Logitech MX-400 (931638-0403) Mouse

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

I think it’s safe to say that everyone who owns a desktop has used a mouse at some point in their lives.  I’ve never been to a library or school computer lab that didn’t have one hooked up to every computer they had.  If you’ve never used one, you’re probably Amish or have been in a coma for the last 30 years.

If you own a desktop computer and use mice, you know that you have to buy one every few years.  With the old mice, you had balls that had to be cleaned until they could be cleaned no more.  This led humor-list moderators to systematically ban mouse-ball jokes.  (If anyone has any of these, please let me know.  I have yet to actually hear any.)

Eventually, companies developed mice that used optical technology instead of balls.  This meant that there was nothing to clean.  You simply replaced the mouse when it got too dirty.  Fortunately, optical mice have a very long life span if you get a name brand.  This is good because your mouse is not something you want to have to worry about.

If it works well, you won’t really notice it.  Unfortunately, I‘ve noticed this mouse on a few occasions.  One of the features of this mouse that I hadn’t seen before was two buttons on the side where my thumb rests.  (I’m right handed.)  These buttons are to be used with a web browser as forward and backward buttons.

When I first got the mouse, it was way too easy to hit, usually resulting in me going back a few pages.  I got used to it pretty quickly, but I do still occasionally hit them.  Anyone who has had to use the mouse has had the same problem.  It gets pretty annoying if you’re filling out a form or survey that spans several pages.  From what I can see, there’s no option to change this in the control panel.

Everything else about it seems to work fine.  I’ve had the mouse for about 2 or 3 years and it’s just now getting to the point where it’s not moving the cursor properly.  If I wipe the opening where the little hole is, it will work fine again for another few days.  It’s not really an issue, but I do have another mouse on standby if it fails catastrophically in the middle of something important.

The mouse that I got to eventually replace this one doesn’t have the buttons on the side.  I’d never buy another mouse like that and wouldn’t recommend this one based solely on that.  If I was constantly filling out forms on the web, it would probably be enough to drive me insane. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 26 (The Neutral Zone)

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

The Enterprise is waiting for Captain Picard to return from somewhere. As the ship is waiting, an old Earth probe of some sort passes by. Commander Riker thinks nothing of it and is willing to simply let it fall into a star and be incinerated. Data, pointing out the opportunity to study something of Earth’s past, wants to go over and see what’s there. What Data finds is more than ordinary. He actually finds three cryogenically frozen humans. Before he can contact the ship for a decision, Picard’s shuttle comes back. Data makes the decision to bring the three people back to the Enterprise.

Dr. Crusher examines them and finds that all three are from the 20th century. They all died of problems that were pretty serious in our time, but are easily treatable in the 24th century. Both Riker and Picard question Data’s decision; the three people on the probe were already dead. Data pointed out that it would have been wrong to leave them there if they could be helped.

The problem is that the Enterprise is due to go to the Neutral Zone. This is an area between the Federation and the Romulan Empire used as a buffer; entry into the Neutral Zone could be considered an act of war. Several Federation outposts along the Neutral Zone have stopped communicating and there are reports of Romulan activity. It’s a dangerous mission, meaning that the three ‘survivors’ might have been just as well off on the probe.

For their part, the people brought back have varying degrees of difficulty. One is a housewife who’s distraught at the thought of not having her family any more. Another was a businessman who’s almost giddy at the prospect of how much interest he’s earned over the course of 370 years. The third was a country singer who’s just as happy to be singing in the 24th century as he was in the 20th. One venue is just as good as another.

Everything goes well with the Romulans, which is to say that neither the Enterprise nor the Romulan ship destroys the other one. The Romulans report similar instances of their outposts simply vanishing. (Both sides recognize that the other side doesn’t have the capability to do something of this magnitude.) The three survivors are told that they will be sent back to Earth to find new lives. Troi even helps the housewife find a few descendants. And so ends the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The episode, by itself, wasn’t much to look at. We never find out what happened with the three people from the probe or exactly how the probe got so far out. Apparently, it was lucky enough not to hit anything while it was drifting, but it’s amazing that no one else found them first. Also, it was mentioned that cryogenics was popular, but there’s no mention of other probes or ships other than the Botany Bay from the original series. I guess we’re just lucky that not all cryogenically frozen people turn out to be evil, genetically modified dictators like Khan. It would have been nice to revisit one or two of them in the series later on.

Also, how is it that Troi was only able to find one family for that woman? 370 years translates into 15 generations, give or take. Figuring that both of her children were to marry and each couple were to have two children, the number of descendants should be somewhere to the order of 30,000-65,000 people or more. Even if we were to figure far less, Troi should have been able to find quite a number of families. It seems possible that one of her descendants might even be on the Enterprise.

This episode was supposed to accomplish two things, really. First, it was supposed to bring back the Romulans. According to the episode, they had been missing for 50 years. Now, they were back and would be paying close attention to the Federation. The second thing was to set up the Borg. They were never expressly mentioned in the episode, but it would turn out that the cybernetic race was the real reason that the outposts disappeared. The Ferengi hadn’t shaped up to be the enemy that they were supposed to be, so the writers had to think of something else.

