So, where were we? After simultaneously running Starfleet Academy and potentially romancing Laris back on his vineyard (Doctor Crusher presumably being unavailable), Picard was roped into what seemed to be a first contact situation. That instead turned out to be the Borg (so more of a Star Trek: First Contact situation) and their new-look, BDSM-inspired queen. Picard responded naturally by blowing up his ship, at which point Q transported everyone to an altered timeline where everyone’s a bit evil, Picard is a homicidal general, Seven’s the President, and Jurati has an AI cat voiced by Patton Oswalt. With a bit of help from another (less BDSM) Borg queen (Annie Wersching) the gang escape, intending to travel back to 2024 and correct the timeline, only for Seven’s husband (played by Jon Jon Briones, the father of Soji actress Isa Briones fact fans) to capture them, shooting Elnor in the process.
Without spoiling things too much (hey, it’s in the trailer), the gang do make it back to 2024, where Raffi, Seven and Rios set off to look for and correct the event that changed the timeline, as well as the mysterious “watcher” the Queen alluded to. However, things don’t go smoothly, with them soon getting split up, and Rios (Santiago Cabrera) immediately getting into trouble.
Trek time travel episodes are generally very good and tend to fit into one of two categories. The dramatic, such as City On The Edge Of Forever or DS9’s Past Tense, or fun romps like Little Green Men, Voyager’s Future’s End and of course Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Assimilation seems to aim somewhere between the two, with Rios, in particular, getting a plotline heavy on the social commentary, albeit one that includes Trek’s first mention of Rick & Morty (a possible tip of the hat to Lower Decks showrunner and Morty veteran Mick McMahan).
Meanwhile, Picard and Jurati (Alison Pill) get to know the Borg Queen a little better. The Queen seems especially fascinated with Jurati, and after last week’s quip-fest, it gives Alison Pill (who is rapidly becoming the show’s MVP) something more dramatic to chew on.
If you’re doing a time travel episode, it helps to have an expert on hand who knows what they’re doing, and Assimilation has a director with plenty of experience in the field. Lea Thompson, better known as Lorraine McFly in Back To The Future makes her Trek directing debut here. Far from a novelty hire, Thompson has been directing for over 15 years and equips herself admirably here, and she’s a welcome addition to Trek’s roster of directors.
Although again slightly derivative, Picard is moving at a pace a world away from Season One. In the space of three episodes, we’ve had the regular 24th Century, an evil alternate timeline, and now the 21st Century. We’ve got interesting plots involving Q and the Borg, the tease of a new, potentially evil member of the Soong family (Adam Soong, played by Brent Spiner – already seen in statue form in Episode 2), a mystery regarding Picard’s mother, and the fate of the galaxy as we know it once again in jeopardy. Oh yeah, and Patrick Stewart. He’s pretty good you know.
Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Prime Video with new episodes every Friday.
Read our previous reviews:
