Two of One (episode)
With the help of Tallinn, Picard and the crew infiltrate a gala on the eve of a joint space mission, to protect one of the astronauts they believe to be integral to the restoration of the timeline – Renée Picard. Kore makes a startling discovery about her father's work.

Summary

Teaser
Picard is lying on the floor, blood running from his mouth, as Rios and Tallinn check on his condition. Tallinn believes he should be taken to a hospital, then asks Rios about getting him back to the 's sickbay. As Picard lies unconscious, he flashes back to his memories of his home, seeking out his mother.

Thirty-four minutes earlier, Picard – dressed in a tuxedo for the Europa Mission pre-launch gala – glances over at Tallinn, who remarks that he "did it again", calling her "Laris". Given their similar appearance, Picard had thought she might be an ancestor, but given that Laris was Romulan it didn't seem possible. Tallinn points out a "funny little thing" Picard's voice does when he mentions Laris' name, and asks who she is to him; Picard tries to play it down, saying she was "no one of importance", which Tallinn notes is an audible clue of when Picard is lying. Picard then has Rios get into position, while he calls Jurati to proceed with her part of the plan. Jurati is handcuffed to a chair in the surveillance room, and the Borg Queen, who is inside Jurati's mind after being fatally shot back on the ship, compliments the "clever little plan" about getting caught on purpose, remarking on how she missed Locutus. Jurati shoots back that he doesn't miss her one bit.

Picard tells her to speed things up, as the line was moving; Jurati takes a canister of anesthesia gas from a holster strapped to her leg, and knocks the two guards out. However, one of them has the keys in his pocket; the Queen points out she could have waited until he was closer to her. Meanwhile, Rios is checking in as "Karl Leonard Kelley", a 60-year-old heart surgeon from Texas, but the ID shows the real Kelley's picture. Rios has the security guards check again. Jurati is unable to move the chair – actually three chairs bolted together – to reach the security guard, and the Queen offers to help. Frustrated, Jurati accepts; the Queen tells her simply to pull on the handcuffs. She does so, and they release. Jurati then reaches the security console and uploads the updated IDs, which allow Picard, Rios, and Tallinn to enter the gala. "Better late than never," Picard remarks, relieved. The Queen sardonically tells Jurati she's welcome for the help, to which the doctor tells her if she doesn't shut up, she will find a way to destroy her – a comment a confused Picard thinks is directed to him. The Queen suggests they leave, as the guards will wake up any moment with short-term memory loss, and she would like to get back to enjoying "our" evening, as she holds out her hand. Hesitantly, Jurati takes it.

Act One
Picard is now in a hospital, with the team surrounding him. His vital signs are dropping, and he is again seeing flashbacks in his mind.

Twenty-six minutes earlier, back at the gala, the team is in place: Picard and Tallinn at a table, and Rios, Seven, and Musiker at the bar. Jurati enters, freed from the security room, and gives Picard a nod. The Europa astronauts are engaging in photo opportunities, and one of them – Musa, the mission commander – calls out to "Picard". Renée, standing at the corner of the bar knocking back her drink, looks up, as Musa gestures for her to join him, half-jokingly adding that it was an order. Renée appears to be all smiles, and her future descendant notes that it seemed "so far, so good". Tallinn, however, knows Renée better; the supervisor can see she looks alright, but is aware that Renée knew how to put on an act, saying that there was a little sign she gave with her earlobe. She admits that while she has watched over Renée for twenty-four years, she was not used to interacting with Humans. Picard is surprised that Tallinn has never spoken to her charge once in all those years, but to Tallinn, that was not only the rule of her job, but the code she lived by. But while Tallinn was watching over Renée, Picard wonders, who was watching over her? Tallinn looks visibly uncomfortable at this question, then returns to business; they had ten hours before Renée had to report to quarantine, and they just had to keep her safe until then.

