IN REVIEW: STAR TREK: PICARD (S3 – EP4) – No Win Scenario

Synopsis: In No Win Scenario Picard, Riker and crew must confront the sins of their past as the Titan drifts helplessly in a mysterious space anomaly.

The Story

After being disabled in last week’s episode. Picard and the crew of The USS Titan find themselves in the middle of a Kobayashi Maru also known as a No Win Scenario. While contemplating their next moves. Picard and Riker are made to confront the sins of their past. For Picard, this involves getting to know his son Jack. While for Riker it means composing a farewell message for Diana and his daughter should they not make it out alive.

Other members of the Titans crew are being somewhat more proactive. Seven of Nine is trying to find the changeling imposter that disabled the ship’s warp drive and needs help from the last person that she’d want to go to. While Dr. Beverley Crusher has spent her time counting the energy surges that have been hitting the ship and has come to the conclusion that the nebula that the ship is falling into is in fact an alien life form that is in the throws of childbirth.

The Acting

As in past weeks. The actors really work hard throughout this episode and provide us with some memorable scenes. Gates McFadden gets the honor of her character being the person that figures a way out of the No Win Scenario. While Patrick Stewart and Ed Speleers get more screen time as we see Picard and his Son try and get to know each other until they are interrupted by Captain Shawn (Todd Stashwick) whose dislike of Picard stems from the fact that he was at the Battle of Wolf 359 when Picard in the guise of Locutus very nearly wiped out Starfleet. Stashwick is brilliant in this scene where Shaw vents his full venom at Picard.

Overall

Although all the drama and action are confined to the ship this week. Meaning that we don’t have any scenes of Worf and Raffi’s fun odd couple dynamic. This episode is perhaps the best yet as we see some evolution in both the established and newer characters. I loved Shaw’s outburst. And I also enjoyed seeing Dr. Crusher figure out what was going on with the energy surges and how that was a tip of the hat to the very first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

As far as I am concerned CBS should hire Terry Matalas to take over from Alex Kurtzman as the person overseeing all of their Star Trek content.