“Starchild” by Baby, an obscure 70s southern rock band, is the perfect introduction for “Disengage,” the second episode of the new season of Star Trek: Picard that showcases the return of one of Star Trek’s favorite “sons,” while also highlighting the strained child/parent relationships of a handful of different characters.
 
“Captain on a starship, take me on a space trip… I’m all alone, looking for a way to get back home,” are a sampling of the lyrics — and a strategic launching point for the not-so-surprising reveal at the end of the season premiere that Beverly Crusher’s son is aboard the SS Eleos. As the episode begins, we see him two weeks prior in a flashback where his abilities as a “negotiator” are on full display.
 
In that flashback we confirm that this young man is Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), who has been estranged from her Enterprise crewmates for the past 20 years. He is on board the Mariposa medical vessel providing aid to areas on the fringe of Federation space… by any means necessary. Which in this case means navigating a bribe of a few Fenris Rangers in order to ply their medical trade on a plague-stricken planet below. He thinks the trade is a success, and it is, except that the Rangers send out word to “the marked woman” that “we found him.”
 

Speleers is a revelation as Beverly’s itinerant son, playing the part with the necessary spunk and flair to try and control every room he enters with charisma and charm. They are important traits for both the character and the actor as his role in the season is setting up to be critical for not only Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) motivations, but for that of the season’s big bad, as well.

Back on board the Eleos, Crusher is now trapped by an ominous villain alongside Picard and Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), as they work to save themselves and Beverly, entombed in a failing stasis chamber. Things are going from bad to worst in their efforts to do just that, until Picard realizes that the ship pursuing the Eleos clearly wants Jack Crusher alive.

Meanwhile, on board the Titan, Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick) is doing that Captain Shaw thing introduced so well in last week’s season premiere — and is pointedly relaying to Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) the reasons why he is not going to risk his crew of 500 on “two relics that think a couple of brass medals make them golden boys.” It isn’t until Seven, who Shaw has already dismissed from the bridge, challenges him one last time in his ready room “to be the hero who saved heroes,” as opposed to the “captain who let two legends die,” that he decides to go against his better judgment and jump into action. Literally.

With the Eleos on its last legs in its fight with the Shrike, the Titan blasts into position and beams all four life signs from the ship to safety. This is where the real action begins, as we get our first look at Captain Vadic, played with intense, jovial tenacity by the always impressive Amanda Plummer.

Plummer’s persona leaps off the screen as she lays out the dire situation facing the Titan, starting with the knowledge she has acquired on the crew she is squaring off with. She begins by belittling Shaw in referencing his psychological profile and the fact “he’s remained functional,” she then greets Picard “in the synthetic flesh,” a nod to his life-altering changes back in Season 1, and then, as every good villain does, she lets everyone know the Titan has one hour to turn over Jack Crusher, who has a sizeable bounty on his head, or be destroyed.

But just in case the message has not gotten through to Shaw, she reveals the massive armaments her ship is packing, and then offers a display of her prowess by using a tractor beam to snare the now discarded Eleos and hurl it at the Titan, where it shatters against their shields and pierces their hull. Or as Sidney LaForge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) puts it, “she threw a ship at us.”

With the full scope of what has happened before him now (and after getting a look at Crusher’s criminal record), Shaw officially relieves Seven of duty for her role in exacerbating their current predicament — and indicates to Picard and Riker that he is inclined to turn over the “intergalactic fugitive” to Vadic and save the rest “for the tribunal.” Even with Riker pushing back on him, he resolutely stands strong, sighting protocol and the fact that a battle with the Shrike is a “fight we will lose.”

With Vadic’s one-hour countdown underway, Picard heads to the brig to meet with Crusher, but not before a frustrated Riker confronts Jean-Luc in the turbolift. Riker has already prodded Picard about Crusher on the Eleos, sarcastically saying “there’s just something familiar about him,” but now he is going for broke with several verbal jousts for him to acknowledge the obvious about Jack. “Why are you dancing around this? Are you not seeing what I’m seeing? Do the math Jean-Luc.” As you might expect from a captain we’ve known intimately for 35 years now, Picard refuses to speculate.

Once in the brig, we are greeted to a couple of powerhouse performances as Picard and Jack Crusher aggressively go toe-to-toe, while also deftly avoiding the big topic head-on. The script from Christopher Monfette and Sean Tretta in this pivotal scene is matched only by the performance of Stewart, who raises his game to arguably the highest level we’ve seen since re-inhabiting his venerable character four years ago. And Speleers is up to the challenge for all of it, especially when rightfully setting Picard straight on exactly who the person he thinks his mother has become.

