WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 7 of Star Trek: Picard, "Nepenthe," now streaming on CBS All Access.
Although serving as a sequel series to The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard has been doling out TNG references in surprising moderation. Outside of the man himself and a couple of connections to old episodes, the only previous characters to reappear have been Data (in dream form) and Hugh. But seven episodes in, Picard continues to prove it can surprise, as the former admiral has a heartfelt reunion with William Riker and Deanna Troi.
Before we get there, however, it's time to go back once more for our requisite flashback opener. This time the clock turns back only a few weeks, as we finally see the continuation of the conversation Commander Oh had with Dr. Jurati in Episode 3. After the roboticist tragically killed Bruce Maddox a couple of weeks ago, the assumption was that she had been brought onto the Zhat Vash anti-android conspiracy. This scene confirms that, as Oh makes the request for Jurati to join Picard's off-planet mission. To drive her point home, she mind-melds and subjects her to heart-rending (and stomach-churning) images of a supposed future controlled by synths. It's unknown as to what Oh showed her was truly a glimpse into a future timeline, or merely a visualization of a prophecy. But it's enough to get Jurati trepidatiously on board.
And it's on board the La Sirena where we re-join Jurati -- as well as Rios and Raffi -- trying to escape the tractor beam of the Artifact. The situation is just as rocky in the remodeled Borg Cube, as Hugh faces a wrathful interrogation from Rizzo for Picard and Soji's escape at the end of last episode. Though the former Borg shows defiance, his silence soon turns to cries when Rizzo and the Romulans brutally gun down the other XBs, firing line-style. She ferociously tells Hugh that his actions ruined an operation spanning years and hundreds of star systems, all in the pursuit of saving trillions of lives. Though the Zhat Vash are down, they're certainly not out. Narek has recovered from his emotional attempt on Soji's life, taking a scout ship to tail La Sirena to the rendezvous point.
We then get taken to that rendezvous point in the beautiful sun-kissed woods of Nepenthe. Picard and Soji arrive at arrowpoint, only to find out the person behind the bow is a young girl who Picard knows. As the girl, Kestra, takes them to her parents, she grills Soji with questions. When she discovers that she in an android, Soji stops in her tracks, as the reality of her shattering revelation finally comes into focus. Though Picard tries to comfort her by assuring her sister Dahj was real, it's clear that though they're off the Borg Cube, Soji's walls are still up and impenetrable.
As the front of a placid log cabin appears over the hill, Kestra shows Picard to her parents: Riker and Troi. His arrival gives pause to their pleasant routines of gardening and cooking wood-fire pizza. And while they happily embrace their old friend, they know that he's come to them in danger. Meanwhile, Kestra takes a heavy interest in Soji, educating her on her late father Data. As the teenager goes on about Data's desire to learn human behaviors, reality continues to rush in, as do Soji's tears.
With 14 years passing since Star Trek: Insurrection, there are naturally a lot of blanks to fill in with Troi and Riker. And we get some tragic exposition as Troi shows Picard the room of her deceased son. The boy in question, Thad, was a creative type, coming up with at least 11 spoken languages on his own. His room appears to be immaculately kept, almost as if it's frozen in time. Though Troi tells Picard that the family is moving past the pain of Thad's loss, she worries about losing her other child. As she and Riker have adjusted to parenthood and loss, their pluck gave way to worry, which Picard regards as wisdom.
Back aboard the La Sirena, Rios and Raffi are trying valiantly to shake Narek off their tail. But Jurati secretly knows it's in vain, considering the tracker that's inside of her courtesy of Oh. Her anxiety about her duplicity begins to manifest itself in moodiness, causing her to lash out at both the crew and Picard in abstentia. Raffi is one to note her change in disposition, telling Jurati, "The closer we get to finding [Soji], the less you want to be there."
Soji and Picard continue their one-on-ones with Riker and Troi as their pizza dinner cooks. Riker pieces together the context clues to figure out a rough summary of the season's plot so far, and accuses Picard of purposely burdening himself by making himself the only person who knows everything. Meanwhile, Troi gives more of Thad's backstory to Soji. Born while she and Riker were still in Starfleet, he yearned for a home world of his own, eventually creating a fictional one.
