“Monsters”

Star Trek: Picard takes a trip into Picard’s mind as he confronts uncomfortable aspects of his psyche that he has avoided dealing with.

Head trips are a common trope in science fiction and fantasy. It’s so popular because it allows for a direct exploration of a characters innermost thoughts and feelings often in an abstract way. The first episode of the season set up painful memories haunting Picard with reminders of it peppered throughout the season so it was inevitable that an episode would come along where he would be forced to deal with it. In this case he’s in a coma with the key to waking up being finding a resolution to his inner turmoil.

Picard has always been a character who keeps himself at an emotional distance from others. It was rarely something that was explored in great details because it was widely accepted that it was simply part of who he was as a person. This episode looks to intimately explore the reasons behind Picard being so emotionally closed off. As per the cliché; it all stems with his relationship to his parents.

Leading the exploration of Picard’s psyche is an -initially- unnamed therapist (James Callis); a projection of Picard’s mind taking the form of a Starfleet Counsellor tasked with evaluating his fitness for command. Picard’s subconscious conjuring up a Starfleet Counsellor is telling as it ties into his decision to devote every fibre of his being to his duty as a Starfleet officer. He is even directly asked who he is outside of Captain Picard which presents a very clear question around whether there is more to him than his job and what he does. Many define themselves by their occupation due to the focus they give to their careers and Picard is definitely an example of such a person. This explains why retirement didn’t suit him and the general yearning to be out in space making a difference. A pointed observation made is that even his closest friends call him Captain which isn’t completely true but many do know him as Captain Picard. His demeanour encourages most to maintain that distance and see him in that way. This reinforces the self imposed solitude established earlier in the season and his decision to be alone even so late in life.

The operative question posed by the therapist is “Who is Jean Luc?” and Picard doesn’t have an answer. He actively avoids it by trying to change the subject which indicates it’s something he fears addressing. The classic The Next Generation episode “Tapestry” was built around Picard making sacrifices in his personal life in order to further his career. In that episode he is allowed to do things differently and it took his life in a far less fulfilling direction. This told him that the choices he made in his life and career were the right ones because it got him to a position he was proud of. At that point in his life he was content and fulfilled so rejected the changes that were offered to him. Time has passed since then and he has a had plenty of opportunity to examine his life choices to the point where he wonders if it would have been possible to find more of a balance. Spending some time examining exactly what he feels he could have done differently to achieve that balance would have been interesting but this episode is focused more on the root of his emotionally distant nature.

One of the prevailing theories presented as to why Picard closes himself off is fear. It is suggested that he’s afraid of being seen as vulnerable as it may prompt others to lose respect in him. It is also suggested that he’s hiding a darker part of himself that he keeps locked away in the deepest recesses of his psyche. Either way there is something he refuses to admit to himself or others and it has now reached the point where not dealing with it is having a significant negative effect on him. In essence he’s caught in a loop and can’t escape it until he does something differently. The coma is an obvious representation of that unresolvable loop with the head trip being what is required to bring him out of it.

In order to resolve this conflict, Picard is taken back to his childhood and chooses to articulate his memories in the form of a fairytale. The aesthetic is visually impactful on its own but it also says a great deal about Picard’s emotional state. Choosing to present his memories in this way symbolises his reluctance to deal with and admit to his feelings as in order to relive them they have to be cloaked in a veil of unreality. As much as he keeps others at an emotional distance he does the same to himself; seeing his own childhood as a fairytale and his mother as a flawless princess filled with innate virtue.

In Picard’s fantasy retelling of his childhood there is a monster constantly threatening the happiness he enjoys with his mother. His denial is front and centre as shown by his mother pointing out how alike his father he actually is which is immediately rejected by the young Picard. He would rather take after her because his relationship with his father isn’t a positive one. The monster plaguing them is a metaphor for the abuse his father inflicts on them. His mother is in constant fear of the monster coming to get them and when it comes near she takes herself and Picard into the dungeon to flee him. On the surface it seems to be a simple metaphor for abuse with the villain of the piece clearly signposted but the reality is far different.

