Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 64 (The Offspring)

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

WARNING:  I’m going to give away major details of the episode.  If you’re not into that, you might want to hold off on reading this review.

On Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data is unique.  He’s an android made by Noonian Soong.  In fact, he’s one of two of Soong’s androids known to exist at the time of the 64th episode of the series.  (The other one is Lore, who is presumed deactivated, but more on that in a later episode.)  Data, after attending a cybernetics conference, decides to make another Soong-type android…without telling anyone.  He finally reveals his creation to Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge, Counselor Deanna Troi and Wesley Crusher.  All three are surprised, to say the least.

The android, who he’s calling Lal, isn’t finished.  He hasn’t given his child an appearance yet, preferring to let his child make the actual choice.  Also, Data has to finish copying the rest of his neural pathways.  (The technology to do so was what kept him from trying before.)  Lal chooses to appear to be a human female, becoming Data’s daughter.  Now comes the hard part:  raising Lal.  Data tries to put her in school, but she doesn’t fit in.  She’s too awkward for the older kids and she’s too smart for the younger kids.

Even though Data has no emotions, it’s tough for him to watch her stumble.   He eventually puts her in Ten Forward, the ship’s lounge.  She still has trouble, but she has Guinan there to teach her.  She still has trouble adapting, but she is learning and it’s at least funny to watch her meet Cmdr. Riker.  What’s not so funny is one Admiral Anthony Haftel, coming to assess whether or not Lal should stay under Data’s care. And when I say “assess”, I mean “put on a show to make it look like an assessment”.  He’s already made up his mind that she’s going back with him.

Once the show is over and Admiral Haftel has announced his decision, Lal is excused.  She runs to Counselor Troi claiming to be afraid, which she actually is.  Lal then goes back to the lab, where she and Counselor Troi wait for Data to show up and try to repair her.  The new emotion is too much for her new positronic brain, resulting in a cascading failure that Data can’t fix.  Admiral Haftel comes out of the lab to announce that she has a short time to live.

One of the things I hate is when a TV series introduces a character only to kill them off within the same episode.  Hallie Todd does great as Lal, especially considering that she’s given the one episode to appear in.  It’s just that you kind of know going into it that she’s not going to live past the closing credits.  It would have been nice to see her grow a little.  The thing is that you don’t even have to kill her off.  You could have her appear in a few episodes, then eventually go off with Admiral Haftel.  Have Data win the battle, but let Starfleet study the new android when the time is right.

On that note, I find it odd that Data was eventually willing to give up.  When the Haftel announces that he’s taking Lal back, Data gives this whole speech about how he wouldn’t be a good parent if he just released his child into the custody of the first person to ask nicely.  Then, Haftel orders Data to release Lal into his custody because he’s ordering it.  Data just turns to get Lal; Captain Picard has to order Data not to do it.

Ultimately, it’s a good episode, even if it’s not perfect.  It deals with what it means to be a parent.  Just because Lal wasn’t ‘born’ in the conventional sense doesn’t make Data any less of a father.  For that matter, what’s a child?  Even though Lal appears to be a grown woman, she still has a lot of learning to do.  (On that note, why does a multi-species society like the Federation have such a hard time grasping that children will often look different from one species to the next?)  It’s definitely one of the episodes to look forward to. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 63 (Yesterday's Enterprise)

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Most of the first two seasons of The Next Generation weren’t that good.  You had episodes like “The Naked Now” that were rehashing episodes of the original series.  Then you had some like “Shades of Grey” that were just being used as filler.  The third season had its stinkers, too, but the quality seemed to be getting better.  One of the better episodes is “Yesterday’s Enterprise”.

The U.S.S. Enterprise is just minding its own business when a vortex opens up.  (It’s funny how vortexes seem to open up when the Enterprise is around.)  Out of the vortex comes another ship, the U.S.S. Enterprise.  The Enterprise from The Next Generation is the fifth to bear the call sign NCC-1701, making it NCC-1701-D.  The one coming out of the vortex is its immediate predecessor, NCC-1701-C.  As soon as it emerges, everything changes.  The Enterprise-D is now a battleship.  Star dates are now combat dates.  (I mean, really?)  Everything is darker and the bridge layout has Riker manning a station rather than sitting next to the captain.  Gone is the Klingon chief of security, Worf.  In his place is Tasha Yar, the former chief of security who had died late in the first season.

The Enterprise-C is badly beaten, which is understandable.  They were defending a Klingon outpost from a Romulan attack.  This explains why history has changed.  In the new history, the Enterprise-C was lost.  There’s no record of them defending the Klingons, who are now at war with the Federation.  Returning the Enterprise-C would surely result in its destruction, but that destruction would be viewed favorably (read: honorably) by the Klingons.  Add to this Guinan, who runs the ship’s lounge, Ten Forward.  Ten Forward exists on both ships, as does Guinan.  The alternate Guinan senses that it’s all wrong and urges Picard to do the right thing.  (It’s actually Guinan’s insistence that gets Picard to even consider it.)

So, the decision is made to send the Enterprise-C back to meet their fate.  At the last minute, Tasha Yar decides to go back with the Enterprise-C.  The reason for this is that Guinan suddenly senses that Tasha Yar isn’t supposed to exist.  All she knows is that the chief of security died a senseless death.  I’m not sure how many times the two met in the alternate timeline.  I find it odd that Guinan picks this moment to get the willies.  Either way, history is set right and the normal Enterprise-D barely picks up what appears to be a ship and go off on their merry way.

This is one of the few cases where I’m going to pick apart an episode I like.  Yes, I’m giving it more than three stars.  Yes, I’m recommending it.  This does not mean I don’t have issues with it.  First, I find it odd that both versions of the Enterprise-D happened to be near the vortex.  Generally, when you have alternate histories, the same characters exists.  If the histories diverged several generations prior to the events of the episode or movie, the odds of the same people being involved are low.  Do you realize the odds of all the parents and grandparents having the same set of kids?  The same sperm would have to hit the same egg billions of times.

Granted, we only have a 22-year divergence here and yes, we do have a character that ended up not dying when she should have, to say nothing of what happened to Worf.  (We’re left to assume that he’s somewhere safe in the Klingon Empire.)  Still, there are other time-travel episodes.  There’s even a two-part episode that sets up how Picard met Guinan.  It’s hinted that a very specific set of events need to occur.  I wonder if those events happen in the alternate time line.  The presence of Guinan was ultimately only necessary to send Tasha Yar back.  I’d imagine that the crew could have come to realize that they needed to send the ship back on their own.

Another thing that got my attention was that it was implied that the Enterprise-C defending the outpost was the cause of peace with the Klingons.  Star Trek VI would seem to indicate otherwise.  I think this was one of those cases where the episode aired before the movie came out.  It’s possible that something happened in the intervening years.

