Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 175 (Emergence)

It seems that there are two times when things go wrong on The Enterprise: during a routine mission and during some critical state of an important mission. In this episode, The Enterprise is on a routine mission. Picard and Data are in the holodeck when the nearly get run over by the orient express. That, alone, is troubling since the holodeck is supposed to have safety protocols to prevent injury and also Picard had called for the program to end several times. What’s puzzling, though, is that they’re running a Shakespearean program. They shut the holodecks down while repairs can be made.

Later, The Enterprise jumps to warp and comes out of warp a minute later. No one can offer an explanation except to say that had The Enterprise not jumped to warp, it might have been destroyed. Coincidence? It must have been. There isn’t anything about the ship that would make it do that on its own.

This leads to the discovery of several strange nodes throughout the ship. Also strange is the fact that the holodeck is still running. Data, Troi, and Worf enter and investigate to find the Orient Express still running. Onboard is a strange set of characters. There’s the conductor and engineer, who both belong, but there’s also a knight and a Chicago-style gangster. (If you look closely, many of the characters resemble characters from previous episodes. The knight and gangster may be references to the original series.)

The Orient Express is on its way to a place called Vertiform City. (It’s later realized that the ship needs a particle with a similar name.) There seems to be a direct relation between the holodeck program and the Enterprise. When the train stops, the ship stops. When the program experiences an earthquake, the ship also shakes.

Eventually, the crew realizes that the ship is trying to create a new life form. Should they try to stop it? Should they let it go on? They decide to let it develop. At the end of the episode, Data is worried about unleashing an unknown life form on the universe. Picard tells Data that the life form was created out of the ship’s programs, the crew’s logs and so on. How bad could such a life form be?

Parts of the episode seemed contrived. At the very least, the writers could have come up with a better name for Vertiform City. The concept of the Orient Express is explained, at least in part, by Dr. Crusher who notes that all sorts of people could meet there. There’s also a reference to Prospero, who could sense his career winding down and wanting to go out with a bang. (This is the third-to-last episode of the series.)

The episode starts to make sense when you look at many of the parts. I was going to bash the episode in this review, but I started to realize things as I was writing it. In a way, that’s the fun of a lot of the episodes. You could go back and watch this episode several times and start to pick things up. I’d definitely recommend that you buy this episode if you’re looking to buy them on tape. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 170 (Eye of the Beholder)

WARNING:  I’m going to give away the ending of the episode.  If you haven’t watched it, please take note.

Lt. Daniel Kwan seemed like such a normal person.  Then, he jumped into a plasma stream.  His last words were, “I know what I have to do.”  This leads Worf, chief of security, and Troi, ship’s counselor and resident empath, to investigate.  There seems to be no reason why Kwan did what he did.  He was happy.  He had a girlfriends.   He even had a hot date with her to look forward to.  Why did he have to do what he did?

Troi comes to have an empathic vision of a couple kissing, then subsequently laughing at her, or whoever she’s standing in for.  The only other person she sees is a man in a Starfleet uniform.  She follows the clues and finds that the man, named Lt. Walter Pierce, worked at Utopia Planitia, which is where the Enterprise was built, as did Kwan.  Coincidence?  Probably.  Kwan arrived a few months after Pierce left.

It turns out that the entire thing was a hallucination.  Well, most of it.  I’m not exactly sure, but Pierce murdered the couple that Troi saw, then committed suicide, himself.  All three of them went missing.  Pierce was part Betaziod and left some sort of cellular residue that both Kwan and Troi picked up on.  Much of the episode passed in a few seconds.

There are a few things that bother me about the episode.  First, it’s very subdued.  Since the episode starts with suicide, there could probably be more dealing with the motivations of why someone would do this.  Instead, it’s mostly the obligatory, “but he was so happy.”  Why does everyone always say this?  Because Kwan had a lot going for him, does that mean that he can’t be unhappy?  There was no mention of possible mental illness.

If someone is a miserable loser, does it follow that they must commit suicide?  You never see anyone asking why someone hasn’t jumped yet.  The natures of depression and suicide are far more complicated than that.  No one mentions this.  I’m not a psychologist nor have I ever had such impulses.  It would have been nice to get some understanding about it.  Instead, the episode treats suicide as nothing more than a plot point.

Also, the ending was a little confusing.  I’ve seen the episode several times and I’ve never been certain how much of the episode was in Troi’s head.  Was it from the first visit?  Was it from the second?  How much of the episode was for our benefit?

This was near the end of the final season for The Next Generation.  I’m not sure if the writers were trying to stretch out the season or if they had senioritis.  The writing here could have been a lot better.  This episode had so much potential.  The whole dream thing is kind of cliché at this point.  If you’re going to do it, at least do it well.  This episode could easily be skipped without much loss.

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 154 (Liaisons)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

First contact is a difficult business. It’s the first impression that a new species has of the Federation and of Starfleet. Lt. Worf is not comfortable with it and Cmdr. Riker has even less to look forward to. All Worf has to do is meet them. Commander Riker has escorting one of the aliens around to look forward to. When Capt. Picard, Riker, Worf and Counselor Troi meet the new species in one of the shuttle bays, we learn that two ambassadors are staying on the ship and the third is taking Picard back to their home world. Much to Worf’s dismay, the ambassador that’s supposed to be with Riker requests that he be with Worf during his stay. Worf wants to argue, but knows better than to go against a senior officer. The ambassador that’s supposed to be with Troi doesn’t seem to mind being paired with her.

The only thing that seems to bother Picard is the long trip to his destination. It’s going to be several days and the pilot doesn’t seem to be in the mood to talk. Before Picard can find something else to do, the shuttle crashes on a planet. The place doesn’t look that good. There are electrical bolts flying everywhere and the surface is barren of anything resembling plant life. To boot, the pilot is severely injured. Picard goes out to look for help, but is injured by one of the electrical bolts. We see Picard being dragged off right before the scene changes to the Enterprise

Troi seems to be getting along well with her ambassador. She’s showing him all of the food that the ship has laid out in a buffet. Worf’s ambassador is very bossy, insisting that Worf bring him food. Worf shows an incredible restraint, but does want to hurt the ambassador. Troi is enjoying the company of her ambassador while Worf is miserable.

Back on the planet, Picard finds himself in a crashed freighter. The only company he has is a human woman that crashed there seven years prior. She hasn’t seen anyone else in all of that time. She tells Picard that the pilot is dead and that the ship seems too badly damaged to be of much use. However, she volunteers to go back to get a communications console from the shuttle. When she returns with it, Picard notices that it’s too badly damaged to be of much use. She accidentally hit it with a phaser and destroyed the power cell.

Things start to come together, both on the ship and on the planet. The ambassador assigned to Worf continues to provoke him and the ambassador assigned to Troi continues to seek desert. Picard slowly comes to realize that the woman he’s with isn’t being truthful. Shortly after she runs out of the freighter, the pilot shows up, not as dead as the woman would have him believe. They both follow her out to a cliff, where they spit up. Picard is the one to find the woman. He then figures out what’s going on.

On the ship, Worf, Riker and Troi find out that the ambassadors are also not telling the whole truth. The ambassadors were sent to learn about different aspects of humanity. The one assigned to Worf was assigned to learn of aggression. The one with Troi was sent to learn of pleasure and indulgence. The pilot that was taking Picard to their planet was also actually an ambassador; his assignment was to learn of love and attraction. He had based the scenario on the logs of a real woman who had actually spent seven years on a planet until an actual man crashed and fell in love with her. (The shuttle wasn’t actually damaged in the crash, so they’re free to leave.)

The two story lines didn’t work that well. There was something about Picard’s situation that didn’t seem legitimate, even on the first watching. It just seemed too odd that Picard would crash on a planet that had a woman on it. Granted, it was based on a real scenario, but what are the odds? It also seemed like someone would come looking for him, especially considering that they knew his flight path. (I do have to wonder why no one came looking for the woman, considering that there were others on that ship.)

