The Last Generation (episode)

Real world article

(written from a production point of view)

In a desperate last stand, Jean-Luc Picard and generations of crews both old and new fight together to save the galaxy from the greatest threat they've ever faced as the saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation comes to a thrilling, epic conclusion. (Series finale)

Summary[]

Teaser[]

Anton Chekov emergency transmission — Emergency transmission

An emergency transmission by Federation President Anton Chekov warns any who hear not to approach Earth, as the Borg have used a signal of unknown origin to assimilate the planet's youth and fully taken control of Starfleet. As the USS Enterprise-D makes her way there at maximum warp, the crew listens in grim silence as the President warns of Earth's imminent fall, and of their inability to stop the Borg signal and save their young people, but also reminds his listeners of what his father would say: "Hope is never lost. There are always possibilities." Until then, however, he urges anyone listening to avoid Earth; in the background as the channel closes, his staff are urging him to enter an escape pod.

Worf reports that the fleet has taken attack formation against Earth. Geordi adds that the orbital defense platforms have been destroyed, but Spacedock's defenses are repelling the assault. "For now," Riker warns, adding that the planetary shields will not stand up against the fleet, before wondering where the "cavalry" is. Data reports that emergency transmissions from all Starfleet and civilian ships have gone silent. "Apparently, we are the cavalry," he sums up. From his own experience, Picard knows the fleet is being controlled by the Borg Collective, a hive mind with a single voice – a voice that is nearby. Data scans and confirms via long-range sensors that there is a Borg vessel located at Jupiter. Picard orders a course to intercept.

Arriving in Jupiter orbit, the Enterprise detects a massive Borg cube in the center of the Great Red Spot. Beverly reports it is broadcasting the Collective and puts it on audio. Picard asks if she is able to find Jack amidst the cacophony of voices. She is eventually able to narrow it down, and Worf confirms that he is indeed the command signal. Riker guesses the Borg are amplifying the signal from the cube. Picard knows that the only way to save Starfleet, and Earth, is to sever that connection, no matter the cost: "What began over thirty-five years ago ends tonight." He orders Geordi to take them in.

Act One[]

The Borg-controlled fleet continues to blast away at Spacedock's shields, including the USS Titan-A, with Esmar in the center chair. Sidney La Forge detects unauthorized movement on Deck 5, and the order is given: "Eliminate all unassimilated." Meanwhile, the unassimilated are able to hold their own, with Seven of Nine in the lead, making their way down a corridor and into a turbolift to the bridge. From the opposite lift, Musiker leads another team just behind Seven's, and both exchange fire with the assimilated bridge crew. But those shot by the unassimilated are taken by a transporter beam; the crew has linked their phasers to the transporter system (perfecting the "portable beam-me-up" as Seven jokingly calls it) to lock their assimilated crewmates inside Transporter Room One. Seven orders her people to seal the bridge and take their stations. One ensign protests that he is just a cook who took lunar flight training, but never finished because of problems at home. Seven interrupts by saying he was a pilot, which makes him their pilot, and encourages him to take his station. Dr. Ohk brings up the maintenance channel over communications, where the unassimilated officers of the fleet report being overrun. Seven urges her crew to find a way to get them out of fleet formation mode, preferably before the Collective realizes they have retaken the ship.

At Jupiter, the Enterprise approaches the cube. Data's scans indicate it is only 36 percent operational, and what power it does have is being used to broadcast the hive mind. Picard turns to Troi, who admits she has never felt anything quite like this before, a "quiet suffering" as she puts it. Data admits he hates the Borg for all the suffering they have inflicted on so many. Troi is able to sense Jack, but he is totally consumed by the Collective. Worf asks the question on their minds: What if Jack is at the point of no return? But both Picard and Beverly reject that idea. Just then, Data detects that the cube has scanned them… and lowered shields and redirected its weapons. Picard calls it an "invitation," and says their objective is clear: Locate and destroy the beacon that is transmitting the Borg signal. Geordi warns the signal is so powerful, it is scrambling their sensors. The only way to find it will be to beam aboard the cube. Beverly asks if there are any life signs, and Data puts the readings on screen. She then has the computer narrow down the signals that mimic Human brain waves. She believes she can use those readings to pinpoint Jack's location, recognizing that Picard intends to go down himself. Picard asks her to lead him to Jack, complimenting how she had brought him that far, and asking her to let him be the one that brings their son home. Riker and Worf both volunteer to accompany Picard. Data eagerly does so as well, but Picard needs his expertise on the ship. Beverly agrees; while she wants nothing more than to tear the Borg limb from limb herself, they need every advantage they can get and that means staying on the Enterprise, to which Data reluctantly agrees. Riker shares a last, silent look with Troi, who looks pained at what she senses. Picard leaves Geordi in command, and before entering the turbolift tells his old shipmates it has been an honor serving with them.

They beam aboard the cube, where Riker worriedly notes the lack of movement or even sound; on a cube that size, there should be thousands of drones. Worf notices his "disappointment" at not being outnumbered, and Riker admits he had never been in any "too-quiet situations" that ended with a pleasant surprise. "You don't leave the doors open if you want to keep the wolves out," Picard agrees. They find a Borg drone dead in its regeneration alcove, and Worf's tricorder scans indicate the necrotic tissue is being consumed. Riker wonders what they could be sustaining, and Picard grimly wonders whom. As they continue their sweep, every drone they find is dead; the cube is essentially a tomb, which explains the lack of bio-signs. Picard points out that in the absence of one army, they simply raised another. Beverly reports from the ship that she has found Jack's bio-signs in a chamber one level below him, which Picard recalls being near the unimatrix array and below the transporter platform. When Riker asks how he could know that, Beverly believes some part of Picard, even in his golem form, must still be tied to the hive – which is how Picard knows it is now time to part ways, as he can no longer be their captain, but now has to be a father. He tells them to find the beacon, and thanks Riker for his loyalty over the years, which means so much to him; as he is about to say something similar to Worf, he tells his old captain that there are two turns of phrase a Klingon never admits to knowing: defeat and farewell. As Riker and Worf leave, Picard asks Beverly to lead him to their son. She warns that she can lead him to the next level, but the interference will increase after that. As she is about to make an admission of her own, Picard assures her that she did "everything right" with Jack.