You really can’t watch this episode in isolation.  You really have to have seen the preceding episodes to understand this.  There was an emotional impact of losing Tasha Yar and a certain joy in seeing her return.  There is also a lasting impact on future episodes.  It’s one of those episodes where, if you’ve watched the entire series, your head will start spinning thinking of all the things that should have been and were necessary in the other timeline.

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

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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. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 61 (Déjà Q)

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Q isn’t very well liked among the bridge crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. You see, he’s this omnipotent being that put humanity on trial and used the bridge crew specifically to answer for the crimes of their species. Now, all of a sudden, Q drops in and claims that he’s lost his powers. Because of all the trouble that he’s caused humanity, he’s been kicked out of the Q Continuum. He chose to be human and deposited on the Enterprise.

Normally, it would have been funny. However, the Enterprise is in the middle of an important mission. The orbit of a moon has destabilized and it’s going to crash into the planet that it normally orbits. When that happens, we’re talking mass extinction. Considering that Q has caused the Enterprise so much trouble, it looks like Q destabilized the moon and dropped in to watch everyone squirm.

All becomes clear when the Calamarains arrive. They’re another race that Q apparently toyed with; now, they want revenge. Q was apparently hoping for protection. The Enterprise tries its best, but ultimately can’t fend off the Calamarains. Q eventually realizes that he can’t stay; if he does, the Enterprise will be destroyed.

Those that haven’t seen the series up to this point aren’t going to understand the animosity that the bridge crew feels for Q. The Enterprise is basically forced to protect one of its enemies. Plus, the problem with being omnipotent, it’s hard to prove that you’re no longer all-powerful. How does Q prove that he’s really human?

Data, the android observer of humanity, gets to play teacher about all that he’s learned about humanity with Q as his reluctant student. It’s kind of ironic since Data really doesn’t fully understand humanity, himself. This is also something that someone might not fully appreciate if they haven’t seen the series.

During the run of The Next Generation, I always liked the Q episodes. The only drawback was that the names were difficult to remember. With the exception of “Encounter at Farpoint” and “All Good Things…”, all of the episodes that feature Q have Q in the title. For instance, this one is called Deja Q.

I can’t say that I’d recommend this episode to everyone, but I could see buying this episode if I was looking to start a collection. Normally, Q is brought in to basically toy with the crew of the Enterprise. Q is forced to grow a little in this episode, even if there is some question as to whether or not he’s really integrated that grown into his character.


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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 60 (The High Ground)

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One thing that science fiction is good at doing is making a point.  Very often, the point can be made without calling it what it really is.  You can criticize a war by having it take place on a distant planet.  You can comment on racism by having an alien race be the recipient of someone‘s prejudice.  You may not even realize that the author is trying to make a point until you’re done with the book.  Other times, they beat you over the head with it.

Episode 60 of The Next Generation was about terrorism.  When “The High Ground” first aired, times were a little different.  Most notably, The Twin Towers were still standing.  We didn’t have the TSA sticking their latex gloves everywhere.  Our concept of terrorism was not what it is today.  This is probably why I have only a vague memory of the episode.

The Enterprise is delivering medical aid to the planet Rutia IV.  Shore leave is suspended as Rutia IV has a group of separatists called the Ansata.  There is an away team on the planet when a bomb goes off, injuring people.  Captain Picard wants the team to come back up, but Dr. Crusher wants to stay on the surface.  She is a doctor and she can at least help until the Rutian doctors show up.  The problem is that a rebel shows up and kidnaps her, taking her to a series of caves.

The Ansata are led my a guy named Finn.  It’s kind of odd that they’d want a Starfleet doctor until it’s revealed that their special method of transport slowly warps their DNA.  They need a doctor to reverse the condition.  (The easy answer is to not use the technology, but these are rebels.  They need every advantage they can get and this gives them a big advantage.)  Dr. Crusher is resistant.  She doesn’t talk at first, but can’t resist helping people in need.

On the surface, we see kids being arrested.  Apparently, the Ansata recruit young.  Anyone could be one of them.  The crew of the Enterprise eventually figures out where Dr. Crusher is being held.  This leads to a battle where many Ansata are detained and/or injured.  Since Dr. Crusher goes on to be in several more seasons of the show, I think you can guess that she gets back to the ship.

Upon watching it recently, my biggest objection to the episode is that it seems a bit too obvious.  We’re shown a planet where a group has resorted to terrorism to get what they want, which is independence.  Much of the episode is overacted, with Dr. Crusher or Finn giving some eloquent speech about why their position is correct.  The only decent scene in all of it is Data, the emotionless android, asking Captain Picard why terrorism seems to be so effective.  Data lists several instances where groups have actually gotten what they wanted.  The answer is that it’s only human to wonder these things.

The message ends up being that terrorism is bad, but it works.  Finn points out that it’s a matter of perspective.  He just happens to know a few North American historical figures that are heroes where others might consider them thugs.  It all comes down to who wins and gets to write history.  The episode doesn’t really paint a sympathetic view of Finn’s group.  We don’t get to see any of the Ansata distraught over killing anyone.  Everyone is ready to pick up a gun and use it.  The episode would have worked better if we had a more sympathetic bad guy.

If you’re just getting in to Star Trek: The Next Generation, I doubt this episode will sell you on the series.  I’d say that it’s safe to skip altogether.  If you’re really set on watching it, watch a few other episodes first.  Part of the problem with watching them in order is that Episode 59, The Hunted, was also about war.  It seems odd to me that they’d produce two fighting-related episodes back to back.  I have to wonder if they were short an episode for the third season.  I could see someone pulling this script off the shelf and saying, “Oh, why not?”  If this is the case, I can only hope I’ve answered your question. 

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

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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. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 58 (The Defector)

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

WARNING:  I’m going to give away major details about the episode, including the ending.  If you’re not into that, stop reading here.



In the original Star Trek, there were two neutral zones.  Each provided a buffer between the United Federation of Planets and an adversary.  One was for the Romulan Star Empire and the other was for the Klingon Empire.  By the time The Next Generation rolled around, we had made peace with the Klingons, but the Romulan Neutral Zone was still in place.  Crossing the Neutral Zone is considered an act of aggression.

A Romulan scout ship doesn’t pose much of a threat, but the Enterprise sends out a message to desist.  The scout ship is asking for help, as it’s soon revealed that it’s being chased by a warbird.  The Enterprise protects the scout ship; the warship doesn’t put up much of a fight, which is odd.  No one really complains, though.  The Romulan on the scout ship is beamed over to the Enterprise and questioned.  He has important information for the captain:  The Romulans are planning an attack.  They’re actually building a base on Nelvana III, inside the Neutral Zone.  A big no-no.  Oh, and sorry for not mentioning that he was going to blow up his ship.  He’s here to give information on a potential war.  Not give out technological secrets.