There’s also the problem of the two ambassadors onboard the Enterprise. Both of them acted in a way that I wouldn’t consider consistent with ambassadors. One acted goofy and the other acted rudely. I don’t think that these are two people I would choose to represent my species.

The biggest problem I had was that the species had to resort to trickery to learn of the Federation. Why not just open a dialogue like everyone else?

This is a two-star episode. While the acting was good, the story line and script were below par. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 148 (Suspicions)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

The episode begins with Dr. Crusher packing. Guinan comes in, asking for some medical assistance. (For those that don’t watch regularly, Guinan runs a lounge called Ten Forward.) Unfortunately, Dr. Crusher has been relieved of duty and is on her way to a starbase for a hearing.

The first two thirds of the episode is spent in retrospect as Dr. Crusher tells Guinan what happened. The story begins with Dr. Reyga, a Ferengi scientist, wanting to test something called metaphasic shielding. It’s supposed to let a ship fly into a corona of a star. Others have tried and failed, but Dr. Reyga believes that he’s done it. Dr. Crusher invites several others, all experts in the field, to meet Dr. Reyga and to witness a test. One of the other scientists volunteers to fly the shuttle.

All goes well until the scientist appears to collapse. Fortunately, the shuttle is able to make it out, but the scientist is dead. A study of the body reveals that there wasn’t possibly enough radiation to kill someone, but she’s never actually met the pilot’s race before. After studying the ship, no one can figure out what went wrong. Dr. Reyga is insistent that the shielding must have worked. He’s can’t understand what could have happened.

Then, Dr. Reyga turns up dead. Dr. Crusher doesn’t think that it’s suicide. After asking around, she can’t figure out who did it. She wants to do an autopsy, but the family won’t allow it. Seeing no alternative, Crusher performs the autopsy anyway and finds nothing; that’s what gets her dismissed.

Guinan pushes Dr. Crusher to go a little further. Dr. Crusher eventually figures out that there is sabotage involved and that the shielding does work. To prove it, she takes the shuttle into the sun and succeeds. That’s when the real killer is revealed. There’s no real point in spoiling it for you. You’ll have to watch it to see who it is.

I have only one major question: What is it about Dr. Crusher’s personality that wouldn’t let her let Worf handle the investigation? I realize that Dr. Reyga was her friend, but medical doctors don’t normally go around asking questions about a murder. Also, Dr. Crusher shouldn’t have been performing an autopsy on a friend. Even if the family did allow it, she should have gotten someone more detached from the situation to do it. The fact that she couldn’t ask anyone should have told her not to do it.

I also tend not to like episodes or movies that are told in retrospect. I don’t think that it’s necessary in most cases and uses the storytelling scenes as filler. In many cases, it also tends to ruin the story. You spend the entire time wondering how a character got where they are and if the next mistake is the one that derailed them. Since there is more of a story after Guinan’s visit to Dr. Crusher, nothing is spoiled. It also is important to the storyline. Dr. Crusher needs to tell the story to someone so that they can give her the necessary push to get things going. Granted, Dr. Crusher could have gotten a visit from Guinan in the middle of the episode, but why have her in just one scene? It would have robbed the viewer of Whoopi Goldberg’s performance as Guinan.

Overall, I give this episode three stars. It’s a good story, even if it’s not a great one.

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 144 (Starship Mine)

Note:  This review gives away some details, including the ending.  If you don’t like spoilers, you might want to wait until viewing the episode to read the review.


When a good movie comes out, you get copycats.  You can’t have one alien-invasion movie without five other movies trying to steal there thunder.  It’s been noticed, for instance, that after Die Hard came out, a bunch of movies were pitched as Die Hard with a Twist.  You had Die Hard on a plane or underground or in a parking garage or whatever.  They might as well have called this episode Die Hard on the Enterprise.

The Enterprise is docked to have maintenance done due to baryon buildup.  What’s a baryon?  No, it’s not slang for a Barry Manilow fan.  It refers to subatomic particles made up of three quarks, such as protons and neutrons.  Apparently, the Enterprise has too many of these or something.  (I think the writers may have misused the term, much like people tend to misuse ‘chemical’.)

Either way, no one can stay onboard.  The first few minutes of the episode, Captain Picard is answering questions.  Dr. Crusher, for instance, is worried about some genetic material she’s running tests on.  The station didn’t make the right kind of accommodation.  Interestingly, no mention is made of Data’s cat or Picard‘s fish.  I’m assuming that the station has some sort of kennel or pet spa or something for crewmembers with pets.

Data is trying to make small talk with the captain to no avail.  As an android, he doesn’t have the same instinct for it as humans.  Picard recommends that he talk to the base’s commanding officer, Commander Hutchinson.  Hutchinson is hosting a reception for the ship’s senior staff.  It turns out that Hutchinson (you can call him Hutch) tends to corner people and bore them with inane trivia.  It’s kind of funny in that no one likes it.  In fact, Worf is able to get himself excused.  (Picard shuts down La Forge’s attempt, saying that he can’t have the entire senior staff miss out on the party.)

When Hutchinson mentions trails on the planet, Picard takes the opportunity to excuse himself.  He goes back to the ship for his saddle, as no serious rider would be without one.  (I’ll bet if Picard had a horse, he’d name it McGuffin.)  Picard plans on leaving the ship before the maintenance starts, but is delayed by one of the workers.  It seems that its taking longer than expected.  In reality, the crew is trying to steal some trilithium resin.  They’re not terrorists, per se.  Instead, they’re mercenaries that are going to sell the stuff to terrorists.

Oh, and the people staffing Hutchison’s party have guns.  When La Forge notices the unusual heat signature the guns are putting off, the staff takes everyone hostage, firing on La Forge and Hutchison.  Why?  I don’t know.  I don’t imagine the terrorists foresaw the need for hostages.  It was entirely unnecessary, as Data was doing a great impersonation of Hutchison.  It was amusing to see the two of them talk to each other.

Picard is able to subdue the terrorists and Data is able to incapacitate the captors.  In the end, Data is able to shut off the baryon sweep at the very last minute.  (Actually, the only reason for the bridge crew to be taken hostage is to draw out Picard’s pleas for help.  I never noticed that, even after several viewings.)

There are a few things I don’t get about the episode.  First, I never understood the title:  Starship Mine.  Is it a way of saying that the mercenaries are mining trilithium resin?  Is it because Picard is acting in a possessive manner towards the ship?  Picard does look longingly at the ship before he leaves.  It’s not like the ship is going anywhere.  Picard didn’t even look at the ship like that in Chain of Command, and he had been relieved of command in that episode.  Here, it’s just a little weird.

Another thing I didn’t get was what the point was supposed to be.  Many of the episodes have some hidden meaning.  It might deal with addiction or having to step up and take charge.  Not all of the messages are that obvious.  From what I can tell, the producers decided to go with an action episode.  There doesn’t even seem to be a strong crime-doesn’t-pay message.  It’s just Picard crawling through the ship and trying to outsmart the bad guys.

I do want to comment on the methods that Picard used to keep the mercenaries at bay.  He did managed to subdue a lot of them, but even then, many of them died.  He left one to be taken out by the baryon sweep.  Granted, the guy could have escaped.  However, the mercenary was still killed in a manner presumably so gruesome that it had to be shown off screen.  Also, the leader of the mercenaries is killed when trying to escape.  She’s dealing with a material known to be unstable, so it’s a foreseeable consequence that her ship would blow up.  However, it’s implied that Picard tampered with the storage device.  I find that just a little disturbing.

It seemed a little drawn out.  I mean, there had to be an easier way to get trilithium resin.  You have to get it from a ship?  And the flagship of the Federation, at that?   It’s a bit bold, if you ask me.  If they are mercenaries, it might make sense to set up a fake hazardous-waste disposal company and sell the resin they weren’t really disposing of.

