revisit their own past decisions .

The tennis movie “Challengers” comes to an abrupt stop midmatch, so we don’t know who won. Does that matter? Our critics have thoughts .

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

• The Inventory

Star Trek: Picard Piles Chaos Upon Chaos Upon Chaos

Big trouble comes aboard for picard, crusher, la forge, and the rest of the titan 's crew in the third season's seventh episode, "dominion.".

Tensions are high this week aboard the Titan , which is to be expected as Star Trek: Picard begins hurtling toward its series finale. But there’s a lot that has to happen before we get there, including finding and hopefully rescuing Riker —and figuring out what the changelings intend to do with Picard’s original body.

Related Content

This week, Jack’s self-searching gets even weirder, Data’s Jekyll and Hyde thing puts everyone in peril, and a dark secret from the Dominion War rises up to haunt the present. Let’s dig into season three’s seventh episode, “Dominion”!

From the temporary safety of a floating scrapyard, the Titan makes contact with Tuvok. He assures Seven of Nine that he has no idea where Riker is—in fact, he has no record of Riker even being in Starfleet custody. She’s intent on warning him that the changeling infiltration of Starfleet is of grave importance, particularly as Frontier Day approaches. As they speak, we see that everyone on the Titan ’s bridge is trying to ascertain if they’re talking to the real Tuvok; voice analysis is inconclusive, but Seven guides the conversation in such a way that tricks Tuvok into revealing the worst: Yep, he’s a changeling. And worse than the worst, he smugly shifts into Riker and taunts Picard directly: “I’m as good as dead... just like you .” The Titan swiftly ends the call, and Geordi and Picard agree it’s time to stop hoping that Starfleet, or anyone, will step up to help them expose this conspiracy and stop whatever disaster is potentially lurking. They can only trust each other, and they’re going to have to go it alone.

But what’s that plan going to be, and how will they put it in motion with Frontier Day so close? Dr. Crusher is turning over an idea she’s not quite morally okay with: coming up with a biological way to target the changelings... “...like the virus used against them in the Dominion War,” Picard adds. It’s a slippery slope, but these are desperate times. Geordi wonders if the changelings be plotting to use Picard’s purloined body, perhaps mixed with Jack’s DNA or the DNA of another Picard relative, to create a precisely perfect Jean-Luc döppelganger. They’ll need more information to figure out what to do, and Geordi suggests they ask the one person aboard who might be able to help: Data!

Except, well, Data’s not quite himself. The personality occupying this current version of him is split into four pieces: Dr. Soong and B4 in the background, with Data and Lore fighting for dominance. It’s a whole good cop/bad cop thing as the kindly, concerned Data switches mid-sentence to become Lore, who is cruel and insulting to everyone in his midst. Geordi theorizes that Soong was hoping the personalities would integrate themselves, allowing Data to become “human” as he always wished to be. That’s food for thought, but there’s a pressing concern here since they need Data’s help—especially after he blurts out “Soong research indicates an anomalous form inside Jean-Luc Picard”—but they can’t get any information out of him when Lore’s aggressive bitchiness is standing in the way.

Meanwhile, Vadic is getting a talking-to by her big boss, a disembodied blob known as “The Face.” Who or what they represent remains unclear, but they’re not changelings. “The hour of Starfleet’s fall nears,” the Face hisses, reminding Vadic that “we must ” have Jack, or else Vadic (and every other changeling) will pay the price.

Speaking of Jack, he’s hearing strange whispers, his eyes are giving off weird red flashes, and he’s able to read Sidney’s mind during their awkward flirtation. It’s worrisome enough that he talks to Picard about it: “I don’t really know what’s going on with me, but I know it isn’t anything good.” Now that the Titan has discovered the location of the Shrike , Jack offers to give himself up in exchange for Riker, but Picard has a plan for getting Vadic.

And after the Titan lures Vadic—who’s positively giddy at the thought of sinking her claws into Jack—and her well-armed underlings aboard, that plan seems to be working. After an energetic skirmish, all the bad guys are separated and trapped! But when Geordi goes to beam Sidney and Jack to safety, something ’s interfering with the transporter. Actually, it’s someone ... named Lore. “Chaos. He loves the chaos,” Georgi explains breathlessly to Alandra as they realize Lore has taken over not just the transporter, but every major system on the ship—including the one keeping the prison walls in place. That means Jack and Sidney, who are caught in the middle of two cells, are in real danger of being attacked by Vadic’s henchmen.

While that reality is settling in for the engineers, Dr. Crusher and Picard attempt to interrogate Vadic as the Titan bridge listens in. The big question is, naturally, why’s she after Jack? “He’s not for me,” she snaps. “We could bond over that, since he was never really for you either.” The bad blood between changeling and “solids” rises up; Vadic’s clearly still nursing plenty of hatred in the wake of the Dominion War, and there’s a good reason for that. She stops short of explaining the Jack situation just yet and instead, she weaves a tale of being held aboard Daystrom Station during the war, where she and several other changelings were forced to be part of something called “Project Proteus.”

That could not sound more ominous. As we see a flashback of a scientist who looks like Vadic’s current form, the changeling remembers, “She whistled while she injected us, exposed us, inflicted us with more pain than any being should ever be expected to endure... and all to turn us into weapons.” The perfect spies, in other words, and “the perfect monster,” able to pass on their abilities to others. Picard is shell-shocked. “I didn’t know,” he stammers. “The Federation took my family, and now I will take yours!” Vadic declares.

While Picard and Crusher realize they’re not going to get any more information out of Vadic and discuss what to do next (Crusher’s ready to off her, it seems? And Picard agrees?), Geordi pleads with Lore, trying to draw Data out, delivering a touching speech about the restorative power of friendship. It doesn’t work. “The enemy of my enemies, well, you know the rest...” Lore smirks as he takes complete control of the Titan . Hey, he loves the chaos! Vadic’s able to splooge to safety—preventing Crusher and Picard from having to commit murder, apparently—and Sidney and Jack are able to use Jack’s ESP to work together and defeat Vadic’s soldiers, though Sidney’s understandably a bit freaked out by the experience. But even though Data manages to wrest control briefly from Lore, Vadic’s team reassembles and very easily takes the Titan ’s bridge. A beaming Vadic sends a message out to the entire ship while settling into the captain’s chair. “I am Vadic, captain of the USS Titan . And Jack, my dear, if you can hear me, it’s time you learned who you truly are.”

The episode ends there, because of course it does! Episode eight will surely pick up that thought and address that huge-ass cliffhanger when Picard returns next week to Paramount +.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Just A Few More Details

In the last episode of "Star Trek: Picard," called "The Bounty," it was finally revealed what object the malevolent Changelings had stolen from Daystrom Station, a mystery that was being investigated by Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and Worf (Michael Dorn). It seems that when Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart) had his consciousness shunted into an android golem at the end of the show's first season, someone thought to gather up his old corpse and store it in a Federation archive. The Changelings stole Picard's dead body and plan to use it for as yet unrevealed nefarious purposes. 

It was implied, however, that there was something in Picard's brain that had been assumed to be a disease. Trekkies will recall from "All Good Things...," the final episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," that Picard had been diagnosed with a rare brain ailment called Irumodic syndrome. This syndrome was namechecked in the first season of "Picard," so it seems that he still carried it, even though the events of "All Good Things..." may have been a fantasy. The new episode of "Picard," however — called "Dominion" — says that the Irumodic syndrome may have actually been something akin to an X-Men superpower. 