So, the Enterprise gets as close to Nelvana III as they can without entering the Neutral Zone, but they can’t see anything from that far out.  They send a probe and do get some odd readings, but still noting worth going in for.  The Romulan officer keeps claiming that he’s lowly logistics clerk Sublieutenant Setol.  Except he’s not.  He reveals that he’s Admiral Alidar Jarok.  When Picard passes this up the chain of command, he gets a response not to trust this guy.  He was responsible for a massacre and is likely deceiving us.

This is pretty much a given.  He’s already lied about his name and claims that he doesn’t want to give out more than he has to.  (“Damn it, Jim.  I’m a defector.  Not a traitor.”)  Eventually, Captain Picard decides to take the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone only to find that there really is nothing.  It’s not that Admiral Jarok was lying.  Actually, it was that he was lied to.  He was fed all sorts of misinformation as a means of testing his loyalty.  He really doesn’t want a war.  Oh, and the Romulans now have an excuse to make the first move in the war that Jarok was trying to avoid.

For the most part, I liked this episode.  The only thing I didn’t understand was the Shakespeare reference at the beginning of the episode.  Honestly, though, this has more to do with not having read Henry V.  I’m sure that there is some connection that I’d get if I had ever seen it performed.  Or, maybe not.  I don’t know.

James Sloyan played Admiral Jarok.  I’ve liked him in his various Star Trek Roles.  (He’s also been in Deep Space Nine and Voyager.)  He always has an understated method to the roles.  All Admiral Jarok wants is to prevent a war.  He doest come at the crew with much anger and when he does, it’s not with a booming voice and flailing arms.  You get his point, even if you doubt it.  This is probably the most memorable Romulan outside of Tomalak.

I also find it odd that Data, the emotionless android, probably showed him the most compassion by bringing him to the holodeck so that he might see Romulus one more time.  Alas, Jarok has already made his decision.  He has to accept the fate that he’s chosen for himself.

Even though I liked it, I’m not sure I could recommend it to the casual viewer.  Most people coming into Star Trek probably wouldn’t understand this episode if it was the first they‘d ever seen.  (I’m also reviewing the VHS edition, so it’s hard to recommend buying it to begin with.)  Fortunately, we now have DVD sets, which makes the per-episode cost much lower.  We also have streaming through Netflix.  For a monthly fee, you could conceivably watch Star Trek: The Next Generation from the beginning.  (Since Netflix rotates their stock, I can’t promise continued availability.)  If you do have Netflix and decide to watch The Next Generation, this is definitely one of the episodes to look forward to. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 57 (The Vengance Factor)

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

Warning:  I’m going to give away major details including the ending.  If you’re not into that, you might want to stop reading.



There were a lot of episodes of the various Star Trek series that I could tell had some sort of point.  It was showing the horrors of war or how ridiculous racism was.  Some seemed kind of pointless.  They seemed to be little more than filler.  They may have moved some of the characters along, but weren’t that memorable.  “The Vengeance Factor” is somewhere in between.  I get what they’re trying to say, but I’m not really sure why.  It was one of those sort of memorable episodes that you don’t remember much about until you start watching it again.  Then you remember why you didn’t remember.

The story goes that a Federation outpost has been attacked.  Blood analysis shows that it has to have been Acamarians who attacked.  The Enterprise is off to Acamar III, where they’re told that it was The Gatherers.  You see, a century ago, Acamar was very tribal.  Most of the tribes made peace, but some tribes wanted none of that.  They decided to leave the planet. And live off of whatever they could steal…er…gather.

Captain Picard is able to get the Acmarian leader, Sovereign Marouk, to talk to the Gatherers.  At first, they seem resistant.  They’re sort of a wild bunch, doing as they please and answering to no one.  One may be persuaded to listen to reason, though.  Of course, it’s not that simple.  One of Marouk’s assistants, Yuta, kills one of the Gatherers.  It looks like a heart attack, but Dr. Crusher realizes that it’s the work of a biological agent that is too coordinated to be random.

After doing a little research, Yuta is discovered.  It turns out that she had some genetic modifications made so that she could take out the remaining members of a clan that all but wiped out her clan.  Riker makes several attempts to keep her from killing the Gatherer leader.  Unfortunately, he has to kill her to stop her.  This leads the Gatherers to rejoin Acamarian society.

Part of the episode’s weirdness is that it didn’t seem to present like a morality play.  You didn’t seem to have a clear-cut presentation of something you’re not to do.  Yes, the Gatherers are these biker rejects that steal, but we don’t really get into how it’s wrong or if they’re justified.  We have this vengeance story, but that’s not really played up, either.  In the end, we see Riker upset that he had to kill someone, but did he really?  No attempt was made to restrain her, despite there being several people that could have done so.  Yuta could have been beamed up to a holding cell.  Her death was unnecessary.

I don’t really get the sense of learning anything about a culture or feeling anything about the characters.  We don’t add anything to the mythology   It’s another race (and another episode) that will fade off into the background.  I’d say to watch it if you get it streaming, but you could very easily skip this episode and not miss anything.  Had it not been produced, I don’t think there would have been any effect on subsequent episodes.  In the end, I’d say skip it unless you’re a die-hard fan. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 56 (The Price)

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Star Trek was always, at its core, about exploration.  It was about going out there and meeting all the different races out there. Sometimes, it was good.  Sometimes, it was dangerous.  Occasionally, it was outright annoying.  At any rate, a wormhole is something that the Federation would want access to.  It just so happens that Barzan have discovered what they believe to be a stable wormhole.  One end of it shows up every couple of hours.  It would allow whoever controlled it to have access to a remote part of our galaxy.

Aside from the Federation, two other races initially show interest in it.  There are the Caldonians and the Chrysalians.  (Interestingly, the Chrysalians send a human, Devinoni Ral, to represent them.)  It isn’t long before the Ferengi show up, crying foul that they weren’t invited.  If they were deliberately left out, it’s because they’ve become the comic relief of the Star Trek universe.  They were intended to be a serious adversary, but wound up as little more than a joke.  They're kind of like that annoying guy that no one likes, but never takes the hint.   No one really wants to deal with the Ferengi.

Well, a Federation shuttle is sent through to confirm some probe readings that the Barzan took.  It’s not that no one trusts them.  It’s just that the Barzan don’t have the resources to do a thorough examination.  This is why they’re trying to negotiate access rights in the first place.  Not to be outdone, the Ferengi ship sends over a shuttle.  It looks like some things are strange about the wormhole.  For starters, the two shuttles aren’t where they’re supposed to be.  It looks like both ends of the wormhole aren't stable.

