Thoughts on Season Three.

Picard and the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, back on the bridge of the Enterprise-D.

THOUGHTS ON SEASON THREE:

In its first two seasons, Star Trek: Picard carefully balanced TNG-era nostalgia against being a new show with an identity of its own. I had my issues with the series, specifically with Season Two, but this balance was something the writers handled extremely well.

In Season Three, Picard goes in a different direction. This season is less the conclusion to Picard and more Star Trek: The Next Generation - Epilogue. In theory, this should leave me feeling a bit disgruntled. I can always re-watch TNG, and I sometimes do rewatch the better episodes. In theory, I far prefer to see something new.

In practice, however, Season Three turns out to be by far the best season of what's been a rather uneven series.

Fears for his family make Geordi reluctant to help his old captain.

AN ENSEMBLE PIECE:

In my Season Two overview, one of my top wishlist items was a hope that the returning TNG characters would not be exactly as they were when that series wrapped up. Happily, I get my wish. The characters are recognizably the same people, but the passage of time and the lives they've led have changed them in ways that are believable and often interesting.

Geordi is a father, and his protectiveness toward his two daughters informs his actions. Riker is more confident in his own decision making; while he respects Picard, he no longer automatically defers to him. Worf has taken a philosophical turn; he's not quite a pacifist (he's literally introduced killing bad guys), but he's more thoughtful than in the past. Beverly Crusher has transformed the most, her twenty years of protecting Jack having made her fierce and assertive in a way that wasn't often true in TNG - and Gates McFadden seems to thoroughly enjoy playing this new side to her personality.

Inevitably, some characters get more focus than others, but everyone gets something significant to do. It helps that the season re-introduces the cast gradually. Beverly and Riker appear as early as the first episode, and Worf enters the action in Episode 2. It isn't until the second half of the season that Geordi and Data receive anything more than a name-check, though, and it isn't until the final three episodes that Deanna gets more than a cameo. This allows each returning regular to get a reasonable amount of focus when they appear without leaving them competing for attention. It also helps to keep the narrative fresh, with the overall dynamics changing with each reintroduction.

Finally, I have to applaud the story making a plot point out of Picard's synthetic body, with the corpse of his original body forming a major part of the changelings' plan. It's not quite what I wanted to see. I still think it was a missed opportunity to not explore Picard's feelings about being transferred to a synthetic body. His greatest fear and shame was his past assimilation by the Borg, and now he's ever-so-slightly not quite human; that remains something that both he and the other characters should have reacted to.

But at least this season uses that misjudged plot turn as a major part of its story. I continue to wish more had been done with it... but I fully expected Season Three to just repeat Season Two in making one or two references and nothing more, so I was glad to see something of substance done.

Vadic (Amanda Plummer) harbors hatred that can't be reasoned with.

THE KID, THE VILLAIN, AND THE DIP**** FROM CHICAGO - NEW CHARACTERS:

Season Three offers three significant new characters: Jack, Picard's son; Vadic, the changeling leader, and Liam Shaw, captain of the USS Titan. All three characters end up working, though not to the same extent.


JACK:

The well-worn "reunion movie" tropes of the old lead having a son/daughter ready to take the mantle is one that rarely works. It's never been what viewers want. They didn't tune into a revival of an old series to watch the son or daughter of the character they loved. It doesn't help that, in most cases, the kid characters are either insufferable or faded carbon copies of the old leads.

Jack largely sidesteps this trap. First, he's a genuinely well-written character. He's not a carbon copy of Picard, but neither is he self-consciously different. His swagger carries an echo of the young Picard who got into a near-fatal brawl with a Naussican. However, the surface cockiness is convincingly mixed with just the right amounts of both resentment and insecurity.

Also, Jack is an important part of the season, but he's firmly part of the supporting cast. His frank conversations with Picard develop him as a character, but the focus is kept on Picard and his reactions. Because of this, Jack's screen time never feels like it's coming at the expense of the old regulars. It helps that actor Ed Speleers does an excellent job of bringing the character to life.


VADIC:

Amanda Plummer's Vadic is the most prominent villain for the bulk of the season. When she's introduced, she is in a position of power, her ship clearly outmatching Picard and the Titan. She presents a genial front, speaking softly in an exaggeratedly sweet Southern drawl, even as it's clear that she revels the thought of violence. She seems to be having great fun pursuing the starship, and she plays with the humans like a cat with a mouse, letting the Titan run free just enough to enjoy the thrill of pouncing on it all over again.

This is all enjoyable villainy, and Amanda Plummer has a whale of time chomping on scenery, but there doesn't seem to be much depth beyond "villain." Episode 7, Dominion, changes that, with a well-scripted and wonderfully acted confrontation between Vadic on one side and Picard and Beverly on the other. In this scene, Vadic reveals all the hatred she's fostered for humanity - and as we glimpse her backstory, that hate becomes understandable. At that point, we comprehend why she is so sadistic and angry.

None of which makes her less villainous, it should be noted. In fact, once Picard knows what drives her, he gives up on trying to negotiate. Vadic's hatred runs so deep that reason is impossible.

Capt. Shaw (Todd Stashwick) takes great pleasure in pointing out
a few less-than-shining moments of Picard's and Riker's careers.

CAPT. SHAW:

I hated Shaw on sight. With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear that the writers wanted me to have that reaction. Shaw was meant to come off as a typical "pompous bureaucrat," with later revelations changing that perception. Even in hindsight, though, I think his early scenes are overwritten. The Shaw of the season premiere is pointlessly antagonistic and punchably smug. Rudeness and smugness are present in the rest of the season, but never again to that same extent.

Starting with Episode Two, he emerges as a three-dimensional character. He's still adversarial to Picard, but his points have validity. Once Picard reveals that Jack is his son, Shaw stops arguing, resigning himself to the battle to come. Episode Four is both the season's and the series' best installment - and its single best scene belongs to Shaw, as he recalls his brush with "Locutus of Borg" during the Battle of Wolf 359. The scene explains his initial disdain for Picard, and it also shows the survivor's guilt that's left him entirely willing to be seen as the jerk by his own crew.

By the second half of the season, he has become a full ally to Picard. He continues to argue with the regulars, but it's mostly to point out inconvenient truths, from the unintended consequences of some of Picard's and Riker's past heroics to the potential need for Seven of Nine to sacrifice people for the greater good: "You are a Starfleet officer. You don't have the luxury to only make choices that feel hunky-dory."

Actor Todd Stashwick leans fully into the character's abrasive nature, but (Episode One aside) he also shows the character's intelligence and the emotional turmoil from his past. A layered performance combines with good writing, making Shaw into the most memorable of all of Star Trek: Picard's original characters. I'd happily watch a full series about the self-described "dip**** from Chicago."

