“Fly Me To The Moon”

Star Trek: Picard begins to deal with the timeline divergence by building a mystery around what causes it and what it will take to stop it.

Spending more time telling a particular story can be a blessing and a curse for a TV show. Taking too little time means that things can be underdeveloped but too much can result in a bloated narrative. This episode leans more into the category of being bloated. As the third of an as yet unknown number of episodes set in 2024 more progression should have been achieved by this point.

Not that what is contained within the episode is bad; many of the individual scenes are good but the lack of narrative progression is frustrating and there is a definite fixation on building mystery which overpowers the dialogue with frustrating non-answers to questions that are posed. The most forthcoming conversations are between Picard and Tallinn as they discuss the upcoming catastrophic changes to the timeline. It takes very little time for Picard to brush aside her resemblance to Laris and get his mind back on the task at hand. She talks openly about her purpose and gives Picard all the information he needs to start to formulate a plan. The resemblance to Laris is directly addressed and forms the basis of a joke when Raffi asks Picard about it but has yet to be explained. I suspect the choice is a deliberate one and the explanation will become important at some later point.

Tallinn and Picard’s interactions are very efficient in conveying information but are light on actual character. There’s no real sense of who Tallinn is as a character beyond her commitment to protecting her single important thread of history. She cares nothing for privacy because breaching it is in service of her performing her function. With more work it could have been a commentary on how easily private information can be breached and shared particularly with the mention of the database that determined eligibility for entry to a party containing details from a person’s entire life but the episode doesn’t do anything with it other than present the idea. Picard is clearly unsettled by the prospect but backs down almost immediately without protest and watches a private therapy session.

The key figure to history playing out in a positive or negative way is Renée Picard (Penelope Mitchell); an ancestor of Picard who was one of the crew on a famous mission. Notably Picard knows very little about this ancestor beyond her discovering a microorganism that she insisted be brought back to Earth. The lack of information is the story though it’s apparent that the better timeline involves the Europa mission going ahead with Renée on it. The problem with this is that she suffers from anxiety and depression so at this point it’s unclear whether she will be able to overcome this and take her place in history. Renée is so far defined only by her self-doubt with all of her screen time devoted to setting up her questioning herself. Most prominently is the scene with her therapist who turns out to be Q. He is encouraging her to back out if she isn’t comfortable with the prospect but her sense of responsibility is so far preventing her from removing herself. Penelope Mitchell portrays the fear and heightened self-doubt really well; doing a lot with very little and crafting a sympathetic character. Her importance is believable and, more importantly, her humanity comes across. She is more than a mission to be completed or an obstacle to be overcome. Renée is a person in pain and it’s crucial not to lose sight of that. Subsequent episodes will likely deal more with the characters connecting with her in some meaningful way.

Also occurring unbeknownst to the characters is Adam Soong’s (Brent Spiner) tireless efforts to cure his daughter Kore (Isa Briones) of a lethal genetic defect that renders most of the external world toxic to her. Right away the tragic irony of Soong as a geneticist unable to cure his own daughter of a genetic defect is evident. This forms the root of his motivation and it’s an instantly understandable one. Brent Spiner’s ability as an actor to convey a wide range of emotions believable is well established and Adam Soong is immediately sympathetic with the desperation coming through clearly in Spiner’s performance. Kore is portrayed with an obvious innocence that quickly presents her as a tragic figure not deserving of the hand life has dealt her. It’s a simple yet effective trick to create an audience connection with thin characterisation. It works because the focus is on Adam Soong rather than Kore with her being the subject of his obsession and the goal that he is looking to achieve. Kore puts a face on it and confirms that there is a person who can be helped.

This feeds into the debate that is raised around the morality of genetic research. In the Star Trek universe the as yet vaguely defined Eugenics Wars will be in the past of this era which will massively contribute to the taboo surrounding genetic research but there is a controversy surrounding it in the world we live in that makes it a timely issue to cover. Soong’s argument is that genetic research is the future of the Human race as it could lead to a world without defects and genetic perfection which, to him, is unquestionably a good thing. There is no actual debate in this episode as the committee are very firm in their decision to ban him from any further genetic research because they deem him to be in breach of the rules surrounding it. He tries to appeal to their better natures through using his daughter as an example but they give into the fear of what his research could lead to and he finds himself without the resources he needs to cure Kore.

The lack of debate is limiting because it prevents the morality from actually being addressed. Perhaps using the Eugenics Wars as a tangible example of the dark side of what Soong is trying to achieve would have been a starting point. Soong’s story so far seems to be along the lines of “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions” so setting him up as a sympathetic figure initially makes sense but the lack of actual debate around the merits and drawbacks of genetic research is glaring. This forces the audience down the path of supporting Soong because the plot is structured as an emotional one around a father desperate to cure his daughter. Acknowledging a controversy that is never explored oversimplifies what could be a really complex and fascinating debate that may render Soong as a morally ambiguous figure.

