In the last episode, Picard and Will Ryker take control of the Titan after being mortally wounded due to continuous attacks from Vedic’s vessel, Shrike, which always managed to find them by tracking the leaking Verterium on the ship. Desperate to escape the onslaught, Will and Ryker managed to get behind the Shrike, but the latter managed to turn their own cannons against them, leaving their ship with no power, to slowly disappear in the abyss of infinite gravity before being crushed. Shrike was a warship equipped with devastating portal weapons, putting the Titan at a huge disadvantage.
Spoilers Ahead
Making Amends
The rift between Ryker and Picard widens as Ryker accuses Picard of precipitating the ship’s demise and asks him to remove himself from the bridge. With every passing second, the Titan is sinking toward its demise, but Picard is never the one to give up. His adventures and passing age have taught him the valuable lesson that there will always be a time when all hope seems lost, and death feels like an inevitability; as long as the captain and the crew remain steadfast in their dedication to one another, they’re never without hope. Meanwhile, Ryker asks the engineers to redirect power from another system to the engines, but unfortunately, everything is malfunctioning, leaving shields at only 9%, and the more systems they utilise, the faster it runs out. They’re going down faster and faster as time goes on, with no way to escape as all systems have reached critical minimums. Ryker bids farewell to his old friend and suggests he spend his final moments with his family before the Titan is crushed by the gravity well. Ryker also leaves a message for his wife in case Starfleet manages to recover the vessel. Picard also shares a whiskey with his son in an effort to make up for the times lost.
Meanwhile, Vedic is ordered by her master to pursue the Titan into the gravity well to fetch Jack Crusher.
Finding The Saboteur And Hitching A Ride Out Of Space
Ryker reinstates Seven O’Nine, unbeknownst to other members of the ship, and orders her to find the changing saboteur working for Vedic, who could look like anyone by now. Seven O’Nine visits Shaw, brings him up to speed on the situation, and asks for his help since no one knows the ship better than him. Changelings are goo-like creatures adept in their ability to replicate a person on sight alone, making them very difficult to isolate. Shaw advises Seven to bait the changeling into coming to her by stealing its pot, and since it’s difficult for the changelings to maintain their form, they often rest in a pot or vessel. Seven manages to isolate the changes in Deck 5 and calls for help. Based on Beverly’s suggestions, Ryker and Picard decide to utilise the energy waves to get a little extra juice to hitch a ride out of the gravity well. But this won’t be easy, as they’ve got to navigate the massive vessel manually, just like Picard and Jack Crusher (the old) did to escape from a similar situation. With no choice left, Ryker decided to follow the mad plan where any error meant instant death. Picard takes the cone and orders the crew to engage in catching the upcoming wave. Meanwhile, Shaw and Seven kill the changeling who tried to sabotage the plan while the duo was hotwiring the ship’s engine.
Hitching A Ride Out Of Space
With decades of experience, Admiral Picard successfully manages to catch the wave while simultaneously charging the ship. However, the Shrike caught up to the Titan just 90 seconds before the warp drive went into effect. Ryker, with his quick wits, retrieved a big rock using the tractor beam and threw it toward Vedic’s spacecraft, giving her the taste of her own medicine. Vedic tries to revive the ship, but to no avail, as it would take hours to get the core back online. With Vedic taken care of, Ryker asks La-Forge to lock in new coordinates and get the Titan away from the nebula. Picard was right, as once again, he managed to overcome a no-win scenario with the help of his lifelong friends, son, and steadfast crew, who never even for a second allowed their faith in him to fade away. For Picard and Ryker, the people on the ship are not just crewmates; they’re family. They lift you up when you’re down, support you when all hope seems lost, and enable you to accomplish the feats you could never achieve alone. And now, in a way, his son Jack Crusher has also begun seeing himself as part of the crew. The episode concludes with a mysterious creature appearing in Jack’s cabin and asking him to find him, giving him a glimpse of the harrowing danger that lurks ahead.