This is one of those in-between episodes.  It’s not the best of the episodes, but it’s not the worst episode, either.  Is it worth watching?  If you’re binging on the series,  I’m not going to tell you to skip this one.  At least it’s enjoyable on the first viewing.  You also get to see Tim Russ before he became Tuvok.  If you get streaming or have the season set, go for it.  If not, don’t go out of your way.


IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 139 (Aquiel)

Star Trek:  The Next Generation had 178 episodes over its 7-year run.  (This is assuming that you count the pilot and finale as two episodes each.)  It’s understandable that a few of these episodes wouldn’t be that good.  Some of the misfires were understandable.  There may have been a dispute behind the scenes.  The episode may have been massive editing or rewrites.  With Aquiel, I’m not really sure what happened.  Even those involved in the episode have nothing to offer.

The episode starts with the Enterprise on a supply run to a communications outpost.  The outpost isn’t responding to hails and is found abandoned when they get there.  There should be two officers: Lt. Keith Rocha and Lt. Aquiel Uhnari.  There is some residue presumed to be one of the officers, but the only life form on board is Aquiel’s dog, Maura.

Investigation reveals several things.  First, the two lieutenants didn’t get along.  Second, this was because Lt. Rocha was an exemplary officer and Lt. Uhnari wasn’t.  In fact, she was transferred there as punishment.  Also, there’s also Commander Morag, a Klingon officer patrolling the area.  The station is near the Klingon border and Morag saw fit to occasionally harass the two lieutenants.  He admits to stealing information, but he didn’t kill anyone.  Maura is the only witness and she’s not saying a word.

So, what happened?  It turns out the dog did it.  Well, not really the dog.  You see, Lt. Rocha wasn’t really Lt. Rocha.  He was some sort of DNA-stealing life form that took over Rocha before going on to the station.  He tried to take over Aquiel, but she managed to escape in a shuttlecraft.  She’s picked up by a Klingon ship and brought to the Enterprise.

And the Klingon Commander that was harassing them?  He didn’t kill Rocha.  So, it must be Aquiel.  Right?  Well, not necessarily.  She has memory loss, which makes her look guilty.  She tries to erase evidence, which makes her look guilty.  She hated the guy and tried to thwart his command, which makes her look like a bad officer and just a little guilty.  It turns out that the DNA thief of an alien, as Rocha, attacked her to gain her DNA.  When she escaped, the only other option was the dog.  This isn’t discovered until Maura starts pulling on Geordi’s pants.  It’s then that he discovers the truth:  The dog did it.

There are several other problems, like Geordi not getting the girl.  This isn’t even the first time that he’s fallen in someone through their logs only to lose her later on.  At least this time, she’s willing and able to get intimate with Geordi.  Poor Geordi, though.  Just as she’s starting foreplay, Riker walks in, phaser in hand, informing Geordi that she might not be what she seems.  Alas, the moment’s ruined and they ultimately go their separate ways.

Also, the Klingons seem rather antagonistic towards the Enterprise.  Commander Morag admits to stealing files, which is odd considering that the Klingon Empire and the Federation are supposed to be on good terms.  So, why would he want to steal codes?   And why would he delete the files when not deleting them would attract less attention?  I think that the writers just needed another suspect and Klingons were the most aggressive.  I suspect that the commander may have been Romulan, as he’s not addressed as captain.  Like Starfleet, the commanding officer of a Klingon ship is addressed as captain, with the executive officer usually addressed as commander.  Romulan ships usually have commander and subcommander, respectively.  This would also explain Worf’s hostility towards the Klingons.

It did strike me as odd that Geordi had a phaser hidden in his quarters.  I would think that a starship would keep its weapons locked up, at least during peacetime.  Geordi doesn’t strike me as the kind of chief engineer that would need to sleep with a weapon at the ready like that.  It’s also odd that he didn’t call for help at all.  Then again, he’s in panic mode.  He might not be thinking straight.

While the acting from the regular actors was good, the writing was flat.  This episode could easily be missed and it wouldn’t affect continuity.  No previous episodes are referenced and this episode has no bearing on future episodes, so it’s not really even necessary to watch.  If it comes on TV, don’t worry about watching it all the way through.

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 128 (Realm of Fear)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

New technology brings about new fears and the transporter seems to have brought about a great deal of concern. Lt. Reginald Barclay is deathly afraid of the transporters and, being an engineer, has a right to be. He understands that the transporter literally takes you apart molecule by molecule and puts you back together somewhere else. Even though many people have used it, it’s still a frightening experience.

However, Barclay has to use it. The Enterprise finds the U.S.S. Yosemite trapped in a plasma stream and the only way to get over there is by using the transporter. The plasma stream is going to make transporting tricky, but tractor beams are useless Captain Picard doesn’t want to risk losing a shuttlecraft to whatever might have damaged the Yosemite. So, the away team is beamed over one by one. When it comes time for Barclay to transport over, he can’t do it; he storms out of the transporter room.

Counselor Troi talks some confidence into Barclay and he manages to transport over. On the way back, he sees something in the transporter. It looks like a big worm with a rather large mouth; one of them actually ‘bites’ him on his arm. He tells Chief Engineer La Forge and Transporter Chief O’Brien. They take the transporter apart and look it over, but find nothing wrong with their systems. Soon after, Barclay starts having problems with the part of the arm where he was bitten. He thinks that he has a problem called transporter psychosis, but there hasn’t been a case of that in a while.

Finally, La Forge and Data are able to figure out that there are life forms in the plasma stream. Barclay collapses and is taken to sickbay, where it’s discovered that he’s got them all over his body. The transporter’s biofilter, which is capable of screening diseases, couldn’t detect them because they exist in an unusually state, but now the transporter can be programmed to filter them out. Barclay is sent through the transporter beam and sees the worm creatures again. Instead of being afraid of them, he actually grabs one when it approaches. It turns out that the worm creatures are actually people from the Yosemite that had disappeared. Security Chief Worf and two other members of security are sent through the transporter to retrieve the others.

Somehow, the people from the Yosemite were trapped in the transporter. I’ve seen this episode a couple of times and I’m still not sure exactly what happened. A very brief explanation is given, but it didn’t really mean anything to me. The transporter creatures aren’t that elaborate. The overwhelming blueness of the transporter effect obscures them, so it’s hard to see them anyway.

Mostly, I think the episode is meant to showcase Barclay, who’s appeared in several other episodes of The Next Generation. Barclay has always been a little neurotic. That’s always been the best part of the character. It shows that even in the 24th century, not everyone is this normal, happy person. (If that were the case, Counselor Troi would be out of a job.) Barclay is the character that’s used to show some of the more pronounced problems; in this episode, it’s a phobia, but he’s had an addiction to the holodeck and is known for being paranoid about his medical condition. Barclay has always been a little insecure. He’s a good engineer, but not sure of himself. Dwight Schultz does a great job with the role.

I’m torn between three and four stars. It’s above average, but I don’t think it’s that great that it’s half-way to five stars. I feel compelled to give it four stars because it is better than average, but it’s closer to 3? stars. I’d recommend this episode if it comes on TV or if you have the season set, but I wouldn’t rush out and buy the tape. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 121 (The Perfect Mate)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

The Enterprise is transporting an ambassador from Krios and his cargo to a designated point in space. The ambassador won’t say what the cargo is. All he’ll say is that it’s very fragile, irreplaceable and is supposed to end a centuries-long war between two worlds. En route to the worlds’ midway point, the Enterprise gets a distress call; two Ferengi are in a ship that’s about to explode. The Enterprise gets them out just in time. With that, the ship is back on its original course, agreeing to drop the Ferengi off after their current mission is over.

