Recap / Star Trek: Picard S3E10 "The Last Generation"

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

"The only way to save the fleet—to save Earth—is to sever that connection, no matter the cost. What began over 35 years ago ends tonight!"

— Picard, preparing to face the Borg one last time

"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."

As the above distress signal fills subspace, the Enterprise-D finds a Borg cube lurking in the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. Aboard is Jack Crusher, now designated as Vox, confirmed to be broadcasting the Borg signal that controls Starfleet. The cube disarms its weapons and lowers its shields, inviting the Federation contingent aboard; most of its power readings are going to powering the signal. Picard, Riker and Worf resolve to beam aboard the cube and track down Jack's lifesigns and cut the signal off at the source. Picard leaves Commodore Geordi La Forge in command. As they leave the bridge, he says, "It Has Been an Honor," suggesting he expects a One-Way Trip.

Seven, Raffi and the older staff of the Titan-A secure the bridge by beaming the younger crewmembers into the locked transporter room. They're a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits — the Closest Thing We Got to a pilot is the ship's cook, who had to leave training to take over his mother's deli — but they are all that is left of Starfleet. They detect the NCC-1701-D near Jupiter and realize Picard is making a play. To buy him time, Seven orders the Invisibility Cloak engaged: the Fleet Formation system requires line-of-sight to work, and simply becoming invisible breaks the Titan free. She then begins Hit-and-Run Tactics, distracting the assimilated fleet. Unfortunately, Sidney, Alandra and the other Bridge Bunnies break free of the transporter room and destroy the cloaking device, exposing the Titan to return fire, just as Spacedock finally succumbs to assault and Earth's planetary shields fall.

Aboard the cube, It's Quiet… Too Quiet; most of the drones are either dead or powered down in service of the signal. Crusher locates Jack, forcing the away team to split up; Picard admits he can no longer be The Captain, as now he is beholden to a higher calling: being a father instead. Riker and Worf look for an active terminal while Picard heads after Jack. The boy has been fully assimilated — he even has the same headpiece that Locutus of Borg did, laser pointer included — and he is accompanied by the Borg Queen. She goes on her Motive Rant: after Admiral Janeway made her presence known in the timeline (VOY: "Endgame"), she was pushed deep into the recesses of space, deprived of succor. This ship and its drones are (with the exception of Queen Jurati's Collective from last season) the Last of Its Kind. That said, it's enough: with the help of her Changeling allies, she has learned to procreate, and is bent on the annihilation of the Federation.

The Cube breaks dormancy and opens fire, but Dr. Beverly Crusher — by now a full-fledged Combat Medic — is at the weapons stations, wielding the Enterprise's weapons with a force and flair even Worf never managed. Meanwhile, Riker and Worf radio on the location of the transmitter, but there's a problem: it's buried deep inside the center of the cube. Data rises to the challenge, taking the Enterprise — a Mighty Glacier forty years old — into the Cube's superstructure in an Airstrike Impossible worthy of a Space Fighter. Finally, it's time for the Sadistic Choice: the transmitter is the heart of the Borg cube, and destroying it will destroy the cube... with Picard and Jack still on it, hidden by the interference. Beverly, tearful, signs off, but Worf and Riker refuse to return, insisting on heading in to rescue Picard. They arrive just as Picard, realizing he has no other option, voluntarily assimilates himself to go in after Jack.

The two meet in a Battle in the Centre of the Mind. Jack, the loner who has always felt different, has embraced his Family of Choice, the family the Borg claim to be. Picard admits that he is the same, that he joined Starfleet to find a Family Of Choice; but now he and Jack have each other, and perhaps that can suffice. Jack still refuses, so Picard walks the walk: he offers to stay with his son, come what may. This is all it takes, and Jack breaks free of the Borg's programming, separating himself from the Collective and tearing out the tube with which Picard had injected himself. He will die as himself, at least. Riker, seeing this, wishes a farewell to his Imzadi... and Troi, apprehending this through her mental link with him, grabs the wheel and brings the ship over so they can beam Picard and the others back.

The Borg ship explodes, with the Enterprise-D rocketing out of the fireball. Aboard the Titan, the assimilated crew, about to retake the bridge, are suddenly restored to themselves, with Sidney breaking down in a Heroic BSoD in Seven's arms. Aboard the Enterprise bridge, there are plenty of happy reunions: the Picard-Crusher family, the Troi-Riker family, old friends Geordi, Data and Worf relaxing in the command chairs, and Geordi seeing his daughters freed, happy, and safe together with Seven and Raffi via viewscreen. After 35 years, the Borg threat is neutralized for good and all.

As Starfleet returns to normal, Admiral Beverly Crusher, newly installed Head of Starfleet Medical, implements transporter technology that allows the removal of the Borg DNA... and the catching of any remaining Changeling imposters. Raffi is finally invited to meet her granddaughter; she and the crew of the Enterprise are celebrities now, and her family is proud of her. Worf wishes her great future happiness. Many of the abducted Changeling victims are returned, including Captain Tuvok, who tells Seven that the Enterprise crew have been granted full pardons. Seven has realized that she is not a fit for Starfleet, and offers her resignation, but in answer, Tuvok gives her her latest crew evaluation — Captain Shaw, speaking in a recording from before his death, admits that her Military Maverick instincts are valuable, and recommends she be promoted to captain. (Her resignation is not accepted.) And Troi gets back to work helping Data grapple with his newfound humanity; apparently he keeps running over their session time limits.

After a Time Skip to 2402, the Enterprise-D is ensconced in its rightful place in the Fleet Museum at Athan Prime. Spacedock has been rebuilt, and Admirals Picard and Crusher see off a loved one — Ensign Jack Crusher, who has been fast-tracked through the Academy — to his latest posting: the Titan... well, what was the Titan. Yes, in recognition of Jean-Luc Picard, his crew, and the efforts to defeat the Borg once and for all, the ship has officially been re-christened: NCC-1701-G. The Enterprise rides again.

Captain Seven of Nine and first officer Raffaela Musiker take her out for her shakedown cruise, with Jack on the bridge as a Special Counselor to the Captain. Seven is asked to choose her Catchphrase — "Engage," "Let's fly," "Hit it," etc — and therefore to write the first line of her legacy. The scene cuts away before she says it.

In Ten Forward L.A., Picard's crew is gathered and has closed down the bar — again; Guinan has apparently been giving them the side-eye to get them to leave for half an hour. It doesn't work, as Picard breaks out the poker deck. The series ends the way it did the first time: with Picard dealing out a hand to his True Companions.

The Stinger: Ensign Jack Crusher unpacks in his cabin aboard the new Enterprise, only to be happened upon by Q — apparently, a Q before his death; the omnipotent members of the Continuum do not have to perceive time linearly. Jack points out that, according to Picard, the trial was over; Q admits that it was — for him. "Yours, Jack, has just begun."

---

Tropes:

