Star Trek: Picard Review: Stardust City Rag (Season 1 Episode 5)

Star Trek: Picard Season 1 Episode 5, “Stardust City Rag,” is the series’ best episode yet, as the show continues to get better and better each week. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, and written by acclaimed Star Trek novelist, Kirsten Byer, this episode delves into the backstories that motivate Seven, Raffi, and Agnes while also moving the story steadily forward and giving us a taste of classic Trek camp. 

Each of these women parallels each other in some way on this particular journey but they all have wildly dynamic and personal stories that reflect their individual experiences throughout “Stardust City Rag” which informs the audience with something new.

Early in the episode, we see Agnes rewatching holo videos of her with Maddox and it is revealed that the two of them had a far more intimate relationship than two ordinary co-workers. It is a very effective moment in showing us how deeply Agnes cares for Maddox. Their relationship goes beyond that of mentor/mentee, they were in love and they shared soft moments filled with laughter over homemade chocolate chip cookies. 

Do I think Agnes is way out of his league? Yes. But I am also instantly sold on their relationship. Allison Pill does a lot with Agnes through micro-expressions on this episode in practically every scene. Her face here as she watches the old footage wordlessly shows us how whistful she is for this relationship, and how much she misses Maddox outside of their professional relationship. 

Throughout the episode, Agnes struggles with her emotions getting multiple visits from La Sirena‘s EMH program questioning her “psychiatric emergency.,” while having multiple panic attacks.

We’re led to believe that Agnes’ initial panic attack is about working the transporter to bring back the crew from Frecloud, but it’s now worth questioning if she was psyching herself up for her much darker task later in the episode. When Maddox awakens and the two are left alone in the ship’s sickbay he explains how her “contribution” was essential for creating Soji and Dahj and tells her about the miracles of their work together. 

Rather than reacting with pride or any other positive emotion, Agnes is wracked with guilt and shame. 

I believe that Commodore Oh mind-melded with Agnes when we saw the two meet during “The End Is The Beginning,” and showed her what is foretold about Soji/The Destroyer in Romulan culture. Forcing Agnes to believe in the philosophies of the Zhat Vash, deeming all synthetic life evil and dangerous, even those created at her hand. 

I am hopeful that Agnes can be brought back from this dark ledge that the Zhat Vash has pushed her to. It may not even be a completely conscious decision on her part to act this way on their behalf. Can Picard and the rest of La Sirena’s crewmates help bring Agnes back to her old self? Or is she doomed with the vision of Soji as The Destroyer forever?

On this episode, we also learn exactly why Raffi was so eager to get to Freecloud. Given our previous knowledge of Raffi, our assumptions of her coming here for more snake-leaf or other indulgent reasons are instantly turned on their heads as we realize she’s here to make amends with her son. 

Like practically every moment of this episode, Raffi’s reunion with her son explains so much about her character in just a short space of time. We learn that Raffi had a son and a husband in the same moments that we learn the exact relationship of her relationship with both of them. Even when she was a completely sober Starfleet officer, she carried conspiracy theories and a chip on her shoulder that prevented her from being fully present with her family. 

Her son, Gabriel, essentially wants nothing to do with Raffi. It’s heartbreaking to see her face such rejection from him, even while it is simultaneously understandable why he does so. Raffi has regrets about her life that transcend beyond herself, but she also believes so strongly in her theories about the attack on Mars as well as the destruction of Romulus that she’s not willing to sacrifice that certainty even to rebuild the relationship with the person she loves most in the world. 

Raffi handles his rejection with a grace that I’m not even sure I could muster in her situation. She bows out after greeting his very pregnant wife with nothing but kindness and love. I love how Star Trek: Picard gives us this story as a way to further flesh out Raffi’s character, while also leaving it open as a relationship for her to one day heal in the future. 

 

“Stardust City Rag” also gives us a wealth of backstory for Seven of Nine handily filling us in on what exactly this ex-borg has been up to in the days since Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant. The episode opens with a horrific flashback to the year after the attack on Mars, where Seven’s would-be son, Icheb, from Star Trek: Voyager is brutally being tortured and dissected for his Borg components. 

The violence of this particular moment is certainly more graphic than would typically be shown in previous Star Trek installments, however, it serves a clear purpose. Star Trek: Picard had to sell us on how desperate Seven is for revenge in a very short space of time and it does so easily with this heartbreaking sequence. 

Seven offers herself up as a trade to this episode’s big bad, Bjayzl, in exchange for giving Picard and co. access to Maddox. What she doesn’t tell Picard is that she and Bjayzl have a history and that Seven is out for revenge. It’s an understandable deception and one that honestly aids in further humanizing Seven of Nine beyond her years with the crew of Voyager. 

 

Revenge is an entirely human concept that the Borg would hardly waste their time on. Seven is motivated by the loss of Icheb, whose life we see her forced to take as a mercy, and the betrayal of what appears to be an ex-lover. The scenes between Seven and Bjayzl are heavily queer coded and it is subtextually, if not completely textually, clear that these two share an intimate history. 

Seven: No one’s ever been worth more to you than me, a fortune in Borg tech and I slipped through your fingers.

Seven’s internal moral compass point unflinchingly towards goodness despite the morally gray nature of her actions on “Stardust City Rag.” She saves Picard and the rest of the crew, as well as Maddox, before going back with only her own life at risk, to fully seek justice and retribution for the violence against her kin and her people. 

To me, this Seven completely tracks with the woman we met and grew to love on Star Trek: Voyager. The scene that Seven shares with Picard before going back to the planet is especially poignant as the two bond over their shared experience of leaving the Borg Collective and fighting to regain their humanity. 

Seven: Do you honestly feel like you regained your humanity?

Picard: Yes.

Seven: All of it?

Picard: No. But we’re both working on it, aren’t we?

Seven: Every damn day of my life.

On Star Trek: Picard, Picard and Seven are both showing themselves to be even more human perhaps than we ever knew them to be on their respective previous series. Humanity is flawed, we have weaknesses and we act out of emotion rather than logic. Picard let himself give up on society once he was defeated and Seven has bound herself to outlaw justice in the name of helping others after facing tragic personal loss.

Seeing each of them now continue to pick up that cause for humanity and strive to do what is right, is extremely timely. However beaten down we may be, it’s now more important than ever to fight for our fellow man.

Starfleet Communique:

• Raffi’s son, Gabriel, mentions “the conclave of eight.” Do you have any idea what that could mean? Are they eight people responsible for the destruction of Mars? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 
• Seven and Bjayzl are ex-lovers, right? Bjayzl posed as a Fenris Ranger and seduced Seven for information and then betrayed her. I’m not reading into this? Star Trek: Picard gave us gay Seven of Nine. I’m taking this breadcrumb and I’m running with it. 
• Picard’s hilarious french accent when he is undercover just about did me in. Shout out to Frakes and Stewart for making me cry laugh during this episode. 
• Rios’ feather is a delightful touch. 
• Is anyone else shipping Raffi/Seven? Or is that just me? During the handcuff scene, they had instant chemistry that I am dying for more of. Bisexual Raffi and Lesbian Seven? Yes, please. 
• The EMH knows that Agnes willingly let Maddox die, if not that she killed him herself. Do you think that will come back to haunt her or will something else cause the reveal that Agnes is not entirely herself?

 

What did you think of this episode of Star Trek: Picard? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Star Trek: Picard airs Thursdays on CBS All Access.

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