Picard and his crew are finally off, travelling the stars in their ship. Their first stop is a planet called Vashti, where Picard helped Romulan refugees 14 years ago. This episode forces Picard to confront his past failures, and the guilt he carries because of them. And we meet Elnor, a warrior from a Romulan religious order. Can Picard convince Elnor to join his quest?

I found there were some interesting themes to talk about in this episode. So let's dig into it together.

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Transcript

Welcome to Nerd Heaven.

I’m Adam David Collings. The author of Jewel of The Stars.

And I am a nerd.

 

This is episode 14 of the podcast.

And today we’re talking about episode 4 of Star Trek Picard. Absolute Candor.

 

So I’ve finally read the third and final edition of the Star Trek Picard Coundown comic book. Originally, I expected this story to explain why Picard left Starfleet, something the show has already done a good job of explaining. Instead, it gives us some insight into the adventures Picard experienced while trying to help the Romulans. It also explains the backstory of Jaris and Zhuban, and why they are with Picard at his chateau.

I would highly recommend people read this comic. Without it, I would have found characters like Rafi, Laris and Zhuban are bit jarring. Who are these people? It’s available on Kindle and Comixology.

I’ve also started reading the first Star Trek Picard novel. The Last Best Hope. The blurb doesn’t tell you anything about the plot of the book, but so far, it seems to be showing us the very beginning of the rescue efforts, from the moment Picard first learned of the supernova.

And, I’ve finally started playing Star Trek Online during the last week. I created a character years ago but never really got into it. Anyway, I’ve been quite enjoying it. There is such a vast library of stories to interact with after 10 years.

But that’s enough of my general Star Trek geekdom. We have an episode to discuss.

The description for Absolute Candor, according to Memory Alpha, reads

 

The crew's journey to Freecloud takes a detour when Picard orders a stop at the planet Vashti, where Picard and Musiker relocated Romulan refugees fourteen years earlier. Upon arrival, Picard reunites with Elnor, a young Romulan he befriended during the relocation. Meanwhile, Narek continues his attempts to learn more about Soji while Rizzo's impatience with his lack of progress grows.

 

This episode was written by Michael Chabon

And directed by Jonothan Frakes

It first aired on the 13th of February 2020.

 

Make it so.

I can already hear people complaining about the pace of this show. We were supposed to be going to Freecloud, and now we’re spending an entire episode on a detour. Picard has done nothing but recruit new people to help him on his mission for several episodes.

Technically, that is true, of course.

But I’m enjoying the pace of this show.

Is an adventure on Vashti really any less desirable than an adventure on Freecloud?

Yes, this show is slow-paced, but with every little step, it’s doing a whole of stuff with character. And I’m loving it.

This episode starts with another flashback to 14 years ago. I think this is a structure we should get used to.

Picard is in the midst of his rescue mission.

He’s been helping Romulan refugees settle on a planet called Vashti.

We see some Romulans with heavier ridges, making them look pretty much like TNG Romulans. So that was nice.

We follow a young boy through the streets. I’m loving the details in this location. This show really does feel like a movie.

And Picard beams down dressed like John Hammond from Jurassic Park.

Perhaps he’s wanting to put the Romulans at easy by not parading around in Starfleet uniform, but I think the main reason is Patrick Stewart wanted to avoid wearing a uniform except when absolutely necessary.

Picard is well-loved on this planet. Especially by this little boy, Elnor.

The two have a very special bond. It’s quite heart-warming to watch. It’s a sha