• Accidental Innuendo: In-Universe When Worf decides to join Picard and Riker on the Borg cube, he declares "And I will make it a threesome." It's promptly lampshaded:
  Riker: Do you even hear yourself?
• Actor Allusion: Not only does he end the series quoting Shakespeare, he engages in a Battle in the Center of the Mind, an obvious reference to Patrick Stewart's other famous role.
• Actually Pretty Funny: Data and Geordi are both visibly amused when post-mission Worf collapses in Troi's chair and promptly starts snoring.
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Continuing on from last episode, Seven, Raffi, and any surviving unassimilated Titan crewmembers are trapped aboard the still-hijacked Titan and trying to retake the ship. They successfully seize the bridge and then use the Titan to buy time for Earth.
• Alpha Strike: For the first time ever Beverly is placed in charge of the tactical station, when Geordi orders a return fire the Enterprise lights up the surface of the Cube. The entire bridge crew turns to look at her in surprise, which she responds with "A lot has happened in 20 years."
• Ambiguous Situation: While Vadic's surviving conspirators are taken in custody by Starfleet, it's left unclear if they'll be held in Federation custody indefinitely, or if they'll be extradited back to the Gamma Quadrant to face judgement in the Great Link.
  • Jean Luc and Beverly come to the Enterprise to see Jack off. But it isn't clear if they are a couple. Jack does however have a picture of them on his nightstand.
• And the Adventure Continues:
  • With the latest Starship Enterprise in service to Starfleet warping away from Earth to Boldly Go among the stars once more.
  • In The Stinger, Q shows up to tell Jack that he has his own Humanity on Trial quest to deal with.
• Arc Welding: A variation. While the Federation-Borg conflict began on TNG, VOY had developed its own distinct Borg arc that branched off from the main narrative. After being implied last episode, VOY's Borg arc now formally circles back to and merges with the primary TNG Borg arc (as the events of "Endgame" and the damage Team Janeway did to the Collective on their way out of the Delta Quadrant are the catalyst for this final apocalyptic campaign.)
• Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving: Captain Tuvok confronts Seven of Nine for helping the old Enterprise crew hijack the Titan. Before he can finish, Seven announces that she is resigning from Starfleet. Tuvok then shows her a holo-recording of Captain Shaw (shortly before his death), giving his evaluation of Seven, commending her for her courage, loyalty and willingness to go against the rules if it's the right thing, and recommending her for promotion. Tuvok then tells Seven, "Resignation denied. Captain."
• Art Evolution:
  • The Red Alert conditions aboard the Enterprise-D have now adopted the darker lighting mode that wasn't introduced to the 24th century until after TNG had ended. Could be justified, as Geordi had to rebuild the bridge module with post-2371 components, which likely had the later OS updates.
  • Building off last episode's ending, the 1701-D's warp drive effect has been updated from the original TNG-era "stretch" effect to the current Secret Hideout-era revamp.
• Awesome, yet Impractical: Worf's sword is so ridiculously heavy that Riker can barely lift it. As a mighty Klingon, Worf is apparently strong enough to wield it effectively, but that isn't how swords and bladed weapons work well in real life. They always have to be relatively light because extremely heavy weapons aren't just hard to swing, they also obey Newton's Third Law: swinging them will cause an equal opposite reaction on the wielder's body, pulling them wildly off balance and leave them extremely vulnerable to counter-attack.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: When the Titan registers the presence of a Galaxy-class starship in the Sol System, both Raffi and Seven are initially confused as to what the hell this is. Once Seven realizes it's the Enterprise-D, she quickly puts the pieces together: this is what Geordi's plan last episode was, the Enterprise-D can't be hacked by Fleet Formation, and they're making a play to shut down the Collective system at the source. This analysis also allows Seven and Raffi to figure out their own game plan: Disrupt the attack on Spacedock and buy as much time for Picard's team as they can.
• Back for the Finale:
  • The real Tuvok returns to give Seven a promotion to captain; the Changelings having kept him alive as they hinted previously.
  • Q returns to have a chat with Jack, despite dying last season. He dismisses this as linear thinking, suggesting this is an earlier version of the character nonetheless aware of his eventual end.
  • Despite Captain Shaw having been slain last episode, Todd Stashwick returns for a cameo as part of a pre-recorded message Shaw made earlier in the season.
• Bait-and-Switch: A scene in the denouement begins with a voiceover of Deanna giving counseling advice in a way that implies that she is speaking to Jack. The scene then shows that she is having a counseling session with Data.
• Bait-and-Switch Comment: In the final scene, Data's given the honor of the TNG crew's final toast. He stands, gathers his thoughts, strikes a dignified pose...and then starts reciting that naughty limerick from "The Naked Now". Everybody immediately starts shouting at Data, leading the android to mock-pout he's never going to get to finish that limerick.
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: Picard connects himself to the Collective to attempt to reach Jack, which appears as a swirling mass of green energy all around them.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Downplayed, as he does not actually regret the outcome, but Data does note that being human is just as difficult as the desire to be human and also "infinitely more complex" than he had considered.
• Beyond Redemption: The Borg Collective ultimately are this in the end; in spite of repeated questions about the morality of wiping them out over the course of the franchise, the Borg doom themselves to extinction through their inability to change their outlook that they could coexist^note Jurati's Collective proves that there is a capacity for the Borg to change and peacefully exist with other life in their constant pursuit of perfection that they would rather become an Omnicidal Maniac when facing the possibility of failure of reaching that goal. Thus no tears are shed by any party, in spite of their horrific condition inflicted upon them by Janeway's virus, when they are finally put down for good.
• Big Badass Battle Sequence: The Borg-assimilated fleet attacks Earth Spacedock, while the Titan (with her cloaking device) uses Hit-and-Run Tactics to interfere with them; meanwhile, the Enterprise goes one-on-one against the Borg cube. The result: more Macross Missile Massacre, Beam Spam, and Stuff Blowing Up than just about every other installment in the franchise.
• Big "NO!": The Borg Queen lets this out for the last time, once her plans are ruined and she is denied her opportunity at Taking You with Me.
• Bittersweet Ending: The Borg/Changeling conspiracy damaged Starfleet badly, with countless ships and personnel lost in their rampage, and possibly millions of young Starfleet personnel deeply traumatized by assimilation. However, Picard and his team triumphed over the Borg one last time, purging the universe of their threat once and for all. As well, a new generation of officers and an Enterprise(-G) set out to boldly go where no one has gone before.
• Body Horror: Alternate Janeway's last act was not kind to the Borg Queen, who is an emaciated torso with a melted face, scavenging her last remaining drones to sustain herself. Funnily enough, how malformed she is makes her now more of an Homage to her concept's original inspiration as a Xenomorph Xerox.
• Bond Villain Stupidity:
  • The Queen would have won if she had just blown the Enterprise-D and her crew — people the Queen knew all too well had triumphed against the Borg during their last two attempts to assimilate Earth — out of the stars at the beginning of the episode. Instead, she lowers shields and invites Picard aboard. Her need to monologue to Picard and gloat to his face dooms her and the Collective.
  • The Queen would've attacked Earth sooner had she immediately destroyed the Titan as they did the Excelsior when Seven and the others had re-taken the bridge. As with her need to gloat to Picard, she likely wanted those closest to him to suffer (and especially Seven given her relationship with the scourge of the Collective, i.e. Janeway).
• Bookends:
  • The season premiere was titled "The Next Generation", while the finale is titled "The Last Generation".
  • The entire 24th century era of the franchise began with Jean-Luc Picard, his command crew, and the Enterprise-D — and now it ends with them.
  • Q returns in The Stinger to bookend his first appearance in the very first episode of TNG and the 24th century, as well as his appearance in the very first Borg episode.
  • The Enterprise-D was the first Starfleet ship to make official first contact with the Borg in "Q Who," and the one to defeat the first Borg Cube that attacked the Sol System. It ends up being there to eradicate the last of the Borg.
  • Riker and Worf were part of the very first Starfleet Away Team to set foot on a Borg Cube in "Q Who". They're now part of the very last Away Team to ever undertake such a mission.
  • The Enterprise-D was also the first Starfleet ship to contact the Borg with a "hello" and the last one to literally tell them "go to hell" with the metaphorical middle finger.
  • Chronologically, the Borg story began at Earth nearly 350 years earlier when the 24th Century Sphere traveled back in time and failed to stop Zefram Cochrane's historic flight. A century later, the drones that had survived the Sphere's destruction were discovered, awoken, and set off the chain of events that created a Stable Time Loop and brought the Collective to the Alpha Quadrant — and with all that ensued at System J-25, Wolf 359, etc. Now, the Borg's story chronologically ends at Earth 350 years later.
  • The Next Generation ended with Picard sitting down for a game of Poker with his friends, and Picard ends the same way (not counting The Stinger). Similarly, this show's pilot episode opened with Picard playing poker with Data (albeit as part of a dream sequence) and likewise ends with him once again playing a hand with the android, only this time surrounded by his whole command crew.
  • In the Picard season one backstory, Raffi was selected by the then-newly promoted Admiral to serve as his adjutant for the Romulan Evacuation. To put it another way, Raffi was the Number Two to a former Captain of the Enterprise. Raffi now exits the series having reclaimed that role and serving as the Number Two of the current Captain of the Enterprise (i.e. Seven).
  • At the end of Star Trek: Generations, Picard and Riker were the last members of the command crew to set foot in the wreckage of the bridge before beaming up to the Farragut and leaving Veridian III. 30 years later, Picard and Riker are again the last members of the old command crew to set foot on the restored bridge before Geordi (who's with them this time) turns out the lights and completes the D's transformation into a permanent Fleet Museum exhibit.
    • Stephen Barton & Frederik Wiedmann's soundtrack also musically underscores the bookend. "Legacy and Future" features a reprise of Dennis McCarthy's "To Live Forever", which played as Picard and Riker surveyed the D's bridge for what they thought was the last time — and now truly for the last time 30 years later.
    • Geordi's promise to Picard as they leave the bridge for the last time — that he will take care of the D because she's always taken good care of them — bookends Leonard McCoy's similar parting advice to Data back during his Spinoff Sendoff in the TNG Pilot.
  • The launch of the rechristened Enterprise-G is similar to her departure (as the Titan-A) from the season premiere. They even reuse much of the BGM.
• Brick Joke:
  • Thirty-six years later, and Data still wants to finish that rather peculiar limerick being delivered by someone in the shuttlecraft bay.
  • Last episode, Geordi warns that one of the panels on the Enterprise-D’s port nacelle was loose, that he had a hard time trying to get it down. During the flyby of the Enterprise-D and Titan-A at the end, you can see that there’s a missing panel on that mentioned nacelle.