For Picard the story ends with his mother taking him to the dungeon for safety which prompts his therapist to ask for the rest of the story. It isn’t something Picard is prepared to finish; he dismisses the request by saying “sometimes a story ends with a boy lost and alone in a dungeon”. The statement is a clear indicator that he is unwilling to face up to his issues. As far as he’s concerned the story ends with fleeing the monster because he can’t bring himself to address what follows. The fairytale style immediately suggests a happy ending because of the expectations that come with that sort of story but for Picard it covers up tragedy and pain.

Eventually he does confront those issues which comes with acknowledging the truth of the situation. His father wasn’t the monster that Picard assumed him to be as he came into the dungeon to help him. The problem was actually with his mother and the monster was the darkness within her that she refused to accept help in dealing with. No detail is given around the nature of this darkness or the sort of help that she needs but Picard has gone through most of his life convinced of something that wasn’t true and getting free from being trapped inside himself can only come from accepting that his mother wasn’t as he chooses to remember her.

Certain questions aren’t answered such as why Picard’s mind opted to demonise his father for most of his life but it’s acknowledged by Tallinn that there is more to the story that remains unknown for now. Picard coming out of the coma was brought on by taking an important step forward and realising certain things about himself he was previously uncomfortable addressing. He wakes up because he is no longer denying those things about himself and beginning to deal with them but as Tallinn points out, there is more to the story and further examination will have to wait. Whether this experience leads to Picard being more emotionally open or whether he’s too set in his ways for such a seismic shift to occur remains to be seen but he is unquestionably changed by this and beginning to see the reality; something he previously denies himself. The reveal itself comes quickly and there’s a clumsiness to the delivery due to the lack of detail surrounding this.

Following this experience, Picard does theorise that this situation could be part of an elaborate lesson concocted by Q designed to force Picard to face up to those buried aspects of himself. It’s a major logical leap though does somewhat track with Q’s behaviour in the past though it should be clear that there is far more to this than simply teaching Picard a lesson. This musing does encourage Picard to seek Q out directly to ask him the question and get a fuller sense of what is going on. It doesn’t work but he will now have plenty of time in Federal prison to consider his innermost thoughts and feelings with Guinan.

Tallinn’s involvement in Picard’s introspection was oddly more passive than expected. Picard taking the step forward with very little intervention was profound for him but Tallinn could have been removed with very little changes. She does encourage the manifestation of Picard’s youth and innocent by pointing out that the pain and trauma was channelled into something positive when he devotes his life to helping others. This follows on from his mother’s advice around inspiring others with his words. It acts as recognition that Picard’s negative experiences weren’t for nothing but it’s not something that needed Tallinn to be party to.

An opportunity to explore Picard’s muddled feelings for Laris and provide Tallinn some sort of insight into the relationship he has been cagey about since they met was completely missed here. Laris didn’t merit a mention so Tallinn’s presence was almost entirely superfluous. Having her gain and understanding of Picard’s connection to Laris would have been a reasonable inroad to Tallinn revealing herself to be Romulan. For now the ongoing basis of their relationship is that Tallinn has been inside Picard’s head and knows that there is more to the story that remains unexplored. It’s likely she will be the one goading him to dig deeper but it’s far from enough to justify her continued presence when Guinan could have easily performed that function.

The other characters have less to do but Rios is taking on the responsibility of referencing Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. He tells Teresa the truth about where and when he’s from before showing her La Sirena to prove it. Teresa is an engaging character who represents that hope for a better future through her taking it upon herself to do what she can to help build a better world with the resources available to her. Her relationship with Rios is dynamic and compelling so them taking that next step with the truth being revealed to her is an engaging development. All the talk around Rios being a good man and Teresa being encouraged to see that in him is somewhat confusing as it has never been associated with their dynamic nor has the commentary on Rios being someone who seeks out father figures but allowing this connection to grow is certainly welcomed.

Raffi and Seven’s dynamic remains engaging. Their gossip about the romantic entanglements of their ragtag crew made for some fun back and forth as well as Raffi’s analysis of their own relationship. The only plot furthering in the episode comes from their brief subplot where they learn that Jurati has been infected by the Borg Queen and work to track her down. Having them spend time trying to trace her movements and piece together what happened to her was a really effective way of increasing the threat by building the mystery around the extent of Jurati’s corruption. Seven taking on the role of the doomsayer worried about unleashing the Borg on an unsuspecting Earth makes perfect sense considering her history with the Borg and Jurati’s elusiveness at this point heightens the tension through building a mystery around what she will do next. It’s very slight but it builds threat and sets up an opportunity for the Seven/Raffi relationship to receive attention.