This theory plays itself out in Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), Picard's son, who seems to have developed comic book psychic abilities. He can read minds now, which is not so unusual in itself for "Star Trek" — Betazoids like Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) are psychic — but he can also project his consciousness into people's bodies and take control of them. 

If "The Bounty" skewed a little too hard into nostalgia with its dreamy shots of old "Star Trek" ships and trinkets, implying that Picard is an evolutionary catalyst dips way too hard into fandom-based hero worship.

Space Jesus Syndrome

"Picard" hasn't yet gone full-bore into "Space Jesus" territory yet, but it seems distressingly poised for an inglorious plunge into fan service. "Picard" seems to be saying that its title character's brain is so unique, it could possibly lead to an age of psychic humans, positioning Picard as some sort of evolutionary fulcrum. While this sort of tale is grist for great sci-fi, it's a little gauche when applied to a character that Trekkies have known for years. 

This is exactly what George Lucas did with Darth Vader in his three "Star Wars" prequel films . Darth Vader wasn't merely a scary Imperial general in a mask, but the result of a virgin birth and the fulfillment of some vague prophecy. All three prequel films were about how the galaxy arranged itself to assure a Darth Vader was brought into existence. Lucas reworked Darth Vader's backstory, of course, because the character was important to audiences. It was not necessarily because he was initially important to the "Star Wars" universe. 

The same seems to be happening with Jean-Luc Picard. While many of the characters on "Star Trek" become celebrities , they're not all necessarily vital to the continuation of galactic life. To imply that Picard is some kind of Space Jesus is to place undue importance on the character. I understand the series is called "Star Trek: Picard," but I have preferred the character when he was kept on the ground, given relatable trials, and was even consistently proven fallible. "Star Trek" is a humanist show ostensibly set in a humanist utopia. It doesn't need a messiah.

Expanding lore

All that said, it's curious how much of the latest season of "Star Trek: Picard" hasn't directly featured Picard. "Dominion" is the beginning of the season's climax, and will feature a lot of action and revelations. The wicked Changeling Vadic (Amanda Plummer) will infiltrate the U.S.S. Titan, as Jack Crusher and Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) will fight off Vadic's goons in the hallways. Briefly, Jack will read Sidney's mind and take control of her body so she can fight better.

Meanwhile, Geordi ( LeVar Burton ) and Alandra (Mica Burton) will find out that the Data-like android they salvaged contains about 50/50 Data and Lore (all Brent Spiner) sharing its one positronic brain. Lore, Data's evil twin, has such a powerful mind and no compunction about killing, however, so activating him allows him to delete Data's brain and take over. When Vadic invades, they wire Datalore into the Titan's computers, hoping his calculation skills can save them. Lore immediately takes over and lets Vadic succeed. He doesn't give a care. This wasn't the most organic way to incorporate the dead Lore and the twice-dead Data back into the show, but it will do. Spiner, it seems, hasn't missed a step, playing both roles recognizably and effectively. 

The major revelation of "Dominion," however, is Vadic's backstory. When she infiltrates the Titan, she is briefly captured in a force field by Picard and Beverly ( Gates McFadden ). She explains that the reason she and other liquid Changelings have become so much better at imitating other life forms (she uses the word "solid" as a derogatory term). It turns out that she and several of her kind, after the Dominion War on "Deep Space Nine," were experimented on by a mad Federation doctor who sought their weaknesses. 

Hey! It's Tuvok!

It was a little odd to see a "Star Trek" character using modern-day tasers, bone saws, and hypodermic needles in the flashback sequences, but the visual shorthand is fine; a needle or a saw are scarier than a hypospray or a laser scalpel. Vadic killed her torturer and took her face. The new Changelings evolved because this wicked Federation doctor forced them to against their will. The idea that there will be fallout after a conflict is a very "Star Trek" idea. Thanks to Lore's mental tinkering elsewhere on the ship, Vadic will escape and take over the ship. 

Overall, however, "Dominion" is more of a "communicate and setup" episode than one full of vital information. Given this season's skilled pacing, a straightforward, event-heavy episode will be required every once in a while. This is fine, as it means "Picard" is considering all of its moments and spending more time with its characters. It's also nice that the action never leaves the Titan, as starship life is a vital part of making "Star Trek" feel like "Star Trek." 

There is one fun moment of fan service — free of Space Jesus vibes — right at the head of "Dominion." In order to get information on the kidnapped Capt. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) contacts her old Voyager crewmate Tuvok (Tim Russ) , who now appears to be a starship captain. Tuvok was last seen on an episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," and was still a part of Starfleet Security. In the last 18 to 20 years, he seems to have swapped careers. But no matter, it was a pleasing cameo for its brevity.

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 Showrunner on That Picard/Crusher Moment in Episode 7

Terry Matalas explains the moment from Episode 7 that was "the most debated" in the writer's room.

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 7, "Dominion." Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 7 sees some of the franchise's greatest heroes brought to a breaking point. When Vadic ( Amanda Plummer ) and the Shrike catch up with the Titan after Jack proposes that they use him as bait, the two crews spend a significant portion of the episode in a stalemate, with Vadic on the ropes as Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) and Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) consider making one of the gravest decisions of their lives in order to protect their son. With Vadic contained in a forcefield in the medbay, Picard and Crusher finally get to ask some questions of the Changeling who has been hunting them down. While Vadic stays cryptic about who—or what—Jack ( Ed Speleers ) is, she does reveal that she's not actually hunting him for herself. She delves into her own dark origin story of how her physiology was altered by Starfleet's not-so-noble Section 31 through intense torture and experimentation.

When it becomes clear that Vadic has no intention of stopping until she's delivered Jack to whoever she's working for, Picard and Crusher are forced to question if they're ready to take a life in the name of their child—and the answer is yes, they are. Lead News Editor Maggie Lovitt recently sat down with Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas to discuss this episode, and he told Collider that this is easily the moment that made him "the most uncomfortable in the episode." He revealed that they even "debated [this moment] the most in the writers' room and the editing room. Probably all the way until air." As Picard and Crusher acknowledge in the moment, they're on the brink of embracing "the antithesis of everything that was in these characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation ."

Matalas acknowledged that not every The Next Generation fan is going to be happy with this moment, saying: "That is really scary because you know right away doing this scene that there's a large portion of fans that are immediately saying this is a character betrayal from the get-go." But as he explains, Picard Season 3 is telling a different kind of story than the ones we would see on TNG . He told Collider:

"You have to ask yourself: in that moment, what would these characters really do? Would this be a question they would really ask? So in the writers' room, you have an actual debate, and when you have a unanimous agreement from everyone in the room who would have every perspective on it, that it's probably a good idea at this point to stop this, then maybe Picard and Beverly would feel the same as parents at this moment. But goddamn is it dark. And so, it's really– as a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation , to me, it's a hard moment to watch your childhood heroes go through, but we're doing it."

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Showrunner Explains How They Pulled off THAT 'Voyager' Cameo

What's Next for The Next Generation ?

Picard and Crusher were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempts to take out Vadic, leaving the crew of the Titan in dire straights in the final moments of this episode. With so much left to explore in the final three episodes, Star Trek: Picard fans are hungry for a Legacy spin-off featuring a mix of new characters like Jack and legacy characters like Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) , with the iconic TNG crew popping up here and there. With Paramount+ announcing a Starfleet Academy series today, anything is possible in the world of Star Trek .

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard are available every Thursday on Paramount+. Be sure to check out our full conversation with Matalas when it's live, and in the meantime, you can watch our recent interview with Speleers down below.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 7, 'Dominion,' Recap & Spoilers

Star Trek: Picard brings the enemy up close and personal with Starfleet's last line of defense. Here's a recap of the hit Paramount+ series.

