Star Trek: Picard (2020–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - Episode #2.1 - full transcript
Intruder alert. Intruder alert.
Life support failure on Deck 5.
Move it, move it, move it!
Power grid failure on Deck 5.
All security teams report
to the bridge immediately.
- Let's move, cadets!
- Alpha Team to the bridge!
Beta Team, secure the warp core!
Inertial dampeners off-line.
- Come on!
Malfunction...
We got to go.
Hurry up! Come on!
Warp field collapse imminent.
- Bridge...
Ship systems rebooting.
Sys-Sys-System-system online.
Status.
♪ ♪
Stop firing!
Picard?
Bridge control transfer 40%.
- What's happening?
- All systems are redirected.
She's gaining complete access--
weapons, navigation, everything.
Computer,
activate auto-destruct sequence!
Auto-destruct activated.
Nine, eight...
Picard.
...seven, six,
five, four,
three, two,
one.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
♪ Yes, it is ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
- ♪ Yes, it is ♪
♪ Now you always say ♪
♪ That you want to be free ♪
♪ You'll come running back ♪
♪ Just like I hoped you would ♪
- ♪ Baby ♪
- ♪ You'll come ♪
- ♪ Running back ♪
- ♪ I won't have to cry no more ♪
♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ Uh-huh, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
- ♪ To me ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
- ♪ Yes, it is, yeah ♪
- ♪ Yes, yes ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
- ♪ Mm-hmm ♪
♪ I know that you're searching
for good times ♪
♪ But just wait and see ♪
- ♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ One of these days, baby ♪
- ♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ Oh, and it won't be long ♪
- ♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ Oh, all my worries
will be over ♪
- ♪ To me ♪
- ♪ 'Cause I'll have
my baby home ♪
♪ Go right ahead, baby ♪
♪ Go ahead
and light up the town ♪
- ♪ And, baby... ♪
- L'chaim.
Slainte.
Na zdorowie.
Santé.
Cheers, big ears.
Mmm.
You know,
as days on Earth go,
this is reliably one
of my favorites.
Oh, and why's that?
A celebration of...
the end of the season,
a conformation
of hard work well done.
That's certainly one way
of looking at it, I suppose.
And what would be your way?
I don't know.
Um...
Sab khut hafeth.
Frazhannempal was qailefeth.
"Seize...
today, for we know nothing
of tomorrow."
- Yes.
Today is...
glorious.
And none of our tomorrows
are guaranteed.
To Zhaban.
- To Zhaban.
You must miss him.
I do.
Even now,
after a year and a half.
Did you know that we were
promised to each other at birth?
I had no idea.
Well, as is our custom.
But we did learn
to love each other.
Truly.
Remember that Romulans
don't suffer loss as humans do.
We love deeply, and then we
honor that love by loving again,
even more deeply still.
When I first came to work here,
I saw you as a man
who chose the stars.
And, after all this time,
I've come to wonder,
have you been seeking
or running?
Am I being too personal?
No.
Please, go on.
Why have you chosen to be alone?
I'm hardly alone.
You know what I mean.
As you say, I've...
spent my life in the stars.
And is that
what you really want?
All...
you really want?
The part of me
that really wants...
...is the part
that has to wait in line.
Behind what?
Duty, I suppose.
The need to keep on moving.
And where is the heart
after all this constant motion?
What might you find
if you were to just...
stop?
Here?
Now?
♪ ♪
Yeah, it's very late, and
you've got that speech tomorrow.
♪ ♪
Jean-Luc!
♪ ♪
Why have you chosen to be alone?
♪ ♪
Jean-Luc.
My little Magellan.
Slipping away like that.
Might as well have sailed
straight off the edge
of the world.
Aren't we dramatic?
Paris is just a transport away.
And you've never seen skies
like this at night,
I promise you.
There's magic here.
Your father
can root around out there
in the dirt
while your brother
toils away at school.
This can be our place,
yours and mine.
We'll clear out the vines.
We can even paint
on these windows.
Our own world.
What do you think?
Will you fight less here?
♪ ♪
Yvette.
Come find me.
Of course we will.
But if we should shout
at each other now and then,
I want you to look up
and imagine how tiny our voices
are out there.
So tiny
you can't even hear them.
Look up at the stars, Jean-Luc.
Look up.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Starfleet Command,
this is USS Avalon.
We've detected a spatial
anomaly. Please advise.
♪ ♪
There you are.
I've been looking everywhere
for you
with a cup
of what is now definitely...
Earl Grey, cold.
I'm sorry. Yes.
Thank you.
I've been, uh...
Yes?
Uh, a book.
I've been trying to find it.
Um, it's a first edition.
Green cover and,
uh, gold lettering.
It's got to be somewhere
in these shelves.
Oh.
Thank you.
Laris.
Last night...
I was...
You.
You were you.
Yeah.
Nothing has to change.
It's too late for that,
Jean-Luc.
That's been clear to both of us
for some time now, I imagine.
Going forward,
it would all be too...
awkward.
And I'm too old for awkward.
Now, have you any idea
how hard it is
to be late in the age
of transporters?
And yet, somehow, you manage.
We often refer to space
as the final frontier.
But the older I get,
the more I come to believe...
...that the true final frontier
is time.
In command,
as in life...
...what we do in crisis
often weighs upon us
less heavily
than what we wish we had done,
what...
could have been.