The acting was pretty good, but not spectacular. The writing was decent, but not great. The episode does set up later episodes, but could very easily be skipped. It’s a two-star episode. The only thing of any real importance that the episode does is to establish the year as 2364. I really can’t recommend this episode based on that alone. If you’re collecting the series on VHS, don’t waste your money on this one. (Actually, if you’re collecting the series on VHS, you might want to look into the DVD sets and a DVD player.) I suppose that it’s really a fitting end to the first season. It’s worth watching if it comes on TV, but it’s nothing remarkable.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 25 (Conspiracy)

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

If you’ve been reading my reviews of the first-season episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, you may have gotten the impression that I don’t care for them much. That would be a pretty accurate impression; there weren’t too many episodes from the first season that I liked much. However, “Conspiracy” had promise.

Earlier in the season, there were hints that not all was well at Starfleet Command. Now, Captain Picard receives a message from friend and fellow captain, Walker Keel. Keel doesn’t know who to trust. He tells Picard to report to a remote and deserted planet. Picard tells his crew nothing. When the Enterprise arrives, Picard beams down and meets with Keel and two other Captains. While they have no proof of anything specific, Keel has noticed very odd transfers and orders coming out of Starfleet. Officers that are otherwise rational people are giving orders that make no sense.

Picard is dismissive of it at first, but when Keel’s ship is destroyed, Picard decides to head back to Earth. He tells Data to analyze all orders coming out of Starfleet. (Being an android, Data can take in and evaluate large quantities of information quickly.) Data does find very odd patterns. It looks like Picard will have to confront several admirals about this. It turns out that several admirals are infected by parasites. I don’t want to say too much more than that; it would ruin the surprise.

This episode, taken alone, was a lot better than the rest of the first season. It was dark and seemed to have consequences that would last well beyond that episode. In that respect, it was a disappointment. The series never followed up on this episode. There were hints of an invasion, but the parasites were never seen again.

The acting was great, but the graphics left something to be desired. The effect for the parasite looked a lot like claymation. Also, there is some gore in this episode. The effect for that scene also didn’t work very well. When you see the effects in that scene, everything will look a little off. It will also look out of place for the series. Looking back, I find it hard to believe that the series even attempted anything like this.

I can give this episode four stars, mostly because I don’t want to give it just three. I can’t really use the lack of follow-up as an excuse to take away from this one. That doesn’t mean that the quality of this episode is diminished. It really takes away from the overall quality of the series, if anything. I would have liked to see some future episode that dealt with the ramifications of this episode. Even a passing mention would have been something. I’d definitely recommend this episode.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 24 (We'll Always Have Paris)

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

The first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation was hit or miss for me. There were a few good ones, but a lot of them were lacking in at least one area. “We’ll Always Have Paris” is a prime example of that.

The Enterprise is going about its business when everyone onboard experiences the same moment over again. (For Picard, this anomaly happens while he’s fencing.) When Picard gets to the bridge, the Enterprise receives a distress call on behalf of a scientist named Manheim. Captain Picard recognizes the voice; it’s Jenice, a woman that he was in love with many years ago. He was supposed to meet her at the Blue Parrot Cafe in Paris, but he left her waiting there in favor of joining Starfleet. Now, she’s married to the scientist that’s in trouble. He’s been working on the relationship between gravity and time; in so doing, he’s ripped the fabric of our universe and it’s up to the Enterprise to figure out how to fix everything.

It’s not often that I can do a plot summary in one paragraph. In this case, it’s due mostly to the lack of any real plot. The relationship between Picard and Jenice isn’t really done well. It looks like it was done to show that Picard had to make a choice between being a Starfleet officer and being “ordinary,” as it was put in the episode. (A recurring theme in Star Trek seems to be the choice Starfleet officers have to make between career and family.) Picard would go on to have other love interests, pretty much all of which were done better.

Then, there are the time-related anomalies. The one at the beginning of the episode wasn’t the only one. Picard, Commander Riker, and Science Officer Data meet their doubles when entering the turbolift. All three enter without incident. When the turbolift stops, the doors open to reveal the three of them waiting for the turbolift. (It helps not to think about it too much. Why didn’t they see themselves the first time they were waiting for the turbolift? Also, after the doors close, the three that are waiting for the turbolift have a conversation about the anomalies getting worse. So far as I can tell, this is only for our benefit.)

The episode deals mostly with the anomalies. As with the relationship aspect of the episode, there will be other episodes that deal with anomalies and time-related issues better than this one did. Overall, this was a very skipable episode. The acting by the regulars is beginning to take shape as the actors are becoming more familiar with the roles and the roles are becoming more defined. The guest actors weren’t that great. A lot of the other Epinions reviewers complained about Michelle Phillips as Jenice. I had more of a problem with Rod Loomis as Dr. Paul Manheim. He was supposed to be torn between two worlds. Granted, it’s not something that most people have a lot of experience with, but his performance seemed to alternate between overdoing it and trying not to overdo it.