The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 7, "Dominion," now streaming on Paramount+.

Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Titan have relentlessly been pursued by the Changeling commander Vadic and her advanced warship the Shrike all season. With Will Riker and Deanna Troi now held captive by Vadic and Picard still unsure of whom to trust, the heroes remain on the defensive as they learn the Changelings have stolen Picard’s organic body . However, with a positronic android containing Data’s memories and Jack Crusher developing strange mental powers, Picard still has options with which to turn the tables on his pursuers.

While the Titan hides out in a floating debris field, Seven of Nine reaches out to her old friend Tuvok to brief him on what has occurred and rally support -- only to discover he has been replaced by a Changeling. Beverly Crusher considers using a bioweapon calibrated to the Changelings’ evolved physiology, but is concerned that targeting a specific species is comparable to genocide. The positronic android modeled after Altan Soong is kept under restraint while Data and his evil twin Lore vie for control of their shared body, with Picard approaching to ask what Data knows about the Changeling plot.

RELATED: Picard: [SPOILER] Has a Long History of Fighting Changelings

Jack’s psyche similarly grows more uncontrollable. He develops burgeoning telepathy during a private moment with Sidney La Forge. After Jack shares this with Picard, this discovery -- coupled with the knowledge that Vadic is tracking the Titan through Riker’s comm signature -- leads Picard to formulate a plan. Vadic overhears a Starfleet transmission claiming to have exchanged fire with the Titan , and the resulting skirmish leaves both starships floundering in space, leading her to command the Shrike to investigate further.

Vadic personally leads a boarding party from the Shrike onto the seemingly disabled Titan . She confronts Jack, who leads her and her troops into a set of forcefield traps in corridors around the ship with Sidney's help. While Geordi La Forge and his other daughter Alandra attempt to assist, Lore asserts control over the android’s body, frees himself and seals Geordi and Alandra in their workshop. Beverly and Picard interrogate the captive Vadic to learn what the Changelings are up to and why the Changelings are targeting Jack . Vadic observes the Changeling plot is in retaliation for the virus Starfleet unleashed on them to decisively end the Dominion War.

RELATED: Picard's Enterprise is Revisionist History, and Perfect World-Building

Vadic recalls that she was a prisoner of war during the Dominion War, held captive on Daystrom Station, where she and her fellow captured Changelings were experimented on and tortured by Section 31. These experiments inadvertently caused the Changelings’ evolution prior to their escape from the space station, with Vadic’s humanoid form modeled after her human tormentor -- whom they murdered. Deducing that Vadic has something up her sleeve despite her current predicament, Picard and Beverly contemplate executing her on the spot, but decide against it.

Lore begins steadily taking control of the Titan ’s systems while Geordi pleads with Data to reassert control from his brother. Geordi’s emotional overtures weakening Lore’s hold, so Lore attempts to break Geordi by lowering the forcefields protecting Sidney from the Changelings. Jack is able to telepathically take control of Sidney and guide her to fight off the enemy before Data regains control. But Vadic and her troops seize the bridge as the Titan crew watches helplessly, with Vadic promising to reveal who Jack truly is as she settles into the captain’s chair.

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

Den of Geek

Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Episode 7 Review – Monsters

Star Trek: Picard takes a literal deep dive into Jean-Luc's subconscious and undoes much of the season's forward progress in the process.

• Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• Share on email (opens in a new tab)

The following contains Star Trek: Picard spoilers

Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Episode 7

After two fairly exhilarating and propulsive episodes, Star Trek: Picard pumps the brakes on almost all forward narrative momentum in an hour that, unfortunately, goes back to some of Season 2’s weakest elements (and even the great cliffhanger at the end, which sees Guinan and Picard get arrested by the FBI thanks to some unfortunate security camera footage, can’t entirely save it). 

Part of the problem is much of “Monsters” revolves around a trope that’s kind of lame even when it’s executed well, which involves one character being forced to enter the mind of another in order to help them subconsciously fight the demons that plague them. And perhaps there’s a way Picard could have pulled this off—a better set-up for Jean-Luc suddenly finding himself trapped in his own mind besides randomly getting hit by a car might have helped, or having someone like Seven or the Borg-controlled Jurati have to be the one to basically mind-meld with the admiral in order to save him, rather than a character we’ve essentially only just met. 

As it stands, sending Tallinn into Picard’s childhood nightmare feels like nothing so much as a set-up for her to reveal to him that she’s secretly Romulan, and allow the show to continue pushing the supposed romantic connection between Jean-Luc and Laris. Which I assume someone, somewhere must find interesting, it’s just that I am not one of those people.

Ad – content continues below

And the thing is, it’s not like I’m averse to an episode that’s essentially a deep dive into what makes Picard tick, subconsciously speaking. There’s something painfully poetic about the idea that the reason child Jean-Luc went on to become an adult who was willing to fight so hard to save others is that he couldn’t save his mother from the darker parts of her own mind. That’s practically Shakespearean, in many ways.

Of course, he carries emotional scars from those experiences, likely of the sort that he’s probably never really wanted to look too closely at. Again, all of this is completely understandable and deeply human. Where the story loses me is the bit where his grief over his mother’s madness literally rewrites his entire understanding of his own father and his role in his life. (Well, that, and the fact that Picard had a brother that none of these flashbacks ever mentioned in any way. How does he—and that relationship—fit into all this?) 

Star Trek: Picard – Where Have Worf, LaForge, and Crusher Been?

Picard Season 2 Episode 6: The Biggest Star Trek Easter Eggs

To be fair, Picard’s dungeon of emotional sorrows is both beautifully and creepily rendered, a dark fairytale where his mother is somehow simultaneously the storyteller, the damsel that needs rescuing, and the monster threatening to destroy her. It’s a fascinating snapshot of how Picard thinks or, perhaps most importantly, of how Picard has become the storyteller of this particular piece of his own history. Though “Monsters” does raise the uncomfortable question of exactly how reliable a narrator Picard is in this instance, given the lifelong lies he seems to have told himself about both his mother’s behavior and his father’s intentions. 

In any event, this isn’t exactly uninteresting character work, and “Monsters” certainly hints that we’ve still yet to see the full story of everything that went on between Picard and his mother. But I think we have to question the wisdom of inserting this particular interlude here, in a way that basically nearly brings every other plot to a screeching halt. How does this serve the story of saving the future and getting the La Sirena back to their own time? Why is it necessary to tell this part of the story right now, when Picard Season 2 finally felt like it was gaining some momentum?

The episode’s B plots are almost entirely forgettable, save for the fact that Seven figures out pretty much immediately that Agnes has been body-snatched by the Borg Queen, who’s now plotting to assimilate all of humanity. There’s zero development of Q’s nefarious plan now that Renee Picard is safely out of his clutches, nor do we learn anything further about the fallout from Kore’s discovery that she’s some sort of clone and her dad is basically a comic book supervillain. We don’t even see much of Agnes and the Borg Queen, save for a dramatic moment where she breaks a window in a dive bar for the high of the endorphin rush. 

And, look, I’m sure that there are people watching who truly enjoy Rios’s flirtation with the nice 21st-century clinic doctor, and if that is you, please take a second and explain the point of this to me like I’m five, because other than potentially risking the very future Rios wants to go back to, what exactly is his character arc here? Simply that he wants to impress a girl by showing her his time-traveling spaceship? That he likes real, non-replicator-produced food? Forget causing butterfly ripples, these people are basically opening Jurassic Park at this point. (And that’s before we get to the whole the FBI now have video evidence of transporters thing.)