Meanwhile, back on the Enterprise, Ral is trying to put the moves on Counselor Troi.  She’s attractive and intelligent.  She gets caught up by Ral and lets him romance her a little.  He’s very good at negotiating.  In fact, he has a little secret he shares with her.  Like Troi, Ral is part Betazoid.  (He’s one quarter whereas she’s one half.)  He’s able to use this to his advantage.  He can read the other contenders and know what their weaknesses are.

Troi is understandably upset about this.  It’s unfair.  He points out two things.  One, it’s the same advantage she has.  She uses it for the ship’s advantage whenever they come across a new race.  Two, it’s what everyone does.  He’s just better at it.  Then again, Ral doesn’t exactly advertise.  In the end, it doesn’t matter.  La Forge and Data come back through the wormhole and report that it’s a bust.  The other end is not stable enough to be worth anything.  Regrettably, the two Ferengi get stuck, since they didn’t listen to La Forge’s warnings.

I remember bits and pieces of this episode.  I remember the Ferengi getting stuck.  I also remember getting to see Troi doing stretching with Dr. Crusher.  I also remembered the guy being empathic.  I wondered why Troi didn’t pick it up.  Then, upon rewatching the episode, I remembered how smarmy the guy was.  Looking at him you knew from the start that he’d be a weasel.  (I’d go so far as to say that both he and the Ferengi got what they deserved.)  He was very forward with Troi.  I was actually surprised that she’d let it go that far.

Overall, it was a very odd episode. Between Ral and the Ferengi, I didn’t like most of the guest characters.  (This isn’t to say that the acting was bad.  Just the characters.)  It is an interesting premise, though.  You have something that could be useful if it works out.  If not, someone has the potential to get screwed over big time.

If you can get this episode streaming, it’s worth watching.  I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to get it, though.  It’s one of those episodes where it seems like no one really got what they wanted.  Troi doesn’t get a permanent love interest, The Ferengi are stranded, and Ral is left holding the bag, as he did win the negotiations.  Troi is the only one I have any empathy for. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 55 (The Enemy)

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

WARNING:  I’m going to give away major details about the episode.  These are the kinds of details that will probably ruin the ending if you haven’t seen it before.  You’ve been warned.


One of the ideals put forth in the Star Trek universe is having a federation of planets where prejudice has either been eliminated or greatly reduced.  Sure, Doctor McCoy may make fun of Spock’s green blood, but it’s all in good fun.  They still work together as part of the same crew.  When The Next Generation came around, one of our enemies were now an ally.  We even had a Klingon serving onboard.  At some point during the intervening 70-80 years, we had made peace.  The Romulans, however, were still out there and were still a threat.

We had a neutral zone in place to act as a buffer.  Neither side could claim it.  Crossing it was considered an act of war.  Imagine the surprise when a crashed ship is discovered to be of Romulan origin.  The ship has had explosives applied to cover up the exact nature of the ship, but there is Romulan writing, plain as day.  Commander Riker, Worf and Geordi La Forge beam down to the surface of Galorndon Core and discover the wreckage and a survivor.  Riker and Worf are able to beam back up, but La Forge is left on the planet after he fell down a hole.  (There are severe storms, preventing the use of the transporter.)

Well, Commander Tomalak also received the same distress call that attracted the Federation.  He tries to send a message to the crew saying that he’ll be there shortly, but the only ones listening are the bridge crew of the Enterprise.  Picard promptly sends back a message, “Um…We don’t think so.  We know you‘re there and to prove it, we‘ll address you by name.”  Tomalak stays on his side of the Neutral Zone waiting for the Enterprise to extract Geordi.  The problem is that the Romulan survivor isn’t doing so well.  He’s dying and, as luck would have it, Worf is the only one that can save him.

You’re probably wondering what the big deal is.  All that’s necessary is a simple blood transfusion.  The problem is that Worf is that one Klingon and Klingons hate Romulans.  For Worf, it’s also personal.  Romulans attacked the outpost where he and his parents were living.  Both of his parents were killed in the attack, leaving Worf to be raised by humans.  The only way that the Romulan is getting the transfusion is if Captain Picard orders him to do so.  Otherwise, it’s sayonara for the Romulan.  (Not that the Romulan wants Worf’s dirty Klingon blood, anyway.)

You’re probably thinking that Worf will have some sort of last-minute change of heart or that he’ll be ordered to give blood.  After all, it’s supposed to be this enlightened era of peace and love for all, even if they are your enemy.  Besides, it wouldn’t look good if a Romulan died on a Federation ship, even if they were the aggressors here.  We can’t have random enemies attacking us, then dying when we could save them.  We have to be better than that.

Nope.  The Romulan dies.

As luck would have it, Geordi’s found another Romulan on the planet.  This one has taken Geordi prisoner, which is a shame.  Geordi has just found a beacon that he can modify to let the ship know that he’s ok.  When the next window opens, it will be that much easier to beam him back up.  Geordi offers to take the Romulan up with him, as the Romulan has no other opportunities and isn’t looking so good.  Geordi can tell all of this because he has prosthesis that allows him to see.  Without it, he’s blind.

Just as Centurion Bochra is about to trust Geordi, the VISOR goes out.  It’s a minor setback.  Bochra is able to convince Geordi that they can put the VISOR and tricorder together to get to the beacon, which they do.  They make it to the beacon and back to the Enterprise.  Bochra goes back to Romulus with Tomalak and Geordi stays on the Enterprise to fight another day.

There were a few things I found odd about the episode.  First, how is it that on a ship filled with about a thousand people, only one is capable of saving the Romulan?  Romulans and Vulcans have a common ancestry.  I believe there are Vulcans on the Enterprise, but a the Romulan has to rely on his sworn enemy.  Yes, it makes for an interesting story and some dramatic tension.  We get to see just how much Worf hates Romulans.  Those are some long odds, though.  Also, the Romulan did refuse.  Why didn’t Worf bring this up?

I also vaguely remember Geordi commenting on his VISOR to the Romulan.  Bochra commented that Romulan parents would not have permitted a blind child to live.  I seem to recall Geordi commenting that the Romulans would have missed out on better vision through technology or something.  It’s possible that my memory is playing tricks on me, but Netflix has 45-minute episodes.  I recall that some stuff has been taken out for subsequent (more commercial-laden) runs.  This is especially true of the original series.  I don’t know to what extent this holds true of The Next Generation.

I don’t think it was directly mentioned what the Romulans were doing so far in to Federation space.  I think the episode was meant to show that the Romulans were doing something and potentially setting up future episodes.  A few episodes later, a Romulan Admiral defects.  (I don’t recall how coincidental this is, but I’ll be rewatching the episode soon.)  Galorndon Core is also mentioned in later episodes, so there is a legacy here.

