The latest Star Trek: Picard episode landed on CBS All Access Thursday, 6 February 2020. The episode, The End is the Beginning, feels like a transition point between exposition and action. With how the previous episode closed, that being Maps and Legends, it should be surprising to see retired Starfleet Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) begin assembling his crew.

It initially looks like former Lt Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) has no interest in helping Picard. Musiker was the first officer aboard the USS Verity when Picard took command. It was USS Verity that Picard used as the flagship of his operation to relocate thousands of Romulans from planets that were under threat from the Hobus supernova.

After drinking most of the wine Picard took with him to her residence, Musiker gives her former commanding officer the name of a pilot with an unregistered ship. Cristobal ‘Chris’ Rios (Santiago Cabrera), with a ship equipped with an EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram) that’s a better-groomed version of himself, seemingly has no love for Starfleet. Despite this, given how Picard notes how squared away the ship is, there are tell-tale signs indicating his Starfleet days are still influencing some of his behaviours.

Picard is determined to track down Soji Asha (Isa Briones) because he feels obligated to keep her out of Romulan hands. Little does the retired Admiral realise the Romulan Zhat Vash knows exactly where Soji is and is keeping tabs on her every move. Soji, Dahj Asha’s (Isa Briones) sister, clearly doesn’t know she’s a synthetic lifeform.

Much of this latest episode revolves around Picard trying to get people to help him achieve his mission objective. Dr Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), after receiving a visit from Chief of Starfleet Security Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita), realises joining Picard’s crew could give her the opportunity she needs to continue her life’s work. Whilst Picard hadn’t approached Jurati to join his crew, given that she’s Earth’s leading expert on synthetic life, it wasn’t likely that he’d reject her assistance.

Image Credit: IMDb.com

Jurati shows up at Chateau Picard shortly after Picard, Laris (Orla Brady), and Zhaban (Jamie McShane) were attacked by Romulan Zhat Vash operatives. When Jurati arrives, seeing that there is trouble, she takes out one of the operatives with his own weapon. She was unaware Romulan disruptors, unlike the Starfleet equivalent, don’t have a stun-setting. If memory serves, not that it makes much difference, Romulan disruptors seem to have two settings: kill and vaporise.

It was no secret that Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco), the drone seen in the ST:TNG fifth season episode I Borg, would play a role in this series. Hugh, working with Soji aboard the Romulan captured Borg Cube, might be more significant than we initially thought. The former Borg drone has a history with Picard that can’t be easily ignored.

The scenes with Soji, Hugh, and Ramdha (Rebecca Wisocky) are significant. Soji, even though she doesn’t know how she knows them, is aware of facts pertaining to Ramdha which Hugh isn’t familiar with. Whilst Hugh is puzzled by her knowledge, the same is equally true for Soji herself. We, as viewers, know Soji is a synthetic lifeform. Narek (Harry Treadaway), the Romulan Zhat Vash agent spying on Soji, is fully aware of what she is. Despite this, with how things unfolded on Earth with Dahj, he doesn’t want it to happen again.

Narissa Rizzo (Peyton List), having arrived on board the Borg Cube, has had her appearance surgically restored to reflect her true Romulan identity. She’s Narek’s sister. Rizzo has been posing as a Starfleet lieutenant on Earth. We aren’t entirely sure how long she was stationed on Earth.

Whilst I can understand why it is some people would like a quicker pace, something more reminiscent of previous Star Trek series, patience is a virtue which should be considered. All Good Things, an obvious Star Trek: The Next Generation reference, comes to those who wait. This episode closes with Picard and at least part of the new crew on board an unregistered ship as it warps away from Earth.

The pacing doesn’t bother me as much as it might with other people. The series has apparently laid the foundation for the coming episodes. With the pace about to pick up significantly, given that we have a week to wait, exercising a little patience will not hurt anyone in the long run.

Next Time …

The Ready Room, a show hosted by ST:TNG cast member Wil Wheaton, has an exclusive sneak peek at next week’s episode: Absolute Candor . Even though candour doesn’t look right without the “u,” candor is how the word is presented in the episode title.