But, the episode’s last ten minutes is almost enough to paper over many of its other flaws, as Picard returns to see Guinan in the hopes that she can help him figure out what Q’s epic trial is really all about. And, in doing so, Picard answers another long-standing Star Trek: The Next Generation Mystery , namely—why Q seemed afraid of the El-Aurian in that series. And it turns out that part of the reason is because of the truce struck between their races long ago, Guinan’s people apparently have the ability to vaguely control him, or at least enough to summon him whether he is willing to be called or not. But her attempt in “Monsters” fails, but her confusion about it is so genuine that it seems obvious that something bigger is more likely at play. (More evidence that Q’s powers are waning or broken? Food for thought.)

Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

But since we certainly aren’t getting answers to any of this until next week–let’s take a second just to appreciate Ito Aghayere’s performance—her younger version of Guinan is just so spot-on, from her warm chemistry with Patrick Stewart to her effortless snark and the physical mannerisms she’s clearly copied from watching Whoopi Goldberg’s Next Generation work. At this point, if we don’t get to see her face-off with John de Lancie properly before Picard and friends go back to their own time, it’ll be a real shame.

3.5 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,…

• Lower Decks
• Short Treks
• Strange New Worlds
• Deep Space Nine
• Star Trek: Picard
• The Next Generation
• The Original Series

UPDATED: Star Trek Books 2024

Star trek’s lost original enterprise model returned, classic star trek alien in star trek: section 31, star trek renewal news – cast & creatives respond, new: strange new worlds – scotty is on board for season 3, review star trek: discovery season 5 episode 7 “erigah”, review – star trek: discovery season 5 episode 6 “whistlespeak”, review – sons of star trek #2, review – star trek: discovery season 5 episode 5 “mirrors”, review – star trek: defiant #14.

SNEAK PEEK – Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 7 “Dominion”

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is heating up, with only four episodes left! Most of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew have been reunited. However, this week’s episode preview seems to up the stakes. Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 7 is titled “Dominion”. Therefore, might we expect more Star Trek: Deep Space Nine easter eggs? Episode 7 is directed by Deborah Kampmeier and written by Jane Maggs.

Like each week, the official synopsis gives us an idea of where this episode will go. However, we’ve also got to break down some of the preview content. Trek Central has a sneak peek at the upcoming episode. We have a clip and preview pictures to build our Star Trek theories for this week. Check them all out below.

“Crippled, cornered, and out of options, Picard stages a gambit to trap Vadic and reveal her true motive. A gamble that puts the Titan in the crosshairs, and forces Picard and Beverly to question every moral code they’ve ever held.” tar Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 7 “Dominion” – Episode Synopsis

Preview Pictures – Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 6

Immediately I’m getting the impression that the USS Titan-A crew are fugitives on the run. They are essentially are, especially being on the run from Starfleet. However, looking at the preview pictures for Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 7, many characters are now wearing the Starfleet uniform jacket. Take a look at both Jeri Ryan’s and Todd Stashwick’s pictures.

There is also a picture of Jack Cusher (Ed Speleers) and Ensign LaForge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) in the Titan’s corridor. If we look at the image of Vadic and her goons, perhaps they are looking at them. We’ve also got a fantastic shot of Jeri Ryan as Commander Seven in the Titan’s captain’s chair. Perhaps Seven is finally getting the time to shine in commanding the starship. Or maybe Episode 7 is where Liam Shaw finally bites the bullet many think is coming for him.

Gates McFadden and Sir Patrick Stewart can be seen as Doctor Crusher and Admiral Picard. However, LeVar Burton is also seen as Geordi La Forge. Notable both Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and Worf (Michael Dorn) are missing from promotional material this week. Therefore, I am wondering if they have gone off to continue searching for Riker and Deanna Troi. Returning to Jeri Ryan’s Captain chair moment, we can see ship wreckage out the back of the conference room. Hmm, I wonder…

Episode Trailer

Exclusive Clip of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 7

Each week, The Ready Room aftershow gives us a preview of what is coming up. Therefore, this week expands on what the villains of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 are up to. Amanda Plummer’s Captain Vadic may be the main villain that Jean-Luc and the crew are fighting. However, we’re aware that someone else is pulling the strings. It seems Vadic’s employment by “The Face” might be cut short. Additionally, it seems like the villains are getting desperate regarding a timeframe for their plan.

Whoever this “Face” is, they seem to be able to torture Vadic rather well. However, we’ve not got a clear idea of who this unknown foe is. They clearly want Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). But another detail sticks out. “The Face”, says, “You and your kind”. Vadic and her crew are Changelings. Therefore, is “The Face” not a Changeling? If so, what species are they? Perhaps another subspecies of the Changelings we are aware of? Given Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 7’s title, might we learn more about the overall species?

This week we’ll need to see more of William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). However, we’ve already seen a glimpse in one of the trailers of the pair’s conversation. It seems Deanna is not happy about Will running off to help Jean-Luc. We’ve seen part of this conflict already. Will is running away from his family problems. Now that both are captured, we’ll see a resolution between the pair. Hopefully, relationship troubles are never nice to watch for viewers.

Additionally, I have my theories for what is going on. We’ve seen Captain Vadic onboard the USS Titan-A with her goons in the trailers. However, is this the episode we see that in? There are also trailer seems of Commander Seven (Jeri Ryan) and Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick) fighting someone in the hallways. One of the press pictures is Vadic in a Starfleet corridor. Then it would make sense to presume the ship gets boarded this week.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3  airs on Thursdays via Paramount+ for those in the United States. Additionally, on Crave and the CTV Sci-Fi channel for viewers in Canada. However, new episodes air Fridays via Amazon Prime Video in international regions like the United Kingdom. Paramount+ also streams the episodes in select locations, such as Italy, Germany and France.

More From Trek Central

📰 – INTERVIEW: Star Trek: Picard Showrunner Talks Season 3!

🔥 – NEW Star Trek: Picard Clip Starts The Season 3 Plot

🔍️ – Explore Star Trek: Picard’s Stargazer

Join the Star Trek conversation via our social media platforms:

• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TrekCentral
• Instagram – https://instagram.com/TrekCentral
• Twitter – https://twitter.com/TheTrekCentral
• YouTube – https://youtube.com/TheTrekCentral
• Mastodon – https://mastodon.social/@[email protected]
• Discord – https://discord.gg/fF2heMbfW8
• Star Trek Picard

more star trek 🖖

the latest 🚀

• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy

Trek Central is not endorsed, sponsored, or affiliated with ViacomCBS / CBS Studios Inc or the STAR TREK Franchise. All STAR TREK trademarks, logos and images © CBS Studios Inc.

© 2019–2023 Redwood Media LTD

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Star Trek: Picard recap: William Riker and Deanna Troi help out their old friend

Star Trek: Picard delivers its longest episode to date with “Nepenthe,” all so it can spend as much time as possible on Picard’s long-awaited reunion with two of his closest Enterprise comrades.

Yet before that happy get-together can take place, this eighth installment flashes back to Jurati and Commander Oh’s chat at Okinawa’s Daystrom Institute. Oh knows Jurati has met with Picard, that Picard has revealed his belief that Maddox created a synthetic, and that Jurati gave him 300 GBs of material relevant to Maddox. Oh tells Jurati she wants her to accompany Picard on his off-world mission to find Maddox and the synthetic. Oh subsequently uses a Vulcan mind-meld to show Jurati the death and destruction — on a planetary scale — that will take place if synthetic life is allowed to exist. Shaken, Jurati agrees to Oh’s demands (which will require “a terrible sacrifice”) and ingests a tracking device.