  • Back in Season One, Seven performs a Non Sequitur, *Thud* by telling Picard he owes her a ship. Boy, does he pay her back in spades.
    • Likewise, at the beginning of the Season, Picard told Seven that she was going to be a Captain before she knew it. He was more prescient than either of them knew.
  • Nearly 30 years after the last time we last the TNG characters playing poker together...and Worf still can't win a poker hand if his life and honor depended upon it.
    • Similarly, back in "All Good Things", Picard humbly stated that he used to be quite a card player in his youth. Picard proves that was no idle boast by actually besting Riker (who was the most frequent poker victor on TNG) in the final game.
  • Subtle one, but when Data takes the helm, he seems to finally understand the human predilection for piloting vehicles at unsafe velocities.
• Brief Accent Imitation: President Anton Chekov imitates his father's thicker Russian accent when telling everyone "There are always possibilities."
• Call-Back:
  • The Enterprise-D exits warp in orbit of Jupiter, similar to how the Kelvin-timeline Enterprise exited warp at Titan when racing home to stop Nero's attack on Earth. No "rising out of Titan's atmosphere" scene here, though.
    • The staging and angle of the Enterprise-D when it comes out of warp in that shot also matches the very first shot we ever saw of her in the opening scene of "Encounter at Farpoint".
  • Likewise, the Enterprise-D once again arrives home in the Sol system to rescue the Federation capital just as the Borg reach its doorstep. For Team Picard, this is also now the third time they've done this particular Big Damn Heroes routine (following Wolf 359 and the 2373 incursion) while saving Earth from the Borg.
  • And speaking of ST:FC, this is the second time that the Borg Queen tells Picard, "Watch your future's end."
  • The two Borg drones Riker and Worf fight move more tactically, use energy weapons and have some hand-to-hand combat ability. This is unusual as Borg drones typically rely on a Zerg Rush with an Adaptive Ability with shields and don't bother defending themselves, but it is reminiscent of the splinter Borg group encountered in the "Descent" two-parter.
  • The Enterprise-D hauls ass away from the exploding Borg cube exactly like in "The Best of Both Worlds".
  • The scene with the Enterprise-D next to the Titan-A in Earth orbit flying off into the sunrise mirrors a similar shot at the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country with the Enterprise-A and Excelsior flying into the sunset in Khitomer orbit.
  • Likewise, both the film and the episode feature quotes from the play Julius Caesar in their last few scenes. Interestingly, Picard quotes Brutus’ nautical metaphor praising the importance of free will, adventure, and teamwork among equals. In contrast, Chang quotes Caesar’s astrological simile praising the (false sense of) permanence of fate, stability, and power over a hierarchy.
  • The dust band and star cluster we see at the beginning of President Chekov's broadcast are an exact match to those in the TNG opening credits, starting with Season 3.
  • Back in "The Bounty", Jack tells Seven of Nine that the refit Constitution class Enterprise-A was his personal favorite. In the post-credits stinger, in addition to Jack setting up a model of the Enterprise-D in his quarters, a model of the Enterprise-A can also be seen. Blink and you will miss it.◊
• The Cameo: President Anton Chekov is voiced by Walter Koenig.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: By the time of the final party at Ten Forward, Beverley's plastered. Justified, as she had been downing Klingon Bloodwine all night.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Just as the Dominion did during their Cold War with the UFP, Vadic and her rogue faction of Founders kept many of their captured Starfleet targets alive. They needed to be able to interrogate their captives for useful information (or personal details to help sell the imposters).
• Captain's Log: Delivered by Riker after the battle, summing up Starfleet's recovery efforts.
  "Captain's log, Stardate...shall we say 'one'. The first of a new day for friends both old and young. Starfleet has 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.^*Security officers apprehend a rogue Changeling exposed by the transporter buffer. 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."
• Catchphrase: Jack and Raffi ask Seven what she's going to say to have the newly christened Enterprise-G go to warp for their first mission, as every ship captain seems to have their own personalised way of saying "Engage". Just as she's about to say it, cut to the Enterprise going to warp, leaving Seven's catchphrase a mystery.
• The Cavalry: Riker demands to know where the cavalry is as the Enterprise enters the Sol system and receives updates on the battle. Data's sensors confirm all distress calls from Federation and civilian ships have gone silent, meaning the 1701-D essentially is the cavalry.
• Character Death: The Borg Queen bites it again and for good this time.
• Chekhov's Gun: The Titan's cloaking device proves to be the key to breaking the Fleet Formation override, which requires line-of-sight to function.
• Closest Thing We Got: Seven's temporary pilot is the ship's cook, who only partially finished pilot training before leaving to take care of the family restaurant.
• Collapsing Lair: The design of the Borg transmitter means that, when it's destroyed, the entire cube goes up with it.
• Combat Medic: Beverly, much like how she was on the first episode of this season, is a capable combatant, this time handling the tactical systems of the Enterprise-D against the Borg cube.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Anton Chekov broadcasts a planetary distress signal in the same way that President Hiram Roth in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home did, using nearly the same dialogue ("Do not approach Earth").
  • The fact that the new Earth Spacedock is able to (for now) Hold the Line against what is essentially the entire assimilated Federation fleet is a vast improvement upon the last time we saw one in battle, when three Texas-class automated starships were able to nearly wreck a Spacedock-like space station and a Sovereign-class starship with relative ease. Given that Starfleet lost several personnel, including a flag officer (albeit a corrupt one), in that incident, and an auxiliary ship had to lure the rampaging ships away to give Starfleet time to respond and ended up being pummelled as a result, it's likely they took that veritable disaster as a wake-up call and responded to it by upgrading the type to improve defensive capabilities and developing a contingency plan for rogue ships.
  • When Picard willingly reconnects to the Collective to save Jack, flashbacks to First Contact and to himself assimilated as Locutus appear during the "boot up" sequence.
  • Worf tells Raffi that he has never shed any tears. Back in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Spock tells Scotty that Klingons have no tear ducts.
• Cooldown Hug: Sidney is suddenly freed from the Collective and hit by the trauma of being assimilated and forced to try to kill the people she cares about. She is initially dazed, then horrified by the sight of her phaser (set to kill) pointing at Seven, and starts to freak out while desperately stammering her apologies. Seven walks up to Sidney without any hesitation, hugs her as she breaks down sobbing, and calms her down by assuring her 'it's over'.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: Spacedock is getting pounded on by hundreds of ships and by all accounts it can't hold out forever, but not only does it manage to hold with Earth's planetary shields protecting it, it also is able to lay the hurt on attacking fleet. In one scene it disables at least 5 ships with all its return fire.
• Dare to Be Badass: Seven of Nine completes her transformation into The Captain. With her scratch command crew (other than Raffi) clearly uneasy over her plan to hit and run against the entire Borg controlled fleet to try and distract them and buy time for Earth, Seven pretty emphatically takes up the mantle of a Starfleet Captain as she tells her crew that here and now, they are all that is left of Starfleet and it's up to them to Hold the Line until Picard and his crew do their stuff. And her crew promptly rally to her and follow her into the fire.
  • Earth Spacedock also gets this as well as she’s not only able to hold her own against what is essentially a 300 strong armada carrying the mother of all ammunitions depots but is seen actually doling out equal amounts of punishment. This isn’t Kirk’s Earth Spacedock folks!
• Darkest Hour: Continuing on from "Vox", all interlinked Starfleet vessels are now under Borg control and all young officers or enlisted crewmen have been rapidly assimilated thanks to the Borg's transporter-introduced genetic malware. Earth's defenses have been destroyed, Spacedock's Last Stand is only delaying the inevitable, and the Borg-controlled flotilla is on the cusp of burning the cradle of humanity and the heart of the Federation to a smoking cinder. The last, best hope for Starfleet and the Federation lies in Jean-Luc Picard, his command crew, and the resurrected Enterprise-D — but even still, it's seven people and one decades-old ship against the totality of the Collective.
• David Versus Goliath: Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D have their work cut out for them as they have to take on a Borg Cube in a single ship thirty years past its prime (let alone without even a skeleton crew), once again dwarfed by the sheer size (and firepower) of the Collective's trademark vessel. In the same vein, Seven and her motley crew have to neutralize the Titan's assimilated officers and distract the entire Borgified armada to buy Sol Station more time. And although Sol Station is a massive fortress itself, it stands practically alone against almost the whole of Starfleet.
• Death by a Thousand Cuts: Earth Spacedock has defenses so strong that no single starship could ever hope to disable it. Unfortunately, the Borg have hijacked hundreds of starships, all of which are unloading on Spacedock with everything they have. Spacedock is shown disabling several of them, but the sheer volume of fire eventually overcomes their defenses.
• Death by Irony: Despite all the spectacle of the final confrontation, the Borg are ultimately defeated not through force of arms, but through loyalty, solidarity, self-sacrifice, and compassion as well as individualism. In other words, the Borg are laid low by the very ideals that are the bedrock of the Federation, Starfleet and the entire franchise — ideals which are also the antithesis of everything the Collective believes in and represents. Symbolically, it's a very classical Trek resolution.
• Decapitated Army: Subverted. When Jack is pulled from the Collective, the drones simply default to the last order given because the signal controlling them is still active, just no longer forwarding commands. The cube blowing up a minute later, thus severing the link completely, is what truly frees them from the Collective.
• Didn't Think This Through: Retroactive instance for Team Janeway following the confirmation that this is all payback for "Endgame". The Voyager crew was intent on using the Transwarp Hub to get home and dealing a crippling blow to the Borg in the process. Their mistake, however, was that they didn't stop to consider what would happen after they deployed the Neurolytic Pathogen. What if there were survivors...and how might they react to being poisoned and left to die by the Federation and Starfleet? Now, over 20 years later, Earth is paying the price for Janeway's failed foresight.
• Didn't See That Coming: The Borg Queen thought the Beacon was safe from enemy fire deep inside the Cube. She never anticipated that Picard's team would be daring and crazy enough to actually fly the Enterprise-D into the Cube itself.
• Drives Like Crazy: Data flies the Enterprise-D like he stole her into the Super-Cube's interior spaces. Justified, as Data's superhuman reflexes and perception make him the only member of Team Picard capable of such piloting.
  Deanna: Why am I sensing enjoyment?
  Data: (shit-eating grin)
• Dual Wielding: A Freeze-Frame Bonus shows Raffi battling with two hand phasers when her and Seven's teams invade the bridge to re-take it.
• Earn Your Happy Ending:
  • Picard started the series alone in bitter, self-imposed exile from Starfleet and the rest of the world. Picard now exits it and the franchise having gained a family, reunited his closest friends for the first time in two decades (along with resurrecting Data and, in a way, the Enterprise-D too), and having triumphed once and for all over his oldest, most personal enemy.
  • Raffi likewises started the series just as broken as Picard. The collapse of the Romulan Evacuation and her relationship with the Admiral also took down Raffi's career, her familial relationships, and her sobriety. But Picard's investigation into Soji Asha and Zhat Vash conspiracy slowly began pulling her out of the wreckage of her professional and personal lives. Raffi exits the series still struggling with her personal conflicts, but in much better shape now thanks to her relationships with Picard, Elnor, Seven, and now Worf. Having helped saved the Federation from utter annihilation, the recognition has allowed Raffi to not only begun reconciling with her son Gabe, but to also be offered one of the plum postings in all of Starfleet: The Federation Flagship's XO.
  • Similarly to Raffi, Seven started the series just as broken by the death of her surrogate son Icheb and Starfleet's Fantastic Racism that prevented the ex-Borg from joining her friends from Voyager (and in spite of Janeway's fierce lobbying). Hooking up with Team Picard and her tumultuous romance with Raffi allowed Seven to slowly begin healing and living again. Seven exits the series having helped end the Borg for good and becoming Captain of the Federation Flagship (and while no longer romantically involved with Raffi, remaining close friends).
  • Geordi and Sidney start the season estranged. Then just as Geordi begins to better understand and bond with Sidney, he loses her (and Alandra) to Borg assimilation. He's so desperate to save his girls that he's initially ready to rush out to their rescue without thinking things through. Thankfully, Data gets Geordi to see that they need a plan to save his girls. And it works. Seeing Sidney and Alandra, freed, safe, and happy, alongside Seven and Raffi, brings out a well-earned smile from Geordi.
  • The Federation itself has gone through nearly half a century of conflict and societal upheaval not seen since the days of Captain Kirk with the threat of the Borg constantly in the back of everyone’s mind. The rising of the Sun over Earth dispels the long living nightmare of the last 40 years and the rise of a new century in which the Federation can recover and grow anew with a new Enterprise leading the way.
  • Even the Enterprise-D, in a sense, gets a happy ending. When we left it at the end of Generations, the once proud Federation Flagship whose adventures we'd followed during TNG's run had died an ignominious death, with the secondary hull destroyed by a warp core breach and the saucer had been, for all intents, left to rot on a backwater world in the middle of nowhere. But Geordi's ascendancy to the Fleet Museum Curator role gave him the cachet to salvage the old girl and begin restoring her over two decades. Not only does she get to fly again one more time, but the Enterprise helps save the Federation from annihilation and defeat the Borg once and for all. In the epilogue, the "D" exits the series and the 24th century era fully restored and now taking its rightful place in the Fleet Museum — a far more honorable and deserving final fate for the franchise's second most famous Starship Enterprise.
    • This also applies to the USS Syracuse, from which Geordi gained the Enterprise's new secondary hull. While the actual ship undoubtedly had a distinguished career, and likely saw action in the Dominion War, it will live on as part of the Enterprise legacy. In fact the entire Galaxy class itself will live on as part of her legacy as well.
• End-of-Series Awareness:
  • A determined Picard states that "What began over thirty-five years ago ends tonight!" While he means the Federation-Borg conflict in-story, on a meta level of course he's also describing TNG itself, which premiered just over thirty-five years before the final season of Picard.
  • In the final scene in Ten Forward, Riker says this looks like the end of the road. He's talking about last call (and Guinan trying to get them out of the now-closed bar). But of course, it's also talking about the closing minutes of the series finale and the last appearance of the TNG characters.
• Evil Evolves: The Borg Queen managed to survive the events of Voyager's Grand Finale through desperate, cannibalistic measures, sustained by a super massive Cube (possibly rebuilt from the Unimatrix Zero One complex) but is in no condition to make a direct assault against any modest spacefaring civilization, let alone the Federation and Starfleet. So they changed their tactics, utilizing Changelings to infiltrate Starfleet and secretly mess with the genetic code of near all of its officers to make them susceptible to mass assimilation once the trigger occurs. This change is cited by the Borg Queen herself no less as the catalyst for where they're going next.
  Queen: The future of the Borg does not lie in ... assimilation, but evolution.
• Evil Laugh: The Borg Queen gets a good one when she shows herself.
• Eye Awaken: The camera pans a couple of times on the face of one of the lifeless Borg drones that Worf and Riker find in the Cube. On the last one, the drone's eye snap open.
• Face Death with Dignity: Riker and Worf when the Borg cube looks ready to go up with them in it.
  Riker: Well, my old friend, is this good enough?
  Worf: This is indeed a fine day to die with honor.
• Fate Worse than Death: The Borg Queen's plan was to rebuild her Collective through the assimilated Starfleet officers by procreation, meaning that not only did she intend to have the Federation's youngest members wipe out their elders, but would then force them to reproduce in order to propagate her "species". In other words, she was not only going to commit murder but rape (both Mind Rape and sexually) on a mass scale while her victims could do nothing to stop it.
• Final Battle: The events of Frontier Day in orbit of Earth and Jupiter ultimately serve as the final confrontation between the Federation and the Borg.
• Forbidden Zone: The opening starts with President Anton Chekov warning away anyone listening to his message from Earth as the Borg have taken over.
• Foregone Conclusion:
  • The Borg's Assimilation Plot will fail, the Federation and Starfleet will be restored, and Earth will not be destroyed. On a meta level, similarly to DS9 and the outcome of the Dominion War, the franchise needs the UFP intact for future projects. In terms of internal continuity, we already know they're still intact and active into the late 32nd century (the setting of Star Trek: Discovery from the third season onwards). The dramatic tension going into the finale instead lies in how the day is saved and whether or not any of the TNG characters (the Enterprise-D included) will die to achieve that victory, as while they're long dead come the third season of Discovery, the circumstances of their final fates are unrevealed.
  • Similarly, whether or not the Borg will be destroyed or survive to assimilate another day is also part of the dramatic tension, as there's been no mention of the Collective at all in the future timeframe of Discovery — except for one passing reference made by the Federation president wherein she compared Species 10-C's hive mind to the Borg Collective — leaving their fate in the centuries separating eras unknown, until now.
• From Bad to Worse:
  • Upon beaming over to the Cube, Picard discovers they're in even worse trouble than they thought. Not only is the Borg Queen still alive, but she's gone completely insane and devolved into an Omnicidal Maniac. So, if they can't stop the Collective here and now, it won't just be the Federation that falls. The reborn Borg Collective will spread throughout the stars and annihilate rather than assimilate every single lifeform in the galaxy.
  • Played for Black Comedy in the Stringer. Having experienced and survived his father's archenemy (the Borg), Jack now finds himself facing his father's other perpetual pain in his posterior (i.e. Q).
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • On President Anton Chekov's message screen, there are several listed Starfleet orders, all of which have previously been defined in the franchise:
    • Code: One (Total or imminent disaster, possible invasion, or the Federation is soon to be in open war, requiring Starfleet personnel to assume tactical alert)
    • General Order 12 (On the approach of any vessels where communications have not been established, raise shields)
    • Starfleet Order 104 (In the absence of a starship's captain, a flag officer had the authority to assume command)
    • Regulation 19 Section C (An officer can assume command if an eminent threat is detected, lives of Federation citizens are in question and no officer of equal or higher rank is there to mitigate the threat).
  • When the Enterprise-D flies by Jupiter, we're treated to a high-definition closeup of the saucer section. Sharp-eyed viewers can spot brief glimpses of the interiors of Ten Forward, the ready room, and the observation lounge when the camera pans over them.
  • While it's already visible in the previous episode, the 1701-D's slow approach to Jupiter orbit offers a better chance and better lighting to see the differences between the original saucer section (and what work Geordi's been able to do on it) and the Syracuse's former stardrive section. The Syracuse is obviously a cleaner, well-preserved TNG-era Galaxy-class secondary hull. The D's primary hull, of course, is older, more worn and dirty, and still bears the signs of its fiery plunge through Veridian III's atmosphere thirty years earlier and of plowing into the surface and skidding to a stop. The starboard nacelle pylon also bears the Syracuse's registry number, NCC-17744, rather than the Enterprise's, NCC-1701-D, as Geordi said in the previous episode that he was still in the process of rebuilding the engineering hull of the Syracuse.
• Frontline General: Knowing the Collective as he does, Picard correctly concludes the Borg are on site somewhere in the Sol system directing the assimilated flotilla. His hunch is right, as Data detects a Borg vessel inside of Jupiter.
• Fully Absorbed Finale: For The Next Generation, as the final season was conceived and developed by Terry Matalas to be the farewell and sendoff that Nemesis failed to provide the franchise's second most famous crew.
• "Get Out of Jail Free" Card: After saving the entire Federation from a Borg takeover and near-annihilation, Starfleet can't exactly court-martial or dishonorably discharge Picard and the old 1701-D/E command crew (or Raffi, Seven, and the Titan officers and crew) for offenses and criminal acts committed throughout the season, can they? Tuvok even lampshades it during his scene with Seven.
• The Ghost: As the crew close down the bar they imply Guinan is just off camera, but is neither seen or heard.
• Grand Finale: For both Picard and the overarching TNG saga that began in 1987. Barring any potential post-series spinoffs, it is also the chronological finale of the entire 24th century era of the franchise, as Prodigy and Lower Decks, while still in production at the time of this episode's premiere, are both set before PIC in 2380 and 2384 respectively.
• Here We Go Again!: Having concluded Picard's Trial, Q's ready to begin the "judicial process" anew with the next generation (in the form of Picard's son).
• He's Back!: A minor, if humorous example. Just as the beloved "Picard Maneuver" returned in last week's penultimate shot, the likewise beloved and iconic "Riker Lean" also returns. Riker — or at least Jonathan Frakes — must love being back on this particular bridge with its consoles and finally being able to do it again.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: The Borg cube relaying the infection signal and harboring the Borg Queen is revealed to be hiding deep within Jupiter itself, practically sitting on Starfleet's doorstep the entire time as they waited for their moment to activate the assimilation process. Now that it's actually transmitting, it's had to poke out of the gaseous surface and can be detected.
• History Repeats: The Stinger ends much as TNG began: with (a) Picard finding themselves dealing with Q.
