[Laris] Previously on Star Trek: Picard...
[Laris] After all this time, I've come to wonder, have you been seeking or running?
[Borg Collective] There is no more time.
We will offer our queen.
- [beeping] - [glass shatters]
Activate auto-destruct sequence.
[Picard] What is this hellhole, Q?
[Q] This is not a lesson. It's a penance.
- Or? - Forgiveness.
Forgiveness for what?
I think you know.
[Picard] We have to repair the past.
If we fail here, we fail Elnor.
You're not Laris.
My name is Tallinn.
I have devoted my entire being to protecting one individual.
I watch but am never seen.
I've never met Renée.
- [Seven] So no Europa mission, no hope. - [crowd cheers]
Everyone hates everyone.
We just need to make sure Renée gets on that ship.
I'm sorry the others didn't make it.
Looks like you were the strongest of the bunch.
[Kore] Am I an experiment?
If I walk out that door right now, what are you afraid of losing?
[Jurati] Renée Picard either boards a spaceship and makes a discovery
that renders your work obsolete or...
Earth in your time finds itself in ecological free fall.
The man they turn to is you.
If only you're given the opportunity.
I can get us into Mission Control.
[Jurati] There's a man who will stand in your way
as he now stands in mine.
[Soong] Picard!
[Teresa] You have no idea what this is like for me, do you?
Knowing win or lose, I'll have to let them go.
[Renée] Let me out, Jean-Luc.
[Picard] This skeleton key migrated all over the house.
I wish, that day, it hadn't ended up in my hand.
A deal must be honored. A ship for a life.
- To succeed, there must be two Renées... - [engine starts]
...one who lives, and another who dies.
I refuse to accept an outcome that has not yet occurred.
We have work to do.
We must ensure the Europa Mission takes off as planned.
I remember family stories of how the château got shot up
when my ancestors were reoccupying it in the 21st century.
These are the same bullet holes.
Do you think that means we're on the path to the right future?
[sighs]
I'm not certain.
I keep turning it over in my head.
That prophecy Agnes said.
"To succeed, there need to be two Renées.
One who lives, and another who dies."
[Rios] What does that mean?
H-How is that even possible?
Picard, later.
[door opens]
We all set?
Impressive.
Uh, these should work a lot like your tricorders.
- Raffi, can you tag Soong's GPS? - On it.
[scanner beeps]
His entire fleet of vehicles is still at his house.
Jurati jacked into our transporters from there.
He must have massive remote capabilities.
So that's where we head. Tallinn, you can just walk into quarantine?
They break quarantine on launch day.
But I'm going to transport in to avoid security
and the bio-scanners in the front lobby.
- Transport in? - Don't worry.
I've been planning this for a long time.
W-Well, what do you intend to do?
I'm gonna watch out for her, Picard.
It's what I do.
[Seven] Good luck.
You too.
[Raffi] What the hell is he doing?
[voice 1 through comms] Preparing for Capcom status.
[voice 2 through comms] All systems report out. Five minutes--
[voices through comms, indistinct]
[voice 3 through comms] Confirming weather for flight directory...
[voices through comms continue, indistinct]
[automated voice through speakers] T-minus 21 minutes until launch.
What are you doing?
More to the point,
I know what you're doing, or what you intend to do.
- Tallinn. - Get back.
I'm so sorry, but I can't let you do this.
What, my job?
You do not have to sacrifice your life to save hers.
[automated voice through speakers] Attention--
Okay. Did Jurati have any reason to lie to you?
Thousands! She's part Borg.
But she was more Agnes, more your friend,
with a view of the future, of all possible futures.
I don't rely on prophecy.
And even if I did,
there are so many different ways to interpret what she said.
And because you think you know what she meant,
I won't let you sacrifice yourself--
You won't let me?
It's not up to you.
This is my life.
You don't get to stop me from fulfilling my purpose
because you're scared I'm gonna die.
My fate is not yours to decide.
[sighs]
I understand.
I've seen the heart of this in you.
But other people's lives aren't up to you.
And their deaths aren't your fault.
Not mine, if it comes.
Not your mother's.
That's a fantasy, Jean-Luc.
We can't control who we lose,
and we can't spare ourselves the pain of it.
Other people's choices are their own to make, and this one is mine.
I don't need saving.
I never have.
[Soong] Computer, recalibrate orbital eccentricities.
[Soong] Synchronize drone targeting systems on the shuttle's RCS thrusters.
[Computer] Flight path analyzed.
Sectors 6 through 12 clear for launch.
