Terry Matalas’ favorite moment in the Star Trek: Picard finale

Star Trek: Picard wrapped its final season over four months ago, but it’s one that can be rewatched over and over for many reasons. 

The final season of Star Trek: Picard brought the crew full circle, giving them what might be one last adventure and proving just how essential they all were to the success of any mission but especially this one. With Jack Crusher, Admiral Picard, Captain Riker, and Captain Worf trapped aboard the Borg cube that was ready to explode, there was a moment when fans thought one of them might not survive. But showrunner Terry Matalas had another plan in mind.

In an interview with The 7th Rule [via Screenrant], hosted by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Cirroc Lofton, Matalas wanted the Enterprise to come “swooping in above the Borg” to save the day. And he also had the person in mind who would be essential to the salvation—Deanna Troi. It was through her psychic connection to her husband that she was able to locate him and her friends.

Terry Matalas is really proud of the Star Trek: Picard moment with Deanna Troi

The showrunner considered the scene with Deanna saving the day as a kind of payoff for her time on Star Trek: The Next Generation on which she was underutilized.

"Emotionally, what I like the most about it is Deanna Troi is able to find them because of her emotional and psychic connection to her husband, who at that moment is feeling so much about what they’ve been through and the loss of their son that she can’t help but know exactly where they are because of this psychic connection, which is kind of a payoff for some early stuff in Next Gen… Anyway, I’m really proud of that moment, that shot, that music, that feeling… And when we screened it in the IMAX theater, the cheers were everything that I had hoped it would be. And so, yeah, I’m pretty proud of that."

Matalas went on to say it was an incredible moment for Troi, and it was a “weird meta payoff” for her. The moment Riker said he loved her and that he and their son would be waiting for her, realization dawned on Troi’s face, and Marina Sirtis did an excellent job feeling the emotions of the scene. It’s easy to see why it was the best moment for Matalas, especially when the Enterprise loomed over the quartet, and they were beamed aboard the starship two at a time.

The reunion with all aboard the Enterprise was breathtakingly emotional with a dash of humor when Worf immediately falls asleep and begins snoring. And it was all because of Troi’s connection with her husband.