Picard is reunited with Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes).

ARCS WITHIN A BIGGER STORY - SEASON STRUCTURE:

One reason why Season Three works better than the previous two seasons is its structure. Instead of pulling a single story across ten episodes, the story is divided into smaller arcs. This keeps the story from feeling overstretched, a common problem with seasons of streaming shows, by allowing the overall focus to change regularly.

The first four installments form a Star Trek action thriller, with the Titan evading Vadic inside a nebula. I worried that this setup couldn't sustain a full season. Then Episode Four did something I hadn't expected: It resolved the situation, ending that arc in an entirely satisfying manner while still leaving loose ends for future episodes.

This continues through the rest of the season. The middle episodes shift to a conspiracy story, with the changeling presence within Starfleet leaving the crew with no allies. Episodes Seven and Eight form a two-parter that's dominated by a hostage crisis. Episodes Nine and Ten end the story with another two-parter, this one pitting Picard and his crew against the Borg (again).

The structure works well. Each smaller arc feeds the overall story, so it always feels as if the season is building. At the same time, each arc receives some form of resolution, so that it rarely feels as if the show is just wheel-spinning.

Which isn't to say that every element works perfectly...

The Enterprise targets the heart of the Borg Cube.

A BAIT AND SWITCH THAT DOESN'T ENTIRELY SATISFY:

The season does an excellent job of establishing the changelings as a threat. The tension between Picard and Ro is partially because of their past, but each is also testing the other, wondering if they are who they claim to be. This is echoed later in the season, in the outstanding Seven/Tuvok scene, with Seven uncertain if her old Vulcan friend can be trusted.

The season consistently shows that the changelings' infiltration of Starfleet is significant. The result is that Picard and his crew have almost nobody they can actually trust, leaving them on the run and with no allies as the culmination of the enemy plan draws near.

...And then the final two episodes drop the changelings almost entirely in favor of Borg Invasion Attempt #360. Once the Borg are reintroduced, the changelings cease to be relevant to the story at all. Yes, Vadic is defeated - but by this point, we've already seen that changelings have enough control in enough places to be formidable without her. Where did all of those changelings go, and why don't they do anything after the Borg attack fails?

I don't actually mind the show bringing the Borg back. Overused though they are (the Borg are invoked in three out of three Picard seasons), they're still the TNG villain with the greatest personal connection to Picard, and their connection to Jack is nicely set up and revealed. But the show needed to keep the changelings active in the final two parts. Alternatively, they could have just made this a Borg story from the start... something that could have been entirely doable by replacing the changeling infiltration with Borg assimilation. Season Two already showed Jurati being assimilated pyschologically, with no immediate physical signs; that could have used as a template for an "invisible" Borg infiltration in Season Three.

As it stands, the changelings are built up as a threat, and then they're transformed into little more than an afterthought - something I can't help but feel disappointed by.

Picard and his old crew enjoy a final game of poker.

IN CONCLUSION:

My frustration with the dropped changeling arc notwithstanding, this season is an excellent ending, both as the final season of Star Trek: Picard and as a postscript to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The season makes good use of its cast, including finding strong roles for characters who weren't well used by TNG, and it features fine performances all around. It also benefits from solid structure, with the mini arcs maintaining freshness and energy throughout - something that I was extremely happy to see after the structural/pacing mess that was Picard's second season.

I doubt we'll see these characters again beyond a potential cameo or two, and I would be very surprised if we saw them all together again. So, most of all, I'm happy that Picard's third season gives a satisfying close to the TNG crew members' respective stories.


Previous Season: Season Two

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3-10. The Last Generation.

Picard and the Enterprise save the Earth one last time.

Original Air Date: Apr. 20, 2023. Written by: Terry Matalas. Directed by: Terry Matalas.


THE PLOT:

The Borg have taken control of Starfleet!

With Jack in the Borg Queen (Alice Krige)'s clutches and acting as a transmitter, the Borg have remotely assimilated every Starfleet officer under age 25, granting them total control over all the starships assembled for Frontier Day. Earth's Spacedock is managing to hold off the assault, but Riker grimly observes that their defenses won't last long.

Seven and Raffi retake the Titan, using the ship's cloaking device to evade the Borg signal. Seven launches a series of sudden, short attacks on the assimilated starships to buy additional time. Meanwhile, Picard and his team take the reconstructed Enterprise D to the Borg Cube to confront the Queen directly. For Picard, it's a last chance to face his greatest enemy - and to rescue his son.


CHARACTERS:

Picard: It's clear that he doesn't expect to come back. The first half of the episode sees him making a series of farewells - to his old crew, to Riker specifically, and to Beverly. He not only forgives Beverly for keeping Jack's existence a secret, he acknowledges her choice in prioritizing the protection of their son: "You thought of Jack from the beginning, shielding him from danger. You did everything right." He faces his greatest fear - reassimilation by the Borg - in order to connect with his son. But first he directly gives Riker command of the mission: "I can no longer be your captain. I now have to be a father."

Riker: He is instantly nervous when they beam to the Borg Cube and discover no drones waiting for them. He observes that in all his years, he never had a "too quiet" moment that turned out well. As a father himself, he understands Picard's priorities completely. When the Enterprise tells him that time is growing short and that the ship will have to take action, Riker refuses to beam out without Picard, even knowing that this decision might mean his death.

Worf: "There was a moment today where I was worried we might actually survive." Worf has been awesome all season, and that carries through to the finale. He doesn't hesitate to join Picard and Riker in beaming to the Cube, even though he seems fatalistically resigned to their likely fate. He also acknowledges his friendship with Raffi with a particularly well-judged gift.

Data: Admits that he is having some trouble adjusting to having full emotions. Not, thankfully, in the manner of Star Trek: Generations' annoying "emotion chip" subplot, but rather in the way ordinary people sometimes struggle with strong emotions: an image that evokes nostalgia, such as a crew member petting a cat, or a strong feeling of hatred for the Borg over the misery they cause. This is generally well written, getting just enough attention to convince as part of Data's journey without being allowed to distract from the main plot.

Seven of Nine: The script wisely focuses on the TNG crew, splitting Seven and Raffi off in their own subplot on the Titan. Seven improvises like mad to disrupt the Borg plan as much as she can with the limited resources available. She is left with a very small crew that includes a nervous cook with some past piloting experience. She deals well with this, encouraging the man without coddling him. The implications of a modification she and Raffi make to their phasers is something that I'd love to see future Trek projects address, by the way.

Jack Crusher: It's made clear why his capture was so essential to the villains, as the Borg need him to transmit their assimilation signal. This does mostly make him more a plot device than a character in this episode: the mechanism of the Borg plan and the object of Picard's attempted rescue. Still, he gets a decent character moment within the Collective, where he finds the sense of belonging that's always eluded him - which is what Picard has to argue and urge against when he connects with him near the end.