Time offers many opportunities,
but it rarely offers
second chances.
And as steps forward go...
I would like to acknowledge
your classmate--
the first fully Romulan cadet
at Starfleet Academy-- Elnor.
May you all go boldly
into a future
freed from the shackles
of the past.
I stand before you
the last Picard.
My ancestor captained
the second ship,
behind Jacques Cartier.
A great-great cousin
Renee Picard
was instrumental
in early exploration
of this solar system.
Yet I choose to leave you
with the words of my mother,
who was no explorer at all.
When I was a boy...
...she would point
to the night sky and say,
"Look up, Jean-Luc,
"and let's see
what's out there."
- Psst.
I'm a little occupied
at the moment.
Come on out, freak.
Show me your ugly Borg face.
Let's try this another way.
The medical supplies
you're attempting to steal
are the property of
the Fenris Rangers.
If you leave now...
Emmet, a little help
here, please.
Computer, disengage hologram
safety protocols.
Safety protocols deactivated.
Ah...
Thanks.
No.
Stop talking.
I never should have
merged the holos.
There's got to be a way
to disable
your therapeutic plug-ins.
There it is.
You were saying,
about outside?
Show me.
What the hell is that?
If I may, I'd like
to make a toast.
We've been touring the galaxy
for over a year
since the Federation
ended the ban on synthetics,
and in that time
I've learned one thing:
you can't ask for trust
through an interpreter.
It needs to come from here,
through here.
She runs one sub-routine
on toasts
and she's the belle
of the ball.
She certainly is impressive.
Wow. Bright.
May I?
I don't bite.
I just wanted to see
what hands could create
such a wonder.
You're flirting, right?
This is how really
pretty people flirt, isn't it?
Oh.
You know, look, I'm half
in the bag anyway,
so I'm gonna give you
a little advice.
Uh, my longest lasting
intimate relationship,
including the one
that I just ended,
is less than a year.
I was recently cleared of
murdering my previous boyfriend
due to alien-induced
temporary insanity,
so I'm not exactly
dating material.
You know?
Oh, thank God.
Confused.
"Never talk to me again"
was literally
the last thing you ever
said to me.
In the nick of time.
I thought I was going
to have to break into
a medley of Deltan folk songs.
A hard-to-replace opportunity
to be sure, but...
I know. Rios called.
You're going.
I'm staying here to continue
being charmingly diplomatic.
If, by "heard,"
you mean you eavesdropped
on my private comms link
using your super robot hearing.
Well, you did ask me
to monitor you
for any potential
drunk hailing incidents,
so I extended the caution
to drunk answering.
I feel like that's an
exploitation of a technicality.
I'll call as soon as I know
when we'll be back.
I have a feeling you're gonna
be just fine without me.
And what about you and,
you know?
Yeah, I have to confess,
the whole
"we can totally still
work together" thing
made a lot more sense
back on Earth.
I would never say
I told you so,
but his new job does come
with a lot of pressure.
Please. How hard can it be?
One to beam up.
So, what's the big hurry,
Captain.
Shelve that. There's no time.
Give me a sec.
Kemi, get us there
as fast as you can short of
flying us through a sun.
- Comms, anything yet?
- Nothing, Captain.
Keep trying.
Lieutenant Urtern, I'll need
offensive and defensive
strategy reports.
I don't want to
get there without
a possible engagement plan.
- You good?
- Yes, sir.
Always on point. Thank you.
Sorry, some kind
of subspace anomaly.
Starfleet's ordered us
to investigate.
I could use you
on this one.
Your... your brain, I mean.
Well, that's kind of kind.
Course set, Captain.
Dale.
"Make it so."
Oh, the pressure of legacy.
It's your own fault, you know.
No one told you to accept
a command with baggage.
Bri'onn Raul.
Assignment: the Hikaru Sulu.
Cadet Maxwell Nagata.
Assignment: the Grissom.
Please report to your designated
transport berths.
So, how are things?
- I'm considering an update
to the Kobayashi Maru.
- Good.
I hate that test.
Well, I am very happy to be
chancellor of the Academy,
thank you very much.
Mm-hmm. Sure.
It forces you to focus
on Starfleet
instead of, you know, you.
And how is Seven these days?
Touché.
You know Seven.
There's always folks
out there in trouble.
What kind of asshole needs to be
more important than that?
But you would like to be.
To her.
Well, I guess she has me hoping
for something more.
You wouldn't understand.
I-I mean, of course,
of course you'd understand.
It's just that,
at the end of the day,
you two are so damn
self-sufficient,
happy to travel the stars.
Hell, I wonder if either of you
even get lonely.
Cadet Elnor.
Assignment: the Excelsior.
Elnor.
Admiral Picard.
I'd hoped to see you
before my departure.
- Exciting time.
- Yes.
I'm very excited.
But I'm also worried
my excitement
may be distracting me
from my studies.
It's paradoxical.
You know, there's a quote
in this book
that would be very appropriate.
This is written
by Spock himself,
and it's a memoir of the
challenges that he faced
when he was one of the first
Vulcan cadets in Starfleet.
"Exhilaration enhances
the absorption of knowledge."
In other words, live a little.
I will cherish it.
Thank you for the book, Admiral.
Better get moving, cadet.
We ship out in ten.
Commander Musiker, please report
to the Excelsior for departure.
Same ship.
Keeping him under your wing.
That boy's absolute candor
can get his ass kicked.
