“Imposters” is the fifth episode of the third season of the TV show “Star Trek: Picard” and follows “No Win Scenario“. It’s available in various countries on the Paramount+ streaming platform and in many other countries on Amazon Prime Video.
Note. This article contains some spoilers about “Imposters”.
The USS Titan returned to Federation territory but Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) has already contacted the authorities. The consequence is that Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) must answer for their actions. Commander Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) was tasked with interrogating them. Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and Worf (Michael Dorn) follow a lead and find Krinn (Kirk Acevedo).
This season was advertised from the beginning as a continuation of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the characters from that show are returning one after another. This allows resuming their stories, which in some cases, had remained without conclusion. That’s the case of Ro Laren, whose fate wasn’t known. Theme-wise, her return continues the introspective element of “Star Trek: Picard” by recapturing the complex relationship between the Bajoran woman and Jean-Luc Picard.
The confrontation between Jean-Luc Picard and Ro Laren gives strength to this episode also because it’s connected to the problem of the changeling infiltration not only on the USS Titan but in the Federation in general. The sense of paranoia has become palpable, adding tension. This part is also connected to the other subplot, which sees the progress of Raffi Musiker and Worf in their investigations. The presence of Kirk Acevedo in the curious role of a Vulcan gangster brings another protagonist of the television adaptation of “12 Monkeys” to this show.
“Impostors” works because it offers a few twists and, even if it blatantly plays with the old fans’ feelings, gives closure to another story that has been open since “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Raffi Musiker and Worf’s subplot has developments that are predictable but at least contributes to the progress of the broader plot connected to the changelings’ activities. Halfway through the third season, this already seems to me the best of “Star Trek: Picard” for the developments based on old characters with plots that are not exactly original but are well constructed. I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece but the developments of plots and characters seem to me much better than in previous seasons and give hope for a high-level continuation.