As Picard proceeds alone into the cube, he finds Jack, now Võx, giving orders to the new Collective. He declares to the worlds of the Federation that their biological and technological distinctiveness will contribute to the greater whole, their cultures will evolve to serve the future, and peace and prosperity will spread throughout the galaxy. Assimilated into the Collective, they will exist in a universe without fear or loss, unbroken, perfect. Picard tries to reach out to him, saying he is there to take him home, when laughter echoes in the chamber. He looks up to see the mutilated Borg Queen, held up in the wall behind Jack. She tells Picard that Jack is home, as is Picard: "At last, Locutus has returned… to his true family, to his Collective… to me."

Act Two[]

Aboard the Titan, as the battle rages around them, the unassimilated crew has detected the Enterprise near the Borg cube on Jupiter. Musiker wonders how they could be using it, given its age and condition, but Seven realizes Picard's plan, using an older ship that is not controlled like the rest of the fleet, and wonders how they can do the same. Musiker sees the signal as being propagated by line of sight, which means if they can't see the Titan, they can't control it... and Seven knows they have a way to be unseen. She orders tactical to upload every prefix code they have for the entire fleet and scramble their shields; they can't fire while cloaked, so they will have to be fast. The cook/pilot protests at the idea of one ship against the entire fleet. Seven tells her crew she is not asking them to give their lives for nothing, but to fight for what's below, on Earth: their families and children. The Borg took their crew and killed Captain Shaw; now, they are all that is left of Starfleet. Musiker reports the cloaking device is online, and Seven gives the order.

Picard demands to know what the Queen has done to Jack; the Queen smugly replies that she could do nothing, as she has only her words, and the "soft assurances" of a mother's love. "You are not his mother!" Picard shouts in rage, as he fires his phaser repeatedly at the Queen, who is protected by a shield. The Queen goes on to say that there had been no Collective until recently, just herself, an "unimaginable loneliness" that she and Jack shared. Picard accuses her of worming her way into his head, but she retorts that Jack found her, at the very edge of space, where she had been abandoned to die of starvation and age. As the cries of her "children" died out, she heard another voice, louder and clearer: Jack's voice. Picard demands she release Jack and take him instead, but the Queen refuses. The future of the Borg does not lie in assimilation, she believes, but evolution.

Riker and Worf make their way through the cube to find the beacon, and Worf is able to locate a central access terminal. Riker expresses the hope that the Borg have been too busy dying to upgrade their codecs. As Worf communicates with the Enterprise, one of the "dead" drones awakens; as Riker finds the broadcast emitter, another follows suit. Meanwhile, on Earth, the Titan weaves its way through the assimilated fleet, decloaking, firing, and recloaking to avoid being retaken by the fleet automation, attempting to buy Picard and his crew time to stop the Borg.

Picard condemns the Queen as insane, consuming what little "Collective" she had left. The Queen replies that she did so only for this moment, so that Picard could stand as witness. He asks what it is he is to witness. "Your future's end," she replies. She had made the deal with Vadic and her rogue Changelings to be her weapons, because they too understood the pain of losing a generation to Starfleet. Together, they weaponized Picard's biology, rewriting the Borg machine code into genetic code. They no longer have to consume materials to continue, but could now reproduce through biology, propagating a new Collective with a single purpose: not just to assimilate, but to annihilate.

Aboard the Titan, the assimilated crew manages to force their way out of the transporter room, while the drones activate aboard the cube and attack Riker and Worf. The cube begins opening fire on the Enterprise, and Geordi orders evasive maneuvers. Worf passes Riker his kur'leth, the latter being surprised at its weight; Worf directs him to the hilt, where he has concealed a phaser. The Titan continues its hit-and-run attacks, narrowly missing being hit by a photon torpedo. Musiker warns the fleet is using predictive algorithms to find them, and the pilot warns that it is working; the fleet redeploys assets to pursue them. On the Enterprise, Geordi warns Beverly that he didn't have time to work on the weapons, so she will have to fire them manually. The doctor proves more than up to the task, however, inflicting considerable damage. When all eyes turn to look at her in wonder, she smiles and shrugs, saying that a lot has happened in the past twenty years. Meanwhile, Riker wonders why Worf never used the hidden phaser that whole time, and Worf replies only that "swords are fun." Riker tells the Enterprise they should have the schematics for the beacon now. Troi examines the schematics and is able to detect the location – that's the good news. The bad news, Data adds, is that it is at the heart of the cube itself. Geordi believes it impossible to reach, even for a pilot like his daughter Sidney. Data, however, has other ideas, and takes the ship in. When the others protest, he pleads with them to trust him; while he agrees it is statistically almost impossible, his "gut" tells him he can do it. Geordi finally agrees to go with Data's "gut," and Data takes them in, weaving through the structure of the Borg cube. Troi wonders why she can suddenly sense enjoyment; as if in answer, Data has an almost ecstatic look on his face as he navigates through the cube.