- So I'm protective of him.
Frankly, I find it
very pleasing.
All officers and cadets
to their ship for departure.
Mmm, they're playing my song.
Safe journeys.
- Admiral.
- Commander.
Lieutenant Urtern,
what am I looking at?
Spatial anomaly, Captain.
Minor tachyon levels,
but nothing critical.
For the moment
it appears stable.
The fabric of space-time rending
does not really shout stability.
- Captain Rios,
we're being hailed.
- On screen.
What are you doing here?
I was about to ask the same.
What the hell did you do
to my ship?
Correction, my ship.
Look after her, I said.
Instead, I used her
to take care of others,
which, in my line of work,
can occasionally be violent.
Besides, a few dents
look good on her.
Hi, Seven.
Lieutenant Sing?
Signal is originating
inside the anomaly, Captain.
A message of some kind?
Running it through
the universal translator.
Coming back inconclusive, sir.
A peculiar way of saying hello.
Let me deal with this.
Oh, sorry.
Captain, may I?
Captain?
Lieutenant, trust me,
you'll find it
much easier to just defer.
Displaying the signal
as a waveform.
Scattered, chaotic.
Analyzing.
Not language. Languages. Plural.
Dozens of them, all overlaid.
All asking... no, pleading.
Agnes... what does it say?
It says, "Help us."
"Help us, Picard."
Help us, Picard.
Help us, Picard.
♪ This road is paved ♪
♪ With good intentions ♪
♪ There's something 'bout me
I forgot to mention ♪
♪ Got a cheating heart... ♪
I'm gonna need some tea.
Earl Grey, piping hot.
Perhaps something stronger.
Captain Picard.
Admiral.
Oh, excuse me.
Admiral.
But you'll always be
Captain to me.
Hello, Guinan.
It's so good to see you.
And you.
Um, this is
for your private reserve.
Oh, well, with you
pushing a century,
and me pushing several,
I, I don't really think,
at our age, we should be
reserving anything.
Well, El-Aurians age
so very slowly.
Yes, but only if we choose to.
Now, I noticed that humans
don't like to be
reminded of their mortality,
so I, I try to keep up.
Well, thank you.
I don't think you're here
to reminisce
about the old days.
Seems like the new ones are
what's troubling you now.
What's wrong?
- I can't just miss
a dear old friend?
- You can.
But I've held your hand
while you've navigated
Federation diplomacy disasters.
I've seen you face down
some new galactic threat.
We have jumped universes
together.
I've got to say,
I don't remember ever
seeing you look quite like...
Oh, oh.
I'm gonna take that back.
I have seen you look like this.
And it's serious.
So this, as lovely as it is,
is not gonna cut it.
So, top shelf or hooch?
Hooch, I think.
Saurian brandy it is.
Come on.
It's not as if
I haven't loved before.
I have.
Sometimes quite deeply.
Yes, but always with those
who would only be temporary.
That's not entirely true.
So that you'd never
have to fear
any of them taking root.
You think I'm the fearful sort?
Oh, no. I think you've done
a great many,
many brave things, of a kind.
It's too late.
That particular ship
has sailed.
I watched it go.
Jean-Luc, you're being
ridiculous.
- Excuse me?
- Yeah, it's not too late.
The problem isn't time.
It's you.
You always talk about love
as if you ever
took it seriously.
And you know the only things
you've ever put out there
to break were your bones.
And the only thing you ever
risked losing was your life.
That's not an
insignificant loss.
There are worse things
than being dead.
You know that better
than anybody.
You've been on your own
for, what, nearly a century?
Why? What's holding you back?
Okay, why did you decide
to go to the stars
in the first place?
We've discussed this
so many times.
To explore, to meet
new civilizations...
Jean-Luc,
since I've known you,
the only place you have ever
been afraid to explore,
be it flesh and blood,
or an artificial synthetic,
is in here.
What happened in there
that you and I have
never talked about?
You know what?
I understand.
I think your answers
are not in the stars,
and they never have been.
Also, I suggest that we drink.
Because I think there's
one final frontier
yet to come.
Sorry to drop in on you
like this, Jean-Luc,
but it's a sensitive matter.
What is it, Sally?
Please make yourself
comfortable.
We've encountered something
unique in space.
We'd like to get
your eyes on it in person.
Oh. With all due respect,
Admiral,
there must be dozens
of better qualified people
than myself.
Its event horizon caused
a massive spike
in Adler-Lasky
temporal radiation.
And then it began...
well, to broadcast.
This is how it begins.
Help us, Picard.
Help us,
Picard.
Help us, Picard.
You said how it began?
The balance of the message is
the entirety of Article 15.
Article 15. An entreaty
to join the Federation.
An unknown entity that can
open and close
a hole in space-time
wants to join the Federation,
and apparently
will only talk to you about it.
♪ ♪
Jean-Luc?
Well, this is
an unexpected encounter.
Indeed. Dr. Jurati's
here as well.
Oh.
It's Admiral Picard.
Your reputation precedes you.
Well, the Stargazer was
my first command.
Uh, not this Stargazer,
of course.
But being here...
...it feels like
my life has come full circle.
She is quite a ship.
You don't agree?
The Stargazer is the first
of a new class of ship
that utilizes components
derived from research
on the Borg cube artifact.
Yes, of course.
That's right.
There are so many in Starfleet
who fear the Borg,
and I sense that my presence
is increasing
historic tensions and paranoia.