[Soong] Computer, time till drone launch?
[Computer] Four minutes, 27 seconds.
[Soong through screen] Adjust flight telemetry to--
[Seven] Shit.
Picard, do you copy? We were wrong.
[Tallinn] Doctor Soong.
[Seven through comms] Soong is not here.
[Picard] That's because he's here, at the launch.
[Raffi] Goddamn it!
This entire bullshit scenario was designed to draw us here and away from Soong.
What if his voice is fake but the drones aren't?
I've got four heat signatures behind here.
[door beeping]
Whatever he's doing at the launch, I think we've found his backup plan.
[Seven scoffs]
If he can't stop Renée from boarding,
he's going to use the drones to take out the rocket itself.
- [computer beeping] - Raffi, how much time do we have?
- Three minutes, 45 seconds. - Can you get remote access?
System's encrypted.
If I had La Sirena, I could crack it, but without it I can't stop them.
[computer beeping]
[automated voice] Hydraulic external power is a go for activation.
[chatter]
[automated voice] Clear launchpad for all non-essential...
How about we cripple 'em? Can't hit the shuttle if they can't fly.
Soong knew we would find this, right? Why bother creating a recording?
He calculated that we would try to destroy them.
Here, it's...
[sighs] Damn it. He hardwired them to explode.
We even tap it wrong, we all go boom.
So what are you saying, that's it?
Hell, no. I need tools. Pliers, scissors, whatever you can get your hands on.
We might not be able to disable them, but maybe I can gain manual control.
[automated voice, indistinct]
[bell chimes]
[automated voice] Craft 2, pressurize first stage tunnel length please.
[automated voice] You're clear to do that. Strip 1A is now closed.
We're in lockdown...
Dr. Soong, we weren't expecting you. We would've prepared a VIP booth.
Nonsense. I'm not the VIP today.
I just want a few minutes with the astronauts.
Shake hands with the men and women who are about to create the future.
- Well, with all the quarantine protocol-- - I'm sorry?
Did my donations not buy me five minutes of face time?
Of course.
They're preparing to suit up.
All right.
- [beeping] - [door unlocks]
Oh, God.
It's happening...
and I'm actually ready.
[bell chimes]
[automated voice] Europa Mission Launch commencing in T-minus 60 minutes.
Who are you?
Where's Maya?
Maya wasn't feeling well.
No one wanted to take any chances, so...
Bullshit. I know every person and every suit-up crew.
You're not on any of them.
Why are you wearing Maya's uniform?
[voices through comms, indistinct]
I can't believe it's here. The day. History.
- I never would've thought we'd make it. - You didn't?
What a terrible attitude.
I guess what I mean is that it didn't seem like it would ever be real.
You know, you really are disrespectful.
I'd like to leave you right here.
[chuckles] Oh.
I will leave you right here.
Who are you?
I've seen you before... somewhere.
Renée, I need you to listen to me or your life will be in grave danger.
When you were a little girl at your mother's funeral,
you put a small spaceship figurine into her casket
because still, to this day,
you think that if you fly out far enough, you'll find her.
You do know me.
I tried to hide it, but there were times I couldn't.
[Tallinn] I gave this to you a long time ago.
That time your little sailboat capsized off Martha's Vineyard.
You remember?
What were you, ten?
Two nights ago at the gala, a dozen other glimpses.
Maybe I couldn't help it.
That's what I tell myself.
But the truth is, a part of me wanted you to see me.
To know I was there.
You've always said you had a guardian angel.
And you were right.
Well, not the angel part.
It's... me.
- [Raffi] How about now? - No signal.
- Maybe we can bypass-- - [roof panel opens]
[Computer] Drone uplink complete. Primary activation initiated.
- Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. - [drone launches]
We're too late.
He staggered the launches so we can't stop them all at once.
[drones whirring]
[Rios] Raffi, can you get me manual control?
[Raffi] Uh, maybe, but I'll need to hardwire its subroutines.
Raffi, whatever you're doing, do it faster.
I just need more time to override the system.
Renée, all I wanna do is get you on that ship.
I have a hunch. I'm not sure if I'm right,
but right now, your life depends on trusting me.
Can you do that?
Please.
Mr. Soong, thank God.
This crazy woman, she says she's my guardian from space.
All right. It's all right. It's all right.
I'll call someone. Come with me.
[automated voice] personnel must provide must have proper identifi--
Goddamn Soong.
[beeping]
Holy shit! I've got full control.
[Seven] Rios, take those other drones out.
The suit-up room. Get up there now.
