User Reviews

The USS Titan has escaped Captain Vadic and the "space babies" of the nebula and is enroute to rendezvous with Starfleet.

I'm rating the episode a 10, but I do have the odd strike against the story.

Captain Shaw has his command returned to him from Riker. Once again Liam Shaw shows his charm by gloating that he's already contacted Starfleet and the Titan is going to rendezvous with the USS Intrepid. Minor point, but the Intrepid was a "class of vessel" i.e. USS Voyager. For the USS Intrepid to be called that, it should have been an intrepid class vessel, in my humble opinion, but I digress.

I have to admit this episode had me at the edge of my seat once the Titan meets up with Starfleet. The investigator decides to board the Titan using a shuttle craft instead of beaming over. As soon as they did that, my mind went to Dr Catherine Polaski because she was terrified by the transporter. Instead, we are greeted with Ro Laren, who was unexpected, but cool to see again!

Now in TNG Ro Laren abandoned Starfleet and re-joined the Maquis. That was the last we ever see of her, until she boards the Titan. Somehow she survived the Dominion war, surrendered to Starfleet, went to prison and was eventually recruited by Starfleet intelligence.

I don't know that I love the back story. It's still a stretch to see her in a position of trust, but here we are.

Picard and Crushers son (Jack) is experiencing nightmares and hallucinations. At one point Jack admits to his mom that something is very wrong with him.

Jack successfully killed 4 changelings, and he doesn't seem too sure how he did it.

Ro Laren decides to interview Picard and the friction between the two is intense. Picard doesn't trust Ro for abandoning the crew 30 years earlier, and Ro doesn't seem to trust Picard.

This episode is layer upon layer of who do you trust and how do you stop the changelings?

Near the end of the episode Worf is reunited with Picard and Riker on a subspace channel. Worf's handler had been Ro Laren and this is who Worf expects to see, setting us up for episode 6.

What Picard season 3 is doing is weaving together a tapestry of story that brings the old crew together while at the same time showing the strength the team from the Enterprise had as a crew, is still there.

I have a feeling the remaining episodes in Picard Season 3 will be a rollercoaster of action and emotion as we say our final farewell to Admiral Jean Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D, I guess Enterprise E too.

I'll admit it, I kind of worked my way through Seasons 1 and 2 out of a sense of duty having been a huge TNG fan back in my youth. Now we have a completely different show where I actually find myself excited about each episode being released - it's a good feeling to get back to! There's a solid plot that is properly imbedded in the Star Trek universe that has come before, interesting new characters, plenty of action and just the right dose of nostalgia. This episode was no exception, and it was good to see Ro again, despite the outcome. Excited to see what they have coming for the rest of the season.

I am not sure who made the decision to change the tone this season, but this change was so needed. They have either gotten the best Sci-Fi writers in the business or they hire folks who have a deep love and respect for Star Trek in 90's. They are tying up storylines from days past in a way that is not just fan service but essential to driving the story forward. The emotional beats were top notch and it make you a bit sad that the previous two seasons of Picard were not as well written. Gone is the campiness of seasons 1 and 2. Now we get a season where the stakes matter and no one knows how it will end. Ro Laren...I don't need to say more.

This season continues as nearly unbelievably fantastic. The general feeling I've been getting this season is the feeling I (like most people) had watching the first season of Cobra Kai: "This is great, how did they pull it off?"

It continues the season arc story, while also being a great episode in its own right.

RO LAREN! I was floored when she walked into the ship. And it's not a cheap cameo, it's a solid part with some powerhouse scenes. Ro and Picard's scenes transform into a quite unexpected sequel to a late TNG episode "Preemptive Strike".

Sure, I have quibbles, particularly that I don't like to see characters brought back just to die. It usually seems cheap, but this really didn't feel that way since her appearance was completely unexpected.

Another quibble... why didn't Ro contact Picard in the last 30 years.

Still, those are very minor and worth it for the story.

I'm happy to see there weren't any F bombs and the like. That appeared out of place and discordant in the first episodes.

Bleh, my review sounds almost fake, but it's not.

Being in my early 50's I watched every episode of TNG, VOY and DS9 when they were released, I remember like it was yesterday waiting for HMV to get the video cassette of each 2 episodes in stock to build my collection, so this season is like welcoming back an old friend..the moment wolf appears on the screen with Picard and Riker for any TNG fan it's so good to see and Ro's story coming to and end the why it did certainly had me...although the tng actors are a little older the bond and familiarity is still very evident, I am looking forward to seeing a few more faces...but for all I am loving this season it makes me sad for the missed opportunity of the first two seasons and for what might have been...clearly this season shows what they could have done if they had brought the band back together earlier...with only 5 episodes to go let's enjoy it while it lasts...the story itself is growing nicely to what I feel sure will be a very solid conclusion to Patrick Stewart's journey....thanks for the memories....