The trouble with Ferengi is that they always seem to be up to something. They’re very greedy and will do anything for the right price. They’ve orchestrated the distress call to get onboard the Enterprise. Don’t ask me how they knew that what they wanted would be on the Enterprise or how they properly timed the fake distress call; where there’s a will, there’s a way.

It’s obvious that they want what the ambassador has. One of them tries to buddy up to the ambassador while the other breaks into the cargo bay to scan the ambassador’s cargo. Before the second Ferengi can complete his scans, security walks in on him. Having been startled, the Ferengi loses his balance and causes the cargo to fall to the ground. The cargo turns out to be a woman, who comes out of stasis; the empath, named Kamala, is supposed to marry the leader of the other planet. What makes her so special? She’s an empath capable of molding her personality to whatever a potential mate could want. (Thus making her The Perfect Mate.) Male empaths are common among her people, but female ones occur only once every seven generations.

At first, Captain Picard voices strong objections to a sentient person being used as a gift. However, he comes to accept that there’s nothing he can do about it. However, when the Ferengi injure the Krois Ambassador, Picard has to take over for him. In spending so much time with Picard, Kamala eventually imprints Picard’s desires onto herself. Picard is a perfect gentleman, even after she imprints herself, pointing out that Kamala is supposed to marry someone else, even if he doesn’t agree with the nature of that marriage. Eventually, the Enterprise reaches its destination and the wedding happens. Kamala can still sense her husband’s desires, although she’ll always be Picard’s perfect mate.

This is one of the more complex story lines. At first, it’s about Kamala being used as a gift. It’s not nice, but Picard has no right to dictate policy or law to a foreign culture. Kamala is more than just a pretty, affable woman. She’s intelligent and strong. To have her used is something that not everyone can just accept.

There’s also the Ferengi’s desire to kidnap her, but the Ferengi are really nothing more than a joke. For years to follow, this episode (one line, really) became a joke among my friends and family. The Ferengi were originally intended to be an adversary to the Federation, but never quite came across as a serious threat. Normally, it would have been amazing that someone could have broken into the cargo bay that easily, especially considering the ambassador’s insistence on extra care. However, Ferengi eventually became known as a race that stops at nothing to get what they want.

The main storyline has to do with Picard being put in a difficult situation. Not only does he not agree with how Kamala is being used, but he also knows what Kamala is and what it would mean to spend so much time with her. He has to do something that he feels to be wrong to help end a war.

It’s a good episode that can be enjoyed by anyone. I’d say four stars. 

IMDb page

Star Trek The Next Generation - Episode 107 (Unification II)

Note:  I’m following production order with the reviews of individual episodes.  Since Part II started production before Part I, it has a lower episode number.


Star Trek:  The Next Generation had a few cliffhangers.  Most of the seasons ended with some major plot twist, leaving the viewers to wait three months to see what happened.  Here, we only had to wait a week.  Captain Picard and Lieutenant Commander Data travel to Romulus to find out what happened to Ambassador Spock.  You see, Spock mysteriously left Vulcan and showed up on Romulus.  This has everyone worried because Spock was a Starfleet officer and Vulcan Ambassador, meaning he had his share of secrets.

At the end of Part I, Picard and Data find Spock.  Picard and Spock speak privately, where Picard tells Spock of the death of Sarek.  Spock claims to be on a mission of peace, which doesn’t really satisfy Picard.  There are more official ways of doing that.  Spock references the events of Star Trek VI, which would be released the following month.  (It comes across more as a name drop than anything else.)

The reason Spock did it his way was that he was afraid of a repeat of the events of Star Trek VI, in which Spock helped tear down the barrier between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.  Because of a new proconsul, Spock feels that he can get Romulus to reunify with Vulcan.  While Romulans are still emotional and warlike, there is an element within the population that would like to know more.  There are elements within the senate, ostensibly like Pardek, that could work in Spock’s favor.  Yes, it’s possible that Spock is being played, but it’s worth the risk.  The payoff is too great.

Meanwhile, Riker, in charge of the Enterprise, discovers that an entire Vulcan ship has gone missing from a junkyard that doesn’t lose stuff.  What anyone would need with a Vulcan ship is anyone’s guess.  Riker is able to follow the trail, but it doesn’t turn up anything useful.  Things start to make sense when it’s revealed that Pardek is spying on Spock and the resistance.

It turns out that the Romulan government is sending not one but three Vulcan ships into Federation space, claiming to be a peace envoy from Romulus, compliments of Spock.  Things start to make sense.  Riker intercepts the Vulcan ships only to have a Romulan ship decloak and destroy all three ships.  The ships were actually an invasion force.   With the ruse busted, the Romulans cut their losses and go home.  Picard leaves Romulus with Spock staying behind, hoping to continue his work.  Yes, it’s idealistic, but it’s a worthwhile goal.

I remember wondering things when I first watched the episode.  I’ve seen it again recently and I have a few more.  First, how was Spock able to walk around Romulus?  Granted, he was being used for an invasion, but Vulcans and Romulans look dissimilar enough that someone would know that Spock isn’t a local.  Even if the government was telling security forces not to stop Spock, what would happen if someone didn’t get the memo?

The second issue is how the Romulans got three Vulcan ships into their space.  They were using intermediaries, but there’s a neutral zone between Federation and Romulan space.  No military vessel is supposed to enter the Neutral Zone.  I don’t know if this applies to civilian ships, but it seems odd that the Romulans wouldn’t complain about three ships entering there space.

For that matter, there’s no mention of Spock going to Romulas with anyone else.  No one thought to ask how Spock piloted three ships by himself?  Into enemy territory, no less.  All this to carry what was supposed to be a peace force back to Vulcan.  I would also think that one ship would have been enough to carry a small delegation of diplomats.  Why not keep the troops on the cloaked ship that the Romulans sent with the Vulcan ships?

I was wondering why the Romulans wanted to invade just Vulcan, but I guess it was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.  I don’t know how they planned to hold the planet, as I’m not sure how deep Vulcan is in Federation space.  The entire thing seemed very flimsy to me.

Unification is a somewhat continuity-dependant story.  Those that haven’t seen the previous two seasons will probably be lost.  Those that haven’t seen the original series will probably know some of the major details, but will still be missing out on stuff.

This wasn’t one of my favorite episodes.  It was entertaining, but it raised too many questions for me.  Some episodes became less confusing with subsequent viewings.  These became more confusing.  If you’re watching on Netlflix, you might as well watch these episodes.  If your DVR misses them, it’s won’t really make subsequent episodes harder to watch.

IMDb page

Star Trek The Next Generation - Episode 104 (Silicon Avatar)

WARNING:  I’m going to give away major details, including the ending.


There were some episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation that made you wonder.  The story itself may have made sense, but may have been short on details.  Take Silicon Avatar.  It’s never explicitly stated where the title comes from.  I’ve always assumed it referred to the main antagonist which, in the episode, is always referred to as The Crystalline Entity.

For those that have been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, this is the same Crystalline Entity seen in Datalore.  After being chased away by the Enterprise, it apparently wandered the galaxy and happed to wind up near a colony that the Enterprise was helping setting up.  It just so happens that the Enterprise isn’t arround when the Entity starts its attack.  We get the sense of urgency when the Entity’s energy beam turns grass and trees into dirt.  You see, it feeds on biological energy.

The few bridge officers on the planet are able to get most of the colonists to the safety of a cave.  (Only two die in the attack, including the love interest for Commander Riker.)  When the survivors emerge from the cave, they find that what was once a lovely planet is now a barren wasteland.  Every form of life has been sucked up, and I mean everything.

Enter Dr. Kila Marr.  She’s become the Federation’s expert on the Crystalline Entity.   She’s going to help The Enterprise find and, if necessary, destroy the creature before it can do more harm.  Oh, I should probably also mention that the Entity killed her son when it destroyed all life on Omicron Theta, Data’s home planet.  Minor detail.  Right?