On the Artifact, Rizzo demands that Hugh give up Picard and Soji’s destination (i.e. Nepenthe). She executes Hugh’s fellow XBs, but can’t kill Hugh himself because he’s protected by an “asinine” Starfleet treaty. At this point, La Sirena is released from the Artifact’s tractor beam. Although Rios knows they’re being followed by a Romulan ship (piloted by Narek), they nonetheless take off for Nepenthe — albeit not before first contacting Elnor, who’s staying behind on the Artifact because “my help is needed here.”

On Nepenthe, Picard and Soji are greeted by a young girl wearing an animal ear-decorated cloak and wielding a bow and arrow. Her name is Kestra (Lulu Wilson), and she knows Picard. On their way to the girl’s house, Kestra talks to Soji, who’s still plagued by confusion and distrust. Kestra shows her a compass but concedes it’s broken and admits that her arrows are real but that she’s a pacifist, and thus wouldn’t use them.

Kestra asks about Soji’s father, and upon hearing it’s Data, exclaims, “You’re an android?” This freaks out Soji. Trying to soothe her, Picard says that, though her memories and identity might not be real, her sister Dahj was. Then, he informs her that Dahj was murdered by the very people now hunting her. Having been repeatedly deceived, Soji is unwilling to believe anything.

At the house, Picard receives a giant hug from Kestra’s mom, Commander Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), who instinctively senses that he’s in trouble. Picard goes inside and receives a similar embrace from William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who immediately recognizes that Picard needs a place to hideout. When Picard suggests not only raising the residence’s shields and activating its perimeter scans but also running anti-cloaking scans, Riker realizes that Picard’s problems involve Romulans. Picard states that his plan has fallen apart, he’s (temporarily) lost his crew, and Soji is still in danger, to which Riker says, “Sounds like you need a new plan.”

As Picard takes a nap and Riker continues making homemade tomato-and-basil pizzas, Kestra tells Soji about Data. She surmises that the reason Soji has mucus, blood, and saliva is that Data always wanted to be human (i.e. have dreams, tell jokes, learn how to ballroom dance).

Troi shows Picard the bedroom of her and Riker’s late son Thad, whose 18th birthday would have been a week ago. Troi tells Picard to stay as long as he likes, but she acknowledges, “I’m not as brave as I used to be, Jean-Luc.” Picard responds, “You’re getting wiser.”

Onboard La Sirena, Rios strives to lose the pursuing Narek. Jurati asks if Rios and Raffi really want to go to Nepenthe. Since Jurati was originally eager to embark on this intergalactic search-and-rescue mission, Raffi is surprised by the question. That prompts Jurati to yell, “I just want to go home! Picard can look after himself and somebody else can find that f---ing synth — why does it have to be me?” Raffi calms her down by giving her red velvet cake, which she promptly throws up.

In the medical bay, Rios says he suspects the reason he can’t shake Narek is that Raffi is being (unwittingly) tracked. Before Jurati can fully confess that she’s the one with the tracker, Rios heads back to the bridge. Upset and alone, Jurati creates a handheld device and injects herself in the neck, instigating a mouth-foaming seizure that puts her in a coma.

Picard tells Riker that his visit is “a desperate impulse. I regret it already.” Riker presses the former admiral for details, stating that ignorance of danger doesn’t keep it at bay. Not that Riker needs Picard to spell things out for him — he’s already intuited that Picard is being hunted by the Tal Shiar and that Soji is the android offspring of Data (her head-tilt gave away her lineage). “Not bad for a pizza chef,” Picard smiles.

Riker slams Picard for his classic “arrogance,” once again deciding everything for everyone, and cautions that dealing with a teenager isn’t the same as commanding a starship. Picard admits he may not be up to this challenge, which is the first “baby step” toward attaining the humility he needs.

Soji and Kestra have become fast friends, speaking to each other in a language called Viveen that Thad created. In a lush garden, Troi has Soji try a real tomato — the first food she’s ever eaten that didn’t come from a replicator. She hears about Thad’s desire for a home, which is what Nepenthe eventually became for him. Apparently, Thad died of a rare disease that could have been cured if not for the synthetic ban (which denied the family access to an active positronic matrix) — proving, according to Troi, that “real isn’t always better.” Soji is still intensely skeptical of everything, suspecting that this paradise and its kind inhabitants are part of an elaborate trap.

Picard tells Soji he understands her doubts, but she violently shoves him aside and storms off. Troi chastises Picard for not fully comprehending how shaken Soji has been by Narek’s subterfuge and attempt on her life.

While Picard struggles to forge a connection with Soji, Hugh tells Elnor he’s now going to lead an open revolt against the Romulans and seize control of the Artifact. Rizzo takes this as a violation of the treaty governing his service — thereby granting her permission to kill them both. Elnor dispatches Rizzo’s guards and directly engages her in combat. Using a dagger, Rizzo murders Hugh. She then beams away before Elnor can finish her off. With his final breath, Hugh tells Elnor that he needs an XB to activate the Queen Cell, and thanks the warrior for giving him hope. Shortly thereafter, Elnor finds a dog tag-like device that allows him to activate a Fenris Rangers SOS signal.

Over pizza dinner, Soji recounts Narek’s meditation-ritual ruse, and Kestra — with the aid of Captain Rupert Crandall, who also lives on Nepenthe — discovers the location of Soji’s homeworld, which doesn’t have a name but does have a number. Picard works hard to convince Soji that she can trust him, admitting he wants to help her because she’s the daughter of his dear friend Data. Moreover, before this undertaking, Picard was just wasting his life, whereas now, “I’m alive. And I have a mission, which means there’s not a hell of a chance that you or anyone else can stop me.”

The next morning, Picard and Riker take a walk to a forest-nestled lake. Picard has heard from Rios, and he talks to Riker about his “decidedly motley” new crew, who “seem to be carrying more baggage than all of you ever did.” Sitting on a pier bench, Riker lets Picard know that no one would think less of him if he gave up this quest. That said, Riker also says he never thought Picard had any business retiring, to which Picard replies, “And you were right.”

Picard thanks Riker for “so many things. But today, for not trying to talk me out of all this.” Riker says he knows better than to attempt that, since “that, my friend, was always a losing proposition.”

Kestra conveys to Soji that she understands what it’s like to experience something really awful (i.e. her brother’s death) and that what helped her get through it were her parents. She says Picard could be Soji’s new father figure and, in turn, Soji could be there for Picard. “I’ll think about it,” Soji responds.

After receiving Kestra’s compass as a gift, Soji and Picard say their farewells and beam back up to La Sirena.

Captain’s Log:

• Kestra is named after Deanna Troi’s late older sister, who died when Troi was an infant – events that were first recounted in Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s season seven episode, “The Dark Page.”
• Elnor’s SOS call to the Fenris Rangers strongly suggests that we haven’t seen the last of Seven of Nine.
• Presumably, Narek will also get more to do in the coming weeks, since this episode relegated him to fiddling with a toy while flying his ship (minus any dialogue).

Related content:

• Watch Whoopi Goldberg lose it as Patrick Stewart asks her to join Star Trek: Picard season 2
• Patrick Stewart on how Star Trek: Picard strives to avoid fan service
• Star Trek: Picard second trailer shows Will Riker’s return

Related Articles

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery lands in nielsen streaming top 10 like picard & strange new worlds.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery proves ds9's dominion war still matters 800 years later, star trek: discovery season 5 has a tribute to kenneth mitchell.

