Star Trek: Picard (2020) s03e01 Episode Script

1
I don't want to set
the world on fire ♪
I just want to start ♪
A flame in your heart ♪
In my heart I have but one desire ♪
And that one is you ♪
No other will do ♪
I've lost all ambition
for worldly acclaim ♪
I just want to be the one you love ♪
Stardate 43996.2.
The Enterprise remains concealed
in the dust cloud.
And to my surprise, the Borg
have maintained their position,
waiting for us to come out of hiding.
I have no explanation for their
special interest in me or this ship.
We continue to prepare our defenses
for the inevitable confrontation.
On fire ♪
I just want to start ♪
A flame in your ♪
Warning. Security breach.
Hull damage. Unauthorized docking.
They found us.
Eleos, activate warp drive.
Stand by. Warp drive charging.
Attempting power-up.
How did they find us? That's impossible.
No! No, I can help!
Eleos, divert all power
to the warp core.
- Working.
- Let me out! No!
Get us the hell out of here.
Unauthorized docking
complete. Intruder alert.
Power cell Power cell depleted.
Let me out!
Eleos, update warp status.
One minute, seven seconds
remaining until power-up.
- Incoming vessel detected.
- More of them.
Eleos, prepare to send a transmission.
Subspace frequency, Myriad codec.
System prepared to transmit.
State your recipient.
This message is for
Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
First love is always
the sweetest, isn't it?
Well, she wasn't the first,
but she was certainly my favorite.
I hope she won't be offended
if I send her away for a cleaning.
You know, I didn't think they
had spring-cleaning on Romulus.
We don't. That is entirely unique
to humans and their belongings.
I want to give it to Geordi.
Give it away? No. I was
I was just teasing you.
Well, I know that, but he is
running the Fleet Museum.
He will love it!
Take this painting down
and pack it up, please.
Okay, sir.
Don't you dare.
You're gonna miss these things
by coming with me to Chaltok IV.
I feel I'm asking a lot of you.
No. I I am looking forward to it.
Because while you're running around
setting up diplomatic security,
I'm going to sip Saurian brandy
and think about writing my memoir.
Jean-Luc, you don't need to prove to me
how ready you are for this.
How in-the-present you are.
The past matters and that's okay.
Laris, these things from my past
they're so dear to me.
They're mementos of
dear friends, old and new.
But they're memories.
A point comes in a man's life
when he looks to the past
to define himself.
Not just his future.
Well, I hope that's not going to be me.
I'm not a man who needs a legacy.
I want a new adventure.
But, honey, now it seems ♪
That our love affair is through ♪
I can't stop praying ♪
You'll come back home ♪
Can't understand ♪
Computer, do you hear that alert?
Yes.
Where is it?
Unable to determine location.
Thanks for your help.
Computer, analyze.
Communicator badge
belonging to Jean-Luc Picard,
Captain, USS Enterprise,
Stardate 4115
Yes, yes. But what could
it possibly be receiving?
Detecting encrypted long-range
transmission via a subspace frequency.
It contains an uncommon codec.
Codec?
A codec is a program
that compresses data and
Yes, yes. I know what a codec is.
But tell me about this one.
It requires a passcode.
Why would anyone send a coded message
to a more-than-20-year-old
Enterprise-D communicator?
Unknown.
Myriad.
Computer, try codec Myriad.
Authorization,
Picard-four-seven-Alpha-Tango.
Accessing.
It is a recorded message.
Here.
Decrypted.
Admiral Picard, I'm encoding
this transmission with coordinates.
Beverly.
Listen to me very carefully.
Hellbird. Repeat. Hellbird.
Hellbird
And Jean-Luc, no Starfleet.
Trust no one.
She's terrified.
Clearly injured.
You said she was a doctor, right?
And a good one.
But I haven't spoken with her for
over 20 years.
And neither has any other
member of the old crew.
She just cut us off.
So, why contact me now?
Well, you were close once.
And when you were on the Enterprise,
you trusted each other with your lives.
And you even tried to
be lovers, didn't you?
"Tried" is the operative word.
But maybe you're the one person
she still feels she can trust.
But to say "no Starfleet"
Okay.
So, as a former intelligence operative,
here's what I'm seeing.
This isn't paranoia.
Her fear is genuine.
This is a woman out of options,
and she is asking you to help.
Only you.
Damn it.
You have to go.
I'll be back in a few days.
Maybe even less.
