History Recap / StarTrekPicardS1E05StardustCityRag

-->'''Hammy Picard:''' When the Borg entered her, she was just a ''jeune fille''.

* NiceHat: It is once Rios puts a feather in it at Seven's suggestion.

* AdultFear: No parent would ever want their child to be kidnapped and subjected to a gruesome OrganTheft, and then left to die a slow and horribly painful death. That's exactly what happens to Icheb, Seven of Nine's surrogate son, who is harvested for his Borg components without an anesthetic. He begs his mother figure to end his suffering, so she [[MercyKill grants his wish]].

* AbsenteeActor: Series regulars Creator/IsaBriones and Harry Treadaway don't appear in this episode.

* StuffedIntoTheFridge: Icheb is killed simply to fuel Seven's revenge against Bjayzl.

* FingerlessGloves: Seven of Nine sports a pair, and they visually project that she's a steely ActionGirl that you don't want to mess with.

In the opening {{flashback}} (this one going back thirteen years instead of fourteen), a man lies on a table while someone [[EyeScream pulls his eye out of its socket]]. A flash of phaser fire, and the "surgeon" is dead. The shooter is Seven of Nine, ex-Borg, former crewmember of USS ''Voyager'' (see ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager VOY]]'': Seasons 4-7). The man on the table is Icheb, another xB, the only sentient life form to migrate to the Alpha Quadrant aboard ''Voyager''. Seven is here to rescue him, but Icheb knows he's too far gone. At his request, and with tears in her eyes, Seven sets the phaser on "MercyKill."

A second {{flashback}}, two weeks ago, shows a woman with the preposterous name of Bjayzl is holding court in a casino on Freecloud. Her second-in-command, Mr. Vup, informs her that Bruce Maddox has arrived, and although Bjayzl's first instinct is simply to have him killed, she instead sits down to talk to him. He reveals that the lab he built, after securing a loan from Bjayzl, has been dissolved to the molecular level; he suspects the Tal Shiar are involved. Bjayzl drugs him and decides to ransom him to the Romulan SecretPolice for cash.

On the bridge, Raffi quickly hides a datafile on one "Gabriel Hwang" when Rios comes up to comment on the "strange cargo" he's brought aboard. He mentions that Seven and Picard seem to know each other, and when Raffi identifies Seven as an ex-Borg, [[FamedInStory Rios remembers who she is]]. Meanwhile, in her quarters, Jurati watches a recording of Dr. Maddox baking chocolate chip cookes the old-fashioned way; the recording ends with him and Jurati kissing.

''La Sirena'' enters orbit around Freecloud. After dismissing a bunch of [[AnnoyingPopUpAd annoying pop-up ads]] (Elnor, to his disappointment, doesn't get one), Musiker declares she's found Bruce Maddox. However, to get him, they'll have to go undercover and hatch a deal with Bjayzl. Rios will pose as an 'interfacer,' an intermediary who facilitates business deals; this forces Rios to drop his "broody, existentialist spaceman routine" for something a bit more flamboyant. (Seven: "[[DeadpanSnarker You need a feather in your hat]].") Picard will play the opposing business interest, adopting a FrenchJerk persona and (what he believes to be) an "appropriately sini''sterrrr''" accent. Elnor, who never learned how to lie, plays Elnor. (Seven: "[[DeadpanSnarker An Elnor that never talks]].") Dr. Jurati will remain aboard to operate the transporter. And Seven plays the one thing Bjayzl wants more than anything else, the only person she would offend the Tal Shiar for: Seven of Nine.

Raffi arrives at Stardust City Reproductive Health Services, where she's tracked down Gabriel Hwang. He's not happy to see her: "I don't think you understand just how much it ''sucked'' to be your kid." Raffi claims she's clean, having given up on her job in Starfleet Intelligence; but Gabriel is having none of it, questioning whether her "crackpot, tin-hat conspiracy" was worth alienating her family. Raffi turns right around and declares that she's ProperlyParanoid: there ''is'' a GovernmentConspiracy, something about the "Conclave of Eight"... rather putting the lie to her claim that she's changed. Just then, a Romulan woman comes by, heavily pregnant. Gabriel introduces his wife Pel to his mother Raffaela, who he claims is "just passing through" and was about to leave, before hustling her away.