Admiral on the bridge!
Chris.
- It's so good to see you.
- You, too.
Welcome to the Stargazer.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, please, as you were.
Well...
...this is certainly sleeker
than my Stargazer.
The older these refits get,
the younger they look.
Unlike myself.
Well, mister, I think you look
absolutely positronic.
Agnes, I'm delighted to see you.
Circumstances notwithstanding.
- Status.
- Tactical, enhance.
Well, let's see if they have
anything else
to say to me personally.
Uh, if I may, Captain?
Knock yourself out.
Lieutenant,
all hailing frequencies.
This is Admiral Jean-Luc Picard
responding to your request.
I repeat, this is
Admiral Jean-Luc...
Picard!
Picard!
Energy spiking across the board.
- Something's coming through.
- I can see that.
Red alert!
Helm, back off.
Give us some distance.
Seven?
Yes, Admiral.
That ship is Borg.
Stargazer,
this is Commander Musiker.
Excelsior is standing by,
ready to assist.
Good to know you're there, Raf.
Well, Admiral, right now
we're the tip of the spear,
you're the ranking officer,
and the devil
is calling your name.
I'm fairly certain that
if we don't act, they will. So,
what do we do?
I don't know.
That out there
could be the very point
at which history turns.
Picard.
The Borg consume.
They assimilate.
They don't ask
to be assimilated.
Dr. Jurati?
I think caution is warranted,
b-but everything about this
is unique.
The Borg we know have been
effectively decimated,
functionally hobbled.
So wouldn't it stand to reason
- that they'd change tactics?
Absolutely.
Victory through
whatever means necessary.
And in the absence of strength,
deception.
But we could be putting a bullet
into the greatest ally
the Federation may ever know.
Precisely.
I don't believe
what I'm hearing.
The Borg have wiped out
entire races.
Killed tens of millions,
including my parents.
Subjugated exponentially more.
Yes, I understand.
I know this sounds cold,
but just hear me out.
If I'm wrong,
we destroy a Borg ship.
But if I'm right
and we do nothing,
then today is the beginning
of the end of the Federation.
Captain Rios to the bridge.
Sir, they're hailing us.
Let's hear it.
There is no more time.
We will begin negotiation
with Picard alone.
And how do you propose
to do that?
We will send an emissary.
We will offer our queen.
There's no way in hell
I'm letting them
on board this ship.
Broadcast fleetwide:
- Shields up.
Aye, Captain.
Sir, we have
an incoming transport signal.
Signal scans
indicate a single life-form.
Organic-synthetic components
consistent with the Borg.
Captain, do we fire?
Not yet. They can't transport
through our shields.
The queen is actually coming.
Rios, don't wait
until it's too late. Fire.
Open a channel.
Channel open, Captain.
- Borg vessel,
cease transport attempt,
or you will be fired upon.
Sir, her transport signal
is penetrating our shields.
- What deck?
- Here, sir. The bridge.
Hand phasers at the ready.
Moshe,
do not engage prematurely.
Yes, sir.
Security team to the bridge.
All security teams, report
to the bridge immediately.
That's new.
We wish for peace.
But first,
we require...
What?
What do you require?
Power.
Cease fire!
Stop firing!
The queen is stunning them,
not killing them.
Stop firing!
Isolinear fragmentation
detected.
Command node corruption.
Bridge controls redirecting.
Bridge control transfer 20%.
Bridge control transfer 40%.
What's happening?
She's accessing the board
modifications in the ship.
She's gaining complete access.
Weapons,
navigation, everything.
She's assimilating the ship.
Not just our ship.
The entire fleet.
She's using us as a hub.
She's getting the command codes
for all our ships.
Broadcast to the fleet:
All ships
- open fire on the Borg vessel.
I can't.
She's locked out comms.
She's assimilated
70... no, 75% of the ship.
- We're gonna get locked out.
Picard,
we cannot give her an armada.
You know that.
80% assimilated.
She's getting faster.
You're out of time.
85%.
We're out of options!
- Computer,
activate auto-destruct sequence.
Auto-destruct activated.
Awaiting final command.
♪ Non ♪
♪ Rien de rien... ♪
She's at 90%.
If it gets to 100,
we can't self-destruct.
Picard!
Authorization: Picard,
zero-zero-zero-destruct-zero.
The emergency destruct sequence
is now activated.
Destruction in ten. Nine.
Picard.
- Eight.
Seven.
Six. Five.
Look up.
- Four.
Three. Two.
One.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Laris?!
Sir. Would you prefer your
morning beverage on the veranda?
The solar shields
are holding well this morning.
The sky is delightfully clear.
Who the hell are you?
Harvey, sir.
Are you feeling all right?
No. Where's Laris?
Laris. A Romulan name.
In colloquial English,
translates roughly
to "a new day."
Would you like me to check
the migrant rosters
- for such a name?
- What is happening here?
An excellent question, Jean-Luc.
Mon capitaine.
How I've missed you.
No. No, no. No, no, no. No.
Oh, dear.
You're a bit older
than I imagined.
Let me catch up.
There. Now we're even.
Q.
Goddamn Q.
Do you recall what I said
to you when last we parted ways?
The trial never ends.
What the hell
are you doing here?
You've been talking a lot
about second chances.
Well, my friend,
welcome to the very end
of the road not taken.
