Trae Patton/Paramount Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
The first episode of the second season of “Star Trek: Picard” certainly has people talking. Many fans and reviewers like the episode “The Star Gazer,” referring to Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s ship before the Enterprise-D. It’s also the name of the ship which Captain Christobal “Chris” Rios (Santiago Cabrera) is in charge of at the start of the story.
There are those who disliked “The Star Gazer,” among them was Hollywood veteran Robert Meyer Burnett, who is a frequent guest on the “Inglorious Treksperts” podcast. In a tweet, Burnett called out the story from “The Star Gazer” for being “lazy” and “underwhelming.” He also said that he is “still looking for the story.”
That being said, there are already several fan theories floating around social media and fan sites on what may happen next in the story.
ATTENTION READER: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS AND INFORMATION ABOUT “STAR TREK: PICARD” SEASON 2: EPISODE 1
Among them are questions about how exactly the Borg and their queen will play a part. Since she was introduced as the Borg Queen, actress Annie Wersching has been seen in glimpses in the various trailers that Paramount+ released since January 2022.
As seen in the episode, the Borg Queen forced her way onto the U.S.S. Stargazer and the crew seemed helpless against her power. Part of the reason why this happened is that Starfleet has begun incorporating some Borg technology into their new ship designs. This is all thanks to the Romulans taking over a broken-down Borg cube in Season One.
The Borg Queen was able to access and begin the lightning-fast takeover of the Stargazer while stopping would-be saviors in their tracks. Each time a crew member fired a phaser at her, the Queen stunned them. This was done, probably, because the Queen planned to assimilate the Stargazer’s crew after taking control of the vessel, and the fleet gathered nearby the temporal rift.
Ripped From the Headlines
This technology takeover seems very much like what scared the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, and other Silicon Valley companies in 2018. Thanks to a report from Bloomberg News, tech companies scrambled to make sure that their devices did not include a small “pencil tip–size spy chip.” This chip might have allowed China to disable technology or use the spy chip to tap into communications in the United States, according to NBC News.
Much like Trek from years past, showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Terry Matalas might be using headlines to inspire some aspects of their storyline. “Star Trek” of the 1960s famously used aliens to represent different cultures and situations to significant effect.
Perhaps the most famous of these stories was in the TOS episode “Balance of Terror.” Originally aired during the Civil Rights era, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) made a point to lecture a crew member for a racist comment made in the direction of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
“Leave any bigotry in your quarters,” Kirk said. “There’s no room for it on the bridge. Do I make myself clear?”
Fan Question About “Look Up” Comment
Why did the “Borg Queen” tell Picard to “look up” at the end of their existence, just like his mother had told him to do whenever violence had come?
(Yes, I meant to put quotes around “Borg Queen”.)
One moment caught the attention of a few. This was when Picard (Patrick Stewart) triggered the self-destruct sequence for the Stargazer, and the Borg Queen told Picard to “look up.” One Trek fan asked what that was in reference to.
Later in the episode, during a flashback sequence, Picard remembered when he was young. His memory included trauma from when his mother was in some physical duress, and Picard was distraught.
To comfort the child, Picard’s mother (Madeline Wise) walked out into an atrium. She told young Picard to “look up and imagine how tiny our voices are.”
‘Look Up’ is Bad News for Picard
Trek fans will remember the attitude of Starfleet after the Battle of Wolf 359 — which was featured in TNG’s “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I and II.” After Picard was assimilated, renamed, rescued, and returned to Earth, his loyalty to Starfleet is questioned (in the episode “The Drumhead”). Eventually, Picard’s loyalty is no longer in question, and he is allowed to resume regular activity.
However, when the Borg Queen told Picard to “look up,” that meant she could read all of his thoughts. Certainly, Picard never added that traumatic experience to any of his Captain’s Logs, which the Borg Queen could have accessed. Because he is an android now, he must be like an open book to a technologically advanced species like the Borg. Due to this, Picard ought not be allowed to command any Starfleet ships or be involved with the Borg at all. They can read his mind.
It will be interesting to see how this new exposure to the Borg will play out in future episodes and might mean that by the end of Season 3, Picard must resign from Starfleet. Hopefully, he will do so and enjoy growing grapes with Laris (Orla Brady).
READ NEXT: ‘Star Trek’ Actor John De Lancie Shares What’s Coming in Picard: Season 2
Comments
Two Words Revealed How Vulnerable the Android Admiral Is on ‘Star Trek: Picard’