Spacedock finally falls to the relentless assault, and Earth's planetary shields collapse. The fleet redeploys to target all of Earth's major population centers. As Seven orders another strafe run, the ship violently shudders; Sidney and Alandra have destroyed the Titan's cloak, which will allow the Collective to retake control of the ship. Picard tries to reach out to Jack, who directs the fleet to fire on Sector 001. In desperation, Picard begins ripping out the cables connecting his son to the cube. The Queen warns that it will kill him; severing the link would sentence his mind to "insurmountable, unsurvivable shock," and that only Jack himself could choose to leave now. The Titan is neutralized, and the fleet targets Earth's major cities.

Data brings the Enterprise into the center of the cube, where they see the beacon for themselves. As Beverly prepares to fire, however, Geordi stops her short, and asks if Data sees the same thing he does. Data confirms the beacon is integrated directly into the cube's systems; destroying the beacon will set off a chain reaction that destroys the entire cube, and everyone onboard. Beverly protests that there has to be another way, but Troi lays down the situation bluntly: If they destroy the cube now, they will kill everyone onboard, but if they wait, the Collective will wipe out everyone else. Geordi looks up at Beverly, who is struggling with the idea, but finally, she quietly nods. He then calls Riker, who has heard every word. They have a transporter lock on Riker and Worf, but not Picard, and prepare to beam them out. Riker, however, has no intention of leaving Picard behind. Troi warns that he will have a minute at most to get out the moment they fire, but Riker believes he owes Picard a lifetime; a minute is the least he could spare. He promises to see her soon. Worf quips that there had been a moment he was worried they might actually survive, as he joins Riker. Data reports he has lost their signal; Riker and Worf have crossed into the dead zone.

Picard continues to rip out cables; the Queen now sounds worried as she asks what he is doing. Picard replies that he vowed never to return to the Collective and had been running half his life from it. But now he has something to go back for. As Riker and Worf catch up to him, Picard takes a cable and jabs it into his neck, connecting himself to the Collective. Inside, he finds Jack, who says he can hear so many voices, welcoming him – all joyful, no loneliness or fear, perfect. Picard tells him the euphoria isn't real, that perfection is not evolution, but death. He knows Jack has always felt different, hungering for connection while trying to keep people away, to keep them from seeing who he really was. Picard had been the same, having joined Starfleet to find a family he didn't have, and he had found it, and let them in. But there was always a barrier; he too thought there was something wrong with him, and he waited, waiting in his vineyard to die alone. But now, he realized that Jack is the part of him he never knew was missing. Jack insists that it was all written before his birth, that this is what he was meant to be, and this is where he belonged.

Aboard the Enterprise, Geordi knows they are out of time, and hopes their friends have some left. He turns to Beverly, who nods, and targets the beacon. He gives the order to fire, and the Enterprise destroys the beacon with a barrage of torpedoes and phaser fire. Riker turns to Worf and asks if it is "good enough," and Worf agrees that it is a fine day to die with honor. As the Enterprise makes her escape, Data is attempting to lock onto the others, but the shockwave of the beacon's destruction is interfering with the transporter signal. Picard decides that if Jack will not leave, he will stay to the end, telling his son that he has changed his life, and embraces him. As he relives all of the memories with his parents, Jack finally awakens, and begins frantically tearing out the cables himself, including that connecting Picard to him. Riker speaks aloud, hoping Troi will hear him, assuring his imzadi that he loves her and will see her soon, together with their son. Troi, sensing him, realizes she knows precisely where they are, and rushes to take a seat at the helm.

The Queen rages that Jack had been born there, and so will die there. Jack retorts that the time of the Borg is over. The Queen reminds him that even if he survived, he would be changed, broken, alone. Looking to his father, Jack replies that he won't be alone. The Enterprise flies in overhead and once reorienting its direction is able to beam them to safety. The Collective orders its last directive to be carried out now that the "command signal" – Jack – has been interrupted. The Queen wails at her defeat as she is taken by the fiery explosions and the Borg cube is torn apart, the Enterprise escaping just in time with flames licking at her shields. Aboard the Titan, the assimilated crew reaches the bridge, but as the Queen's cube is destroyed, the nanoprobes fade. The crew looks around at one another in confusion. Sidney, realizing she was just pointing a phaser at Seven, begins to apologize, and breaks down crying as Seven hugs her, assuring her it is over.

Aboard the Enterprise, Picard emerges from the turbolift together with Riker, Worf, and Jack, who has had some of his Borg implants removed from him. On screen, Geordi is relieved to see his daughters are safe and sound with Seven and Musiker. Worf sinks into the chair to the left of the captain's seat and is briefly heard snoring to Geordi and Data's amusement, exhausted from his ordeal. As Jack is reunited with his mother, Picard welcomes him aboard the Enterprise.

Act Three[]

"Captain's log, Stardate… shall we say one. The first of a new day for friends both old and young. Starfleet had implemented a fleet-wide transporter solution to purge our young officers of the Borg infection. A world-saving effort developed by our new head of Starfleet Medical Branch – Admiral Crusher, who also managed to spearhead technology that privately scans for other irregularities. In constant need for information, Our changeling adversaries kept yet did not kill many of their targets. From the lowest of ranks to the very highest."

