Today I finished my rewatch of Star Trek Picard season 2. The series made alot more sense this time round. Probably because I was previously homeless in a psychiatric hospital watching it on my tablet. It was a very stressful time though as always Star Trek was a great comfort. This was alot better season than the last though I felt it tried to fit too much in 10 episodes as opposed to season 1 – too little.
This seasons theme was philosophical about the human condition and what the passing of time does to us. Q returns with the stated goal of “know thyself” for Picard and in the end for himself as well. Know thyself is the first of three ancient Greek God maxims. The maxims after are “nothing to excess” and “certainty brings insanity”. Picard reliving the suicide of his mother was part of this journey as he visited his childhood home back in 2024.
A central message by Q is that humans are stuck in the past. Although he meant that metaphorically, he also was given symbolism of why Picard was trapped in 2024. Picard had to hide a skeleton key for his boy self to discover in the future that would lead to him freeing his mother from a locked room to kill herself. By doing this he set himself free from that trauma yet at the same time causes his child self trauma in the future. He was also preserving history.
There were alot of philosophy about life. Q said he saw meaning as a result of knowing he was going to die. Soong wanted a legacy at any cost and thought he could do it with will alone. Giratte and the Borg Queen seeked connection and still weren’t satisfied when they had each other. The Borg queen is lonely and can never assimilate enough people. She consumes people rather than co-operates with them. Guinan believed are destiny’s ran apart and then together -some moments are meant to happen.
Finally towards the end we saw Wesley offer Kore 2 paths: a normal life or everything else that offers to give you purpose & meaning but your safety is not guaranteed. Tallin says after sacrificing herself “love can be a curse but also a gift”.
The series has many threads to it and is making that point of human life as well.
It’s also touching on the fact the world is facing a challenging time in its history and each of us are part of this large tapestry. Cause and effect can be reversed.