Jurati stands (to all other observes) alone at a table while the party is in full swing, while the Queen asks who "we" were that evening. Jurati is adamant that there is no "we", saying that the Queen was just a "houseguest" until she could find a way to get rid of her presence. The Queen mocks her for not being able to let her die. Jurati insists that the Queen was not who she was trying to save, which the Queen dismisses as "splitting hairs", before saying it was fun to lie to her friends, especially Rios, "the one [Jurati] had intercourse with". Jurati counters that she did not find it fun, before clarifying to mean the lying. She was faced with an impossible choice: she couldn't allow Leclerc, the French policeman, to die, but also couldn't kill the Queen either, the only means for them to get home. The Queen thinks they had talked enough, suggesting they enjoy the party instead, but Jurati insists on "no playing", that she had a mission to complete. The Queen replies that the stress hormones were not good for "us", but mockingly says that Jurati was in control.

At the bar, Musiker is offered a drink, and after an initial hesitation she goes for the non-alcoholic club soda. Rios approaches her, saying the perimeter was clear, Renée seemed to be enjoying herself, and there was no sign of Q. He pulls a cigar from his tuxedo jacket, marveling at the idea of real tobacco, and a box of matches. Musiker wonders about the "glow" Rios is showing, how he seems happy. Rios says that he's just making the best of things, but Musiker half-jokingly replies she finds that "alarming", given how she knew him. Rios admits that 21st century Earth is not what he thought it would be; everything was so intense, "all the cars and the honking and the shouting", and how dirty it was – along with the music everywhere, the good food, and the real cigars. Musiker, however, thinks it's more than that, saying he has had a "big goofy smile" on his face since he was locked up by ICE with Teresa Ramirez, the free clinic doctor. He clearly admires her, saying she built the clinic from the ground up for a community that had nowhere to go. Musiker warns him not to think about "going there", and Rios confesses that he's trying not to. Musiker suggests he try harder, seeing as a relationship with someone from another century would be "built on lies". Nearby, they hear Seven laughing, chatting with guests and enjoying herself. Musiker knows how much "baggage" her usual look with the Borg implants carries, and is glad to see her travel "light" for a while. As Rios moves off, Musiker once again sees a hallucination of Elnor, dressed up and standing at a table.

Renée returns to the bar, and downs her drink in a single gulp. Picard asks Tallinn if she normally drinks like that. Given that she was going into quarantine the next day, Tallinn thinks it was just a "last hurrah". However, she appears to look distressed, reaching up to her right ear – the beginning sign of a downward spiral, as Tallinn puts it – before looking at her cell phone. Tallinn has an interceptor program installed on it, and looks to see who Renée is exchanging text messages with. Tallinn curses in Romulan under her breath as she sees she is texting Q, her "therapist", saying that she couldn't go through with the mission, and intended to tell Musa she was backing out after the party. Q encourages her to do so. Picard plans to speak to Renée, but Tallinn is adamant they do not break the code; besides, what if Q was right, and she was not ready? Picard, however, thinks it was actually Tallinn who was not ready. He compliments her on the job she has done to protect her thus far, but he believes it was her destiny to go on the flight, and gently suggests it was time for Tallinn to let Renée go. Tallinn relents, saying that they would need to keep Musa out of the way. Picard suggests Jurati, who speaks his language.

Jurati re-enters the room, the Queen asking if she "felt better", noting they had needed a "little break". She wanted to help Jurati "live a little", but there was only so much she could do; Jurati replies it was by design, as it was fifty-fifty between them, before asking the bartender for champagne. The Queen remarks on the amount of attention Jurati is getting, which Jurati attributes to her dress. The Queen, however, thinks it's the two of them together, and compliments Jurati on showing her potential. Just then, she feels a hand on her shoulder, and turns to see Rios, who asks if her communicator was down; Picard had been trying to call her. Rios notices she seems a little out of it, and asks if she was alright, offering to support her. Jurati is appreciative, saying he was great that way. Rios knows she's been through a lot; just hours earlier she had had blood on her hands. Jurati notices the way Rios' eyebrows moved when he expressed worry about her, and Rios admits he cares about her. In her head, the Queen admonishes her not to let fear get in the way. "Allow me," she says, taking momentary control of Jurati's body to have her pulled Rios by the tie into a passionate kiss. Rios clarifies that had not been what he meant, that he wanted to know what was wrong. Jurati admits she was not "herself" at the moment, and abruptly walks away.