The only reason I thing that it’s memorable is that it’s so not memorable. If you’re watching the episodes on tape, do yourself a favor and don’t buy this one. If you’re watching them on the season set, you might want to save this one for when you have nothing else to watch. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 23 (Symbiosis)

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

The Enterprise is studying a solar storm when they receive a distress call. Things are tricky as the solar storm interferes with the ships equipment. They’re barely able to make the transporter work; the first transport turns out to be the cargo they’re carrying. Because of this, the Enterprise is only able to get 4 of the 6 crewmembers off before it explodes. Unfortunately, the payment for the cargo was left on the ship, which leads to a dispute.

The two races are the Brekkans and the Onarans. The Brekkans grow a medicine for a plague that the Onarans have suffered from for about 200 years. The cargo turns out to be a shipment of the medicine that can help several hundred people, thus making it understandably valuable. Since the payment was lost with the ship, the Brekkans claim that the medicine is still theirs while the Onarans claim that since they already gave the Brekkans payment, the medicine is theirs. The whole thing seems strange to Dr. Crusher. She and Capt. Picard do some investigating and find out that production of the medicine accounts for all of the Brekkans’ economy.

The Brekkans on board the Enterprise decide that they’re going to give the medicine as a one-time gift since so many people are suffering. However, it turns out that what seemed to be a symbiotic relationship is actually a parasitic one. Dr. Crusher realizes that the plague had been cured by the medicine a long time ago. The medicine is now nothing more than a narcotic; the Brekkans got over it out a long time ago, but the Onarans didn’t. They’ve been addicted ever since. (The drug is called Felicium, which sounds a lot like “fleecing” to me.)

The Onarans make convincing, yet stereotypical addicts. The withdrawal symptoms are very evident and the joy they get from the drug is equally as apparent. The Brekkans make convincing, yet stereotypical drug lords. All they care about is making as much money as they can off of the Onarans’ suffering. Wesley Crusher asks why anyone would stay addicted to a drug. Tasha Yar is there to answer him with what sounds like a commercial.

It’s interesting to note that Symbiosis was filmed after Skin of Evil, but was aired before it since they couldn’t have a dead character on the bridge. However, since the production numbers are what counted for the release of the videos, this does happen. I suspect that this may be the origin of the whole “Kenny’s dead” routine on South Park. While I can’t be certain, I’ve caught a few other Star Trek references.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 22 (Skin of Evil)

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

Warning: I’m about to give away major details about the plot. If you want to be surprised, don’t read this review.


The Enterprise is supposed to meet Counselor Troi, who’s coming back from a conference. The shuttle crashes on a near-by planet, but the Enterprise can’t make it in time since they’re working on the warp drive. When they do get there, the shuttle has already crashed. Troi is all right, but the pilot is badly injured.

A landing party beams down to attend to Troi. When they get there, they find this big puddle of some sort of black liquid. The puddle is able to move to block their access to the shuttle. When Data points out that it may be a life form, it addresses them. It reveals its name to be Armus and says that it won’t allow access to Troi. When Chief of Security Tasha Yar tries to go to the shuttlecraft anyway, Armus kills her with an energy blast. The landing party beams up, but Dr. Crusher can’t do anything for her; Yar dies.

The remaining members of the landing party return to negotiate with Armus, who has been tormenting Troi while they were away. He seems to take pleasure in hurting people, but grows bored quickly. He engulfs Riker and tortures him. He also uses Data to point a phaser at the other members of the landing party. Eventually, Picard beams down and is able to enrage Armus enough to let the Enterprise beam both him and Troi back to the Enterprise.

This episode is the epitome of everything that was wrong with the first season. First off, the effects were horrible. When Armus is seen moving, the effect is very cheesy. I can’t even describe to you how cheap it looks. It’s like it was airbrushed on or something. Also, after Yar is brought into sickbay, you can see what I assume is blood. It looks like Halloween makeup that someone found in a remainder bin at a dollar store. It not only looks fake, but it looks cheap. I guess they ran out of effects money.

The idea of pure evil is interesting, but they should have held this episode until they could write it better. Armus is what you might call a one-dimensional villain. His only purpose is to kill Yar. I understand that it was at her request, but if she had made that request just a little earlier, she could have been killed off in the previous episode. At least for a senseless death, it would have been at least believable. A lot of the first-season episodes missed the mark in terms of writing, but this one was way off. If I were to make an analogy to playing darts, this is the attempt that misses the board completely and hits someone where the sun doesn’t shine.

There’s also one major mistake that a lot of people have pointed out. After Armus engulfs Riker, Armus covers the shuttle. However, Armus remains very flat. There’s no lump that would be big enough to be Riker. What happened to Riker?

One thing of note is that this episode aired out of order. Episode 23 aired before this one did because the anti-drug message of “Symbiosis” appealed to Denise Crosby. She wanted to appear in that one, so the powers that be decided to hold off on airing this one. However, the episodes are numbered (and sold on VHS) according to production order. This is why the episode where she dies comes before another episode where she lives.