• Honor Before Reason: After completing their mission objective, Riker and Worf go back for Picard — and despite knowing it's a one-way trip and they're likely going to die once the Enterprise destroys the beacon. Riker's loyalty and love for Picard won't allow him to leave his former Captain behind. This honor and loyalty, of course, ironically is what ends up saving them all (as Deanna senses Riker's location in the dead zone through their empathic bond).
• Hope Spot: Played for black comedy in The Stinger when Q pops in. Jack is understandably confused, recounting how his father had said Q was dead. An annoyed Q grouses he had hoped the next generation wouldn't be so linear with its thinking (something he'd previously accused Jean-Luc of being). Alas, Jack's already dashed Q's hopes within mere moments of their first meeting.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: The Borg, who once had trillions of drones and controlled a vast swath of the Delta Quadrant, have been reduced to one barely-functioning cube. The Borg Queen, having survived the neurolytic pathogen that decimated the Collective, has herself been reduced to an insane, pitiful, vengeful shell of a creature. In her final moments, all she can do is throw up her hands in a vain attempt to shield herself and pitifully say "no" as her plan literally falls apart around her, and her with it.
  • Even more impactful is that in the last 20 or so years the Borg have gone from being a nigh-untouchable threat that even the omnipotent Q didn’t DARE mess with to being the harmless bogeymen of children’s bedtime stories and by the 32nd century are nothing more than another footnote in Federation and Galactic history barely mentioned or acknowledged by anyone.
• Hypocritical Humor: Subtle instance that also doubles as a Brick Joke for Nemesis. Back during the Kolarus III away mission — specifically during Picard's..."piloting" of the Argo — Data remarked he was forever puzzled by the human predilection for piloting vehicles at unsafe velocities. Over 20 years later, Data's doing the exact same thing with the Enterprise-D — and loving every moment of it.
• Identical Grandson: We don't actually see President Anton Chekov, only hear him through the emergency message that begins the episode - but considering the voice is that of Walter Koenig, best known as Ensign Pavel Chekov from the Original Series, who is Anton's father, it's hardly a stretch of imagination that son Anton looks a lot like dear old dad.
• Impossibly Graceful Giant: The Galaxy class Enterprise-D was part of a bygone era where ship design focused on majesty and general purpose functionality, while not lacking in weaponry they were not known for tight maneuvers, Starfleet ships became more streamlined and maneuverable after the Borg encounter and Dominion War. But thanks to Data's advanced piloting coupled with being rebuilt with Dominion War era technological components and the star drive section of the Syracuse (along with improvements in modern visual effects) the D is shown strafing the Borg cube with weapons fire, eventually diving inside at full speed with little room to spare like she’s dancing the can-can!
• Informed Flaw: It's made clear in both this episode and the previous one that the Enterprise-D is at a disadvantage, being decades out of date and not even at full strength. And yet, the command crew do so well the old ship comes off as a Lightning Bruiser, only taking some light damage. Justified in that the Borg Cube is even worse off: it's at 36% capacity, and most of that is devoted to controlling Starfleet (to say nothing of countering the immense gravitational pull of Jupiter). There are barely any functional drones left besides the Queen, so their ability to adapt is practically non-existent. Additionally, Data is the one piloting the Enterprise-D and Dr. Crusher has worked on her aim considerably in the last 20 years.
• Indy Ploy: Following on from last episode, Team Picard has grabbed the Enterprise-D — the one active Starfleet ship left not linked into the Fleet Formation protocols and thus can't be hacked — from the Fleet Museum and, with people dying every second, must improv their plan once they reach the cube.
• It Has Been an Honor:
  • Picard declares that it's been an honor serving with his friends as he, Riker, and Worf prepare to leave for the cube, knowing this is a mission some or all of them may not come back from.
  • Riker and Worf say their goodbyes to each other this way as it seems that the Enterprise-D won't be able to rescue them.
• It's Quiet… Too Quiet: Lampshaded by Riker upon beaming onto the Borg cube, as he notes that he has never been in such a situation that ended with a "pleasant surprise".
• Keystone Army: The Borg cube transmitting the signal is also the only thing holding the attack and assimilation of Starfleet together, meaning that for Picard and his crew to succeed in saving the Federation and the galaxy, they must sever the connection by any means necessary.
• Killed Off for Real: The original Borg Collective is, effectively, extinct by the end of the episode through a combination of Janeway's virus deteriorating them down to the one single cube that was broadcasting the signal assimilating the fleet from their original trillions-strong number and its subsequent destruction at the hands of the Enterprise-D undoing said assimilation, sealing their fate completely.
• Last Stand: For Starfleet, as the Enterprise-D, the Titan-A, and Spacedock are all that's standing between the Borg and the destruction of the heart of the Federation.
• Leitmotif:
  • A reprise of Dennis McCarthy's "To Live Forever" from Generations plays at the Fleet Museum in the epilogue, as the now-fully refurbished Enterprise-D takes its place alongside its legendary sister ships. It musically brings the ship full circle where we'd left it back in 1994, but also symbolizing how it really will live forever now and not be forgotten and alone on some backwater alien world.
  • Jerry Goldsmith's First Contact theme (which had been part of the End Credits music throughout the final Season) returns one more time to underscore Picard's final Patrick Stewart Speech.
  • And of course, it would not be a final sendoff for the TNG Crew if Jerry Goldsmith's theme didn't get one last triumphant reprise during the poker game.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Since the TNG characters fled Titan last episode, Seven and Raffi have no idea what Geordi's plan was (as there was no time for him to share it before the shuttlebay deck came under attack). So, when the Titan first registers the Enterprise-D's presence in the Sol System, both Raffi and Seven are initially confused as to what the hell this is (at least until Seven puts the pieces together and deduces Team Picard's plan).
• Logo Joke: The usual opening logo card is modified for this episode, swapping the Shrike for a Borg cube, replacing the Titan-A with the Enterprise-D, and ending with a green filter and red flash akin to the laser sight of a Borg drone. And of course, replacing the usual logo card tune with the Borg's four-chord leitmotif.
• Loophole Abuse: Q's return from the dead in the Stinger — or at least how it can be Q despite his death last Season. Q is 100% definitely dead, at least at the end of his own personal timeline. But, being a non-linear being means there's an infinite spectrum of hims out there that aren't dead yet to keep coming back and harassing Picard and his progeny for a long long time to come.
• Meaningful Echo: When Jack is rescued from the Borg Cube, Admiral Picard welcomes him to the Enterprise-D. A year later, Jack is ferried to his first assignment as a Starfleet ensign and revealing to Admiral Picard that the Titan-A has been rechristened:
  Jack: Welcome to the Enterprise, Admiral.
• Meaningful Rename: The Titan-A, following a harrowing battle against the entire assimilated fleet, is rechristened the Enterprise-G. She’s more than earned it.
• Mildly Military:
  • Starfleet continues in this tradition. For Picard to put Geordi in charge actually makes sense: Commodore La Forge outranks Captain Riker and Captain Worf. That said, when he (La Forge) tries to pull Riker and Worf off the Cube, Riker says, "Belay that order" — which he cannot legally say to someone who outranks him. Since the two are True Companions, not to mention on the lam from Starfleet, no one comments. (Besides, they're all taking orders from Jean-Luc Picard, who, as a retired admiral, can give orders to nobody whatsoever. Technically, Geordi is the ranking officer.)
  • It strains credibility that Jack would be fast-tracked into an officer's commission after just one year, even with two admirals as his parents. However intelligent he may be, his behavior on the bridge of the Enterprise-G makes it clear that he's not very disciplined.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Once the connection between the drones and the Borg Queen is severed, the remaining crew of the Titan come to, finding themselves face to face with Seven, Raffi and the remaining elder crew. Sidney’s the first to break down, realizing what happened.
  • Specifically, when Sidney's connection to the Collective is severed, she initially looks dazed. It's when she looks down and sees her phaser pointed at Seven that her eyes widen in shock/horror at what she was about to do: kill the people she loved, while being helpless to stop it.
• Mythology Gag:
  • President Chekov's warning to avoid Earth at all costs sounds a lot like President Roth's warning during the Whale Probe crisis in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
  • Troi and Riker are able to psychically communicate, which was a bit of Early-Installment Weirdness from the TNG pilot and never seen again until now.
• Near-Villain Victory: The Assimilated Starfleet managed to destroy Earth Spacedock and the planetary shield drops. They start targeting every major city and population center just before the Enterprise-D crew destroy the Borg Cube.
• The Needs of the Many: Our heroes on the Enterprise realize that destroying the transmitter will save Starfleet but also destroy the Cube, killing their friends still aboard. As much as it pains them, they blow up the transmitter, but stick around just long enough to rescue Picard and his team.
• Nepotism: Beverly and Picard congratulate Jack on a prestigious posting so early into his Starfleet career, calling it a great honor. Jack jokes that it could also be nepotism, given his heritage, though both deny their names got him anywhere.
• Never Be Hurt Again: Part of the Borg Queen's overrarching goal is to annihilate non-Borg and ensure the Collective can never be hurt again after what Janeway did to them. Ironically, this was also the same motive behind the Changelings forming the Dominion (furthering the parallels betweem the two powers).
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Picard's final confrontation with the Queen confirms (curiously without actually naming her) that this final campaign against the Federation is Janeway's fault. The neurolytic pathogen that the Alternate Future Admiral Janeway "bequeathed" to the Borg back in "Endgame" ravaged the Collective, leaving the Queen reduced to a wreck, alone, and hellbent on revenge against Starfleet and the Federation.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The Borg Queen invites Picard into the cube to gloat. This ultimately is the last fatal mistake she ever makes as it allows not only Picard, but Worf, Riker and the Enterprise-D into the cube and puts the final nail in the coffin of the original Borg Collective.
• No Endor Holocaust: The Borg remotely assimilate roughly half of Starfleet and turn it against the other half. At the very least, most if not all of the 25+ crew of the assimilated vessels were killed, along with however many assimilated crew were killed during the battle. This is on top of the casualties that would have been incurred when Earth Spacedock fell. Despite this, the Dénouement treats the event as a momentary close call rather than a horrendous loss of life, and the cast are all smiles as they wrap up the remaining plot threads. No mention whatsoever is made of the massive casualties that must have ensued or the trauma those temporarily-assimilated survivors must now be dealing with.
• No Ontological Inertia: Zig-zagged with the assimilated Starfleet youths. Jack leaving the collective simply prevents them to receive new orders, so they default to the last order received (which was to kill every non-assimilated). However, when the cube explodes, their assimilation reverts instantly.
• Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Having menaced the 24th century and the entire Star Trek franchise for over thirty years, the existential threat posed by the Borg Collective has finally ended. The original Collective is gone, leaving only Jurati's friendly offshoot out there somewhere.
• Not Quite Dead: Most of the drones on the cube are at best dead and at worst actively being cannibalized by nanoprobes for raw materials. This causes Riker and Worf to let down their guard when they access a Borg terminal, as the drones in that section are relatively intact and deployed in response to the intrusion.
• Not So Above It All: Worf reveals to Riker that there's a phaser hidden in the hilt of his sword. When Riker naturally complains about his choice of tactics, Worf responds:
  Worf: Swords are fun.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The Borg have notoriously always been so fixated, dark as it might be, on assimilating other cultures and adding them to their own to improve their chances of reaching perfection and, in a twisted way, gift that opportunity (regardless of whether their victims want to or not) to any species they find intriguing enough to add to their Collective... so the moment the Borg Queen herself gloats how the Borg no longer need to assimilate anymore is a massive sign that the Borg Collective — or what remains of it — have gone off the deep end and have fully slipped into their roles as the horribly evil monsters the galaxy saw them as when the Queen emphasizes their desire is now to annihilate all other life now that they can reproduce through the usage of the assimilated techno-organic youth of Starfleet and thus need to add nothing to them.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: The assimilated Starfleet's attack on Earth and Spacedock has been continuing off-screen while Team Picard grabbed the Enterprise-D from the Fleet Museum at Athan Prime. All orbital weapons platforms have been destroyed, but Spacedock itself has held its own and repelled the attack so far, although with the sheer amount of firepower arrayed against the facility, it's only delaying the inevitable. Spacedock wouldn't have been unaffected by the Borg signal activation last episode and they're almost certainly trying to stop the same "instant drone" uprising that hit the entire Frontier Day fleet. Yet, Spacedock has managed to either stop the assimilated Starfleet personnel, or at least forced them into an impasse — and this is also all while fighting back against the similarly assimilated Starfleet armada.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Thanks to Janeway's neurolytic pathogen she unleashed on the Borg Collective, the sole surviving manifestation of the Borg Queen was driven mad by the isolation of being all alone and deprived from their original trillions-strong chorus, now seeing the original method of the Borg as a failure because it allowed them to be hurt so bad to begin with and concluding that the response for the Borg to achieve the perfection they desire is through violent evolution via self-propagation by any means necessary. As such, after one last mass assimilation of Starfleet's youth who would all be able to give rise to newer generations of Borg without needing to devour other worlds to grow their number, the Queen would just start to wipe out all other life to avoid their Collective ever being hurt again.
• One-Winged Angel: The final Borg Queen presents herself towering over her human opponents, what's left of her biological body partially rotten and wearing the electronics that fuse her to her ship like a menacing robe, with the tubes surrounding her even alluding to spider legs. This also, however, makes her more of a Clipped-Wing Angel due to her radical transformation being a consequence of the neurolytic pathogen introduced by Janeway, so instead being a sign of her immense power over the protagonists, it instead shows how desperate the Queen is not to die by any means necessary even if costs her own physical ability and the power of the Collective in the process.
• Outrun the Fireball: The Enterprise-D fleeing the Queen's exploding cube. This is, incidentally, the second time the "D" has to do this with the Borg, following on from the original 2366-67 incursion —and the third time by an Enterprise commanded by Picard, as even the "E" had to run hell at the end of the Battle of Sector 001 in First Contact.
• Orbital Bombardment: The assimilated fleet comes very close to laying waste to Earth.
• Patrick Stewart Speech: Given the honor of the TNG crew's final toast, Picard's very last speech of the franchise is, fittingly, one more recitiation of Shakespeare (specifically Brutus' speech to Cassius from Julius Caesar, Act 4. Scene 3. Amusingly, Picard's also using the toast as part of a long-winded means of proposing one more game of Poker with his crew.
  Picard: 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.
• Pet the Dog: Worf covertly leaks Raffi's classified Starfleet Intelligence file, showing all the commendations for valor she earned.
• Power of Love: How Picard is able to save his son and, by extension, what ends up wiping out the Borg Collective through unconditional love against their cold, emotionless Mind Hive, the sheer fact that he is ready to die with his son in spite of all of his fears breaks Jack free from his assimilation, and in turn allows everyone to escape the collapsing Borg cube together.
  • More over as love is an enigma to even non Mind Hive civilizations this is the one thing that the Borg, for all their efforts, are unable to assimilate as it’s something that all logic dictates shouldn’t even EXIST and yet somehow does in defiance of said logic!
• Precision F-Strike: Riker when he tries to wield Worf's Kur'leth...and nearly drops it because he didn't realize much the Klingon weapon really weighed.
  Riker: Oh shit! I had no idea it was that heavy!
• Promotion, Not Punishment: Seven of Nine prepares to resign from Starfleet in the aftermath of her disobeying of direct orders before Tuvok reveals that she — based upon a prior report from Captain Shaw — is to be promoted to captain instead.
  Tuvok: Resignation denied...Captain.
• Rage Quit: Played for laughs when Worf gets frustrated during their final poker game and folds with only two cards.
  Worf: I fold! Okay?!
  Geordi: Seriously?
  Troi: With two cards?
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The new command crew of the Enterprise-G, as they themselves lampshade with Seven even Tempting Fate.
  Raffi: I still can't believe Starfleet saw fit to give a thief, a pirate, and a spy their own ship.
  Jack: Bunch of ne'er-do-wells and rule-breakers, really.
  Seven: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
• Rank Up:
  • Seven is promoted to captain, and given command of the Titan-A, newly rechristened into the Enterprise-G.
  • The Titan-A goes from being just another ship in Starfleet to being the flagship!
  • While it's not particularly commented on, as not much was said about her rank either way, Beverly Crusher goes from a resigned Starfleet officer with the (former) rank of Commander to Head of Starfleet Medical with the rank of Admiral.
• The Reveal:
  • The Borg Queen's vessel wasn't hiding in a nebula as "Vox" implied, but in Jupiter's atmosphere, or at least made a beeline there from wherever she picked up Jack and assimilated him.
  • Voyager did more damage to the Borg on their way out of the Delta Quadrant than even they realized. The entire Collective was left crippled by the Alternate Future Janeway's neurolytic pathogen and has imploded in the 20+ years since "Endgame". The Queen and her Cube are the last remnant of the once-mighty power.
• Rewatch Bonus:
  • The viewscreen during President Anton Chekov's distress signal has several codes on it that had been referenced previously in the franchise:^note These are paraphrased from references kept on Fandom wiki Memory Alpha
    • Code 1 means the Federation is at war with, or being invaded by, a hostile power, and all Starfleet personnel must immediately assume tactical alert.
    • General Order 12 means if you approach a vessel, and cannot establish contact, you must immediately go to Red Alert.
    • Starfleet Order 104 means a ranking officer can assume command of a vessel from a flag officer if they have evidence that they are compromised.
    • Regulation 19, Section C permits the highest-available officer to assume command of a vessel if the lives of Federation citizens are at risk.
  • Shaw's earlier animosity in the season to Seven of Nine is revealed posthumously in a officer report — made before everything that happened — to be exacerbated by shattered trust in her for helping Picard and Riker essentially appropriate the ship from him, despite recommending her for captaincy once they return to port. He has retroactively put his career in jeopardy by suggesting a Military Maverick be promoted.
    • Shaw's Out-of-Character Alert example to Seven during the Changeling manhunt back in "No Win Scenario" likewise plays differently now with the new context. On the first watch, it came across as Shaw being the equal parts Jerkass, if Mentor in Sour Armor, of the early episodes. Now, it's revealed to have actually been a Sarcastic Confession (and one made possible only because of how angry Shaw was at Seven's betrayal of his trust).
  • The Borg Queen's facial features complete with tubes in her right eyesocket can actually be seen as part of the gooey floating head image that Vadic takes orders from in the previous episodes. Also, even though her transmission to Vadic is in a male voice, the mannerisms of Alice Krige shine through plain as day.
• Rousing Speech: Delivered by Seven during the battle.
  Seven: I'm not asking you to give your lives for nothing. I'm asking you to fight for what's below. Your families, your children. The Borg have taken our crew, taken our captain. But in this moment, here and now, we are all that is left of Starfleet. It's up to us.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • Continuing on from last episode, the Enterprise-D being Team Picard's starship for the last battle with the Borg. This was the ship that made official first contact between the Federation and the Collective — an encounter that set off a chain of events that led to Wolf 359 and Picard's assimilation and ripple effects that reverberated across the franchise into DS9, VOY, and even back in time to ENT. So, it's fitting that the ship that was there at at the very beginning of the Federation-Borg conflict — and which stood against the Collective twice more before Veridian III — is back for the final confrontation between the "best of both worlds".
  • The Borg Queen's cube setting up shop in orbit of Jupiter. The gas giant, of course, is named for the god-king of Roman mythology, Jupiter (based on the Greek god Zeus), who before ascending to Olympus, went and overthrew the old order and pantheon (i.e. the Titans). So, what more fitting place would there be for the Borg Queen to plant her throne after deposing the "old gods" (i.e. Starfleet and the Federation) and symbolically declaring herself the new god-queen of humanity, let alone the Alpha Quadrant?
    • it turns into Laser-Guided Karma as without any means to keep it in orbit once the beacon’s destroyed Jupiter’s gravity begins to take hold of the cube even before it explodes and dooms whatever survives to be crushed by its gravity and disintegrated into oblivion by its winds. Jupiter was also seen as the Supreme God of Justice and a defender of humanity against chaos thus where else would a race that has destroyed countless civilizations and murdered/wiped out countless races and move on like a Karma Houdini style plague of locusts be given a fitting punishment than to be defeated for good in the home system of the single space faring civilization that has not only defied them thrice but has ultimately won the battle and erased their existence from the galaxy forever.
  • The Enterprise-D and the Titan-A soaring above Earth into the dawn after the final battle. While an obvious homage to the final shot of the Enterprise-A and the Excelsior above Khitomer in The Undiscovered Country, it also symbolizes the two generations in the larger context of the franchise: the first hero ship of the 24th century and, for now, the final hero ship in the same period, figuratively and literally sailing out of the fading darkness of the long night and into the dawn of a new era.