The Enterprise and the Titan arrive in Earth orbit amidst the wreckage of the battle. Beverly is promoted to admiral and named the head of Starfleet Medical, where she develops a transporter technique to purge the Borg code introduced by the Changelings, as well as more easily detect Changeling infiltrators. The targets replaced by Changelings are recovered alive, including Captain Tuvok, who meets with his old friend Seven in the Titan's conference room. Tuvok explains that in light of the recent events, the Enterprise veterans are receiving full pardons for hijacking the Titan with Seven's help. However, Seven's aid to them, and her disobedience of her captain, must be taken into account. Seven thinks her instincts don't fall in line with Starfleet protocol, and so she is electing to resign from Starfleet. However, Tuvok shows her the officer review sent to Starfleet Command by Captain Shaw prior to the Titan setting course for the Ryton system, in which he refers to her both by his preference ("First Officer Hansen"), then more accurately by hers, "Seven of Nine." In his message, Shaw admits to being a "relic of an older time" that followed "the book," which he concedes is "boring," whereas Seven is reckless and unrelenting, and "doesn't give a damn" about protocol or procedure. However, he also believes she is brave and loyal, thinks that the "book" that she would write would be "great," and that maybe the rules she breaks were broken to begin with anyway. He ends the review by recommending that Seven be promoted to captain upon their return to port. Seven is stunned to tears by the revelation, before Tuvok gently denies Captain Seven's resignation.

Musiker is listening to a message from her ex-husband Jae Hwang, who is impressed with what he has heard about her part in what happened; their son Gabriel is "still in awe," and both are eager to see her again, and she is in tears upon seeing the camera turned to the face of her granddaughter. She is encouraged to say hi to 'grandma', but at her silence, Jae apologizes from off camera, explaining that the little girl can be quite shy. At that moment, Worf enters, saying he has been told that tears are a body's weapon against pain. Having never wept himself (as Klingons have no tear ducts), he hopes hers are happy ones. Musiker explains that her son has heard about what happened and reached out to her, inviting her to meet her granddaughter for the first time. Every newscast her family had seen had shown Musiker's face, as well as all of her classified valor commendations. Worf, with a knowing look in his eye, thinks whoever leaked the information is an "honorable maverick," and Musiker, realizing what Worf has done, adds that they are a dear friend as well. Worf hopes that she will find happiness with her family, and Musiker hopes that he will continue to be a warrior for peace.

Data is in a counselling session with Troi, knowing how he could be overwhelmed by emotion, given how traumatic his experiences were: life, death, self-realization. Data admits the transition has been difficult, and finding balance is challenging. Troi remarks that they have gone over their time by an hour (again), while her PADD shows a list of places to possibly take a beach vacation, looking particularly at Kaphar Prime. Meanwhile, Data goes on about the trials of finding his Humanity; he sometimes feels joyful, other times melancholy, some anxiety and ease, some anger. Being Human, he concedes, is just as difficult as the desire to be so, as well as "infinitely more complex" than he imagined. He realizes he is rambling on, and apologizes, asking if they would meet the same time tomorrow. "Can't wait," Troi replies, not-quite-sincerely. As they approach the door, Riker arrives, asking how Data is feeling. Addressing Riker as "commander" (the last rank he recalls Riker having), he replies that he is "okay." After Data leaves, Riker jokingly asks if he is still "batshit insane," to which Troi smacks him in the arm while laughing.

One year later, Picard, Riker, and Geordi stand on the bridge of the Enterprise-D, now completely restored and given a place of honor at the Fleet Museum. Picard muses that if there was ever evidence that the past mattered, it was right there. Geordi wonders how many times she has managed to "save the world," and Riker thinks it is more than the years will allow "three old men" to remember. Geordi thinks on what they might have been like without the Enterprise, and Riker believes they would certainly have been different – but not better. After a moment of reflection, Geordi has the computer initiate the shutdown sequence. Riker admits to missing the old computer voice. Picard tells Geordi to "take care of her," and Geordi agrees; after all, she has always taken good care of them.

At the rebuilt spacedock, Picard and Beverly pilot a shuttle inside, while Jack, now commissioned as an ensign, paces behind them. Jack insists he is not nervous, but Beverly points out he is pacing nervously. Picard recalls doing the same before his first assignment, saying he walked "a light year in a circle" before beaming aboard. Beverly notes the unusual step of the accelerated officer's track, and Jack thinks it might have been nepotism; after all, the family name means something. Picard, however, assures him that names mean nothing, and it was all Jack's doing, before expressing his pride in him. He also mentions that Jack never mentioned where he was being posted. This is why Jack is so nervous, not for himself. As the shuttle enters the bay, Picard sees the Titan… only Jack says it is "not quite" the Titan anymore. Beverly apologizes for the subterfuge, knowing how much Picard disdains fanfare. As they approach, Picard is stunned almost to tears to see that the Titan has been rechristened in honor of Picard and his crew: USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-G. "Names mean almost everything," Jack tells him. "Welcome to the Enterprise, admiral."

Jack steps onto the bridge and calls for the helm to set a course for the M'talas system, and for tactical to fire all weapons. As he sits himself in the captain's chair, Seven orders him out. He protests that it is "so cozy," but Musiker – now first officer – reinforces it. Seven tells Sidney, now a lieutenant jg, to ignore everything Jack just said, and Sidney replies that she usually does. Seven emphasizes that it is just a shakedown cruise. Musiker remarks on how Starfleet saw fit to give "a thief, a pirate, and a spy" their own ship. Jack agrees that they sound like a bunch of "ne'er-do-wells and rule-breakers." "What could possibly go wrong?" Seven asks rhetorically. Mura reports all engines online, and deflector shields are prepped for warp. Jack asks where he is needed – communications, since he can speak thirteen alien languages, tactical, since he knows the "ins-and-outs" of the universe's most "nefarious characters," or perhaps the science station, not his strong suit but he has been able to "science [his] way" out of situations. Seven stations him in the left-hand seat, as "special counselor" to the captain. Esmar reports they are cleared for warp. Musiker asks what the order will be: "engage," "make it so," "take her out," so on, as a captain's first official act of command has a "long history". Jack thinks of it as writing the opening line to one's legacy, and wonders what it will be. As Seven gives the order, the new Enterprise goes to warp.