Other than the fact that Yar dies, this episode has nothing of any real interest. Not only can you skip this episode, but I also would have recommended that the series do the same. As I said, Yar’s death could have been put in another episode, making this one meaningless. Even if this episode comes on TV, you’re better off reading a book. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 21 (The Arsenal of Freedom)

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

The U.S.S. Enterprise is looking for another ship, the U.S.S. Drake. The come across a planet called Minos, where the ship is likely to have last been. As they're assessing the planet, which seems to be devoid of animal life, they receive a hail. The hail is from an automated holographic salesman trying to pitch a weapons system. When a landing party beams down, they come under attack from a drone. The drone’s easily destroyed, but the landing party is on edge.

To make things more interesting, Commander Riker meets Captain Rice, who commanded the Drake. Riker soon figures out that what appears to be Rice is nothing more than a holographic projection designed to pump Riker for information. Another drone appears and is more difficult to destroy. Shortly after beaming down, another drone attacks the ship. It’s now apparent what happened to the Drake.

Also, with the shields up, those on the surface can’t be brought back up. The shields would have to be dropped, which would leave the ship vulnerable to attack. Geordi La Forge, who was left in charge of the ship, decides to evacuate rather than get pummeled by the drone. Chief Engineer Logan, who technically outranks La Forge, wants to take command, but La Forge won’t relinquish it.

In the end, Picard has to say that he’ll buy the system in order to get the demonstration to stop. That still leaves La Forge to deal with the drone in space. He’s able to send most of the people on the ship to safety with Logan in charge of that task. He then figures out a way to destroy the drone and beam back the people on the surface.

There are several things that I don’t get about this episode. First, Logan is the Chief Engineer of the week. Until La Forge takes over, I don’t think that one person ever played the chief engineer more than once.

Speaking of the chief engineer, Troi technically outranks both La Forge and Logan. I believe that it was established in the pilot episode or shortly thereafter that Troi holds the rank of lieutenant commander. She could have assumed control and maintained order. It’s too bad that the writers didn’t think of this.

The entire episode was about defending against the automated system. Those drones could have really hurt someone. They were attacking the landing party and even encased Riker in force field. For some reason, the entire thing seemed like filler. It was all action, but no real substance or plot. It’s enjoyable, but I don’t think that it would have much replay value. Watch it if it comes on TV or if you get it as part of the first-season set, but I can’t recommend buying the VHS tape of the episode.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 20 (Heart of Glory)

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

Warning: I’m going to give away major details about this episode. If you’re not into reading everything about the plot, you might want to wait before reading this review.


When The Next Generation first appeared, there was this Klingon named Worf that served on the bridge. This was a bit unusual to those familiar with the original series because there was always a sense of hostility between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Now, we have a Klingon serving on a Federation ship. It’s since been firmly established that there was a peace between the two governments. This was the first episode to really deal with it in any form.

The Enterprise encounters a freighter in the Neutral Zone. (This presents a problem since entering the Neutral Zone is considered an act of war.) When a landing party beams over, they find three Klingons. The story that the Klingons give the landing party is that a Ferengi ship attacked the freighter. The Enterprise can’t tell much, but they do know that it wasn’t Ferengi weapons that damaged the freighter. When Picard calls them on their story, the Klingons say that the Ferengi were using Klingon weapons.

Not having reason to suspect the survivors, they are given quarters on the Enterprise. While there, they talk to Worf, who has lived most of his life among humans. (Worf was orphaned when the Romulans attacked a Klingon outpost.) His adoptive father was in Starfleet, so Worf joined Starfleet when he was able to. The two surviving Klingons question Worf’s loyalty to the Empire, but Worf insists that he is a Klingon.

Eventually, a Klingon ship finds the Enterprise and, when the Klingon captain finds out about the survivors, demands that the two Klingons be given over to him. It turns out that the two survivors are renegades. They apparently aren’t too happy with the peace treaty. They feel that it’s robbed them of their heritage. (Notice that this is the only time in The Next Generation that the Klingon home world is referred to as Kling. After this episode, it’s referred to as Qo’nos. I don’t recall what it was referred to in the original series.)

Worf has a choice to make. He’s loyal to the Enterprise, but he’s also a Klingon. He understands the Klingons’ reasons for not liking the treaty and pleads with the Klingon caption for consideration. Ultimately, it’s not up to him; his job is to simply escort the two renegades back to the home world. The two renegade Klingons know what’s up. They attempt to flee, but both are killed. With nothing left to do, the Klingon ship goes back to Klingon territory.

There are several interesting points in this episode. First, it’s established what Geordi La Forge sees. For those not familiar with the show, he’s the one wit the finny-looking eyewear. It’s a mechanism that allows him to see, but his vision isn’t really like normal vision. Instead, he sees all sorts of strange patterns. The device that transmits to the ships main viewer doesn’t last long and is never used again in the series. (A lot of technology is only seen once or twice in the series, but I won’t get into that here.)

Another thing I noticed is that one Klingon fell through a glass floor in Engineering. (The floor is supposed to be made of transparent aluminum or some other 24th-century stuff, but in reality is nothing more than modern-day conventional material.) I don’t think that I’d be willing to break that easily. Also, there were these skirt-like uniforms that appeared in the first few episodes of The Next Generation. Yes, they were ugly, but I think that the glass floors in Engineering were what really did them in.

