ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Two Picards for the prince of one!

But since one of them never speaks or interacts with anybody, it's not a very good deal. In fact, this is not a very good episode . . .
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TNG Episode #39: Time Squared

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TIME SQUARED episode #13 of 2nd season / Air Date: 4/3/89
written by Kurt Michael Bensmiller; Directed by Joseph L. Scanlon

______Star Trek STNG Moments 39 Time Squared


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This one was like a dry run for all the wild cosmic concept stories of the future seasons, especially Cause and Effect. But this early effort pales next to those, being draggy and with no revelations in the final act.

The Enterprise comes across a drifting shuttlecraft. When they bring it aboard, they are stunned to realize that it is one of theirs. That is strange enough, but when they see the unconscious occupant . . . it's another Picard! The Picard on the bridge is called over and is a bit disturbed to see his 'other' self.

It's no clone, no android, no alien in disguise — it really is another Picard. How can this be?

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It turns out that it is indeed another Picard — from 6 hours in the future. Yep, it's one of those time displacement dilemmas. Data and La Forge manage to get some info from the shuttlecraft's log, and they discover that in several hours the Enterprise is destined to explode, with Picard the only survivor on the shuttlecraft.

The crew now begin to second guess themselves on what steps they should take. The wait is soon over when a strange vortex appears and the ship is probably doomed.

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Since the misplaced Picard is 'out of phase' and his internal clock is out of whack, he is out of it for most of the time, so there is a missed opportunity here to have the two Picards interact in a substantial manner.

However, Picard's final action against his double may raise some eyebrows. Overall, though, this goes nowhere and is anti-climactic after a promising beginning. There are also some confusing elements, when it's hinted that this is some personal matter between Picard and some living entity in the vortex.

BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)