Warning: The Following Article Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 4 - "No Win Scenario"The USS Titan-A's final attempt to save itself in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 4, "No Win Scenario," reveals a new life form and a greater understanding of the underlying trauma of many key characters. The Titan is trapped in the gravity well of the Ryton Nebula, with mere hours until the starship is destroyed. As the Titan's senior staff devises a way to science their way out of their predicament, Commander Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) hunts the Changeling saboteur aboard the ship, and iral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) takes command of the Titan as it tries to escape from the nebula.
"No Win Scenario" wraps up the first act of the 10-hour movie that is Star Trek: Picard season 3. Except for cutaways to Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer) aboard the Shrike and flashbacks to 10 Forward "five years ago" (circa 2396), Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 4 is focused entirely on the interpersonal drama aboard the Titan. Picard and Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) attempt to bond before Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) drops a bombshell on the iral and his son. Shaw and Seven also decide to work together to find the Changeling aboard and enact a desperate plan to launch the Titan to safety after Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) reveals her discovery about the Ryton Nebula. Here's a breakdown of the key beats of "No Win Scenario's" ending, and what it means for the rest of Star Trek: Picard season 3.
The Ryton Nebula Is A Lifeform & How Picard's USS Titan Escaped It
As focused as Star Trek: Picard season 3 is on fathers and sons, it was the fact that Star Trek: The Next Generation crew's first adventure together with Picard season 3's final voyage. The Titan crew's solution to save the ship from the Ryton Nebula about to give birth is to open the nacelles to absorb the nebula's energy, and then "ride" the wave out of the nebula to freedom.
Our Starfleet heroes' perfectly Star Trek technobabble plan works, thanks largely to Captain Shaw, an "old grease monkey" ex-engineer who knows the Titan-A's specs better than anyone aboard. The Titan was indeed able to ride the nebula's energy to break free of it and warp back to Federation space. Prior to their escape, Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) used Vadic's move against her when he used the Titan's tractor beam to throw an asteroid at the Shrike, to Beverly's amazement since she didn't see the Shrike throw her ship, the Eleos, at the Titan. Speaking of amazement, the Titan's crew witnessed the Ryton Nebula give birth to glowing space squids, proving that even amidst chaos, there's always an opportunity to fulfill Star Trek's mission "to seek out new life."
Vadic Has A Changeling Boss & She Failed Him
Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 3, "Seventeen Seconds," concluded with the shocking reveal that the Changelings from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Dominion are back and have infiltrated Starfleet. "No Win Scenario" not only answered whether Captain Vadic herself is a Changeling, but further revealed she answers to another. Vadic sliced off her left hand, which morphed into an image of what appears to be a new Changeling boss, billed as The Face in the end credits and voiced by Garth Kemp. The Face reminded Vadic that she and the Shrike are expendable and ordered her back into the Ryton Nebula gravity well to apprehend Jack Crusher.
Vadic was introduced as the main villain of Star Trek: Picard season 3, but the fact that she has a boss changes what we believed about "the Marked Woman." Vadic is terrified of this new Changeling, and she herself is merely a player in a larger scheme instead of its mastermind. The Face also shifts what's known about Changelings from DS9. The Founders and the Great Link were all unified equals, but this rogue faction that broke away to attack the Federation seems to have created a command structure, with a Changeling boss Vadic reports to and fears.
Jack Crusher Reached Out To Picard 5 Years Before Season 3
Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 4 ends with Jean-Luc coming to a realization that he's met Jack Crusher before. Beverly believed their son decided not to seek his father out when she told Jack the truth about Jean-Luc Picard. "No Win Scenario"'s flashback to 2396 shows that Jack in his late teens did seek his father out, and he found Picard at 10 Forward surrounded by adoring Starfleet Cadets who Jean-Luc regaled with tales of the Star Trek: Voyager). But when Jack asked the iral if he's ever wanted a family, he was heartbroken when Picard claimed Starfleet is "all the family I ever needed" to applause from the Cadets.