The Klingons underwent a major redesign for the series. There was never any official explanation for it. (When prompted in a Deep Space Nine episode, Worf simply says that it’s not something that Klingons like to talk about.) The Romulans, who are mentioned in this episode, were also updated, although to a lesser extent. The truth is that it’s simply a matter of having enough of the right kind of makeup. It does provide for a few continuity problems, but I’ll save those for other episodes.

This one is three stars and recommended. 

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Star Trek The Next Generation - Episode 19 (Coming of Age)

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

The Enterprise is orbiting Relva III, primarily to allow Wesley Crusher to take the entrance exam to Starfleet Academy. He’s very bright and expected to outperform against three other competitors for the same spot. Admiral Quinn happens to be on Relva III; he wants to beam up, but won’t say why. When he and his assistant, Lieutenant Commander Remmick, beam aboard, Quinn announces that he’s going to perform a thorough investigation of the Enterprise.

The admiral won’t explain what he’s looking for. This puts the crew on edge. To further make matters worse, someone steals a shuttlecraft and nearly crashes it on Relva III. The captain gets the pilot safely back to the Enterprise. However, Remmick is still persistent to find something out of the ordinary.

Meanwhile, Wesley is acing his tests. The only thing he has to worry about is the psychological evaluation. In it, he’s supposed to face his worst fear. He can’t prepare because even he doesn’t know what it is. In the end, he just barely misses the cut, which allows him to stay on the Enterprise for a few more seasons.

As for investigating the Enterprise crew, Remmick finds nothing wrong. I won’t go into the exact details, but this episode is a setup for a later episode. If you were to buy this episode on VHS, you’d have a complete story. However, I’d recommend renting this as part of the entire DVD set.

Partly, it’s so you can see the other episode, Conspiracy. Mostly, it’s because this one episode alone isn’t really worth the purchase price. The acting was pretty good, but you can make out the use of forced perspective in several scenes. (That’s when they paint a wall to make it look like an area extends further than it really does. In one scene, you can see where a wall was painted to make it look like a corridor continues on.)

The main problem that a lot of the first-season episodes suffered was that they weren’t that great. Even the good ones tended to be rather plain and, on occasion, were used to establish later episodes or themes. (Those that weren’t good simply served no purpose.)

I thought “Coming of Age” was only worth three stars. It was interesting to watch, but the replay value is very low.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 18 (When the Bough Breaks)

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

Throughout the original series, it was only ships that cloaked. During the first season of The Next Generation, we were shown a race that can make an entire planet invisible. The Enterprise is led to a location in space that seems empty until a planet appears. It turns out to be Aldea, a myth not unlike Atlantis. It’s the stuff of legends; it’s supposedly out there somewhere.

The Aldeans have a proposition for the Enterprise. They want the ship’s children and they’re willing to give up a considerable amount of information for it. They’ve become sterile over the millennia and they need the children to carry on their heritage. Picard won’t hear of it. He tells the Aldeans that the children are too valuable to their respective parents. Seeing that negotiation won’t work, the Aldeans simply take about a half dozen children and restate their offer.

When that doesn’t work, they push the Enterprise so far away that it takes them three days to get back. On the way back, the crew tries to find a way to get through the planet’s defenses. Once back, Captain Picard stalls long enough to allow Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander Data to beam down and mess with the planet’s computers. Eventually, when the leader of the Aldeans realizes the game is up, he submits to Picard. By then, Dr. Crusher has had a chance to figure out what’s wrong with the Aldeans and has an idea for a cure. The children get to go home and the Aldeans have a cure, but can’t use the cloaking device or their shields any more.

The plot was seemed very weak. I don’t know if this was due to poor writing or simply time constraints. I think it has to due more with poor writing. The first thing I want to know is how the Aldeans can hurl a shop away, but never thought to look for a cure for sterility. Granted, they depended on a computer and its possible that whoever created the computer never foresaw the need for medical information. If this is so, why didn’t the Aldeans ask for the Enterprise’s help? It was obvious that Picard didn’t like the idea of giving up any children. (Picard could have insisted on helping to find a cure for the sterility.)

Also, why did the Aldeans kidnap so few children? You’d think that they’d want a bigger genetic base. It’s possible that there weren’t enough Aldeans left to care for a large population. (It was never stated how many were actually left, but there didn’t seem to be that many.) It’s also possible that the Enterprise didn’t have that many children onboard, but I doubt it. It’s been stated that there are about 1,000 people on the Enterprise. This isn’t all crew. There have to be more than six or seven children on the ship. The only thing that I can think of is that there were other groups of Aldeans and that other children were taken and sent to these groups and simply not talked about.

Speaking of which, why just the children? Why not just abduct everyone? The only thing I can think of is that it gives Wesley Crusher his first real ‘command’ situation. He is said to be something special and has great potential. However, I would still think that the writers could have done better.

The episode isn’t worth more than two stars. The acting is great and the set-up for Wesley’s development is there, but the plot seems too artificial and basic. It just doesn’t seem right. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 17 (Home Soil)

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

In the 24th century, there’s a government called the United Federation of Planets, of which Earth is a member. It covers a wide area and would seem to include a lot of uninhabited but habitable planets. Still, the Federation has decided to teraform a planet. This involves the Federation first sending a ship to investigate candidates to make sure that they meet the right conditions. One of these conditions is that there be no possibility of life existing or developing on said planet.