As with other episodes I’ve reviewed, this is a VHS tape that I’m talking about.  I have seen these on eBay, but you’d really be better off putting your money into the season-three DVD set.  It’s a good episode, but the problem with a TV series is that it’s hard to recommend just one episode.  Right now, I’m also able to watch episodes on Netflix.  If you have access to their streaming service, you may be able to watch the series online.  (Netflix seems to rotate their inventory, so I have no idea if it will be available when you’re reading this.) 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 54 (Booby Trap)

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

I was always amazed how much trouble The Enterprise got into over seven years of Star Trek:  The Next Generation.  I’m sure they had plenty of routine missions where no one got hurt or killed.  I’m sure a few even went as they were supposed to with no Ferengi trying to horn in on some deal or half the ship breaking down.  You’d think that finding a derelict Promellian ship that had been floating around for 1,000 years would be uneventful.  Captain Picard even beams over just to show how comfortable the crew is letting their commanding officer off the ship.

I suppose if it was that simple, we wouldn’t have much of an episode.  Just as the Enterprise is about to leave, these strange power drains show up.  It wouldn’t be a problem except that the ship won’t move.  Everything’s running fine, but the ship just won’t go anywhere.  Funny thing is that the same thing that trapped the Promellian ship is now acting on the Enterprise.  (Apparently, no one stopped to ask what happened to the old ship in the first place.)  The Enterprise is now stuck just as the Promellian ship is.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, the devices that are sucking energy are converting it into deadly radiation.

The away team is able to bring back some Promellian logs and find out from their captain that the crew acted bravely.  Not much help there.  Geordi La Forge, the chief engineer, gets the idea to not ask any of his engineering staff for help and, instead, waste power on the holodeck recreating the station where the Enterprise was built so he can work with a recreation of the woman that designed the Enterprise.  (I think if I had worked hard enough to get to the Federation’s flagship, I’d be pretty depressed if my boss didn’t even ask for my help in an emergency.)

Part of the problem with having a series set on a ship is that you can’t really get rid of the ship that easily.  This episode was pretty early in the third season, so we know that someone’s going to save the day.  I mean, the actors all have contracts.  Right?  I doubt that they’re going to end the show this early in the season.  Yes, Geordi La Forge and the simulated Leah Brahms save the day.  The Enterprise makes it out, but the decision is made to destroy the Promellian ship.

There have been a few things I’ve wondered about over the years.  First, why doesn’t Geordi ask the engineering crew for help.  Isn’t that why they have an engineering crew?  I know I’m not the first to ask about this and I won’t be the last.  I can’t even think of a good reason other than  to let Geordi get along with an attractive woman in the holodeck.  (The episode starts out with Geordi failing miserably on a date, so he gets a chance at a rebound of sorts.)  It would also set up a later episode where the real Leah Brahms shows up.

Another thing that I was wondering was how the distress call was working after 1,000 years.  I’d imagine that the distress call wouldn’t be affected by the energy drain, as it would be a good way to trap a few more ships.  However, even without the power drain, the ship should have stopped working centuries ago.  The same goes for the bridge.  When the away team goes over, they can turn the lights on and get a console working.   What are the odds that the ship still has both power and working equipment?

I also felt bad that they couldn’t save the ship.  I understand having to blow it up.  It would have been irresponsible to leave it there so that someone else could get trapped.  You’d think they’d at least get some more logs or take some souvenirs.  Maybe take some pictures for posterity.  I’ve always hated when some historical artifact was wasted like that.  You’d think they’d make an attempt to tractor it out or something.

It’s one of those episodes that holds up, but not so well on second viewings.  This is why I didn’t give away how the day was saved, exactly.  A good part of the episode relies on the suspense.  Once you know how it goes down, you many not want to watch it again.  For this reason, don’t buy it on VHS.  (Honestly, though, who has a working VCR anyway?)

On a side note, I was looking at IMDb to make sure I had the names spelled right.  I came across Susan Gibney, who played Leah Brahms in this episode.  (I also wanted to make sure she’d be the one returning in the later episode.)  The only listing I found for that name was for someone born in 1968,  I didn’t think that could be her, as it seemed a little too old.  Leah Brahms is a young woman.  When the episode came out, she was in her early 20s.  Then I realized that the episode came out over 20 years ago.  I’ll leave you with that thought. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 53 (The Bonding)

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

WARNING:  I’m going to give away major plot details.  If you’re not into spoilers, now would be a good time to stop reading.


Among the five live-action Star Trek series, there were a lot of great episodes.  There were also a lot of bad episodes that were at least understandable.  I didn’t like them, but I could see why they were made.  Then, there were episodes that I thought that someone was either hard up for a script or someone lost a bet.  I’d like to know the story behind how this episode got approved.

Lieutenant Worf is leading an away team on a planet that was laid to waste by war.  Lieutenant Marla Aster is on that team.  She triggers a proximity mine and subsequently dies, leaving behind a son, Jeremy.  His father died several years earlier, leaving him an orphan.  He has family back on Earth he can live with, but the Enterprise remains by the planet to figure out what happened.

Worf, feeling a sense of guilt, wants to perform a Klingon bonding ritual, hence the name of the episode.  (Both lost their parents at a young age.)  There’s also Wesley Crusher, whose father died on an away mission with Captain Picard.  There’s no shortage of support for Jeremy.  Of course, it can’t be that simple.  We wouldn’t have an episode if Jeremy just deals with it and everyone lives happily ever after.  Instead, Marla Aster shows up, promising Jeremy that they can live together on the planet surface.

Actually, it’s someone or something posing as Marla Aster.  Why she wants to do this is initially unclear, but Jeremy’s ready to beam down with her.  The bridge crew, not so much.  They realize that something’s very strange.  At the very least, the recognize that the person claiming to be Lt. Aster is not Lt. Aster.  Well, it comes out that there were two races on the planet.  One was corporeal and wiped themselves out in an all-consuming war.  There was another, non-corporeal, race that survived.  This one assumed the shape of Jeremy’s mother so that Jeremy can live happily ever after.

Captain Picard points out that this is a very short-sighted solution.  Jeremy will grow up.  He’ll want to have friends and a career.  Can the aliens provide for that?  Both Jeremy and the alien realize that it’s not a good idea.  Worf gets his bonding ceremony.  I’m not really sure what happened to the alien, although I’m assuming she went back to the planet.

Here’s the thing.  Death isn’t anything new to the Star Trek universe.  We’ve had so many security officers die that redshirt became a term for any character that was fated to die just to show how serious the situation was.  The difference here is that the crew member in question had a child on board.  The episode deals with loss and having to face that loss head on.

