PICARD Season 3 Episode 10 BREAKDOWN - Ending Explained and Every STAR TREK Easter Egg

Our Picard Season 3 Episode 10 Breakdown is here! The series finale is a huge Star Trek blowout, featuring a showdown with the Borg, the final ride of the Enterprise-D, and a set for a new spinoff that HAS to happen! #StarTrekLegacy

Edited by Harriet Lengel-Enright, Randolf Nombrado

#StarTrek #Picard

Even before the episode starts, there’s a great series of Easter eggs as both the Borg and Next Generation nostalgia assimilate the Star Trek logo introduction. All season long, we’ve had the Titan warping around in this intro, but now, it's the Enterprise-D. We see a Borg Cube here, and the Star Trek logo gets Borgified. The music here ditches the boiler-plate intro and we get much more ominous tones here, including cues from Jerry Goldsmith’s Borg themes from First Contact.

And then, the first voice we hear in this episode is….Chekov!

Doug: Wait, you mean like the celebrated Russian author of such classics as The Cherry Tree? Was he assimilated by the Borg too? Is this kinda like when Mark Twain showed up and Data’s head got blown off?

No, we’re talking about Chekov, from Star Trek: The Original Series.

Doug: But he’d be dead by now. This is like 110 years after we saw him in Generations.

That’s true! Although the voice of the President of the United Federation of Planets is played by the one and only Walter Kay-ning, this unseen character is the son of Pavel Chekov from TOS and the classic films. The first name Anton could reference the famous author, but more likely is a reference to the late Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in the reboot films.

President Chekov’s warning is overlaid with a spacescape taken directly from the opening sequence of The Next Generation when he says:

[CLIP]

Saying “do not approach Earth” and “save yourselves” references a similar speech from the President of the Federation in The Voyage Home, when he said:

[CLIP]

In crediting his father, President Chekov also references Spock when he says “there are always possibilities,” a line from The Wrath of Khan, which Kirk mentioned after Spock had died. [clip]

After Data explains that no other ships — Federation or otherwise — can come to assist Earth, we realize the Enterprise-D is the last hope for all of Starfleet, and probably, the galaxy. The Borg Cube is nested inside of Jupiter, and as the Enterprise heads to intercept, we see a very close-up flyby of the ship, which, gives us a glimpse of Ten Forward and the conference room behind the bridge. This kind of detailed flyby of the Enterprise-D was something we never saw in TNG, ever.

As everybody reels from the Borg just being parked inside the gases of Jupiter, Riker puts his foot up on one of the consoles, which he did all the time in The Next Generation.

Picard has had it with all these mother-flipping Borg on his mother-flipping starships and says

[CLIP]

Doug: Hey, home come Picard says over 35 years ago? Why not just 35 years?

Well, he probably says this because for him, 35 years ago would have been when he was assimilated in “The Best of Both Worlds,” in 2366. But, it’s dicey as to when it started, because the Enterprise crew first encountered the Borg in “Q, Who” in 2365.

Doug: Oh, and don’t forget, Seven was assimilated in like 2350, but her parents started researching the Borg in 2340, so that’s like over 60 years ago…

Yes, true. But also don’t forget that Pavel Chekov helped Gunian out in Generations, and she was probably fleeing from the Borg at that point, back in 2293, so that’s over 108 years ago..

Doug: Enterprise improv.

When we rejoin the Titan crew, Seven and Raffi have rigged the phasers to beam people up by firing at them. This tech actually existed way back in the TNG episode “Gambit” in which Picard went undercover as a mercenary, and hung out with a wretched hive of scum and villainy, who could also use their weapons to beam people and things up just by firing at them.