Eventually, he was stricken with Mandaxic Neurosclerosis, a rare disease that can only be cured using an active positronic matrix. Unfortunately, the timing of the synth ban meant no such matrix existed at the time. And despite the family settling down on Nepenthe, it was not enough to save Thad. As Troi heartbreakingly puts it to Soji, "Real isn’t always better."
Furious at the decimation of the XBs, Hugh mobilizes Elnor to go back to the Cube's Queen Cell to take down the Romulans aboard. But before they can, they're intercepted by Rizzo and her guards, with her using this as an excuse to do battle. While the swordsman valiantly dodges disruptor-wielding Romulans, he and Rizzo decide to face off hand-to-hand, a true test of Qovat Milat vs. Zhat Vash. Their fight gets cut short when she stealthily tosses a blade to the side, which impales in Hugh's neck.
As she beams out, Elnor holds his fallen friend. In his final words, he thanks the Romulan for making him a "hopeful fool," even for a minute. With all the XBs now dead, Elnor cannot operate the transporter in the queen cell, trapping him. His only way out: An SOS for the Fenris Rangers, meaning there's a great chance he'll be hitching a ride with Seven of Nine to rejoin his crew.
Despite escaping the danger of the Artifact, Soji is still not embracing Picard, physically and emotionally pushing him away when he comes close. Troi reminds him of her fragile mental state, which has been manipulated and warped by Narek and the Romulans. Her consciousness has been violated, which makes her believe everything around her is contrived as part of a larger scheme. Troi's advice: Be compassionate, be patient, be curious. Be Jean-Luc Picard.
Picard tries to put that into practice at the dinner table that night, gently prodding Soji about the dream she described to Narek. Though she initially goes silent at the question, everyone tries to encourage her to trust him. Picard is finally able to get to her by discussing his vulnerability, talking about the lack of a life he led before Dahj came to his vineyard. "Now, I’m alive and I have a mission," he says. "Which mean there’s not a hell of a chance that you or anyone else can stop me." That brings down the walls, and Soji gives a description of what she saw in her dream. Kestra is able to connect it to a distant unnamed planet, and it looks like Soji has found her own home world.
Tensions are rising on the La Sirena from all angles. Jurati grows more and more upset as the secrets fester inside her, alongside one too many slices of red velvet cake. Rios suspects that someone on board is being secretly tracked by the Romulans. But surprisingly, he thinks it's Raffi, noting her odd behavior after her trip to Freecloud. Wracked with guilt and left alone in sickbay, Jurati decides to absolve her sins. She injects herself with uranium, which disables the tracker, but puts her into a coma. As Narek angrily loses the signal from the ship, the remaining crew members can only look on in shock at the scientist's sacrifice.
As Picard prepares to rendezvous with the ship, he has one last sitdown with his former Number One. He talks about the drama that comes with his new motley crew, while Riker reminds him that saving the galaxy doesn't need to be part of his day-to-day. The two sit contemplatively staring out on the water, as Picard quietly thanks him for not talking him out of this seemingly impossible mission. Meanwhile, Kestra bids farewell to Soji, already feeling longing for the first friend she's had since her brother. Her parting advice: Find support in Picard, as he can help her when she needs it the most. With that idea in her head, Picard and Soji leave Nepenthe and the Troi-Riker family behind.
After the past two pulse-pounding episodes, Picard dedicated an installment to let characters sit in recent revelations, and the emotions that come with them. What results is the series' best episode yet, a perfect bridge between the nostalgia of TNG and the stakes of the new series. Riker and Troi are both used fittingly, using their relationships with Picard to guide him on how to connect with Soji. And the plot continues to move forward, with paranoia of a spy running through the crew, and Jurati sacrificing herself after the weight of her actions came crashing down. Sometimes, even on a show as twisty and big as Star Trek: Picard, it's nice to stop and smell the roses.
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.