‘Star Trek: Picard’ Finale Review: Episode 10 Is Beautifully Sad

The season finale of Star Trek: Picard was so beautiful, this review may not do it justice. Yes, there were a couple of plot decisions that I wondered about, but those were few and far between compared to the beauty that was the final episode of Season 1. I really did cry during the episode and found myself sad to say goodbye. During such a stressful time in the world, it was nice to have Picard to turn to. Here’s a review of Episode 10.

This article will have major spoilers for Season 1 Episode 10 of Star Trek: Picard. 

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A Sacrifice Comes Full Circle

I laughed, I cried, and I cheered. This episode had everything I wanted in a Picard finale and I was not disappointed. I was only sad to say goodbye, knowing that it might be quite a while before we get a second season.

Picard’s decision to sacrifice himself so that Soji and the other synths could know that humanity (and the Federation) can be trusted was so noble. It was just 100% Picard and exactly what I would expect from him. A strange synth race was telling them that biological beings would always decide to destroy them, and Picard proved the exact opposite. And just like Data sacrificed himself for Picard, Picard sacrificed himself for Data’s progeny. It was a full-circle moment that was absolutely beautiful.

The callback to the Picard maneuver, even though it only bought them a little bit of time, was a nice touch too.

I liked seeing Narissa beaten by Seven of Nine, and wasn’t surprised that Seven could best her. And I loved Elnore’s candid, childlike moments. But I was a little disappointed that the Borg cube didn’t play a bigger role. I half expected the Cube to join Picard in facing off against the Romulans.

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The Finale Was Full of Perfectly  Timed Scenes Highlighting Our Favorite Characters

One of the scenes that gave me chills was when Riker showed up and gave his speech. WOW. Seeing Riker in command of a starship… Well, it’s been far too long, and they played that scene perfectly.Plus, seeing him in charge of the “toughest, fastest most powerful ship Starfleet has ever put into service” was perfect. I really need to know more about the USS Zheng He!

The scene where the portal opened and the alien robot started to arrive was pretty intense. I’m still intrigued by the “Control” theory from Discovery that some have been sharing, but I doubt we’ll see any more about that in Picard at least. For now, the details about the advanced synth race remain a mystery.

Seven’s scene with Rios near the end was a nice touch. I never quite bought Rios’ and Aggie’s relationship, and felt like he had more chemistry with Seven. Of course, that’s not going to happen, but it’s still my personal preference. I also wanted a bit more from Raffi and Picard after their “I love you” moment from a previous episode. But these are all minor points compared to what the finale delivered.

Patrick Stewart’s performance as Picard was, as expected, impeccable. I suspected the synth mind transfer was going to be used to keep him alive. Still, the reactions that some of the characters had to his possible death really cut me, even though I expected Picard to survive. Elnor’s heartbreaking grief was one of those moments, but it sure does look like Raffi has gained a new “son” after her own son rejected her. That’s a comforting thought.

But that does leave us with some ethical questions. Can the transfer be duplicated for others? Is there now an ethical responsibility to mainstream this treatment for other beings who are dying?

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Data’s Scenes Were Poignant, Bittersweet & Beautiful

To me, the most beautiful moment of all was Picard’s meeting with Data. Apparently, Data’s consciousness has been alive and well in a quantum simulator as the synths were created. The “essence” of Data was recaptured perfectly in his scene with Picard, in my opinion. Brent Spiner did an amazing job transitioning from portraying Data’s biological brother to Data himself. (And when Data first said “his brother” brought him back, did anyone else expect a Lore reference? I’m still a bit bothered by the lack of mentioning Lore for the entire season.)

Spiner and Stewart’s scene was one that I won’t forget. I wish they found a way to move Data’s consciousness into a synth body too. But his desire to die actually is canon, as much as I don’t like it and still want him around. He said once on The Next Generation that he found the idea that he would die almost comforting because it made him less artificial.

Do you remember this scene from Nemesis?

And then this:

Blue Skies was a hauntingly beautiful choice for Picard‘s ending.

But the series isn’t over and there’s more to come. As Picard said “engage,” it filled me with renewed hope. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

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