There are a few odd things about the episode.  First, Worf seemed a little to eager to perform his ritual.  As I said, this isn’t the first person to die on a mission.  I’m sure Worf has lost other people on the countless missions that he’s been on.  Does he do this for every kid?  (Speaking of which, it seems like the Klingons have a ritual for everything.)

Also, I noticed that Jeremy was left alone a lot to watch videos of his mother.  It’s one thing to leave him alone for a few hours, but this is someone that just lost a parent and has no one to be there for him.  I would imagine that he had at least one friend on the ship that he could spend the night with.  If not, there had to be someone that could be there with him.

The biggest thing that got me was that the alien tried to impersonate Marla to take Jeremy off the ship.  I get the whole guilt thing and not wanting to have Jeremy suffer, but you’re not going to ask nicely?  You’re not even going to demand rudely or just beam him off the ship?  The alien goes through this whole charade to trick Jeremy into leaving the ship.  The alien doesn’t try to deal with anyone else at all.  That seems a little odd to me and would indicate ulterior motives.  This aspect of the alien’s behavior isn’t really dealt with.

The only scenes that I really remembered were two character-development scenes.  In one, Lt. Cmdr. Data gets to talk with Commander Riker about why deaths of different people affect the living differently.  As an android, he’s trying to learn about human emotions.  Riker tells him that this is a part of being human.  Our wars would have been a lot less bloody if we treated all deaths equally.  The other is from Wesley Crusher, who talks with his mother about his father having died.

I’d say that it’s a good-but-not-great episode, but it’s really not even that good.  It’s a totally forgettable episode.  Once again, I’m technically reviewing an episode on VHS.  Even if VCRs were still around, I’d say not to buy this episode.  Instead, save your money for the DVD set.  All seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation are currently available streaming through Netflix, so that’s also an option.  You could skip this episode and easily not notice. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 52 (Who Watches the Watchers)

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

Every Trek fan and many non-fans know of the Prime Directive. It states that the Federation may not interfere with the development of a pre-warp culture. There have been a few episodes that deal with this, but not so clearly as this one.

Starfleet is studying Mintaka III, which is home to a Vulcan-like race called, of course, the Mintakans. Since they’re still developing, the outpost is hidden behind a holographic projection. When systems fail, the outpost is exposed and one of the men becomes lost on the planet.

A Mintakan discovers the outpost, but Data sees him before he can go back to the village. Unfortunately, he’s injured and has to be brought aboard for treatment. Dr. Crusher attempts to erase his memory, but it doesn’t work. This is where the problems begin.

Captain Picard becomes The Picard, the Mintakans’ new god who they believe is responsible for an out-of-season storm. Riker and Troi go down disguised as Mintakans and find out that the Mintakans have found the missing officer and are going to sacrifice him to appease The Picard. Picard takes it upon himself to straighten things out. He shows a Mintakan how everything works and dispels the illusion that he is a supreme being.

The main issue here is why the Prime Directive is necessary but also the lengths to which an officer is willing to go to preserve it. Each officer, it is said, knows that upholding it is more important than his or her life. (The only reason that Picard lets Troi and Riker go down is that the damage has already been done.)

Picard confronts the Mintakans at the end of the episode and explains why it’s necessary to dismantle the outpost. Any interference or guidance could prove harmful to the less-developed race.

I recommend buying this episode. 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 51 (The Survivors)

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

WARNING:  I’m going to give away major details of the plot.  If you don’t like spoilers, now’s the time to stop reading.

Star Trek: The Next Generation had 178 episodes.  That’s a solid five and a half days with the commercials removed.  I remember most of the episodes, having seen them during the original run from 1987-1994.  There are a few that I don’t remember as well as others.  One of those was Episode 51, “Survivors“.

The episode gets its name from the fact that only two people survived an attack on a colony of approximately 11,000.  What’s particularly odd is that their entire property remains intact, despite the rest of the planet being stripped bare.  This one plot is the only place to have any trees, grass or buildings.  The two survivors, Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge, claim to have no idea why they were spared.  They did nothing to aid the enemy.  Kevin Uxbridge says that he refused to fight the aliens.  He points out that as the aliens never beamed down, there’s no reason to assume that they’d know that he didn‘t fight.  Meanwhile, the empathic Counselor Deanna Troi starts hearing music from a music box on the planet surface.  (She’s in her quarters, so doesn’t realize where it’s coming from.)

The away team offers them a chance to pack their belongings, but the Uxbridges refuse.  This is their home and they’re staying, regardless of the fact that nothing is left.  (Even the ground water is contaminated.)  This seems odd.  However, a mystery ship arrives and leads the Enterprise away.  When the Enterprise returns, the Uxbridges are surprised to see the away team, but the couple still refuses to leave.  So, the mystery ship returns and chases the Enterprise away.

The couple is again surprised to see an away team beam down.  Captain Picard tells the couple that the only way he’s leaving is if the Uxbridges are dead.  So, the mystery ship comes back and destroys the Uxbridges’ home.  When the Enterprise attacks the ship, it’s easily destroyed, leaving the crew of the Enterprise to assume that there’s nothing left to protect.

The thing is that Captain Picard was on to them the entire time.  He takes the ship out a little bit and waits a few hours.  Wouldn’t you know it?  The house reappears.  Picard has the couple beamed to the bridge where he calls shenanigans on Kevin Uxbridge.  He admits to everything.  The planet was destroyed, along with Rishon, by a race called the Husnock.  Kevin is a member of a race called the Douwd.  He took human form and fell in love with Rishon.  His race believes in nonviolence, but he destroyed the attacking race in a fit of rage -- all of 50 billion them.  Not really knowing how to punish him, Picard leaves Kevin Uxbridge to live out his days with the memory of Rishon.

Now, here’s why I had to reveal the entire plot to go in to the episode.  I get why he brought back Rishon.  He loved the woman and wants to be with her.  However, why not bring back more of the colony?  Ok.  I get that it may take a lot of energy to create the house, but you’d think it would get a little boring.  You’d want some neighbors to keep you company.  I also don’t think they’d want to look out on land stripped of everything an be reminded of what happened.  If he can create an entire ship to deal with the Enterprise, he could do a little better than just one plot.

Also, I get that he’s a pacifist, but you’d think he could have done a little more to chase off the Husnock.  He had no problem creating a ship to fire on the Enterprise.  Couldn’t he have done the same to the attacking ship?  I find it hard to believe he did nothing to protect himself, his wife or the 11,000 other people on the planet.

The one thing that I find just a little strange is that Captain Picard is so willing to leave Kevin on the planet after he admits to essentially committing genocide.  Kevin Uxbridge is explicit in stating that he killed all 50 billion Husnock everywhere.  All of them.  Yes, I feel sorry for the guy.  He lost his wife of 53 years.  Yes, I realize that there’s probably not much Picard can do.  How do you explain to a judge that this guy just reached out and snuffed 50 billion living beings with his mind?