Others: This season has a large ensemble, and it's inevitable that some characters will be moved to the background. To writer Terry Matalas's credit, every regular gets at least one moment. Geordi is left in command of the Enterprise, and he trusts Data with a near-impossible task. Dr. Crusher shows remarkable competence at tactical, surprising the others; as she explains, she hasn't exactly been idle over the last twenty years, which have involved a lot of running from various adversaries. Deanna's strong connection to Riker plays a critical role at the end. Meanwhile, on the Titan, Raffi provides unwavering support to Seven - though her best character scene comes opposite Worf. None of them are the focus of the episode, but they all get a moment or two to shine.


THOUGHTS:

Season Three of Picard has revolved, in large part, around themes of family and connection. The Last Generation does an excellent job of folding these into both the story and its resolution. Picard and Jack have awkwardly attempted to connect as father and son all season. By contrast, Jack's assimilation by the Borg sees him feeling an instant and effortless connection, one that Picard attempts to persuade him is illusory.

The Borg Queen describes the Cube as Picard's "true family." Picard reaches Jack through sacrifice: surrendering his command to "be a father" and facing his greatest fear in order to reach him. Deanna's link to Riker (her family) plays a major role in the climax. Even the epilogue carries the theme through, from Raffi's reconciliation with her son to the final scene of the old TNG crew sitting down for a hand of poker as the credits roll.

While I find myself somewhat missing the standalone storytelling of older Trek series, a well-paced season arc offers a big advantage: If previous episodes have done their jobs properly, the finale can hit the ground running. Previous episodes of this season established the overall relationships, as well as the situation and the stakes. That leaves this episode free to zip right into the action. The threads are quickly established: Seven on the Titan, trying to delay the Borg attack; Picard, Riker, and Worf on the Borg Cube; and the Enterprise crew. The episode moves quickly, with plenty of action and incident, but it never feels rushed or overstuffed. As a result, in addition to thematic unity, The Last Generation benefits from being extremely enjoyable to watch.

Complaints are relatively minor. The Seven/Raffi strand feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the episode; it would not be difficult to rewrite this script to remove them entirely. The worry I expressed in the previous review, that the Borg would render the previous changeling threat into an afterthought, ends up being fully realized. Exposition tells us that the changelings were important to the Borg plan. Still, after previous episodes made the changeling infiltration all encompassing, leaving Picard and his crew with nowhere to turn for help, in this episode the changelings are suddenly unmentioned and irrelevant. I could charitably posit that, after the failure of the plan, the infiltrators decided to pull out and wait for another opportunity... but it does feel as if the changelings went from practically omnipotent in previous episodes to borderline irrelevant at the end.


OVERALL:

Despite my gripe about the treatment of the changelings, this was an overall excellent finale. It uses themes established throughout the season in a way that connects both to the overall threat and to the characters. It finds important things for every character to do. It also moves fast and is highly enjoayble to watch.

I'll put more thoughts together about the season as a whole for my season overview. Ultimately, though, Picard's best season ends on a strong note. It's not quite the season's best episode - but it's a good episode, and a worthy finale.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Võx

Season Three Overview

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3-09. Võx.

An old enemy lies behind the mysterious red door in Jack's subconscious...

Original Air Date: Apr. 13, 2023. Written by: Sean Tretta, Kiley Rossetter. Directed by: Terry Matalas.


THE PLOT:

With the Frontier Day celebration about to begin, and still with little idea what the changelings are planning or why they are pursuing Jack, Deanna uses her abilities to try to guide the young man into opening the red door that lies in his subconscious. She is able to prod Jack into opening the door - and is shocked to discover the Borg waiting on the other side!

When the Borg assimilated Picard and turned him into Locutus, they also rewrote his DNA. This is the source of Jack's abilities. He is a Borg "transmitter," able to seize control of assimilated or partially assimilated Borg. Jack responds to the news by fleeing, stealing a shuttle and taking off for an unknown area of space.

Picard does not have the luxury of following. If Jack's abilities were Borg, then how was he able to take control of members of the Titan crew? The answer lies in the theft of Picard's original remains from Daystrom - and in the transporters the changelings have been using throughout Starfleet.

Picard and his crew rush back toward Earth. It may already be too late to stop a disaster, however. Thanks to the changeling infiltrators, the Borg assimilation of Starfleet has already begun - without anyone even noticing it...


CHARACTERS:

Picard: "It's my responsibility. I'm the cause. It's my fault." Picard already felt guilt at Jack inheriting his Irumodic Syndrome, which is only worsened when he discovers that what Jack inherited was actually a link to the Borg Collective. The scars of his own assimilation affect his attempt to talk to Jack. His usual compassion is blunted by his memories of being forced to do the Borg's bidding. He prioritizes the need for precautions over clear explanations, which only pushes Jack to flee that much faster than he otherwise might have.

Deanna: The instant she sees the Borg in Jack's mind, she leaves, locking him in sickbay as she runs to tell the others what she's found. This is the right thing to do; for all she knows, telling Jack might activate some dormant program. However, it also makes a lie out of her promise that whatever's behind that red door, he won't be left to face it alone - adding an extra dollop of betrayal onto the young man's fear.

Jack Crusher: It's hardly surprising Jack is thrown into turmoil. Within a short time frame, he's had his existence turned upside down: he's been hunted, he's been told that he has Irumodic Syndrome, he's discovered that he has impossible abilities, he's had Vadic dangle the prospect of answers in front of him, and now he learns that he's a product of the Borg's assimilation of his father. There's basically been no rest for him to come to terms with anything. The action that he settles on is rash and ill-advised... but given his week, I'd have been surprised if he had been in a fit state to stop, think, and listen at this point.

Capt. Shaw: After realizing the Borg connection, Picard orders the ship to Earth. This prompts Shaw, in his role as the Designated Realist, to point out that everyone who is hunting them will be there. But when Picard tells him that this is their only option, he no longer argues. Instead, he lets out a resigned sigh - "Of course it is." - and gives the order. Over the course of the season, he's gone from an adversary to a proper member of Picard's crew, albeit one who doesn't hesitate to point out uncomfortable realities. He also is once again paired with Seven, finally showing her the respect of calling her the name she identifies with.


FAN SERVICE, IN THE BEST WAY:

One area in which I've generally been impressed by Star Trek: Picard is in its careful balance of fan service against being its own show. From the beginning, Picard has done a fine job of using nostalgia just enough to enhance without allowing it to overwhelm the story. There have certainly been occasions that I've found the stories themselves a bit lacking (Season Two), but the use of past elements has largely shown restraint and careful judgment.

