Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Off The Precipice Of Nostalgia

It seems that this moment was inevitable.For the first five episodes of the third season of "Star Trek: Picard," the showrunners have shown a great deal of restraint. The central cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was poised to reunite, but so far the story has taken precedence, with recognizable legacy characters slowly and organically entering the fray. Indeed, for a spell, it appeared only Picard, Riker, and Dr. Crusher (Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Gates McFadden) were going to reunite while Worf (Michael Dorn) took care of the show's B-plot with Raffi (Michelle Hurd). The previous episode, "Imposters," even threw in a notable cameo for Cmdr. Ro (Michelle Forbes), an unexpected surprise. With "The Bounty," the showrunners slammed their collective foot down onto the nostalgia accelerator pedal, charging headlong and shamelessly into a vat of warm sticky toffee pudding. This episode will hastily bring in three NextGen cast members, not all of them organically. Additionally, it will feature a trip to a starship museum, where Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) will ogle old, recognizable starships — while their respective theme songs play on the soundtrack — and comment on how nice they look. Oh yes, and there will be a cameo from a holographic Moriarty, also returning from two appearances on NextGen. The story is still intriguing, but for this one episode, the showrunners have decided to rest on their laurels. The result is largely embarrassing. For those who prefer Easter Egg hunts, and feel a thrill merely by recognizing something, then "The Bounty" will play into your hands. For those who were impressed with the storytelling of the third season of "Star Trek: Picard," you will be annoyed.'Member BerriesThe story involves Riker, Worf, and Raffi breaking into the Daystrom station, continuing their investigation as to what might have been stolen by a rogue cadre of terrorist Changelings. Daystrom station is essentially the warehouse at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but floating in space, and stuffed with "Star Trek" references. As the trio creep through the unattended hallways (they were able to beat security using a widget taken from a Vulcan crime lord), they wander past numerous lockers containing things Trekkies would recognize. One locker contains a tribble. Another contains the remains of Capt. James T. Kirk, presumably retrieved from his burial spot on Veridian III. When the station's artificially intelligent security system makes out that Riker is on board, it begins creating holograms in response. This is where the holographic Moriarty (Daniel Davis) appears, recalling the two "Next Generation" episodes wherein the Enterprise crew faced off against him. "The Bounty" also commits the grievous sin of replaying old footage. The station begins playing long, loud musical cords that Riker, a jazz fan, can identify. He eventually finds that the ship, in a blasting orchestral fashion, is attempting to sing "Pop Goes the Weasel." This was the tune Data (Brent Spiner) was attempting to whistle when Riker first met him in "Encounter at Farpoint," the NextGen pilot episode. A few moments of "Farpoint" plays as a door opens and Data is revealed to still be alive. It was, perhaps, the least organic way possible to re-introduce Data into the series. Data had, of course, previously died — twice — so how can he be here? It turns out, it's not quite Data. Data, Mark IIIAlthough this doesn't make much logical sense, the Daystrom's security and top-secret manifest have been encoded into the brain of a very Data-like android, but one upgraded to look like he is in his 70s. A hologram of Altan Soong (Spiner), the android inventor from the first season of Picard, explains that this new android is a composite of Data, his evil twin Lore, his short-lived daughter Lal, his dead "father" Noonien Soong, and the simple-minded prototype B-4. Spiner is essentially playing all of his best-known characters at once. While this was a novel way to resurrect a character that was blown up, resurrected, and then deactivated again, one can't help but think the "Picard" showrunners required an interesting acting challenge for Spiner to lure him back to the franchise. The Datalore-4 is brought back to the Titan to be interrogated about what was stolen, but also for a few misty moments of reunion. More organically introduced to the story is Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), now a commodore, and curator of the above-mentioned starship museum. He works there with his daughter Alandra (Mica Burton, LeVar's actual daughter). Refreshingly, Geordi has no fondness for Picard, and, like Riker, is more concerned with safety in his old age, unwilling to push himself or his kids into action. Geordi also has several scenes interacting with Aladra and his other daughter Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) which feel familial and sweet. The relationship is defined, and the actors do a stellar job of establishing warmth and mild alienation.But then it is implied that Geordi's daughter and Picard's son might have the hots for each other, and everything is dumb again.The U.S.S. NostalgiaAm I being too harsh on "The Bounty"? Perhaps. Although these kinds of references and implications — intergenerational romances, cutesy references — are exactly what might have been feared when it was initially announced that the NextGen cast would be joining "Picard." This reviewer admits to a great deal of trepidation that the season would be nothing but teary hugs and undue reminiscence, recalling the disgusting hug shared between Picard and Q (John De Lancie) at the conclusion of the second season of "Picard." Perhaps it's admirable that the showrunners waited until the show's sixth episode to crack out the big guns. Sadly, the nostalgia is compounded by the season's worst sequence, the aforementioned perusal of known starships. As Seven and Jack remained parked next to the starship museum, they call up a slideshow on the Titan's viewscreen, looking down over vehicles that Trekkies will instantly recognize. There is the U.S.S. Defiant, previously seen on "Deep Space Nine." There is the U.S.S. Voyager, the Enterprise-A from "Star Trek V" and "Star Trek VI," and even the Klingon ship, the H.M.S. Bounty, seen in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Each of these ships is accompanied by their respective theme songs, and the camera pans mistily over their hulls. While some may react with wistfulness, a true Trekkie will begin to ask why those ships were 1. kept at all, and 2. powered up at all times. Doesn't it seem like a waste of power to keep the engines humming (the warp nacelles glow) and life support turned on (the windows are illuminated) on a fleet of museum ships? Are the Sopwith Camels in flight museums kept fueled? I would think not. Surely those ships would have been dismantled and their parts reused. What Was The Weapon?The only main cast member missing at this point in Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and her insertion into the plot is a little clunky. Riker is captured by the returning Vadic (Amanda Plummer), revealed to be a Changeling herself. She reveals that she has kidnapped Troi and is using her as a negotiation chip against Riker. This is unfortunate, as one might prefer to see Troi in a position of more agency. Perhaps that will be provided in later episodes. The "weapon" that the Changelings stole was, in fact, the corpse of Jean-Luc Picard. The first season of "Picard" ended with Jean-Luc dying in a firefight. Working quickly, a team of cyberneticists was able to shunt his consciousness into an android body, built to look exactly like him, and provide him with a lifespan similar to that of a human. So, yes, Picard has been an android for the better part of a decade at this point. What happened to his human remains has now been explained. The new mystery now is: why do the Changelings want a corpse? A better mystery: why did anyone think to retain Picard's corpse? What could possibly be done with it? Picard is special to us, the viewers, but he is a mere retired Admiral in the lore of Trek. He is not the be-all and end-all of the universe. "The Bounty" is a story-heavy episode and one that brings all the characters together, but it is by far the most awkward episode of the season so far. One can hope that the showrunners have gotten the nostalgia out of their system and that the story proper can now resume. Read this next: 14 Underrated Star Trek: The Next Generation EpisodesThe post Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Off the Precipice of Nostalgia appeared first on /Film.