The bridge crew is split on the issue of whether or not to destroy the Entity.  Commander Riker lost the woman he was flirting with, which makes him just a little bit vengeful.  Captain Picard, on the other hand, would like to communicate with the creature if possible.  Picard points out that whales often feed on large quantities of animals.   We can’t be mad at a creature, especially when we don’t know if it realizes what it’s doing.

When they do finally catch up with it, Dr. Marr is able to destroy the Crystalline Entity without much thought.  She’s certain that it’s the right thing to do.  It will never kill again.  She’s confined to quarters and we’re left to assume that some sort of action will be taken against her at a later date.

Upon rewatching the episode, I was left with a few questions.  First, why was it necessary to kill two of the colonists?  The only reason I can think of is to give Picard an opposing voice among his bridge officers.  We already know that the Crystalline Entity is capable of destroying whole worlds.  Either way, we do have the mother of someone killed by the Entity, so Riker’s objections are somewhat redundant.

Speaking of which, why would they give Dr. Marr access to weapons, knowing her connection to the Crystalline Entity?  It seemed odd that no one made much of an effort to restrain her or power down the graviton beam.  IT would have been so easy to prevent the death.

I would have like to learn more about it, even if it was a destroyer of worlds.  How does a being like that come in to existence?  Are there more of them?  Is this an experiment gone wrong?  How is it that it’s capable of warp speed on its own?  The episode is focused more on the vengeance angle.  The Entity is just a way to focus one woman’s obsession.

This is one of those episodes I’d consider skipable unless you’re dead set on watching all of the episodes.  It does rely on a first-season episode.  The writing assumes that you’ve seen it, but I don’t recall any future episodes relying on you having seen this one.  It’s not on my list of top episodes.


IMDb page

Star Trek The Next Generation - Episode 100 (Redemption: Part 1)

Note: This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

WARNING:  This review gives away major details, up to and including the ending.  If you’re not in to that, you may want to stop reading.


The season cliffhangers tended to be problematic.  The first two seasons didn’t use them.  When the third season ended, we had a cliffhanger where Captain Picard had been assimilated by the Borg.  The last scene is Commander Riker giving the order to fire on the Borg cube containing the captain.  The forth season begins with it not working at all.  The resulting episode ended up not being that good.

Here, we have a similar situation.  This is the final episode of the fourth season.  Captain Picard is on his way to finish his role as arbiter of succession when he’s met by Gowron, the man he’s supposed to be installing as leader of the high council.  Gowron informs him that things aren’t going so well.  Before Gowron leaves, Worf makes a proposition:  My brother, Kurn, and  I will support you if you restore our family honor.  Gowron tells Worf that this is not how a Klingon gets his honor back.

Just before Picard is able to install Gowron, a challenger appears in the form of Toral.  Toral is the illegitimate son of Duras, the man who challenged Gowron for the position of chancellor.  With Toral are his two aunts, Lursa and B’Etor.  They ask Picard to consider Toral’s claim.  He does and, while the lineage is not in question, Toral hasn’t done anything to prove himself.  Toral can go take a flying leap for all Picard cares; Picard completes the ceremony.

This leads to Lursa and B’Etor to start a civil war with the Romulans backing them.  There’s also that shadowy female Romulan from a few episodes ago.   Gowron does end up needing help and Worf does help, leading Gowron to restore his family honor.  Gowron then uses this as leverage to get Worf to lean on Picard for Federation support.  When Picard doesn’t want to get involved in an internal Klingon matter, Worf resigns and joins Kurn on his ship.  In the final scene of the episode, we see the shadowy woman step out into the light…and it’s Denise Crosby playing a Romulan!

As you can imagine, there are certain continuity issues for people just coming in to the series.  Denise Crosby, for instance, played Chief of Security Tasha Yar for most of the show’s first season.  She returned for an episode called Yesterday’s Enterprise which will serve as the basis for her appearance here.  (More on that in the next episode.)  Also, the whole story of Worf’s discommendation took up much of this season and the last.  He took discommendation knowing that calling out Duras might split the empire.  Apparently, it delayed it rather than preventing it, although this is never mentioned in the episode.

I do have issues with the episode.  First, Toral doesn’t realize what a huge tool he is.  This is in addition to being your typical arrogant, self-important teenager.  Lursa and B’Etor have to handle him.  The Romulans want to deal with him as little as possible.  Everyone else seems to recognize him for what he is.  We get the impression that this is the Duras Sisters' last, desperate hope at not seeing Gowron as chancellor.  If it weren’t for the fact that Toral is such a twerp, I’d feel sorry for him.

By other big issue is when Denise Crosby comes out of the shadows.  It seems that this is played for effect.  When the episode first appeared, we had to wait three months for an explanation.  Who was this woman?  She has a Romulan haircut, but she’s a blonde.  How is she related to Tasha Yar?  This will be answered in the season-five premier.

This episode and the next one are probably the most continuity-dependent episodes so far in the series.  For this reason, I’d recommend not getting the VHS, but getting the DVD season sets instead.  Unfortunately, the two episodes will be split.  This will be on the last episode on fourth-season set while Part II will be the first episode on the fifth-season set.  (This shouldn’t be an issue for those that have Netflix streaming, though.) 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 94 (Qpid)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Most of the episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were relatively serious.  There would usually be some serious point about the rights of a minority or arranged marriages.  Sometimes, the message was subtle.  Sometimes, it was glaringly obvious.  There were a few episodes that seemed to be more humorous.  (Somehow, silly doesn’t seem like quite the right word, but they probably get called that.)

Q is back and claiming that he owes Captain Picard a debt stemming from the events of Déjà Q.  Q had been kicked out of the Continuum and stripped of his powers.  Without Picard’s help, Q never would have been reinstated.  Q desperately tries to think of something to do for Picard.  The ship is in orbit of a planet, Tegus III.  Q offers to take him to the planet’s ruins, which are off limits to outsiders.  Picard refuses that and any other suggestions, simply wanting Q to be gone.

Also on board is Vash, a former love interest of the captain’s from the episode Captain’s Holiday.  Apparently, he’s never mentioned her to anyone, despite having told her about all of the crewmembers.  Q sees an opportunity.  As Picard is starting his keynote speech for an archaeological convention on the ship, Q changes the clothing of the bridge crew, who are all sitting in the back row.  Worf gets a red outfit.  Data is changed to look like a monk.  Picard is also given a new outfit before the bridge crew is transported to a planet.

They quickly figure out that everyone is supposed to be a character from Robin Hood, with Picard taking the main role.  (Data is Friar Tuck, Worf is Will Scarlett, Riker is John Little and so on.)  They eventually realize that Vash is presumably Maid Marian.  They can’t tell for certain, as she’s being held by Sir Guy of Gisbourne.  Q inserts himself into the story as the Sherriff of Nottingham and informs the bridge crew that they’re to rescue Vash.  Eventually, she’s saved and the bridge crew is sent back to the ship.  Q drops in later with Vash and informs Picard that they’ll be traveling the galaxy together.  All is right again.

The episode seems to be written to bring the characters of Vash and Q together.  It seems odd to me, first off, that Q would want to repay a debt to Picard, since it was really Data that seemed to show him the most compassion.  At the end of the episode, Q even says as much, telling Data that he acted more compassionate than most of the humans did.  Shouldn’t Q be more focused on Data?

Also, Q goes through all this trouble to show Picard how much he really cares for Vash.  Then, Q and Vash go  running off together.  Picard points out that the two have a lot of similar traits and makes Q promise to ensure her safety, but it does seem like a rather selfish thing to do.

I always remember thinking that it was strange that Picard went through all of the trouble to write his speech, then had to miss it.  What strikes me as odd having watched it recently is that it didn’t seem like anyone missed the bridge crew.  Yes, Riker says that he’ll tell everyone that Q is around, so whoever took command of the Enterprise probably figured out what was going on, especially considering that the conference members witnessed the bridge crew leaving the ship.  Still you’d think someone would want to alert the bridge that they were back.