I think that might be one reason why the final ten minutes of this episode works so well. For the first time, in the closing Act of its penultimate episode, Picard leans fully into fanservice. I watched Encounter at Farpoint back in 1987. I was one of the kids in the schoolyard dismissing TNG as "fake Star Trek" and "diet Star Trek," and I watched as it slowly transformed into a cultural touchstone in its own right. I have a hard time believing that too many fans of my generation weren't at least somewhat moved by this episode's closing minutes.

Yes, it's blatant fanservice. But as a fan, I felt well-served - and I think it lands just right because the series has been cautious in its reliance on fanservice elements up to this point. In short, by the time Picard finally goes full fanservice, it's earned the privilege.


OTHER MUSINGS:

"So how much of me is me?"
-Jack Crusher asks the season's key question. As of yet, it goes unanswered.

Questions of identity and inheritance have pervaded the season. Picard, Jack, and Beverly have all grappled with what traits Jack inherited. Picard keeps defaulting to seeing his worst traits in Jack: his stubbornness, his willfulness, more than a hint of his youthful arrogance. But Jack has also displayed courage, quick thinking, and even selflessness on multiple occasions - which is to say, some of Picard's best characteristics.

Throughout the season, the characters have talked about Jack almost as an extension of Picard, though. Riker marvels at the similarities he sees between them. Picard worries about the traits he's left the young man. Jack has worried about the same, from the Irumodic Syndrome to this episode's revelation of inherited Borg influence. At every turn, the characters seem to ignore what Geordi and Sidney acknowledged about each other back in The Bounty - that whatever was passed on, Jack, like Sidney, is also his own person.

Jack ends this episode by coming face to face with the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), who also sees him not as himself but rather as an extension of her will. I am hoping that the finale will actually come back to the thread of Jack's own identity, however, to answer the question quoted above: Beyond what he inherited from Picard, from Dr. Crusher, from the Borg, who is he? Given how much of the season has circled around that question, I'll feel a bit churlish if Jack as himself isn't important.

Beyond that, Võx is a solid episode. This is another installment that's mostly there to put the characters in place for the finale, so I suspect more detailed thoughts will wait until the finale. I will say that the nature of the Borg assimilation is rather clever. The mechanism is unique, but it also makes sense given the way the Borg have previously been shown to work.


OVERALL:

I have a few worries about the Borg revelation. Picard has spent the entire season building up the threat of a changeling infiltration. The bait and switch with the Borg has the potential to be interesting... but it also runs the risk of making the changelings, up until now the season's villains, into irrelevance.

I will hope that the finale manages to pull all the threads together.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Surrender
Next Episode: The Last Generation

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3-08. Surrender

Data faces oblivion at the hands of his evil "brother," Lore.

Original Air Date: Apr. 6, 2023. Written by: Matt Okumura. Directed by: Deborah Kampmeier.


THE PLOT:

The Titan is now under the control of Capt. Vadic and the changelings. She immediately uses that control to cut off the Starfleet crew members' access to sensors and communications - which, as she observes, deprives them of both their eyes and their ears. She has a single demand: That Jack Crusher turn himself over to her. If he does not, then she will execute one member of the bridge crew every ten minutes, a threat she is positively giddy about enforcing.

There is only one way to wrest control back: Data, who remains locked in a battle for control against his brother, Lore. Only the partition between personalities is keeping Lore at bay. With no other options, Geordi reluctantly agrees to remove the partition. The hope is that Data will find the strength to prevail.

It quickly becomes apparent that the plan is failing. Lore begins taking Data's memories away, one by one. "I'm overpowering you, brother, as I always could. One lifeform replacing another. Evolution." And faced with his own extinction, Data doesn't even seem to be fighting back...


CHARACTERS:

Picard: Jack's instinct is to turn himself in, hoping that Vadic will spare the crew if she gets what she wants. Picard's conversation with her has left him knowing the exact opposite: That Vadic's hatred of solids is so all-consuming that once she has Jack, she is certain to kill everybody. He has a father's instinct to protect his newfound son; but as a commander, he understands that Jack can buy time for Data, and that ends up winning out.

Riker: Reunited with Deanna, Riker reveals one of the major reasons that he left: Deanna used her telepathic abilities to dampen his grief over his son. "Our son died, Deanna, and I needed to feel the grief! ...It was my last connection to him, and you tried to erase it." I like the way this is played. By this point, Riker has had the chance to deal with his own emotions. There's less overt anger in his voice and more a sense of lingering disappointment. He also listens to her point of view and reconciles with her fairly quickly.

Deanna: Her actions were in part motivated by self-defense. Riker was numbed by his own grief. Deanna was stuck feeling her grief, his grief, and their daughter's, all at the same time. Readers of my TNG reviews know that I wasn't the biggest fan of Deanna Troi - but Marina Sirtis is extremely good here. It helps that the script gives Deanna a sense of humor that was too often missing from TNG, particularly when she laments their house on Nepenthe: "We went there for Thad, but it's not really my cup of tea... That house, it's like it was designed by a cabal of retro prairie hipsters."

Seven of Nine: Everything about who she is makes it impossible for her to just stand by while Vadic prepares to execute crew members, but everything about the situation makes it impossible for her to actually do anything. She tries to direct Vadic's attention toward her instead of the crew - an effort doomed to failure, since it allows Vadic to be cruel to her as well as the bridge officers, all while demonstrating her own total control. Once the balance of power changes, Seven responds with a very Janeway-like ferocity.

Data/Lore: The episode's best moments belong to Brent Spiner in his familiar dual role. After Geordi lifts the partition, Lore is free to directly attack Data's very existence. He describes Data's memories as "meaningless memorabilia," while expressing resentment that he was abandoned while Data was showered with friendship, recognition, and respect. In the face of Lore's viciousness, Data seems to surrender and accept the inevitable - though I don't think it's a spoiler to say that there's more to it than that. The scenes between the two brothers are smartly written, with not only cleverness but some real emotional weight, and it's all wonderfully played by Spiner.

Jack Crusher: As he confessed last episode, he feels responsible for Riker's capture, and he does not want to be responsible for crew deaths. He attempts to use his newfound abilities to break Vadic's control by taking control of a bridge crew member to enter Picard's access code. The attempt fails, of course, or else this episode would be only about twenty minutes long, but it still shows Jack's resourcefulness. He wants to know what's happening to him and what that red door in his visions means. However, he admits to Troi that he's also terrified by what he might find.

Capt. Shaw: He and Seven are paired throughout the episode - again - and he comes across as the latest (and easily most cynical) of her series of mentors. This episode sees him continuing his season-long role of saying true things that the other characters don't want to hear. He's absolutely right when he tells Seven that she should have blown the turbolift when he and Vadic were inside it. When she protests that she's not willing to trade lives, he scoffs: "You are a Starfleet officer. You don't have the luxury to only make choices that feel hunky-dory."

