Star Trek: Picard season 3 streams new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+ in the US and on Paramount+ and Prime Video in the UK on Fridays.
Synopsis
Caught by Starfleet and facing court martial, paranoia grows as Picard struggles to uncover whether a prodigal crewman from his past has returned as an ally – or an enemy hellbent on destroying them all.
Review
Heavy is the head that wears the crown as they say. After surviving the latest attack by Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and The Shrike, this week the USS Titan crew aren’t given much of a reprieve before the next problem comes along. “Imposters” is undoubtedly a highlight in the six episode I have seen from season 3 so prepare for me to gush over why that is right now…
Written by Cindy Appel and Chris Derrick, “Imposters” is Star Trek espionage at its finest. Terry Matalas has spoken in interviews about wanting to introduce more of the Navy-esque military structure to Starfleet. We’ve seen aspects of that across the season in terms of procedure and rank. Here we approach it from a different angle as Starfleet Intelligence arrives to clean up the mess caused by Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) and Riker (Jonathan Frakes).
By now you’ll have well and truly picked up on the tone of season 3. A classic heady mix of space-opera action adventures with a healthy dose of character and a sprinkle of humour. The writing this season is so consistent that even facing certain death there were still those wonderful moments of levity to be had. This week is no different. Whether it’s the lively interplay between Worf (Michael Dorn) and Raffi (Michelle Hurd). Or the excellent deadpan delivery of Shaw’s putdowns to Picard and Riker. “Imposters” and Picard as a whole is striking the perfect mix.
Having already firmly planted a knife in our hearts, the writers are twisting it yet again this week. Matalas has longed teased surprise returning characters and “Imposters” has huge payoff to those sentiments. As the USS Intrepid arrives with officers from Starfleet Intelligent the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Who could it be? Could it be the return of Elizabeth Dennehy as Commander Shelby? Ronny Cox as Edward Jellico? Nope… Matalas has only gone and ticked off a major coup for any TNG fan with the return of Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren!
As with all of the legacy characters returning this seasons, Ro has incredible new sense of depth and distinction. Of anyone that Admiral Picard could see for the first time in decades, Ro had the potential for the most impact. Appel and Derrick do give a fresh coat of paint to the history between the two characters. Whilst they don’t change the events of Ro’s exit during the final season of TNG, they do give it a rich sense of emotion and heartbreak which is invigorating to see played by two such brilliant actors.
Of course they are able to tie in Ro’s reappearance with the overall arc of the season. Could this be a changeling taking her place? Of course that’s all dealt with excellently within the script whilst further widening the stakes of the season. We are retreading a similar plot line to the first season of Picard. There is was the Romulans who had infiltrated Starfleet. Here’s it’s the Changelings. Starfleet has a real issue with infiltrators. But hey, I’m going to forgive it because this time around it’s so incredibly well written.
After a week off, Raffi and Worf are back with a vengeance this week. They’re on the hunt for their third shady character on M’Talas Prime, the Vulcan known as Krinn (Kirk Acevedo). Whilst their subplot has contributed some vital information to the overall narrative of the season, they do seem to be stuck in a repeating pattern of tackling organised crime bosses. The end of “Imposters” does signal a potential shift towards further convergence with the main plot but more on that next week…
I hate to sound like a broken record but every single member of the ensemble is bringing their A-game to season 3. It’s clear from every frame that the entire cast is enjoying not only being together but the material that Matalas and the writers are giving them. It really comes across in the performances but also the credibility of the story and its execution.
Verdict
The return of [SPOILER] is such a huge moment for Star Trek: The Next Generation fans. Just when I was beginning to feel comfortable with the setup of season 3, Star Trek: Picard pulls out the rug and ramps up the stakes even more.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