Maybe even more.
These are the lives we chose.
There is this great bar on Chaltok IV.
You can watch the sunset from it.
I'll save you a seat.
You mind yourself.
Whiskey sour, please.
Guinan's hawking souvenirs now?
It's for Frontier Day.
How come you have so many Enterprise-Ds?
The fat ones? No one wants those.
You'd better leave the bottle.
You hear that, Jean-Luc?
No one wants the fat ones.
That's Galaxy-class to you, young lady.
Good to see you, Will. Look at you,
a handsome elder statesman of Starfleet.
I gotta make a speech
at that Frontier thing next week.
It's like a parade through space.
Who wants to hear some old fart drone on
about "going boldly"
for the last 250 years?
Yeah, I'm giving a speech too.
- And that's gonna be great.
- Yeah.
Are you all right?
I wouldn't have asked
to meet you like this
if it hadn't been very important.
And I really appreciate you
giving up your family time
Actually, Deanna and Kestra will
appreciate the time away from me.
How can I help?
Myriad codec. Hadn't thought
about that since the good old days
when we thought our comms
were compromised back on Rigel VI.
Seven.
Beverly's message references
these coordinates.
And to trust no one with them.
Plus, the word "Hellbird".
- What's out there?
- Nothing at all as far as I can see.
But this word, "Hellbird",
I have no idea what it means.
Of course not.
It was a computer virus
on the Enterprise
when you were incapacitated.
Incapacitated?
Locutus. The Borg. Of course.
They scrambled our navigational system
and arbitrarily added 3 to every digit.
I knew that I called you for a reason.
And adding 3 to every digit gives us
these new coordinates: the Ryton system.
Ryton system?
That's outside Federation space.
Perfect place to hide. But from what?
What the hell has Beverly
gotten herself into?
In all the years I have known her
I've never seen her so frightened.
No, terrified.
Jean-Luc
why did she cut everyone off?
Me, Deanna and Geordi.
There had to be a reason.
Will, I need to find a ship.
We need to find a ship.
And we can't charter one.
Too far, too dangerous.
No, I can't ask you
to put yourself in danger.
Since when?
Besides, aren't we a little overdue
for a good old-fashioned road trip?
Well, we can't go to Starfleet.
She made that clear.
Yeah, I think I may have
a work-around. Come on.
We got it. Come get
it here. Our guest
Over here, huh, daddy?
Hit me again.
Hey. Watch it, freak.
I'm not your dealer.
Come on over here, baby.
I got your various drugs.
What do you want?
Two days in a row?
I'd tell you to get
your life together
Transaction complete!
Thank you for your patronage!
but then I'd lose my best customer.
Idiot!
Shit.
Shit! Shit!
Listen.
You could help me. You hear things, huh?
You're like the all-knowing oracle
of the underworld and shit, right?
Two 24s. With me?
I know
I'm a little strung out, yeah.
My girlfriend left me.
I fell off. Again.
Now I'm out.
I'm out of Starfleet.
I know I could get back in.
Look, I hear things too.
Like shit stolen from
Daystrom off-site station.
Experimental quantum
tunneling tech that,
in the wrong hands, could be a weapon.
I'm talking world-ending shit.
Now if if I could bring
Starfleet a tip like that
I know I could get back in.
You hear anything like that?
You're crazier than I thought. Beat it.
But if I could bring
something to Starfleet
Not that.
All right, thanks
Hey! Eyes off!
Additional funds available!
Where'd you get all this coin?
I'm all in, man. This is all I got.
Guess I can't expect a junkie
to know when to quit.
Transaction complete!
Thank you for your patronage!
I heard something's going down
with the Red Lady. That's all I got.
The Red Lady?
Okay. Okay. Yeah.
Is that, like, a buyer or
Stop asking questions, or we're
both gonna end up dead. Now go.
And I don't want to see
your face around here again.
Starfleet Intelligence Officer,
Commander Raffi Musiker
on a secure channel.
Requesting a debriefing and more money.
I'm not sure about this plan.
Because it's not really
a plan. It's a ruse.
Yeah. That's the part I don't like.
You and I are two highly
ranked members of Starfleet
doing a routine surprise inspection.
We could be court-martialed for this.
You could lose everything
you've worked for.
Only if we get caught.
You gotta sell this.
Come on, Admiral. Show
me your inspection face.
Give me one of those
rigid, disapproving,
sour expressions you're famous for.