After Worf makes an awkward reference to threesomes [clip], everybody argues about who should go on the away team to destroy the Borg beacon and save Jack. Data mentions he should go because of his experience with the Borg, which is ironic, because the last time Data faced the Borg, the Queen tried to give him real skin, which he now has anyway. After it’s decided that the threesome of Picard, Riker, and Worf are going to the Borg Ship, Picard leaves Geordi in command of the Enterprise-D saying:

[snowcrow]

Watching the last episode of Picard was frankly emotional for me. I felt like it was going to be the last time I would see these characters on screen together. When I was growing up my home life wasn't that great. We moved a lot, turmoil, and I eventually ended up in foster care.
To me Picard, Riker, LaForge, Worf, Troi, Crusher, and Data were sometimes my only friends, and family I had. I couldn't talk to them, but what they represented and the stories told made me feel like they knew me. I will miss them even more now as an adult that understands what they were to me then. I wish them all the best, as they gave me all the hope as a child.
A sincere and always grateful fan, thank you for what you gave the world.

[kyledrury]

Jeri Ryan was so impressive this season. I really hope she captains her own show.

[dcallaway]

The line Shaw delivers "The book she is going to write will be great and rules she breaks, , maybe they were broken to begin with." that is pure respect.

[josephmassaro]

The "gut" reference is more likely from the TNG episode The Defector, where Geordi explains what a gut feeling is to Data and how humans trust them.

[elphiegleason]

We need Legacy like we need air to breathe

But Matalas must be in the writers room

[still_guns]

Fun little detail I noticed about the Enterprise-G. G is the Seventh letter of the alphabet. There have been Nine starships named Enterprise (NX-01, 1701, -A -B -C -D -E -F -G). Seven of Nine is the Captain of the -G, the Seven of Nine... if that even makes sense.

[medleystudios]

I'm surprised you didn't mention 2 things.

1. 'G' is the 7th letter of the alphabet... with Captain Seven commanding.

2. Jack's model of the Enterprise D sort of comments on how nobody wanted to buy "the fat one" in episode 1.

[kodahansen]

My favorite moment was when Geordi told Beverly she had to manually target the cube's external defenses. She didn't hesitate, she didn't complain, she didn't go, "I'm a doctor, not a tactical officer, " she just went right to work. Even before a moment later when she showed how proficient she was in her task, I just enjoyed that accepted what she had to do to save her son.

[marcofava]

The shot of the Enterprise D flacing off against the Borg Cube is amazing and the whole episode was a straight 10/10

[SmugCanadian]

I hope we get that Legacy show, this is the kind of trek I wanted to see since Enterprise ended.

[blisstrosity]

Great plotting and writing that made sense, no weird meandering tangent episodes, fantastic direction and the sexiest crew of septuagenarians in the galaxy made this one of the best seasons of Trek television of all time. I never want them to stop. Matalas must continue to spin gold!

[greybeardcomics]

Really liked when Doug threw his voice and used you as a ventriloquist dummy! 😂

[reidtyndall]

The Enterprise D fighting the Borg was like seeing the true firepower of a Galaxy class starship for the first time.

[TheMickeyBloo]

As you say, "it's a love letter to the fans"

I've been blown away by the series and very much the nostalgic emotions having been a fan since TNG days. It's made me realise just how much time has passed and things have changed. I'm an old man now lol. This took me back to my youth. 😂

[MrVaderj]

It was amazing. As a TNG fan I couldn’t have asked for more. Our favorite ship and crew finishing off the Borg in style. Hoping it continues with Matalas at the helm of Star Trek Legacy!

[tiffanysmith]

Season 3 is what should have been in season 1. Great send off to the cast of TNG!! I hope Voyager & DS9 get their moments in the future.

[thomashernandez]

have loved, ...LOVED...every moment of this season. Don't care if it was filled with Member Berries, they were damn good tasting Member Berries.
I will miss this show.

[MyCovertNarcissism]

Thanks so much Ryan and all the Screen Crush crew for all of your amazing coverage of the season. 🎉❤

[WrestlingWithGaming]

I was fortunate enough to watch the finale in theaters and it was magical. You guys did such a great job covering this season. I can't believe how quickly you guys were able to get these episodes out too. Big thanks to the whole SC crew.

[IsiahBradley]

THANKS for this, everyone!!! Hi, Doug!!! Please tell Ryan he meant Beverly at 5:21. I loved Ryan's imitation of you from 8:18-8:21!