Q feeds into the two plots as he tries to push history in a particular direction. Acting as Renée’s therapist allows him to encourage her to back out of the mission and he is able to manipulate Soong by giving him a taste of his daughter being cured. John DeLancie continues to excel in this role, particularly in the scenes he shares with Brent Spiner. There’s a sinister edge to everything he says and every line of dialogue is delivered with brutal honesty. He makes no attempt to disguise the fact that he’s preying on Soong’s desperation; something that Soong is aware of but will explore any option that may lead to saving his daughter. Q offering a taste of that cure with the effects wearing off after a short period of time is insidious and plays into the better portrayals of the character in The Next Generation. The best episodes position him as a malevolent trickster looking to teach Picard a lesson of some sort and the portrayal here is very similar. John DeLancie plays the manipulation with a glint of pleasure and the trademark arrogance that defines Q as a character. He enjoys pulling strings and not having his powers doesn’t get in the way of that.

The fixation on building mysteries gets in the way of Q’s contribution to the episode as there are too many questions around what his overall plan is. Everything is geared towards building to the cliffhanger revealing that there is a connection between the manipulation of Soong and Renée Picard. His actions suggest that he is trying to bring about the Totalitarian timeline which runs counter to his role in the second episode where he holds Picard in contempt and blames him for the change. It could be that he’s placing obstacles in Picard’s path in order to support the lesson he wants him to learn but it’s too muddled at this point to make any concrete determination. As mentioned, the lack of information is the story but in the case of Q it’s deliberately and unnecessarily vague.

Jurati and the Borg Queen continues to be a fascinating dynamic. Once again the Borg Queen preys on Jurati’s loneliness but does so by selling the appeal of assimilation. Her core argument is that it allows someone to never be alone again. She is trying to break Jurati down through appreciation. This is an extension of the relationship in the previous episodes but also a natural progression. Jurati’s increasing malleability and vulnerability has been strongly portrayed throughout and it’s believable that she would play into the Borg Queen’s hands in the way that she does. She does exactly what the Borg Queen wants and the merging of the two characters increases the stakes significantly.

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Verdict

A reasonable episode that contains some good individual moments but leans too heavily on setup in ways that slow the pace of the season. The fixation on building mystery overpowers much of the dialogue with frustrating non-answers to questions that are posed. The most forthcoming conversations are between Picard and Talinn as they discuss the upcoming catastrophic changes to the timeline. It takes little time for Picard to brush aside the resemblance to Laris and get on with the task at hand. She talks openly about her purpose and gives Picard the information he needs to formulate a plan. Talinn and Picard’s conversations are very efficient at conveying information but are light on actual character. Any suggested commentary on private information being breached and shared brought up by observing Renée’s therapy sessions falls by the wayside and goes unexplored. Picard is unsettled by the prospect but backs down almost immediately without protest. The key figure to history playing out is Renée Picard; an ancestor of Picard who was one of the crew on a famous mission. Notably Picard knows very little about this ancestor thought the lack of information actually forms the story. It’s clear that the Renée has to be on the mission but the problem is that she suffers from anxiety and depression so at this point it’s unclear whether she will be able to overcome this and take her place in history. Renée is so far defined only by her self-doubt with all of her screen time devoted to setting up her questioning herself. Most prominently is the scene she shares with her therapist who turns out to be Q. He encourages her to back out if she isn’t comfortable but her sense of responsibility is so far preventing her from removing herself. Penelope Mitchell portrays the fear and heightened self-doubt really well; doing a lot with very little and crafting a sympathetic character. Her importance is believable and her humanity comes across.

Also occurring unbeknownst to the characters is Adam Soong’s tireless efforts to cure his daughter of a lethal genetic defect that renders most of the external world toxic to her. Right away the tragic irony of Soong as a geneticist unable to cure his own daughter is evident. This forms the root of his motivation and it’s an instantly understandable one. Brent Spiner’s performance is excellent with the desperation coming across clearly. Isa Briones portrays Soong’s daughter, Kore with an obvious innocence quickly presenting her as a tragic figure not deserving of the hand life has dealt her. It’s a simple yet effective trick to create an audience connection with thin characterisation. It works because the focus is on Soong rather than Kore with her being the subject of his obsession and the goal that he is looking to achieve. This presents an opportunity for another debate that the episode fails to have around the morality of genetic research. The high level points are raised but there’s no substance to any of it which prevents the morality from actually being addressed. This forces the audience down the path of supporting Soong because the plot is structured as an emotional one. Such decisions oversimplifies what could be a complex and fascinating debate that may render Soong as a morally ambiguous figure. Q feeds into the two plots as he tries to push history in a particular direction. John DeLancie continues to excel in this role, particularly in the scenes he shares with Brent Spiner. There’s a sinister edge to everything he says and every line of dialogue is delivered with brutal honesty. He makes no attempt to disguise the fact that he’s preying on Soong’s desperation. Q offering a taste of the cure with the promise of more if Soong does what he is asked is insidious. The fixation on building mystery gets in the way of Q’s contribution to the episode as there are too many questions around what his overall plan is. Earlier episodes suggested that he held Picard in contempt for the Totalitarian timeline but his efforts here suggest that he’s trying to bring that about so confusions surrounds him more than anything else. Jurati and the Borg Queen continues to be a fascinating dynamic. Once again the Borg Queen preys on Jurati’s loneliness but does so by selling the appeal of assimilation. Her core argument is that it allows someone to never be alone again. She is trying to break Jurati down through appreciation. This is an extension of their relationship in the previous episodes but also a natural progression. Jurati’s increasing malleability and vulnerability has been strongly portrayed and it’s believable that she would play into the Borg Queen’s hands in the way that she does. She does exactly what the Borg Queen wants and the merging of the two characters increases the stakes significantly.

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