 
Renée knocks back another drink, reliving the disastrous simulation earlier, and musters up the nerve to act. As she walks determinedly away, Picard realizes they can't wait for Jurati anymore; Tallinn agrees, it was now or never. When asked what he plans to say to her, Picard admits he is not sure. As he moves to follow her, he is stopped by another surprisingly-familiar face: Adam Soong, who remarks that they have a "friend" in common… Q. Picard makes it clear he is no friend of Q, and Soong replies that Q had said the same of him. Picard insists he not have anything to do with Q, but Soong counters that he has no interest in being part of whatever was going on, and suggests Picard stay away from Renée. Picard replies he could say the same to him. One of the guests approaches Soong, recognizing him as a generous donor to the Europa Mission, and asks if there was something she could do for him. Soong replies there is something, whispering that the "gentleman", Picard, was dangerous. The security on the perimeter is alerted, and they all begin to approach him.

Act Two
The hospital the crew has taken Picard is revealed to be Teresa's clinic, as she works feverishly to save him. In his mind, he hears his mother's voice again, telling him to "look up".

Fourteen minutes earlier, Picard is in trouble: the security guards are all seeking him out, and he has lost Renée, asking if anyone had eyes on her. Rios confirms he does, and that she is on the move. Alone, Jurati tells the Queen she can't "push" her like that, but the Queen replies that she was trying to get Jurati to understand that good things happen when she lost control. Jurati listens as the situation goes down; Musiker reports the exits were blocked, and Picard asks for Tallinn's assistance. Rios doesn't think Renée will stay at the party much longer. "You want to help?" the Queen asks Jurati. "Let's help. Your friends need a distraction." The Queen sets off a nano-electric pulse that knocks out the lights, giving Picard and Tallinn their needed exit. Then Jurati's voice is heard, singing "Shadows of the Night" from the one of the balconies. The band begins to play along as spotlights follow Jurati down the stairs and onto the stage. She finishes the song to a round of applause, but Jurati is confused by her body's response. The Queen tells her that this had been her plan, to release the amount of endorphins needed to "steer the ship" for a while. Jurati insists she is in control. "Not anymore," is the Queen's smug reply.

Picard finally catches up to Renée, noting how upset she seemed. Renée tells him she wishes to be alone, but Picard replies that in his experience, talking about something else helps, and suggests she look up. Above her is suspended an OV-165 shuttle, which she calls "Spike" because of its "kick-ass" aerospike engines that use less fuel. She apologizes for any offense, but notes that Picard seems "a little up in years" to be a security guard. Picard concedes that's true, but adds that he was the wisest of them all. Renée half-jokingly says he probably thinks they let anyone be an astronaut these days. "Sometimes, those who shine the brightest feel the sting of fear and melancholy in ways that others can never understand," Picard replies. Renée thinks he talks like he knows her, and in a way he does: she is an astronaut of the Europa Mission, and believes her indeed capable of great things. Picard tells her that in some ways, Renée reminds him of his mother; she also loved the stars, and also had her struggles. Renée thinks fear is sometimes a "friendly reminder" that one was not ready, but Picard insists that fear was fear, and it didn't speak in riddles; fear meant that one was smart, and understood the risks. Renée asks what he was afraid of, and he admits he didn't know where to begin. She asks if he found a way to live with it, and he replies that even in the darkest circumstances, there was a light, even if it was just a glimmer. "Trust that light," he urges her. "Find a way back. No matter what it takes." Renée thinks his mother was lucky to have him, triggering another memory. Back in character, he "remembers" that he was sent to bring her back, that Dr. Jemison was having a toast and wanted all the astronauts on stage; he had been sent to collect her, and asks if she would be joining them. Renée, seeming more confident now, replies that she will. Taking her arm in his, he escorts her back to the party.

