2.08: Star Trek: Picard - Mercy

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With time running out before the launch of the Europa Mission, Picard and Guinan must free themselves from FBI custody. Seven and Raffi come face-to-face with Jurati and the horror of what she's become.

IMDB score 6.6

 

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Man, it was very intriguing that they started with an ufo experience, with a kid fleeing in the forest, obviously scared for his life. He trips, drops his flash light, and when he reaches it, the aliens appears. In the Star Trek the First Contact rules has been written deep into the lore, but when you think about it, they always go around them, but in this time, they showed it from an innocent boys perspective. Of how scary it can be to meet strange and intriguing lifeforms.

Enough of that or otherwise we'll have to start wrapping some foil.

This thing. I cannot believe how dark they are showing 2024 US of A being. Then again I couldn't believe that the interrogation room was in the bloody basement, next to the evidence boxes. As if the Feds had ran out of money and had to do with the emergency measures. But the way he started the interview was straight out from the First Interview.

"Don't worry. It's just an interview. I don't like the word 'interrogation,'" Wells said.

It is to break the ice, even though the whole process is an interrogation. When both are in the same head space, it's easier to ask though questions, like Well did, by asking, "Are you extra-terrestrial life-form?"

Again it reminded me about UFO/UAP topic and all of the government secrecy and it kind of put the admiral on backfoot, as he stated, "I can truly say... I am not."

I loved that Picard went to demand their release, as supposedly aliens would do. So Wells had to take out the big items as he stated, "You can leave as soon as you tell us how you are planning to sabotage the Europa mission."

Guinan couldn't hold it in and so Wells had to again use the stick as he stated, "You are right. This is super 'off the books.' In fact, no ones knows you're here. In this FBI field office basement. And things do tend to disappear down here. Hopes, dreams. As of today, aliens."

Man I loved it. And it is super short scene that encapsulate a lot of stuff from the First Interview. Thank you Paramount+ and Amazon Prime. I never thought I'd see a version of it in any screen.

But the thing is, they continued in a similar fashion as Wells pushed with the evidence on their appearances in the Europa gala. I loved that Guinan pushed back like Lady Jane McGriffin but Wells didn't take not sh*t. Top man and he continued pushing the evidence on their faces.

If only they would have opened their mouths and gone against the Prime Directives, Picard wouldn't had to deducted that the Authorities were going to cancel the mission, because of their silence by abiding to the rules.

A though situation. Do one thing and lose another. Carrot and stick, Admiral Picard.

He solved the problem so elegantly. So brilliantly. And I loved Well coming out with the haunted man explanation, by telling Picard his encounter with the Vulcan's in the forest. And Picard telling him the truth about being a Traveller.

The big twist in the prison drama was Q arrival to Quinan's call and the fact he admit of becoming a dying mortal. Not a god. Q hissed, "Another thing that I loath about your species. Empathy."

Quinan defend herself. "I knew you could kill each other, but otherwise, aren't you--"

"Immortal?" Q suggested. "So I believed. But now, first time I'm looking across temporal horizons, it darkens. You think I'm dying. I prefer to believe that I am on the threshold of the unknowable. When I first felt it, I thought: 'This is good. This is new. Infinite life, after all, has its drawbacks. And so I prepared myself to be enveloped in the warm glow of meaning. Well, that moment has yet to come. Not even a glimmer. Dying stars burn brighter as they spin towards extinction. I, on the other hand seem to be simply disappearing... into nothing. Why do you think it took me so long to get here?"

He is truly without his magic, but he still retains all the knowledge. And yet, he seems so mortal, with being unable to solve his own problems, that he has caused, because he doesn't know anything better.

Oh man, Raffi, that is a very big ask. And it's definitely not a favour. I always thought Seven as a perfect Queen material. But she never wanted it. Instead, she has been for a long time very upset on her Borg side, and now that she's out of implants, and most probably the nanites, it is a huge demand. In Seven shoes, I'd told Raffi to piss off.