    • The dawn symbolism also takes on greatest context in the overarching TNG-era narrative. When TNG opened, the UFP was at peace with the Klingons and the Romulans had retreated into isolation after the Tomed Incident. It was a golden age of peace, exploration, and utopia for over half a century — until First Contact with the Borg. Wolf 359 shattered that golden age and seemed to open the floodgates to non-stop crises and existential threats over the next 35 years: the Maquis, the Klingon invasion of Cardassia and the sundering of the Khitomer Accords, the Dominion War, the Son'a, Shinzon, the Synth Attack on Mars, and on and on. For the nearly four decades since Wolf 359, the UFP has taken hit after hit and lost more and more of its way amidst the darkness and uncertainty. But now, the final defeat of the Borg Collective and the renegade Founders is an exorcism of the last, vengeful ghosts of the past. The long night is over and the Federation has finally found its way out of the darkness.
    • And with the Titan being rechristened a year later, it's also a Passing the Torch moment from one Enterprise to another.
  • The Enterprise-D's final shutdown sequence in the Fleet Museum for obvious reasons. The 24th century era began with the voyages of the Enterprise-D, Jean-Luc Picard, and his crew. From their voyages (both in-universe and on a Meta level) came DS9 and VOY (and even ENT in terms of production order). So, having been preceded by Voyager and the Defiant (and, again in production order, the NX-01), the D now joins its "younger siblings" in the figurative, honorable afterlife. Geordi shutting the ship down is literally turning off the lights of not just the D, but the entire 24th century era — and it's ending exactly where it first began 35 years earlier.
  • The show's final scene mirroring the opening of the pilot episode. When Picard played poker with Data there, it was a dream showing Jean-Luc alone, a shadow of his former self, and trapped in the past between the lingering loss of the Enterprise-D and the guilt from Data's death during Nemesis. Now, he's at it again — only this time, Data has been resurrected, Picard has been reunited with his entire command crew and best friends for the first time in decades, and he's been made whole in a way that he never was even during TNG.
    • This final game also symbolizes his Character Development not just across this series, but also since the TNG series finale. While Picard had slowly bonded with his senior officers over TNG's run, he still ultimately maintained a professional working relationship with them as The Captain (with Beverly being the sole exception). When he sat down to play poker with the command crew in "All Good Things", it was really his first steps towards interacting with them on the same level and truly seeing them as his friends, rather than as his subordinate officers. Now, thirty years later, they end as they did before with another round of poker — but this time, Jean-Luc's the one initiating the game. He's visibly relaxed and at ease, grinning, and delighted to be surrounded by the people he has come to love and cherish more than anyone else in the galaxy.
• Running Gag:
  • A bit of a Black Comedy variation. Once again, the Borg are at Earth's doorstep — and for the third time now, it's up to a starship Enterprise (let alone one commanded by Picard again) to be The Cavalry and bail out everyone's asses.
  • Deanna once again takes the conn during the last adventure of an Enterprise. In this case, she does far better than her infamous moment when the same vessel was knocked out of orbit to the surface of Veridian III (or when she later rammed the E into the Scimitar — albeit on Picard's orders — almost a decade later). A deleted blooper has Marina Sirtis and LeVar Burton lampshading and poking fun at this.
  • Worf still can't win a hand of poker if his life and honor depdended upon it.
• Running Gagged: In preparing for a Suicide Mission to rescue Picard and Jack while missing their chance to beam aboard the Enterprise, Worf comments that for a moment he was worried they would actually survive the battle, and later paraphrases the oft quoted "Today is a good day to die" as they prepare to Face Death with Dignity.
• Sadistic Choice:
  • Picard grimly observes that they have to sever the Borg cube's signal controlling their Keystone Army no matter the cost. The subtext (and Beverly's reaction) is clear: saving Jack may not be an option and they may end up forced to kill him to save Earth and the Federation.
  • While it's not explicitly pointed out, the Spacedock crew also got hit with this during their fight against the assimilated Starfleet armada. By firing on Starfleet vessels, they're killing their friends, peers, and innocent people who've all been turned into unwitting pawns by the Borg. But if they don't fire back, then Earth's last line of defense will fall and there will be nothing to stop the cradle of hummanity from being reduced to a smoking cinder.
• Sanity Slippage: As a result of her body being ravaged by Janeway’s pathogen and the decimation of the Collective, the Borg Queen has become noticeably more unhinged than usual, her voice losing much of its trademark calm in favor of near seething rage and resentment towards Picard and the Federation.
• "Save the World" Climax: Following on from the ending of "Vox", Picard, his allies, and the refurbished Enterprise-D are now the last hope to save the assimilated Starfleet and Federation from the Borg.
• Saved by Canon: Again, the Federation and Starfleet will survive and be restored and Earth will not be destroyed, thanks to both still existing into the late 32nd century.
• Sequel Episode: The last two episodes serves as a continuation of both "The Best of Both Worlds" and Star Trek: First Contact, culminating in a Final Battle against the Borg. It's also explictly confirmed here this is just as much a sequel to "Endgame", following up on the Collective's fate after Voyager essentially fire-bombed them on their way out of the Delta Quadrant (and their revenge 20+ years in the making).
• Sequel Hook: Similar to how Discovery's second season ended, the series ends this way, leaving it open to the adventures of the Enterprise-G. In particular, Q shows up to tell Jack that his trial has just begun.
• Single Tear: Seven sheds one as she watches Shaw's performance review, and realizes he did respect her.
• Skyward Scream: The Borg Queen does this as her cube explodes, while Picard, Riker, Worf and Jack are beamed away and rescued as everything collapses.
• Shout-Out:
  • The Enterprise-D flies into the cube to destroy it, just like how the Millennium Falcon and Wedge in his X-wing destroyed the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Data even says "Here goes nothing" right before entering, as Lando did. It also ends the same way, with the Enterprise rocketing out of the fireball of the exploding monstrosity just like the Falcon.
  • Pavel Chekov's son is named Anton—a reference both to the late actor Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the Kelvin film series, and to the great playwright Anton Chekhov.
• Smug Snake: The Borg Queen has essentially the entirety of Starfleet and Earth at her mercy, and the only possible threat to her is a ship over thirty years out of service and only just pulled out of a drydock repair bay that — even against her crippled supermassive Borg Cube — would be not unlike swatting a fly with the amount of firepower and shielding she should still have at her disposal. But, her need to gloat to Picard's face like a bitter ex sour over their break-up has her clutch the Villain Ball hard and essentially spells her own demise.
  • Although that smug gloating turns to silent astonishment when the D begins tearing her cube up from the inside!
• Special Edition Title: The opening bumper replaces the Titan-A with the Enterprise-D, uses darker and more subdued music, and throws in a Borg cube.
• The Stinger: After the poker game, Q shows up in Jack's quarters on the Enterprise-G, informing him that while his father's trials are over, his are just beginning.
• Stunned Silence: Played for laughs with the collective reactions of Geordi, Deanna, and even Data when Beverly uses the D's weapons systems (and with precision and force that even Worf never did) to wreck the Queen's cube like a baseball bat whacking a piñata.
  Dr. Beverly Crusher: A lot's happened in the last twenty years.
• Superman Stays Out of Gotham:
  • Justified. All Starfleet vessels are now under Borg control thanks to the Fleet Formation synchronization protocols and assimilated crew members, or would be the moment they entered range. The hijacked Starfleet armada moved so hard and so fast that any other nearby non-Starfleet Federation or civilian vessels have already been destroyed (or fled for their lives) in the interim while Team Picard was grabbing the Enterprise-D from the Fleet Museum at Athan Prime (however far away that is from Earth). Superman, for all intents, literally can't even fly into Gotham.
  • It's also worth noting that it's unclear if there are any DS9 and VOY characters (or secondary TNG characters like Barclay) present in the vicinity of Earth. Odds are reasonable that there are some of them on site (or at least Starfleet members) due to Frontier Day. But assuming they survived the initial attack, they almost certainly have got problems of their own, with the siege of Spacedock and the impending planetary bombardment of Earth.
• Surprisingly Happy Ending: While there have been some deaths and misery over the course of the season, the original Borg Collective is finally eradicated forever and Earth, Starfleet, and the Federation are simultaneously saved by efforts of Picard, his crew, and Seven of Nine who all are commended for their efforts, pardoned for their prior actions, and are to help usher in a new hopeful era in spite of all that has happened. And to cap it off too, Picard is able to finally able to reach out to his son Jack and becomes involved with his life as his father, while Jack becomes a Starfleet officer aboard the Titan-A, now rechristened to the Enterprise-G under the command of Captain Seven-of-Nine on her first new voyage.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
  • Thanks to Vadic unintentionally giving her a "Eureka!" Moment back in "Dominion", Beverly now knows what to look for and how to detect post-Project Proteus Changelings. So, once the post-battle clean-up begins, Beverly's insights allow Starfleet to upgrade their anti-Changeling detection methods and tools. From there, the remaining renegade Founders are quickly and easily found and neutralized offscreen. Rooting them out was also certainly made easier by Vadic's faction being in disarray between her unexpected death and the failure of their endgame (and likely not have a "Plan B" in the unlikely event things went south with Frontier Day).
    • There was also a possibility that the reason they had no “Plan B” was that even if things went as expected or went south there would be no place for Vadic and her changelings to retreat to as the rest of the Founders wouldn’t want them back and in fact would most likely have them hunted down for “betraying them” for siding with and aiding an even worst threat than the “solids” as the Founders were no doubt fully aware of the Borg and the danger they represented.
  • The virus unleashed upon the Borg by the alternate Janeway, while it did a monumental number on them that left them on the brink of extinction, had the consequence of leaving the survivors who barely held together extremely vengeful and pissed off at the Federation due to losing their collective voice and chance at perfection; sending them from a force that, while a threat to the galaxy on the occasion their interest was piqued to assimilate a new civilization to further that goal of perfection, ended up leaving mostly everything else alone... to now being a wholly rabid entity that wish to eradicate all life that isn't them to preserve what's left of their Collective by any means necessary. To be fair to the Janeways no one in Starfleet (or the UFP in general) appeared to be overtly eager to travel to the Delta Quadrant to check up on how effective the virus had actually been, that’s if they even knew about the virus’s existence at all.