Sitting in his car, Soong appears both distressed and angry, thinking of his daughter Kore, the brief glimmer of hope he had had with the temporary cure Q had given him, the anguish he had felt when it wore off, and the deal with Q he made to "remove an obstacle": Renée. Determined, he begins driving his car. Meanwhile, Renée walks with her (unbeknownst to her) distant descendant back to the party, saying going around outside was faster. Picard tells her it was as far as he went, and she thanks him for the pep talk. Just then, she is illuminated by the headlights of Soong's car, and Picard pushes her out of the way, taking the impact himself. Tallinn and Rios rush to his side, Rios calling him "Admiral" aloud (in Renée's hearing). Tallinn tells Rios they need to get him to a hospital, but Rios points out they'll want ID; when asked about his ship, he points out that a biobed was not a doctor. Rios, however, happens to know a doctor…

Act Three
At her clinic, Teresa asks the crew – Rios, Seven, Musiker, and Tallinn – if he has any conditions; they all exchange glances, knowing that Picard has a synthetic body. Seven simply says that he has "some" transplants. When asked how many, Musiker replies "all of them". The monitors begin showing he has an unstable arrhythmia, the sign of a major cardiac event. When she applies the defibrillator, the device shorts out from the contact with his mechanical body, but it restores his heartbeat to normal. Teresa orders everyone to leave the room.

Back in her sterile room at home, Kore is writing in a journal when her father comes through the decontamination door, looking unkempt and unsteady on his feet after hitting Picard with his car. He slumps down on the couch with a sigh, saying that all his life he had invented things – machines, medicine – and knew he could bend the rules and take the risks. He had poured his heart into Kore, but even after everything, even convincing himself he could take action, he still failed. He had missed hitting Renée, but had taken out Picard as collateral instead. Kore is scared and confused, asking why he was talking like that. Soong raves that the "why" matters, and that she, his "life's work", was his "why". As he gets up to walk away, Kore pleads with him to be honest with her, but he does not respond.

Back at Teresa's clinic, she tells the others that Picard is stable, but non-responsive. Tallinn thinks this is not good enough. When Rios insists she was doing the best she could, Teresa curtly tells him she doesn't need his help. She would return in an hour; her son Ricardo was about to wake up, and wonder for the second time that week where she was. Musiker asks if they could see him now, and Teresa allows it. Alone with Rios, Teresa sarcastically says it was fun to return to her raided clinic in the middle of the night to have her hands inside his boss' chest, and notes the damage to the defibrillator. Rios jokes that perhaps her son cranked it up, but Teresa doesn't buy it, before asking him point-blank who he really was. Rios knows what it looks like, but assures her that he and his friends were the "good guys". "Good guys never say that," is Teresa's response, as she leaves.

Kore makes her way into her father's lab, and begins an Internet search regarding her father. The first news story refers to her father having his license revoked by the California Medical Board for an ethics violation of the Shenzhen Convention. She sees other stories about his "disgrace", his prior work in genetic experiments with Spearhead Operations, and how he was labeled a "mad scientist". She finds other things on his computer that confuse her: videos taken with her father and a girl who appears to be her. She wonders aloud why she does not remember any of the events being played on the videos. She then sees video log entries, referring to girls named Persephone, Despoina, Persephatta, and Artemis, all of whom died at very early ages from some form of genetic disease. She finally comes across a log where Soong is saying that "this one" will be the last, and admitting to a sense of release. He pledges to do everything and anything to make sure she survives, before naming her: Kore. Watching this, Kore is horrified, asking herself what she actually is, and what her father did.

