5 Worst Episodes Of Star Trek: Picard, Ranked

All three seasons of "Star Trek: Picard" rank among some of the more interesting and high-concept science fiction "Star Trek" has given us, which is saying something. A proud denizen of the cerebral and twisty corner of the franchise, "Picard" generally has an ace up its sleeve and a curve ball to pitch when we least expect it. Even so, the normal rules of a TV show apply to it: Some episodes are simply better than others. 

Thanks to the sheer quality of "Star Trek: Picard," an argument could be made that there are no truly weak episodes of the show. While most of the older "Star Trek" shows have episodes that would never air today, "Picard" is a pretty recent series. So all of Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) truly atrocious moments are among the worst episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and not here. Still, "Picard" does have its comparatively low points, which we've compiled here.

For the purposes of this list, we've used the simple methodology of looking at the worst-rated episodes of the show on IMDb while cross-referencing them with the general consensus of online fandom. This has led to five episodes that skew heavily toward one very particular storyline during the show's run. Here's how these least magnificent "Star Trek: Picard" episodes compare to each other.

Perhaps not surprisingly, all of the show's weakest episodes are from "Star Trek: Picard" Season 2. With its parallel universes, time travel, Borg weirdness, and general shenanigans, the season isn't bad, per se. Still, it comes across as a touch messy, especially between the slick Season 1 and the stellar Season 3. 

With that out of the way, let's dive into "Watcher." Though we don't hear her name yet, the episode introduces the titular Watcher, Tallinn (Orla Brady), a dead ringer for Picard's housekeeper Laris (Brady) and a protector of his important ancestor Reneé Picard (Penelope Mitchell), whose fate is the focal point of the season. We also meet a younger version of Guinan (Ito Aghayere) and see a little bit of Q (John de Lancie). The show — which is set in the year 2024 at this stage — even provides some contemporary commentary with an appearance by everyone's favorite government agency, ICE.

The main weakness of "Watcher" is that it's very obviously a transitional episode. The previous episode, "Assimilation," sets the stage and gives us the mission briefing, while Episode 5, "Fly Me to the Moon," introduces major players and delivers important plot twists. Between them, "Watcher" is the episode that awkwardly exists to move pieces on the right positions without getting to do anything particularly interesting with them itself. It's a useful and necessary episode, but not necessarily the kind of cool episode of "Picard" you'll want to rewatch for its own merits. 

For better or for worse, "Mercy" makes a spirited attempt to go hard. It reveals that Q is dying. It spends plenty of time with FBI Agent Martin Wells (Jay Karnes) interrogating Guinan and Picard. Eventually, we find out that Wells is anti-alien because he was (understandably) freaked out by Vulcans who tried and failed to erase his memories from a close encounter of the third kind when he was a kid. There's also a Borg assimilation plot that runs on car batteries, and a bit where Adam Soong (Brent Spiner) forms an alliance with the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching).

It's a lot, and some of it comes across as goofier than it means to. Yes, there are neat moments, and "Mercy" is by no means a bad "Star Trek" episode when you compare it to some of the other shows' worst stinkers. However, mediocrity doesn't cut it on a show as consistently good as "Star Trek: Picard," and the Mad Libs nature of the plotlines is messy enough to earn it a spot on the list.  

If you've ever wanted to see a gala-themed "Star Trek" episode where Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), possessed by the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching), sings a tasteful little jazz number, "Two of One" is the "Picard" episode for you. For the rest of us, the episode is an amazing smorgasbord of strange decisions. Major Season 2 villain Soong attempts to run Reneé over with a car in what just might be the least "Star Trek"-like homicide attempt in television history. Picard is actually hit by said car and goes into a coma. Q is a pretend therapist who advances his plans with tactical text messages, of all things. 

It's all very contemporary and strange, and not entirely in a good way. It also jump-starts the saga of Picard's difficult relationship with his mother and father, which makes several appearances on this list.

Again, though, "Two for One" wouldn't necessarily move the needle too much if it was an episode of a lesser or more uneven "Star Trek" show. Here, however, it has just the right combination of kookiness and filler episode vibe to earn a spot on this list. 

"Hide and Seek" expands the theme of Jean-Luc Picard dealing with the memory of his mother's (Madeline Wise) mental health issues, as revealed in the Season 2 episode "Monsters" (more on that one in a moment). This means that we spend a lot of time with Picard and Tallinn hiding in underground tunnels and soul searching, which may very well be what has soured fans on the episode.

The penultimate episode of the sophomore season features the Borg Queen and Soong conspiring to take La Sirena, and brings forth some fairly profound changes in the Borg Collective's dynamic. It's a tough episode for fans of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), who's first almost killed by the Queen and then assimilated into the Collective that she once escaped, albeit in a bid by Agnes/the Borg Queen to save Seven's life. Combine all this with a twisty Reneé cliffhanger, and even discounting all that tunnel stuff, "Hide and Seek" is perhaps just a touch too ambitious for its own good. 

Jean-Luc Picard is in a coma, and Tallinn has to enter his mind. This basic setup for "Monsters" is actually pretty interesting, but the sheer amount of time it devotes to Picard's inner workings and difficult parental relationship is a lot. 

We learn that Picard's father (James Callis), who's been set up as an abusive monster, was actually facing the arduous task of protecting the boy from his mother, who was suffering from mental health issues. It's heavy stuff, for sure, just not necessarily very interesting in the grand scheme of things. 

There is some fascinating material related to Tallinn's true identity, Guinan, Q, nascent Borg Queen Agnes, and other key players. However, the sheer amount of time we spend in Picard's dual mindscapes of a fairy tale and a therapist's office spins the episode's wheels just enough to earn it a distinction as the weakest episode of "Star Trek: Picard."

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.