After some tension with Mr. Vup, a Beta Annari who can smell lies, Picard's party manage to get in to speak with Bjayzl. They are shown Maddox, rather beaten up but alive, and Bjayzl gets her hands on "Annika." Meanwhile, up on the ship, Dr. Jurati -- a cyberneticist by trade, and per WordOfGod [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist also a trained MD]] -- is starting to hyperventilate at the thought of having to operate the transporter. The EMH shows up and asks about the nature of her psychiatric emergency, but she deactivates it to concentrate on her job. Meanwhile, Seven and Bjayzl trade barbs, the latter about how she carved up Icheb for parts and the former about how she managed to escape despite being literally the most valuable thing in the universe to a Borg technology broker like Bjayzl. Seven deactivates the trick handcuffs and takes her nemesis by the throat, and Picard is struck by the dawning understanding that, for Seven, ItsPersonal. However, she's still a ByronicHero, and realizes that her {{revenge}} would complicate things; and so she gives up, and beams back to ''La Sirena'' with Picard, Maddox, Rios and Elnor.

Picard, approving of Seven's decision, offers her a lift. She declines, as the Rangers have sent her a replacement ship by now, although she ''does'' borrow a couple phaser rifles. In return, she gives him a Distress Beacon he can ring, "In case you need a vigilante." [[{{Foreshadowing}} This will be important later.]]

Picard goes to talk to their "stowaway" -- Raffi, locked in her cabin, refusing to come out. Then he tends to Maddox in Sickbay. Maddox isn't able to say much, but he does mention that Soji is on The Artifact -- sent there for the same reason Dahj was sent to Earth: to get to the bottom of the BanOnAI. Picard then leaves him to rest, and Maddox greets Agnes. Despite his exhaustion, he is triumphant: he succeeded. In Dahj and Soji, he has created synthetic life... and Jurati herself played a vital contributing role. "Just one more thing I have to atone for," Jurati mutters, [[SickbedSlaying shutting off the biobed]]. The EMH materializes once again, inquiring after Agnes' psychiatric emergency, but Jurati turns it off, watching with tears in her eyes as Dr. Bruce Maddox dies.

* AdvertOverloadedFuture: When ''La Sirena'' enters orbit around Freecloud (which is essentially Space Las Vegas) and Rios transfers its Orbital Control to his ship's Conn, personalized holographic adverts hijack his projection system to spam the crew. Rios gets an ad for starship repairs, Picard is shown one for high tea at a luxury hotel, Raffi receives one for a drug emporium, and Jurati is "attacked" by a futuristic Rock-Em-Sock-Em robot that has to be punched before it'll go away. Elnor actually seems a bit disappointed not to get one.

* AndThisIsFor: The last thing Seven says to Bjayzl is that she's killing her for Icheb.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Gabriel's pointed questions about the synth attack break through Raffi's attempts to portray herself as reformed, and she insists she was right, especially with what she knows now. This is more than enough proof for Gabriel to conclude she's being insincere and thus he rejects her overtures.

** Bruce Maddox appears in the flesh for the first time since ''The Next Generation'''s "The Measure of a Man", and he's killed by Agnes at the end of the episode. (Though unlike the rest of the show's returnees to date, he's played by a different actor.)

* BloodierAndGorier: While ''Star Trek'' has portrayed MedicalHorror, {{Revenge}} and SickbedSlaying before, it has never been this horrific.

-->'''Rios''': They are treacherous, violent, ruthless and subtle. Their concept of honour is rooted in their skill at deceit.

* CallingTheOldManOut: Raffi's estranged son Gabriel wants nothing to do with her, saying she was so focused on her "crackpot" theories (and later, lost in substance abuse) that she didn't care about him or his father, and that she had no idea how difficult it was to be her son.

* CListFodder: Icheb was brought back and killed just to show that things are much darker and edgier now as well as to give Seven something to be upset about.

** There are also several discussions about Seven and Picard being xBs, although it's implied this isn't widely known (Rios claims to have forgotten Picard was assimilated briefly, and he struggles to recall Seven's name).

** The harvesting of Icheb's Borg parts is analogous to an OrganTheft.

* DressUpEpisode: As part of their undercover op on Freecloud, Picard, Rios and Elnor wear costumes that are ''very'' different from their normal attire.

* EyeScream: Icheb gets his cybernetic eye torn out without an anesthetic by a surgeon.