William T — "*We're grateful to have ridden the tide with you.*"

At 10 Forward Avenue, the old crew of the Enterprise has gathered; Riker calls it the "end of the road," and that they had closed the place down… again. Geordi notes that Guinan has been giving them the "side-eye" for the past half hour, to which Troi attributes to a certain someone draining the bar of all the bloodwine – and surprisingly, she is addressing Beverly. Beverly thinks they should have music, much to Worf's dismay; he is looking to leave, as he has a lecture on Mugato meditation to give the next morning. Riker and Troi are also thinking it's time to call it a night, planning a "whirlwind vacation," but can't quite decide a destination – the luminescent beaches of Kaphar Prime, or Orlando, something Geordi calls a "tough choice." He calls for one final toast, to which Data prepares to give a rather humorous one before being talked down. Riker looks to Picard, who quotes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures." As they clink their glasses, Picard adds one final note: A playing card, bringing the crew together for a few hands of poker.

Mid-Credits Scene[]

Settling in his quarters on the Enterprise, Jack sets his bag down on his bunk. "Well, look at you, a chip off the old block," a voice says behind him. Jack turns, phaser in hand, finding himself face-to-face with Q. Picard had told Jack all about him, but Jack had thought that Q was dead. Q quips that he had hoped "the next generation" would not think so linearly. He tells the "young mortal" that he had much ahead of him. Picard had told Jack that Humanity's trial was over, and Q replies that it was – for Picard. For Jack, however, the trial has just begun…

Log entries[]

"Captain's log, Stardate… shall we say one. The first of a new day for friends both old and young. Starfleet had implemented a fleet-wide transporter solution to purge our young officers of the Borg infection. A world-saving effort developed by our new head of Starfleet Medical Branch – Admiral Crusher, who also managed to spearhead technology that privately scans for other irregularities. In constant need for information, Our changeling adversaries kept yet did not kill many of their targets. From the lowest of ranks to the very highest."

Memorable quotes[]

"This is President Anton Chekov of the United Federation of Planets broadcasting on all emergency channels. Do not approach Earth. A signal of unknown origin has turned our young against us. They have been assimilated by the Borg. Our fleet has been compromised and as we speak, our planetary defenses are falling. Sol Station is defending Earth as best it can. But we're almost out of time. We have not been able to find a way to stop this Borg signal and unassimilate our young. But I know if my father were here, he'd remind us all that hope is never lost. There are always possibilities. Until then, I implore you: save yourselves. Farewell."

- Anton Chekov

"What began over 35 years ago ends tonight. Mr. La Forge, take us in."

- Picard, when the Enterprise-D encounters the mammoth Borg cube at Jupiter

"So much pain. So much misery inflicted on so many. I hate them."

- Data, on the Borg

"You're not going alone."
"And I will make it a threesome."
"Do you even hear yourself?"

- Riker and Worf, to Picard

"It's been an honor serving with you all."

- Picard, to his crew on the bridge of the Enterprise-D

"Will, thank you. I – It means so much to me."
"You know that I know. Always."
"Mr. Worf..."
"There are two turns of phrase that a Klingon never admits to knowing. Defeat and farewell. We should be going."

- Picard, Riker, and Worf

"At last, Locutus has returned. To his true family. To his collective. To me."

- Borg Queen

"You had this in there the whole time? A phaser and you didn't use it?!"
"Swords are fun."

- Riker, after Worf shows him a phaser hidden in the hilt on his kur'leth

"Why do I suddenly sense the feeling of enjoyment?"

- Troi, once Data begins piloting the Enterprise inside the Borg vessel

"Then, if you won't leave, I'll stay with you. Till the end. You have changed my life. Forever."

- Picard, to Jack Crusher

"You were born here and you will die here!"
"It's done. The time of the Borg is over!"
"As are you! Even if somehow you survived, you will be different, changed, broken, alone!"
"No, no I am not alone."

- Borg Queen and Jack Crusher having the final argument the Queen will ever have with anyone before her death

"If ever there was better evidence that the past mattered, it's right here."
"How many times has she managed to save the world?"
"No doubt more than the years will allow three old men to remember."

- Picard, Geordi La Forge, and Riker before shutting down the Enterprise-D

"Take care of her, Geordi."
"Yes, sir. After all, she's always taken good care of us."

- Picard, to Geordi La Forge as they leave the Enterprise-D at the Fleet Museum

"I have been told tears are the body's weapon against pain. Having never wept, I hope yours to be happy."

- Worf, to Musiker

"Be happy with your family, Raffaela, warrior of the House of Musiker."
"And you, Worf, House of Martok, continue to be a warrior for peace."

- Worf and Musiker, saying goodbye

"All right. One final toast, hmm? Data? This one's yours."
"Oh, ahem. There was a young lady from Venus..."
"Data!"
"I always wanted to finish that."

- Geordi La Forge, Data, Beverly Crusher, Worf, Riker, and Troi

"I still can't believe Starfleet saw fit to give a thief, a pirate and a spy their own ship."
"Bunch of ne'er-do-wells and rule breakers really."
"What could possibly go wrong?"

- Musiker, Jack Crusher, and Seven of Nine

"Hope you're feeling lucky, Jean-Luc."
"You know, Will, I've come to believe that the stars have always been in my favor."

