No Formal Training

Star Trek Picard Episode 7:  Nepenthe Spoilers ahead, so be wary:   This week's flashback takes us right back to the meeting between Agnes and Commodore Oh, confirming what we all knew had happened, and that Agnes had indeed been recruited to spy on Picard and his merry band. We even get to see how Agnes was “shown” the things they had had seen her that she tearfully told Maddox before she killed him. It’s possible she was even under instructions to do so.   Back to the present, which is still the future to us, but is still the present for these characters who live in the future, “Narrisa” has Hugh and a selection of Ex Borgs lined up, trying to get information out of Hugh on where Picard and Soji are. When Hugh refuses, she executes the Ex Borgs, leaving Hugh heartbroken but still refuses to betray Picard. “Narrisa” speaks to her brother who is now preparing to track Rios and his ship who are currently stuck in a Borg tractor beam, Rios blaming Raffi for gett...

Star Trek Picard Episode 6: The Impossible Box Spoilers ahead, so beware.   Breaking the tradition of Picard of starting with flashbacks, we have a dream instead as Soji dreams of walking down the corridor of her childhood home during a dark and stormy night™, and seeing her father before waking up in bed with Narek on the artifact. Narek gets curious about the dream, trying to plant another one of his seeds of doubt, but leaves after Soji starts turning the tables and asks him about his real name that he only uses for family and loved ones. But not before suggesting she calls her mother. As she calls out to him by name he turns and says “that’s not my name” and leaves.   Onboard the La Sirena, Agnes reports to Picard on Maddox's cause of death, leaving out the truth  t hat she killed him by turning off the life support. Picard tries to comfort her as best he can but the issue of the Borg cube comes up and Soji was sent to investig ate a possible link to the...

Star Trek Picard Episode 5 review   Stardust City Rag Star Trek Picard Episode 5 review Stardust City Rag Spoilers ahead, so beware.   In now true Star Trek Picard tradition, we open up with a flashback to the past, which in this shows case, is the past, but is still the future. And we catch up with Icheb. Now a Starfleet officer and in a lot of trouble as he is brutally experimented upon to steal his Borg implants, with his left eye being the first thing we see taken out, but presumably not the first thing removed.   He’s also fully awake and clearly not a willing participant. Seven thankfully shows up, killing all his torturers and tries to get him upright, but Icheb begs her to end his life. Regrettably, tearfully, she euthanizes him and holds him in her arms.  “I’m so sorry, my child.”   We return to the present and Maddox is indeed alive and in trouble on Freecloud. Turns out he had borrowed money for a new lab from a legitimate business woman, Bjayz...