Act Four
Tallinn conducts her own scans with her servo, showing that all of Picard's brain synapses are firing. Seven knows that's not right, as brain activity should be minimal if one was in a coma, and Tallinn concurs. All of his vital functions were normal, and there was no sign of brain damage or bleeding; what if it was a mental condition? In his mind, Picard again hears his mother telling him to "look up at the stars". Tallinn believes Picard is essentially trapped in his own mind, and the longer he remained so, the harder it would be to get him out. She suggests using a neuro-optic interceptor, a device she uses to look through others' eyes, which could also be used to get inside his subconscious, like a "jury-rigged mind meld". Once inside his mind, Tallinn could hack into whatever memory or thought he is fixated on, and in theory interact with it. Musiker protests, saying that the brain being comatose was protective, but Tallinn, perhaps inspired by what Picard had told her earlier, replies that a lot of what they did was protective; it didn't mean it was good for them. Renée is being targeted by Q, and the only person who knew how he worked was Picard. Rios is forced to agree; they would stay with Teresa outside, while Tallinn worked inside. He points out that if something happened to Renée, their future was lost, and they also needed Picard awake to prevent that. When Musiker looks to Seven, her only response is to nod in agreement. Musiker still thinks a lot could go wrong, but given how much had happened since they crashed into that "bullshit time period", she wonders how much worse it could get.

As if in response to that, Jurati – now controlled by the Borg Queen – walks through the streets of Los Angeles, the interlapping voices in her head…

Memorable quotes
"You know, your voice does this funny little thing when you say her name. Who is she, anyhow?"
"Oh, no one of importance."
"Thanks for that. Now I know what it looks like when you lie."
- Tallinn and Picard discussing Laris

"I do miss Locutus." 
"I'm a hundred percent sure he doesn't miss you."
 - Borg Queen and Jurati

"Who are we tonight, Agnes? I like it."
"There is no "we"."
"I believe that's the proper pronoun for when one shares one's body with one's new friend."
- Borg Queen and Jurati while at the gala

"21st century Earth isn't what I thought it would be."
"Hmm." 
"Everything's so intense. With all the cars and the honking and shouting. It's dirty. There's music everywhere. Oh, the food's amazing, cigars…"
- Rios and Musiker

"I'm gonna see who she's texting."
"She does seem to check her mobile device quite a bit."
"Oh, we all do that."
- Tallinn and Picard while observing Renée Picard

"Picard! Adam Soong. I believe we have a friend in common. A Mr. Q."
"He's not a friend."
"That's what he said about you."
- Adam Soong and Picard

Background information

Production
 : Title publicly revealed by Paramount+. 
 The song Jurati was to sing at the gala was originally planned to be , a song popularized as a civil rights anthem by . When Alison Pill raised concerns about her singing that song in the context of the episode, the song was changed to Shadows of the Night. ()
 This episode's title is listed as "Two for One" on StarTrek.com.

Continuity
 When Jean-Luc Picard talks to Renée Picard, he asks her about an OV-165 shuttle, previously seen in the opening credits of .
 During that same scene, he tells her to "look up" and describes his mother's own fascination with the stars. ()
 A poster and model of Nomad appear in the background of some scenes. ()

Links and references

Starring
 Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
 Alison Pill as Agnes Jurati
 Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
 Michelle Hurd as Raffaela Musiker
 Evan Evagora as Elnor 
 Orla Brady as Tallinn
 Isa Briones as Kore Soong

With
 Santiago Cabrera as Cristóbal Rios

And
 Brent Spiner as Adam Soong

Special guest star
 John de Lancie as Q

Guest starring
 Annie Wersching as Borg Queen 
 Penelope Mitchell as Renée Picard
 Sol Rodriguez as Teresa Ramirez