This is one of those episodes I don’t remember liking or even disliking when it first came on.  We’re introduced to two species that are never mentioned again.  We’re introduced to two characters that are never mentioned again.  The only reason I even remembered Kevin Uxbridge’s name was that the character was used for the Star Trek collectible card game.

Since I’m technically reviewing the VHS tape, I’m going to recommend against buying this episode.  It’s not really worth buying separately, even if you have a VCR and can get it cheap.  Instead, I’d recommend saving your money for the season-three DVD set.  (I was able to watch this streaming on Netflix, so that’s also an option.) 

IMDb page

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 50 (Evolution)

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

One of the things that people have noticed about the Star Trek series, particularly The Next Generation, was that technology not only failed often, but that it often failed at the worst possible moment. Take this episode, for example. The Enterprise is in a binary star system waiting for one of the stars to explode. This opportunity, which comes along once every 196 years, will provide valuable scientific information. At the same time, the ship’s computer starts failing. A replicator produces a drink and keeps putting liquid in the glass. When asked to explain, the computer denies that the replicator is doing anything at all.

Wesley Crusher thinks that he may be responsible. He was doing an experiment with nanites, which are really small robots. One possible use is to do work in a human body at the cellular level. The ones that he was using seem to have gotten into the computer and started multiplying. They’re now eating away at parts of the ship, which is what’s leading to the various failures. Fortunately, the day is saved and the experiment goes on. However, it’s another example of things going wrong at the worst possible moment.

This was the premier for the third season. Dr. Crusher is back and with very little explanation and Dr. Pulaski left with none, whatsoever. The only time that Crusher’s return was dealt with was in how Wesley had to learn to become independent of his mother while she was away at Starfleet Medical.

This was an odd episode. We get to see that Wesley does occasionally screw up. Dr. Stubbs, who was the one doing the experiment, was a little odd, himself. He liked baseball, which doesn’t seem to be common in the 24th century. He confides in Wesley that he was a wonder child, much like Wesley is.

I’d give the episode three stars. It’s interesting to watch the first time because you want to know how it’s going to play out. (That’s why I left out the actual solution to the problem.) Replay value is very low, however, so this is another episode that I can recommend renting, but not buying. In fact, the episode is actually closer to two stars than to four, so I’d recommend waiting for it to come on TV if you have the time.

The Next Generation was kind of like someone that was pushed and is stumbling to regain their balance. The first two seasons were hit and miss. Here, it looks like the series is beginning to get a decent stride. I’d still recommend watching it from the beginning, mostly because you will miss out on some things. However, this is where the show starts to get consistently good, or at least better.

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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. 

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The Butterfly Effect (2004)

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

At some point, everyone looks back at some event in their life and wonders how things would have been different if they have fixed a few mistakes. What if you could not buy a car that turned out to be a lemon? What if you hadn’t fumbled when asking someone out on a date? What would it have been like if you hadn’t botched a job interview? The Butterfly Effect is one of those movies that deals with that question.

The name of the movie comes from Chaos Theory, which states that the flapping of the wings of a butterfly in one part of the world could create a monsoon on the other side of the planet. Evan gets the chance to see how true that is. He’s the main character, played in part by Ashton Kutcher. It starts out with him trying to outrun several men, but doesn’t give any hint as to what’s going on. The movie then shifts back thirteen years to when Evan was a child.

Evan suffers from unexplainable blackouts. Tests reveal nothing wrong with his brain; the doctor suggests that they’re brought on by stress. He also suggests keeping a journal, which Evan does. Part of the stress may have something to do with the fact that Evan has never seen his father, so Evan’s mother arranges a meeting. (Evan’s father has been in a mental institution all of Evan’s life.)

Six years later, Evan still suffers from the blackouts. One occurs when a prank goes horribly awry, forcing Evan and his mother to move away, leaving several friends. This is the last time that Evan has a blackout until college. Evan reads one of his journals about the prank and has a flashback instead of a blackout. He goes back to the time of the prank, but drops a cigarette that he’s smoking. He burns his stomach when it drops on his shirt; the scar remains when the flashback is over. This is how Evan realizes that he can travel back in time and change things.

Evan contacts Kayleigh, one of his childhood friends. She had a rough time and is working in a diner having to put up with obnoxious customers. Bringing back old memories prompts her to commit suicide. Her brother, Tommy, calls and threatens to kill Evan. (Tommy was one of the other childhood friends. Lenny was the third.) Evan manages to go back and fix things so that things work out better for Kayleigh.

The thing is that when he fixes one thing, things get worse for others. For instance, when Evan stops Kayleigh’s pedophile father from molesting her, Tommy gets the brunt of his frustration, causing him to be more messed up than before. Evan eventually realizes that it’s hard to make things great for everyone.

I don’t want to ruin the entire movie for you. Besides, it would probably take me several more paragraphs to reveal everything in detail. I have to warn you that this is a very disturbing movie. I’m about to reveal a few more details just to let you know how disturbing the movie is. If you can’t handle these details, you probably shouldn’t see the movie. If you can’t handle anything disturbing, you should probably just skip this paragraph. One flashback involves a dog being burned alive. Another involves Evan’s father strangling Evan. The only reason that I’m mentioning these scenes is that these might be make-or-break aspects for some people.

I found that the setup was longer than usual, but this was a good thing. I think if the writers had rushed to the point where Evan started going back in time, it would have taken away from the movie. During the setup, we got to see the four friends at different stages. I felt like the three people that played Evan were the most consistent. However, the other three transitions weren’t that bad.

One thing that I’ve noticed is that Callum Keith Rennie seems to be getting a lot of ‘freak’ roles. (Callum Keith Rennie played Jason, Evan’s father.) If you’ve ever seen The Sci-Fi Channel’s rendition of Battlestar Gallactica, you’ll know what I mean.

I’d give this movie four stars. I saw the director’s cut. Judging by the running time, I believe that this is the proper version of the movie to post this review under. However, I’ve heard that the difference is in the ending, which I haven’t covered here. As you might have guessed, this is not a movie for children. This is a movie that a lot of adults might not like. While I was watching the movie, it reminded me a lot of the director’s cut of Donnie Darko. There’s that same dark aspect to the movie that a lot of people might not like. 

IMDb page

Resident Evil Plant

On a recent trip to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, I got this photo.  (I believe it's in their Rare Plant House.)  My brother and I noticed how the photo looked like something out of Resident Evil, at least the video games.  It's funny how something can seem normal at the time, but come out reminding of you of something because of the lighting.  (In this case, I had some indication that it looked like something out of the video game.)