[groaning]
- What did you-- - Don't worry.
Won't last long.
This neurotoxin... is fast...
and fatal.
Looks like you're about to create the future after all.
[automated voice] Transferring to Shango internal power.
[drones whirring]
[Seven] Come on, Rios.
[Rios] These analog controls aren't helping.
[Renée gasps]
[Renée] Picard.
Come on. Come on.
[computer beeping]
[drones zoom, explode]
Ha!
[Computer] All drones terminated. Strike sequence canceled.
[laughs]
You must have something that would help. Med-tech.
It's too late, Jean-Luc.
We both know.
I need to see.
- Oh, come. [grunts] - [panting]
[rocket launches]
Look up.
[rumbling]
Look up.
You're off.
Tallinn.
[rocket departing]
I know something now.
[breathing heavily]
The secrets we keep.
All the reasons we never tell someone we love them.
They're worthless.
Tallinn...
I'm so sorry.
Sweet Picard.
Your guilt must have saved planets by now.
Countless lives in trade for the one you couldn't.
I got to tell her.
Maybe she'll remember me...
and know that she was worth all of it.
You helped me give that to her.
Absolve yourself...
or the only life left unsaved will be your own.
Her eyes.
They were so beautiful.
[lights humming]
[announcer through speakers] The Shango just passed the thermosphere
as we check in with Mission Specialist Dr. Renée Picard.
Renée, how is the view up there?
[Renée] Dynamic pressure decreasing, all systems normal.
We are away on the wings of...
those who came before us.
[Soong scoffs]
[Renée] Europa, here we come.
[announcer] On behalf of all of us, to you and the entire crew, Godspeed.
Piss off. Godspeed.
[computer clicks]
[groans]
[liquid dripping]
[sighs]
[computer beeping]
Wha--
[beeping continues]
No. No, no, no, no. Goddamn it!
[VR goggles beeping]
[Kore] Hi, Dad.
Kore.
Please.
Wh-- What did you do?
Made a new future.
For us both.
[beeps]
This is for my sisters.
[Computer] 100% file deletion confirmed.
System-wide purge complete.
[sighs]
[laptop beeps]
[beeping]
I swear to God, if this is another one of your games, Q--
No. No, no.
I can assure you, we are very different.
Hello, Kore.
And you are...
That's a very long and very complicated story.
Honestly, I've got nothing pressing. [chuckles]
Okay.
A long time ago, I was known as Wesley Crusher.
But now, I am a traveler of all of space and time.
[chuckles]
You're kidding, right?
The last time I told a joke,
I inadvertently changed a century's worth of history,
so I work really hard to not be misunderstood.
That's a lot.
You have no idea.
My colleagues and I,
we dispatch those we call "Supervisors" to help ensure the proper flow of time.
See, the universe is essentially a grand tapestry.
It is flawless. It is fragile. It is exquisite.
Yet it is somehow always a thread's pull away from total annihilation.
A star is born, but a ship is lost.
A new species thrives, but a civilization collapses.
Knowing when to step in, that's the tricky part.
And so my colleagues and I, we watch.
We protect everything.
Big job.
Tell me about it.
Two paths are before you.
The first one leads to a perfectly normal life.
Wait, is this a recruitment speech?
I'm not done.
The second, that path leads to everything else.
And it offers a chance to give your life purpose and meaning.
But I cannot guarantee your safety.
Okay. That's it. That was the recruitment speech.
[chuckles]
[sighs]
I've never been safe.
Welcome to the Travelers.
[Teresa] Where are you going?
[Rios] A tricorder, a couple of combadges, a broken phaser.
I think that's all of it. Every butterfly I could find.
- So we'll never know if it worked. - It did. It had to.
Now, that's the only way
that never seeing the people we're never gonna see again is okay.
Right. We live here now.
So, what do we do? I mean, how does money work?
Come to LA.
That's a bit presumptuous, isn't it?
I suppose I should ask first.
[Ricardo] Hey, Chris, look at these cool rocks we found outside in the field.
Wow. Cool. These are, like, really old rocks.
[Seven] I've never seen Rios so happy.
[Rios speaking Spanish]
You really okay with this?
[Rios speaking Spanish continues]
Maybe better than okay.
[chuckles]
And hey, if you're done running from your Borg past,
I hope you won't think all of a sudden that, "Oh, my God,
I gotta stay super still and spend every waking moment with Raffi."
'Cause, you know, I-I'm-- I'm actually feeling
like I w-- I wanna, you know, focus on me for a change.
