Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyStar Trek: Picard
Paramount Plus
Season 1 Episode 5
Fly Me To The Moon
Picard discovers an important person from his past may be integral to the divergence in the timeline. Q continues his manipulation of the timeline, taking an interest in Dr. Adam Soong. Seven and Raffi attempt a daring rescue of Rios, while Jurati faces the consequences of her deal with the Borg Queen.
Picard finds himself meeting with not Laris at the same time an astronaut is preparing for a mission. As both moments unfold, we discover that the Watcher has been watching someone with a connection to Picard. At the same time, the Borg Queen starts trouble in one of the dumbest ways possible while Seven and Raffi argue about how to rescue Rios. There’s an interesting connection to the original series in this opening and that is definitely what keeps these moments interesting.
A new character named Renee is introduced and her personal and psychological struggles become a part of the plot as Picard and the Watcher discover Q is purposely influencing her. I like the fact that depression is being discussed in the episode and how it is being discussed. Brent Spiner also returns along with another familiar face that connects to the first season. His story is interesting from an interpersonal level and the fact that Soong’s are notorious in the continuity of Star Trek.
While the Borg Queen lures a stupidly curious police officer into an obvious trap, Soong has a meeting with Q. Their conversation has a lot of the tension I’d been hoping for in this series. The Borg Queen/Jurati dynamic has been interesting, but the moment in this episode felt goofy and unnecessary. It also culminates into a moment that felt forced, especially with what comes next for the dynamic.
The rest of the episode boils down to a mission to monitor Renee so that she can complete her journey, but it starts with a hokey mission impossible story where officers from an advanced future cannot hack 21st century tech unless they are right in front of it. It’s a laughably bad premise that is almost annoying. Even more annoying is the way the episode ends and how it reduces Jurati’s character growth from the last season to this one.
The fifth episode has some great character development moments and the series is starting to clue the audience in on what it’s trying to do, but there are so many rambling moments that make no thematic sense when it comes to this world that could not be overlooked. There are some good moments that I hope get more development to wash out the ones that make no sense.
Star Trek: Picard S02XE05
