In a desperate last stand, Jean-Luc Picard and generations of crews both old and new fight together to save the galaxy from the greatest threat they’ve ever faced.

After the series of ‘wow’ moments last week that were subsequently turned into GIFs or generally spoiled across social media platforms, the final episode of Picard’s third season plays out as an exciting and emotional hour but with fewer surprises.

The best The Next Generation cliffhangers were very good at ratcheting up the drama and then arguably taking the easier resolution to fix things, and it’s a model followed here by showrunner Terry Matalas, who writes and directs this episode. Considering the power of the amassed and assimilated Starfleet force, the Enterprise-D has a fairly straightforward path to success, but it matters not one not.

This season has truly been a love letter to The Next Generation, offering the sort of character moments we thought we’d never witness again. And I will never tire of watching Beverley, Troi and Geordi finally getting to do what they do best. The familiarity is the show, and it hasn’t been so much a case of ‘Hang on, you’ve done this before’ as ‘Yes, you’re doing it again.’

There’s more endings than The Return of the King, and a manoeuvre very reminiscent of a classic sci-fi movie, but I loved it, and surely it’s only a matter of time before a follow-up series (sans TNG crew) is formally announced.

Verdict: This season has been a joy from start to finish. Bravo Terry Matalas and co. 9/10

Nick Joy