But Raffi wasn't asking that. She wanted her to think like a Queen.

"I am not a Borg," Seven snapped. "No cranial implants means no Borg proximity transceiver. I can't track her."

"I meant analog... you are her. Loose with legs. What do you do?"

Seven squinted her eyes and leaned closer, "I don't know Raffi. I'm not her."

Raffi grinned. "But you are Seven, right?"

Seven crossed her arms. "And who is that exactly to you?"

Touche!

I liked that Seven went back to the darkness, because they had no choice. And I felt for her, when she went through the memories from the assimilation. Wounds that never fully heal. And because of it they were able to find Queen Agnes chomping on the car bits.

In the same return, we got more evidence that the Queen is changing her more as she has gained super human strength from nibbling batteries and other alloys. Which makes me wonder what she would be eating if Borg Agnes would be pregnant? Pickled circuit boards and strawberry jammed chips?

Can you imagine what would happen, if she would be able to push out living biomechanoids? They would never need to go through the implantation process.

Thing is, by all counts, Raffi should've died in the confrontation. So because of the mercy of the Queen Agnes, they could figure out that Agnes human side was still trapped at the inside. A-ghost-in-the-shell in the flesh-and-blood variety.

Q, the programmer. Man, he truly is an omnipotent being. He called his program as a living code, going far beyond what an Ai could do. Even in the 24/25th century. More intriguing thing is that he sent also sent another gene fix therapy capsule for Soong's daughter to go out.

She didn't take it. Instead Kore waited for Dr Soong to wake up, before she confronted him about the lies of her past. Well done girl. His reason, "Everyone can procreate. I willed you into the Existence."

Oh man, the God complex. That is a serious mental illness.

It didn't stop Agnes from exploiting the monster.

-

In my book this episode is 9/10. In the next episode we'll have a big fight.

 

[REBerg]

I thought this episode was an improvement over last week's.

Favorite line:
“It's 2024. People have trouble with a revolving door. They can't handle a Borg Queen.” - Raffi

Man, it was very intriguing that they started with an ufo experience, with a kid fleeing in the forest,

Until the interview cleared things up, I thought the kid was Picard and that the Vulcans he encountered were earlier Romulan watchers.

Then again I couldn't believe that the interrogation room was in the bloody basement, next to the evidence boxes.

That seemed like a good venue for an alien interview, more sinister than a well-lit main floor location might have felt. I never suspected that Wells was an obsessed rogue agent chasing his own memories.

The big twist in the prison drama was Q arrival to Quinan's call

It's been a pile of years since I watched TNG, but I don't recall Quinan having any superpowers. Yet, she was able to find the key to cracking Wells among all the vitriol Q was spewing and then telepathically convey the information to Picard.

In the same return, we got more evidence that the Queen is changing her more as she has gained super human strength from nibbling batteries and other alloys

It looked like she was pulling power from the vehicle batteries. While such power siphoning might have recharged the Queen, the amps couldn't have been kind to Juraiti's still all-too-human body.

More intriguing thing is that he sent also sent another gene fix therapy capsule for Soong's daughter to go out.

Getting a gift box containing a "key" with a tag marked "freedom" was comedic. Is the artificial daughter quest just a way of working Brent Spiner into the cast?
I'm not enjoying the whole fame-hungry, evil mad scientist Doctor Soong thing. Queen Jurati's need for materials he could provide seemed like a weak explanation.
If Spiner needs work, why not write a role for Data in this alternate reality? It wouldn't have been much more convoluted.

 

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Until the interview cleared things up, I thought the kid was Picard and that the Vulcans he encountered were earlier Romulan watchers.

I thought so, too. I really did, but then I remembered the earlier movies, especially with the First Contact, where the Vulcan's were in the system when the wrap drive test happened. So they've always been present in the ST history.