There it is.
Captain Riker,
you are cleared for approach
in the starboard bay.
Hello, beautiful.
Admiral Picard, Captain Riker.
Welcome to the Titan.
Initiate docking sequence.
We're going on the Titan.
Your old command.
It's the only sway I've got.
It's the new refit.
Neo-Constitution-class.
Now, the fleet's gonna
be dispersing for exercises
in preparation for Frontier Day.
And that should give us
a little freedom to operate.
The captain, Shaw, he's
gonna need some convincing.
Of what?
Beverly's coordinates are
just outside Federation space,
so we've gotta con him into changing
course and take us to the border.
Then we'll take a shuttle from there.
Captain Shaw's
not going to like that either.
Captain, you're clear to land on Pad 6.
- I don't know him.
- Yeah, he's not a friendly face.
The first officer, on the other hand,
I think you'll recognize.
Permission to come aboard, Commander.
Permission granted, sirs.
Ensign Brookes,
report to phaser auxiliary
This is Captain William Riker.
Will, this is Seven of Nine
Commander Annika Hansen, sir.
Captain Shaw prefers
that I use "Hansen", Admiral.
Welcome to the Titan.
All hands, prepare to leave
Spacedock at 1930 hours.
Starboard sensor array
will reinitialize in ten minutes.
Your visit came as quite a surprise.
But I'm sure you'll find everything
up to inspection standards.
Captain Shaw is catching up
on some logs at the moment,
but he's requested your
presence for dinner tonight.
- Terrific.
- If I were you, I'd lower my expectations.
Admiral on the bridge.
And captain on the bridge.
At ease.
Mmm-mmm.
It's got that new ship smell.
Is there something wrong
with that ensign?
Ensign La Forge, eyes on your station.
La Forge?
Sidney La Forge?
It's been a long time, sirs.
Geordi said you always
wanted to be a pilot.
Said you were a bit of a speed demon.
Didn't you have a nickname
at the Academy?
- Will.
- Uh, I can't recall.
Crash La Forge. Because
you crashed a shuttle.
- Uh, I I was a cadet.
- Twice.
Oh
Well, it's good to see
you again, Ensign.
Comms, get me the dock master.
Control tower reading, Commander.
Spacedock, this is Titan.
Requesting permission to depart.
Permission granted.
Opening starboard doors.
All hands, prepare to leave Spacedock.
All hands, to your stations.
Sir, I'm awaiting your orders
to take us out.
Why don't you do us the honor,
Commander Hansen?
Aye, sir.
Helm, you may clear all moorings.
All moorings cleared.
Readings looking good.
Green across the board.
Aft thrusters. One quarter
impulse power.
Aye, Commander. Aft thrusters.
One quarter impulse power.
All stations prepare for maximum warp.
All engines online.
Priming deflector shields for warp.
Uh, don't you think you should alert
engineering that we're
going to warp 9.99?
That's no longer protocol
on the newer models of the fleet.
It's all automated now.
Yeah, of course.
You're gonna be a captain before
you know it, Commander Hansen.
Excellent recovery, Admiral.
Shut it, Will.
Metaphasic shields at the ready.
Sensors optimal and
standing by for warp.
Engage.
Captain Shaw, sir.
May I present Admiral Jean-Luc Picard
and Captain William Riker.
Gentlemen, please. Come join.
And, Hansen, there really
is no need for intros.
I apologize, Captain. Are we late?
Hardly. Just your reputation
preceded you
so far into the room
that I started early.
Ah
Well, as a token of appreciation
for your hospitality,
please accept
Oh, Château Picard.
That is That is terrific.
I'm much more of a Malbec man myself.
Captain Riker, I take you for
somewhat of a bourbon-ista.
I enjoy the occasional old-fashioned.
What gave you that idea?
Well, the bebop that I had to purge
from the system when I took the chair.
Speaks to your freewheeling,
loosey-goosey Kentucky
mash kind of style.
Not a fan of jazz?
Mmm. No, I am not.
I like structure.
I like meter.
I like keeping tempo and time,
which is why you will probably
find this inspection boring
for the likes of you two.
It's just all in advance of the
fleet exercises for Frontier Day.
Oh.
Ensuring the condition
of our starships would be boring?
Well, we won't be blowing things up.
Taking or engaging in fire.
Crash-landing expectedly
or unexpectedly.
You know, the usual for you boys.
Nope.
You will find our engines
pristine, our hull intact.
