When episode 2 of Picard dropped, I was immediately ready to get into the action! Despite the world-building pace of this episode, which felt like it was somewhere between JRR Tolkien (describe every rock) and Brian Jordan (every conversation is a chapter), it was excellent and kept me engaged (sorry).

Quick note: these recaps will not be a play-by-play review (there are plenty of those out there), but they will include my thoughts on what makes the episode special, goosebump moments, things I loved and hated, Easter eggs, and other fun stuff.

So let’s get on to…

Episode 2: “Maps and Legends”

There is a decided pace change in the opening of this episode. I checked, and there is a new story creator added for this episode, but I have to believe the pace is on purpose. Star Trek stories build universes, and despite our familiarity with rapid-churn series today, Gene Roddenberry (and his serial progeny) are from a different school.

Goosebumps, Cringes, and Laughs

Goosebumps:

Doctor Benayoun: You really want to go back out into the cold? Knowing?
Picard: More than ever. Knowing.
Doctor Benayoun: I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re planning to get into. Maybe if you’re lucky, it will kill you first.

For a quick reminder, Picard has a brain thing from his TNG days that was supposed to ultimately kill him; this is apparently it. Fun cameo, Dr. Benayoun was the doctor on Picard’s first captain commission, the Stargazer.

Cringes:

A once great man desperate to matter.

This entire scene broke my heart, but given Picard’s derision for Starfleet in the first episode, this is exactly what we should have expected. As we find out, Picard is fighting an uphill battle against Starfleet, who has apparently been infiltrated by a cabal!

Laugh Out Loud #1:

In the Borg cube, during orientation, we find out that safety against assimilation is a priority!

Laugh Out Loud #2:

I never really cared for science fiction. I guess I just didn’t get it.

Memory Alpha (aka Things I Loved)

• Dhaj Soji – a strong female ass-kicker we hopefully get to know and love… and who lives on a Borg cube while dating a Romulan (WCGW).
• The Tal Shiar – Part of the Romulan cabal, this is a familiar entity. Remember when Deanna Troi posed as a Tal Shiar agent after being surgically altered to look like a Romulan? (TNG Season 6, “Face of the Enemy”)
• Borg – I love the focal point of the Borg cube. There are so many directions to go, and I’m so excited to learn more about them.
• The writing – Even though the pace slowed, the richness of the story and its threads are becoming real!

Easter Eggs!

This episode was chock full of fun little references and nods to the past, but here are my favorites:

• What The FUCK! – The second fuck in Star Trek history happened when Laris says, “Cheeky Fuckers.”
• Commodore – Starfleet didn’t have a Commodore rank prior to this show, but guess who does? The Romulans! And Commodore Oh is a Romulan.
• Final scene in the desert – I missed this entirely, but the final scene in the desert where Picard finds someone with a ship? That’s Vasquez Rocks: the same place Kirk filmed his infamous fight scene with the Gorn in “Arena”! (It was also used as a location on numerous other TOS and TNG episodes and even became Vulcan in the 2009 Star Trek film!)

Farpoint Station (aka What Did I Just Watch?)

The NCIS: Star Trek scene at the beginning felt a little overly complex. There’s a thing my computer does to get to know me, but if my twin calls in and creates a hidden clue left by the super cabal, then I can tell you aren’t on Earth….

Ten Forward (aka What I Want)

• More jokes from Data and the Synthetics. While absolutely tragic in outcome, the jokes with the synthetic on Mars were funny.
• A tiny bit more speed on story development, especially about the Borg cube.
• More massive battles! The destruction of Mars was so well done, I can’t wait for some epic battles.

Beam Me in Scotty (Cameos)

• Dr. Benayoun from waaaaay back TNG days
• Riker and Troi in the teaser!

Alternate Timelines

I’m going to make my first prediction about Picard… I am thinking that, based on these three things:

1. Picard is terminally ill (sad panda)
2. The pieces coming together to put his face together (intro scene)
3. The Picard pieces passing through the Bborg cube and some kind of forge (intro scene)…

Picard will be put into a synthetic body. Thoughts?

See you next time!