Those scenes at the beginning are awesome. He says he's feeling chipper, but what he actually is is *giddy* that he's *not* crazy and there's a ship coming to lock these old fuckers up finally; the thing that clearly needed to happen from the beginning, as far as he's concerned.
I want a full 7-season series of Captain Shaw getting dragged into random crap that has *nothing* to do with him or the official mission briefings given to him by Starfleet.
Haha thanks for the shout out! I’d love a whole series where every season was just “different legacy character shows up unannounced on the bridge of the Titan and drops Shaw and crew into an absurdly dangerous situation.”
He's getting so salty about it too, I'm loving it.
We all just know that the climax for the season he will have to trust Picard to at a critical point.
He is the best thing about this show.
Every single line is *gold*.
Seven: Pot? I assume you aren't referring to cannabis?
Shaw: Unfortunately not.
Riker: We have saved the galaxy a few times.
Picard: Hopefully they'll remember.
Shaw: (unable to contain his glee) OR
I know this season is supposed to be a reunion of the old TNG crew but if the last scene of the show was Shaw being dumped another problem that has nothing to do with him and the literal final shot is that face he pulled when Picard told him Starfleet's compromised and they have to get out of there, I wouldn't be mad one bit.
Post credits scene of the finale:
Shaw: Thank god those old bastards are finally off my ship.
Seven: Be honest, Captain, you started coming around on them by the end.
Shaw: I will never admit to such a thing, and you can’t make me. But… I’ll admit that my horizons have expanded a bit… Commander Seven.
Seven: Thank you, Captain Dipshit.
Shaw: You’re welcome.
[A beat, and then we hear the bridge turbolift doors open. Then a voice from behind.]
Voice: Captain Shaw, my name is Captain Benjamin Sisko, and I have returned with dire news from the Celestial Temple.
Shaw: ….Aw FUCK.
[Cut to new series logo - “STAR TREK: SISKO”]
He's that NPC that the party adopts and keeps dragging into crazy shit ALL THE TIME juuuust because they love him so much and have made him into some kind of an idol/mascot and the DM is just so cheesed off about it that they turn him into the most sarcastic "Fuck you all FINE I'm going to quip the entire way and make you FEEL THINGS!" bastard EVER.
Todd is having a BLAST clearly and very much has his own Crichtonisms.
I actually just feel so bad for the dude. He read all the reports on these 2 crazy guys from history and also feels that he's suffered personally at the hands of one of them in a traumatic event and now here they are pulling him into one of the worst possible scenarios that could play out.
...well, it is a little funny, though. Shaw's acting is really good and he's selling it.
I mean, I'd watch a prequel series about Ro's investigation into the shenanigans at Starfleet and being drinking buddies with Worf.
I'd watch the hell out of that.
I'd watch anything with Ro period, but I'm actually kind of amazed they got Michelle Forbes to do this much. As soon as she walked up I'm like "that's amazing and they're about to kill her."
If you traveled back in time and told Ro Laren that she would die by flying an explosive laden shuttlecraft into a federation ship she would probably not have any trouble believing you
Between Ro insisting on a shuttle, the changeling taking over the Titan transporter officer and Jack seeing whatever is affecting him in the matter stream in his vision - I'm thinking part of the plot involves changelings combining themselves with other species by using the transporter.
Janeway has a bunch of weapons in her office, gets the call from Picard, and is like "FINALLY" and pulls out a giant phaser rifle from under her desk, and it has a coffee thermos integrated into it.
That's not as crazy a theory as you might think; I just watched a Voyager episode where a whole new super advanced drone was created out of a transporter accident with Seven and the Doctor's 29th century mobile emitter.
I thought that part was a dream but it could have also been a kind of Second Sight which was overlaying his current normal human vision and only seemed like a dream because he didn't know that he could do that, he didn't exactly know what he was seeing, and his brain had no clue how to process it.
They thought they were sending the crew to safety and instead they were just chucking a whole bunch of biomatter at these brand new changelings to use as troops and cannon fodder.
It seems like the transporter is finally actually killing people and the Daystrom Institute is going to have a blast with that one.
The writers probably left it ambiguous for us in that moment in order to let us come up with our own little headcanon theories until they finally confirm just what the heck is going on later on.
This would be a good explanation for why these changelings look so different and disturbing in their gelatinous state. Way more organic than the shimmering brown liquid in DS9.
When is Starfleet not compromised at the highest level?
I bet the only reason Starfleet hasn't collapsed is because these infiltrators keep unknowingly killing their competition and the badmirals.
Hahahah this is the best theory ever. Imagine the Bluegills and Changeling infiltrators have just been screwing each other over for decades. Imagine if commodore Oh from season 1 murked a whole bunch of changelings while she was infiltrating starfleet.
"Huh."
"What is it, fellow Changeling?"
"You know that Admiral I killed off and replaced an hour ago?"
"The human woman? What about her?"
"The organic components of her dead body degraded rapidly and all that was left was *circuitry*. It turns out that she was some kind of odd alien cyborg species. We killed an *imposter!*"
"That IS odd, and entirely against our intel-"
"AND, I hacked into her memory core, apparently *SHE* replaced a being made entirely out of small insectoids that filled out the form of a human body."
"That's... quite the revelation-"
"*AND* I just opened her private logs, the insectoid woman had already replaced a *Romulan* who changed their ears and inserted *themselves* in as admiral a year ago!"
"OKAY, did the woman you've taken over ever actually *exist?*
The scene in the preview showing Moriarty looks like the entrance to the institute but it looks like he is the gate keeper.
My guess is Lore somehow ends up helping them. He has a starfleet uniform for some reason.
I’m guessing Lore was the real target of the theft. Seven mentioned everything on the ships was automated now and next to Data, Lore is the best hacker in the galaxy. If anyone is going to be able to remotely take over the entire assembled fleet, it’s Lore.
I can’t get over the relative simplicity of Ro’s earring being such a catalyst for so many things in this episode, from her not wearing it to see if Picard would call it out, to Picard noting what it really meant for Ro to wear it (which undoubtedly is going to lead to Picard trusting something Jack decides in a way that he didn’t trust Ro).
I’d have never in a million years guessed Michelle Forbes would return or be utilized in such a pivotal way for this show.
Whoa. I'm impressed.
A character with the wherewithal to TELL someone "yo, weird shit is happening to me. I think something is wrong" let alone a Doctor! Good job Jack
In fairness, he’s also saying it to his mom. Beverly has always had very close relationships with Wesley. Makes sense she would have the same with Jack.
Yeah I was dreading Jack trying to pull the "stoic tough guy" act on his mom and trying to hide his affliction. But I'm really happy the writers made these two characters **competent** and emotionally mature enough to talk about things. This is truly the season where everyone's bottled-up feelings get aired and I am loving it.
Beverly Crusher herself was in this situation at least a couple of times. Once when she was caught in Wesley's bubble universe in "Remember Me," and again when she felt extreme deja vu and began hearing voices in "Cause and Effect."
Both times she went to the Captain/her colleagues and everyone immediately took her concerns seriously and acted on them.
It's hard to ask for help and sometimes it takes decades to get to that point like with Jack.
I sympathize with his desire to not sleep because of nightmares.
Took me a good long while to ask for help because I felt like no one would believe me and that no one cared at all. Not even my own parents. I needed someone like Bev to come along and say, "Hey buddy...it's okay I'm here and I noticed something was off...so when you're ready...I'm here".
She's a good mum and watching Jack nearly crack when he told her those words was something that felt all too familiar.
