Season 1, Episode 2: ‘Maps and Legends’
In the second episode of “Star Trek: Picard,” we learn about a super secret group of Romulans, called Jhat Vhash. I admit I’m not sure if I’m spelling that correctly, which is partially a good sign: It means there’s something new being introduced in the familiar “Trek” universe (or old, depending on how you look at it).
I’ll also overlook the old television trope of there always being a villain that is truly behind the villains we are already familiar with. But I found this offering of “Picard” to be just as compelling as its premiere. It has some key elements of what made the best episodes of “The Next Generation” strong.
For example, characters like Laris and Picard, use deductive reasoning to solve a problem instead of brute force. The stakes are gradually raised as Picard finds out he has some sort of syndrome that is likely terminal. It is unclear whether this is the Irumodic Syndrome that Picard discovers he has in the series finale of “Next Generation,” but nevertheless, it gives Picard’s story a bit more urgency. By the end of the episode, we’ve uncovered a mysterious Starfleet-related conspiracy that could destabilize the Federation.
In this case, Laris refers to the Romulan group as a “cabal” and that the Tal Shiar, seen often throughout different “Trek” iterations, are merely a front for this cultlike institution with a secret. This organization of radicalized Romulans has a particular antipathy for synthetic life-forms for a reason that is yet to be revealed. There are other mysteries that need solving, like why the late Dahj seemed to be created only three years before Picard met her.
We do know just a bit more than Picard does — this villainous and secretive Romulan group perhaps has infiltrated Starfleet for a mysterious purpose. Their plan involves the shady but charismatic Narek (Harry Treadaway), a Romulan agent, who is particularly interested in Dahj’s twin sister, Soji Asha. Narek’s sister — posing as Lieutenant Rizzo at Starfleet headquarters — suggests that they are looking for other androids. Soji is working on what appears to be an artifact of a Borg cube, a “Romulan Reclamation Site.” This place seems to be, in part, a research facility where former Borg drones are pulled from the collective, much like our old friends Seven of Nine and Hugh, who will show up at some point in this series.
“There’s nothing very Romulan about this place at all,” Narek says in bed with Soji. We don’t fully know Narek’s intentions yet, other then that he is a Romulan and that Romulans are known to be a treacherous bunch. (It’s always a red flag when the person you’re involved with tells you not to tell anyone about it.)
The episode really takes off when Picard arrives at Starfleet headquarters. You get a sense of just how alienated the legendary figure is from the institution he once revered. Even though he feels a familiar sense of coming home as soon as he walks through the door — perfectly played by Patrick Stewart — the man at the front desk doesn’t even recognize him, much to his chagrin. (It was a nice touch to have a hologram of the Enterprise floating above the door.) The admiral Picard meets with is immediately icy toward him, defensive about Picard’s public thrashing of Starfleet.
“There is no we,” Admiral Clancy says. (It is not clear whether this Clancy is the same character as the one who was an ensign on the Enterprise played by Anne Elizabeth Ramsay in a handful of “Next Generation” episodes.)
There is a remarkable exchange as the argument quickly escalates.
“Ignore me again at your cost,” Picard spits out. “You are in peril, Admiral.”
“My cost?”
“You are in peril.”
“There is no peril here,” Clancy responds. “Only the pitiable delusions of a once great man desperate to matter. This is no longer your house, Jean Luc. So do what you were best at. Go home.”
The gravity of this conversation is stark. For decades, Picard’s sole purpose in life was to serve Starfleet. He rarely showed an interest outside of his work. He did not date, save for his love interest in “Star Trek: Insurrection.” He did not have his own family. It’s not clear he had many friends outside of his crew. The Enterprise, and by extension, Starfleet was his home.
That the relationship has deteriorated to the point that a fellow admiral will barely acknowledge his presence is surprising, no matter what has happened in the past. (This wouldn’t be the first time Picard has clashed with Starfleet — note the events of “Insurrection.” But even then, the plot seemed to suggest a rogue Admiral rather than an institution gone wayward.) Any good will Picard built up with the Federation has evaporated.
But this argument animates Picard nonetheless. He has a focus we haven’t seen since Picard was an active member of Starfleet. He realizes that he is going to have to chart his own path without the Federation’s help — which would have been unthinkable for much of Picard’s life. And of course, Picard is right. Starfleet is in peril. Clancy should have listened to a man whose instincts have saved Earth several times over.
It took two episodes, but by the time Picard is putting together his own crew, he feels more comfortable with himself — ready to set off on an adventure, perhaps his last one.
Source: Television - nytimes.com