* FingerlessGloves: Seven of Nine sports a pair, and they visually project that she's a steely ActionGirl you don't want to mess with.
* FirstNameBasis: Although it's obvious to the audience that Seven is seeking revenge for Icheb, Bjayzl calling her "Annika" shows matters are a [[ItsPersonal lot more personal]] than that. Seven in turn calls her [[TermsOfEndangerment "Jay" before she kills her]].

* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Agnes tells the EMH she doesn't need a sedative, then starts hyperventilating.

* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: Picard isn't happy that the Fenris Rangers have appointed themselves judge and jury, although Seven points out there's no law and order here anyway. By the end of the episode, Seven shows she's entirely willing to be the executioner as well.

-->'''Seven:''' It's hopeless and pointless and exhausting and the only thing worse... ''(gives Picard a MeaningfulLook)'' ...would be giving up.

** An InvokedTrope with the 'facers who [[SharpDressedMan dress to impress]] to make themselves distinct from their competition. Raffi tells Rios he's going to have to present himself a bit more loudly if he wants to pull off the impersonation.
* LikeASonToMe: Seven tells Bjayzl that Icheb was the closest thing she will ever have to kin, and later expressly refers to Icheb as "a son to me."

* MaliciousMisnaming: As part of his FrenchJerk guise, Picard addresses Mr. Vup as "Mr. Vip," which sounds silly and it makes the latter seem much less intimidating.

* MauriceChevalierAccent: Picard's overdone French accent during the op. Sir Patrick has previously remarked in interviews (such as in [[https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/370379809/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-for-dec-13-2014 a 2014 appearance]] on ''Radio/WaitWaitDontTellMe'') that the silliness of his attempts at a French accent is the real-life reason Picard ended up with an English accent.

* OffTheGrid: PlayedForLaughs. As the rest of ''La Sirena'''s crew are bombarded with holographic pop-up ads related to their personal histories (tea for Picard, drugs for Raffi, robots for Jurati, and starship repair for Rios), Elnor crestfallenly bemoans that he didn't get one -- because he'd spent most of his life living in a monastery on a backwater planet and was effectively invisible to Freecloud's advertising server.

** When Bjayzl realizes she is about to get killed by a very pissed off MamaBear.

* ParentalNeglect: After being dismissed from Starfleet, Raffi became obsessed with what her son Gabriel considers to be conspiracy theories about the synth attack on Mars, and her subsequent drug addiction made things even worse. She acknowledges that even when she was there, she wasn't ''really'' there for him or her husband. They became estranged, and when Raffi meets Gabriel again on Freecloud years later hoping for a reconciliation, he rejects it.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Bjayzl has a Beta Annari enforcer named Mr. Vup whose appearance and voice are more "alien" and more intimidating than most RubberForeheadAliens that humans normally interact with. He's shown to be quite eager to beat, kill or vivisect people.

** Raffi's business on Freecloud is an attempt to reconnect with her estranged son, Gabriel. Sadly, the same paranoia about the Romulans which consumed her life and led to her estrangement from her family the first time is only magnified now that she knows she was right, so he rejects her overtures and she returns to the crew.

** Jurati has known about Dahj and Soji all along as she helped Maddox create them.
** Jurati was [[TheMole recruited by Commodore Oh, and by extension, the Zhat Vash.]] Whatever they showed her scared her so badly she kills the man she loved, Maddox, for them.

* RewatchBonus: Dr. Jurati is tasked with operating the transporter on the ship while the rest of the crew is on the surface, a task she clearly wasn't expecting. Later, Jurati is pacing and worrying about doing something that terrifies her. She's so stressed that the EMH activates for her "psychiatric emergency." We think she's simply extremely nervous about having to operate the transporter. But after TheReveal that she's a mole, and a similar "psychiatric emergency" at the end of the episode, we realize she's actually talking herself into going through with murdering Bruce Maddox.

** Seven of Nine euthanizes Icheb at his request, who's slowly dying from his injuries on an operating table.

* SlowMotionDrop: The scene slows down when Maddox drops the glass which contains the drugged tranya and it smashes on to the table.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Rios suggests they simply buy Maddox from Bjayzl, but Raffi rejects this because the Tal Shiar has expressed interest and it would take far more than money for Bjayzl to break a contract with them. Seven offers herself as a TrojanPrisoner instead, as her wide range of implants would be extremely valuable.

** The surgeon working on Icheb asks where his cortical node is, then boasts that she'll find it soon enough. It does show up, as does the pissed off MamaBear it's attached to.