The Enterprise is sent to check up on an operation that’s teraforming a planet that met all of the criteria. When speaking to the director, Counselor Troi (the ship’s resident empath) knows that he’s hiding something, and its something major. Of course, you wouldn’t need an empath to know that. The director is hostile towards Captain Picard, who insists on sending an away team unless the director outright refuses.

When the away team beams down, everyone is friendly and the director even apologizes for his earlier behavior. Everything seems to be in order until one of the teraformers is wounded by a laser drill. (He makes it back to the Enterprise, but doesn’t live very long.) When Data has the laser drill reactivated, the drill goes after him. He’s able to save himself, but only by destroying the laser drill.

Data and Geordi La Forge discover that the drill has been reprogrammed with a very complex set of instructions that allows the drill to adapt to someone’s movements. The remaining three teraformers are Picard’s first suspects, but Data and La Forge soon find a blinking light down a shaft that was being drilled. It turns out that the planet does have life. It was simply silicon based and thus not detectable by any known test or scan.

One of the silicon-based life forms is brought back to the Enterprise where the life form accesses the ships computers and declares war on the “big ugly bags of mostly water” that attacked it. Eventually, the crew of the Enterprise is able to appease the life form and it allows itself to be transported back to the surface. Picard agrees that there will be no contact by the Federation for 300 years.

The story for this episode was weak. It took elements from “Devil in the Dark” from the original series and the second Star Trek movie. Given that Kirk’s Enterprise encountered silicon-based life in “Devil in the Dark,” how could a ship looking for life not think to check for some sort of silicon-based life? There is at least some reference point. Also, all four of the teraformers saw signs, but couldn’t bring themselves to think that the Starfleet vessel was wrong about the planet being lifeless.

My biggest concern was that the life form was able to reproduce on the Enterprise with no apparent access to additional materials other than the inferred energy emitted by the lights in sickbay. Granted, one could argue that since it had access to the ships computers that it had access to the replicators, but it seems like a long shot.

One minor point was when Picard first contacted the teraforming operation. Picard wanted to talk to Troi without the director hearing what Picard was saying. The computer said, “Channel closed” when it was really muted in one direction. (The director said something that came through to the Enterprise.) I’ll admit that this could simply be a misinterpretation on my part. It caught my attention, though.

I think this might be the only episode where a restroom is mentioned. (Someone actually mentioned a programmers’ restroom, I think.) Also, it’s the only time that I can recall a translation request being announced. Usually, the translator either works or it doesn’t work.

It would be interesting to see what happens in 300 years. There were very few episodes that dealt with a timeframe that far into the show’s future and there was usually some ban on mentioning future events to people of the 24th century.

The episode is a two-star episode. The story was interesting, but wasn’t developed too well. I think it could have been done a lot better. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 16 (11001001)

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

The Enterprise is docked for repairs. It’s a fairly simple procedure, so most of the people onboard have taken the opportunity to go to said starbase and relax, taking advantage of things that a starship can’t provide. Four Bynars, an alien race who are short and work in pairs, are taking care of the upgrades, starting with the holodeck. (The holodeck is capable of creating any three-dimensional representation that the user can think up.) Two of the Bynars decide to show it off to Commander Riker, who calls up a New Orleans jazz club. The only fictional people he conjures up are a band and a woman named Minuet. After a while, Captain Picard joins them. Minuet insists that he stays and Riker doesn’t seem to mind.

Meanwhile, everyone else is going about their business. The other two Bynars are working on the bridge, chattering in a high-speed chatter that is their native language. (When talking in English, they alternate every few words, which shows how dependent they are on each other.) When the space station observes a warp core breach, the ship is evacuated. Everyone except Picard, Riker and the Bynars get off the ship. Picard and Riker don’t seem to hear the sirens and the Bynars are the ones creating the diversion. It causes Data and La Forge to program to ship to go as far away from any inhabited planet as possible. (As soon as the ship is about to clear the station, the problem goes away.)

The Bynars program the ship to go to their home planet, Bynus, and to allow for all of the information in the Bynar’s central computer to be transferred into the Enterprise’s computers. The reason is that their sun is about to go nova and that will wipe out their memory banks. When Picard and Riker realize what’s going on, they leave the holodeck. When they figure out that no one is left on the ship, they try to make it to the bridge, but they find themselves locked out. They have to beam onto the bridge, where they find the four Bynars lying on the floor unconscious. Two of them manage to wake up just long enough to ask for the help of Riker and Picard. (Without their computer, they cannot function on their own.) The Captain and First Officer are able to figure out what to do and save the Bynars. When Commander Riker goes back to find Minuet, she’s gone.

This episode had potential. The Bynars weren’t really that well developed and never appeared in another Next Generation episode. (There was a reference in Star Trek: Enterprise, but that was about it.) I would have liked to learn more about this race. All we know is that they work in pairs and only think in terms of yes or no.