I do wonder how many people go through that area and are reminded of it.  The Rare Plant House and adjoining buildings do have a certain feel to them.  Has anyone else had this feeling?  Are we the only ones to notice it?  Maybe it's just me.  Well, we'll always have Raccoon City.

The Invention of Lying (2009)

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

Could you imagine a world with no lying?  This would be a world  where no one would know how to say something that wasn’t true.  Words like ‘true’ and ‘lie’ wouldn’t even exist.  Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson imagined such a world.  They wrote The Invention of Lying, in which Gervais plays Mark Bellison.

In Mark’s world, things are basically the same.  They still have movies, corrupt police officers and attractive women.  It’s just that since there is no lying, there’s no fiction.  Since there’s no fiction, all movies are documentaries.  When I say documentary, I mean some guy sitting in front of a camera telling the audience what happened.  Police officers will still take an occasional bribe, but are totally honest about their motives.

Things aren’t going so well for Mark.  He’s attracted to a woman, Anna, who doesn’t reciprocate.  He has a job writing movies about a century no one cares about, leading to his termination.  His termination leads to his being evicted.  His being evicted leads to an epiphany.  When he goes to close out his bank account, the system is down.  He has to give the teller a dollar amount, which Mark realizes can be any dollar amount. It doesn’t have to be the actual dollar amount, so he chooses the amount he owes his landlord.  When the system comes back up and the teller sees the correct amount, the teller thinks it’s a computer mistake.

Mark then realizes that he can do this as much as he wants.  The best part is that no one will suspect anything.  Since he’s the only one that knows what a lie is, people should act like the teller.  Mark goes into a casino and lies about winning.  He can claim to win the jackpot on every machine and the casino will never think to ask Mark any questions.  He can also go up to random women and tell them that the fate of the world depends on them having sex right now.  (This does lead to some sense of guilt, especially where Anna is concerned.)

Things get complicated when his mother is dying.  She’s scared, which is natural.  Mark doesn’t want this, so he invents a story about going to a great place in the sky where she’ll be loved.  He doesn’t think much of it, but an employee of the nursing home overhears him.  She passes the story along and before long, Mark has a following.  Mark doesn’t really want the attention.  The story was only for his mother’s benefit.  The rest of the movie deals with the snowball effect that results.  People want to know more about this Great Man in the Sky, so Mark has to make stuff up on the fly.

There’s something interesting about a world without lying.  As I said, there’s not so much as fiction or even lying in advertising.  Mark’s mother isn’t at a nursing home.  She’s in A Sad Place for Hopeless Old People.  Could you imagine what it would be like to be able to lie?  Even when Mark explains lying, people still can’t wrap their heads around it.  (That was the one thing I wondered about.  There should at least be terms for accurate and inaccurate, so a lie could be described as knowingly saying something inaccurate.)

The movie is safe for teenagers and up.  There are a few sexual jokes, some involving masturbation.  Mar’s Man in the Sky parallels religion.  The humor really isn’t meant to poke fun at religion.  Instead, it says more about how things get out of hand quickly.  Something that starts with the best of intentions becomes a major organization similar to what we would call a church.  Some of the things seem absurd, like Mark’s story where everything came from.  Then again, who is anyone to question Mark?  It would never enter their minds to think that he’s lying or might be crazy, as far out as it seems.

That was the one thing that I found odd.  I would think that in thousands of years of recorded history, someone would make a mistake or would be mentally unbalanced and say something that wasn’t true.  Is everyone totally accurate in this world?  One inaccuracy would present the opportunity to realize that you can deliberately make a mistake.  It wasn’t a big deal, overall.  It was a funny movie.  I’d recommend renting it. 

IMDb page

Suchîmubôi/Steamboy (2004)

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


It’s hard when your first feature-length movie as a director becomes famous.  Director Katsuhiro Ôtomo was known for having directed Akira, said by some to have ushered in modern anime.  In 2004, Steamboy was released, which took Ôtomo over a decade to make.

The movie takes place in England back in 1866.  The story focuses on Ray Steam, a boy who likes to invent things.  Both his father (Dr. Eddie Steam) and grandfather (Dr. Lloyd Steam) are also inventors.  Both work for a mysterious foundation.  (Ray lives with his mother.)  One day, Ray gets a package from his grandfather.  The package contains a strange metal ball and the blueprints.  Before he can wrap his head around it, two men knock on the door asking about it.

Lloyd Steam shows up right behind them, telling Ray to take the ball and blueprints and get as far away as possible.  He doesn’t want the ball going back to the foundation.  So Ray runs, eventually coming across the two men he’s supposed to give it to.  Someone from the foundation is right behind him.  Unfortunately, they get both Ray and the ball.

It was Lloyd Steam’s intention that the steam ball not be used for weapons, but Eddie Steam had a different idea.  Eddie felt that the technology could be used to defend England.  Ray is put in the middle, having to decide who is right.

I will say right off the bat that this movie is nothing like Akira.  If you’ve seen Akira, you should come in to this movie not having any expectations.  This isn’t to say that Steamboy is any better or worse.  It’s just that when you look at a movie through the lens of a director’s previous work, it greatly affects what you see.  If you’re expecting another Akira, you’ll be disappointed.

The movie does well on moral grounds, at least for the first half of the movie.  Ray is presented with two philosophies.  Lloyd is more idealistic in that he wants the technology used for the benefit of all mankind.  Eddie is a little more war-minded, realizing that England has enemies.  Something this powerful would aid the country greatly.  The truth lies somewhere in the middle.  It’s up to Ray to decide exactly where.

The problem with the morality aspect is that it’s only presented during the first half of the movie.  During the second half, it becomes more of an action movie.  Usually, when you have some moral issue presented to one character by several others, at least one of those characters undergoes some experience that affects how they think about the subject.  Instead, Ray is simply charged with the task of getting out of harm’s way.

The only character that I really saw change at all was a character named Scarlett O’Hara.  (So far as I know, there’s no relationship to the character in Gone With the Wind.)  She starts out as a spoiled brat and eventually comes to realize that there’s a world around her and that other people weren’t necessarily put there to serve her.   I started out not liking her very much.  By the end, she had changed to the point where she wasn’t as bad.

The problem with the story is that the story tends to fall flat towards the end.  Once I got out of the first half hour, it started to drag.  By the second half, I was wondering if it was really going to last 126 minutes.  This isn’t a good thing for a movie.

The one thing I liked was the animation.  It looked like there was some parts that were drawn by hand, but most of it seemed to be animated by computer.  I think for that alone, most people would be impressed.  Still, you need a solid story to last the whole way through and I don’t think that the movie properly blended the issues with the action very well.  If you can rent it through NetFlix or catch it on demand, go for it.  Otherwise, don’t worry about it. 

IMDb page