- Riker and Picard, while playing poker

"Well, look at you. A chip off the old block."
"Q, is that right?"
"Simple name, for a complicated being."
"My father told me all about you. I thought you were dead."
"Oh, and here I was hoping the next generation wouldn't think so linearly. Young mortal, you have much ahead of you."
"You told my father that Humanity's trial was over."
"It is. For him. But I'm here today because of you. You see, yours, Jack, has just begun."

- Q and Jack Crusher, last lines of the series

Background information[]

Title[]

15 April 2023: Title publicly revealed by Wil Wheaton in TRR: "Võx".
The title refers to the last generation of Borg, featured in a desperate attempt to revive the Collective in this episode. While the new collective created by Agnes Jurati is still around, the original Borg appear to be mostly defeated. [1]

Production[]

This is only the second episode in the Star Trek franchise to credit the same person as sole writer and director, in this case series showrunner Terry Matalas. The first was the Star Trek: The Original Series third season episode "Elaan of Troyius", written and directed by John Meredyth Lucas, in 1968.
This episode marks the first official Star Trek series finale since ENT: "These Are the Voyages..." in 2005. It is also the first conclusion of a series, since the return of Star Trek to television with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. However, the end of Discovery had also been announced before the premiere of this episode and the fate of Star Trek: Short Treks has been uncertain since the release of its last episode, "Children of Mars".
Terry Matalas has revealed that the initial draft for the finale included several additional character appearances, including a scene between Data and Soji, the reveal that Ro Laren had survived her shuttle's explosion in "Imposters" and was found alive alongside Tuvok, as well as Seven's promotion featuring Admiral Kathryn Janeway and Captain Harry Kim. All these appearances had to be cut due to budget limitations. [2]
The final scene, featuring the TNG characters playing poker, was largely improvised and filmed uninterruptedly for 45 minutes. A longer cut of the scene appeared as an "easter egg" on the home video releases of this episode. [3]
Terry Matalas approached John de Lancie with his idea for the mid-credit scene during the filming of de Lancie's final scenes for season 2. The scene was filmed under heavy time constraints in just 20 minutes. [4]
Similar to the Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 finale, "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2", setting up Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, this finale sets up a potential spin-off series featuring the USS Enterprise-G and her bridge crew, including Captain Seven, Commander Raffi, Lieutenant Sidney La Forge and Ensign Jack Crusher. Terry Matalas has revealed that his tentative title for this potential new series is Star Trek: Legacy. [5]

Diligent viewers had already noticed in April 2023 that a "less interesting" visual effects (VFX) edit was used for the European streamings of the episode. This shot appeared to mimic classic VFX shots of the USS Enterprise-D going into warp from the Star Trek: The Next Generation series. It concerned a ten-second sequence, occurring at the beginning of the episode at timecode 2:06. [6] However, it was only after it was discovered that it was the European edit that was used on the North American DVD and Blu-ray home video format releases instead of the more vibrant US edit as streamed by Paramount+ (US), that reviewers and fans alike started to take notice and began demanding an explanation from the franchise. Former Picard VFX Production Manager Shawn Ewashko was quick to point out that his VFX department had nothing to do whatsoever with selection of the alternate shot for inclusion on the home video format releases. [7][8] Two weeks after the home video format release, Paramount Home Entertainment confirmed that the included shot concerned an early alternate VFX take, but that the later enhanced edit (originally produced for the theatrical screening) would henceforth be used for all pursuant home video format disc pressings. [9][10] Despite the franchise's assurances though, the early VFX edit was still the one included on the respective French home video format releases.

Promotion[]

One day before its debut on Paramount+, the series' finale received a by 090 Media organized limited, midday theatrical IMAX screening in ten major US cities on 19 April 2023 along with the preceding episode, "Võx", which, aside from mandatory registration on 12 April, was otherwise free for visitors. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the primary cast and executive producers Terry Matalas and Alex Kurtzman broadcast live from the Los Angeles venue. [11][12] The Q&A session was later included on the home video format releases as well.
Paramount+ had prior to the IMAX screenings already taken out a four-day add on 16 April 2023 for the two-part series finale on the massive 3D Times Square, New York City billboard, which featured an enormous USS Enterprise-D sliding into view, [13][14] an add which filled showrunner Matalas with pride. [15] This was incidentally the second time the franchise made use of the giant New York 3D billboard to promote a Kurtzman-era Star Trek production, after having taken out a similar, albeit less spectacular, add for the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in April of the preceding year. [16]

Cast and characters[]

Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) is the only actor to appear in every episode of the series.
Tim Russ reprises his role of Tuvok, after having portrayed the Changeling version in "Dominion". Tuvok made a non-speaking appearance in LD: "Grounded" and was last portrayed by Russ in VOY: "Endgame". Previously, Russ reprised the role of Tuvok in a short film for Star Trek The Exhibition in 2007. and again for the Star Trek Online mission "A Step Between Stars" as part of the game's 4-Year Anniversary Event in 2014.
Walter Koenig makes a voice-over appearance as Federation president Anton Chekov. Koenig most famously portrayed Pavel Chekov on Star Trek: The Original Series, last portraying the character in Star Trek Generations. He is the first Original Series main cast actor to make an appearance on Star Trek since George Takei appeared as Hikaru Sulu in LD: "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus", and the first to appear in a live-action production since Leonard Nimoy last portrayed Spock in Star Trek Into Darkness.
Koenig's participation came about through a happy coincidence as he is the real world next-door neighbor of Liam Shaw performer Todd Stashwick. He was invited over to preview the series finale with Stashwick and Matalas, [17] and it was a deeply impressed Koenig who suggested the inclusion of the president, a suggestion Matalas was only too happy to honor – even though it could only be in a mere voice-over part as principal photography had already wrapped by then. [18][19] "I mean, we would not be making this [Picard] if it was not for Walter," Matalas stated, referring to the legacy left by Star Trek: The Original Series. (PIC Season 3 Blu-ray/DVD: "The Last Generation", audio commentary)
John de Lancie makes an uncredited appearance as Q, having last portrayed the character in the season 2 finale "Farewell".
With this episode, Riker and Troi have appeared in three series finales, with the others being "All Good Things..." and "These Are the Voyages...", Worf has appeared in a different set of three (this, "All Good Things...", and "What You Leave Behind"), Seven and Tuvok have appeared in two (the other being "Endgame"), and Picard, Beverly, Geordi, and Q have appeared in another two (this one and "All Good Things...").