It looked like she was pulling power from the vehicle batteries. While such power siphoning might have recharged the Queen, the amps couldn't have been kind to Juraiti's still all-too-human body.

I'm pretty certain that Borg's cannot take high voltage, for a long time. Too much power and you'll fry systems, according to the physics and experiments I've witnessed. Queen Agnes doesn't have the implants, only nanites, which might changing her body a great deal, but I still think she still has flesh around those incredible bones.

Is the artificial daughter quest just a way of working Brent Spiner into the cast?

Yeah, it seems to be the case. They could have cut him out and a lot of waffling around the episodes. But I think a lot of the issues is that Sir Patrick Steward doesn't feel too comfortable with the green screen.

I really doubt Paramount has the Disney technology that they use in the newer series.

 

[Elckerlyc]

We still have no idea what the nature is of what Renée will discover during the Europa Mission and convince the Commander to bring back with them. It has been mentioned so little that I suspect it to be the crucial bit of information held back from us. But It probably connects to Dr. Soong's work.

 

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Interesting

The OV-165 shuttle from the opening credits to "Enterprise" was seen just a couple of weeks ago in the episode "Two of One" (S02, E06), Q even referenced the epic "Enterprise" two-part episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" (S04, E18 & E19) by name in the second episode of "Picard" entitled "Penance." (The title itself is more than likely an appropriation of 1 Corinthians 13:12, which reads, in part: "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then, face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known.") Finally, Brent Spiner's Dr. Adam Soong is the direct ancestor to Dr. Arik Soong, who appeared in "the augments" three-episode story arc and of course there had been some speculation has to whether or not we would see some evidence of the Vulcan's first visit to earth in 1957, not in 2063.

In the vastly under-appreciated "Enterprise" episode "Carbon Creek" (S02, E02) Capt. Archer, Cmdr. Tucker and Sub-Cmdr. T'Pol are enjoying dinner in the Captain's quarters and Archer inquires why T'Pol traveled to a small Pennsylvania mining town called Carbon Creek during her recent visit to Earth. T'Pol begins to tell the tale of the her grandmother T'Mir who, in the Earth year 1957 — along with her fellow Vulcan crewmembers Mestral, Stron and their captain — are conducting basic research on Earth and humans from the safety of high orbit.

Unfortunately however, there is a problem with the impulse manifold and their ship crashes in rural Pennsylvania. Their captain dies in the accident and T'Mir assumes command. No one is sure if their distress signal was successfully sent, let alone actually received and after two weeks surviving on their rations and hiding in the woodland, the three Vulcans reluctantly agree that they must make contact with the inhabitants of the nearest town, Carbon Creek. With no sign of rescue, T'Mir, Mestral and Stron slowly, discretely integrate into the community, each in their own way.

And as we learn later in this episode of "Picard" — and in a really interesting twist — the FBI Agent Wells (Jay Karnes) who arrested Jean-Luc (Patrick Stewart) and Guinan (Ito Aghayere) at the end of last week's episode, stumbled across two Vulcans in a forest, at night, while looking for his dog, when he was a child. Thus giving him nightmares for a very long time afterwards. And in an extremely unusual — but very welcome — decision, the showrunner has chosen not to spoon-feed the audience by having some poor member of the cast cheapen themselves and explain Carbon Creek in exposition. <Chef's Kiss>

The Vulcan survey team that Agent Wells accidentally stumbles across are obviously not the same crew — T'Mir and Stron were eventually rescued while Mestral elected to remain on Earth — plus the events of "Carbon Creek" were approximately 15 years prior to his childhood encounter.

'Star Trek: Picard' Season 2 episode 8 alludes to earlier Vulcan visit to Earth

This episode, entitled "Mercy" marks a welcome return to form…all except for that ending

www.space.com

 

[Dave]

For some reason I thought this season had 8 episodes. I was beginning to wonder how it was going to finish during the last episode. I became really confused with all the time spent in the FBI office and with the Doctor and kid aboard la Sirena in this episode, or what IMdB calls ---

a role-playing a get-to-know-you-again couples' trust exercise...