There’s also Minuet. I don’t see why she had to not be there when Riker came back. I think that she would have made for a nice recurring character. I suppose that since she was no longer necessary, the Bynars saw no point in keeping her around. (She did come back for another episode, Future Imperfect, but that’s another story.)

Also, the Bynars got really lucky when Picard decided to stop by the holodeck. Otherwise, Riker would have been the only one that could have saved the Bynars, and they needed two people to work the computers. (Minuet couldn’t leave the holodeck; being a computer-generated image, she had to stay within the holodeck’s confines.)

In terms of the characters, the only weak point was the Bynars. I think most of the problem was that they were supposed to be emotionless characters. What little emotion came through wasn’t enough to really like them. They were acted well, but stood out too much to make the episode truly seamless.

Overall, I give this episode three stars. (Or 11 stars, if you prefer binary.) 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 15 (Angel One)

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

Just when you thought that the first season couldn’t get any worse, “Angel One” comes along. You’re going to see me make a lot of complaints that you’ll find elsewhere, including other reviews on this site. If you’ve seen this episode, you’ll realize that all of the complaints are valid. You’d make them, too, if you wrote a review.

The Enterprise is looking for survivors from a freighter that was destroyed many years ago. They find several male survivors on a female-dominated planet called Angel One. If you read my review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you’ll recall me complaining how uninspired “The Chosen One” was. The leader of the planet has the title of Elected One. (How pathetic is that?)

Commander Riker, Chief of Security Yar, Counselor Troi and Lieutenant Commander Data beam down to the planet to negotiate for the return of those survivors. Those in power aren’t willing to give much up at first, but reveal that the survivors are, indeed, somewhere on the planet. They’re considered renegades and the government of Angel One is more than willing to be rid of them, assuming that the Enterprise can find them. The trouble is that the survivors have a life on the planet and don’t want to leave. Things change when The Elected One announces that they’re to be put to death.

Simply beaming them up isn’t an option since this mystery virus simply appears. Wesley Crusher and a friend of his are the first to come down with it. It quickly spreads, infecting about 300 people on the Enterprise. No one dies from it and the symptoms seem to be confined to the cold-like variety, such as sneezing and coughing, but there’s no point in deliberately infecting anyone. To make matters worse, the Enterprise is supposed to deal with a problem in the Neutral Zone, which gives them a deadline. Dr. Crusher is able to find a cure in time and everything works out.

The biggest complaint I have is with the writing. (Actually, I have two complaints with the writing; this is just one of them.) Angel One’s female-dominated society seems to be like a male-dominated society found on Earth, only with the genders reversed. Women are bigger and stronger. They hold the positions of power and are aggressive. The men are smaller and are considered inferior by the women, who constantly comment on their lesser abilities. It’s very stereotypical and not well written.

The other complaint I had with the writing was the whole virus thing. No one mentioned where it came from or exactly what it was. In fact, I don’t get the impression that it was any worse than the common cold. For all anyone knows, it would have eventually gone away. Of course, the thing with the Neutral Zone did make finding a cure a priority, as did the fact that any good doctor wouldn’t just wait to find out. However, I don’t think it was mentioned if Dr. Crusher did any research. So far as I can tell, the virus just popped into existence.

This episode gets one star. Neither plot is really that good. The female-dominated society is a thinly veiled attempt to show how ridiculous sexism is by showing the reverse. It comes across as a caricature. The virus plot is nothing more than a crisis-of-the-week type thing. A little more detail would have made this a lot better. With no real story, everything else falls flat. I’d recommend avoiding this episode.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 14 (Datalore)

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

How many times have you seen one of those evil-twin stories? There are a lot of them, and they’re usually not that good. “Datalore” is no exception. The Enterprise is going to Omicron Theta, which is where Data was ‘born’ 26 years ago. He’s an android created by Dr. Noonian Soong. He now serves as the chief science officer on the Enterprise. It was believed that he was the only one until that fateful day during the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Some mysterious force destroyed all life on the planet, but the landing party finds a secret entrance that leads them to Dr. Soong’s lab. They find several drawings on the wall, all of which depict some sort of alien force hovering above the city. In a storage area, the landing party finds another android; this one has been disassembled and is not active. The landing party takes the pieces back up to the ship, where the chief engineer reassembles the newly discovered android.

When they turn him on, they have to wait before he becomes conscious. His name is Lore and he apparently is the opposite of Data in terms of personality and programming. Lore can lie, use contractions and show emotion. Data is compelled to tell the truth, can’t use contractions at all and has no emotion at all.

It turns out that Lore was behind the destruction of the colony. He had led what was called the Crystalline Entity to the colony; the Entity drained the planet of all life. Now, Lore wants to give the Enterprise over to the Crystalline Entity. Lore even tricks Data, deactivates him and assumes his identity.

Wesley Crusher, the boy genius, is the only one that seems to notice, despite the fact that there are several clues. When Wesley points out that Data might not be Data, the adult crew members are dismissive of him. It doesn’t come off well at all. In the end, Wesley is able to reactivate Data; the two of them save the day together. Data throws Lore onto a transporter pad and Wesley beams him off into space.