Captioning sponsored by
CBS
Life support failure on Deck 5.
Move it, move it, move it!
Power grid failure on Deck 5.
All security teams report
to the bridge immediately.
- Let's move, cadets!
- Alpha Team to the bridge!
Beta Team, secure the warp core!
Inertial dampeners off-line.
- Come on!
Malfunction...
We got to go.
Hurry up! Come on!
Warp field collapse imminent.
- Bridge...
Ship systems rebooting.
Sys-Sys-System-system online.
Status.
♪ ♪
Stop firing!
Picard?
Bridge control transfer 40%.
- What's happening?
- All systems are redirected.
She's gaining complete access--
weapons, navigation, everything.
Computer,
activate auto-destruct sequence!
Auto-destruct activated.
Nine, eight...
Picard.
...seven, six,
five, four,
three, two,
one.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
♪ Yes, it is ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
- ♪ Yes, it is ♪
♪ Now you always say ♪
♪ That you want to be free ♪
♪ You'll come running back ♪
♪ Just like I hoped you would ♪
- ♪ Baby ♪
- ♪ You'll come ♪
- ♪ Running back ♪
- ♪ I won't have to cry no more ♪
♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ Uh-huh, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
- ♪ To me ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
- ♪ Yes, it is, yeah ♪
- ♪ Yes, yes ♪
♪ Time is on my side ♪
- ♪ Mm-hmm ♪
♪ I know that you're searching
for good times ♪
♪ But just wait and see ♪
- ♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ One of these days, baby ♪
- ♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ Oh, and it won't be long ♪
- ♪ You'll come running back ♪
- ♪ Oh, all my worries
will be over ♪
- ♪ To me ♪
- ♪ 'Cause I'll have
my baby home ♪
♪ Go right ahead, baby ♪
♪ Go ahead
and light up the town ♪
- ♪ And, baby... ♪
- L'chaim.
Slainte.
Na zdorowie.
Santé.
Cheers, big ears.
Mmm.
You know,
as days on Earth go,
this is reliably one
of my favorites.
Oh, and why's that?
A celebration of...
the end of the season,
a conformation
of hard work well done.
That's certainly one way
of looking at it, I suppose.
And what would be your way?
I don't know.
Um...
Sab khut hafeth.
Frazhannempal was qailefeth.
"Seize...
today, for we know nothing
of tomorrow."
- Yes.
Today is...
glorious.
And none of our tomorrows
are guaranteed.
To Zhaban.
- To Zhaban.
You must miss him.
I do.
Even now,
after a year and a half.
Did you know that we were
promised to each other at birth?
I had no idea.
Well, as is our custom.
But we did learn
to love each other.
Truly.
Remember that Romulans
don't suffer loss as humans do.
We love deeply, and then we
honor that love by loving again,
even more deeply still.
When I first came to work here,
I saw you as a man
who chose the stars.
And, after all this time,
I've come to wonder,
have you been seeking
or running?
Am I being too personal?
No.
Please, go on.
Why have you chosen to be alone?
I'm hardly alone.
You know what I mean.
As you say, I've...
spent my life in the stars.
And is that
what you really want?
All...
you really want?
The part of me
that really wants...
...is the part
that has to wait in line.
Behind what?
Duty, I suppose.
The need to keep on moving.
And where is the heart
after all this constant motion?
What might you find
if you were to just...
stop?
Here?
Now?
♪ ♪
Yeah, it's very late, and
you've got that speech tomorrow.
♪ ♪
Jean-Luc!
♪ ♪
Why have you chosen to be alone?
♪ ♪
Jean-Luc.
My little Magellan.
Slipping away like that.
Might as well have sailed
straight off the edge
of the world.
Aren't we dramatic?
Paris is just a transport away.
And you've never seen skies
like this at night,
I promise you.
There's magic here.
Your father
can root around out there
in the dirt
while your brother
toils away at school.
This can be our place,
yours and mine.
We'll clear out the vines.
We can even paint
on these windows.
Our own world.
What do you think?
Will you fight less here?
♪ ♪
Yvette.
Come find me.
Of course we will.
But if we should shout
at each other now and then,
I want you to look up
and imagine how tiny our voices
are out there.
So tiny
you can't even hear them.
Look up at the stars, Jean-Luc.
Look up.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Starfleet Command,
this is USS Avalon.
We've detected a spatial
anomaly. Please advise.
♪ ♪
There you are.
I've been looking everywhere
for you
with a cup
of what is now definitely...
Earl Grey, cold.
I'm sorry. Yes.
Thank you.
I've been, uh...
Yes?
Uh, a book.
I've been trying to find it.
Um, it's a first edition.
Green cover and,
uh, gold lettering.
It's got to be somewhere
in these shelves.
Oh.
Thank you.
Laris.
Last night...
I was...
You.
You were you.
Yeah.
Nothing has to change.
It's too late for that,
Jean-Luc.
That's been clear to both of us
for some time now, I imagine.
Going forward,
it would all be too...
awkward.
And I'm too old for awkward.
Now, have you any idea
how hard it is
to be late in the age
of transporters?
And yet, somehow, you manage.
We often refer to space
as the final frontier.
But the older I get,
the more I come to believe...
...that the true final frontier
is time.
In command,
as in life...
...what we do in crisis
often weighs upon us
less heavily
than what we wish we had done,
what...
could have been.
Time offers many opportunities,
but it rarely offers
second chances.
