Spoilers Star Trek: Picard 1x06 - "The Impossible Box"

He's shown with 4 pips in the film itself.

 

Great episode. It took a little while for this show to get going but it has really picked up steam the last few weeks and this was the best episode yet.

The highlight of the episode was definitely the PIcard and Hugh reunion. It was excellent and Jonathan Del Arco gave a strong performance. I sincerely hope Hugh makes it out of this season alive. On a sidenote, I was recently watching The Sopranos and Del Arco pops up in an episode where he plays a priest trying to get money from Paulie for a festival.

Stewart also gave a strong performance and always has done a great job handling the trauma of The Borg. It's not a surprise it still affects Picard deeply. Seeing how the Project was helping ex-Borg was a really effective scene.

I can see Hugh staying behind, he's not going to want to leave behind the ex-Borg. Elnor staying, yeah, you have to hand wave there.

I thought the music score was a real standout in this episode. Very well done.

Raffi still gets on my nerves at times but really liking her friendship with Rios. Even the Romulan Lannisters come across as more effective here and the development in the plot here is exciting. Looking forward to more.

 

That might have been it. Even with them I didn’t notice anything unusual.

 

Yeah I’m clenching my teeth trying hard as hell to like Jurati, Rios and Raffi, but the writers aren’t exactly helping. I liked Jurati at first when she was portrayed as an intelligent, capable character but they started turning her into a ditz. Rios is still a borderline Han Solo clone.

But I am really enjoying Picard, Hugh, Soji and Narek. I also loved Picard’s Romulan roommates.

 

A 5 from me.

It's getting to the point that there's just too much they ignore when they take actions and Picard just seems to magically get what he needs to move the story along. There are some great character moments, but the way the story itself is being executed is just for me - Meh.

- Dr. Jurati manages to cover up her murder of Maddox, no muss, no fuss; and everyone (even Raffi who often seems suspicious of her own shadow) doesn't even raise an eyebrow. It's amazing to me that given Bjayzl was spending a lot of money for an Interfacer to negotiate with the Tal Shiar - no one in Picard's group finds it strange they would beat him to death beforehand? I guess she also somehow wiped the record the EMH had of her killing Maddox too?

- Raffi has a 'friend' at Star Fleet Command that seems to not really bat that much of an eye at providing Diplomatic Papers for Picard??!! Given that it's implied that if they show up without them it would be considered an act of war - and from all indications, the Treaty is tenuous (also how DID the Romulans manage to get concessions from the Federation over this as the Artifact/Cube by all. Hell, IF they don't have some sort of response from Star Fleet (IE sending a ship to intercept/monitor Picard, (especially after the CINC's reaction just a few days before Picard left) - it's going to make Star Fleet Command look just plain incompetent.

- Now I did like the sequences with Picard and Hugh on the Artifact/Cube (and I chuckled when in the middle of all this as they are running past reclaimed Borg, one of them says: "Locutus?"); and I don't mind the escape with the Spatial Projector; but Elnor just showing up and deciding to stay behind and Hugh going "Oh. I'll cover everything up so they don't know where you've gone..." - EXCEPT for the fact it was stated all communications in and around the Artifact/Cube are monitored - Picard (understandably) TELLS Cristobal Rios WHERE he's going because yeah, he still needs his ride) - BUT that means the Romulans on the Artifact/Cube should know exactly where he's taking Sanji as well; and you'd think Picard would realize this himself and at least pull Elnor along with him. I also have to wonder as Hugh's belief that somehow he can keep the Romulans from finding out how he helped Picard escape - but as he's Ex-Borg and maybe knows a way to 'fix' his situation, I'll let that slide, but I hope it is something they will address in some fashion over the last 4 episodes.

But yeah, with all the heat ST: D gets for 'crazy' plots and situations, it's hilarious tpo me that this episode is getting a lot of 9's and 10's when there so much that just 'works out" for Picard - especially getting Diplomatic Credentials from Star Fleet without anyone AT Star Fleet really batting an eye.

 

Long-range comms from the Cube would need to use the official Romulan comm array. A short-range transmission to La Sirena could be scrambled and handled by the ship's own systems.

As for Raffi not suspecting Jurati, the ep implies she's been in a drunken stupor since she got back from Freecloud. Hell, she might not even know he's dead, just that Picard got the info from him to go to the Artifact.

 

It helps that Jurati's the closest thing La Sirena has to a medical officer. And it's tough to come up with a plausible motive.

 

I agree, this was a great episode! The first 3 episodes laid the groundwork and was a tad slow, however, the last 3 have really progressed things well in terms of pacing.