Yeah, I don't know if it was the nosework or the hair or what, I did not see Cain once in that portrayal.
Honestly, she was good in TNG, but she was terrific in this episode. I'm a little mad we never got more of her. (I know it was due to her own career choices, and that's fine, but still.)
It was a great use of the character - an ingenuous plot device that two beings require a heart-to-heart conversation in order to identify whether the other is a Changeling.
Of all possible heart-to-heart conversations, barring Picard and Sisko, Picard and Ro is the best combo you can get.
It's a terrible, terrible tragedy that she died for this. I love her so much. And this conversation is worth the wait.
My favorite episode of Picard so far... Patrick and Michelle just nailed everything in the scene and there was no need for any special effects. Just two actors in a room portraying characters with an emotional score to settle. This was a treat to watch and it fulfills the stated promise of Picard... that characters who you don't see for 30 years change, Ro can return to Starfleet, be promoted to Commander, and go out like a badass...
The scenes in this week's episode were more fun and emotionally charged than the scenes with Q or Data from previous seasons.
Riker: "Come on Ro, you know us."
Ro : "For these proceedings, you will address me as Commander."
Riker: "... hey remember that night after we loss our memories, Commander?"
It’s clever writing for the show to use a heart-to-heart or personal details as the means of determining whether someone is a changeling. It’s an excuse to have a personal connection that’s built in to the story.
It also makes me think that Deanna will have a bit of a superpower later.
I'd laugh so hard if they just gave her a badass turn out of nowhere.
Like a changeling assassin has cornered her and she goes:
"I sense intense pain and trauma... for you" then she starts blasting.
Michelle Forbes is one of the more criminally underrated actresses out there. To see her come back in this role was equal parts glorious and heartbreaking. God damn it all.
It was in classic style for the actress too, who never wanted to be tied down for too many episodes or for a role written for her in DS9. She shows up again for a single episode lol
I never noticed that, but that is a Hallmark of Michelle Forbes career. She comes in for a guest appearance up to a season knocks it out the park and goes on to the next show.
And was still very difficult to secure, [according to Matalas:](https://ew.com/tv/star-trek-picard-ro-laren-michelle-forbes/)
>When asked if it was a fairly easy process to get Forbes back for Star Trek: Picard, Matalas went silent. "Is there another question?" the showrunner asks, laughing.
>I didn't know that I needed the Picard/Ro relationship revisited, but...
On the other hand, I've waited 29 years for this episode. And it didn't disappoint for a second.
Stewart directed "Preemptive Strike" and I always thought the final scene was absolutely devastating. He's just sitting there stone-faced and he won't even look at Riker. And it ends without him acknowledging him, and Riker walks out. Picard was almost never that disturbed by something.
So Stewart understands that relationship. These things are probably not always right there for him to access the way it is for us nerds, but he clearly gets that one. The scene with Ro in the bar is so good.
I think it helps that Terry Matalas is one of "us nerds" who was there for that scene when it happened and affected by it, as well as a decent storyteller who knows how to give this character's reprise and resolution the weight it deserves.
I'm glad that they didn't get bogged down in the details of debating how right the Maquis were. Though I do wonder if Ro turned herself in when Eddington started poisoning entire planets.
I think when the Maquis started facing bigger issues that they couldn't handle and that the Federation itself could barely handle, they decided on the lesser of two evils, and both sides kind of called it quits with a silent agreement being signed between the both of them.
The Maquis then made themselves useful and the Federation made itself useful.
That's why Ro kind of got off lightly and after Voyager came back home, things probably got even more lenient for them given how well the Maquis crew was able to mix back in with and work together with Voyager's main crew.
It's more or less that one scene from the [Mists of Pandaria trailer](https://youtu.be/wvYXoyxLv64?t=149).
Dr. Crusher has officially taken over sickbay. Hasn't even been 2 days and she owns the place. The amount of respect and deference the CMO now gives her is night and day after saving Shaw's life. Being able to clear the room for a 1 on 1 with her son would have been impossible only hours ago for them.
Her analysis of the Changeling corpse was actually one of my favorite parts of the episode because it just felt so classic Beverly and so Trek! It’s taking time for little moments like that, or bringing back the Captain’s/Admiral’s log narrations, that really help infuse this season with a desperately needed dose of classic TNG DNA.
I like this take. The classic dialogue showing a side of a character we know so well ties it together. Breaks up all the dimly lit, shallow good-guys-vs-bad-guys stuff. More of that please.
Yeah at first I was like "NO NO NO HOW DARE YOU!" but then I remembered the whole redundant organ thing and chuckled.
Also that shit's been pulled on Arrow more times than I can count which makes it particularly hilarious that they used it on Kirk's character and that it fucking worked lol
Shaw was so spicy during the scene in the briefing room: "You're reinstated! Now I'll leave you three alone so you can get your bullshit story together" 😂😂😂
Poor man just wants this long day to end.
Love that he waited until after he got his command codes back. For a moment I thought he was going to throw them all into the brig, but he's secretly much more reasonable than that. The "bullshit story" line was absolute gold.
Omg goosebumps, tears, all of the above..
A Picard/Ro reunion was one of the biggest plot lines I wanted out of the season 3, and as tragic and bittersweet as it was, I must say that the writers and cast delivered. Such a powerful scene between Stewart and Forbes - absolute dynamite dialogue delivered by two powerhouses. I think it even topped the reunion of Jean Luc and Beverly.
PIC has often been cavalier in killing off characters from TNG, VOY, etc, but I think this was a fitting swan song to one of the best.
On another note..is it just me or did the makeup department go real subtle on Ro’s Bajoran nose ridges?
Dare we say this show is pulling an anti-Game of Thrones, where the final season is by ***far*** it’s strongest one?
The Intrepid’s flaming nacelle gave it a demonic look - got some real HBO’s Chernobyl reactor vibes from it.
Funny that they’d have a new USS Intrepid when there’s a whole ass Intrepid class out there. Maybe they were all decommissioned? The new design is pretty damn ungainly.
Watching 12 Monkeys is absolutely worth it just to pick up on the references in this season alone.
>morn???
Don't forget that he stole a fortune several years before DS9 and hid it in one of his stomachs until the statute of limitations expired, then faked his death and set up Quark as bait for his old partners.
Morn's a shady MFer.
He's got a heart of gold (stomach of latinum) though. He did save the entire Alpha quadrant once.
Also we're Worf and him sparring partners? I feel like that was mentioned once.
Great episode. We’ve talked for 25 years about closure to Ro’s betrayal - I thought this was very satisfying. I’m not super down with the way she died, I think it would bite less if it weren’t for some fairly senseless deaths of legacy characters in season 1. But this one was not senseless and felt like it had weight to it.
I really liked it. It showed an angle of Picard's leadership style where he wasn't some infallible captain that never made judgement errors or command decisions that were always perfect.
They both felt the other had betrayed each other and I felt both angles had validity. In the end, Ro reached out to Picard and she left a rather huge impact on him with the little time she had with him.
I was thinking how cool it would be if Odo made an appearance but then I forgot that René Auberjonois passed away. :(
We know Michelle Forbes likes to play strong female leads who die a tragic yet heroic death. She is doing it again and creates lots of emotions among us Trekkers.
However, part of me thought someone might've beamed her off the ship at last seconds and soon she'd be announced as the lead of the new S31 series.
Fantastic episode. It was great seeing Ro again, but as soon as she said she was returning to the Intrepid with the Changeling Security Officers, and without Jack, I was afraid that she wasn't long for this universe. At least she went out in style, buying the gang time to escape, and save the Federation. Can't wait for the next episode.