    • More over the fact that virus also caused the Borg Collective to lose their technological and tactical advantages over their neighbors as well as the civilizations that somehow managed to survive within their own borders undetected so there’s little reason to doubt that survivors of their “assimilations” (as well as civilizations on the Borg’s “post-human assimilation” list) took full advantage of this unexpected surprise “gift” to dish out some long overdue payback! As when the Borg Queen says that she had been forced to withdraw to the sparsest places of the galaxy in a single Cube unable to even assimilate anything of worth due to the virus, it means that the Collective was literally driven out beyond even the backwaters of civilized space itself! It goes to show just how loathed and HATED the Borg truly were that the entire GALAXY was more than eager to throw a whole library’s worth of books at them when they were finally brought low! Not that the Borg didn’t have it coming to them.
  • Data is shown to be taking therapy after all is said and done, going over the scheduled time by an hour and apparently having daily sessions with Troi. Considering all that has happened to him, not the least of which includes melding his personality with Lore and being revived in a body that is almost human, it's not terribly surprising.
  • The refurbishment of the Enterprise-D being completed within a year during the Time Skip. While Geordi had essentially spent the past 20 years working on it in his garage on the weekends, the restoration was ultimately a side project; it was clearly a lesser priority for the Fleet Museum's resources and agenda. After helping save the Federation — a victory only made possible because of Geordi's side-project and a non-networked ship — however, it's not hard to imagine that whatever resources and manpower Geordi wants, Geordi gets. Command would also almost certainly recognize the PR value (especially in the wake of the Frontier Day nightmare) of restoring and displaying the ship that literally singlehandedly stopped the Borg Collective once and for all and saved the UFP from assimilation and annihilation.
  • Despite being fast-tracked through the Academy and earning a prestigious posting on the ship of his choosing, Jack only receives a posting as "special counselor" to Captain Seven of Nine. For all his practical spacefaring experience and clout for being a Picard and a Crusher, he's still young and unused to working in a command environment. Talent and nepotism can only fast-track someone so far in an institution with a strict military hierarchy like Starfleet.
  • As Jack learns the hard way in The Stinger, if your father was the favorite mortal plaything of a mischievous godlike Trickster Mentor for over 30 years, then odds are good said higher-dimensional entity's also going to take an interest in any progeny of Mon Capitaine. And since said entity transcends space and time, the fact that he died several years ago is completely meaningless; he will still make time to "drop in" at a point before his passing.
• Sword Cane: When Worf is injured by two drones, Riker is not strong enough to lift his kur'leth. As it turns out, the kur'leth has a hand phaser built into the grip. Riker quickly questions the logic of using a bladed weapon over an energy weapon. Worf shrugs it off with "Swords are fun."
• Take a Third Option: Initially, it seems the Enterprise crew must choose between blowing up the beacon and killing their friends still aboard the cube, and dooming the rest of the galaxy to assimilation and genocide. Thanks to Deanna's emotional link with Riker helping her find the away team, they end up blowing up the beacon and rescuing their friends (and Jack to boot!) in the minute left between destroying the beacon and the cube blowing up.
• Taking You with Me: Even after her plans are in ruins, the Borg Queen tries to taunt Jean-Luc and Jack with this. She does not take their subsequent rescue well.
• Take Me Instead: Picard demands that the Borg Queen take him instead of Jack — but she doesn't want him anymore.
  Picard: Let him go. Take me. I'm the one you want. Your equal.
  Borg Queen: No. I don't want you, Locutus. The future of the Borg does not lie in... assimilation but evolution.
• Teleport Gun: Seven and the crew use modified phasers that instantly beam away whoever they shoot to the transporter room, which has been locked down to keep the Borg crew occupied. Unfortunately, the crew eventually break out.
  Seven: Good job routing transporter fields through phasers. You may have just invented the portable beam-me-up... if we survive.
• This Cannot Be!: From the expression on the Borg Queen's face, the last thing she ever expected to see was a Galaxy-class starship suddenly show up literally right on top of her.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Played for laughs in the final scene with Worf's agonized groaning after Picard produces the deck of Poker cards. His head's bowed in resignation, knowing he's gonna get his ass kicked at the poker table (and does).
• Time Skip: Following the final battle with the Borg, the finale jumps ahead one year for its epilogue.
• Together in Death: In what he expects to be his last moments, Riker calmly muses aloud that he'll be waiting for Deanna with their son. It's then subverted when this emotion is strong enough for Troi to sense his location in the cube and bring the Enterprise-D in for a rescue.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Worf's love of Prune Juice finally returns, as Beverley's dialogue during the final scene indicates he's had at least one glass of the stuff so far that evening.
• Turn in Your Badge: Averted; when Tuvok confronts Seven of Nine about her actions in stealing the Titan-A, Seven announces her intention to resign from Starfleet. Tuvok then shows her Captain Shaw's logs, in which he commended Seven for her courage and loyalty, despite her maverick tendencies. Tuvok then informs Seven, "Resignation denied, Captain."
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Seven tells Sidney La Forge to ignore any orders that Jack gives on the new Enterprise. She says she always does (whilst smiling) and Jack smirks to himself.
• The Unreveal:
  • While Tuvok was still alive, it's left unrevealed when he was captured and replaced by the Founders (leaving it either presumably several months before the Season, or during the first half of Season Three once they realized Seven and the Titan were involved).
  • Seven of Nine is asked to come up with a Catchphrase for ordering the ship to warp, like "Engage" or "Make it so". Just as she is about to say it, the scene cuts to an exterior shot of the ship as it takes off.
  • Nor what happens during the Time Skip. Besides Tuvok, there would've been a lot of work identifying and arresting all the infiltrators, locating and rescuing their victims, rebuilding spacedock and so forth. Was the Enterprise-D in service during that time with a full crew?
• Unspoken Plan Guarantee: When the Enterprise crew learns where the core is, Geordi is sure that not even Sidney could get them in there. However, despite it being statistically- and probability-wise impossible, Data is just so certain he can pilot the Enterprise-D in and begs the others to let him do this. He doesn't explain how, but seeing as he's going balls-to-the-wall insane with the controls, it's more than certain his reflexes are just fast enough to pull off the stunt. It certainly caught the Borg by surprise.
• Victory by Endurance:
  • The assimilated fleet is able to wear down Earth Spacedock by virtue of having so many ships that Spacedock simply can't shoot them down fast enough.
  • Conversely, Spacedock holding out as long as it does buys just enough time for Picard's crew to take out the Queen and save everyone.
• Villainous Breakdown: Twofold with the Queen: her motivation for annihilating Starfleet is built around a massive case of Sanity Slippage thanks to what Janeway's virus did to the Borg (along with the expected retribution dished out by the survivors of previous Borg attacks), leaving her the Last of Her Kind and is fundamentally broken into misathropy against all other life; then, once denied her attempt of Revenge as her Borg Cube is falling apart all around her and seeing the end of the Collective before her very eyes, the Borg Queen completely loses what bit of civility she had left and screams even if he survives, Jack will always be alone without them as they escape. Jack simply tells her, while looking at Picard, he isn't alone.
• Visual Pun: Subtle one during the final scene in Ten Forward. At the poker table, Riker is seated to Picard's right. In other words, even now ol' Number One is still figuratively and literally Picard's right-hand man.
• Wham Episode: The original Borg Collective are effectively extinct for good by the end of the episode, eradicating the most dangerous Archenemy of the Federation seemingly forever with the destruction of their last Borg cube hiding within Jupiter.
• Wham Line: "Well, look at you. A chip off the old block." Q is Back from the Dead — or at least this is Q from a point prior to his death last season. He is omnipotent, after all, and doesn't obey linear time.
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • Where's Laris at the end of the season? At the beginning of the season, they're clearly a couple, but Picard never mentions her at all during the season and never tries to call her or leave a message for her.
  • While the remaining rogue Changelings are taken into custody, their final fate (if Starfleet imprisoned them indefinitely like the Female Founder, or if they were extradited back to the Gamma Quadrant to face the judgment of the Great Link) is left unrevealed.
• What a Piece of Junk: When the Titan's sensors register the Enterprise at Jupiter, Seven deduces it's Team Picard engaging the Borg. Raffi's skeptical, pointing out the "D" (or what's left of her) is ancient (both in comparison to a Borg Cube and the rest of the hijacked Starfleet). Seven counters that's ironically it's greatest stregnth — that it can't be hacked by the Borg (and Raffi, now seeing her point, agrees).
• What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Zig-zagged. For much of the original show, and indeed for much of this episode, Deanna is basically a paperweight on the bridge. But then Heart Is an Awesome Power when her telepathic link with Riker allows her to locate and rescue Picard, Worf, Riker, and Jack from inside the dead zone in the cube.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Played for laughs when an incredulous Riker demands to know why Worf even had a phaser inside his Kur'leth's handle if he wasn't going to use it. Again, cue Worf's cheeky response that swords are fun.
• Worf Had the Flu: The Borg super-cube looks immensely terrifying, and the Enterprise-D is a 40 year old ship that would ordinarily be ridiculously outmatched even if she were in peak condition (which she isn't), but the Borg are in even worse shape. The cube is only 36% functional, most of the Borg drones — the Queen included — are necrotic and barely surviving, and is devoting most of its resources to the assimilation signal that is controlling Starfleet on the other side of the Sol System as well as resisting Jupiter’s own gravitational pull. While it still has way more guns than the Enterprise, it simply can't muster the power necessary to make those guns as effective as they would be in a proper engagement.
• Year Zero: In a Captain's Log, Riker resets the stardate to 1 to reflect the unambiguous destruction of the Borg Collective and the start of a new era (one free of the Borg threat). It’s doubtful anyone in Starfleet or the Federation is going to object.
• You Can't Go Home Again: A villanious variation. The Borg Queen's ranting ("No roads by which to return home!") is an indirect mention of Voyager's destruction of the Borg Transwarp Hub over 20 years earlier. This confirms the cascade effect from the destruction of its interspatial manifolds did indeed bring down the entire Transwarp Network, further crippling the Collective and a boon to its enemies.
• You Shall Not Pass!: This is Spacedock's situation in the interim since "Vox". With Earth's orbital defenses destroyed, it's the only thing standing between the cradle of humanity and the assimilated Starfleet armada. It does eventually fall, but its valiant defense in holding off the entirety of Starfleet's continued barrage on it bought the crew of the Enterprise-D enough time to destroy the Cube broadcasting the signal.
• You're Insane!: Picard says this to the Borg Queen verbatim when he confronts her.

---

Jack: You told my father that humanity's trial was over.
Q: It is... for him. But I'm here today because of you. You see, yours, Jack, has just begun.

---