Co-starring
 Alexandre Chen as Cute Waiter
 Ren Hanami as Director 
 Michelle Haro as Guard #1
 Shaw Jones as Guard #2
 Richard Leacock as Commander Musa
 Zach Sowers as Security Guard #1
 Kareem Stroud as Security Guard #2

Uncredited co-stars
 Guy Fernandez, Jr. as A. Finch
 Marti Matulis as Prisoner 
 Morgan Peters as J. Hawkings
 Dylan Von Halle as Young Picard 
 Madeline Wise as Yvette Picard

References
2000; 21st century; admiral; adrenaline; aerospike engine; amygdala; ancestor; arrhythmia; astronaut; August; baggage; biobed; blood; blood pressure; body; Borg; Borg implants; Bourbon II Whiskey; bracelet; brain; brain bleed; cake; car; cave; champagne; ; cigar; Citi; clinic; Clinica Las Mariposas; club soda; cockpit; Colorado; coma; commander; communicator; community; cortisol; counter-thruster; Datascope; defibrillator; director; doctor (occupation); doctor (title); dress; ear; earlobe; Earth; endorphins; Europa Gala; Europa Mission; evening; eye; eyebrow; face; facial recognition; fear; Flag of the United States of America; Fort Collins; Friday; friend; French language; fuel; future; gala; ghost; god; "good guys"; guest; hand; heart; heart surgeon; hospital; hour; Human; intercept program; intercourse; January; jazz; ; July; ; key; kiss; Laris; life sign; light; "lights out"; liver; Locutus of Borg; lunar rover; lying; master distiller/blender; match; memory; mind; mind meld; mission; mission commander; mobile device; month; music; name; nano-electronic pulse; neuro-optic interceptor; Noco Distillery; norepinephrine; odds; OV-165; Paul Hastings; party; pocket; pronoun; psyche; ; quarantine; raided; riddle; Romulan; Romulan language; safe house; Saturn V; security guard; servo; "Shadows of the Night"; Shango X-1; short-term memory loss; smile; ; ; ; ; space shuttle orbiter; Starbucks Coffee; stage; stress hormone; swelling; synapse; table; texting; time period; ; US President; ; vital signs; voice; week; year

Europa Gala displays 
1958; 1961; 1962; 1963; 1968; 1969; 1972; 1979; 1981; 1986; 2002; 2003; 2005; 2011; 2020; 2024; ; altitude; Apollo program; Apollo 11; Apollo 17; Apollo 8; April; ; ; Atlantic Ocean; ; ; ; ; ; December; ; double axe; Dragon 2; ; elliptical orbit; Europa; Falcon 9; February; Florida; flyby; Freedom 7; ; Galilean moons; ; Ganymede; Gemini capsule; ; gravity assist; inflation; International Space Station; July; Jupiter; ; lithopanspermia; magnetosphere; Mars; May; ; Mercury capsule; Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle; Mercury Seven; Neptune; Nomad; OV; Pluto; Project Mercury; Roman mythology; Saturn; ; ; single stage-to-orbit (aka SSTO); Sol; Sol system; Soviet Union; space telescope; SpaceX; Titan II; United Launch Alliance; United States Congress; Uranus; Venus; Voyager 1; Voyager 2; West Africa; Yoruba people

Los Angeles locations
400 South Hope Street; Aon Center; City National Plaza; Figueroa at Wilshire; FourFortyFour South Flower; Gas Company Tower; Manulife Plaza; Northwestern Mutual Life Building; US Bank Tower

Passport references
1964; 1978; 2020; 2030; Department of State; El Paso; January; ; May; Spanish language; Texas; United States of America

Search references
article; California Medical Board; ethics; eugenics; Federation of State Medical Boards; ; geneticist; homeless; license; licensee; live stream; mad scientist; mall; President of the United States; real estate; revoke; ; Shenzhen Convention; shooting; soldier; Spearhead Operations; treaty talks; unrest; veteran; whistleblower

Meta references
; intertitle

External links 
 
 
 

PIC episodes