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 hits the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 for the first time, joining the accomplishments of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
• Captain Michael Burnham leads an action-packed adventure tying into Star Trek lore.
• Star Trek: Discovery is the lone Paramount+ series that week to make the Top 10.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 lands on the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 chart, following in the footsteps of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Star Trek: Discovery is in its fifth and final season, and Captain Michael Burnham's (Sonequa Martin-Green) action-packed adventure roots the series more deeply in the lore of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Discovery 's last ride is proving to be very popular.

For the week of April 8-14, Star Trek: Discovery entered the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 chart (Originals) for the first time. The episode that charted is Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "Jinaal," and it's the only Paramount+ series to land in the top 10 that week. Star Trek: Discovery shares the Top 10 with hits like Prime Video's Fallout , Netflix's 3 Body Problem , and FX's Shogun. Check out the ranking below:

As Burnham seeks the universe's greatest treasure in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, she'll need help from a host of new and returning characters.

How Star Trek: Discovery's Nielsen Ranking Compares To Picard & Strange New Worlds

Discovery still has the rest of season 5 to chart in the nielsen streaming top 10.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "Jinaal" ranking in the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 charts makes it the 12th episode of a Star Trek on Paramount+ series to chart since the rankings started being measured. Alex Perry of TrekCore shared how Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , and now, Star Trek: Discover y's rankings compare . Check out his X post below:

Star Trek: Picard 's series finale , "The Last Generation," tops the chart, which is no surprise as it was the conclusion to the wildly popular third season of Picard that wrapped up the saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2's "Those Old Scientists" was also the beloved crossover episode with Star Trek: Lower Decks. Strange New Worlds has 8 episodes in the Nielsen Top 10, which speaks to how popular season 2 was. However, Star Trek: Discovery still has 7 episodes with the potential to break into the Nielsen Streaming Top 10, and it remains to be seen how high Disco can fly.

Source: Nielsen.com, TrekCore

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

• May 11, 2024 | Interview: Elias Toufexis On Making Star Trek History Playing L’ak And Nerding Out In ‘Discovery’
• May 10, 2024 | ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Debuts On Nielsen Streaming Top 10
• May 10, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Breens Out On “Erigah” With Commentary From Elias Toufexis Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
• May 9, 2024 | Star Trek Franchise Wins Peabody Award
• May 9, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Gets Cool Under Pressure In “Erigah”

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Debuts On Nielsen Streaming Top 10

| May 10, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 35 comments so far

Star Trek: Discovery has arrived for the first time on Nielsen’s top streaming chart. It is the third Paramount+ Star Trek show to make the list.

Top 10 Disco

The Nielsen Top 10 original streaming program chart for the week of April 8- 14 in the USA was just released, which covers the first full week following the 2-episode season 5 debut of Discovery on April 4th (with “Red Directive” and “Under the Twin Moons”). Discovery ranked at number 10 on the original programs Top 10 with 257 million minutes viewed. It’s the only Paramount+ show to make the chart that week, with most of the chart featuring shows from Netflix, with the top spot going to Amazon Prime’s Fallout (starring Star Trek: Prodigy’s Ella Purnell).

Nielsen just started tracking Paramount+ shows in 2023 so we don’t know how season 5 is doing relative to previous seasons. Last year the second season of Strange New Worlds and the third season of Picard both appeared several times on the chart . With the lowest market share of the tracked subscription streaming services, Paramount+ only has had a handful of original shows make their way into the Top 10, including Halo and some of the Taylor Sheridan-produced shows including 1923 , and Special Ops: Lioness , starring Zoe Saldaña (which was just renewed yesterday for a second season).

Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner in “Under the Twin Moons” (Marni Grossman /Paramount+)

Bonus video – making “Under the Twin Moons”

Here is a behind-the-scenes package about the location shooting for episode 502.

The fifth and final season of  Discovery  debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on  Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery  also premiered on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season will be available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuted on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Find more stories on the  Star Trek Universe .

Related Articles

Discovery , Interview

Interview: Elias Toufexis On Making Star Trek History Playing L’ak And Nerding Out In ‘Discovery’

All Access Star Trek Podcast , Discovery , Interview , Review , Shatner , Star Trek 4

Podcast: All Access Breens Out On “Erigah” With Commentary From Elias Toufexis Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

Discovery , Review

Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Gets Cool Under Pressure In “Erigah”

Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 507 With New Images, Trailer And Clip From “Erigah”

Discovery’s not so terrible after all, I see.

Glad to see so many people checking out Discovery. They can make up their own minds from there. It will be interesting to see if Disco gets a few more episodes in that top ten.

I’m actually surprised by this but certainly good news. I’m enjoying the season for the most part but still feels like people have moved on or no real passion for it. It’s very odd but at least it’s being watched and does feel like more are enjoying the season as a whole. It’s become a season of the 24th century greatest hits so it’s more fun for me lol.

DSC will likely find new viewers after it’s complete. Other than Trek, I wait for seasons to be complete before I watch them. I think that it might be the best way to watch a serialized show like DSC.

final season bump….god i hope this doesn’t “embiggen” Kurtz and Co. as a sign that we really like DSC and to have Tilly be the lead in Starfleet Academy.

The irony for me is I thought this would get huge views in the beginning because it was the final season and people were raving about the first episodes. I honestly thought we would have another Picard season 3 situation. But it feels like the total opposite for what is a generally decent season so fa and no one is really talking about it.

And I’m not a Discovery gusher, far from it lol. I think the show has been mostly awful but I don’t pretend my opinion is a consensus either. I am mostly enjoying this season though even with some of the same issues I always had with it.

I mean, they’ve got their scripts and the show starts filming in the next few months. We can’t say with absolute certainty that Tilly is the lead, but how this season of DSC is received won’t change it.

Of these, “Shogun” is still the one I really want to see.

Very encouraging news.

This is an important metric to have confirmed, and it makes sense that the show has had strong ratings considering the rash of new series it helped spawn and the lengths Paramount Global was willing to go to to claw back international rights. It’s just caught up in the reality of streaming – by year four an original streaming show is old news and more likely to be replaced than renewed.

I find Discovery to be remarkably mediocre but I’m still happy to see it succeed and I wouldn’t dream of talking anyone out of enjoying it who is.

Fair play. I had thought that most of the established audience had walked a view supported by how few comments it seems to be getting on sites such as this one. Looks like I was wrong. Well done Discovery and if people are enjoying it and want to see more Trek then great. Imagine the numbers though had it stayed on Netflix…….

These are USA-only figures, and Discovery was never on Netflix there.

Thanks for clarifying.

Real numbers will be reflected in merchandizing. TOS and TNG were successful in this realm. Kevin timeline and Kurtzman Trek, I think it’s nonexistent.

In fairness, that’s not just a Star Trek thing. It seems like shows don’t get merch anymore, unless it’s a smash mega-hit, as with Stranger Things.

One caveat… While they’re on the chart, the metric Nielsen is using for the chart (minutes viewed) shows Discovery performing below the numbers for Strange New Worlds season 2 and Picard season 3. And, technically, they have more episodes to achieve a higher (possible) number than the other 2 shows, if it was in theory drawing in new viewers willing to give the entire series a chance and binge it.

But that’s fine. Engagement is engagement, it has a Paramount+ show, even with its competitive handicap, in the top 10.

It shows how Star Trek has fallen from the cultural zeitgeist though. I mean, everyone is talking about Fallout and the numbers dwarf anything Paramount + can achieve.

In other words, in principle no different from when DS9 and Voyager were not getting talked about as much as The X-Files or The Phantom Menace.

