Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of La Sirena arrive at Soji’s (Isa Briones) homeworld, Coppelius, pursued by the Romulans, and Seven (Jeri Ryan) and Elnor (Evan Evagora) aboard the Borg cube.

The first part of the season finale, Et in Arcadia Ego Part 1 was written by Micheal Chabon and Ayelet Waldman from a story by Chabon, Waldman and Akiva Goldsman. It debuted on 19 March, 2020.

Picard discovers that there are a number of synthetic lifeforms on Coppelius, and they were created by the late Maddox, and the most recent Soong (Brent Spiner). As Picard tries to find a way to save the synths, but Sutra (Briones) discovers that the Romulan admonition that Jurati (Alison Pill) carries is actually a longer message only able to be understood by a synthetic mind. My question is, how can a synthetic lifeform have latent psychic abilities to pull off a mind meld.

It seems there are more synths out there, ones that will come and save all synthetic life by destroying all sentient life that threatens it.

Sutra and Soong use this information to turn the synths against Picard and the others, even as he tries to contact Starfleet.

The Romulan fleet is on the way, Narek (Harry Treadaway) is on the loose, and Picard has revealed to his crew that he is ill. Things are escalating!

I’ve said it before, watching the whole season as a collective whole makes the story all the better, and I’ve really enjoyed this time through it. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve watched it since its airdate, and I love the character beats, the new characters, and the Legacy ones that have found their way in.

Let’s see how the first season ties up with part 2 of Et in Arcadia Ego.

Written by Chabon from a story by Chabon and Goldsman, the first season of Star Trek: Picard came to a close on 26 March, 2020.

Narek is reunited with his sister Narissa (Peyton List) on the Borg cube, and they prepare to attack the synths, Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and Rios (Santiago Cabrera) work on getting La Sirena up and running. And the attack is coming.

Seven squares off against Narissa, and as the synths build a transmitter to reach the higher synths, Picard tells Soji that he’s willing to give his life for hers and leads the defence of the planet as the Romulans arrive.

But they aren’t the only ones. Starfleet led by Riker (Jonathan Frakes) arrives! The Romulans are vanquished, and Soji finds understanding, turning off the transmitter so that the synths can take a welcome place in the Federation and have the protection of Starfleet.

It does, however, cost Picard his life. He dies.

But he’s on a planet of synths, and they have been working on mind transference. So he survives, in his way, in a synthetic body, after a last insightful discussion with Data (Spiner). This body is like his own, no immortal life, no augmented abilities. A way to live out the rest of his life without his illness, and the human adventure continues…

Star Trek: Picard Season 1 didn’t work for everyone, but I enjoyed it. I liked a lot of the new characters the series introduced, and I liked seeing Starfleet twenty years after Nemesis, and after the loss of Romulus.

You can check out the season on its own, as part of a series collection, or as part of the gorgeous Star Trek: The Picard Legacy Collection limited edition boxed set available from Paramount Canada. Boldly go!