And as steps forward go...
I would like to acknowledge
your classmate--
the first fully Romulan cadet
at Starfleet Academy-- Elnor.
May you all go boldly
into a future
freed from the shackles
of the past.
I stand before you
the last Picard.
My ancestor captained
the second ship,
behind Jacques Cartier.
A great-great cousin
Renee Picard
was instrumental
in early exploration
of this solar system.
Yet I choose to leave you
with the words of my mother,
who was no explorer at all.
When I was a boy...
...she would point
to the night sky and say,
"Look up, Jean-Luc,
"and let's see
what's out there."
- Psst.
I'm a little occupied
at the moment.
Come on out, freak.
Show me your ugly Borg face.
Let's try this another way.
The medical supplies
you're attempting to steal
are the property of
the Fenris Rangers.
If you leave now...
Emmet, a little help
here, please.
Computer, disengage hologram
safety protocols.
Safety protocols deactivated.
Ah...
Thanks.
No.
Stop talking.
I never should have
merged the holos.
There's got to be a way
to disable
your therapeutic plug-ins.
There it is.
You were saying,
about outside?
Show me.
What the hell is that?
If I may, I'd like
to make a toast.
We've been touring the galaxy
for over a year
since the Federation
ended the ban on synthetics,
and in that time
I've learned one thing:
you can't ask for trust
through an interpreter.
It needs to come from here,
through here.
She runs one sub-routine
on toasts
and she's the belle
of the ball.
She certainly is impressive.
Wow. Bright.
May I?
I don't bite.
I just wanted to see
what hands could create
such a wonder.
You're flirting, right?
This is how really
pretty people flirt, isn't it?
Oh.
You know, look, I'm half
in the bag anyway,
so I'm gonna give you
a little advice.
Uh, my longest lasting
intimate relationship,
including the one
that I just ended,
is less than a year.
I was recently cleared of
murdering my previous boyfriend
due to alien-induced
temporary insanity,
so I'm not exactly
dating material.
You know?
Oh, thank God.
Confused.
"Never talk to me again"
was literally
the last thing you ever
said to me.
In the nick of time.
I thought I was going
to have to break into
a medley of Deltan folk songs.
A hard-to-replace opportunity
to be sure, but...
I know. Rios called.
You're going.
I'm staying here to continue
being charmingly diplomatic.
If, by "heard,"
you mean you eavesdropped
on my private comms link
using your super robot hearing.
Well, you did ask me
to monitor you
for any potential
drunk hailing incidents,
so I extended the caution
to drunk answering.
I feel like that's an
exploitation of a technicality.
I'll call as soon as I know
when we'll be back.
I have a feeling you're gonna
be just fine without me.
And what about you and,
you know?
Yeah, I have to confess,
the whole
"we can totally still
work together" thing
made a lot more sense
back on Earth.
I would never say
I told you so,
but his new job does come
with a lot of pressure.
Please. How hard can it be?
One to beam up.
So, what's the big hurry,
Captain.
Shelve that. There's no time.
Give me a sec.
Kemi, get us there
as fast as you can short of
flying us through a sun.
- Comms, anything yet?
- Nothing, Captain.
Keep trying.
Lieutenant Urtern, I'll need
offensive and defensive
strategy reports.
I don't want to
get there without
a possible engagement plan.
- You good?
- Yes, sir.
Always on point. Thank you.
Sorry, some kind
of subspace anomaly.
Starfleet's ordered us
to investigate.
I could use you
on this one.
Your... your brain, I mean.
Well, that's kind of kind.
Course set, Captain.
Dale.
"Make it so."
Oh, the pressure of legacy.
It's your own fault, you know.
No one told you to accept
a command with baggage.
Bri'onn Raul.
Assignment: the Hikaru Sulu.
Cadet Maxwell Nagata.
Assignment: the Grissom.
Please report to your designated
transport berths.
So, how are things?
- I'm considering an update
to the Kobayashi Maru.
- Good.
I hate that test.
Well, I am very happy to be
chancellor of the Academy,
thank you very much.
Mm-hmm. Sure.
It forces you to focus
on Starfleet
instead of, you know, you.
And how is Seven these days?
Touché.
You know Seven.
There's always folks
out there in trouble.
What kind of asshole needs to be
more important than that?
But you would like to be.
To her.
Well, I guess she has me hoping
for something more.
You wouldn't understand.
I-I mean, of course,
of course you'd understand.
It's just that,
at the end of the day,
you two are so damn
self-sufficient,
happy to travel the stars.
Hell, I wonder if either of you
even get lonely.
Cadet Elnor.
Assignment: the Excelsior.
Elnor.
Admiral Picard.
I'd hoped to see you
before my departure.
- Exciting time.
- Yes.
I'm very excited.
But I'm also worried
my excitement
may be distracting me
from my studies.
It's paradoxical.
You know, there's a quote
in this book
that would be very appropriate.
This is written
by Spock himself,
and it's a memoir of the
challenges that he faced
when he was one of the first
Vulcan cadets in Starfleet.
"Exhilaration enhances
the absorption of knowledge."
In other words, live a little.
I will cherish it.
Thank you for the book, Admiral.
Better get moving, cadet.
We ship out in ten.
Commander Musiker, please report
to the Excelsior for departure.
Same ship.
Keeping him under your wing.
That boy's absolute candor
can get his ass kicked.
