3.18 — “Allegiance”

3.18 — “Allegiance”

Plot: Picard is abducted from the Enterprise and replaced with a doppelgänger; an exact duplicate who knows his memories and habits, but acts strangely (giving bizarre orders, singing in the officers’ lounge, and toying with the affections of Beverly Crusher). Meanwhile, the real Picard awakens in a prison cell with three other alien abductees, and must figure out how to escape.

Thoughts: This episode strikes me as uninspired filler. Almost nothing of consequence (and only modest amusement) happens between the teaser and the final scenes. Fake Picard has no rhyme or reason behind his behavior–he’s certainly not trying to avoid to calling attention to himself. Is the Enterprise crew also being tested? Why else would he order them to fly into the middle of a pulsar? This writing is sloppy; worse, it’s not interesting.

I do like the makeup on the Mizarian. Very cool hat. I’m not crazy about the lazy “your personality characteristics are totally determined by your race” schtick regarding the other alien prisoners, which of course only applies to the aliens and not Picard.

This episode is notable, I suppose, for picking up the thread of the putative Picard/Crusher romance which usually is barely mentioned. Except what happens doesn’t mean anything, because it wasn’t the real Picard. And they don’t mention Jack Crusher, who is supposed to be the source of the unresolved tension between them. So it’s basically a waste of time, except for the simple pleasure of seeing the actors dress in different clothes under different lighting and kiss each other. I’m not knocking that, but we’re entitled to expect more of Star Trek.

In the end, the nameless alien race is revealed to be fully telepathic and powerful enough to abduct and replace Picard, but so unable to understand “the nature of command” that it has to conduct crude experiments on other beings. It looks like they’ve adapted pretty well so far without this specialized knowledge. Perhaps they would learn more by establishing diplomatic relations? Meanwhile, Picard is so incurious about “new life, and new civilizations” that his only words for them are “Now get off my ship.”

A poor effort. 1 out of 5 serrated metal knives jammed into live electrical panels without consequence, because science.

http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Allegiance