It all starts coming together in the eighth episode of the season, “Broken Pieces”.
1. Why the Zhat Vash hate synthetics
We get a peek back 14 years ago to what seems like the worst initiation to a sorority ever, the Admonition. The foremothers of the Zhat Vash have preserved a storehouse of memories discovered from a past civilization and force new recruits to witness their horrific fate. Most recruits are unable to handle the visions and commit suicide immediately, but not Narissa Rizzo, or her aunt Ramdha – surprise! – it seems Ramdha was not quite driven mad by her time as a Borg, but by her experience viewing the annihilation of a civilization at the hands of synthetic life forms created by said civilization. Oh, the hubris. This is why she knows Soji as the destroyer. She has seen it foretold. The women of Zhat Vash have a mission to complete based on history…and if we can’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.
2. Captain Rios
Rios’ past has been a mystery, until now. We know he has captain issues, which are brought to the forefront here as a mystery to be solved by Raffi, Agatha Christie style. She gathers all of Rios’ electronic alter-egos in one room in order to determine why he suddenly freaks out, isolates himself, and drinks himself into oblivion once Soji boards his ship. Turns out he’s met her sister, Jana, who his former captain, Vandemeer, shot in cold blood, along with her companion. When Rios confronted Vandemeer, he committed suicide, forcing Rios to cover the whole incident up, leading to his departure from Starfleet. Which, in turn, leads us to believe this Starfleet and Romulan conspiracy and recruitment has been going on for a long time and has cast a wide net, it’s not just Dr. Jurati that has succumb to their suggestions. And who was Jana’s companion? Another synthetic? Are there more copies or versions, a la Battlestar Galactica?
3. Seven is back, back again
…but I’m confused. Why has she arrived on the Borg cube? She is looking for Hugh. Is it simply to steal the cube itself? It does seem like she’s there to rescue Elnor, and not much more and she fails in her attempt to rescue the Borg, which she is not too keen on doing in the first place. Rizzo, as our villain, executes XBs left and right, but is eventually taken down by a large group as Seven gains control of the Cube while in the Queen’s cell. Interestingly, I did feel for the Borg when Rizzo sent them all out into space; I felt bad for them, I felt Seven’s sense of loss, which was unexpected. The Borg are frequently the ultimate bad guy, but the Romulans have usurped that role here.
4. Facing your demons
Dr. Jurati has to face what she has done; she finally has a group of friends, but now she’s confessed to them her betrayal, her complicity with the Romulans, her murder of her partner and lover, Bruce Maddox, and her deep, personal darkness once Commodore Oh showed her the hubris of the past civilization devastated by the synthetic life forms it created. But, despite all this, she sees great light in what she was sent to destroy – Soji. She’s enthralled by the birthmarks on her face, by the fact that she gets thirsty, and by the fact that she has emotions. Agnes tells Soji she is a masterpiece, a work of art. But this is not flattery to Soji, all Soji wants to know is if she’s a person, not a theory to Dr. Jurati. She wants to know if the doctor considers her a person. A question we never quite receive a response to.
5. Picard
Soji gives Picard what he needs; she tells him Data loved his former captain and friend. It’s like she knows her own new friend needs this, as if she’s got her own sense of human intuition. Picard is the emotional heart of this rag-tag group and he knows Rios is hurting. He tells his captain that Starfleet betrayed Vandemeer, and Starfleet betrayed itself, because it gave into fear. He tells Rios all their enemies have is fear, and fear is the great destroyer, which contradicts everything they hold dear.
This episode ends with our crew finding Soji’s homeworld; her compass, her gift, points to her true north.