- So I'm protective of him.
Frankly, I find it
very pleasing.
All officers and cadets
to their ship for departure.
Mmm, they're playing my song.
Safe journeys.
- Admiral.
- Commander.
Lieutenant Urtern,
what am I looking at?
Spatial anomaly, Captain.
Minor tachyon levels,
but nothing critical.
For the moment
it appears stable.
The fabric of space-time rending
does not really shout stability.
- Captain Rios,
we're being hailed.
- On screen.
What are you doing here?
I was about to ask the same.
What the hell did you do
to my ship?
Correction, my ship.
Look after her, I said.
Instead, I used her
to take care of others,
which, in my line of work,
can occasionally be violent.
Besides, a few dents
look good on her.
Hi, Seven.
Lieutenant Sing?
Signal is originating
inside the anomaly, Captain.
A message of some kind?
Running it through
the universal translator.
Coming back inconclusive, sir.
A peculiar way of saying hello.
Let me deal with this.
Oh, sorry.
Captain, may I?
Captain?
Lieutenant, trust me,
you'll find it
much easier to just defer.
Displaying the signal
as a waveform.
Scattered, chaotic.
Analyzing.
Not language. Languages. Plural.
Dozens of them, all overlaid.
All asking... no, pleading.
Agnes... what does it say?
It says, "Help us."
"Help us, Picard."
Help us, Picard.
Help us, Picard.
♪ This road is paved ♪
♪ With good intentions ♪
♪ There's something 'bout me
I forgot to mention ♪
♪ Got a cheating heart... ♪
I'm gonna need some tea.
Earl Grey, piping hot.
Perhaps something stronger.
Captain Picard.
Admiral.
Oh, excuse me.
Admiral.
But you'll always be
Captain to me.
Hello, Guinan.
It's so good to see you.
And you.
Um, this is
for your private reserve.
Oh, well, with you
pushing a century,
and me pushing several,
I, I don't really think,
at our age, we should be
reserving anything.
Well, El-Aurians age
so very slowly.
Yes, but only if we choose to.
Now, I noticed that humans
don't like to be
reminded of their mortality,
so I, I try to keep up.
Well, thank you.
I don't think you're here
to reminisce
about the old days.
Seems like the new ones are
what's troubling you now.
What's wrong?
- I can't just miss
a dear old friend?
- You can.
But I've held your hand
while you've navigated
Federation diplomacy disasters.
I've seen you face down
some new galactic threat.
We have jumped universes
together.
I've got to say,
I don't remember ever
seeing you look quite like...
Oh, oh.
I'm gonna take that back.
I have seen you look like this.
And it's serious.
So this, as lovely as it is,
is not gonna cut it.
So, top shelf or hooch?
Hooch, I think.
Saurian brandy it is.
Come on.
It's not as if
I haven't loved before.
I have.
Sometimes quite deeply.
Yes, but always with those
who would only be temporary.
That's not entirely true.
So that you'd never
have to fear
any of them taking root.
You think I'm the fearful sort?
Oh, no. I think you've done
a great many,
many brave things, of a kind.
It's too late.
That particular ship
has sailed.
I watched it go.
Jean-Luc, you're being
ridiculous.
- Excuse me?
- Yeah, it's not too late.
The problem isn't time.
It's you.
You always talk about love
as if you ever
took it seriously.
And you know the only things
you've ever put out there
to break were your bones.
And the only thing you ever
risked losing was your life.
That's not an
insignificant loss.
There are worse things
than being dead.
You know that better
than anybody.
You've been on your own
for, what, nearly a century?
Why? What's holding you back?
Okay, why did you decide
to go to the stars
in the first place?
We've discussed this
so many times.
To explore, to meet
new civilizations...
Jean-Luc,
since I've known you,
the only place you have ever
been afraid to explore,
be it flesh and blood,
or an artificial synthetic,
is in here.
What happened in there
that you and I have
never talked about?
You know what?
I understand.
I think your answers
are not in the stars,
and they never have been.
Also, I suggest that we drink.
Because I think there's
one final frontier
yet to come.
Sorry to drop in on you
like this, Jean-Luc,
but it's a sensitive matter.
What is it, Sally?
Please make yourself
comfortable.
We've encountered something
unique in space.
We'd like to get
your eyes on it in person.
Oh. With all due respect,
Admiral,
there must be dozens
of better qualified people
than myself.
Its event horizon caused
a massive spike
in Adler-Lasky
temporal radiation.
And then it began...
well, to broadcast.
This is how it begins.
Help us, Picard.
Help us,
Picard.
Help us, Picard.
You said how it began?
The balance of the message is
the entirety of Article 15.
Article 15. An entreaty
to join the Federation.
An unknown entity that can
open and close
a hole in space-time
wants to join the Federation,
and apparently
will only talk to you about it.
♪ ♪
Jean-Luc?
Well, this is
an unexpected encounter.
Indeed. Dr. Jurati's
here as well.
Oh.
It's Admiral Picard.
Your reputation precedes you.
Well, the Stargazer was
my first command.
Uh, not this Stargazer,
of course.
But being here...
...it feels like
my life has come full circle.
She is quite a ship.
You don't agree?
The Stargazer is the first
of a new class of ship
that utilizes components
derived from research
on the Borg cube artifact.
Yes, of course.
That's right.
There are so many in Starfleet
who fear the Borg,
and I sense that my presence
is increasing
historic tensions and paranoia.
