S’Iconians! Ric here and I have never been so happy to
be wrong. Last part I speculated that the narrative of Picard was heading into clichéd
organics vs machines territory, but that assumption, and one of my chief concerns has been usurped
by this episode. So, let’s review the latest from Star Trek Picard, “Broken Pieces”.
There will be spoilers ahead by the by, so let’s get started.
I feel like the show has found itself at last, it’s striking this balance between the grittier
tone that the new iterations are so fond of and the more hopeful themes of its lineage.
This of course seems to come from the revisiting of the last generation in the prior episode
and now we have a Picard who genuinely seems to believe once again in the higher moral
purpose and optimistic view. From the La Sirena side of things, there was not much to detract
from the characters and their actors, all the action was left to the Borg front.
I also mentioned that I’d need to see how Seven ended up on the Cube, made her way past
all the Tal Shiar and reached Elnor. We didn’t get any explanation. What we did get was an
awesome fight scene but I was expecting more than one Fenris Ranger to show up, unless
they really aren’t as big a group as they were in their prime.
So let’s start with the Borg Cube, Artefact, whatever. Hugh’s death last part has the
potential to Martyr the character and give Seven of Nine new purpose if she were to effectively
replace him as caretaker of the XBs simultaneously redeeming her darker course and turning Hugh’s
death into a sacrifice. I think that it what is intended, but so far, it’s not come to
fruition. Instead, her actions (creating a localised collective) are immediately foiled
by the Tal Shiar. Although it would have been SO awesome to watch her guide a legion of
drones, I’m sort of glad that it never happened. It would feel wrong for Seven. She herself
was not sure that she’d want to relinquish the collective if she re-established it in
any form, she wasn’t sure her individuality would be preserved and I felt that Seven was
closer to her younger self here, being far more abrupt in a pinch.
Then again all these drones died anyway at the hands of the Romulans. So was it the right
choice? Elnor sure seemed to think so. He knows how to fight, but in almost every other
aspect, he lacks worldly experience. “You can release them after we’ve won.” To
me, that’s still not good enough, but there’s no time to have a crisis of ethics and the
drones were doomed from the start. Kudos to the hesitation that was written into
the script here, even being used for good, she was unwilling to direct the drones into
servitude and this point was not shied away from. In the end, the collective that was
created seemed to be one of the XB consciousness’s but it was still rather chilling to see them
acting as a Borg once again, with the collective voice and the shift from white lights to green.
Ultimately this Borg Cooperative (?) chooses to release Annika, saying she still has work
to do, but I’m more invested in this side of things than I have been so far.
As for the La Sirena front, we can begin with Jurati. Picard seems determined to believe
the best of her, right up until she awakens. Even with Raffi and the EMH presenting pretty
damning evidence, Picard maintains her innocence until she confesses and I think it’s a little
gullible of him, but I’d rather that, than have him agree outright. His disappointment
speaks volumes and we continue to see that Agnes, although a traitor, is not protesting
her innocence, but willing to face imprisonment. This keeps her as redeemable in my eyes. She’s
still a psychological mess though. Picard describing Data to Soji was a lovely
scene laced with nostalgia through Picard and our memories. Not much else to say except
it was very poignant and bittersweet and very well written compared to some of the other
dialogue in this series. Equally beautifully acted was Picard reminiscing to Rios and his
view on the Federation’s direction. Picard has always held himself and others to a high
standard, so Starfleet falling short of this too was a bitter disappointment to the man.
Of course it’s easier to give in to fear when someone is stoking those emotions.
I just about buy that these characters are forming a rag tag crew, especially with Rios
at the centre, even more so than Picard. If it hadn’t been for the earlier scenes of
comfort between the cast throughout the show, I wouldn’t be buying that any of them actually
care for one another, but this episode solidified that bond between them for me, and just in
time too. Raffi gets to repay Rios’ coffee care, but only after she dives into the puzzle
of trying to figure out Rios’ psyche in hilarious interactions with the Holo-crew.
We learn that the La Sirena came with a 5-hologram package and that Rios’ mind was used as
the template for the holograms, one of many options for a first time installation. He
then deleted some of their memories, ones he’d rather forget too.
It sure is mighty convenient that Rios’ backstory also ties into the Synths, but hey,
narrative needed. And at least they’re making it relevant to him. During his tenure aboard
the USS Ibn Majid NCC-76710, we hear that his captain, Alonzo Vandameer (a man he idolised)
was forced to kill two synths on orders from Starfleet Security, Commodore Oh. Vandameer
could not live with the guilt and offed himself which messed Rios up. Rios then covered this
all up, fearful of repercussions and the whole incident was classified. A reoccurring trait
of Rios has been that his loner persona is a façade, one he perhaps wishes were more
real, but as Picard notes on his initial meeting, Rios still abides by the drilled in Starfleet
lifestyle, and he has great affection for Raffi and gets easily attached to Jurati.
I don’t recognise this ship silhouette, so I think it would be a new class and I want
to see it but here’s a similar one from “Those we left Behind” and a Sovereign
inspired interpretation. Also, the two synths that Rios met, one was Jana, an Asher style
synth, but the other was a man. Maybe a Maddox replica, or… dare I hope… a Data?