Capt. Vadic: With Vadic in full control, actress Amanda Plummer gets to properly chew some scenery. Vadic is practically a child at play as she takes the bridge. She waves her hands in a ghastly mimic of an orchestra conductor as she pipes in the sounds of the crew screaming. She treats her execution threat as a game, demanding names and then personal details from her potential victims before finding a way to inflict as much cruelty as she can to as many people as possible in a single action. Bizarrely, though, when she's face-to-face with Jack, she seems genuine in saying that she wants to help him... though I'm quite certain that her definition of "help" is something no sane person would want. Oh, and her final line is particularly memorable.


THOUGHTS:

The previous episode was mostly setup, maneuvering the characters into position. Well, Surrender pays it off with a tense and well-paced hour of television.

This is structured around a time-honored TV format: The hostage episode. Vadic has control of the ship, holding the bridge crew literally at gunpoint. A nice variation on the usual setup, though, is that there's no negotiation. Vadic despises solids and has no interest in talking to them. She announces to the ship that she wants Jack, and she announces that she'll kill crew members every ten minutes until she gets him - all one-way communication. The only response that can be given is for Jack to appear in the turbolift.

Amanda Plummer is terrific here. Vadic has fully embraced her mania, reveling in her own sadism, but she's still calculating. She attacks Jack's conscience by making the hostages reveal personal details, pushing Jack into turning himself in. Then, once Jack comes to her, she's suddenly sincere, and it doesn't come across as an act. A weak performance would make all of this feel fractured, but Plummer keeps it unified. Vadic is as smart as she is damaged, a one-time victim who has become a monster.

As good as Plummer is, Brent Spiner is even better. At his worst, Spiner has sometimes leaned into ham. That doesn't happen here. Lore may sneer archly, but - much like Vadic - script and performer show us the emotional pain at his core. TNG viewers understand that Lore was deactivated because he became dangerous. To Lore, however, he was rejected in favor of an inferior clone, one who was more obviously robotic than him. Meanwhile, Data just accepts Lore's anger, something that seems meek until the final pieces fall into place. Spiner gives us, to all intents, three different performances within the episode, keeping all three variations distinct and at the same time related to each other. It's impressive work that I would rank among his best in the franchise.

Matt Okumura's script is very good at tying both threads together. There are the obvious plot links: Vadic's control of the ship prompts Picard and Geordi to risk lowering the partition between Data and Lore. There is also the thematic link, that Vadic and Lore are both motivated by resentment against those they believe wronged them. There's even an echo of this in the Riker/Deanna scenes, with Riker having been legitimately wronged by his wife. Unlike Lore and Vadic, however, Riker listens to Deanna's explanation and forgives, making their interactions a healthier counterpoint to the villains.

As was true of No-Win Situation, this episode offers viewers a proper ending. The situation set up last episode, that dominates this episode, is resolved. The ending teases what's coming in the final two installments - but this scenario is closed out in a way that is (again) entirely satisfying. The willingness of Season Three to resolve its threads is one of the biggest ways in which I think this season has improved on Season Two.


OVERALL:

Surrender juggles multiple threads while still finding something for every member of the cast to do. It's tense, it moves along nicely, and it even offers some strong emotional scenes in the exchanges between Data and Lore. Overall, this stands as a strong episode in a very strong season.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Dominion
Next Episode: Võx

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3-07. Dominion.

Capt. Vadic is lured onto the Titan.

Original Air Date: Mar. 30, 2023. Written by: Jane Maggs. Directed by: Deborah Kampmeier.


THE PLOT:

The Titan crew are now aware that the target of the Daystrom theft was Picard's original dead body. Given that Picard was meant to be a part of the upcoming Frontier Day celebration, they determine that the event must be at the center of the changelings' plan - giving the team only 36 hours to stop them.

With little time and few options, Picard decides to set a trap. He allows Capt. Vadic to find the Titan, which is made to appear dead in space. When Vadic and a boarding party come aboard, they use force fields to separate their enemies, with Picard and Dr. Crusher taking the opportunity to stage an interrogation.

The plan works perfectly, save for an unexpected wild card: Data. Retrieving the "new" Data from Daystrom allowed Picard to figure out the changelings' plan. But Data's consciousness is sharing space with his evil brother, Lore. Data and Lore are vying for control of the android body - and at the moment, Lore is winning!


CHARACTERS:

Picard: When Jack goes to him to tell him about hearing other people's thoughts, he struggles with conveying the information. Picard waits patiently until the young man has a chance to coherently explain. He does not dismiss the concerns as a hallucination, even though the medical diagnosis of the previous episode would allow for that doubt. Instead, the information leads him to concocting a plan to more or less do what he kept pushing Riker to do in Seventeen Seconds: Lure Vadic into a trap so that they can take the fight to her.

Seven of Nine: In an attempt to find allies, she reaches out to an old friend: Tuvok. This results in an excellent scene as the two warily probe each other. Seven can't be certain if this truly is Tuvok or a changeling imposter. Meanwhile, Tuvok is either a changeling trying to trap her or a loyal Starfleet officer who has been told that her ship is a rogue vessel. The result is that each seems genuinely happy to see the other, and yet at the same time each is unable to fully trust the other.

Data/Lore: The first episode of TNG to feature Lore was titled, Datalore - which would be a reasonably accurate description of the current android. Before he died, Dr. Alton Soong was attempting to integrate both personalities into a single being, work that his death left unfinished. As a result, "Data" and "Lore" are conscious within the android body, warring for control. An early scene features Data attempting to provide assistance to Picard, while Lore repeatedly interrupts to sneer archly. At one point, Data cries out to Picard for help. Brent Spiner is excellent, swapping seamlessly from one personality to another within the same take.

Geordi: He is hesitant to try to "save" Data by erasing Lore, pointing out the complexities of this new android brain. "This is more art than engineering."  A nudge from Picard is enough for him to agree to plug Data into the ship's systems for analysis - and is it even a spoiler to reveal that Lore takes advantage of this at the worst possible moment? As predictable as this plot turn is, it does allow LeVar Burton to do some fine acting as he pleads with Data to fight back against Lore, reminding him of their long friendship.

Jack Crusher: Gains a new ability: telepathy. This manifests when he's awkwardly fliting with Sidney LaForge in the turbolift. She responds hesitantly, and he picks up thoughts that show that she's interested but wishes that he would do something more subtle, like brushing her hand... which he proceeds to do, creeping her out immediately. He has the sense to go straight to Picard, and in his stammering attempt to explain himself, he also reveals that he feels responsible for Riker's capture.