There were several scenes that were memorable, including Worf’s line, “Sir, I protest!  I am not a merry man!”  I remember referencing this for many years.  The other was Worf smashing a lute against a rock, apologizing immediately.

The episode is kind of hard to take seriously.  I don’t even get what the point was supposed to be, as Vash and Q both leave the ship at the end of the episode.  Nothing really changes.  Since Q is known for tormenting the bridge crew, it could very easily have been another one of his games.  It’s hard to recommend buying the episode on VHS, as it references so many of the previous episodes.  You’d be better off spending your money on the DVD set or watch streaming through Netflix.


IMDb page
 

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 89 (First Contact)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Starfleet, while ostensibly military, is ultimately motivated to explore space and meet new civilizations.  Some of those civilizations aren’t yet aware that they’re not alone in the universe.  They’re just creating warp drive to start exploring their own immediate neighborhood.  Normally, the Federation sends in people to covertly observe the culture.  You can learn only so much from radio transmissions and remote sensors.  Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem except that Commander Riker is caught in a riot and hospitalized.

It doesn’t take long for the Malcorians to figure out that Riker is a little different.  The prosthetics are meant to fool only at a distance; closer inspection reveals what they really are.  His organs aren’t where a Malcorian would expect them to be, either.  The doctors agree not to say anything until they can figure out who and what their patient is.  When Riker awakens, he gives a fake name and bio, which don’t check out, of course.  (You’d think by the 24th century, we’d have mastered doctoring an identity, or at least identity theft for covert purposes.)

Meanwhile, Captain Picard is looking for his missing officer, who was only there to check in on their operatives.  Since Riker lost his combadge, there’s no way of locating him or getting a message to him.  (This confused me, as the Enterprise’s sensors should be able to differentiate Malcorian from non-Malcorian life signs.  I don’t imagine that there are too many human males on the planet.)

This necessitates premature first contact.  Picard first contacts Science Minister Marista Yale, who he figures will be more receptive to aliens.  She agrees, as their security minister, Krola, is her philosophical opposite on the matter.  After meeting with their leader, Chancellor Durken, Picard is able to smooth things over, but finding Riker isn‘t going to be easy.

There are a lot of hospitals in the area where Riker was last seen and Yale doesn‘t think it would be a good idea to tell Durken for fear that Krola will find Riker first.  Eventually, Riker is located and he’s treated to a last-minute save.  It’s ultimately decided that the Malcorians should wait until they’re ready.  Their culture hasn’t caught up to their science and there are too many people like Krola for them to be venturing that far out just yet.  Yale does ask Picard to take her with them.  Durken tells Picard that she won’t be happy, as he’ll have to put restrictions on her.  Picard agrees and has quarters assigned to her.  This is, of course, the last we see of her.

I don’t know why I don’t remember two first-contact stories back to back.  Yes, they ended differently, but it’s odd how The Next Generation did this.  You might have five or six family episodes in a row.  You might have a few episodes centered around technology gone bad.  I even noticed six consecutive episodes in the third season that started with “the” in the title.  (Three of the five before that streak also fit the pattern.)

Overall, it was a good episode with a few minor points.  It’s always been a peeve of mine when an alien planet simply has directional continents.  I know we have places like North Dakota and West Virginia.  However, Malcor III has, simply, The Southern Continent.  What are the odds of an alien culture even having the same concept of direction as us?  I wonder if the writers ever get too lazy to come up with names.  Have you noticed how many characters are named after something?  (Sometimes, they at least spell it backwards.  Notice that this episode has a character named Dr. Nilrem.)

Another thing that got me was the 29-hour days.  Hours themselves tend to be arbitrary.  Our units of time are based on the vibration of the cesium atom.  The Malcorians could have used anything.  Ultimately, though, you’d probably want to pick a number of hours that are divisible by some other number.  24 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12.  At least the Bajorans have 26, which can be divided into two 13-hour halves.  29 is prime.  I’m sure that there’s a good reason for it.  We’re left to wonder what that is.

One thing I liked was that the crew took Marista Yale with them.  It would have been so cruel to reveal the existence of alien life, only to leave her on Malcor III.  Even without the restrictions, could you imagine being the only one that had that kind of prolonged contact with aliens?  There would be a limited number of people you could discuss it with.  You’d also spend the rest of your life knowing that they’re out there enjoying themselves while you’re stuck on some backwater planet that probably won’t get its act together within your lifetime.  I would have at least liked to have seen her again, just to see how she’s adjusting to life in the Federation. 

IMDb page

Star Trek The Next Generation - Episode 75 (Best of Both Worlds: Part 2)

Best of Both Worlds was The Next Generation’s first attempt at a season cliffhanger.   Episode 74 ended the third season with Captain Picard having been assimilated by The Borg, a ‘race’ of cyborgs.  They’re intent on assimilating The United Federation of Planets and, to do this, decide to use the captain of Starfleet’s flagship as a voice to get everyone to surrender.  No such luck.  A specialist is even brought on board.  Part I ends with Riker giving the order to destroy the ship that Picard is on rather than let it get to Earth.  They have one weapon that might work and they may not get another chance to use it.

Part II begins exactly where Part I ended; the weapon charges and fires, but nothing happens.  Picard was briefed on the weapon.  Since the Borg know what Picard knows, they know what the weapon does and how to stop it.  The Borg leave the Enterprise stranded.  While the Enterprise is being repaired, approximately 40 ships engage the Borg cube at Wolf 359 and are promptly destroyed.  Fortunately, Riker is able to get Picard back, albeit as a drone.  The crew is able to find a way to use this to stop the cube and cause it to destroy itself.

The big problem with episodic television is that you can’t usually have the main protagonist (or agency that the protagonists work for) fall that easily.  It’s the first episode of the fourth season.  You’re going to tell me that the rest of the season is going to be about the Federation being beaten?  Of course, the problem with answering no to that question is that the pendulum has to swing the other way.

The Borg are this awesome antagonist.   They’re so sure that their plan will work that they send one ship to take one swing at their enemy.  They come on to the Enterprise and assimilate one person.  If I were them, I would have taken as much of the crew as possible.  For that matter, why go for the heart of The Federation?  Why not start with the outer planets?  Why send one cube?  Why not send dozens and attack every planet at once?

Also, this is a cube that destroys 39 ships (including at least one that Riker was offered) and they manage to be outdone by one subroutine that no one thought to protect.  Yes, the crew uses a back door to make the ship destroy itself.  It’s never clearly stated why it works, but it does.  It turns out there may have been a reason for that.

This was one of those episodes where time changed my opinion of it.  On its face, the episode doesn’t stand up that well.  It’s kind of a letdown.  I recently found out that there were issues behind the scenes that affected how the episode was written.  Most notably, Patrick Stewart had yet to renew his contract when the first part was written.  Had he not come back, the Borg cube would have been destroyed and Riker would have become the new captain.

Speaking of which, Michael Pillar had written Part I expecting that he wouldn’t be returning, either.  He wrote this epic setup thinking that someone else would have to resolve it.  When he was asked back for the fourth season, he found himself having to sleep in the bed he made.

There had also been talk of making this a three-part episode.  Had that been done, we would have seen the battle at Wolf 359.  It would also explain why The Enterprise’s endgame worked.  There may have been more to it that was cut out for time’s sake.  It’s interesting to think of what else would have happened.  (Also, would the fourth season had 27 episodes or would another episode not have been produced?)

Even in retrospect, the episode seems a little weak to me.  The Borg were designed to be a replacement for the Ferengi.  We went from having an adversary that was too weak to having one that was too strong.  I’m not sure that I could have done better.  Still, it seems like were dealing with too extremes.  It’s too bad the Borg couldn’t have assimilated the Ferengi and found some middle ground.


IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 74 (The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

 

For those that don’t know, the Borg are cybernetic organisms that assimilate entire worlds to make more drones and add to their technology. In the Best of Both Worlds, the Borg come after the Federation. The plan is to abduct Picard and use his knowledge (and face) to assimilate the Federation. Here’s the plot in a nutshell:

The Borg were encountered in a previous episode and are pretty much unbeatable. They have an incredible ability to adapt and since they have assimilated so many other cultures, their technology is already very advanced. The Federation has had time to try and develop some sort of defense, but it’s not anywhere near where they’d need it.

Lt. Cmdr. Shelby comes on board the Enterprise as a Borg Tactical Specialist. (But she really wants Riker’s job.) She and Data work together to develop a weapon. There’s no guarantee that it will be ready or that it will work.

Picard knows that there’s a dark cloud hanging over him and it’s in the shape of a Borg cube. The Borg assimilate several colonies and destroy several ships during the episode, but when they encounter the Enterprise, they are only interested in assimilating Picard. The theory is that the Enterprise can escort the cube back to Earth; the sight of this should scare the Federation into surrendering. They finally succeed in capturing and assimilating him. Riker has to make a choice and he decides to destroy the Borg cube knowing full well that it will kill Picard. The last scene is of Riker giving the order.

Now, here are the problems that I had with the episode:

First, why would the Borg send only one ship to assimilate the Federation? Are they really so arrogant that they think that one ship is enough? Even if they do succeed, they’ll probably want a few more ships to help assimilate everyone unless they plan on building a few here.

Secondly, why do the Borg really stop at Picard? Given the chance, why not grab as many officers as possible? Wouldn’t that have had a more dramatic effect on the Federation? I’d think it would be more of a blow to the Federation to flat out lose its flagship.

Ok. Enough of the complaining. I’ll admit that I haven’t thought of a better way to handle it, but those things bugged me. We get to see the main characters deal with a crisis and fans were left with the first of many season-ending cliffhangers. If you do rent or buy this, you’ll have to make sure you get the next episode as well.)

I’ll be reviewing the second part separately, so be on the lookout for that. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 69 (Hollow Pursuits)

Note:  This review was origianally posted to my Epinions account.

 

It seems like everything in the 24th century is perfect.  Everyone is happy and well-fed.  Things seem good for everyone.  Then again, the show primarily takes place on the flagship of the Federation.  There is a pretty high standard.  This is why it’s so confusing when Lt. Reginald Barclay is transferred into the Enterprise’s engineering section from another ship.  He’s usually late.  His work is barely passable.  It seems as though someone was padding his performance reviews to pass him off on someone else.  Captain Picard decides that instead of doing the same, Lt. Cmdr. La Forge is going to become Barclay’s new best friend and make him into an officer worthy of being on the Enterprise.

La Forge is resistant at first.  Nobody likes the guy.  He knows his stuff, but he’s socially awkward.  He can’t seem to get a sentence out without someone interrupting him.  Add to that the fact that he runs to the holodeck and escapes into fantasy when the going gets tough.  The Enterprise is actually having a series of problems that La Forge needs people working on.  (The only serious problem is a transporter malfunctioning.)

When La Forge visits Ten Forward, the ship’s lounge, Guinan points out that maybe he’s looking at this backwards.  Instead of having to deal the guy that’s so strange, realize that maybe the reason he’s so strange is that no one wants to deal with him.  If someone takes the time to be his friend, maybe Barclay will come out of his shell.

Of course, it’s not that simple. Whenever someone gives him grief, Barclay goes back to the holodeck.  His fantasy world becomes more strange.  The attractive Counselor Troi becomes the Goddess of Empathy.  When Commander Riker becomes too threatening, Barclay creates a shorter version of him.  When the crew discovers this, no one is amused by their counterpart.  It isn’t until a crisis hits that La Forge is able to pull Barclay out of the holodeck long enough to do anything and it is Barclay that comes up with the winning idea.

I think part of the difficulty in writing a flawed character like Barclay onto the Enterprise is that, as I said, this is the flagship.  It’s only because someone was doctoring performance reviews that Barclay even made it.  However, the episode handles it well.  We get to see a Starfleet officer who can’t make it on a day-to-day basis.  The truth is that we all have moments when we’d like to run home and hide from the world, but we don’t.  We have ways of coping.  (Who hasn’t been nervous about going to a party?)

Barclay is a little overdone.  He seems to be a little too nervous at first.  It does get toned down in later appearances, but it almost comes across as comical.  I have to wonder how he was put in engineering.  I understand that it’s sometimes difficult to fire someone and it’s possible that Starfleet Academy didn’t have the same pressures.  I just don’t know I want this guy around critical systems.

It seems like the series is finding a good balance in the episodes.  Even if it’s silly, it’s not overdone.  The stories are more believable and the actors seem to have a good handle on the characters.  We have a more coherent episode here.  Barclay will come back in later episodes.  He’ll still be awkward, but he’ll have his moments. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 62 (A Matter of Perspective)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

You’d think that in the 24th century, we’d have it all figured out.  Apparently, there’s still room for improvement.  Dr. Nel Apgar is looking in to a new energy source called Krieger waves.  He’s doing his research on a station orbiting Tanuga.  Since the U.S.S. Enterprise is in the area, they decide to drop off Commander Riker and Chief Engineer La Forge for a few days.  The episode begins with Commander Riker being beamed back from the station where Dr. Apgar is doing his work.  The station explodes.  Fortunately, Riker makes it back ok, but Dr. Apgar dies in the explosion.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, an investigator beams over from the planet asking to extradite Riker…for murder.  You see, Dr. Apgar lived on the station with his wife, Manua, and assistant, Tayna.  Both were on the planet when the station exploded, which means that both can serve as witnesses.  They both say that Riker did it.

Riker maintains that Dr. Apgar was agitated about their arrival and that Mrs. Apgar was hitting on him.  Riker and La Forge had accommodations on the planet, but she insisted that they stay on the station.  Mrs. Apgar claims that he was hitting on her and it was Riker’s idea to stay on the station.  Tayna’s contribution is that Dr. Apgar got into a fight with Riker, then sent his wife and assistant down to the planet.  She offered to call the authorities, but Dr. Apgar said he’d take care of it.

Captain Picard doesn’t want to allow extradition of his first officer.  Since Commander Riker makes it to the end of the series, I think we can assume that it all works out for him.  This is one of the problems with American television.  There’s no real risk of someone leaving the show.

My mother and I both watch British shows and have commented on how characters keep dying off.  This is because British shows often have two- or three-year contracts.  If I recall, the initial contracts for The Next Generation were five years.  We know that Commander Riker isn’t going to be extradited.  (Yes, he’s lucky with the ladies, but he doesn’t seem like the kind to hit on a married woman.)

One thing I was wondering about was the use of the holodeck.  Holodecks strike me as the kind of thing that use a lot of power.  It was discovered that the holodeck was inadvertently converting energy from the planet into radiation that was harming the ship.  This would imply that they left the holodeck running, even when it wasn’t in use.  This seems kind of wasteful to me.

The episode ends up being one of those fluff episodes.  You know that someone’s going to figure it out at the last second, which is what happens.  We get to see all of these different perspectives.  In the end, we may never know exactly what happened.  It’s possible that Riker was flirting (or that Mrs. Apgar took it as such.)  It’s possible that she was the wife of a man who didn’t show her enough attention and read something into the situation.  In the end, it’s a watchable, yet skipable, episode. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 59 (The Hunted)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Most of the time, the various Star Trek series were able to get a point across with subtlety.  You might not get the point right away.  Even if you did, it was more like, “Oh.  I see what you did there.”  On a few occasions, it was about as subtle as a flyswatter to the forehead.  Repeatedly.  One of those flyswatter episodes was “The Hunted.”