Admiral Clancy gets to swear at Picard again, so that must have made her day. But thankfully
she’s aware that she made a faux pas by denying him originally. An understandable
choice, but to blow him off so completely, tut tut, now you gotta help. However, the
call took place before he learned it was Commodore Oh behind everything, so Starfleet may not
know about the traitor in its midst. As for the opening. First question, why Foremothers?
All the Zhat Vash initiates were female, so is there a lore reason for this, are they
perhaps splintered from the Qowat Milat? So we learn these witches found a system that
houses eight suns. This is based on the real-life Nu Scorpii system which is suspected to have
at least seven suns and some really funky orbital mechanics. Seriously check it out.
What is going on here? Astronomers! What is this shit? Explain this NONESENSE! Real life
stuff is freaky, back the fictional. In Trek, the system is alluded to in Romulan
Star Atlases, long since considered apocryphal but it’s quickly decided to be of non-natural
origin. At the centre of this Orrery lies a single planet, Aia on which contains a 200,000
year old warning, an Admonition. Whoever placed that message there wanted it to be discovered
and listened to. Shame that how they’ve stored it, it seems to drive people mad which
in turn broke the collective of the Artefact when it assimilated Rhamda’s ship. Narissa
says it was the force of Rhamda’s despair but that’s dumb because I imagine despair
is a pretty common emotion during assimilation. Maybe there’s a more technobabble reason
going on. It did provide a vision of Data too among a series of images of destruction
and life, so I’m guessing it adds context to the visions?
This ancient culture was wiped from existence either by their own creations but its implied
they drew the attention of some greater malevolence? Whatever it was, passing a certain technological
zenith with artificial life cause their extinction and it is this marker, by which the Zhat Vash
charted their course. Commodore Oh infiltrated Starfleet upon learning of Soong’s work
and has been there ever since until she could influence policy. It’s speculated by Picard
and crew that Oh is the one responsible for the reprogramming of the Synths of mars, she
totally is, but they’re going to need proof. I can’t wait to get to work on theories
and ideas about this ancient species. So why wait? What do we know about 200,000 to 300,000
years ago and in particular, what stellar powers exist that can manipulate and entire
star, nay eight starts to create a landmark in the galaxy to locate their message? Well
the first answer is probably the most obvious. 200,000 years ago, the Iconians vanished.
Called the “Demons of Air and Darkness”, they were a super advanced technological species
who specialised in the use of gateways, I’ll link the relevant vids, to travel across vast
distances. It’s unknown what exactly transpired to
remove them from the galactic scene, but their home world shows evidence of massive orbital
bombardment. Picard himself has visited the planet and even used some of the Iconian tech
in the TNG episode “Contagion” where another captain and colleague of Picard’s Captain
Donald Varley had located their lost homeworld of Iconia. Where was Iconia? Coordinates 2
2 7 mark 3 5 9, Beta Quadrant, along the neutral zone, the Federation, Romulan border. This
confirms that the ancient species had a presence in Romulan space and their structures and
tech has survived the 200 millennia in working condition. Of course, to the Iconians, the
galaxy and perhaps the universe as a whole was accessible to them and even the Dominion
have located such gateways. Of course, there is too the creators of the
Dyson Spheres, vast feats of stellar engineering which eclipse anything Starfleet can do. So
maybe the species that constructed them was also capable or manipulating stars and creating
the Octonary. For more information on the Iconians, we’d
have to turn to memory beta sources. Picard reasons that they were a species of explorers,
based on their gateways, but other interpretations aren’t as kind. Namely Star Trek Online
(which Picard has already borrowed heavily from to construct its universe). Here, the
Iconians are depicted as a far less benevolent Empire. Although they would not consider themselves
evil, they did expand through subjugation and were unrivalled in their time until those
oppressed turned on them, forcing them to retreat into another realm. But what gets
even more interesting, is that they Iconians themselves were the first sentient race created
by the Progenitors. These were the people responsible for seeding the humanoid form
throughout the galaxy, in order to try to build a common thread and understanding between
the races of the future. That didn’t work out. But the themes of the creations overthrowing
the creators was prevalent here too. Again, this I reiterate, none of this is canonical
outside of Star Trek Online, but it makes for interesting theory craft and Picard could
take the ideas and reshape it into something similar? Or perhaps implied force that wiped
out the Iconians also wiped out this other race that created ancient synthetic life.
Especially if the Trek Universe as a whole is looking to build towards something that
could span several series but all unite in some way? This has potential.
Apart from Iconia being wiped out, what else was going on in the galaxies ancient past?
Well the Borg may have begun their origins at this time, but considering the level of
technology that the Borg have, while impressive is hardly sun shifting, so I doubt they’re
the creations that the Admonition mentions, unless they lost it all and seek to rebuild?
I don’t think this is as compelling as the whole Iconian angle. But basically, what threat
was great enough that it could wipe out a culture with the ability to move stars? And
the Iconians vanishing around the same time and Iconia being in roughly the same region
of space is a heck of a coincidence. So that’s my review and examination of what
was uncovered in “Broken Pieces”. Thank you for listening and I am looking forwards
to the theories and ideas from you guys! There’s been this lingering doubt in the back of my
mind about where Picard as a series is headed, but this episode did a lot to relive that.
What about you? Thanks again for watching and I’ll see you
next time. Goodbye!