Capt. Vadic: The centerpiece of the episode is an extended conversation between her, Picard, and Dr. Crusher. She is all too happy to share exactly what happened to her during the Dominion War and why she bears such malice toward Starfleet and toward solids in general. She's no less a villain at the end of the scene. As Picard observes, knowing her background actually confirms that there's no chance of finding a peaceful solution. But we now understand what drives her, and Amanda Plummer is excellent as she conveys the depths of Vadic's pain and hatred.


THOUGHTS:

"How remarkable it is that an enlightened species can ignore each other's pain... The Federation took my family. Now I will take yours."
-Vadic reveals the depth of her hatred for solids in conversation with Picard.

Vadic insists that Starfleet/Section 31 devising a bio-weapon was unconscionable, and I'd be willing to acknowledge that it was morally wrong. But she then declares that the Dominion was merely engaged in standard warfare... which any Deep Space 9 viewer knows is not the truth. From swearing genocide against the Cardassians, to debating the destruction of Earth as a demonstration of power, to unleashing a virus against a civilian population, that series showed numerous examples of the changelings engaged in what would easily qualify as war crimes.

This isn't a criticism of the scene, which is superb. Vadic tells herself what she wishes to believe: That her side was good and that her enemies were the real monsters. But I think it's more a demonstration of the cycle of violence. The Dominion attacks, unleashing devastation; Section 31 infects the changelings with a genocidal virus; and now the survivors of that virus seek their own revenge. Per the iconic Gandhi quote: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

Outside of that scene, the rest of the episode is... fine. I was not as gripped by the Data/Lore struggle as the episode wanted me to be, or indeed as gripped as I think I should have been. Perhaps it's just that TNG covered this kind of ground with Lore and Data multiple times during its run, or perhaps it's that other threads had more of my interest than this one did. I wasn't bored or irritated by the Data scenes - but I found myself wanting to return to Picard and Vadic.

I'm withholding judgment on the Jack developments. A part of me wonders if it's a good idea to give your hitherto relatable new character superpowers, particularly in a show starring Patrick Stewart. But at least this episode manages to deliver a pretty good action scene. Also, the characters are thus far responding as they should: by being freaked out. In the end, how I feel about this thread will depend very much on where it ends up going and how it's ultimately dealt with.


OVERALL:

In a season that has mostly avoided pure "connector" episodes, Dominion seems to mainly serve this function. There are good scenes, but the episode doesn't have much of a story of its own. Instead, it serves to move the characters into position for the next installment. As is likely apparent by now, I find these to be the hardest types of episodes to review, both because they lack much identity in their own right and because their ultimate success is dependent on what comes next.

Dominion does benefit from the excellent scene between Picard, Vadic, and Dr. Crusher. Their conversation uses the Dominion War backstory to strong effect while convincingly presenting all three characters. By the end, Picard is able to recognize two critical things: Vadic is a victim of the war in her own right; and her hatred is such that there is zero chance of reasoning with her.

That scene elevates my ranking of this episode by a full point. But I hope with only three installments left, none of the remaining ones will exist just to set up the next bit.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Bounty
Next Episode: Surrender

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3-06. The Bounty.

Geordi (LeVar Burton) is wary about helping Picard.

Original Air Date: Mar. 23, 2023. Written by: Christopher Monfette. Directed by: Dan Liu.


THE PLOT:

After picking up Worf and Raffi, Picard directs the Titan to Daystrom Station, the source of the theft that kicked off the changelings' plan. They know that the portal gun was stolen from there... but they also know that something else was taken, and they need to get a look at the manifest to determine what that was.

Riker, Worf, and Raffi beam over, but Starfleet patrols force the Titan to flee. They go to the Fleet Museum at Athan Prime, which is overseen by Picard's old friend, Geordi LaForge. Picard is hoping for help in rescuing his Away Team before they are discovered. Geordi is sympathetic, but he draws the line at putting his family in danger... much to the annoyance of his daughter Sidney, the Titan's navigator, who hatches her own plan with the help of Jack Crusher.

At Daystrom, Riker, Worf, and Raffi evade a complex AI that is controlled by an old adversary - one that has a particular song stuck in its head...


CHARACTERS:

Picard: Dr. Crusher lets him know that Jack has inherited Irumodic Syndrome from him, which sets him to reflecting about how parents cannot choose which parts of them find their way into their children. This makes him more receptive to Geordi's worries about Sidney than he otherwise might have been, and so he doesn't argue when his former chief engineer hesitates to offer direct aid. There's an amusing moment when the plan hatched by Jack and Sidney comes to light. Picard initially starts denying that he has deceived Geordi, only for both men to realize in the same instant that their respective children are responsible.

Riker: There's a callback to Encounter at Farpoint when Riker recognizes the song their AI adversary is wrestling with. I'm sure some complained about the scene invoking nostalgia, complete with archive footage of Farpoint pasted in. In my opinion, it's actually a good scene. Nostalgia is not a bad thing in itself; it's only bad when the only purpose served is nostalgia for its own sake. The moment in question builds mystery before advancing the story, the song paving the way to a major reveal. It also allows Riker to show his cleverness.

Worf: When he observes the awkward reunion of Seven and Raffi, he starts to speak philosophically about the "therapeutic" value he found in completing missions with lovers. Seven interrupts, telling him that she's not going, at which point Worf drops the act and admits: "That is a relief." Michael Dorn's delivery makes this simple line extremely funny. When Riker teases him about recoiling from a tribble, he grouses about the other man still "finding humor in other people's discomfort." I like this brief glimpse at attributes of Riker that he doesn't much like, particularly since it remains clear that he absolutely respects him in spite of that.

Raffi: I had hoped her dialogue in the premiere about breaking up with Seven (again) was just part of her cover. After all, Season Two spent a fair chunk of its running time making them work as a couple, so it would have seemed odd to just discard all that. In addition, I think there would be value in showing the otherwise ridiculously baggage-laden Raffi in an easygoing and healthy relationship. No such luck. So here's my new wish: Just keep them broken up, please. I don't dislike Raffi, and I think Michelle Hurd is good in the role. But I grew weary of the character's seemingly infinite stores of "drama" a while ago.

Jack Crusher: His hallucinations from the last episode are explained away as the medical condition he inherited from Picard. It's a handwave, and I seriously doubt this thread is over with. Still, it allows actor Ed Speleers to give a more relaxed performance. I rather enjoyed the scenes featuring him plotting (and flirting) with Sidney LaForge, and he and Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut make for a cute screen couple.

Sidney LaForge: She has slowly emerged from the background to become an engaging character in her own right. She's charmed by Jack, something that Geordi doesn't much appreciate. She also chafes at her father's overprotectiveness. There's some strain in their relationship because she became a navigator instead of an engineer. As she tells her father: "You built amazing things... I just wanted to fly them."

