‘Star Trek: Picard’ Recap – ‘Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

For the most part, season one of Star Trek: Picard has been quite reflective in nature and rightfully so. For Admiral Jean-Luc Picard is a man haunted by the past in this particular tale, thanks in large part to his own misgivings and the various traumas he experienced late in his Starfleet career. So, it makes perfect sense that the series would dedicate a fair chunk of time to having him face said past, and try to resolve the ache in his heart and that has made for some powerful moments for certain, the kind that have allowed the audience to be treated to some genuinely moving stories as we explore a vastly different galaxy with Jean-Luc and his new motley crew. 
 
But while it has been fascinating to see the Admiral reflect upon yesterday and work to make peace with his mistakes, thus far, the Admiral has not found that sense of closure that he is so desperately looking for. Because as of yet, there has been no redeeming act to provide him with a sense of internal peace, just a grand mystery to solve. But it would seem that at long last, we have arrived at Jean-Luc Picard’s possible redemption point, since this week’s episode of the series brought him face to face with his greatest challenge to date in his quest to save Soji and his soul. But it sure didn’t seem like that was going to be the case at first glance. Because the first half of ‘Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1’, felt like a grandiose old school Star Trek episode, one filled to the brim with action and adventure.
 
After all, there was a grand shootout with Narek high above Soji’s home world, shortly after the crew of the La Sirena emerged from the transwarp conduit, and we were even treated to the awe-inspiring visual of the Borg Cube emerging from the same conduit, which was quite the epic way to kick off this penultimate tale and the grandiose nature of these opening moments didn’t end there. For it wasn’t long before giant orchids appeared out of nowhere, and these space bound flowers were quick to latch onto every vessel in orbit, in order to drag them down to the surface to a fate unknown. But thankfully, everyone made it through the descent okay, and after catching their breath and learning about Picard’s condition; the crew of the La Sirena set out to explore this strange new world and that’s where the adventure portion of the tale came into play.
 
Because Picard and his friends were eager to uncover the mystery of the nearby settlement, a place that Soji identified as Coppelius Station. But before they arrived there, they made a quick pit stop at the badly damaged Borg Cube, allowing for a wonderful reunion to occur with Elnor and Seven and the various xBs who survived the crash. If anything, this is the only part of the story that really didn’t serve any major purpose, but it was nice to see Jeri Ryan in action once again. But shortly after bidding farewell to the cube, we finally arrived at the settlement and what we discovered there was incredible to say the least, since this was indeed a small city filled to the brim with androids, ones eager to meet these strangers from another world and welcome them into their peaceful home.

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​Yet what truly made this segment of the episode stand out above all else was the return of actor Brent Spiner, who just so happened to play another member of the Soong family; Dr. Altan Inigo Soong. And it was just an absolute delight to see another Soong living on this world, surrounded by another generation of androids based upon his late father’s work. Plus, the wonder of this world and the purity of this colony of synthetics made it seem as though Picard’s redemption was going to involve saving every last one of these unique beings from a horrible fate at Romulan hands and that they would rally behind the Admiral and his efforts. But the introduction of another android that resembled Soji, changed everything in dangerous fashion.
 
For Sutra wanted to know everything there was to know about the current situation and why the Romulans hated her kind. So, she used the Vulcan Mind Meld to dive into Dr. Jurati’s mind and what she uncovered there was stunning to say the least. Because she came to learn that the Admonition was not a warning of a forthcoming Armageddon, but a promise from a race of synthetic beings that were keeping an eye upon our galaxy in their endless search for artificial life. And that promise was simple in nature, in that, the instant synthetic lives were threatened, all the androids under siege needed to do was reach out and ask for help and these powerful beings would reign down vengeance upon their aggressors. A promise that would indeed bring about the end of all organic life in the Milky Way Galaxy and well, this discovery led to all kinds of problems for Picard and his crew.
 
Because Sutra firmly believed that invoking the help of these mysterious beings was paramount at this point, and that regardless of the kindness that Picard showed them, other beings would care little about the well-being of this colony of androids. Which brings us to the grand setup for Picard’s redemption. Because he will now have to figure out how to reach Soji and her people and get them stand down and get the Romulans to stand down as well. For if he doesn’t, the end will come and Soji will indeed be the Destroyer and his task will be monumental in nature. For the synthetics on this world don’t trust him, nor do they trust the Romulans, which means it will take every ounce of what makes him great to broker peace between organic and artificial life and truly, saving the galaxy and a race of budding beings is the perfect way to give a man that has spent the last fourteen years in isolation; the peace he so desperately needs.
 
If anything, this was quite the epic way to set up the season one finale of this magnificent series. For once again, Jean-Luc Picard is facing impossible odds, with little resources at his fingertips and you really cannot ask for much more than that from a penultimate episode. But while the setup alone was incredible in its own right, this was also an episode filled to the brim with top notch acting. For Isa Briones did a phenomenal job as both Soji and Sutra, since both characters were distinct in their own right and Brent Spiner deserves some serious credit as well for once again creating a Soong character that is vastly different from both Arik and Noonian. But all acting aside, this really was quite the cliffhanger, one filled with all kinds of surprises and suspense and it’s going to be a long and difficult wait for next Thursday’s finale. Wherein we will finally come to discover; whether or not Jean-Luc Picard will be able to find the greatness he once possessed, in order to save the galaxy one more time.

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