So, there were enough lame fakeouts in this episode. Did anyone believe early in the episode that all those fake actions by Mr Crusher were real? The Worf 'death' I could have believed was real but it had already been shown that they werent above lame deus ex machinas. Hopefully, with Crusher finally disclosing his "problem" we can get past the mystery box portion of this plot and to the actual content of whats going on with him. This season has already outpaced all other NuTrek in terms of staying power so Im hopeful that this was simply a shift in the plot and that the writers have the pieces in place for a great final couple episodes.

This episode sees the return of Ro Laren. A character that I was excited to see return because it completely surprised me.

But once again, like they did with Hugh the Borg in an earlier season, they just don't know how to develop a character without killing them off. Any worthwhile cameo is quickly done away with.

Ro Laren is the most criminally underused cameo that has popped onscreen yet, and could have been a terrific redemption arc that did not need to come to a conclusion in one episode. It's frankly just lazy writing, not to mention it made little sense as to how she went out.

While Season 3 of Picard has proven to be a pleasant surprise, there are still incidences of when the writing and plot lets itself down. This is one of them.

An episode for the ages. So far this season of Star Trek: Picard is as good after 5 episodes as any in Trek history. I know how bold that statement is, but I don't make it lightly. Every episode this season has been excellent and this is the best yet.

Ro Laren... How emotional was that? What a cast move. I'm purposely avoiding any spoilers or previews this season and that took me completely by surprise. I had a feeling when she appeared that there was more going on with her than appeared and toward the end we got to see the old Ro come back to life. And then it was over. That was genius and I'm so glad that Michelle agreed to do it. Nice.

The new changeling is also intriguing. It's going to be interesting to see where they go with that and how Jack ties in with it all. They also threw in some pretty good humor when Shaw started reminding Picard and Riker of the times they screwed up by referencing previous TNG. And Worf is still Worf gray stache or no. I can't quite get used to the new McFadden look, but she is still every bit Beverly Crusher. The sets and effects are the best in Trek history and that's no hyperbole.

I just can't praise this season enough, especially this episode. The story line and writing are superb. I can't wait to see what they do with this new changeling arc even though I'll be so sorry to see it end.

Jack Crusher might be Picard's biological son. In Star Trek: TNG, Ensign Ro was someone Picard regarded as the closest thing to a daughter.

Her betrayal as she switched allegiances to the Maquis really hurt Picard. In reality actress Michelle Forbes was being prepped to be one of the stars of Deep Space 9. She opted to go for a movie career instead.

Now 30 years later. Ro Laren returns to interrogate Picard for treason and she is now a commander.

With the Titan saved, Shaw being handed the captaincy duties. It is time for Picard and Riker to face the music.

Only Picard never expected to see Ro again and he wonders if she might be a Changeling. In fact it turns out that she was Worf's handler.

The Changelings have infiltrated Starfleet. They are everywhere.

Impostors was very much a story of identity. Jack wonders who he really is.

Captain Shaw likes to do things by the book. Now he is fleeing from Starfleet.

Both Worf and Raffi learn just what they have to sacrifice.

The story has a genuine surprise in taking up the story of Ro. It nicely sets up the continuing arc for the third season as it brings Worf into contact with Picard.

The sour note was the death of Commander Ro. Both Michelle Forbes and Patrick Stewart acted their socks off.

It felt like a thriller to me. They've established that the changelings can essentially be anyone at this point and for Picard and Ro to have a full on head to head to discover they're still the same hard headed Starfleet officers was some of the best Trek writing since the 90s.

It beautifully wraps up Ro's storyline and even let's you feel her motivations better than before.

I love the tension that the Changeling doubt brings about. There's an uneasy feeling that around every corner there might be an Impostor!

Jacks storyline is still evolving and I'm looking forward to seeing who is talking to him.

Raffi is saved by Worf. I still can't stand her or her acting. She's that reminder of season 1 and 2. Bad taste. But like I said Worf redeems all. Now that the A and B plot have crossed paths let's get to the endgame! Make it so!

It would be funny if the lead changeling looked like Remmick just for the jokes. The two biggest conspiracies in Federation history having both been led by the same weird man. The show certainly doesn't have a problem with bringing people back for various reasons.