And you run your finger on pretty
much any given surface here,
you're gonna find it dust-free.
No doubt. Indeed.
Which is why Captain Riker and I
would like to change course.
- Where?
- The Ryton system.
That's at the edge of Federation space
in the opposite direction of our
intended course. Twice the time.
At half warp, double the speed,
it's an even split.
And why would we do that?
Bragging rights. You'd show
the efficiency of the new Titan.
It's a great story for Frontier Day.
It's the current, former captain,
putting it through the paces.
Run a little coal through the engines
Yeah.
And then final engineering
inspection at Deep Space 4.
DS4 has been shut down for a year.
I believe the admiral
means DS11. Correct?
Mmm, ah
Yes, of course.
- Uh, 11.
- Yeah.
Hmm.
No.
- No?
- No.
I have kept this train running
for five years, 36 missions.
You don't get where you're told
to go by standing in front of it
and then moving the track.
Respectfully, Captain,
I am an admiral
Retired. Congrats on that.
But I'm still a captain.
Without a chair.
Titan's mine now.
I'm really sorry, fellas.
I love you. I do.
I love reading about
all your wildly exciting
and equally irresponsible adventures,
but I have orders that come
down from actual officers
whose pay grade are
far above all of ours,
so request denied.
Sir, I'm sure if I spoke with La Forge,
we could make up the time.
Hansen.
Your loyalty lies with this ship.
Not to old friends, former ex-Borg.
That's enough, Captain.
Yeah. Thank you for
the parting punctuation.
I'm headed to my quarters.
Hansen, you have the conn.
Gentlemen, I hope you find your
room accommodations suitable.
They were the best we could
do on such short notice.
That went well.
Every moment that we're not
en route for the Ryton system,
my concern for Beverly grows.
- How do we pivot?
- Short of mutiny?
I'm at a loss.
Good morning, sweet girl.
Secure channel open.
So, is my handler here this time,
or are you gonna flake out on me again?
I am here.
I haven't found anything
on the Red Lady.
Not as a buyer or a seller. Who is she?
Unknown.
That's really helpful as usual. Thanks.
I'm re-requesting
a face-to-face to confirm.
Denied.
Look, we both work with Starfleet.
- So we can
- Denied.
Why are we doing this
if you can't help me, huh? I
Speak freely.
I'm spiraling here.
I've been under for months,
trying to figure out
who stole these goddamn
experimental weapons
from Daystrom Station and why.
The Orion gave me the Red Lady.
But I don't know if it's a person
or an organization.
But the one thing I do know is that
I spend every second of every day
terrified with the thought that someone
is going to use this weapon
to hurt people.
And And to top it off
you have no idea how hard
it is to be in this world.
I do.
Well, as far as mysterious handlers go,
you're very detail-oriented.
This stolen weapon is an act of war.
You are a warrior.
I suspect an imminent attack.
Find the Red Lady.
Volunteers requested for deuterium
subspace particle scrubbing.
This is utterly humiliating.
Yes, it is.
Reminds me of my cadet days.
Only I don't remember having
to get up to pee this much.
The last time I saw Beverly
the way we left it
it was not on the best of terms.
I never believed for a moment
that it would be over
20 years before we
None of us did.
What if it's already too late, Will?
Admiral Picard, Captain Riker,
please report to observation.
Good evening, sirs. I apologize
for interrupting your sleep.
What is it?
Permission to speak freely, sir?
Go ahead.
You're gonna tell me what the hell
you two are really doing here,
or I'm about to throw both of you
out an airlock and never look back.
Watch it, Commander. Is that
how you speak to an admiral?
It's how I speak to a friend.
All right.
I received a coded distress call
from Beverly Crusher, former
doctor on the Enterprise.
- I know who she is.
- She's wounded.
She said, "Trust no one,
including Starfleet".
We didn't want you to become complicit,
jeopardize your career.
My career.
When I was a Ranger, things were much
simpler.
Trust my instincts, bring
justice to an unjust universe.
But then you
You and Janeway convinced me
to join Starfleet
I thought this could be
the right path for me, I thought
I thought I could one day
inspire people to follow me,
even if it's dangerous.
The way that you do.
I can see that you're struggling.
But I still think that
you're in the right place.
How can I inspire when all I do is
take shit from someone like Shaw?
How am I supposed to just
ignore my gut, ignore my instincts,
just to follow orders?
