Previously on “Star Trek: Picard,” the tantalizing plot thickens as we delve deeper into the perilous world of DATA and his captivating struggle with his renegade brother, Lore. The two are locked in a dance of dominance and submission as they battle for control of their shared consciousness, each vying for ultimate power over the other. DATA’s yearning for freedom from his brother’s grasp is only matched by Lore’s intense desire to dominate and consume his brother, erasing him from existence entirely. Meanwhile, Admiral Picard and Beverly successfully capture Vedic and her minions and gain a clear understanding of her motives, plus the highly confidential Project Proteus. Unfortunately, Vedic breaks out of captivity and commandeers the Titan.
Spoilers Ahead
All Hell Breaks Loose
In a stunning and heartbreaking moment, Geordie makes the bold decision to unplug Data, risking everything to prevent Lore from gaining control of the vessel. But as the drama unfolds, it becomes clear that this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the ever-devious Vedic seizes control of the bridge and locks our heroes out of every system, including transport, effectively trapping them onboard. As the tension mounts and the stakes become ever higher, Vedic’s true nature is revealed in all its ruthless glory as she begins to kill Picard’s crewmates one by one in a twisted bid to force him to come to her. Desperate to get her hands off his big prize, Vedic dispatches a crew to find Picard and his son Jack Crusher. Vedic also tries to lure Jack by offering to show him who he really is, only to escalate to more drastic measures when her ploy falls flat. Given his experience, Picard knows that if one Vedic has Jack, she’ll blow the Titan to kingdom come before taking him to his master. However, Jack, given the newfound power that allows him to see what the changelings see, is confident that he can retake the ship. Jack’s mysterious powers give him the ability to connect to people and control their bodies, just like he did with La Forge. Maybe Vedic wants Jack for his unique and formidable power.
Picard reveals that Jack needs to find a console and enter a unique override code to gain control of the ship. With time running out, Jack takes control of one of the crewmates to enter Picard’s override code; unfortunately, Vedic intervenes and ceases the override. Angered, Vedic executes Lietenat T’Veen and threatens to continue killing until Jack and Picard give themselves up.
A Dance Of Seize-And-Control
Worf manages to sneak onboard Vedic’s ship and rescues William Riker and his wife, Deanna Troi. The group also comes across Picard’s remains and can’t help but wonder about Vedic’s intention for them. As established before, Picard succumbed to the strange illness, and Starfleet transferred his consciousness into a synthetic body, granting him a new lease on life. However, it wasn’t Picard’s body they wanted, but the sections of his body that were infected with Irumodic Syndrome. Nonetheless, “Why?” remains the primary question. Maybe Vedic plans to reverse the effect of the syndrome to make a more potent Picard to carry out his bidding.
Back on Titan, La Forge informs Picard that without an asynchronous AI matrix with computational speed beyond 90 trillion, gaining control of the ship would be impossible. Fortunately, there is someone on the ship blessed with such specs, but unfortunately, he’s in a constant squall with someone whose only aim is to wipe him out of existence. Picard and Jack make their way to Jordie and convince him to reconnect Data to the ship and reverse the partition so Data erases Lore and gains control of the ship. But unlike Lore, Data’s ethical programming ceases him from taking a life, but Gordie, running out of options, begins to reverse the programming. Jack Crusher also turns himself in to buy our heroes some much-needed time. Lore hates Data to the core and holds him responsible for taking all the glory he was destined to receive. Lore was restricted to a shelf while Data was running around at the Enterprise, playing favorites. Data gets to make good friends with Geordie, Will, and Picard while Lore was confined to a lab.
Did Data Manage To Erase Lore? What Happened To Vedic?
The battle for seize and control starts as Lore gradually begins wiping out Data’s cherished memories he shared with his old Starfleet colleagues. Fortunately, Data manages to overcome Lore’s programming and, instead of erasing him, merges with him. Now Data is a combination of Lore, B4 and himself. After breaking out of his brother’s control, Data takes control of the ship and signals Jack Crusher to shield him and Seven in a circular force field. Data then opens the evacuation hatch, pushing Vedic and his men into the vast and freezing emptiness of the space. Worf, Raffi, Riker, and Deanne also manage to leave Vedic’s ship before Captain Shaw orders his crew to reduce the Shrike into debris.
Although Vedic has been eliminated, the team realizes that she was merely a pawn in a much larger game. With only a few hours left before the Frontiers Day celebration, they must quickly uncover and foil her plans before it’s too late. Deanne also revealed to Picard and Beverly that the moment she stepped foot onto the Titan, she sensed a darkness inside Jack. She has been sending a voice—an ancient calling that’s alien to Jack. Jack reveals that he often has visions of a talking red door hiding sinister darkness that he’s too terrified to confront. As the episode draws to a close, Deanne enters Jack’s subconscious to help him face his deepest fears. Together, they navigate through the darkness and come face-to-face with the red-talking door that has been haunting him.