“I never really cared for science fiction. I guess I just didn’t get it.”
Jean-Luc Picard in “Maps and Legends”
SPOILERS AHEAD!
I’ve spent the last few days chewing on “Star Trek: Picard’s” second episode, titled “Maps and Legends.”
The first episode (read my review) proved to be a terrific start to the continuation of the Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) story in the “Star Trek” universe.
The second episode, on the other hand, felt like something of an “info dump.” I suppose they needed to get the information out there somehow.
As the episode begins, the story takes us back 14 years to “First Contact Day” at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards on Mars.
We get a glimpse of a team of “synthetics” — referred to as “plastic people” by a man named Pincus (Anthony R. Jones) who works on the planet.
The synths have names like “F8” and look something like the android Data (pale skin, yellow eyes). Unfortunately, all hell breaks loose when the synthetic labor units are compromised and go rogue.
These events were alluded to in the first episode of “Star Trek: Picard.”
The story then shifts to the present day. We find Picard (at his vineyard) trying to piece together the death of Dahj Asha (Isa Briones) that happened at the end of the first episode.
Picard is watching video footage of the deadly event with his Romulan companions Zhaban (Jamie McShane) and Laris (Orla Brady).
The two Romulans believe the nature of the murder looks like the work of Tal Shiar (the Romulan secret police). They also suggest that Tal Shiar might be a cover for a much older organization called the Zhat Vash (a term used to refer to the dead, “the only reliable keepers of secrets”).
Zhaban and Laris are both former members of Tal Shiar.
Both heard rumors of the ancient Zhat Vash organization (a group that has an apparent hatred of synthetics). Zhat Vash apparently operates without regard for treaty or jurisdiction — not just in Romulan worlds. The organization operates in the Klingon Empire, Gorn Hegemony, and the Federation.
Romulan culture doesn’t believe in AI and doesn’t have synthetic beings. Computers are only used for numerical functions.
The information on the Zhat Vash is interspersed with shots of Picard and Laris investigating Dahj’s apartment in Boston.
We get a lot of information about how the Tal Shiar can scrub all evidence of a murder. But Laris knows Romulan methods for “forensic molecular reconstruction” (which are illegal in the Federation).
While all of this exposition is interesting, it is a lot to absorb on a single viewing. It’s also very “jargon-y.”
We also learn more about the Borg Cube (being used as Romulan Reclamation Site) seen at the end of the first episode. It’s not a Borg Cube, per se. Rather, it is referred to as the Artifact — because it is “lost” and “severed” from the Borg Collective. We still don’t quite understand its purpose, but I’m sure we soon will.
The problem that “Star Trek” suffered from in the late 90s was the fact that things oftentimes felt like they were too “inside baseball.”
The “Maps and Legends” episode felt a bit bogged down in minutiae. While I don’t necessarily mind a deep dive into Romulan mythology, I felt like I wasn’t properly prepared as I watched the episode.
This feeling was further exacerbated as I watched a number of videos reviewing the show. While all of the “fan service” moments featured in the episode are impressive, they also make casual observers feel a bit lost (a sentiment Bridget expressed during the episode).
The best “Star Trek” is the “Star Trek” that is instantly relatable and understandable.
What continues to make 1960s-era “Trek” (officially referred to as “The Original Series”) so compelling is that you could jump in anywhere. The stories — which were oftentimes allegories for real-life situations — were fascinating.
There are characters introduced in “Maps and Legends” that have past relationships with Picard. Because it has been 25 years since “Star Trek: The Next Generation” left the air, I wondered if those characters had been featured in past episodes.
Two of Picard’s past colleagues — Dr. Moritz Benayoun (David Paymer) and Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) — appeared in the episode.
A cursory Google search suggests both characters are new.
We learn that both characters had past relationships with Picard, although not in the previous “Star Trek” television series or movies.
We learn that both characters had past relationships with Picard, although not in the previous “Star Trek” television series or movies.
Benayoun shows up at the vineyard because Picard is trying to get a “certificate for interstellar service” so he can travel off-world. Unfortunately, an abnormality in Picard’s parietal lobe makes the doctor wary of the request (a condition alluded to in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" finale episode “All Good Things...”).
We learn during this episode that Benayoun was the surgeon aboard the U.S.S. Stargazer when Picard served on that ship. (The Stargazer was the ship Picard served on before the Enterprise.)
We learn during this episode that Benayoun was the surgeon aboard the U.S.S. Stargazer when Picard served on that ship. (The Stargazer was the ship Picard served on before the Enterprise.)
“You really want to go back out into the cold?” Benayoun asks Picard, regarding his desire to return to space.
Musiker is introduced at the end of “Maps and Legends.” Picard travels to the California desert to ask for her help in his “secret mission” to uncover the truth behind Dahj and her twin sister Soji.
Musiker is apparently featured in the “Star Trek: Picard — Countdown” series of three graphic novels (which serve as a prequel to the TV series). I apparently need to find the print versions of these...
As the episode progresses, Picard tries to convince the folks in charge of Starfleet to approve his travel into space, provide a vessel for the purpose, and assign him with a crew for the mission.
Unfortunately, Starfleet isn’t sympathetic, and denies his request.
“This is no longer your house, Jean-Luc,” says Admiral Kirsten Clancy (Ann Magnuson). "So do what you’re good at…go home.”
We learn the entire Starfleet organization is in a cynical state, and there are nefarious people operating behind the scenes. There is a greater conspiracy afoot — something our protagonists are going to have to contend with as the episodes progress.
It kind of makes you wonder if “Star Trek: Picard” is going to serve as an allegory for the political climate we find ourselves living in today.
I should also add that the character of Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) is proving herself to be a nice confidant for Picard. The connection she has working for the Daystrom Institute of Advanced Robotics provides key information in Picard’s investigation of Dahj and Soji Asha.
I’m hopeful the third episode features fewer “info dumps.” The scenes involving Picard are typically compelling. The more the show focuses on his character, the better.
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