Star Trek: Picard's Next Generation Dream Connection
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 6, of Star Trek: Picard, "The Impossible Box," now streaming on CBS All Access.
In the most recent episode of Star Trek: Picard, Romulan spy Narek describes dreams as "a journey into the center of the mind's most intimate space, where deepest truths are hidden." And while Soji's deepest truths indeed come to light in exploring her dreams, it's yet another connection between her and her android father Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
"The Impossible Box" involves Soji revisiting a recurring dream, which involves a younger version of herself peering in on her scientist father working during a dark and stormy night. Narek, her lover and a secret member of the Romulans' anti-android Zhat Vash cabal, helps her pry into what's happening, admitting he's "endlessly fascinated with the way her mind works." To do that, he has her partake in the Romulan tradition of Zhal Makh, a meditation method that opens her mind and allows Narek to influence where she goes.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start nowTogether, the two go back into her dream. And with Narek's guidance, Soji begins to push the boundaries of her mind and see parts of the environment that she never had before. She discovers, for instance, that the dream takes place on the planet of Nepenthe, which is where other androids may be housed. But the biggest revelation of all comes when Soji finally comes face-to-face with a faceless version of her and a terrifying secret. She is not a real person, and her life is as artificial as the wooden dummy with her face lying in front of her.
This is not the first time in Trek history that the concept of androids dreaming has come up. The idea first came around during The Next Generation with Data, whose positrons were used by roboticist Bruce Maddox to create Soji and her twin sister Dahj. In the sixth season episode "Birthright," a freak accident revealed that Data had been given the ability to dream, which he never had before. Similar to Soji, Data's first dream also featured him encountering his father (Dr. Noonian Soong) at work, though this time as a blacksmith instead of among a row of orchids.
Data is excited by the discovery, which was yet another step on his ultimate quest to become more human. But the episode "Phantasms" shows the dark side of dreams. The season seven installment focuses on Data having his first nightmare, procuring odd images like him getting disassembled and Counselor Troi being eaten like a cake. Eventually, his mania turns dangerous, as he goes after Troi with a knife in real life. But her wound reveals a larger problem: A series of interphasic organisms breaking down the infected cell by cell.
The crew eventually connect that elements from their issue are manifesting in Data's nightmares. So Data, observed by Picard and Geordi La Forge, goes under one last time to see if his subconscious could find a solution. He finds three workers dismantling a warp core, and emits a high-pitched wail to immobilize them. Realizing what's happening, they mobilize Data to emit a pulse using his positronic brain, killing the parasites and saving the Enterprise crew.
Seeing the influence Data's dreams had on TNG, Soji's dreams could play a recurring role throughout the rest of Picard's first season. Like in "Phantasms," she could access her subconscious to find solutions to problems facing Picard and his crew in the moment, especially if they deal with secrets to the naked eye. More interestingly, she could have an interaction with someone from her past, whether it be her creator Bruce Maddox or even Data himself. Though Soji discovered her father had no features in her dream this episode, she may be able to put a face to him in the future.
Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway. A new episode arrives each Thursday on CBS All Access.
Source: www.cbr.com