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Verdict

A strong character driven episode with a fascinating exploration of Picard’s innermost thoughts and feelings as he confronts uncomfortable aspects of his psyche. Picard’s subconscious conjuring up a Starfleet Counsellor is telling as it ties into his decision to devote every fibre of his being to his duty as a Starfleet officer. He is directly asked who he is outside of Captain Picard which presents a very clear question around whether there is more to him than his job and what he does. This explains why retirement doesn’t suit him. Picard actively avoids addressing “Who is Jean Luc?” indicating that he fears addressing it. One of the prevailing theories as to why Picard closes himself off is fear. It is suggested that he is afraid of being seen as vulnerable as it may prompt others to lose respect in him. It is also suggested that he’s hiding a darker part of himself that he keeps locked away. Either way there’s something he refuses to admit to himself or other and it has reached the point where not dealing with it is having a significant negative effect on him. In essence he’s caught in a loop and can’t escape it unless he does something differently. The coma is an obvious representation of that unresolvable loop. In order to resolve this conflict he is taken back to his childhood and chooses to articulate his memories in the form of a fairytale. The aesthetic is visually impactful but it also says a great deal about Picard’s emotional state. The presentation symbolises his reluctance to deal with and admit to his feelings as in order to relive them they have to be cloaked in a veil of unreality. He keeps himself at an emotional distance and chooses to see his own life in particular ways. In the fantasy retelling of his childhood there is a monster constantly threatening the happiness he enjoys with his mother. His denial is front and centre as shown by his mother pointing out how alike his father he actually is which is immediately by a young Picard who would rather take after her. The monster plaguing them is a metaphor for the abuse his father inflicts on them. His mother is in constant fear of the monster coming to get them and when it comes near she takes herself and Picard into the dungeon to flee him. On the surface it seems to be a simple metaphor for abuse with the villain clearly signposted but the reality is far different. For Picard the story ends with his mother taking him to the dungeon for safety which prompts the therapist to ask for the rest of the story. He dismisses the request which provides another clear indicator that he is unwilling to face up to his issues. Eventually he does acknowledge the truth; that truth being that his father wasn’t the monster that Picard assumed to be and that his mother had a darkness within her she refused to accept help in dealing with. No detail is given around the nature of this darkness but Picard has gone through most of his life convinced of something that wasn’t true and is able to free himself from his mind by accepting that his mother wasn’t as he chooses to remember her. Certain questions aren’t answered such as why Picard’s mind opted to demonise his father for most of his life but Tallinn points out that there is more to the story. Picard coming out of the coma was brought on by taking an important step forward. He is no longer denying those things about himself but has ways to go. The reveal itself comes quickly and there’s a clumsiness to the delivery due to the lack of detail surrounding this.

Picard theorising that this situation could be part of an elaborate lesson concocted by Q is a major logical leap though it does somewhat track with Q’s behaviour. Tallinn’s involvement with Picard’s introspection was oddly more passive than expected. Picard taking the step forward with very little intervention was profound for him but Tallinn could have been removed with very little changes. An opportunity to explore Picard’s muddled feelings for Laris and provide Tallinn some sort of insight into that relationship he has been cagey about was completely missed here. Laris didn’t merit a mention and Tallinn’s presence was almost entirely superfluous. The other characters have less to do but the Rios and Teresa connection is furthered in really interesting ways. The honestly between them allows them to connect in more meaningful ways though all the talk around Rios being a good man and being someone who seeks out father figures is somewhat confusing. Raffi and Seven’s dynamic remains engaging. Their gossip about the romantic entanglements of their ragtag crew made for some fun back and forth as well as Raffi’s analysis of their own relationship. The only plot furthering in the episode comes from their brief subplot where they learn that Jurati has been infected by the Borg Queen and work to track her down. Seven taking on the role of the doomsayer makes sense for her as a character and Jurati’s elusiveness heightens the tension thought building a mystery around what she will do next. It’s very slight but it builds threat and sets up an opportunity for the Seven/Raffi relationship to receive attention.

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