Star Trek is a niche. TOS, TNG and the JJ films crossed over to some mainstream success and every series since TNG has flirted with it on occasion. But Star Trek is not Game of Thrones or Stranger Things or Star Wars. It’s popular in its own lane and Paramount has found ways to make lots of money from it, which keeps it going strong for us. This has always been the case, so there’s no point in trying to spin this into more naysaying. It achieves nothing we haven’t already known (and not cared about) for decades.

DS9 and VOY did fine in the TV ratings.

My point is, none of the new Star Trek shows can be breakout hits locked behind Paramount +

Now, if Disney or Amazon or Netflix had the rights, it’d be a bigger success than it has already shown itself to be.

Voyager is surprisingly popular on Netflix still.

DS9 barely clawed its way back to #1 syndicated drama in 1999 after a couple years of playing second fiddle to Xena and Hercules in a rapidly shrinking and less relevant first run syndicated market. It was under-publicized and no publications outside of sci-fi mags and TV Guide gave it the time of day after the 30th anniversary.

Voyager was on the struggling #5 network, usually 5th in its timeslot, even falling below WWF Smackdown! as the top rated show on UPN. If it weren’t for 7 of 9 it too would have been totally ignored, and even then you could hardly accuse it of commanding a huge chunk of the zeitgeist outside of hardcore Trek fandom.

And that was enough for us, and we still got TNG movies and Enterprise greenlit at that level of niche success. Trek viewer demos were desirable, and erosion was evident but not as bad due to loyalty. The Trek shows were the bigger fish in rather small ponds. I’m under zero illusion that they’d have lasted as long as they did if broadcast on a big four network with higher performance benchmarks.

I see very little difference between that situation and where things stand today, except that now viewership is highly fragmented with so many streaming services and people being able to easily choose when and how they watch thousands of shows and movies. Star Trek shows are consistently breaking through that and on a smaller streaming outlet where they have more value to their owner. If you want to point to what Trek would look like if it breaks out even bigger and is scrutinized and popularized, just look to the JJ films and the debate that still rages about how faithful they are to what makes for good Star Trek.

Netflix’s model is to binge-consume and move on, and shows get buried there and the conversation tends to die down fast. They also don’t usually last more than 4 seasons, so again, being a bigger fish in a smaller pond is better for Trek. There’s no guarantee a Netflix deal would mean season 6 of Disco and Lower Decks (based on their history, season 5 would have been highly unlikely) or Star Trek: Legacy being greenlit. We’ve had two 5 season runs of new shows, 6 series and a tv-movie greenlit, reliable press coverage from Internet outlets including magazines that wouldn’t have given DS9 this much attention 30 years ago. I don’t know what definition of “breakout hit” will satisfy you, but I really don’t think it’s necessary to achieve.

Star Trek is in the top ten series in a streaming space of infinite content. To the degree that anything is in the cultural zeitgeist, Star Trek is still in the conversation.

To be fair, it’s lucky to sneak in. Star Trek Picard squeaked into the top ten with 400 million minutes vs DISCO at 257 million minutes.

So, not exactly a smash hit performance.

Considering the sheer volume of streaming content produced, this a big deal.

I don’t know if any pre-streaming Trek TV series were ever in Neilsen’s top ten.

And the whole “but Marvel/Star Wars/Harry Potter/whatever else is more popular than Trek” has always been the case, and I suspect it always will be.

Even in the Berman days, Trek did well – but it was never insanely popular with general audiences. I don’t think it needs to be.

TNG and DS9 were often top 10 shows in the syndicated charts. It would take a bit of a deep dive to see how that would correlate against the ratings for the network shows, it’s not exactly apples to apples.

But just based on number of viewers, “All Good Things…,” TNG’s highest rated episode by a long shot, would have ranked #2 the week it aired, behind Roseanne. “Emissary,” the highest rated episode of Star Trek (and I believe any drama) in syndication history would have been #5 the week it aired. These are major outliers.

“Caretaker” was Voyager’s highest rated episode – it managed to rank 22nd in the charts that week. “Parallax” was 45th.

Star Trek rules a comfortable niche. One that can be harnessed for some well-viewed premieres and finales and stunts now and again, and #1 box office debuts, but it’s not popular on the same level as many other über franchises – the public has affection for it, but it’s never going to be Marvel. And that’s as okay now as it’s always been. It’s always going to be better to be king of a smaller castle than vying for attention at a bigger one.

I don’t have anything to add, but I want to echo y’all’s sentiments 100%.

Let’s be honest here: You’re cherry-picking Picard’s best result. During a different week, PIC made it into the Nielsen Top 10 with 276 million minutes viewed, which isn’t so far off what DSC made.

Very interesting and surprising to me since Discovery is not MUST SEE TV for me – but it perhaps shows that the show has developed its own audience outside of the legacy fans who read this website and who are older and long-time fans of the franchise.

Maybe it doesn’t have quite the numbers of Picard or SNW which are popular with the grey beards like me, but that is not the audience the show is targeting.

I for one hope the franchise continues for another 60 years and long after my departure from this planet. The only way that happens is for the show to reach out to a younger more diverse audience and that is exactly what Discovery did, especially in the last 3 seasons. Kudos to Kurtzman and the cast and crew of Discovery.

So…? When’s the campaign starting?

What campaign are you talking about?

Save Enterprise.

This is the first season of Discovery, and I have looked forward to each episode. I’ve watched all of the season, as I will watch anything Trek (even the awful “Lower Decks” show), but I never rushed to watch an episode when it dropped. Season 2 for a few episodes – but the AI storyline was brutal, followed by “The Burn” story in season three, which was almost unwatchable.

I’m glad the show has found its footing, but it’s too bad it took seven years (and five-mini season) for it to happen.

I must admit to being a bit shocked by this. I think there is a genuine desire out there for Trek content.

For me, this has been the weakest season of Discovery so far. It feels like a complete mess. I’ve never loved the series but until this point it at leas felt it improved with every season.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Episode list

Star trek: picard.

S2.E1 ∙ The Star Gazer

S2.E2 ∙ Penance

S2.E3 ∙ Assimilation

S2.E4 ∙ Watcher

S2.E5 ∙ Fly Me to the Moon

S2.E6 ∙ Two of One

S2.E7 ∙ Monsters

S2.E8 ∙ Mercy

S2.E9 ∙ Hide and Seek

S2.E10 ∙ Farewell

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore.

Recently viewed

Star Trek: DS9 Guest Star Was Almost TNG's Captain Picard

• Armin Shimerman reveals Stephen Macht was second choice for Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Macht portrayed Bajoran General Krim on Deep Space Nine, leading a coup against Starfleet to gain control of the station.
• Although Macht lost out on the role of Picard, he played Krim with diplomatic honor and made a memorable adversary on DS9.

It's hard to imagine anyone else besides Sir Patrick Stewart in the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation , but a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest star was almost cast as the Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, according to DS9 's Quark actor Armin Shimerman. As a hub of activity near the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, the Deep Space Nine station was host to many Bajorans, Starfleet officers, and colorful visitors, so it's not surprising that casting directors might turn to actors who had previously auditioned for Star Trek roles to portray Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's recurring characters and guest stars.

As the director of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 1, "Encounter at Farpoint", Corey Allen was able to offer input regarding the casting process for TNG . Allen went on to direct 4 more episodes of TNG and 4 episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , including DS9 season 2, episode 2, "The Circle". When it came time to cast actors for the guest roles in "The Circle", it's possible that Star Trek director Corey Allen referred back to the shortlist of actors considered for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and recommended a memorable standout to portray a role on DS9 that required a similar sense of leadership.

