Synopsis: After a secret meeting with other Star Fleet captains, Picard begins to suspect a conspiracy at Star Fleet headquarters and returns to Earth to confront his superiors.
What I liked about this episode: I think the thing I liked best about this episode was the mystery involved (at least at the beginning). There is evidence of something going on but there is no real information what is behind it or if there really is a conspiracy and it’s not just a matter of coincidence.
I also liked how, once the truth was revealed, Picard finds himself in a pretty bad situation made worse by his first officer apparently no longer on his side either. That did make the episode a bit more interesting than it might have been otherwise.
The revelation of who was behind all of this was also pretty interesting because, up until the very end, he seemed like a minor character in the episode.
What I didn’t like about this episode: Overall, I didn’t mind this episode but I really didn’t understand the whole point of that “dinner” they were eating. We get it; the admirals are under the control of an alien race. We really didn’t need to see them eating live grubs just to prove that. It just seemed like a cheap attempt to gross people out.
I also think the episode would have been a bit better if they hadn’t revealed the aliens so early. Once they explained what was happening, the mystery behind the conspiracy was over and the episode did lose a little something as a result.
Final Opinion: This is a pretty decent episode that I would recommend watching even if you aren’t a die-hard fan of the series.