Picard Already Teased How The Borg Queen Will Finally Lose
Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 2, Episode 3 - "Assimilation"
Although the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching) remains a threat, Star Trek: Picard season 2, episode 3 teased how the ruler of the Borg could eventually be defeated. The Borg Queen found herself as part of the dark Confederation reality after Q (John de Lancie) created a divergence in time that altered Star Trek history. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was forced to rely on the Borg Queen's help to time travel back to 2024 to set the timeline right and a key interaction with Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) set the stage for how the Borg Queen could ultimately lose.
The Borg Queen hadn't encountered Jean-Luc Picard since Star Trek: First Contact but her revenge on the Starfleet Admiral nearly succeeded in Star Trek: Picard's season 2 premiere, "The Star Gazer." The Borg tricked Starfleet into believing they were interested in joining the United Federation of Planets. Knowing Starfleet can't resist the idea of their greatest enemies joining the Federation, Picard was lured by the Borg to lead the negotiations. But it was all a ruse so that the Borg Queen could assimilate the USS Stargazer, which was rebuilt with Borg technology the Federation harvested from the Artifact. With the Borg Queen about to take control of an entire Starfleet Armada, Picard had no choice but to activate the Stargazer's self-destruct, which led to thousands of deaths - until Q meddled with the timeline to bring Picard into the new reality ruled by the Confederation, where the Borg Queen was a prisoner and the last of the Borg.
Even in a dismantled state, the Borg Queen remains extremely dangerous in Star Trek: Picard season 2 but she made a crucial mistake when Dr. Jurati allowed herself to be assimilated. After Picard beamed the cyborg villainess aboard La Sirena so that the Borg Queen could perform the calculations for time travel, they still needed the location of "the Watcher," who the Borg Queen claims can help them in 2024 Los Angeles. Agnes decided to let the Borg Queen assimilate her temporarily to access the cybernetic lifeform's memories. But Dr. Jurati also tricked the Borg Queen and stole vital information from her. Because of their link through assimilation, Agnes could potentially stop the Borg Queen if Picard and his motley crew return to their proper timeline.
Theoretically, if Picard is able to revert reality back to Star Trek's proper Prime Universe timeline, then he, Agnes, Captain Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabrera), and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) may be sent back to the bridge of the USS Stargazer during the Borg Queen's assimilation of Starfleet in Star Trek: Picard's season 2 premiere. In that case, if Dr. Jurati retains the information she stole from the Borg Queen, she may be able to interface with the Stargazer's computers to counteract the Borg Queen's assimilation attempt. Agnes may even be able to sever the Borg Queen's control. If the cybernetic tyrant is stopped from assimilating the Stargazer, Picard won't have to activate the self-destruct and everyone aboard the Starfleet armada would survive.
It's fitting that it was Dr. Jurati who mind-melded with the Borg Queen. Agnes is one of the Federation's foremost experts on synthetic lifeforms, and her Confederation counterpart was studying the Borg Queen as her prisoner. Jurati also had a hand in the creation of Soji (Isa Briones), one of the most advanced synthetics of the 25th century, and she helped transfer Picard's consciousness into his new synthetic body after Jean-Luc died at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1. Agnes is known for being lonely and neurotic but the Borg Queen assimilating her could prove to be a crucial mistake that may turn Dr. Jurati into a "Borg Slayer" and bring about the Borg Queen's final defeat in Star Trek: Picard season 2.
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.