Star Trek: TNG Cast Outrageous Actor As Riker Before Jonathan Frakes

Anyone but Jonathan Frakes playing Commander William Riker is unimaginable, but Star Trek: TNG originally cast someone else for the role.

Stephen Macht Was Second Choice for Star Trek: TNG's Captain Picard

Patrick stewart famously won the role of picard.

During a discussion of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 2, "The Circle" on The Delta Flyers podcast, Armin Shimerman reveals that Star Trek: DS9 guest star Stephen Macht, who played Bajoran Over-General Krim, was in the running to play Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation . Macht actually got far enough in the audition process for TNG to be the second choice for Picard, but of course, Patrick Stewart ultimately won the role. Read Shimerman's quote below and listen to The Delta Flyers , starting at the 10:20 timestamp.

Armin Shimerman: "Stephen and I have worked together many times, doing theater together, so I know this for a fact: Stephen Macht was the second choice for Picard. It is interesting to me ... that here's Corey Allen, who directed the pilot [of Star Trek: The Next Generation] and had a choice in who was going to play Picard. Was it Corey who said we're going to get Stephen Macht to play this part?"

Stephen Macht is Bajoran General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 2

Krim only made one appearance on ds9.

Stephen Macht played Bajoran Over-General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episodes 2 & 3, "The Circle" and "The Siege". As the highest-ranking officer in the Bajoran militia, Krim led Bajor's coup to take DS9 from Starfleet, believing the move was in Bajor's best interests, instead of being designed by the Bajoran extremist group, The Circle. Krim made an interesting adversary to Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), and respected Sisko as a military peer. In The Delta Flyers , Armin Shimerman points out script notes in "The Circle" suggesting Krim could have returned, but Stephen Macht's Krim was never seen again after DS9 season 2's 3-part opener .

As Bajoran Over-General Krim, Stephen Macht wasn't among the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine guest stars who was hidden beneath heavy prosthetic makeup, so genre fans may recognize Macht from his other guest starring appearances on 1990s sci-fi television . Macht appeared in guest roles in FOX's Millennium and Sliders , and another acclaimed space station show, Babylon 5. Earlier in his career, Stephen Macht starred in 1980s films The Mountain Men and The Monster Squad. Although Stephen Macht ultimately lost the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation to Patrick Stewart, Macht portrayed Over-General Krim in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with similar diplomatic honor.

Source: The Delta Flyers season 10, episode 2, "The Circle"

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is streaming on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Cast Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Andrew Robinson, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Release Date January 3, 1993

Genres Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller, Ronald D. Moore

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller

Rating TV-PG

Where To Watch Paramount+

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 7 'Eirgah' is the best yet of this final season

So, just to clarify, Moll and L'ak are chasing the ultimate power in the universe, to trade it so they can, in essence, elope..?!

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 7

Almost immediately, we're treated to the return of Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril), who we last saw in the episode " Rubicon " S04, E09, just like we called a couple of weeks ago with episode 3, "Jinaal." And you know, this new episode, entitled "Eirgah," starts off strong and actually holds our attention throughout. In short, with just three more episodes remaining until the end of " Star Trek: Discovery " forever and ever, we actually get a pretty good installment. 

Yes, it seems the writers aren't quite sure what to do with Captain Rayner's character, and that was always a danger. Callum Keith Rennie is an actor of the highest caliber, and a reoccurring B-character was never going to be worthy of his talent. And so we seem to continually walk the very thin line between a basic, two-dimensional character and someone who teases the tiniest hint of Mariana Trench -like depth.

Regardless, we are at least given a little more insight into his background, and, of course, it leaves us wanting so much more — though his character is so disappointingly clichéd at times, you really have to wonder how Raynor actually made it through Starfleet and ended up with his own command in the first place. 

Related:   Watch the bittersweet trailer for 'Star Trek: Discovery's final season (video)

Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial  

Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Discovery and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

Another interesting observation is the mention of the USS Mitchell, clearly a nod to the actor Kenneth Mitchell, who popped up a number of times in "Star Trek: Discovery" playing various roles, but who tragically died from complications of ALS back in February . Possibly an indication of when this scene was actually filmed, which seems really rather recent, but it's a small matter. 

Arguably the most important issue to focus on here is that Malinne "Moll" Ravel (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) are in fact chasing the ultimate power in the universe, to trade it ... so they can, in essence, elope? It's less of a romantic gesture and slightly more of a staggeringly irresponsible and breathtakingly selfish thing to do, don't you think? 

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

"Oh, darling, let's go and visit Risa, the pleasure planet, for our honeymoon," purred Moll as she gently shifted under the bed sheets, her skin enjoying every moment of contact with the luxury one-billion-thread Vulcan cotton. 

"We could do that," he replied, his arms still wrapped around her. "But don't forget, absolutely everyone in the galaxy is dead, so we'd have to make our own Samarian Sunsets..." he added almost as an afterthought. 

But enough of all of that. There are a number of reasons, many beyond the obvious, as to why this is a pretty good episode. The obvious ones include the fact that this episode didn't rip off any decades-old sci-fi that the millennial scriptwriters have only just discovered, so you know, that's always a plus. It happens, sure. It's like discovering the music of T-Rex for the first time, 20 years later, then trying to form a band, aged 13½, believing beyond any doubt that you have a rock-star future ahead of you, basically by copying their songs. The difference is, you were prepubescent, no one in the band could actually play an instrument — and the writers on "Discovery" are Paid Professionals.

Interestingly, this episode is the first major directorial role that Jon Dudkowski has had, and frankly, it shows a lot of promise. He too, we suspect, has studied the work of the legendary Vince Gilligan, and some of the camera angles and edits reflect this. The problem with all of Nu-Trek is that a ton of different directors are hired to come onboard and churn this stuff out. " Picard " was practically a case study on how not to production line principal photography as quickly as possible. Because every director has their own style and when you have a minimum of say, six different styles, more often than not, it jars, making the show inconsistent and harder to enjoy, ultimately driving a wedge between the viewer and the experience. 

"Discovery" too suffers from the same problem, but if they'd given Dudkowski the whole season to direct, well, we might have had better episodes, and certainly a more consistent experience. Having the same showrunner isn't the same as having the same director, and having a variety of such notably different styles, in this instance, is a bad thing. Each episode should be a labor of love, and, as such, in a show where the season is only 10 episodes long, both the season and the show would really benefit from being seamless. 

— 'Star Trek:' History & effect on space technology

— 'Star Trek' movies, ranked worst to best

— 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 6 goes old school and benefits because of it

Of course, quite how much actual control Dudkowski had we'll never know. But this installment definitely benefits from good dialogue, good pacing, some creative cinematography and even little touches like how Burnham is never quite given the chance to use a catch phrase, lame or otherwise. And that self-aware-style of writing has been noticed and appreciated.  

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" and every other episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the U.S., while "Prodigy" has found a new home  on Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK 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 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.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

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.

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 110 — Voyager 1's Brush with Silence

How to watch new 'Doctor Who': Stream Ncuti Gatwa episodes from anywhere

Houston, we have an encore: ISS virtual reality experience 'The Infinite' returns

Most Popular

• 2 Total solar eclipse 2027: A complete guide to the 'eclipse of the century'
• 3 This Week In Space podcast: Episode 110 — Voyager 1's Brush with Silence
• 4 DARPA's autonomous 'Manta Ray' drone can glide through ocean depths undetected
• 5 'World's purest silicon' could lead to 1st million-qubit quantum computing chips