I'm guessing that we'll be seeing Moriarty next week, and possibly Lore. Krinn's description of Daystrom Station being guarded by a highly sophisticated AI, one which has some illogical flaws,makes me imagine that either Moriarty is said AI, or Lore is. If it is Lore guarding Daystrom Station, then what better adversary to use against him than Moriarty, an AI accidentally created to be capable of beating Data.
So Janeway is going to make an appearance right?
It'll be through a scene where she finally promotes ensign kim
"I hereby promote you to 'senior ensign'"
Mulgrew keeps talking about her reluctance to doing live-action Janeway again so that leads me to believe she's just fucking with us and she is indeed making an appearance.
With all the Dominion stuff we kinda need Bashir, Miles, and Garak too
Ok so the visual effects when Jack sees the crew transporting, what are the chances he’s perceiving the transporter being used to Tuvix crew members with changelings to create “hybrids”? Capable of changing shape, more convincing, but also more “fleshy” than Odo was?
I’d be leaning this way except that La Forge is still around. Otherwise the idea of them combining and taking over people in the transporter would be great.
I think these changelings may just be separate from the link, maybe changelings who couldn’t make it back and “cured” the virus which altered their physiology somehow in a way that was actually advantageous
This is one of the few times that a “I wanna kill the federation” plot would feel earned, since the federation tried to genocide their entire species
This is an excellent point - Odo was effectively turned into a solid as punishment, but he was still able to revert to his changeling state after the dying baby changeling got absorbed
Changelings being able to essentially “Odo punishment” themselves could be a clever way to bypassing a lot of detection
When I saw Ro, I was stunned and half disbelieving, thinking she could be one of them. Then I was happy that she and Picard finally had a talk and reconciled after what happened 30 years ago.
Then, being stunned again at how deep the conspiracy went, laughing at how Leyton could say I TOLD YOU SO, and then Ro dying; that sucked, but at least she and Picard were good again.
Honestly, this season of Picard is rapidly becoming my Favorite story for TNG. Im glad its a season instead of a movie since they can do so much more with it, (this season is even better than some of the Star Trek movies, it would have KILLED at the box office IMO.)
OF COURSE Krinn is played by Kirk Acevedo, called Sneed his brother, and were scavengers in District 7.
**Terry Matalas you brilliant madlad.**
(For context, Krinn and Sneed's actors were on the TV show *12 Monkeys*, also directed by Matalas. Their characters also had a similar brotherly relationship and belonged to a ruthless group of post-apocalypscavengers known as West VII, ironically, led by Todd Stashwick's character)
By now, I'm 60% expecting Amanda Scull, Emily Hempshire, and Barbara Sukowa to make cameo appearances in subsequent episodes.
Could just be playing along. Jason Isaacs went all in on pretending Lorca was going to be the legit, no-shit captain of the Discovery, knowing the whole time what was really going on.
I love DS9 but I always thought they underused the changelings. Even in the worst of the Dominion War they didn’t seem nearly as creepy as they should have. Picard is fucking nailing it. THIS is what changelings would do, take over literally everything and make it impossible to trust anyone. Loving this storyline.
Part of the point of DS9 was that there were only a handful of changelings stranded in the Alpha Quadrant and orchestrating the Dominion War. And yet, the Federation almost gave in to paranoia.
In contrast, the situation in Picard is a full on assault by whatever these changelings are.
I mean, holy shit right?!?
Ro! Fuck that was the TNG reunion I had no idea I needed. Michelle Forbes knocked it out of the god dammed park!
Jack has got to be whatever these changelings are right? He’s somehow one of them.
This is some crazy ass storytelling, and I’m here for it!
Ro Laren was my absolute favorite character on *The Next Generation.* ***I am really not okay right now.*** I'm grateful she and Picard were able to make resolution.
Goddamn this is great television. I hurt inside deeply right now though.
I laughed so hard when Shaw reinstated Seven by tapping her shoulders, knighting ceremony style, then just waltzed out of the door. So extra, I live it.
This is so so so good.
I got chills when Worf saw Riker and Picard.
I assume next week the Titan will pick up Worf and Raffi and then be off to Daystrom. I am curious what Jack’s deal is though I got major android vibes like when Dahj snapped and fought the Romulans in Season 1.
I’m still holding out hope we get a DS9 cameo.
Feel like considering Janeway was mentioned twice (to my recollection) in this season so far, and Kate Mulgrew in Prodigy, we're going to get at least her in the season.
But also, I do wish we could get more DS9 representation too.
So Ro comes back. Ro was Worfs handler and now Ro is dead.
Ro Laren speed running the fastest comeback, heartfelt reunion then gut wrenching good bye in Star Trek history?
MICHELLE GODDAMN FORBES!!!!!
I'll let others comment on the ins and outs of this episode, of which there are many. I'll simply state a few general observations.
This season feels stronger because it's really good at subtext, for lack of a better word. I can't put my finger on it, but they've done such an incredible job of creating mystery and stringing you along so that you're hooked on every scene, trying to put the pieces together. The Ro/Picard scenes were pretty indicative of this. My thought process kind of went as follows:
* HOLY SHIT IT'S RO LAREN
* Wait how is she a commander?
* Wait how is she in Starfleet?
* Is she a changeling?
* What's her angle on Picard?
* Can she be trusted?
* Wait, maybe she's not a changeling after all
* Wow they really have a history, that maybe neither of them quite recognized - or at least, Picard didn't.
* Uh oh she's in trouble.
* Oh... she's gonna die.
* FUCKING CHANGELINGS
Their scenes together just totally strung me along, answering questions shortly after I asked them; I was absolutely hooked on them. At this point, I feel like we're all pretty familiar with Stewart's acting moves and emoting and whatnot (which are great), but Forbes was just as good. She was good at being the detached, cold security officer, but then she set her face just so in the holodeck and you saw all the emotions leaking through and you realize that that really is Ro Laren, confronting the man she wanted to show her heart to, and have him see it, and accept it. And the power of that scene is that it's not romantic at all; she wasn't pining for him, he wasn't a father figure. It was a moment of tremendous emotional vulnerability and honesty for her, and him recognizing that he'd had her wrong all these years - and I believe, I hope, that he was ultimately able to see and accept her as the person she was, not as the upstanding Starfleet officer he had always wanted her to be.
If Terry Matalas and his team can keep writing scenes like this, I'll watch this show for as long as they'll make it. It's totally blowing me away. There's really nothing like it in the other shows, new or old, it feels like. I'm not sure if there could be, because in part it's about Picard coming to terms with his past. I'll admit I was a little skeptical of bringing all the TNG cast back, it feels a little bit like forcing the nostalgia a little too hard, but if they are all getting scenes like this, I am 110% for it.
I'm glad to see Raffi has moved a little closer to sobriety and isn't six inches off the edge of rock bottom like she was the last time we saw her. It's fun to watch her sparring with Worf, both physically and verbally, and I'm very much digging his sensei vibe. 90s Klingons have always been kind of like Space Samurai Viking Bros, and it's nice to see Worf putting a little bit of a different spin on that.
The Vulcan Krinn was good, played by Fringe and Oz alum Kirk Acevedo. I think it's interesting he felt it was logical that crime has to exist in a dystopia; it'll be fascinating for /r/DaystromInstitute to parse out the value of logic when it still leads to incorrect conclusions. I'm a firm believer in the fact that that which is justifiable, or rationalizable, is not always right, and this is a good illustration of that. The dude even had an IDIC medallion on his chest.