The episode starts with the Enterprise visiting Angosia.  They’re applying to be in the United Federation of Planets.  Everything looks good.  They just got out of a messy war, but they seem to have recovered nicely.  They’re a peaceful race that values the intellect above all.  There’s just one slight problem:  Roga Danar.  He’s escaped from a prison colony on Lunar V.  The Angosian prime minister, Nayrok, warns the crew to be careful.  He has a long list of crimes and is very dangerous.

He tricks the crew a few times, but is eventually beamed aboard.  As per the warning, it takes five Starfleet officers to subdue him.  Once in captivity, he has nightmares so strong that Counselor Troi senses them.  She goes to see who this troubled person is only to find out that he’s very calm and rational, much like any other Angosian.  It’s hard to believe that he’s some madman, except that it took five Starfleet officers to subdue him.

Here’s the thing:  That long list of crimes against Angosian society doesn’t exist.  It’s a military prison, but Danar has committed no crimes.  The Angosian military created these genetically and psychologically enhanced soldiers.  After the war, little attempt was made to undo what was done.  They were made to defend themselves at all costs, so the littlest threat would provoke them to kill someone.  The solution was to move them all off world.

Danar will escape by any means necessary, including busting out of a transporter beam.  I know.  I didn’t think it was possible either.  It’s never mentioned how he can do this and I’ve never seen it done before or after.  I think this is done simply because the writers couldn’t think of another way for him to escape.  Either that, or it’s to show that this guy really is that good.  I’m going with the first one, though.

When the episode first aired, I remember thinking that it was an obvious take on how we don’t treat returning veterans that well.  Even if I didn’t fully get that war changes a person, I got that veterans don’t always get access to basic stuff they need and that we need to treat them better.  Upon rewatching the episode, it comes across as a very blunt criticism.  I don’t really want to get into this, though.  I’ve never served in the military and I don’t know that it’s my place to comment.  I would, however, like to see a veteran’s response to this episode.

Danar points out that it was his bad timing that got him caught.  I wonder what would have happened if he had tried to escape when the Enterprise wasn’t there.  The Federation might never have known about Angosia’s dirty little secret.  Oh, and if Prime Minister Nayrok looks familiar, yes, that’s James Cromwell.  Yes, that James Cromwell.  There’s not much makeup, but it’s kind of odd seeing him as an alien.

This is one of those episodes I don’t know that I’d recommend watching unless you were set on watching them all in order.  Technically, I’m reviewing the episode on VHS and I don’t know that I’d recommend buying VHS to begin with.  (Can you even buy the VHS episodes new?)  Instead, put your money towards the season set. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 49 (Ensigns of Command)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

The Sheliac don’t think too highly of humans. Still, they give the Federation time to transport a group of humans off of a planet of theirs.  The thing is that it isn’t capable of supporting normal human life. The Enterprise goes there to find that there are, indeed, humans living on the planet. Data, an android, is the only one on the ship capable of surviving on the surface. He has days to convince the inhabitants to leave or be killed by the Sheliac.

The humans are the descendants of colonists that were bound for another planet, but crashed before they got there. It took a while, but the colonists figured out how to survive and set up a city. Their leader doesn’t want to leave, convinced that they can fight. Data tells them that the Sheliac are far superior and will probably destroy them if they don’t leave.

As if that’s not bad enough, the transporters don’t work given the presence of the radiation. Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge, Transporter Chief Miles O’Brien and Wesley Crusher are assigned to the problem, but can’t come up with a solution.

The only thing left to do is to call in a dedicated transport ship with enough shuttlecraft to bring everyone up, but it will be several weeks before one is available. Fortunately, Captain Picard is able to find a way to delay the Sheliac and Data is able to convince the people that they’re no match for the Sheliac.

It’s an interesting episode, but there are a few problems. First, When O’Brien and La Forge are transporting a test object, the Enterprise has to leave orbit. They still manage to transport test objects. Where are they sending them? While they were in orbit, it would have been very easy to find some remote spot on the planet to beam something down. That would have very easily simulated the radiation because it was present in the same levels as anywhere else in the area. After the ship broke orbit, they would have had to presumably beam the test objects to somewhere else on the ship. I don’t recall any mention of setting up a way to simulate the conditions that existed on the planet.

Also, I hate it when people get belligerent when they’re in a difficult situation. Granted, the people on the planet were being asked to leave their homes, but why does it take so much effort to convince them that the Sheliac will destroy them? It’s bad enough that they have to wait for a transport ship.

The good news is that Dr. Crusher is back. A lot of people didn’t like Dr. Pulaski. This episode and the next aired out of order, making “Evolution” the season premier. Not much was said about the return of Crusher and I don’t think anything was ever said about Pulaski’s departure. (I think in the rest of the series, Pulaski’s name was mentioned once.)

I’d give the episode four stars, but I can’t recommend actually buying it. I’d recommend renting it, instead. As good as the episode was, it doesn’t really hold up on repeated viewings. “Ensigns of Command” was another title that I didn’t understand. There’s got to be some reference that I’m missing. If you know what it means, please leave a comment. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 46 (The Emissary)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

The Enterprise gets a message to go to a set of coordinates. Nothing is given in the way of explanation or further instructions. Just go to a point in space and wait for someone, who will explain everything. When the ship arrives, they find a probe, or at least the shell of a probe, gutted and fitted with life support. It’s not much to look at, but it’s enough to transport one person. It’s opened to reveal a woman, Klingon in appearance, who identifies herself as K’Ehleyr. She’s actually half Klingon, half Human.

She and Worf (who is 100% Klingon) had an affair several years ago. They broke it off and now Worf doesn’t seem to want much to do with her at first. When he tries to rekindle their relationship, she goes along with it at first. However, she’s not as marriage-minded as Worf is.

K’Ehleyr was sent as an envoy to help the Enterprise with a very important mission. There was an old Klingon ship used as a sleeper vessel. The crew is about to come out of a 75-year stasis. 75 years ago, the Federation and the Klingon Empire were at war and the ship is in Federation space, so there’s a good chance that the Klingons will pick one of several nearby targets and attack. A Klingon ship is on its way, but the Enterprise is the closest ship.

If the Enterprise can get there in time, it’s just a matter of resetting the stasis controls so that the Klingons stay asleep until another Klingons ship can arrive and bring them up to speed. If not, then it may be necessary to destroy the sleeper ship. Fortunately, Worf is able to come up with a solution. Worf decides to stay on the Enterprise while K’Ehleyr beams over to the sleeper ship to wait with them.

I have a few questions, mostly about the sleeper ship. First, what would a warp-capable species need with a sleeper ship? If you can travel from one side of your territory to another in a matter of months, a 75-year stasis is a long time. Romulans, I could understand because Romulans of the era might not have had warp drive. However, Klingons always had warp drive.

Secondly, why did the Klingon government wait so long to do anything about it? In 75 years, no one was able to go to the ship and wake them up a little early? No one stumbled upon the vessel? Either the Klingon Empire lost the ship and was lucky enough to find it in time or they were just lazy about it. I find it hard to believe that it took them 75 years to get around to it.

K’Ehleyr also breaks a glass table. Just as the original series seemed to have a rule about security personnel not coming back from an away mission, The Next Generation had a rule about glass objects not surviving Klingon guest characters. I think in every episode where there was a visiting Klingon, something transparent was shattered.

Worf and K’Ehleyr played well off each other. She tends more toward human values whereas Worf is more of a traditional Klingon. It’s a shame that she was in only one other episode. If you can look past the makeup, you may remember Suzie Plakson as Dr. Selar in “The Schizoid Man”.

I can recommend this episode, but I’m only giving it three stars. Those that aren’t fans of the show may not understand Worf and what his heritage means to him. (Even those that have been watching the series up until now may not fully understand everything.) I don’t think that you’d need to be a fan to understand it, but it might help. It was a good episode, but I don’t usually go out of my way to watch it in reruns.

IMDb page