After spending lots of the earlier episodes being relentlessly hounded by the enemy, Star Trek: Picard Season 3 takes a second to breathe whereas bringing once more further acquainted faces. This just isn’t to say that the season’s fifth episode, titled “Imposter,” dials down the stakes and suspense. Rather a lot of it revolves spherical a tautly paced and extraordinarily emotional dialog. Nonetheless, the sweeping spacefaring movement takes a once more seat to broaden upon what Jean-Luc Picard and his associates are up in opposition to, reminding viewers that the heroes are nonetheless on the defensive.
After barely escaping from the merciless Changeling commander, Vadic, with their lives, Picard and Will Riker face official repercussions from Starfleet Command for placing the USS Titan in jeopardy with out authorization. The two rogue officers uncover that their inquisitor is an estranged former comrade-in-arms, nonetheless Picard just isn’t absolutely happy that they’re who they appear like amidst the broader Changeling infiltration of Starfleet. Within the meantime, Worf and Raffi Musiker proceed their investigation of the heist on Daystrom Station and the theft of its experimental weaponry, testing exactly how successfully the two makeshift allies can work collectively beneath stress.
Patrick Stewart has consistently been certainly one of many finest actors in any Star Trek ensemble he’s appeared in, relationship manner again to Star Trek: The Subsequent Period, nonetheless he goes the extra mile in “Imposter.” As Picard is interrogated about what he is conscious of regarding the Changeling infiltration, lots of the raw emotion and mounting stress and dread fueling the episode falls squarely on Stewart’s effectivity. Luckily, Stewart higher than delivers on that lofty expectation, elevated by the shock customer star who has been often called in by Starfleet Command to confront their earlier colleague.
The episode moreover offers Beverly Crusher further to do than argue with Picard about retaining the important thing of their son’s existence from him for a few years, with Gates McFadden leaning into the essential medical moments that made her character so customary throughout the first place. Equally, Michael Dorn and Michelle Hurd proceed to assemble upon their excellent chemistry as their team-up begins to carry the stakes. “Imposter” is a character-driven episode after the science fiction spectacle that outlined its earlier episodes, and the season is all the upper for the swish change in focus.
That character focus notably comes into play throughout the once more half of the episode, with basically probably the most shocking and tragic cliffhanger ending of Picard so far. The Changeling conspiracy has a farther attain than Picard and his trusted associates anticipated,p and this results in the ensemble’s most crushing defeat so far. Earlier to the season premiere, showrunner Terry Matalas hinted that even conventional Star Trek characters wouldn’t be protected this season, and that daring declaration holds true proper right here.
The last word season of Star Trek: Picard has formally hit its halfway degree, and there’s the feeling that the unfolding story continues to be solely getting started. The season has powered forward with a mild sense of momentum and an increasing number of dire stakes since its slam-bang season premiere, and the season just isn’t displaying any indicators of slowing down. The implications have hit tragically close to dwelling for Picard and agency, and if there was any doubt regarding the stage of hazard they confronted sooner than, the bombastic battle merely grew to change into further non-public than ever.