Star Trek: Picard 2.9: Cooperation!

I'll start off this review of Star Trek: Picard 2.9 by saying I thought it easily was the best episode of the season.  Every major character was sharpened, in some cases to the point of having an epiphany, in other cases with the result of being transformed into something very different from what they were all season.

[Spoilers ahead ...]

Agnes and the Borg Queen are now thoroughly integrated.  No surprise there, except -- this turns out to be a good thing!   Not just for the two characters, but for the universe.  Agnes used all of her persuasive powers and intelligence to convince the Borg Queen that being on the side of thriving life was a better way to go than turning everyone into a defacto robot.   Their coming to terms begins with Agnes saying "Bullshit!" in response to something the Borg Queen said and the Borg Queen likewise criticizing Agnes's response, “To share your own crude colloquialism — Bullshit!”  This rapprochement over a word became the Borg Queen agreeing with Agnes that she -- both the Queen and Agnes -- would be more satisfied, feel better, if she got her essential energy from cooperation rather than assimilation.  That's a lesson that's profoundly important on and off the Paramount Plus screen, especially so in our world today, where Russia would do well to learn that lesson.

Seven of course was a beneficiary of this coming together.  She ends up becoming part of the Borg again, but the enlightened, cooperative version, that respects individuals.   Seven, also of course, doesn't feel completely good about this, but she gets that this is the best way of expressing her Borgness, which she had never totally divested before the rapprochement.

Meanwhile, Picard has a life-changing experience, finally realizing and understanding how what he experienced as a boy put a damper on the rest of life.  He feels guilty about his mother's suicide, and has carried that burden throughout his life.  Now that he's free of that, let's hope he finally gets together with Laris, if not in this season then the next.

Speaking of true love, it also was good to see Raffi able to see and interact with Elnor again, even if he was only a hologram.  But his telling her that his last living thought about Raffi was the love he had for her will help her comes to terms with his death and the guilt she's been carrying about that.

And still on the subject of true love, it's not clear if Rios has said a final goodbye to the doc and her son.  Being the optimistic romantic that I am, I'm hoping we see them together again.

Which leaves the ancestor of Data's creator.  With the Borg now stepping into the light, Adam Soong, motivated by Q, has become the biggest villain on the scene.  I'll let you know next week what I think about how all of that works out.

See also Picard 2.8: Borg, Q, Soong, FBI ... Picard 2.7: The Bread Was Tastier than the Meat ...  Picard 2.6: Borg and Soong .. Picard 2.5: Don't Walk Away Renee ... Picard 2.4: 2024 LA ... Picard 2.3: Agnes, Borg, Badge ... Picard 2.2: Q and Borg ...  Star Trek: Picard 2.1: Cameos and Time Travel ...  Star Trek: Picard (Season One): Non-Pareil 

                                                        a little time travel story -- free