Geordi: LeVar Burton makes a welcome return. He plays Geordi's dilemma well. He doesn't doubt Picard for an instant, and old instincts cry out for him to help. At the same time, he has a family to protect, and he sees that as his primary responsibility. When circumstances change, however, he doesn't hesitate to jump in with his expertise.


THOUGHTS:

The Bounty is a good episode. It advances the overall plot. It features two threads, both of which work: The infiltration of Daystrom and Picard's efforts to seek help from Geordi. These two plots are well connected. Picard goes to Geordi because he was forced to leave Riker's team on Daystrom, and he hopes his old friend will help him rescue them.

The Away Team plot also lends urgency to the Picard/Geordi scenes. The script has already established that Riker, Worf, and Raffi have a limited window before they're detected. Picard needs to get back to them, both to rescue them and to find out answers, so a ticking clock runs through the episode. The Jack/Sidney scenes are fun on their own, but they also mesh with the larger situation. At the same time, Geordi's strained relationship with Sidney and Picard's worries about Jack allow for a certain thematic unity, with two fathers both concerned about the ways they have and haven't influenced their children.

Though I enjoyed this, I do think it's a step down from the previous three episodes. There's a fakeout with an old adversary, but it doesn't end up coming to much. This figure appears just long enough to evoke some nostalgia and for his presence to cover up the big reveal. I would have liked a little more, and the lack of that feels like a missed opportunity.

That's made up for by the big reveal, which is handled well. Complications are set up for the next episodes, but it never feels as if those complications are the whole point. Contrast with Season Two, in which multiple episodes seemed to exist only to set up the following installment. Thus far, almost every episode of Season Three has worked as its own entity, even while setting up future events, which makes the viewing of the individual pieces a lot more satisfying.


OVERALL:

The Bounty is another good episode in what's shaping up to be easily Picard's best season. It's not quite up to the standard set by the last few shows - but it's still entertaining, with a number of good character moments.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Imposters
Next Episode: Dominion

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3-05. Imposters.

Picard is interrogated by Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes).

Original Air Date: Mar. 16, 2023. Written by: Cindy Appel, Chris Derrick. Directed by: Dan Liu.


THE PLOT:

The Titan is safely back in Federation space, away from Capt. Vadic and the Shrike. But Picard and Riker now face an inquiry by Starfleet security. The USS Intrepid meets the Titan and orders all but a skeleton crew be transported over for reassignment during the investigation. The officer in charge is none other than Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), the Bajoran officer who betrayed Picard to the Maquis decades earlier - and Ro seems to be harboring a personal grudge.

Meanwhile, Worf and Raffi are denied access to Daystrom Station, leaving them to find another way to look into the theft of Starfleet weaponry and its connection to the changelings. Since Worf was forced to kill Sneed, the Ferengi gangster, in order to save Raffi's life, they seem to be at a dead end. But Worf knows of another potential information source: Krinn (Kirk Acevedo), a Vulcan crime lord who was an associate of Sneed's. Krinn is far more clever and dangerous than Sneed, however, and getting to him may require a sacrifice Raffi isn't willing to make...


CHARACTERS:

Picard: He's incensed that Ro has the temerity - let alone the position - to question him. Even thirty years later, he feels personally betrayed that she chose the Maquis over Starfleet, and he wastes no time in turning her interrogation of him around on her. He also wonders if she might be a changeling, particularly given that "Commander Ro" isn't wearing her Bajoran earring.

Riker: He was never close to Ro, so her past decision did not hit him personally. As a result, he's more laid back about her position in Starfleet. He even attempts to mediate between Picard and Ro, an effort that is stymied by Ro insisting on questioning Picard alone.

Seven: When the security team takes a shuttle to the Titan rather than simply beaming over, Picard is spooked into asking for one more favor. She agrees to hide Jack from the investigation. She does this by giving him a Starfleet uniform to wear. "If security officers come looking, it's best to hide you in plain sight."

Dr. Crusher: She's a picture of crisp professionalism as she performs her autopsy on the changeling corpse, calmly observing the differences between this changeling and the ones Starfleet warred with decades earlier. She can see that Jack is troubled, and she urges him to talk to her about whatever is wrong.

Jack Crusher: The disguise of a Starfleet uniform works surprisingly well, though his aversion to Starfleet makes him reluctant to wear it. That's a secondary character beat, however. Most of his role centers around visions he's having of himself committing violent acts. The writers seem to badly want us to suspect that he's a changeling without knowing it - which is exactly why I'm sure that he isn't.

Capt. Shaw: Is positively giddy at the thought of Starfleet punishing Picard and Riker. When the two older officers point out that they've saved the galaxy multiple times, Shaw reminds them of some of the less spectacular aspects of their record, grinning as he recalls "that time that someone threw the Prime Directive out the window so they could snog a villager on Ba'ku." However, the events of the previous episodes are enough that he's willing to listen as the security investigation grows increasingly strange.

Commander Ro: Michelle Forbes returns to the franchise for the first time since TNG's Preemptive Strike, and she's still convincing as Ro. Her best moments, unsurprisingly, come opposite Picard. Her emotions toward him are every bit as raw as his toward her, with her feeling that his mentorship was always conditional on her upholding his values over her own. "I joined the Maquis because belonging there meant standing up to injustice, even if it meant betraying your beloved Starfleet!"


THOUGHTS:

If the first four episodes formed an action/suspense story, then this episode conveys more of a "conspiracy thriller" vibe, with the characters uncertain who to trust. They can't even be certain which officers actually are themselves, with Picard and Ro each showing suspicion that the other might be a changeling. It's an effective change-up, though I hope the show doesn't try to hold this particular tone and style for too long.

Imposters is not as good as No-Win Scenario was, but that would be an unfair expectation. It's still a good episode that continues to reflect one of the major strengths of this season: good use of the characters. The heart of the episode is the confrontation between Picard and Ro. Plot-wise, each suspects the other might be an imposter... but the real emotional core comes from each airing the pain inflicted by the other. Picard's anger rings true, but so does Ro's, and Patrick Stewart and Michelle Forbes play as well off each other now as they did back in the day.

The Worf/Raffi subplot is less interesting than the rest, and I rolled my eyes at a particularly clichéd plot development once they finally came face-to-face with Krinn. Still, Michael Dorn and Michelle Hurd work well together, and this episode finally connects their strand to the main plot. While Krinn's method of dealing with them is ludicrous and - for a Vulcan - rather illogical, the scene is at least watchable, even if it's the episode's weakest.

More importantly, in a season that's managed consistently strong episode endings, this one might have the most startling ending yet...


OVERALL:

Imposters is another good episode in what's shaping up to be a good season. The story moves to its next phase, with a shift in tone that should keep the arc from becoming stale. The episode gets an extra boost from the dynamic between Picard and Ro, with the characters' emotions feeling authentic and true to who the two of them are.