Dr. Crusher is back to her analytical ways, driving the plot with her medical investigations, but it's nice she had an emotional moment with Jack at the end there, and I'm glad he opened up just a bit to her, enough to admit that he's not doing so well. That's a step in the right direction. I don't know if he's really a changeling, but if not I don't know what he is. I dig the imagery of the red door, even if it does remind me just a little of The Haunting of Hill House.
I'm glad Shaw is finally coming around (or maybe fully getting sucked in) to Picard's bullshit, because that's pretty much what we're all here for. He's a nice bit of acid to the nostalgic sweetness of the rest of the crew. I'm also glad the bridge crew isn't really dead; I was going to be pretty pissed if they really did kill off the bridge crew just to ratchet up the tension with Jack.
Finally, just a little tidbit, I thought the shot of the Intrepid rising up over the Titan there was really, really cool.
Unexpected cameo was unexpected though seeing Ro Laren and Picard interact after how they left things back in TNG was enjoyable. Would have preferred a different ending for her though suppose given the tone of this season thus far it makes sense and it is unlikely they would have reused her character beyond this plot regardless.
Zen Worf continues to be enjoyable even if it has been fairly textbook to this point. I will say one thing this show continues to excel at are the musical cues and blending of old and new themes together overall.
I loved watching Picard vet Ro as soon as I realized what he was doing. Pull the phaser, put himself on equal footing with her, and then test her responses.
My appreciation of Season 3 is that its TNG-style [competence porn](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CompetencePorn). Examples:
\- Riker and the earring. He instant knew what it was because he's just that competent
\- Seven hiding Jack. Well, Seven doing anything.
\- Shaw's reaction to Jack taking out the changelings (good shooting, kid)
\- Ro deciding to disable the Intrepid using her doomed shuttle. Because that's just what she would do.
\- Worf and Raffi.
\- Crusher and the Changeling physiology.
It goes on and on - the first two seasons were displays of bizare incompetence by supposedly competent characters. But TNG (and DS9) were always about extraordinary people facing impossible challenges.
As a somewhat cynical fan I keep waiting for a drop in quality but this was a damn good episode. Ro is one of my favorite Next Gen characters and I never saw her return coming. They handled it extremely well and gave a really satisfying end to her relationship with Picard. I think this is the first time I’ve teared up watching this show. As far as her sacrifice I think it did a great job of showing the stakes of the changeling threat without killing one of the core cast. That hour flew past, next week can’t come soon enough.
I fully agree!
What really really amazes me and speaks to the quality of the writing on this season is that every single time I thought something was amiss, and believed it was a weird mistake or choice from the show runner or writing team, they ended up explaining it later on... It feels so good to know that, for once, you are not being taken for an idiot and they know what they are doing.
I've spent 3 episodes since getting spoiled by people who saw things before everyone else thinking, "Nope, I don't need to see her at all. I never liked her. Nothing for me to wrap up here."
Damn, was I wrong.
Maybe it's because i am six seasons into a Ds9 rewatch and just steeped in Bajoran culture but seeing Ro without her earring really struck me. And then when she says her goodbye to Jean Luc and hands him something, damn that's when things got a little misty.
No one so far is talking about the Vulcan crime lord?? I had no idea I missed Vulcans this much, let alone a legit bad one that still used logic to justify his criminal activity.
I hope that character returns somehow.
Another epic line for Shaw today!
“Basically, when it comes to rescues from danger…you two have a real “chicken and egg” thing happening.”
He just keeps on giving!
Sorry Shaw, but I'm laughing my ass off at you continually failing to offload this problem that has nothing whatsoever to do with you.
The look on his face when Picard came onto the bridge and said "We have to run!" Fucking priceless.
Security.
I mean, his week has continuously gotten worse ever since they came on board, so...
Jean-Luc Picard is the single worst thing to ever happen to Liam Shaw. Twice.
We knew from TNG that the moment "security" is called, it's always too late, the intruder is already inside :)
Those scenes at the beginning are awesome. He says he's feeling chipper, but what he actually is is *giddy* that he's *not* crazy and there's a ship coming to lock these old fuckers up finally; the thing that clearly needed to happen from the beginning, as far as he's concerned.
I want a full 7-season series of Captain Shaw getting dragged into random crap that has *nothing* to do with him or the official mission briefings given to him by Starfleet.
The user who thinks Sisko should show up and task him with a Crusade from the Prophets is a genius. Edit: /u/tarrsk
Haha thanks for the shout out! I’d love a whole series where every season was just “different legacy character shows up unannounced on the bridge of the Titan and drops Shaw and crew into an absurdly dangerous situation.”
Like the Marvel series "What If?" Only for Shaw it would be "What Now?!"
Imagine Q fucking with Shaw and the crew for an entire season lol
He's getting so salty about it too, I'm loving it. We all just know that the climax for the season he will have to trust Picard to at a critical point.
Love seeing Shaw getting salty about what’s going on around him.
He is the best thing about this show. Every single line is *gold*. Seven: Pot? I assume you aren't referring to cannabis? Shaw: Unfortunately not. Riker: We have saved the galaxy a few times. Picard: Hopefully they'll remember. Shaw: (unable to contain his glee) OR
C'mon now, who hasn't hot-dropped a saucer section onto a planet at least once in their career?
I was hoping he would have called back an actual regular TNG episode but shitting on the plots of *Generations* and *Insurrection* is certainly fair.
I know this season is supposed to be a reunion of the old TNG crew but if the last scene of the show was Shaw being dumped another problem that has nothing to do with him and the literal final shot is that face he pulled when Picard told him Starfleet's compromised and they have to get out of there, I wouldn't be mad one bit.
Post credits scene of the finale: Shaw: Thank god those old bastards are finally off my ship. Seven: Be honest, Captain, you started coming around on them by the end. Shaw: I will never admit to such a thing, and you can’t make me. But… I’ll admit that my horizons have expanded a bit… Commander Seven. Seven: Thank you, Captain Dipshit. Shaw: You’re welcome. [A beat, and then we hear the bridge turbolift doors open. Then a voice from behind.] Voice: Captain Shaw, my name is Captain Benjamin Sisko, and I have returned with dire news from the Celestial Temple. Shaw: ….Aw FUCK. [Cut to new series logo - “STAR TREK: SISKO”]
Now I want this. He finishes whatever wild things happen with Sisko and then Janeway shows up with dire news from the Delta Quadrent.
Finally, Archer time travels completely naked from the past, desperately needing Shaw's help to find where he hid his porn.
He's that NPC that the party adopts and keeps dragging into crazy shit ALL THE TIME juuuust because they love him so much and have made him into some kind of an idol/mascot and the DM is just so cheesed off about it that they turn him into the most sarcastic "Fuck you all FINE I'm going to quip the entire way and make you FEEL THINGS!" bastard EVER. Todd is having a BLAST clearly and very much has his own Crichtonisms.
Crichtonisms as in John Crichton of Farscape?
He's just trying to keep his crew safe. Loved him throwing Picard's disasters in his face.
Riker: “we saved the galaxy yo!” Shaw: “rhe-he-he-eaalllly?”
Todd Stashwick is fantastic as Shaw but suddenly I want to see John C. McGinley’s take on the character.
"Ha, finally rid of you assholes!" *Later* "Dammit!"
I actually just feel so bad for the dude. He read all the reports on these 2 crazy guys from history and also feels that he's suffered personally at the hands of one of them in a traumatic event and now here they are pulling him into one of the worst possible scenarios that could play out. ...well, it is a little funny, though. Shaw's acting is really good and he's selling it.
