Star Trek Picard — Series 3 Episode 5 — Imposters — A Review

17th March, 2023: ‘Imposters’.

*Spoilers*

Right … it’s Friday … and … ?

I’m getting nearer to eating dinner.

But nowhere nearer the reason we’re supposed to eat fish and chips on a Friday.

Beyond the idea that a bishop told us too.

Or … that we fancy a walk to the chippy.

I know I do: but I’m having home made, thank you.

I couldn’t afford a take out, unless you paid me.

The tip jar’s on the right, if you’re feeling generous!

At any rate … ?

It’s Friday.

And, once I’ve had dinner?

I’ll be watching the next episode of Star Trek Picard … then telling you what I thought about it, tomorrow night.

~≈🖖≈~

Episode 5 — Imposters — opens with with the usual summary of earlier episodes.

Then shifts: to show us Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) walking onto the bridge of the USS Titan … and callously shooting the bridge crew.

Then — with images of dying bridge crew being engulfed by something, and of a door opening to who knows where — coming to in his quarters: holding a phaser that’s powered up and ready to fire.

Post titles?

We see Captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes) filling in his last log entry as the USS Titan’s temporary commanding officer: and telling us that the Titan is on the edge of the Alpha Quadrant, making as many repairs as she can … 

Which gives he, Admiral Picard, Seven of Nine and Captain Shaw (Patrick Stewart, Jeri Ryan and Todd Stashwick) time to discuss how the Changelings seem to have evolved … and whether Seven, the Admiral and Captain Riker should face charges.

After all, the three have been responsible for commandeering the Titan.

Shaw … ?

Admits to have already contacted Star Fleet: and heads for the bridge.

Leaving the three to briefly discuss what’s next … and for Admiral Picard, post meeting, to ask Beverly Crusher to carry out a post mortem on the Changeling.

Anything she can find, that she can pass on to him?

Will be useful: as mitigation.

The only problem, there?

Is the Star Fleet Intelligence officer that comes to interrogate the Admiral.

Commander Ro Laran isn’t pleased to see her former captain.

~≈🖖≈~

Now … what did I make of ‘Imposters’, of this fifth episode?

A fifth episode of what’s proving to be — at least, to my mind — to be a very impressive series?

It’s was utterly fantastic!

For starters?

We have a genuinely nasty situation brewing.

Jack Crusher?   At the end of ‘Impostors’ we see Jack Crusher confess to his mother that he’s not sleeping … that, in his own words … ?

“I think there’s something very wrong with me.”

He’s got a point: he’s been having extremely violent hallucinations throughout ‘Imposters’, along side images of an ominous red door.

That’s one hell of a line to close the episode with: given what we’ve seen.

Alongside that … ?

We see are reintroduced to to Michelle Forbes’s character, Ro Laran: last seen in an episode of The Next Generation called ‘Preemptive Strike’, betraying both Star Fleet, and her mentor, Picard.

Something Picard is still angry about, and something that taints their relationship … up until Commander Ro reveals exactly what’s been going on at Command.

Her death, at the end of ‘Imposters’ … ?   Only makes her rapprochement with the Admiral all the more meaningful, and hammers home her warning.

To paraphrase a line of Shakespeares’?

There’s something deeply rotten in Denmark.

~≈🖖≈~

So, to reiterate … 

What did I make of ‘Imposters’?

I loved it*.

It’s picking up some themes from both ‘Conspiracy’, and from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Dominion War Arc, and racking up the tension, and paranoia.

Given that?

I will be looking forward to next week’s episode.

In the meantime?

Tomorrow night is Sunday, 19th March.

I’ll be watching the next episode of AppleTV+’s For All Mankind, ‘Bring It Down’, tomorrow.

I’ll have my written and video reviews of it up on Monday, 20th March.

I’ll be watching the next episode of Star Trek Picard, ‘The Bounty’, on 24th March: and have my written† and video† reviews of that up, on the 25th.

Let’s not call it a date.

Let’s call it a chance to chat!

I’ll see you then!

‘Imposters.’

★★★★

*        About my only complaint?   Is simply that various characters addressed Commander Ro as Ro, as if ‘Ro,’ were her first name.   Anyone who knows the show will realise it’s her surname!   She’s Bajoran, and Bajoran names are like Chinese ones: the family names come first.   It’s something occasionally repeated in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well.   It’s minor: but hopefully something that the show’s producers will correct in future episodes.

†        Those will go live, late on the 25th.