"Finding Old Friends and an Old Enemy"

None | Light | Moderate | Heavy | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Language | ||||
Violence | ||||
Sex | ||||
Nudity |
What You Need To Know:
The storytelling in Episodes 305 and 306 of STAR TREK: PICARD continues to be exciting and engaging. The production values and acting remain top notch. The villains turn out to be vengeful and genocidal. So, the conflict is a battle between Good and Evil. Also, the good guys display courage, honor, duty, and heroism. However, they also have some humanist, anti-supernatural attitudes. For example, there’s a reference to Fate and one to evolution. Finally, Episode 305 and 306 of PICARD have some foul language and two references to a breakup between two female characters.
The worldview, as so often in Star Trek is a mix of paganism with strong biblical morality. Due to its several weighty and dark themes, Movieguide® advises strong caution for teenagers and adults.
Content:
More Detail:
Episodes 305 and 306 of STAR TREK: PICARD open with Picard facing a court martial. Star Fleet has sent Commander Ro Laren, a former crewmember, to question Picard about his actions on The Titan and to make inquiries regarding Picard’s son, Jack. Meanwhile, Worf and Raffi get into hot water regarding their search for who might be behind the changeling threat. They eventually make contact with their former comrades, Picard and Riker.
After an emotional, phaser-pointing debate with Roe where a longstanding conflict is resolved, Roe reveals that Star Fleet is deeply compromised by the changelings, and she has been conducting a secret investigation to get to the truth. She reveals that the changeling attack is not an isolated incident, that Star Fleet has an undisclosed interest in Jack Crusher, and that the changelings have their sights on something beyond the portal weapon technology recently used by Vadic against the Titan.
As the intrigue grows, Picard discovers the corruption of Star Fleet goes far deeper than he imagined. Also, Jack’s disturbing visions make him not only a match for several changeling antagonists but a more mysterious figure than hitherto. Jack confesses to his mother, Beverly Crusher, that he thinks something is wrong with him.
Episode 6 opens with Picard and the others learning that although Starfleet defeated the changelings in the Dominion War years ago, a faction has vowed revenge. They’ve developed new powers that make it hard to detect their presence.
A new problem arises when Starfleet believes Picard and the Titan are guilty of the attacks on the fleet. Picard seeks help from his old Chief Engineer, Geordi La Forge, who’s now in charge of the Starfleet Museum. Geordi has been traumatized, however, by Data’s the android’s death years ago. He’s trying to protect his two daughters, but his younger daughter, Sidney, joined Starfleet against his wishes and is serving on the Titan.
Picard, Riker and Worf decide they must try to enter the Daystrom Institute to access their restricted files. They believe the rebel changelings stole another weapon of immense power from the Institute. Riker and Worf lead an Away Team to infiltrate the Institute, but Picard and the Titan have to flee and leave them behind when Starfleet appears. Things get worse when the changeling captain, Vedic, also arrives with her spaceship. Can Picard and the Titan return to the Institute to rescue the Away Team?
Episodes 305 and 306 of STAR TREK: PICARD keep up the high level of engaging storytelling, pressing questions, tension, and science fiction adventure that the season has so far demonstrated. Production values remain top notch. Episode 306 also showcases inspired humor and strong references to the STAR TREK series THE NEXT GENERATION that will delight fans of that series.
The worldview, as so often in STAR TREK, is a mixture of humanism and strong moral content which demonstrates that no one can ever be completely consistent in their non-Christian, non-Biblical worldview. The villains are genocidal megalomaniacs, so the conflict in Season Three of PICARD is a battle between Good and Evil. Many characters display courage, honor, duty, and heroism, but such values are extremely inconsistent with their spoken humanist, anti-supernatural beliefs about the universe. There’s also a reference to Picard’s new synthetic body by his son, Jack, and Picard’s reply is, “Fate has a way of surprising us.” Following this scene is a humanist longing, cited in a video recording, of a scientist famous for creating androids that, with the addition of evolution, the creation of androids and synthetic bodies for human beings will eventually generate “the hope” that “someone will rise to be the best of us” (Episode 306, minutes 29-31). Beyond this, there’s the Klingon warrior Worf’s conversion to pacifism and eastern mysticism. On this sad development, Commander Riker jokes, “I don’t understand the world anymore.” Episode 306 also has a woke scene where Raffi and Seven of Nine meet, exchange very awkward pleasantries, and are described as former lesbian lovers who had a breakup. Regarding such things, Worf jokes that in Klingon society, breakups usually lead to violence.
Episodes 305 and 306 have lots of action violence. Each episode also has some foul language, with Episode 306 containing the most.
MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children because of the negative content in Episode 305 and 306 of STAR TREK: PICARD.