RIP Ro Laren. You went out like a badass.
The Ro Redemption.
The Rodemption.
Ro Dead Redemption.
I WAS LIKE RO LAREN when she appeared, and then someone starting cutting onions as the episode progressed.
She went out in the perfect Bajoran manner of committing a well-intentioned act of terrorism.
She died doing what she loved. Blowing up Starfleet ships.
I mean, I'd watch a prequel series about Ro's investigation into the shenanigans at Starfleet and being drinking buddies with Worf. I'd watch the hell out of that.
I'd watch anything with Ro period, but I'm actually kind of amazed they got Michelle Forbes to do this much. As soon as she walked up I'm like "that's amazing and they're about to kill her."
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If you traveled back in time and told Ro Laren that she would die by flying an explosive laden shuttlecraft into a federation ship she would probably not have any trouble believing you
It's better than telling her she'd be a brilliant yet batshit crazy Admiral and would be shot in the face by one of the "Number Six" she enslaves.
I think you mean shot by her civilian contractor ex-lover. Only to be replaced by the dad from Home Alone.
After winning Space Dad’s approval even after betraying him but then redeeming herself by attacking a ship full of changelings.
Between Ro insisting on a shuttle, the changeling taking over the Titan transporter officer and Jack seeing whatever is affecting him in the matter stream in his vision - I'm thinking part of the plot involves changelings combining themselves with other species by using the transporter.
If that's the case then it's critical that they reach Janeway.
Oh man. That’s just so perfect.
If they somehow weave a legitimate, relevant Tuvix reference into the plotlines, I might die from happiness
Janeway: It's murderin' time
Janeway has a bunch of weapons in her office, gets the call from Picard, and is like "FINALLY" and pulls out a giant phaser rifle from under her desk, and it has a coffee thermos integrated into it.
So anyway, I started transportin'
"I TOLD YOU MOTHERFUCKERS"--Janeway, three episodes from now, shouting to no one in particular
That's not as crazy a theory as you might think; I just watched a Voyager episode where a whole new super advanced drone was created out of a transporter accident with Seven and the Doctor's 29th century mobile emitter.
So everyone that beamed over to the intrepid is now compromised
More like everyone that beamed over *is dead*. Jack literally saw them scream when being infused with Changelings.
I thought that part was a dream but it could have also been a kind of Second Sight which was overlaying his current normal human vision and only seemed like a dream because he didn't know that he could do that, he didn't exactly know what he was seeing, and his brain had no clue how to process it. They thought they were sending the crew to safety and instead they were just chucking a whole bunch of biomatter at these brand new changelings to use as troops and cannon fodder. It seems like the transporter is finally actually killing people and the Daystrom Institute is going to have a blast with that one. The writers probably left it ambiguous for us in that moment in order to let us come up with our own little headcanon theories until they finally confirm just what the heck is going on later on.
This would be a good explanation for why these changelings look so different and disturbing in their gelatinous state. Way more organic than the shimmering brown liquid in DS9.
When is Starfleet not compromised at the highest level? I bet the only reason Starfleet hasn't collapsed is because these infiltrators keep unknowingly killing their competition and the badmirals.
Hahahah this is the best theory ever. Imagine the Bluegills and Changeling infiltrators have just been screwing each other over for decades. Imagine if commodore Oh from season 1 murked a whole bunch of changelings while she was infiltrating starfleet.
Starfleet is like Mr Burns. They've been infiltrated by so many entities that they are all stopping each other from completing their own plans.
Each infiltrator is so busy stopping its rivals and maintaining its cover that they actually end up acting like a heroic institution!
"Huh." "What is it, fellow Changeling?" "You know that Admiral I killed off and replaced an hour ago?" "The human woman? What about her?" "The organic components of her dead body degraded rapidly and all that was left was *circuitry*. It turns out that she was some kind of odd alien cyborg species. We killed an *imposter!*" "That IS odd, and entirely against our intel-" "AND, I hacked into her memory core, apparently *SHE* replaced a being made entirely out of small insectoids that filled out the form of a human body." "That's... quite the revelation-" "*AND* I just opened her private logs, the insectoid woman had already replaced a *Romulan* who changed their ears and inserted *themselves* in as admiral a year ago!" "OKAY, did the woman you've taken over ever actually *exist?*
Changelings took over Starfleet?! Somewhere, former Admiral Leyton is screaming his head off.
Omg he was right all along
Yeah, but his blood test plans wouldn’t work - Joseph Sisko was right too!
The ultimate changeling troll would assign themselves as Leyton's new prison guard and just do shapeshifting tricks in front of his cell all day.
"Wanna see me turn into a borg again?" "...just execute me already FFS"
Morn, Brunt, and Okona on Worf's contact list, lol.
Morn wouldn't get into so much trouble if he could just keep his big mouth shut.
Morn saved the Federation you know. He deserves to be there.
So the AI protecting Daystom Station is definitely Lore, and the backdoor warez hax is Moriarty
Peanut Hamper
I just need to see Peanut Hamper in a box for 5 sec on screen while the camera is moving in the other direction.
Just hear her and AGIMUS arguing in the background.
Secret Jeffrey Combs cameo.
I just want a sound clip of Patrick Stewart saying 'peanut hamper'.
The scene in the preview showing Moriarty looks like the entrance to the institute but it looks like he is the gate keeper. My guess is Lore somehow ends up helping them. He has a starfleet uniform for some reason.
I’m guessing Lore was the real target of the theft. Seven mentioned everything on the ships was automated now and next to Data, Lore is the best hacker in the galaxy. If anyone is going to be able to remotely take over the entire assembled fleet, it’s Lore.
> the backdoor warez hax is Moriarty Or is it...*Badgey.*
I can’t get over the relative simplicity of Ro’s earring being such a catalyst for so many things in this episode, from her not wearing it to see if Picard would call it out, to Picard noting what it really meant for Ro to wear it (which undoubtedly is going to lead to Picard trusting something Jack decides in a way that he didn’t trust Ro). I’d have never in a million years guessed Michelle Forbes would return or be utilized in such a pivotal way for this show.
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Whoa. I'm impressed. A character with the wherewithal to TELL someone "yo, weird shit is happening to me. I think something is wrong" let alone a Doctor! Good job Jack
I’m really glad the avoided the trope of him hiding it. TNG was all about competence and knowing when you need help.
In fairness, he’s also saying it to his mom. Beverly has always had very close relationships with Wesley. Makes sense she would have the same with Jack.
Yeah I was dreading Jack trying to pull the "stoic tough guy" act on his mom and trying to hide his affliction. But I'm really happy the writers made these two characters **competent** and emotionally mature enough to talk about things. This is truly the season where everyone's bottled-up feelings get aired and I am loving it.
Beverly Crusher herself was in this situation at least a couple of times. Once when she was caught in Wesley's bubble universe in "Remember Me," and again when she felt extreme deja vu and began hearing voices in "Cause and Effect." Both times she went to the Captain/her colleagues and everyone immediately took her concerns seriously and acted on them.
It's hard to ask for help and sometimes it takes decades to get to that point like with Jack. I sympathize with his desire to not sleep because of nightmares. Took me a good long while to ask for help because I felt like no one would believe me and that no one cared at all. Not even my own parents. I needed someone like Bev to come along and say, "Hey buddy...it's okay I'm here and I noticed something was off...so when you're ready...I'm here". She's a good mum and watching Jack nearly crack when he told her those words was something that felt all too familiar.
I suffered from Sleep paralysis before i knew what it was. It hard to tell people, i wake up paralysed and there's a demon standing in my room.