However, I think this was one of the best episodes of this season. It had the right mix of reveals, action and exposition, but there is still much that needs to happen and to be explained, even if there are 10 episodes, (as there were in season one.)

I thought the kid was Picard

I thought so, too. I really did,

Really? I didn't, but only because I thought to myself, "What casting! That kid really looks like the Agent!" (unlike the young Guinan, who doesn't).

the Vulcan's were in the system when the wrap drive test happened. So they've always been present in the ST history.

I'm sure they were present and watching, waiting. However, I think of myself as a bit of a Star Trek buff (or I used to be) but I had totally forgotten about that Enterprise episode, Carbon Creek:

...of course there had been some speculation has to whether or not we would see some evidence of the Vulcan's first visit to earth in 1957, not in 2063...

..T'Pol begins to tell the tale of the her grandmother T'Mir who, in the Earth year 1957 — along with her fellow Vulcan crewmembers Mestral, Stron and their captain — are conducting basic research on Earth and humans from the safety of high orbit...

Or, of her telling that story. Anyway, the Ferengi already visited Earth in 1947 (DS9: Little Green Men), and they could never be mistaken for humans wearing beanie hats!

I never suspected that Wells was an obsessed rogue agent chasing his own memories.

Again, I say really? An office in the FBI basement, next to the closed files, testy relationships with his superiors, obsessed with a childhood incident of possible alien abduction, believes in UFOs and in alien life. I thought it was all a little too obvious actually.

I don't recall Quinan having any superpowers.

No, but Q called her a "witch" once, never explained, and it clearly is meant now to be a result of this first meeting between them (first for her anyway.) But summoning up a Q, and projecting her thoughts to Picard, are hardly "super"powers. She can manipulate Time itself. That is surely a greater superpower?

I'm not enjoying the whole fame-hungry, evil mad scientist Doctor Soong thing.

Is the artificial daughter quest just a way of working Brent Spiner into the cast?

You make good points, but I think there is something we haven't yet been told, and Elckerlyc is almost certainly on the ball here:

We still have no idea what the nature is of what Renée will discover during the Europa Mission and convince the Commander to bring back with them. It has been mentioned so little that I suspect it to be the crucial bit of information held back from us. But It probably connects to Dr. Soong's work.

While that's almost certainly true, the reveal about Soong's experimental soldiers, and the Queen assimilating them, was forced at the end, and would Soong really believe the Queen so easily about his future? Would he not ask what she wished to get out of all of this? (Something the crew never asked when they brought her along either.) No, his fame-hungry, evil mad scientist act shouldn't blind him to the fact that there are probably quite a few more possible futures than the binary options that she provided.

 

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She can manipulate Time itself. That is surely a greater superpower?

How can she manipulate time?

would Soong really believe the Queen so easily about his future?

Yeah, I believe he would because he's a desperate man.

 

[Dave]

How can she manipulate time?

Okay, "manipulate" is the wrong word. She has no control or influence herself.

El-Aurians can be injured (more than a human) by a temporal vortex and suffer from "time sickness" when the timeline is changed. They have an awareness that supersedes the normal flow of time and space, allowing them to be extraordinarily sensitive to the space-time continuum itself. They can perceive changes from the regular timeline to an alternate one. Jean-Luc called it her "special wisdom."

Never been shown to be able to affect the timeline changes though. It is a passive sense rather than an active ability.

 

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Yeah, that makes sense. A temporal awareness, is what I'd call it. Like betazoid's are empaths and can sense feelings, not thoughts, she can sense time and its fluctuations, even alterations. But like empaths, she can't really do anything about it.

 

[REBerg]

El-Aurians can be injured (more than a human) by a temporal vortex and suffer from "time sickness" when the timeline is changed.

Ah, so a "superweakness," then?