Yeah, this does feel rushed. Its funny, because some of the best paced shows I've ever seen are 12 episode anime with shorter episode runtimes. But I guess in a way scene length doesn't necessarily effect pacing the way you expect it to; the narrative still follows an episode by episode story beat, and I guess those two extra episodes that are standard in Japanese shows really is enough to lengthen the climax and allow for at least one episode of denouement. Whereas the ten episode format they've chosen for Picard has consistently caused the finales of each season to pack a little too much action into its last episodes with just a bit too little lead up time. Maybe if the last episode uses the streaming service format to expand the episode to the length it needs to be, then it won't be such a problem, and given its the series finale they might just do that. But I hope that they learn from this and start either cutting down on the early episode filler, or start giving trek series that extra couple episodes towards the end that they seem to need to feel like they are not rushing things at the end.
That said, it is interesting to finally see the show address Picard's weird ability to hear the Collective during First Contact. The idea that the Borg have a biological telepathy as a backup to their technological telepathy is an interesting idea that hints at how the collective might have first come about. A telepathic species with no understanding of how non-telepaths get along mirrors the contempt the Changlings have for solids because of the Great Link. But there is a difference-- a Changling can at least experience individuality for a time whenever they leave the link, while the Borg can never really do so. So the perception that others have an inferior existence to the Borg can not easily be shaken by them. At least, we can theorize.
I do like that in hindsight, Jack has always seemed to mind control people we later see have had their biology assimilated by the Borg's biotech. It suggests to me this isn't some random superpower like Wesley had, despite all the joking people have done over Beverly having two psychic children, but genuinely a Borg thing.
And I think basically everyone called it with the reveal of the Enterprise D. It is quite disappointing, though, that once again they leave Seven aside because she isn't a TNG alum, but a Voyager cast member. After all, you would think they would need more hands to run a ship like the Enterprise. Or they could take Voyager as well while they are at it. Presumably the Museum has enough personnel aboard to crew a bunch of the relic ships, so why not take the Enterprise, Voyager, and Defiant into battle?
Because Nostalgia, obviously.