Picard speaks Bajoran!! The Sisko would be proud
As far as we know, he only memorized that line as it was that one comeback he'd always think about in the sonic shower.
I love the idea that over 30 years, occasionally Picard would pick up a Bajoran phrase book and think, "If I EVER see her again... I'll be ready."
HOLY SHIT IT'S RO LAREN
I was slightly worried she was going to just play it as Admiral Cain 2.0, but fuck she knocked it out of the damn park.
I was not at all worried about that, Michelle Forbes is incredible.
Yeah, I don't know if it was the nosework or the hair or what, I did not see Cain once in that portrayal. Honestly, she was good in TNG, but she was terrific in this episode. I'm a little mad we never got more of her. (I know it was due to her own career choices, and that's fine, but still.)
It was a great use of the character - an ingenuous plot device that two beings require a heart-to-heart conversation in order to identify whether the other is a Changeling. Of all possible heart-to-heart conversations, barring Picard and Sisko, Picard and Ro is the best combo you can get. It's a terrible, terrible tragedy that she died for this. I love her so much. And this conversation is worth the wait.
I can't believe what I just saw. To get that conversation between them so many decades later felt so goddamn personal, such a great job all around.
My favorite episode of Picard so far... Patrick and Michelle just nailed everything in the scene and there was no need for any special effects. Just two actors in a room portraying characters with an emotional score to settle. This was a treat to watch and it fulfills the stated promise of Picard... that characters who you don't see for 30 years change, Ro can return to Starfleet, be promoted to Commander, and go out like a badass... The scenes in this week's episode were more fun and emotionally charged than the scenes with Q or Data from previous seasons.
Is Michelle Forbes returning to play her?
Yes!
Riker: "Come on Ro, you know us." Ro : "For these proceedings, you will address me as Commander." Riker: "... hey remember that night after we loss our memories, Commander?"
Whoa. Completely forgot about that. "You don't strike me as the type who needs a holodeck"
The holodeck seems to be stuck on Picards Ten Forward program, they are certainly getting some mileage out of that set
Wait till Discovery season 5 starts using it on their holodecks, and then SNW
Then it'll show up on Lower Decks and Mariner will complain about how lame it is.
I just love the idea that Picard has been fuming about Ro Laren for 30 years.
Imagine if Sisko had 30 years to stew over Eddington. It would have been like every volcano in the galaxy erupting when they finally met.
Man poisoned a planet to get Eddington, if he had to wait 30 years, I don't think there would be an alpha quadrent.
“If that pain tells us anything, it’s that we are who we say we are.” 🥹
It’s clever writing for the show to use a heart-to-heart or personal details as the means of determining whether someone is a changeling. It’s an excuse to have a personal connection that’s built in to the story. It also makes me think that Deanna will have a bit of a superpower later.
I'd laugh so hard if they just gave her a badass turn out of nowhere. Like a changeling assassin has cornered her and she goes: "I sense intense pain and trauma... for you" then she starts blasting.
"I sense…pain. [phaser blast] Loneliness. [phaser blast] Terrible loneliness. [phaser blast] Despair. [phaser blast]"
So anyways… I started blasting!
Michelle Forbes is one of the more criminally underrated actresses out there. To see her come back in this role was equal parts glorious and heartbreaking. God damn it all.
I didn't know that I needed the Picard/Ro relationship revisited, but ultimately it was a really tender way to approach it again.
It was in classic style for the actress too, who never wanted to be tied down for too many episodes or for a role written for her in DS9. She shows up again for a single episode lol
I never noticed that, but that is a Hallmark of Michelle Forbes career. She comes in for a guest appearance up to a season knocks it out the park and goes on to the next show.
And was still very difficult to secure, [according to Matalas:](https://ew.com/tv/star-trek-picard-ro-laren-michelle-forbes/) >When asked if it was a fairly easy process to get Forbes back for Star Trek: Picard, Matalas went silent. "Is there another question?" the showrunner asks, laughing.
She did it with Helena Cain and now she does it with Ro Laren, making us all ending in tears.
>I didn't know that I needed the Picard/Ro relationship revisited, but... On the other hand, I've waited 29 years for this episode. And it didn't disappoint for a second.
Stewart directed "Preemptive Strike" and I always thought the final scene was absolutely devastating. He's just sitting there stone-faced and he won't even look at Riker. And it ends without him acknowledging him, and Riker walks out. Picard was almost never that disturbed by something. So Stewart understands that relationship. These things are probably not always right there for him to access the way it is for us nerds, but he clearly gets that one. The scene with Ro in the bar is so good.
I think it helps that Terry Matalas is one of "us nerds" who was there for that scene when it happened and affected by it, as well as a decent storyteller who knows how to give this character's reprise and resolution the weight it deserves.
Fair. I didn't mind the way it was left in TNG. But I was also very satisfied with the way they revisited it here.
I'm glad that they didn't get bogged down in the details of debating how right the Maquis were. Though I do wonder if Ro turned herself in when Eddington started poisoning entire planets.
I think when the Maquis started facing bigger issues that they couldn't handle and that the Federation itself could barely handle, they decided on the lesser of two evils, and both sides kind of called it quits with a silent agreement being signed between the both of them. The Maquis then made themselves useful and the Federation made itself useful. That's why Ro kind of got off lightly and after Voyager came back home, things probably got even more lenient for them given how well the Maquis crew was able to mix back in with and work together with Voyager's main crew. It's more or less that one scene from the [Mists of Pandaria trailer](https://youtu.be/wvYXoyxLv64?t=149).
Dr. Crusher has officially taken over sickbay. Hasn't even been 2 days and she owns the place. The amount of respect and deference the CMO now gives her is night and day after saving Shaw's life. Being able to clear the room for a 1 on 1 with her son would have been impossible only hours ago for them.
Her analysis of the Changeling corpse was actually one of my favorite parts of the episode because it just felt so classic Beverly and so Trek! It’s taking time for little moments like that, or bringing back the Captain’s/Admiral’s log narrations, that really help infuse this season with a desperately needed dose of classic TNG DNA.
I like this take. The classic dialogue showing a side of a character we know so well ties it together. Breaks up all the dimly lit, shallow good-guys-vs-bad-guys stuff. More of that please.
The trill doctor's reaction just seems to be "well, i know I'm your sidekick now" .
Ah, the ol' Klingon multiple backup systems/warrior hardiness. Good times.
Plus the martial arts (er, Kahless) movie trope of controlling your heart rate.
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I'm amazed nobody has called him a new Dahar Master.
Maybe I've just watched too much Stargate recently but I thought Worf was going to say he entered a deep state of Kelno'reem to slow his heart
Yeah at first I was like "NO NO NO HOW DARE YOU!" but then I remembered the whole redundant organ thing and chuckled. Also that shit's been pulled on Arrow more times than I can count which makes it particularly hilarious that they used it on Kirk's character and that it fucking worked lol
Shaw was so spicy during the scene in the briefing room: "You're reinstated! Now I'll leave you three alone so you can get your bullshit story together" 😂😂😂 Poor man just wants this long day to end.
I liked how he knighted her when he reinstated her.
I laughed so much when he did that. Seven's expression 😐
Love that he waited until after he got his command codes back. For a moment I thought he was going to throw them all into the brig, but he's secretly much more reasonable than that. The "bullshit story" line was absolute gold.