Admiral on the bridge!
Chris.
- It's so good to see you.
- You, too.
Welcome to the Stargazer.
Oh, thank you.
Oh, please, as you were.
Well...
...this is certainly sleeker
than my Stargazer.
The older these refits get,
the younger they look.
Unlike myself.
Well, mister, I think you look
absolutely positronic.
Agnes, I'm delighted to see you.
Circumstances notwithstanding.
- Status.
- Tactical, enhance.
Well, let's see if they have
anything else
to say to me personally.
Uh, if I may, Captain?
Knock yourself out.
Lieutenant,
all hailing frequencies.
This is Admiral Jean-Luc Picard
responding to your request.
I repeat, this is
Admiral Jean-Luc...
Picard!
Picard!
Energy spiking across the board.
- Something's coming through.
- I can see that.
Red alert!
Helm, back off.
Give us some distance.
Seven?
Yes, Admiral.
That ship is Borg.
Stargazer,
this is Commander Musiker.
Excelsior is standing by,
ready to assist.
Good to know you're there, Raf.
Well, Admiral, right now
we're the tip of the spear,
you're the ranking officer,
and the devil
is calling your name.
I'm fairly certain that
if we don't act, they will. So,
what do we do?
I don't know.
That out there
could be the very point
at which history turns.
Picard.
The Borg consume.
They assimilate.
They don't ask
to be assimilated.
Dr. Jurati?
I think caution is warranted,
b-but everything about this
is unique.
The Borg we know have been
effectively decimated,
functionally hobbled.
So wouldn't it stand to reason
- that they'd change tactics?
Absolutely.
Victory through
whatever means necessary.
And in the absence of strength,
deception.
But we could be putting a bullet
into the greatest ally
the Federation may ever know.
Precisely.
I don't believe
what I'm hearing.
The Borg have wiped out
entire races.
Killed tens of millions,
including my parents.
Subjugated exponentially more.
Yes, I understand.
I know this sounds cold,
but just hear me out.
If I'm wrong,
we destroy a Borg ship.
But if I'm right
and we do nothing,
then today is the beginning
of the end of the Federation.
Captain Rios to the bridge.
Sir, they're hailing us.
Let's hear it.
There is no more time.
We will begin negotiation
with Picard alone.
And how do you propose
to do that?
We will send an emissary.
We will offer our queen.
There's no way in hell
I'm letting them
on board this ship.
Broadcast fleetwide:
- Shields up.
Aye, Captain.
Sir, we have
an incoming transport signal.
Signal scans
indicate a single life-form.
Organic-synthetic components
consistent with the Borg.
Captain, do we fire?
Not yet. They can't transport
through our shields.
The queen is actually coming.
Rios, don't wait
until it's too late. Fire.
Open a channel.
Channel open, Captain.
- Borg vessel,
cease transport attempt,
or you will be fired upon.
Sir, her transport signal
is penetrating our shields.
- What deck?
- Here, sir. The bridge.
Hand phasers at the ready.
Moshe,
do not engage prematurely.
Yes, sir.
Security team to the bridge.
All security teams, report
to the bridge immediately.
That's new.
We wish for peace.
But first,
we require...
What?
What do you require?
Power.
Cease fire!
Stop firing!
The queen is stunning them,
not killing them.
Stop firing!
Isolinear fragmentation
detected.
Command node corruption.
Bridge controls redirecting.
Bridge control transfer 20%.
Bridge control transfer 40%.
What's happening?
She's accessing the board
modifications in the ship.
She's gaining complete access.
Weapons,
navigation, everything.
She's assimilating the ship.
Not just our ship.
The entire fleet.
She's using us as a hub.
She's getting the command codes
for all our ships.
Broadcast to the fleet:
All ships
- open fire on the Borg vessel.
I can't.
She's locked out comms.
She's assimilated
70... no, 75% of the ship.
- We're gonna get locked out.
Picard,
we cannot give her an armada.
You know that.
80% assimilated.
She's getting faster.
You're out of time.
85%.
We're out of options!
- Computer,
activate auto-destruct sequence.
Auto-destruct activated.
Awaiting final command.
♪ Non ♪
♪ Rien de rien... ♪
She's at 90%.
If it gets to 100,
we can't self-destruct.
Picard!
Authorization: Picard,
zero-zero-zero-destruct-zero.
The emergency destruct sequence
is now activated.
Destruction in ten. Nine.
Picard.
- Eight.
Seven.
Six. Five.
Look up.
- Four.
Three. Two.
One.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
Laris?!
Sir. Would you prefer your
morning beverage on the veranda?
The solar shields
are holding well this morning.
The sky is delightfully clear.
Who the hell are you?
Harvey, sir.
Are you feeling all right?
No. Where's Laris?
Laris. A Romulan name.
In colloquial English,
translates roughly
to "a new day."
Would you like me to check
the migrant rosters
- for such a name?
- What is happening here?
An excellent question, Jean-Luc.
Mon capitaine.
How I've missed you.
No. No, no. No, no, no. No.
Oh, dear.
You're a bit older
than I imagined.
Let me catch up.
There. Now we're even.
Q.
Goddamn Q.
Do you recall what I said
to you when last we parted ways?
The trial never ends.
What the hell
are you doing here?
You've been talking a lot
about second chances.
Well, my friend,
welcome to the very end
of the road not taken.
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