For me it was "A" highlight but not "THE" highlight because I felt this episode had several. It was the most nostalgic to be sure, however, I find myself getting caught up in Raffi's story arc almost against my will. Last episode we see she has lost her son. This episode she loses a close friend for Picard. We see her being dissected bit by bit and it is emotional to watch.

He does. Stewart gives a number of great performances in this episode. The scene where he is pleading for Soji to trust him and go with him and Hugh is striking because he is sounding old and weak but for effect. We again feel that he is not the Picard of old. My fear is this is calculated to prepare us at some point for his death by series end. Also the scene where Raffi loses a friendship and Picard seems unmoved by her loss is a strong character moment. The mission above all else.

Well, I am big on "if they don't show it onscreen then they ain't dead!" Mainly because the caliber of writers they have I doubt they'd waste the potential of either 7 of 9 or Elnor and definitely not Hugh.

The only problem I have right now centers on the Romulans. I don't get all the intrigue to "unlock" Soji only then to try and kill her? … doesn't make sense. They knew she was synthetic since the start … so what was gained?

 

I didn't get it at first, either. They wanted to know the location of "the nest" where Soji came from, and apparently, "M class planet with two moons and electrical storms" is enough info... I would assume there were hundreds of planets this could apply to, but apparently not.

 

Obviously I am only speaking for myself. The difference between Picard and ST: Discovery is rooted mainly in the fact that the former has been editorially focused on telling a specific story a specific way while the latter's main weakness has been it's near constant change in direction and tone due to a revolving door of showrunners and writers.

And, so far, the quality of writing on Picard has been consistently superior to that of Discovery (and I am a fan of both series).

 

It would make sense for a sober and undistracted Raffi to immediately suspect Jurati, assuming that the death of Maddox will be new information to Raffi. Remember when Raffi scolded Picard about not giving Jurati a background check?

 

I think it was because they wanted to find out her homeworld. Once they got it, they tried to terminate her and it backfired.

 

They could have gone another way. Say if Soji got killed in that episode. There would have been a moment of desperation and then suddenly a clue that Picard had somewhere, in his holohome for example, would make him realize... turns out they're TRIPLETS!!!

 

No. He'd remember Data had 5 queens in his dream and that must mean they're *bum bum bum* QUINTUPLETS!

 

A ditz??? Her last big scenes were killing a dude. Explaining how said dude died (but leaving out the murdery bits) and snogging Rios. Not the exactly ditsy behavior.

Not seeing much Han in Rios outside of being a freighter captain.

What would anyone be suspicious of? Severely injured man is beamed aboard. In spite of the heroic efforts by Dr Jurati he dies.

 

Rios is more like Thadiun Okona from TNG only with a far darker persona.

 

According to those who saw the next one,

Spoiler

he's on active reserve or something like that

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...ision/latest?cb=20070818044312&path-prefix=en

Yes.

Maybe a lot of people here are in Japan - did they release 6 when they removed 7?

 

I always assumed thought it was kind of cheap how Picard got assimilated but came back with his body intact. I got the impression that the Borg cut off arms for those particular attachments, and apparently eyes were removed or severely damaged after having those eye pieces attached.
Picard's came out just fine. Seven and Hugh all those years? Just some stylish metal accessories around the eye, like a Mike Tyson face tattoo.
The only explanation for Picard is that he's the star of the show and everything has to reset back to the status quo more or less at the end of each episode.
Seven? She's the hottie, and the precedent was set with Picard, so there.
Hugh? Notice he has a little more noticeable scarring, different colored eyes, scars, and a bit more metal stuck to his face. Still a very friendly face compared to the other former Borg.

I do like the concept though of rehabilitating former Borg and this project being meant to restore their humanity and integration into society. I feel like ever since "Descent" the threat of the Borg have been watered down.
In PIC, it's not a continuing watering down of them as a threat, but instead looking at them from a completely different angle and growing the concept in new ways. The Borg as a threat can still be just as intimidating if not more, but with this concept there incorporating world-building into it. What status would former Borg or "XB" have in the Federation? Interesting stuff.

 

The concept drawings had him with an artificial arm at the end of BOBW

 

Interesting. Just a few days ago I was thinking why didn't they give Picard an artificial hand or something like Luke in Star Wars as a result of his Borg encounter. Maybe they felt that was too much baggage for a show that seemed to pride itself on having everything reset to the status quo at the end of every episode. Maybe it would be too jarring for audiences to have the "new Kirk" be a cyborg. The difference between him and Data would begin to lessen? At least according to viewers.