That being said, is this Ro thing entirely earned? I don't know. This is clearly not the same Jean Luc Picard. Sure, he has basically lived 3 lifetimes (Sarek, Kamin, himself) and had many years to recall his past adventures. I never really thought of Ro Laren as Picard's adoptive daughter though. It often feels like modern Star Trek tries to do overly melodramatic things to play with our emotions. When really all it needs to do is spend more time building bonds in a long term capacity. Instead, we are revealed everything about Ro in a couple scenes and she is killed by the episode for dramatic effect (Remember when Ro and Geordi died but didn't die and how much it meant to witness their own funeral?)

It may seem like I'm negative towards the creative direction, but they are actually winning me over. I was scared that a show that has often prematurely killed characters was actually going to kill Worf, but instead tied the fakeout into Klingon lore. I also particularly appreciated how the two storylines merged together through the gift of a mutual accomplice. So although I can try to poke holes in character motivations, there has been justification for the ways the story is playing out.

I still think Star Trek has become more about the feels than the science, but as long as the writing continues to be smart (while only bending to societal trends when it makes sense for the rules of the established universe), I can live with it. After all, adaptation is a sliding scale and with Picard season 3, the momentum is shifting back in our favor.

Sadly, this is the best episode of the season thus far. Not because it offers a coherent story, a marginal improvement over previous efforts, or an ounce of logic. Simply put, it pauses the stupid just long enough to offer a genuine moment of compassion and insight into these characters.

Ro Laren was a brilliant character, and brilliantly portrayed by Michelle Forbes. Ro provided a third layer - a new depth to the TNG formula that was sorely missing from the Roddenberry Season 1-2 formula - that allowed for the possibility of inter-crew conflict and the questioning of Starfleet morality. She's the prototype for Kira Nerys and the highlight of the later seasons of TNG, and she made every episode she appeared in better.

She makes this shabby, ridiculous episode better, too.

Like most things "Picard", Ro shows up just long enough to explore a throwaway subplot and is quickly shown the door. It's one of the show's most striking and consistent failures: platforming it's rickety, tiresome plots on the audience's nostalgia for some of TNG's best-written tertiary characters. Season One murdered two of the great TNG creations in cold blood. Season Two purported to be about Q, though really, Q had next to nothing to do. One can only guess who Season Three will resurrect and slaughter in the remaining handful of disappointments. For this episode, Ro shows up to deliver a plot device as stale as Worf/Hurd's sub-lame Good Cop-Bad Cop B-story.

The writers manage an overwrought but effective conversation with Ro that dramatically slows down the episode to establish one key element of the story: more Changeling drama afoot! It's forgivable, however, because we get to see two actors nailing a scene. It's not a particularly well-written scene. Any newcomer to "Picard" could easily leave the scene imagining that Ro left ole Jean-Luc at the altar. But the scene works like it should because, after all, it wouldn't be an episode of "Picard" without an endless parade of guilt and regret. They finally landed one.

But how bad is this show? Not one, but two fake deaths and a ticking time bomb figure profoundly into it's story arc. And in the laziest laze of Lazidom, it turns out that Jack is not only a soap-opera trope, but a super-weapon trope as well.

I am thankful that the great Rene Aberjonois is dead only because I can rest assured that he has not been conned into returning to this quivering dungheap of a show. Though, I'm happy Forbes took the bait. It was a nice touch in a show that could really use a touch-up.

This is one of the best episodes of Star Trek across any of the incarnations that I've seen in a very long time.

Well acted and an excellent story arc.

I just wish they started the Picard series after the 2009 Star Trek film as the cast would have been that much younger so there could possibly have been far more stories to tell including the former cast of STNG.

All credit to the writers as they've managed to inject intrigue and exciment back into the franchise.

I'm just wondering what is going to come next in this series as there have been so many twists and turns so far.

I for one will be staying tuned.

I remember watching Ro betraying Captain Picard about 30 years ago on TNG and that episode stayed in my head all these years.

I have never seen Picard so angry, so disappointed! I had mix feelings about the situation because I liked Ensign Ro a lot.

Episode 5 is probably the best star trek I have seen in years!

The acting and the dialog between Picard and Ro were amazing!

One of the reasons why I did not like the first two seasons of Picard was that Patrick Stewart was playing himself.

In episode 5 you don't see Patrick Stewart, you see Jean Luc Picard!

The story involving the changelings evolution and Picard's son is very intriguing and interesting.

The fight sequences with Worf were solid well choreograph. I liked the Vulcan mafia boss character.

The weakest point is, of course, Raffi. I have no idea why the producers included her in this season.

Anyway, this episode was freaking great.