After Picard challenges him with his litany of offenses, Jack responds with the last thing Picard wants to hear: “When she is not behind me kicking my ass, she is right beside me — equal partners — trying to do some good in a good-less imperfect universe.” (That actually sounds quite a bit like the Beverly we knew from TNG.)

As Jean-Luc continues to protest, Crusher cuts even deeper with his next foray, saying, “Because you know her so well? When was the last time you even spoke to my mother?” Ouch. Their argument ends with Jean-Luc shouting, “Who is your father?” and Crusher responding at an even higher decibel level, “I never had one!” Both men seemingly know the truth, but it goes unspoken here as Crusher ends their exchange by saying he will gladly be turned over to Vadic if it serves the dual purpose of saving his mother’s life and ending this conversation. Touché.

Amidst the personal upheaval facing the two characters in this dramatic showdown is also a key reveal from Crusher as to the true motivations of Vadic, who obviously is not just a bounty hunter. “The people who dislike me are gamblers, low-level gangsters, the fathers of daughters everywhere — not vigilante bounty hunters willing to pick a fight with the Federation,” says Crusher. Something to think about.

The other strained parental relationship showcased in this episode is even more difficult to watch than the situation with Picard, Beverly, and Jack. This one belongs to Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) and is an unexpected callback to her estranged son, Gabe, seen previously in Season 1’s “Stardust City Rag.”

As we saw in “The Next Generation,” Raffi is working undercover for Starfleet and has a lead on the horrific attack she witnessed on a Starfleet recruitment building on M’Talas Prime that killed 117 people. Raffi is not buying the story being peddled both publicly and internally on who is to blame for the attack and has followed a lead to her ex-husband Jae (Randy J. Goodwin) to try and connect with Sneed (Aaron Stanford), a low-life Ferengi crime lord that she thinks has the answers she needs.

In approaching Jae, however, she must face her old demons once again as it is hard for him to see anything but the Raffi who lost herself years before in a dark world of deep-dive conspiracy theories. Despite warning her that Sneed is a monster he agrees to help her, but gives her an ultimatum. He will either re-connect her with Gabe to try and mend their broken relationship or he will get her set-up with Sneed. He won’t do both.

The scene is a difficult continuation from what we saw in “Stardust City Rag,” and when confronted by Jae, Raffi’s hesitation provides the answer he already knew was coming. So, he sets her up with the Ferengi crime lord, where things go south quickly.

Setting aside the unusually-silent and pointed-eared variant seen in Star Trek: Discovery’s far-future setting, Sneed is the first old-school-styled Ferengi seen mixing it up in live-action Star Trek since the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise — and Stanford’s performance feels familiar and lived in. And despite the danger and peril permeating throughout their meet-up, for the viewer the scene is a blast and feels like it could have taken place anytime during the 90s era of Trek.

Before long, Raffi is dangerously in over her head, as Sneed produces the severed head of the Romulan trigger-man that was being blamed for the attack and who Raffi said she worked for as part of her ruse. It’s at that precise moment that the handler Raffi is actually working for shows up by slicing his way through Sneed’s protection — before beheading the Ferengi himself.

It’s a glorious return to the screen for one of Star Trek’s most popular characters, as Worf (Michael Dorn) comes back for the first time since Star Trek: Nemesis, a span of 21 years. For a character known for his one-liners across 15 years of inhabiting the Son of Mogh, it is perhaps appropriate that he only gets one line in his return, telling Raffi, “I told you, ‘Do not engage.’” The perfect Worf parting shot.

Seeing Worf again in this way is an adrenaline shot for any Star Trek fan, matched only by the fact we also get to see him eviscerate three or four baddies in that return. Worf is back and how.

Back on the Titan, tension is building in the face off with the Shrike, where Vadic has decided to do a little pontificating about her ship, explaining to Shaw and Picard that it is named after a small bird that doesn’t attack in anger, but kills surgically and carefully, telling them if they do not hand over the boy “I will take another piece of you.” It’s a threat backed with the veracity of truth.

Meanwhile, Jack has used some hidden old-school tech to escape the brig and is trying to beam himself over to the Shrike but has been stopped by Seven (still in action and perhaps earning her way back into Shaw’s good graces). The Titan captain decides once and for all it “is not worth the lives of my crew” and is going to turn Jack over to Vadic.

But now it is Riker’s turn to be one step ahead of everyone, as he emerges on the bridge of the Titan with Beverly, who he revived in sickbay. Without saying a word, Beverly and Jean-Luc lock eyes across the bridge and now, finally, the truth is known. It says a lot that this unspoken secret, that honestly, everyone inside the show and watching the show knew the answer to almost immediately, could provide such an engrossing and riveting reveal. It really works, especially as Picard exclaims, “Admiral’s orders! Lock it down. Shuttles, Transporters. The boy stays here.”