Continuity[]

Archive footage from Star Trek: First Contact is used for the Locutus flashbacks that Picard sees when he interfaces with Jack in the Borg Cube.
The toast that Data begins to deliver is the same limerick he quoted while the Enterprise crew was affected by polywater intoxication in TNG: "The Naked Now".
Like the series finale of The Next Generation, "All Good Things...", this episode also ends with the command crew of the Enterprise-D playing poker.
The events of the episode echo the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. As in that movie, a crew of veteran officers (led by an admiral) approached Earth in an old ship to save it from imminent danger, with the President of the Federation issued a warning to not approach Earth. In the end, the crew of veteran officers is pardoned or otherwise excused from having broken a series of regulations (including the hijacking of a ship named Enterprise) because they managed to save everyone on Earth in the process. Then, to commemorate those actions, a new USS Enterprise is christened. The two significant differences are that Admiral Picard isn't demoted for disobeying orders (as Kirk was) and the crew being recognized do not then take command of the newly christened ship (though Seven of Nine, who participated in some of the regulation breaking, does). The name reveal moment is echoed, however, as Admirals Picard and Crusher accompany Jack to the ship.
The discussion over Seven's command confirmation is similar to Saru's quandary when he assumed command of the USS Discovery.
When Q appears to Jack Crusher in 2402, he states that Jack should not think so linearly with regards to Q's death. Since the Q have the ability to travel through time, it is possible that when Q visited Jack, he was younger than he was during the events of the second season of Star Trek: Picard.
- It also echoes Q trying to teach Picard not to think linearly in TNG: "All Good Things...".
Q dismissively commenting about Jack thinking too linearly is similar to the Borg Queen's appraisal of "You think in such three-dimensional terms." in Star Trek: First Contact when Jean-Luc was baffled how the Queen could have been aboard the cube which was destroyed in TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II".
With the appearance of the restored USS Enterprise-D, the USS Enterprise-F, and the new USS Enterprise-G during the battle, and the USS Enterprise-A and Enterprise at the Fleet Museum, this episode boasts the greatest number of Starfleet ships named Enterprise with distinct hull numbers appearing in the same episode.

Reception[]

Actor Ed Speleers strongly praised the work of costume designers Michael Crow, Deborah Ambrasino, and others involved with constructing his Borg costume:

Michael Crow is, A, the calmest man in the world and, B, is such an exceptional talent. His team is incredible, and Deborah Ambrosino, who made the costume. She's done a lot of Marvel suits, and I think they wanted a Marvel quality to this Võx suit. It was heavy, but it also wasn't. I felt like I could move in it. I felt pretty cool, to be honest. It felt like the Terminator or something. It really lent to the character well, and that's the meat of it. That is also why I love Michael Crow and his team so much. Everything they made me costume-wise really was in keeping with who the character is and allowed me to move and feel that in a way just added to the process. [20]

Speleers went on to express his excitement in working on the post-credits scene with John de Lance:

We only had 20 minutes to shoot the scene. We literally got [John de Lancie] in, got him in that amazing outfit . . . He's phenomenal on his worst day, and we just banged it out. And so, I still get chills. I love that scene so much. It's one of my favorite scenes in the finale . . . He's royalty in Star Trek canon. He is absolute royalty and a very lovely, astute man. Obviously, we just had that one scene; it was a great scene to be had because he's quite catlike in a scene. I don't know if that's him as a character or that's him as him . . . He kind of put me on edge when I was doing the scenes with him because we'd be talking very nicely about family, and everything would be cool and it'd be like we felt like a connection. Then, suddenly, he'd just turn it on its head and just poke, which I love. I love it when an actor wants to go for it, and he's the same . . . It seems very important, but we didn't have much within it. It's only three, four lines each, something like that, but we both pushed each other to try and do it as many different ways as possible. That's great when you got an actor that you get the chance to do that. Just keeps it fresh and it also keeps you on your toes. [21]

Links and references[]

Starring[]

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard / Locutus of Borg (archive footage)
Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
Michelle Hurd as Raffaela Musiker
Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher / Võx

Special guest stars[]

Brent Spiner as Daystrom Android M-5-10 / Data
LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn as Worf
Jonathan Frakes as William T. Riker
Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

And

Alice Krige as the voice of the Borg Queen
Walter Koenig as Anton Chekov (voice)
Tim Russ as Tuvok

Guest starring[]

Todd Stashwick as Liam Shaw (holographic recording)
Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as Sidney La Forge

Co-starring[]

Mica Burton as Alandra La Forge
Randy J. Goodwin as Jae (voice)
Joseph Lee as Lt. Mura
Jin Maley as Ensign Esmar
Tiffany Shepis as Dr. Ohk
Majel Barrett as Enterprise Computer (archive audio)
David Chan as Mechanic
Amy Earhart as Titan Computer
James MacKinnon as Starfleet Officer
Jane Edwina Seymour as Borg Queen Body Double

Uncredited co-stars[]

Stunt doubles[]