* WhamShot: The flashback shows a surgeon ripping out someone's eye, only for distinct wires to follow it out. Then the camera switches to a shot of his face, which has a ridge going up from the nose and a distinctive L-shaped wound that shows us this poor soul is none other than Icheb from ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Played with. Seven has some final words with Bjayzl before killing her, but knows that Bjayzl is stalling and knows to the second when her security will arrive, so their conversation only lasts for as long as Seven is confident they won't be interrupted. Once Seven knows she's out of time, she kills Bjayzl on the spot.
* WretchedHive: Freecloud is basically a place where everything the Federation is supposed to be against can be found, from benign things like gambling to far more illicit trades like running stolen Borg tech.

* MauriceChevalierAccent: Picard's overdone French accent during the op.

** Jurati has known about Dahji and Soji all along as she helped Maddox create them.

''La Sirena'' enters orbit around Freecloud. After dismissing a bunch of [[AdvertOverloadedFuture annoying pop-up ads]] (Elnor, to his disappointment, doesn't get one), Musiker declares she's found Bruce Maddox. However, to get him, they'll have to go undercover and hatch a deal with Bjayzl. Rios will pose as an 'interfacer,' an intermediary who facilitates business deals; this forces Rios to drop his "broody, existentialist spaceman routine" for something a bit more flamboyant. (Seven: "[[DeadpanSnarker You need a feather in your hat]].") Picard will play the opposing business interest, adopting a FrenchJerk persona and (what he believes to be) an "appropriately sini''sterrrr''" accent. Elnor, who never learned how to lie, plays Elnor. (Seven: "[[DeadpanSnarker An Elnor that never talks]].") Dr. Jurati will remain aboard to operate the transporter. And Seven plays the one thing Bjayzl wants more than anything else, the only person she would offend the Tal Shiar for: Seven of Nine.

* CListFodder: Icheb was brought back and killed just to show that things are much darker and edgier now as well as to give Seven something to be upset about.

* StayWithMeUntilIDie: Seven offers this to Icheb, but he's in so much pain that he begs her to MercyKill him, to which she complies.

* FamousLastWords: While slowly dying, Icheb pleads to Seven to kill him now and end his suffering.
-->'''Icheb''': ''(struggling to speak because he's in so much pain)'' Now, Seven. ''Please''.

** Bruce Maddox appears in the flesh for the first time since ''The Next Generation'''s "The Measure of a Man", and he's killed by Agnes at the end of the episode.

* {{Manchild}}: Invoked by Rios when refers to Elnor as a kid.

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Bjayzl has a [[TheReptilians Beta Annari]] enforcer named Mr. Vup whose appearance and voice are more "alien" and more intimidating than most RubberForeheadAliens that humans normally interact with. He's shown to be quite eager to beat, kill or vivisect people.

* AdultFear: No parent would ever want their child to be kidnapped and subjected to a gruesome OrganTheft, and then left to die a slow and horribly painful death. That's exactly what happens to Icheb, Seven of Nine's surrogate son, who is harvested for his Borg components without an anesthetic. He begs his mother figure to end his suffering, so she [[MercyKill grants him his wish]].

** The ''Enterpise-D'''s barber has a franchise too, Mr. Mot's Hair Emporium.

* CurbStompBattle: Seven of Nine guns down Bjayzl and her entire security detail at the casino.

* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: Before she beams out, Seven leaves a calling card in case Picard needs help from the Fenris Rangers.

* TheyWouldCutYouUp: Icheb is shown being dissected [[AndIMustScream while he's alive and conscious]], and Seven's implants are said to be particularly valuable as they're fully integrated into her body since she was assimilated as a child.

* KnightInSourArmor: Seven describes her work as a Fenris Ranger.
-->'''Seven:''' It's hopeless and pointless and exhausting and the only thing worse... ''(gives Picard MeaningfulLook)'' ...would be giving up.

* MythologyGag: The UmbrellaDrink Temtibi Lagoon is named after a location on Risa which was featured in ''[=DS9=]'''s "Let He Who Is Without Sin..."

'''Picard:''' ''(exasperated glance)'' No Elnor… ''(glares at Seven)'' I think everyone has finally stopped!

* TraitorShot: When Picard is questioning Maddox, Jurati is standing with her back to them but clearly listening in.