A flabbergasted Shaw can’t believe what he is hearing, but this character we’ve only known for two episodes somehow steals the moment again, by first asking Picard honestly, “Why are you doing this?” (Picard: “Because he’s my son!”) and then quietly resuming control of his ship with a stream of commands showing exactly what kind of leader he is, “Goddammit. Tactical, full power to forward shields. LaForge, get ready to fly. Standby to execute commands. Whatever happens next admiral, that’s on you.”

With a soft touch on his shoulder, Picard beautifully acknowledges Shaw’s decisive choice to put his ship in the line of fire. And then, with an “Engage!” for the ages from Picard, the Titan fires and runs as Vadic laughs hysterically, chasing them into the nebula.

MOMENTS OF STASHWICK

We think Todd Stashwick and his portrayal of USS Titan captain Liam Shaw is destined for Trek icon status — each week this season, we’ll be highlighting one one of the character’s (and actor’s) best moments.

We already know how much Captain Shaw likes structure, so in this week’s moment, his exasperation gets to him at the end of this hilarious, spiraling soliloquy in which he realizes he is not a fan of the ship’s current predicament.

“We have 500 guns pointed at our head. We try to run we are vapor the second our nacelles light up. Help is essentially days away. And this nebula is wreaking hell on our long-range comms. We are essentially cornered… in space… which has no corners.”

OBSERVATION LOUNGE

• “Disengage” marks Michael Dorn’s 275th episode of Star Trek, further extending his status as the most often-seen character in the history of the franchise.
• Like Seven’s medical cargo aboard La Sirena last season, Crusher’s ship Eleos carries the butterfly symbol of the Mariposa relief organization — as Jack references when speaking to the Fenris Rangers — started by Cris Rios and Dr. Teresa Ramirez in the 21st century.

Like Seven's medical cargo aboard La Sirena last season, Crusher's ship Eleos carries the butterfly symbol of the Mariposa relief organization — started by Cris Rios and Dr. Teresa Ramirez in the 21st century.#StarTrek #StarTrekPicard pic.twitter.com/PH7hQjJ0BM

— TrekCore.com 🖖 (@TrekCore) February 20, 2023

• The Shrike’s tractor beam features a cool, new green gaseous VFX.
• Shrike is loaded to the brim with weapons, including 40 isolytic burst warheads, 88 plasma torpedoes, 236 photon torpedoes, 18 antimatter missiles, 20 pulse wave, 30 series five, and an additional unknown technology in its primary weapons position.
• Jack Crusher’s known aliases include “James Cole,” the central character of the 12 Monkeys story.
• 12 Monkeys lead Aaron Stanford becomes the second alum from Terry Matalas’ time-travel show to join the Picard players this season — will more follow as the adventure continues?
• Sneed drinks a bottle of green Slug-O Cola — known to Ferengi as “The Slimiest Cola in the Galaxy!” While the drink itself was introduced in “Profit and Lace,” the bottle label was first seen at 2022’s San Diego Comic Con, where fans could purchase bottles of root beer (of course!) with the Slug-O label.

Welcome to 10 Forward 🖖 #StarTrekSDCC #StarTrek pic.twitter.com/oSz6NuGP6k

— Star Trek (@StarTrek) July 21, 2022

• The drug Raffi’s forced to take is called “splinter,” a reference the time travel technology at the center of the 12 Monkeys television series.
• Known associates of Sneed include Jae of Earth (Raffi’s ex-husband), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Morn of Luria, Quark and Brunt of Ferenginar, and Thadiun Okona of Omega Sagitta System — most recently seen in Star Trek: Prodigy.
• A fan of Earth culture, Sneed’s collection includes a baseball and a hand grenade.
• Sneed name-drops Section 31 when questioning Raffi’s story — as we know from last season on Lower Decks, the secretive organization is still alive and well.
• Sneed also has a copy of the Rules of Acquisition on his display shelf, along with a golden Nagus head for depositing customary slips of gold-pressed latinum.

Two episodes and two nebula-bound, Shrike-faceoff cliffhangers — but who’s counting? We’ll take this level of character, story, nostalgia, and production every week if the Star Trek: Picard team keeps bringing their A-game like this!

Jim Moorhouse is the creator of TrekRanks.com and the TrekRanks Podcast.
He can be found living and breathing Trek every day on Twitter as @EnterpriseExtra.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 will continue with “Seventeen Seconds” on March 2 on Paramount+ the United States and on CTV Sci Fi Channel and Crave in Canada.

It will arrive the next day on Paramount+ on February 17 in the UK, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The series is also available on Amazon’s Prime Video service in most other international locations.