Star Trek: Discovery 4.11. and Star Trek: Picard 2.01
Given the episode's title, I did expect that Our Heroes would figure out a key of communicating with species 10 C, so my main fretting happened in the last few minutes, because after Jet discovered Tarka and the episode cut away, I was really afraid the episode would kill her off a la Culber and Tyler/Vocq mid s1. I kept biting my fingernails and was practically jubilating when the last scene showed Jet alive and well and snarky as ever, albeit taken hostage and kidnapped by Tarka. Which, btw, also signals something about Tarka (i.e. not given to killing as the default option in person). And it makes me hope Jet will have a role to play beyond sarkastic commentary in the upcoming episodes, which would be great.
The discovery that the 10c communicated/communicate at least partially via particles carrying emotions was neatly alien, and reminded me a bit of one of my favourite TNG episodes, Darmok, where the challenge also was figuring out how to communicate with a species that used a method hitherto unknown to our heroes. Though the stakes are infinitely higher this time. Mind you, the conversation near the end where Saru (product of a planet where one species "culled" the other) points out that just because Species 10c is familiar with the same basic set of emotions most people are - protectiveness and love for their young, fear, grief and despair when watching their people suffer and die - doesn't mean that they necessarily care that they cause said emotions in other species. Speaking as a German well aware of history, duh. Alas. However: it would be also a mistake to assume that even if the 10c do know what they're doing all don't care. With a species as technological advanced as that you do need some on your side to stop something like the DMA, even if you can't convince the majority, which is another reason why figuring out how to communicate with them is so important.
I continue to appreciate that so far, no one is the designated fool/strawman bad buy in the inner Alpha Quadrant disputes. Now that we've gotten to know Laira Rillak, the Federation President, and T'Rina, the President of N'var somewhat, it seems to be President of Earth's Ndoye's turn. As with everyone else, you can see where she's coming from (especially with the present time table), and while she listens to Book, she doesn't just accept what he says blindly (i.e. points out inherent contradictions). It does make sense to have a plan B, though given that Tarka's weapon didn't do the intended the job the last time around and just got things worse, there's not much reason to trust he's right this time. (Especially since Tarka's primary objective isn't "saving the universe" but "get that energy source to go to another universe", but Ndoye doesn't know that, though Book does.) Then again, his is currently the only plan B available.
Everyone getting dusted with 10 c emotions means we also learn a bit more about Dettmer, who it appears never felt that basic safety combined with assurance to be loved as a child everyone else experienced, even Saru, which is not a little heartbreaking. Also, the episode sets her up for a new friendship with Adira, continueing this season's pattern of trying out new character combinations. (Dettmer so far had most of her non-team scenes with Owosekun, and Adira with Stamets and Culber if they weren't with Gray.) Speaking of new combinations, I liked Leira Rillak scene with Dr. Hirai. The season has been great with reminders that Starfleet isn't all of the Federation and the civilians do exist and contribute.
First episode and a new season, immediately jossing all the fanfiction build ton the assumption the characters would continue to stay as a crew on board La Sirena after the finale. Instead, Picard has gone back to France (plus some Academy teaching), Rios returned to Starfleet and got command of the current Stargazer, Raffi returned to Starfleet as well, Elnor became the first fully Romulan Starfleet cadet (I guess the "fully" qualifier is because TNG's "The Drumhead" has a half Romuilan, half human in Starfleet as a plot point, there's the unclear status of Saavik (half Romulan, half Vulcan in the original script of her movie debut and thus in all the tie-in medias, but with no reference to her ancestry in filmed and released canon). Seven got the Sirena and returned to the Rangers, and Agnes Jurati and Soj went on a good will for synthetic life tour through the Quadrant once the ban was lifted. We get a time jump of one and a half years, during which one half of Picard's Romulan housekeepers/companions have also died - Zhaban. This did not make me happy, especially since it seems to have happened primarily so Laris can develop romantic feelings for Picard. On the one hand, I wanted more Laris (and Zhaban) last season, and presumably this set up means I'll get half of my wish. Otoh, this whole "the one thing Jean-Luc never dared to explore was his heart via long term romantic commitment to someone" theme they set up in this opener is, well, not my ideal storyline, and also even if I don't ship them, the complete non-mention of Beverly Crusher on this show starts to look really weird if that's one of the themes you want to explore.
(Sidenote: I do assume it's Beverly whom Picard is referring to when he in his conversation with Guinan protests that he has loved, deeply. But it might also be the imaginary wife of Kamin in The Inner Light, or Della from that one episode, or, given last season's scenes, Data, for all we know.)
Otoh: we got a "Picard seeks advice from Guinan" scene out of it, and that was lovely. (BTW: the writers coming up for an in-universe reason why both Guinan, who belongs to a species far longer lived than humans, and in the final scene Q look aged to match Picard's age made me smile fondly, because it actually fits both characters.) As with last season when Picard reunited with Will and Deanna, it's a match of actors history and characters history and you can feel the fondness exuding from every interaction.
Also, the scene where Raffi talks with Picard about her new relationship with Seven and compares Seven and Picard in their "self sufficiency" and impliclty in their inability to let anyone truly in makes me think we will get an on screen exploration and build up of Raffi/Seven that's more than a tiny hint at the end of last season, and here I'm all for it. Speaking of Picard and Seven, I'm in two minds about him being more willing to believe the New Borg might be better than the old Borg than she is, but given that Star Trek: First Contact confronted him with his own dark side triggered by Borg Trauma and last season via Hugh showed him all the Ex-Borg in a positive light, not to mention that he's old and slower to react, I can juuuust about buy into him hesitating and wanting to believe there's at least a tiny tiny chance it might not be a trick, whereas Seven is far younger, has lived her last decade and more as an active vigilante with "shoot first" as a default mode, and has experienced the power of being connected to a collective least season even if the show chose not to explore that. Anyway, I do expect there's another twist to this particular Queen's showing up and assimilating move (wouild not be surprised if we learn later on she actually did it for a non-sinister purpose for plot reason XYZ, otherwise it's just too obvious), and btw, thanks, show, for not going back to the old cyberbabe look.
Aaaand then we get the cliffhanger scene of Q showing up to reaveal Picard has ended up in another timeline, "the very end of the road not taken". Again, I'm in two minds. I mean, I'm all for more Q/Picard interaction! (Slash used advisedly.) I love Q/Picard interaction! But I've already seen the episode where Q takes Picard back in time, and where he shows him the outcome of what would have happened if he'dmade another choice. (I hope Ron Moore gets royalties if they really go for this as a main storyline.) And God knows I've seen so many "regular universe, but fascist" takes (which I very much suspect is where this one is heading, what with Picard's portrait hanging in his home now). On Star Trek and elsewhere. Now, I do expect all of PICARD the show's regulars will have ended up in this alternate universe as well, so Picard won't be stuck alone there but they will all have to work for setting things back to normal, but that's not enough of a twist to make this feel original to me. So all in all, this first episode makes me feel that as opposed to Discovery, which stopped using nostalgia as a drawer several seaosns ago and truly does go where no Star Trek show has gone before now, Picard is still not able to do that. :( But we'll see.