This season of Star Trek: Picard was everything that fans of The Next Generation could have wanted. We got a reunion of the old guard, got to see their kids in action with each other, and more than anything, we got a great story for (what is currently) Jean-Luc Picard’s last journey. This was billed as the final season, and while we’d love for another, the finale wrapped up the season in a beautifully Star Trek way.
Throughout the entire run of the show, we’ve been with Jean-Luc Picard as he’s trying to navigate being older, his life outside of Starfleet, and in season 3, being a father. It was, in my opinion, the best season of the, 3 but I am also biased. We had so many of our friends back together that it just felt more like a season of Next Generation than any of the seasons before it, and the finale really was a nod to the team we’ve come to know and love.
In the penultimate episode, we watched as the Borg assimilated the crew of the Titan and all of the Starfleet ships were turned into the Borg’s ranks, but there was one ship that the Borg could not get to: the Enterprise-D.
As the crew took their normal places, there was one mission ahead of them: stop the Borg, save Starfleet, and save Earth. But that is easier said than done, as we learned throughout the finale, but it brought us moments of joy and heartache while reminding us all why we love these characters in the first place—especially because of their dedication to one another.
It was a great finale and one that really reminded us all why we love Star Trek in the first place.
I’ll stay with you
Jean-Luc Picard and his bridge realize that they must separate Jack (Ed Speleers) from the Borg in order to stop the assimilation and, in the process, Geordi (LeVar Burton) and Data (Brent Spiner) realize that they can blow up the Borg Cube, destroying them once and for all. But it isn’t smooth sailing.
While yes, everyone comes out of this battle unharmed and together, it is touch and go in the middle. Picard is determined to die if it means finally being there for his son, and Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Worf (Michael Dorn) will happily die at the side of their captain if it comes to it. They’re trying to get to Picard so they can beam back up to the Enterprise while Picard assimilates himself in order to speak to Jack.
There, he tells his son that he needs to free him, and when Jack talks about finally understanding himself, Picard resigns himself to dying alongside Jack and the Borg. But it is through Jack’s own desire to get to know his father that he fights back against the Borg Queen, breaking free of her hold and saving himself, his father, and Worf and Riker in the process of this realization.
Meanwhile, the team of the Enterprise-D has destroyed the cube and has seconds to get free, but they’ve come back for Riker, Worf, Picard, and Jack. Because that’s what this crew does. They don’t leave each other behind. Picard’s determination to stay behind and Riker making the comment about how he owes Picard a lifetime just shows how much they all actually mean to each other.
A fitting goodbye
If this really was the end for these characters, it was a sendoff that made the most sense for them as a crew. It had the crew together, playing a game in the end, being friends once more, and while it was sad to think about never seeing them again, it was a great way to say goodbye to them.
The team we know and loved saved the day and saved their kids, and we got to go with them on this one last ride. And it was a great finale as a whole.
(featured image: Trae Patton/Paramount+)