If you find that answer,
will you let me know?
Because I never did.
Commander, we're dropping out of warp.
Come with me.
Ensign La Forge, viewer on.
You disobeyed orders.
Welcome to the Ryton system, gentlemen.
The edge of Federation space.
Detected a vessel running
at the lowest-possible power levels
approximately 200 kilometers
inside the nebula's outermost edge.
The nebula's properties are interfering
with our ability to scan for life-forms.
Commander, you understand
the consequences
of what you've done for us?
In four minutes, and I mean four,
the ensign guarding Shuttle 3
will be called away.
- Understand?
- Got it.
Thank you, Seven.
What the hell is this?
Someone wanna tell me
what the hell I am looking at?
This is the Ryton system, sir.
Esmar, lock this ship down.
And where the hell are Riker and Picard?
Uh, sir? We have an unauthorized
launch from Shuttlebay 3.
Son of a bitch.
I like that Seven.
This was you.
You just loyaltied your way
to the end of a career.
I want a full report.
The ins and outs
of everything they just did.
Damn it!
Computer, check Red Lady as
I don't know, the name of a vessel.
- This will be your 23rd search attempt.
- I know.
Red Lady, a vessel docked
in the Rigel system.
- Red Lady, former member of the Tal Shiar.
- Tal Shiar.
Deceased 210 days ago
- at the hands of her father.
- Own father. Okay.
Maybe Maybe the Red Lady
isn't a buyer or a seller
or a ship,
but maybe
a target.
Show me all big events coming
up in the next few months.
No.
Oh, my God.
Chart a course to District 7, now.
Go!
Computer, engage autopilot,
and open a channel.
Autopilot engaged.
District 7, I'm requesting
to speak with Starfleet personnel.
Starfleet Recruitment, I need
to speak with a security official.
I believe you're under imminent
threat of a terrorist attack.
I need to speak with
someone immediately.
No.
Vessel outside of sensor range.
Hell of a view.
The kind we spent half
a lifetime chasing.
And the other half missing the chase.
Will, are you enjoying this?
'Course not. Are you?
- Vessel in range of sensors.
- Scanning.
Exterior shows phaser scorches.
Warp core damage.
Some affected systems
are running at half power.
Life-signs?
The nebula's interfering with the
sensors. I'm picking up one for sure.
Maybe more. It's hard to tell.
I'm uploading Beverly's
last-known Starfleet medical profile.
Comparing.
Vital signs identical.
- It's her.
- Warning. Detecting critical life-signs.
Pulse-ox and her respiratory
are dangerously low.
She needs help. And
whoever's there with her.
Friend or foe.
Please stand by for
decontamination cycle.
Adrenaline rush.
From fear, or the thought
of seeing Beverly?
- Both.
- Terrific.
Your hands are stiff and
my knees are killing me.
So long we as we don't have
to move or shoot, we should be fine.
Decontamination cycle complete.
Ready?
As ever.
This music
Huh.
It's a compilation of classics
I created for Beverly,
in lieu of wine and roses.
Captain.
'Ey?
Old habits.
Here.
Phaser fire.
There must have been two,
maybe three assailants.
That smell
Delorium gas
From that breach,
created as a distraction.
Kill shot straight down.
Cool, efficient.
Doesn't sound like the Beverly I know.
No. She'd only do that defensively.
Have you ever seen ashes
like this from phaser fire?
No. Very peculiar.
I'll check the bridge.
Beverly
Number One, she's here.
I am Starfleet Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
And the man you're holding hostage
is Captain William Riker.
Now lower your weapon.
We're here to help you.
What makes you think I want your help?
Beverly is clearly wounded.
And given that the controls for
the med-pod are on the outside,
someone must have helped her inside.
Somebody who cared for her.
Give me that.
I should have realized that Beverly
would never call out
halfway across the galaxy
in order to save only herself.
Then who's this?
Her son.
Warp field destabilized.
Well, chaps, I have to say,
you're doing a piss-poor
job of saving anything.
Proximity alert.
- No.
- Unknown vessel approaching.
You just led them straight to us.
Eleos. Warp status.
They found us on Sarnia, we ran.
Then Kaphar, then Exo-Port.
- Each time, they had different faces.
- Shields off-line.
- Warning. Damage to warp core detected.
- Damn it.
- They must have followed you here.
- The hell is going on?
- We're being hunted.
- By whom?
Forward blast doors retracting.
See for yourself.