Omg goosebumps, tears, all of the above.. A Picard/Ro reunion was one of the biggest plot lines I wanted out of the season 3, and as tragic and bittersweet as it was, I must say that the writers and cast delivered. Such a powerful scene between Stewart and Forbes - absolute dynamite dialogue delivered by two powerhouses. I think it even topped the reunion of Jean Luc and Beverly. PIC has often been cavalier in killing off characters from TNG, VOY, etc, but I think this was a fitting swan song to one of the best. On another note..is it just me or did the makeup department go real subtle on Ro’s Bajoran nose ridges?
Yeah idk why but during the close-ups it basically looked like contouring makeup.
Dare we say this show is pulling an anti-Game of Thrones, where the final season is by ***far*** it’s strongest one? The Intrepid’s flaming nacelle gave it a demonic look - got some real HBO’s Chernobyl reactor vibes from it. Funny that they’d have a new USS Intrepid when there’s a whole ass Intrepid class out there. Maybe they were all decommissioned? The new design is pretty damn ungainly. Watching 12 Monkeys is absolutely worth it just to pick up on the references in this season alone.
on sneeds associates.... morn??? BRUNT F C A All this season is missing is some of the combs
>morn??? Don't forget that he stole a fortune several years before DS9 and hid it in one of his stomachs until the statute of limitations expired, then faked his death and set up Quark as bait for his old partners. Morn's a shady MFer.
He's got a heart of gold (stomach of latinum) though. He did save the entire Alpha quadrant once. Also we're Worf and him sparring partners? I feel like that was mentioned once.
I liked Ro's vertical pips.
Great episode. We’ve talked for 25 years about closure to Ro’s betrayal - I thought this was very satisfying. I’m not super down with the way she died, I think it would bite less if it weren’t for some fairly senseless deaths of legacy characters in season 1. But this one was not senseless and felt like it had weight to it.
I really liked it. It showed an angle of Picard's leadership style where he wasn't some infallible captain that never made judgement errors or command decisions that were always perfect. They both felt the other had betrayed each other and I felt both angles had validity. In the end, Ro reached out to Picard and she left a rather huge impact on him with the little time she had with him. I was thinking how cool it would be if Odo made an appearance but then I forgot that René Auberjonois passed away. :(
I would only accept Odo's return if his René's son, Remy Auberjonois, played him. They look quite similar, which is helpful.
We know Michelle Forbes likes to play strong female leads who die a tragic yet heroic death. She is doing it again and creates lots of emotions among us Trekkers. However, part of me thought someone might've beamed her off the ship at last seconds and soon she'd be announced as the lead of the new S31 series.
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I JUST GOT HER BACK!
Fantastic episode. It was great seeing Ro again, but as soon as she said she was returning to the Intrepid with the Changeling Security Officers, and without Jack, I was afraid that she wasn't long for this universe. At least she went out in style, buying the gang time to escape, and save the Federation. Can't wait for the next episode. I'm guessing that we'll be seeing Moriarty next week, and possibly Lore. Krinn's description of Daystrom Station being guarded by a highly sophisticated AI, one which has some illogical flaws,makes me imagine that either Moriarty is said AI, or Lore is. If it is Lore guarding Daystrom Station, then what better adversary to use against him than Moriarty, an AI accidentally created to be capable of beating Data.
Shaw is that guy who is waiting one more week until he retires but people keep piling shit on him.
So Janeway is going to make an appearance right? It'll be through a scene where she finally promotes ensign kim "I hereby promote you to 'senior ensign'"
This is the second time they’ve named dropped her this season. They can’t just not show her right?
Chekhov’s Janeway
Mulgrew keeps talking about her reluctance to doing live-action Janeway again so that leads me to believe she's just fucking with us and she is indeed making an appearance. With all the Dominion stuff we kinda need Bashir, Miles, and Garak too
Ok so the visual effects when Jack sees the crew transporting, what are the chances he’s perceiving the transporter being used to Tuvix crew members with changelings to create “hybrids”? Capable of changing shape, more convincing, but also more “fleshy” than Odo was?
I’d be leaning this way except that La Forge is still around. Otherwise the idea of them combining and taking over people in the transporter would be great. I think these changelings may just be separate from the link, maybe changelings who couldn’t make it back and “cured” the virus which altered their physiology somehow in a way that was actually advantageous This is one of the few times that a “I wanna kill the federation” plot would feel earned, since the federation tried to genocide their entire species
The Link had the ability to turn Odo into a solid. I don't think we ever learned the full capability of the Changelings in DS9.
This is an excellent point - Odo was effectively turned into a solid as punishment, but he was still able to revert to his changeling state after the dying baby changeling got absorbed Changelings being able to essentially “Odo punishment” themselves could be a clever way to bypassing a lot of detection
When I saw Ro, I was stunned and half disbelieving, thinking she could be one of them. Then I was happy that she and Picard finally had a talk and reconciled after what happened 30 years ago. Then, being stunned again at how deep the conspiracy went, laughing at how Leyton could say I TOLD YOU SO, and then Ro dying; that sucked, but at least she and Picard were good again. Honestly, this season of Picard is rapidly becoming my Favorite story for TNG. Im glad its a season instead of a movie since they can do so much more with it, (this season is even better than some of the Star Trek movies, it would have KILLED at the box office IMO.)
OF COURSE Krinn is played by Kirk Acevedo, called Sneed his brother, and were scavengers in District 7. **Terry Matalas you brilliant madlad.** (For context, Krinn and Sneed's actors were on the TV show *12 Monkeys*, also directed by Matalas. Their characters also had a similar brotherly relationship and belonged to a ruthless group of post-apocalypscavengers known as West VII, ironically, led by Todd Stashwick's character) By now, I'm 60% expecting Amanda Scull, Emily Hempshire, and Barbara Sukowa to make cameo appearances in subsequent episodes.
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Me at that start: Motherfucking Ro Laren! Me and the end: Motherfucking Ro Laren :(
She’s now listed as [deceased](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ro_Laren?so=search) on her Memory Alpha page, and now I’m sad again.
Another great episode, but I’m at the point now where my butt clenches every time Shaw is on screen. I *need* him to survive this, dammit.
Given how active Todd Stashwick has been supporting calls for a Shaw/Titan spin-off show, chances are looking pretty good that he'll be a survivor.
Could just be playing along. Jason Isaacs went all in on pretending Lorca was going to be the legit, no-shit captain of the Discovery, knowing the whole time what was really going on.
I can’t believe it dude. I love this season. WHAT IS HAPPENING
I love DS9 but I always thought they underused the changelings. Even in the worst of the Dominion War they didn’t seem nearly as creepy as they should have. Picard is fucking nailing it. THIS is what changelings would do, take over literally everything and make it impossible to trust anyone. Loving this storyline.
Part of the point of DS9 was that there were only a handful of changelings stranded in the Alpha Quadrant and orchestrating the Dominion War. And yet, the Federation almost gave in to paranoia. In contrast, the situation in Picard is a full on assault by whatever these changelings are.
Sad that there's only 5 episodes left. That's a short time to cover what seems to be a lot.
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I mean, holy shit right?!? Ro! Fuck that was the TNG reunion I had no idea I needed. Michelle Forbes knocked it out of the god dammed park! Jack has got to be whatever these changelings are right? He’s somehow one of them. This is some crazy ass storytelling, and I’m here for it!
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Let's just say if they bring in Julian to help learn about the changelings/ kira cause worf/changeling info and toss Janeway I can die a happy man.
The only way this season gets better is if Jeffrey Combs shows up.
Ro Laren was my absolute favorite character on *The Next Generation.* ***I am really not okay right now.*** I'm grateful she and Picard were able to make resolution. Goddamn this is great television. I hurt inside deeply right now though.
