WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 4 of Star Trek: Picard, "Absolute Candor," now streaming on CBS All Access.
With Star Trek: Picard ending its third episode with the titular character going into space, a distinct chapter had closed with the show, leaving blank pages and space ahead of it. And though Dr. Agnes Jurati is not a fan of vast emptiness, Picard is, crafting a memorable first planetside mission for Picard's motley crew.
"Absolute Candor" breathes a sense of familiarity for those who fell in love with Patrick Stewart's most iconic role back during Star Trek: The Next Generation. That permeates down to the episode's director Jonathan Frakes, who has made a living both in the commander's chair as William Riker and the director's chair as the man behind many classic Trek episodes.
For the third episode in a row, we begin with a flashback to 14 years ago, with Picard and Raffi leading the Romulan relocation project to a number of neighboring planets. One of them is Vashti, a desert-like environment that has the then-admiral donning a tan suit and matching fedora. Not only is the planet completely new to Trek canon, but so are the Qowat Milat, an organization of -- in perhaps one of the crazier arrangements of words in franchise history -- "Romulan warrior nuns." Though a female-only group, Picard has convinced them to take on a young boy named Elnor, with whom Picard shares an affection and love of sword fighting. But during a rollicking training session, Picard is hit with a different kind of parry when he finds out about the attack on Mars.
Though Picard promises before leaving Vashti that he would return soon, the gravity of his delivery as he discusses stopping there on the La Sirena implies he could not keep to his word. He tells the crew he wants to hire an assassin to help in their mission of saving Soji Asha from the Zhat Vash. True to their shared history, Raffi knows better, accusing him of diverting their plan to close an old wound. Picard simply replies, "I may never pass this way again." Knowing what we do about Picard's limited time left, his intentions take on even greater weight, bringing about the idea of Picard using his time in space to take care of unfinished business before it's too late.
When Picard beams back onto Vashti, it is far from the jovial and hopeful place he found years ago. The planet has fallen into ruin and strife, now run by smugglers and warlords. The Romulan residents have settled in, but with them comes a heightened hostility and suspicion. Though Picard tries to greet those he helped all those years ago, he is treated to silence, much like what he gave them after he left. For what it's worth, it appears the Qowat Milat has not changed much, especially its leader Zani. But one among them has aged substantially: Elnor, now a young man sporting long hair and a steely gaze.
On the Artifact, Soji is addressing her own unfinished business, trying to do more research on the Romulan scholar Ramdha after she called her "The Destroyer" in the previous episode. Her analysis on Ramdha's brain patterns gets a drop-in from Narek, though, and it seems their relationship has begun to cool down. Her mistrust in the Romulan has grown as he continues to be secretive about his observation of her. Helping to quell her suspicion, Narek distracts her with an afternoon shoelessly sliding around the Borg ventilation return. His momentum quickly halts, though, when he tells her about her strange absence on the shuttle that allegedly took her to the Artifact. Though we know her presence was purposely fabricated, part of a fictional history constructed for Soji and her twin sister Dahj, she walks off offended, assuming he was accusing her of lying to him.
Elnor stews as he interacts with Picard, a representation of the anger the planet feels towards him for his abandonment. "Because you could not save everyone, you chose to save no one," muses Zani. But Picard is looking to save one person in this case, requesting to take Elnor aboard as his hired sword. Though the young man seems to be amenable to the mission at first, he accuses Picard of only returning when he saw value in Elnor. Refusing the offer, it's clear a gap spanning 14 years exists between the two, requiring a substantially large bridge to bring them back together.
Passing the time before the La Sirena picks him up, Picard decides to stir up some trouble. He throws down, in contempt, the "Romulans Only" sign in front of the cantina, which catches the attention of a former Romulan senator. The man dresses down Picard, sneering about the hope he initially brought as a representative of Starfleet and accusing the Federation of taking advantage of the Romulans' vulnerability to scatter and weaken them. His fight quickly goes from verbal to physical, as Picard finds himself in the center of town, a sword thrust in his hand. Though he has no desire to use the blade, Elnor does. In a graphic and gruesome moment, Elnor decapitates the senator in one cruel slice, and announces himself as bound to Picard's "hopeless" cause.
As one Romulan is sent to sleep forever, another is woken up caressingly by his sister. Rizzo has dropped in on Narek once again to get the progress on his mission. Narek insists his emotional approach is the way to go, planting only the first seed of doubt for fear of pushing her too hard and activating Soji like her late sister. Rizzo accuses her brother of falling for his mark, satisfying his insatiable curiosity in more ways than one. She once again threatens to go down the road of violence if his methods come up short, thickening the plot as her patience thins.
Though an epic declaration, Picard chastises Elnor aboard the La Sirena, telling him he will follow orders on when to kill. That order may need to be given quickly, though, with the arrival of a second-hand Bird-of-Prey from one of the deplorable Vashti leaders. Though Rios (and his lackadaisical holo-gunner) try their best to evade the enemy, they get saved at the last minute by the arrival of a mysterious ship. The cameo cruiser gets clipped quickly, and Raffi beams aboard its pilot: Seven of Nine. With a shocked crew standing in front of her, the Voyager character and former Borg can only mutter, "You owe me a ship, Picard" before hitting the floor.
For those who have been looking for a taste of Star Trek's past in Picard, "Absolute Candor" is able to provide that while still deepening the canon set up so far. Like many adventures before, Picard touches down on a planet to try to solve a problem, with the Romulan situation mirroring the refugee crisis that exists today. Romulan lore continues to expand with the introduction of the Qowat Milat, whose open-book policy of honesty stands in the face of the secretive nature we know about Romulans.
The effect of 14 years ago is as prevalent in space as on Earth, as we get to see the aftermath of a mission gone wrong -- and what it does to those left behind. And the ending brings another Trek character of yore into the present. Considering Seven of Nine's history with the Borg, she could be the key Picard needs to find Soji, and save her from the watchful eyes that are closing in around her.
Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway. A new episode arrives each Thursday on CBS All Access.