Warning! Spoilers!

Picard season 3 episode 8 “Surrender” has aired and it does not disappoint. Now, admittedly, I’ve enjoyed all three seasons of Picard despite others having some negative views. Perhaps it is the nostalgia that I enjoy, or perhaps I just like older style sci-fi. Regardless, I’m grateful and glad this show was made as I’ve felt there has been a dearth of good new sci-fi shows since the pandemic. Let’s get to the episode...

Vadic, now fully in control of the USS Titan-A spends most of the episode showcasing her skills as a sadistic menace terrorizing the captive crew while taking away any working ship systems. She even takes it to a new level with crew executions, all for the purpose of obtaining Jack Crusher which has been the target since the beginning of the season.

Riker and Deanna make an escape from Captain Vadic’s ship, the Shrike, to make it back onto the USS Titan-A for a very heartfelt reunion. The crew reunited, easily overcome Captain Vadic and they strategize their next moves just hours before the reunion where all of star fleet and their ships will assemble. The show ends on a cliff hanger as Troi and Jack prepare to open the door that has been haunting his dreams the whole season.

Reminescent of the good old days...

I may be in the minority on this but I have enjoyed this season much more than Mandalorian which also ended this week. This could be the enjoyment of the nostalgia, or it could be the writing.

The final episode culminates in a battle with the arch enemy of the federation, the Borg. As a couple of my friends have lamented, Picard doesnt seem like the Picard of TNG (Star trek, the next generation), because of either his age or the show's writing. However at the beginning of the show he answers with an astounding "What began over 35 years ago, ends tonight!" The solution is to sever the connection from the borg collective to the rest of the fleet. The underlying conflict is if Jack Crusher dies as a result of this.

What Star Trek Picard brings us more than the old Star TreK: TNG is character development and the acting is more subtle, especially from Patrick Stewart but still powerful. The facial expressions from Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker) during this season would have been comical on his younger 30 year old self. The love between Deanna and Riker would have been too cheesy in the old, young versions. But with the older versions of Deanna and Riker, they appear as a quaint happy old couple, like your favorite set of grandparents.

Beverly Crusher is an ace gunman on a starship.