Jack doesn't know that Picard has changed since their first meeting. Star Trek: Picard seasons 1 and 2 occurred afterward, wherein Jean-Luc faced his lifelong issues with his stern father, Maurice Picard (James Callis), and resolved he would never be the same as a father. To prove it to himself, Jean-Luc brought Jack to Titan's holodeck recreation of 10 Forward to share a bottle of whiskey with his son. Of course, Jack asked Jean-Luc about his hair, and Picard wryly gave his son a reason to fear that he'll lose his locks as well. However, Jack seeing that Picard re their prior meeting in 2396 also gave him twangs of regret of a life of Starfleet camaraderie he was denied by not knowing his father sooner.
Captain Shaw Reveals His Borg Past Is Why He Hates Picard
Picard and Jack's 10 Forward bonding session was rudely interrupted by Captain Shaw, who bellied up to the bar and finally bared his soul about why he hates Jean-Luc Picard. Shaw was an engineer on the USS Constance during TNG's Battle of Wolf 359 when Picard was assimilated, became Locutus, and led the Borg to decimate Starfleet. Shaw was left traumatized by being one of the few survivors of the 11,000 dead. This also explains Shaw's barely concealed animosity toward Picard ever since Picard and Riker came aboard the Titan. It also clarifies Shaw's decision to make Seven go by her human name, Annika Hansen, as he doesn't want any more reminders of the Borg.
Shaw's monologue wasn't just a heart-wrenching performance by Todd Stashwick, but Shaw's harrowing survival of Wolf 359 also calls back to Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), who also lived through the violent encounter with the Borg. Sisko came face-to-face with Picard in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's premiere, "Emissary," but Ben kept his hatred in check and didn't lash out at the former Locutus as Shaw did. Sisko never resolved his issues with Picard, but there appears to be a chance Shaw can find a way to forgive the iral.
Seven Of Nine & Shaw Are A Good Titan Team After All
Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 4 finally showed why Captain Shaw selected Seven of Nine as his First Officer and how well they can work together. Seven reported the Changeling saboteur's presence to her Captain, who explained the basic information about the shapeshifters after Seven revealed she never encountered the Changelings before (which implies neither did the Borg). Shaw turned out to be right, and Seven was able to find the Changeling's "pot." But before she could have the computer scan it for "resi-goo," the Changeling attacked Seven and escaped when the First Officer wounded it with a phaser.
After Picard and Seven coaxed Shaw into reconfiguring the nacelles to enable the Titan's escape from the Ryton Nebula, the Captain and First Officer laid a trap for the Changeling. Sure enough, when Ensign Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) suddenly appeared offering to help Shaw, they found their Changeling. Seven confirmed it when the Changeling called her "Commander Hansen," instead of "Commander Seven," which she pointedly told Shaw La Forge does "out of respect" for Seven. But Shaw and Seven finally working together reaped dividends and indicates that a USS Titan spinoff starring them both would work wonders.
Riker Reconciles With Troi
What happened that caused a separation between Captain Will Riker and his wife, Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), was finally revealed. Riker spent Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 4 believing the Titan was doomed, and he tried to compose a message to Deanna. After the Titan escaped the Ryton Nebula, Riker was rejuvenated by their victory, and he finally spoke to his wife. The loss of their son, Thad, weighed heavily on Riker, disrupting their family. Riker decided to return to Starfleet and space to find solace. But the birth of the Ryton Nebula Will witnessed restored his feelings that the universe is "beautiful and amazing." In a poignant performance by Jonathan Frakes, who also directed the episode, Riker reached out to Troi promising to "fix" what was broken between them.
What's Happening To Jack Crusher In Picard Season 3?
Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 3 ended with the Titan warping to safety as Jean-Luc wondered what Captain Vadic wants with his son. Meanwhile, Jack Crusher, who is burdened by the secrets he's harboring, experiences another terrifying vision of red branches, a door, an apocalypse, and a mysterious voice. Jack is somehow tied to the Changelings, which leaves a few possibilities. One, Jack is a Changeling himself and is either unaware or suppressing the truth. Two, Jack is who he says he is, but the Changelings planted something in his mind. There's also the possibility that Jack has a similar Irumodic Syndrome brain disease as his father, but this appears to be less likely. Poor Jack is obviously in pain by being haunted by the Changelings, and Crusher is a key part of their master plan yet to be unleashed in Star Trek: Picard season 3.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.