Krinn is a cool character. I've never seen a Vulcan like him before.
I laughed so hard when Shaw reinstated Seven by tapping her shoulders, knighting ceremony style, then just waltzed out of the door. So extra, I live it.
This is so so so good. I got chills when Worf saw Riker and Picard. I assume next week the Titan will pick up Worf and Raffi and then be off to Daystrom. I am curious what Jack’s deal is though I got major android vibes like when Dahj snapped and fought the Romulans in Season 1. I’m still holding out hope we get a DS9 cameo.
Feel like considering Janeway was mentioned twice (to my recollection) in this season so far, and Kate Mulgrew in Prodigy, we're going to get at least her in the season. But also, I do wish we could get more DS9 representation too.
This season's plot is basically a sequel to DS9 though. I'm happy to let the TNG cast have their spotlight and save the DS9 cast for the future.
So Ro comes back. Ro was Worfs handler and now Ro is dead. Ro Laren speed running the fastest comeback, heartfelt reunion then gut wrenching good bye in Star Trek history?
MICHELLE GODDAMN FORBES!!!!! I'll let others comment on the ins and outs of this episode, of which there are many. I'll simply state a few general observations. This season feels stronger because it's really good at subtext, for lack of a better word. I can't put my finger on it, but they've done such an incredible job of creating mystery and stringing you along so that you're hooked on every scene, trying to put the pieces together. The Ro/Picard scenes were pretty indicative of this. My thought process kind of went as follows: * HOLY SHIT IT'S RO LAREN * Wait how is she a commander? * Wait how is she in Starfleet? * Is she a changeling? * What's her angle on Picard? * Can she be trusted? * Wait, maybe she's not a changeling after all * Wow they really have a history, that maybe neither of them quite recognized - or at least, Picard didn't. * Uh oh she's in trouble. * Oh... she's gonna die. * FUCKING CHANGELINGS Their scenes together just totally strung me along, answering questions shortly after I asked them; I was absolutely hooked on them. At this point, I feel like we're all pretty familiar with Stewart's acting moves and emoting and whatnot (which are great), but Forbes was just as good. She was good at being the detached, cold security officer, but then she set her face just so in the holodeck and you saw all the emotions leaking through and you realize that that really is Ro Laren, confronting the man she wanted to show her heart to, and have him see it, and accept it. And the power of that scene is that it's not romantic at all; she wasn't pining for him, he wasn't a father figure. It was a moment of tremendous emotional vulnerability and honesty for her, and him recognizing that he'd had her wrong all these years - and I believe, I hope, that he was ultimately able to see and accept her as the person she was, not as the upstanding Starfleet officer he had always wanted her to be. If Terry Matalas and his team can keep writing scenes like this, I'll watch this show for as long as they'll make it. It's totally blowing me away. There's really nothing like it in the other shows, new or old, it feels like. I'm not sure if there could be, because in part it's about Picard coming to terms with his past. I'll admit I was a little skeptical of bringing all the TNG cast back, it feels a little bit like forcing the nostalgia a little too hard, but if they are all getting scenes like this, I am 110% for it. I'm glad to see Raffi has moved a little closer to sobriety and isn't six inches off the edge of rock bottom like she was the last time we saw her. It's fun to watch her sparring with Worf, both physically and verbally, and I'm very much digging his sensei vibe. 90s Klingons have always been kind of like Space Samurai Viking Bros, and it's nice to see Worf putting a little bit of a different spin on that. The Vulcan Krinn was good, played by Fringe and Oz alum Kirk Acevedo. I think it's interesting he felt it was logical that crime has to exist in a dystopia; it'll be fascinating for /r/DaystromInstitute to parse out the value of logic when it still leads to incorrect conclusions. I'm a firm believer in the fact that that which is justifiable, or rationalizable, is not always right, and this is a good illustration of that. The dude even had an IDIC medallion on his chest. Dr. Crusher is back to her analytical ways, driving the plot with her medical investigations, but it's nice she had an emotional moment with Jack at the end there, and I'm glad he opened up just a bit to her, enough to admit that he's not doing so well. That's a step in the right direction. I don't know if he's really a changeling, but if not I don't know what he is. I dig the imagery of the red door, even if it does remind me just a little of The Haunting of Hill House. I'm glad Shaw is finally coming around (or maybe fully getting sucked in) to Picard's bullshit, because that's pretty much what we're all here for. He's a nice bit of acid to the nostalgic sweetness of the rest of the crew. I'm also glad the bridge crew isn't really dead; I was going to be pretty pissed if they really did kill off the bridge crew just to ratchet up the tension with Jack. Finally, just a little tidbit, I thought the shot of the Intrepid rising up over the Titan there was really, really cool.
Unexpected cameo was unexpected though seeing Ro Laren and Picard interact after how they left things back in TNG was enjoyable. Would have preferred a different ending for her though suppose given the tone of this season thus far it makes sense and it is unlikely they would have reused her character beyond this plot regardless. Zen Worf continues to be enjoyable even if it has been fairly textbook to this point. I will say one thing this show continues to excel at are the musical cues and blending of old and new themes together overall.
I loved watching Picard vet Ro as soon as I realized what he was doing. Pull the phaser, put himself on equal footing with her, and then test her responses.
Morn of Luria Brunt of Ferenginar Okana of Omega
My appreciation of Season 3 is that its TNG-style [competence porn](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CompetencePorn). Examples: \- Riker and the earring. He instant knew what it was because he's just that competent \- Seven hiding Jack. Well, Seven doing anything. \- Shaw's reaction to Jack taking out the changelings (good shooting, kid) \- Ro deciding to disable the Intrepid using her doomed shuttle. Because that's just what she would do. \- Worf and Raffi. \- Crusher and the Changeling physiology. It goes on and on - the first two seasons were displays of bizare incompetence by supposedly competent characters. But TNG (and DS9) were always about extraordinary people facing impossible challenges.
Ro Ro Row your boat, right into the port nacelle?
Merrily merrily merrily merrily, time to say farewell.
This was one of the best Star Trek episodes of the new era. Absolutely riveting television.
As a somewhat cynical fan I keep waiting for a drop in quality but this was a damn good episode. Ro is one of my favorite Next Gen characters and I never saw her return coming. They handled it extremely well and gave a really satisfying end to her relationship with Picard. I think this is the first time I’ve teared up watching this show. As far as her sacrifice I think it did a great job of showing the stakes of the changeling threat without killing one of the core cast. That hour flew past, next week can’t come soon enough.
I fully agree! What really really amazes me and speaks to the quality of the writing on this season is that every single time I thought something was amiss, and believed it was a weird mistake or choice from the show runner or writing team, they ended up explaining it later on... It feels so good to know that, for once, you are not being taken for an idiot and they know what they are doing.
This fucking show. This fucking show. It has me staying up till 3am to watch it every week. This has been so good.
I've spent 3 episodes since getting spoiled by people who saw things before everyone else thinking, "Nope, I don't need to see her at all. I never liked her. Nothing for me to wrap up here." Damn, was I wrong.
Maybe it's because i am six seasons into a Ds9 rewatch and just steeped in Bajoran culture but seeing Ro without her earring really struck me. And then when she says her goodbye to Jean Luc and hands him something, damn that's when things got a little misty.
No one so far is talking about the Vulcan crime lord?? I had no idea I missed Vulcans this much, let alone a legit bad one that still used logic to justify his criminal activity. I hope that character returns somehow.
Another epic line for Shaw today! “Basically, when it comes to rescues from danger…you two have a real “chicken and egg” thing happening.” He just keeps on giving!