Yeah, 'cause, you know, maybe-- maybe this isn't half bad to hang out with,
so if that's your plan--
So, what does that mean?
[laughs] Oh, my God, Raffi. Let it breathe.
- [laughs] - I-- Well-- I just--
[Raffi laughs]
Um, where did JL slip off to?
[brick scrapes]
[Q] Bravo.
Destiny... left for the little boy you will be in the future to find.
You considered destroying it, didn't you?
Well, let me ask.
If that key is not there for the boy to find, does he grow up with his mother?
Does the shame instantly lift?
But you accepted your fate. You accepted you.
You chose the Jean-Luc you are.
You absolved yourself.
And because you choose him,
perhaps he will now be worthy enough for someone else to choose.
And maybe this time, you will even give him the chance to be loved.
I told you this was about forgiveness, Jean-Luc.
Yours.
Why?
Well, isn't that the eternal question?
Know thyself.
There's been so much loss. So much death.
But you fixed all that.
Elnor, Tallinn.
Well, maybe not all of it.
But Tallinn always dies in every timeline.
This is the only one in which she meets Renée.
I ask you once again. Why?
Finish the sentence.
Me.
From the very beginning...
for over 30 years...
why me?
I am moving on.
In your parlance, I am dying.
Yes, I know.
Alone.
I am dying alone.
[sighs]
I do not want that for you.
Humans.
Your griefs, your pains fix you to moments in the past long gone.
You're like butterflies with your wings pinned.
My old friend,
forever the boy who, with an errant turn of a skeleton key,
broke the universe and his own heart.
No more.
You are now unshackled from the past.
As I leave...
I leave you free.
But... why does all this matter?
Is something going to happen for which I will be required?
Must it always have galactic import?
Universal stakes? Celestial upheaval?
Isn't one life enough?
You ask me why it matters.
It matters to me.
You matter to me.
Even gods have favorites, Jean-Luc. And you've always been one of mine.
- Q-- - Time's almost up.
I have one last surprise in store.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
Quite the opposite.
Well, hello. Nice to see you all.
Q. Motherf--
Try not to kill him until we find out what he wants.
"Try" is right.
And now, as they say, for my final act.
What about Elnor?
- Who? - You killed him.
Actually, it was other her's idiot husband to be precise.
In my weakened state, you might be able to kill me.
Certainly my sending you home will.
Well, as you like.
Now, are we all ready to go home? Bags packed?
No.
I'm staying.
Chris, you know you can't do that.
- The timeline-- - I never fit.
You know, nothing stuck.
I mean, I was living alone on a cargo ship with five holographic versions of myself.
Not very encouraging. [chuckles]
But then I met you.
I never had a family in any real way. You changed all that.
All of you did.
This is where I belong.
[Rios] Jean-Luc...
I'm home.
Make a good future.
Maybe it was always supposed to be this way.
Time's a funny thing.
Yes, it is.
Interesting.
[Raffi] No. [chuckles]
I'm gonna miss you, Raff.
Yeah, you are. [chuckles]
[chuckles]
- He's a handful, you know? - [both chuckle]
Piece of cake.
- I should go. 'Cause, yeah... - Yeah.
[chuckles]
Most unexpected.
Perhaps now there'll be some surplus energy.
Call it a surprise, a gift.
Farewell, Mon Capitaine.
It's time for me to go.
But not alone.
Isn't that the point of all this?
See you out there.
- [phasers shooting] - [ship shakes]
[crew member grunts]
["Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" playing]
[crew member grunts]
- [phasers shooting] - [explosions]
[Computer] The ship will detonate in T-minus...
Ten, nine...
- [phasers shooting] - [explosions]
[Computer] ...eight, seven...
["Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" continues]
...six, five, four...
- three, two, one. - Computer, cancel auto-destruct sequence.
- [music stops] - [Computer] Auto-destruct canceled.
- [phasers shooting] - Stand down.
Stand down! That's an order.
Let her proceed.
I once told a dear friend what that song meant to me.
Now, while I don't have time to teach you the words,
I believe that she has had 400 years to consider them.
Haven't you, Doctor?
It's good to see you, Agnes.
[alarms sounding]
What the hell's going on here?
Jurati?
I'm glad you still remember the song that calmed me when I was a boy.
We hoped it would calm you now.
[bridge officer] Stargazer, this is fleet command. Please report in.
Admiral.
I want to believe you mean us no harm.
And that is why you sent the signal, one that you knew I would understand.
That is still you in there, isn't it?
Yes, in part.
But if we don't act, many will die.