Quinn Early as stunt double for Michael Dorn

Stand-ins[]

Margot Muraszkiewicz as stand-in for Jeri Ryan
Sedríque as stand-in for Michael Dorn
Thadeus Welch as stand-in for Patrick Stewart

References[]

10 Forward Avenue; admiral; alien; anxiety; assimilation; Bajoran; Battle of Frontier Day; Berlin; bar; beaming; "belay that order"; Betazoid; bloodwine; body; book; Borg; Borg Collective; bridge; brother; Cairo; captain; cat; cat-feeding ensign; Changeling; Château Picard; Chekov, Pavel; children; circle; cloak; cloaking device; combadge; commandeer; commander; computer; cook; counselor; counselor's office; daughter; death; deli; direct order; doctor; Earth; ease; emotions; enjoyment; euphoria; "end of the road"; face; families; father; fear; first officer; flashback (psychological episode); fleet; flood; friend; granddaughter; grandma; Guinan; gut; Haliian; hernia; hijacking; hilt; holo-projector; honor; hope; hour; House of Martok; House of Musiker; hug; Human (aka Humanity); Hwang, Gabriel; hybrid; imzadi; information; Jupiter; kiss; Klingon; kur'leth; lady; languages; LCARS; lecture; legacy; lieutenant junior grade; life; light-year; limerick; ma'am; maximum warp; "mayday"; meditation; mother; mugato; music; name; nap; necrotic tissue; nepotism; New York; news-wave; "number one"; officer review; Orion; pacing; PADD; Paris; past; peace; phaser (type 2 phaser; type 3 phaser); Philadelphia; photon torpedo; Pier 23; pirate; planet; planetary shield; playing card; poker; population center; President of the United Federation of Planets; probability; promotion; prune juice; Q; quadrant 6; resignation; Risan six cards; road; Rome; Romulan; San Francisco; Sao Paulo; sea; ship; "shit" ("batshit"); shockwave; shutdown sequence (aka shutdown procedure); snoring; son (aka "boy"); Soong-type android; spy; star system; stardate; Starfleet; Starfleet Command; Starfleet ensign's cat; Starfleet uniform; sword; tears; thief; tide; Titan-A cook's brother; Titan-A cook's mother; toast; tomorrow; transport sensors; transporter room; transporter signal; transwarp conduit; trial; Trill (species); Troi-Riker, Thaddeus; trust; turbolift; United Federation of Planets; universe; Venus; vineyard; voice; Vulcan (species); walking; warp; warrior; year

Spacecraft references[]

USS Enterprise-G dedication plaque references[]

Aarniokoski, Doug; Addink, James; Admiralty Board; Appel, Cindy; Aronson, Shauna; Bai, Jiarui; Baiers, Aaron; Bartolone, Jason; Belker, Harald; Berg, Kevin; Berg, Virginia; Blass, Dave; Boucher, Adam; Calip, Ian; Chief of Staff; Chung, James; Constitution III-class; Courter, Kyle; Cross, Kevin; Crow, Michael; Ding, Yihong; Drexler, Doug; Eaves, John; Eliscu, Will; Falsetti, Nicole; Garcia, Rachael; Goldsman, Akiva; Gregory, Grace; Han, Gene; Hargreaves, Sean; Hillebrand, Jörg; Hornstein, Ellen; Jarvis, Andrew; Jefferies, Walter M.; Joffin, Jon; Johnson, Rob; Kadin, Heather; Keeper, Anna; Kloczkowski, Liz; Knezevic, Igor; Krause, Bill; Kurtzman, Alex; Lacey, Fabian; Levine, Len; Lombardi, Jeffrey; MacKinnon, James; Maggs, Jane; Mandel, Geoffrey; Mantia, Maria; Marks, Todd; Martin, Jim; Massin, Dylan; Matalas, Terry; Meyers, Michael; Michelson, Harold; Monfette, Chris; Morris, Maxine; Nickels, Justin; Notarile, Crescenzo; Okuda, Michael; Okumura, Matt; Page, Neville; Probert, Andrew; Research and Development; Roddenberry, Eugene; Roddenberry, Gene; Roth, Trevor; Russ, Alex; Sagona, Matt; Sallvin, Tomas; Schneider, Scott; Stapf, David; Starfleet Command; Starfleet Operations; Steck, Jeff; Sternbach, Rick; Stølen, Kit; Tatosky, Brian; Thorpe, Maxwell; Tignini, Frank; Tretta, Sean; Van Dyke, Vincent; Varga, Von; Visencio, Mike; Weder, Andy; Zimmerman, Herman; Zimmerman, Jason; Zuelzke, Mark

LCARS references[]

all inclusive; Andoria; Bajor; beach; blast radius; Borg cube; California; cubic kilometer; chemical signature; codec; department update; dilithium articulation frame; Earth; electropathic pattern; emergency frequency; emergency protocol; emergency transmission; fishing; fleet formation mode; Florida; General Order 12; Hawaii; Kaphar Prime; Kauai; kilometer; library access; long-range scan; mai tai; Malibu; maintenance channel; mission ops; Myriad; Omicron Seti III; Orlando; power; protocol; reference signal; regenerative hull; regulation; route; scan; size; search term; ship-wide scan; signal; signal comparison; signal source; Starfleet Order 104; structure; subspace relay; subsystem; target detection; transporter system; Trill (planet); tritanium; vacation; village; volume; Vulcan (planet); Zadar IV

Meta references[]

flashback (story device); intertitle

External links[]

"The Last Generation" at the Internet Movie Database
"Discovering Last Generation" at MissionLogPodcast.com

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Star Trek: Picard
Season 3

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Final episode in series