** The LittleNo when Seven presses Picard on whether coming back from the Collective meant regaining ''all'' his humanity. Even thirty years later, it still deeply affects him, and he was only assimilated for six days, vs. sixteen ''years'' for Seven.

** The Enterpise-D's barber has a franchise too, Mr. Mot's Hair Emporium.
** There are also several discussions about Seven and Picard being xBs, although it's implied this isn't widely known (Rios claims to have forgotten Picard was assimilated briefly, and he struggles to recall Seven's name).
** A black market for Borg parts was hinted at back in "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS7E6InsideMan Inside Man]]", where Ferengi traders were willing to violate Starfleet security and kill the entire crew of ''Voyager'' just to gain access to Seven's nanoprobes. With the collapse of the Romulan Neutral Zone, that trade has evidently expanded greatly.

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Discussed when Seven asks if Picard got his humanity back after being liberated from the Borg. When she follows with "All of it?", he says no, but then insists that they're both working on it.

* [[CallingTheOldManOut Calling The Old Woman Out]]: Raffi's estranged son Gabriel wants nothing to do with her, saying she was so focused on her "crackpot" theories (and later, lost in substance abuse) that she didn't care about him or his father, and that she had no idea how difficult it was to be her son.

* [[NonActionGuy Non-Action Girl]]: A TeleportationRescue that would be routine for any ''Star Trek'' hero almost makes Jurati panic. This makes her subsequent SickbedSlaying even more unexpected.

* TrojanPrisoner: Seven offers herself as payment for Maddox, for secretly personal reasons but rationalizing that her implants would be a fair trade. Raffi hides a small transport enhancer on her person which will blend in with her implants and rigs the cuffs to come off whenever Seven wants, allowing her to get the drop on Bjayzl.

* WhamShot: The flashback shows a doctor ripping out someone's eye, only for distinct wires to follow it out. Then the camera switches to a shot of his face, which has a ridge going up from the nose and a distinctive L-shaped wound that shows us this poor soul is none other than Icheb from ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.
* [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Why Don't You Just Shoot Her]]: Played with. Seven has some final words with Bjayzl before killing her, but knows that Bjayzl is stalling and knows to the second when her security will arrive, so their conversation only lasts for as long as Seven is confident they won't be interrupted. Once Seven knows she's out of time, she kills Bjayzl on the spot.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Gabriel's pointed questions about the synth attack break through Raffi's attempts to portray herself as reformed and she insists she was right, especially with what she knows now. This is more than enough proof for Gabriel to conclude she's being insincere and thus he rejects her overtures.

* CListFodder: Icheb was brought and killed back just to show things were darker and edgier now as well as to give Seven something to be upset about.

** Elnor takes two phasers and points them at Bjayzl's female bodyguards.

* MayDecemberRomance: If Agnes' age is at all similar to Alison Pill's, then she was born within a few years of "The Measure of a Man", when Bruce Maddox was introduced as a lieutenant commander. This easily makes him old enough to be her father... or, quite possibly, her ''grand''father.

** The LittleNo when Seven presses Picard on whether coming back from the Collective meant regaining ''all'' his humanity. Even thirty years later, it still deeply affects him.

* SpaceClothes: Bjayzl's outfits have odd shoulder extensions for no discernible reason.

''La Sirena'' enters orbit around Freecloud. After dismissing a bunch of [[AdvertOverloadedFuture annoying pop-up ads]] (Elnor, to his disappointment, doesn't get one), Musiker declares she's found Bruce Maddox. However, to get him, they'll have to go undercover and hatch a deal with Bjayzl. Rios will pose as an 'interfacer,' an intermediary who facilitates business deals; this forces Rios to drop his "brooding, existential spaceman routine" for something a bit more flamboyant. (Seven: "[[DeadpanSnarker You need a feather in your hat]].") Picard will play the opposing business interest, adopting a FrenchJerk persona and (what he believes to be) an "appropriately sini''sterrrr''" accent. Elnor, who never learned how to lie, plays Elnor. (Seven: "[[DeadpanSnarker An Elnor that never talks]].") Dr. Jurati will remain aboard to operate the transporter. And Seven plays the one thing Bjayzl wants more than anything else, the only person she would offend the Tal Shiar for: Seven of Nine.

** When Rios orders a Temtibi Lagoon on Freecloud with ''two'' [[UmbrellaDrink umbrellas]], it's the opposite of his "brooding, existential spaceman routine" because he's pretending to be an ostentatious 'facer.