The Picard/Ro material earns an already good episode an extra point, leaving me awarding a strong...


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: No-Win Scenario
Next Episode: The Bounty

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3-04. No-Win Scenario.

Capt. Vadic receives her orders.

Original Air Date: Mar. 9, 2023. Written by: Terry Matalas, Sean Tretta. Directed by: Jonathan Frakes.


THE PLOT:

The Titan is dead in space, sinking into the nebula and ever closer to its lethal "gravity well." The bridge crew desperately reroutes power to keep life support functional, but Riker knows that all they're doing is buying a few extra hours of life.

Picard uses that time to try to get to know Jack, if only just a little bit. Riker starts to compose a message to Deanna; but he can't find the words and leaves it unfinished. Meanwhile, Seven reluctantly turns to Capt. Shaw for help in tracking the changeling infiltrator - something they both know may not even matter as the ship keeps being rocked by the energy waves emitted from the center of the nebula.

In sick bay, Dr. Crusher notices a pattern in those waves - a pattern that just might give them a chance to escape!


CHARACTERS:

Picard: The episode has a tried-but-true frame device: Picard, at the bar Ten-Forward, is approached by eager young Starfleet recruits while sitting down to eat lunch. He's initially caught off guard at these young people turning to him for stories or advice, but he soon enjoys holding court as he shares his experiences and what they've taught him. A direct parallel to this is his attempt to bond with Jack, in a holodeck recreation of Ten-Forward, with him even sharing the same story of being caught in a (rather plot convenient) hopeless situation with the young man's namesake, Jack Crusher. When Jack asks about the name, Picard states that he would have selected the same name.

Riker: He chooses not to reinstate Seven because her current status puts her in a better position to quietly investigate the changeling. He emphasizes that the changeling's presence needs to be kept secret for the sake of the crew's already dwindling morale. The loss of his son hangs heavy on him. He recalls his son's burial, how immense the six feet into which the coffin was lowered seemed, and he urges Picard to spend the little time they have remaining getting to know Jack.

Seven of Nine: Being stripped of her rank leaves her free to show her disdain for Shaw - something he perversely responds quite well to. She doesn't like confiding in him, but he knows the ship and crew better than anyone else. His advice proves to be spot-on, and their interactions throughout the episode are enormously entertaining.

Dr. Crusher: She spends most of the episode as the designated "problem solver," counting the gaps between energy waves and figuring out the pattern. When Picard and Jack try to convince Riker of their plan, she ends up being the most persuasive voice, reminding him of the things they accomplished in the past by trusting each other.

Jack Crusher: He insists that he doesn't need to share time with Picard, but he goes along with it. He observes of the Ten-Forward holoprogram: "This fake place is as good as any to die in." For all his protests, he seems to genuinely enjoy listening to Picard describe his youthful misadventure with his namesake, and he becomes aggrieved when Capt. Shaw reminds them of Picard's past as "Locutus," with Picard having to stop Jack from responding. He and Picard work well together during the escape, with Picard trusting in Jack's instincts at a critical moment.

Ensign LaForge: Geordi's daughter, Sidney LaForge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) is the Titan's helm officer. I haven't mentioned her before because she's mostly been in the background, but both character and actress have worked well all season. She gets a bit more screen time here, playing a major role in the ship's escape and also being an important (if unwitting) part of Seven's search for the changeling.

Capt. Shaw: After a very bad start, Shaw has slowly climbed the ranks of my favorite characters this season. His interactions with Seven are fun, and I love how openly amused he is by her labeling him "a dick." His best scene comes in Ten-Forward, however, when he interrupts Picard's nostalgic tales by telling the memory that haunts him the most - of being a survivor of Wolf 359. Shaw's story is well-written, and actor Todd Stashwick sells every bit of it as he stares off into space, seemingly reliving the events as he flatly narrates them.


THOUGHTS:

"No matter how bleak or unwinnable a situation, as long as you and your crew remain steadfast in your dedication, one to another, you are never, ever without hope."
-Picard, in happier times, holds court to a group of Starfleet cadets.

No-Win Scenario is the first episode of Picard that I would label as excellent with not a single qualifier. Its script is expertly judged, balancing great character scenes with major plot advancement. The cast rises to meet the writing quality with uniformly strong performances, including Patrick Stewart's best work so far this season.

There are no wasted scenes and no "spare" characters. Unanswered questions remain for the rest of the season, but there really isn't anything here that exists purely to set up the next installment. Everything that exists in this episode is used by this episode.

A major strength is that the script remains focused on the Titan. There are no cutaways to the Worf/Raffi subplot. Save for a couple brief scenes with Vadic, which are part and parcel of this story, we spend the entire episode on the damaged ship.

The first half is dedicated to character scenes. Picard is nostalgic and occasionally humorous as he recalls his misadventures to Jack. A funereal atmosphere hangs over their interactions, with both men aware that they are likely to die soon. Riker attempts to compose a message to Deanna, only to abandon it when he can't find the words. Both of these scenes are kept generally low-key, with both script and direction choosing just one character reflection - Shaw's memory of Wolf 359 - to go all-in on. It's a good choice, with the Wolf 359 scene the highest point in an episode filled with summits.

The latter half shifts to the escape, which is also well scripted. Every character gets something to do. Dr. Crusher makes the major observation that leads to the plan and persuades Riker. Jack suggests the general course of action. Picard and Riker direct the escape, while Ensign LaForge steers the ship. Meanwhile, Seven and Shaw work together, first in the changeling hunt and then in helping with the escape. It all ends up fitting together, the different threads strengthening each other rather than competing for attention.

If it stopped there, No-Win Scenario would already be an excellent episode. The tag scenes take it just a bit further. Picard's frame ends as he makes a sudden realization, with words from his past - which have been encouraging him all episode - suddenly returning to haunt him. Then Riker's message to Deanna gets completed in a way that's entirely satisfying, while also reminding us of the many open threads.

Oh, and one more strength of this episode, one that is promising for the rest of the season: It has a real ending! The big questions remain open. We don't know what the changelings are planning, or why they are interested in Jack, nor do we know Vadic's full role - active participant or mere hired gun. But instead of dragging the Titan/Shrike standoff across ten episodes, that situation ends, with the loose threads carrying over to whatever the next Act will be. This seems likely to avoid a repeat of Season Two's midseason pacing issues.


OVERALL:

No-Win Scenario is the best episode of Picard to date. Every character is utilized. Every scene advances either the characterizations or the plot. The ending even makes use of what seemed to be a simple frame device in a way that grants additional meaning.

The end result is the first Star Trek: Picard episode to earn full marks from me. My hopes are now raised that this final season will actually end up being a worthy sendoff.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Seventeen Seconds
Next Episode: Imposters

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