- This here. This now. - [alarms sounding continues]
What is the threat? Why have you assumed control of our ships?
[alarm blares]
Captain, I'm picking up a massive spike in neutrino emissions
focused on the center of the quadrant.
Where's Captain Rios?
Stay on task, helm. That's an order.
Show me what you see.
[beeping]
[beeps]
- [alarms sounding continues] - Uh... what the hell is that?
Unclear.
But if its tri-quantum waves keep increasing,
it's gonna expel a massive amount of energy.
Enough to destroy most of this sector.
That's a galactic event.
[Jurati] By our calculations, the only way to protect the quadrant
is to harmonize the fleet shields with our own.
That is why we needed access to the fleet.
That's why you asked for me.
You needed someone with authority you could trust, who would trust you.
[bridge officer] Stargazer, what is your status?
[alarms sounding continues]
We needed a friend.
[bridge officer] Stargazer, report in, or we'll assume you've been compromised.
Inform Starfleet we are in active negotiations with the Borg,
otherwise, they're gonna blow us out of the sky.
Considering you know more about the Borg than anyone else on the ship,
Seven, by my authority, consider this a field commission.
Hail the fleet.
The admiral has authorized full control by the Borg Queen.
Tell them, do not resist.
Agnes, be brilliant.
Always. Initiating grid formation.
We are out of time.
Then let's hope that this works.
[Jurati] Harmonizing your fleet's shields.
[electricity crackles]
Excelsior's harmonics are off.
Excelsior, your shield emitter needs to be recalibrated.
Do you copy?
We copy. Realigning now and--
Raffi?
- [alarms sounding continues] - Elnor?
Last thing I remember I was on La Sirena and...
[alarm sounds]
Make the adjustment, Cadet.
Q. Goddamn Q.
What did he call it? A surprise. A gift.
[alarm sounds]
- That thing is about to blow. - Brace for impact.
[alarms sounding continues]
[explosion]
[tri-quantum waves pulsing]
[alarms sounding continues]
[panting]
Shields holding. I think it worked.
You just saved billions of lives.
That was the idea, mister.
[computer rings]
Guys, you seeing this?
[Picard] What is it?
[Seven] I believe we've just witnessed the creation of a trans warp conduit,
but unlike any I've ever seen before.
But created by whom?
Even with our collective knowledge, that answer remains elusive.
But you know more.
What you see is a piece of the puzzle
whose final image is unclear but is tied to a threat.
One which requires close observation.
We request provisional membership in The Federation,
so that we may remain here.
A guardian at the gates.
Thank you, Agnes.
[jazz music playing]
[Guinan] I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner.
I just knew that if I guided you right, set you straight,
you'd circle around eventually.
And I also want to thank you for setting me straight first.
I can't believe you don't see it.
You know, I wondered if it was gonna be a bit of a spoiler keeping it there,
but you have always been more clever than observant.
- [Picard] Rios. - [Guinan] Yes.
You know, he and Teresa started a medical movement together.
The Mariposas.
- Butterflies. - Yeah.
And he captained them through hard times and tough terrains.
And she... She helped whoever needed help, whenever they might need it.
And, uh... the-- The boy, um... Ricardo?
He put together a team of the brightest minds in the world
and they found a way to heal the ocean and clean the sky
using an alien organism
that his Auntie Renée discovered during the Europa Mission.
You know, they would come in here when they were in town.
We all got pretty close.
Did you know that Chris could drink,
but Teresa could drink him under the table?
- [laughs] - Every time.
They were such good people.
And how... did they...
Ah.
Teresa of old age, Rios slightly younger
in a Moroccan bar fight over medical supplies.
And best of all, his last breath was into a cigar.
So he died like he lived.
- Elnor, this is for you. - Uh...
- [Seven laughs] - Oh, no. No. Oh, dear.
[clears throat]
To family then...
because...
that's what we are, after all.
[groans]
Ooh. That is awful.
[both laughing]
Is it meant to burn like that?
- It burns? - [Seven] No.
[Picard laughs]
So, with that toast,
there's somewhere it's time I got to.
If you will all excuse me.
[Raffi chuckles]
Extraordinary.
I had it restored, so I could leave it with you before I go.
I thought maybe a little looking back might do you some good.
I think I've had just about enough of that.
Better to look forward.
Is that right?
So... where is it that you're going?
I'm going on adventures of my own, Jean-Luc.
There are moments in our lives we fear to relive,
and others we long to repeat.
While time cannot give us second chances...
maybe people can.
[chuckles]