I have some major problems with this episode. First off, the shields were up. Lore was going to transport something out as a pretense to get the shields down, thus allowing the Crystalline Entity in. Since the Entity was unable to affect the ship, I have to assume that the shields weren’t dropped. If the shields weren’t dropped, where was Lore seno? It would have had to have been somewhere within the boundary set by the shields. On top of that, they just leave Lore so that he can just drift in space or be dragged along until the shields are dropped.

Speaking of Lore, why didn’t anyone wonder why Lore had been disassembled in the first place? I also have to wonder how Lore met the Crystalline Entity in the first place. Plus, how did anyone have time to draw pictures of the entity? It seemed as though the Crystalline Entity was more than ready to get down to business.

Also, as Data is leaving the cargo bay after the fight, Captain Picard asks Data if he’s all right. Data says, “I’m fine.” They made this big deal about Data not being able to use contractions and here he goes and uses one. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but it’s even listed on TV Tome and other people have noticed it, too.

I also don’t get the episode’s title, “Datalore”. At first, I assumed that it meant something. However, I can’t find datalore in any dictionary. So far as I can tell, it’s just a combination of Data and Lore. If there is some meaning, I don’t know what it is.

This episode is worth two stars. It sets up several others, but this one is poorly written. The effects and acting are good, though. Ultimately, I can’t recommend it.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 13 (The Big Goodbye)

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

It seemed that during the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the technology not only failed quite often, but it failed at the worst possible moment. In this case, the Enterprise is on its way to negotiate with a race that has very strict adherence to protocol. Captain Picard is to deliver a greeting in their language at a precise moment. Another captain’s failure once led to a 20-year rift, so the pressure’s on. With less than a day to go, Counselor Troi advises Picard to relax. Picard decides to take advantage of the ship’s holodeck, which is capable of creating anything that the user wants.

Picard chooses a 1940’s-era detective program, taking on the character of Dixon Hill. After trying it for a few minutes, he has to leave, but he invites Dr. Crusher, Lieutenant Commander Data and the ship’s historian, Mr. Whalen. (I don’t recall if his rank was ever mentioned.) While they’re in the holodeck, the alien race scans the Enterprise, causing the holodeck to malfunction. All four people are effectively trapped. The pressure is now on an engineering team to figure out where the malfunction is and to fix it in time for Picard to deliver the greeting.

This is one of those episodes where young Wesley Crusher saves the day. A lot of people hated this character because he was this teenager who seemed to know everything. (In a prior episode, Picard was told that Wesley was to engineering and science what Beethoven was to music.) Here, he is able to work alongside trained professionals and identify what’s wrong with the computers. I don’t think it was that he was so good. It was probably that he very often made the engineering department look bad with little or no effort.

On that note, Wesley tells Commander Riker that if they make one mistake, the people in the holodeck could disappear with the program. I’m not that clear on how a holodeck works, but I’m pretty sure that any matter that enters the holodeck can’t be affected. Most of what is seen in the holodeck is projected light. The use of force fields can give the impression of substance and matter can be replicated as necessary. However, I don’t think that matter, let alone living people, could be affected like that. There have been several other instances in this series and in Deep Space Nine and Voyager where I’ve had reason to question this belief. I still don’t think that accidental death by holodeck should be that easy.

I also have a few other questions. For instance, why does a starship have a historian? I realize that history is important, but is a historian so important that he has to accompany a ship? Engineers I could understand since their services could be necessary at any moment. However, a historian could probably effectively render services from anywhere.

Also, Picard seemed like a kid with a new toy. However, I have to wonder if he’d ever seen a holodeck before. I don’t know how new the technology is. Picard makes a log entry explaining it, which would lead me to believe that it might be a relatively new technology. (That would help explain why a malfunction is caused so easily.) However, I’d like to think that if Starfleet is going to put them on ships that the technology would at least be commonplace. The truth about the malfunction was that this episode was set to air right after 11001001, in which upgrades were made to the holodeck. Upgrades are actually mentioned in the episode, presumably referring to the ones in the other episode. However, many of the first-season episodes aired out of order.

Another interesting note about the holodeck is that Picard goes through a lot of trouble to set up the Dixon Hill program. He tells the computer that he wants Earth around the 1940s, then says that he wants the Dixon Hill program by name. Shouldn’t he just be able to say, “Run Dixon Hill program” and have the computer figure out the rest?

The only other problem with the holodeck is that two of the Dixon Hill characters are able to walk out of the holodeck. As I mentioned, most of what someone sees in the holodeck is supposed to be nothing more than projections. The instant that they leave the holodeck, they should have disappeared. However, they were both able to make it out into the hallway. Another character, after having been told what he is, asks Picard if he’ll have a wife to go home to. This is a bit metaphysical for a holodeck character.

Overall, I can’t see giving it more than two stars. Even if you’re willing to overlook the mistakes, it’s a relatively weak story. The entire episode revolves around Picard having to perform this difficult and important task. Even the holodeck malfunction might have been able to if it hadn’t been for the importance of the mission. In fact, had it not been for the mission, there wouldn’t have been a need for the use of the holodeck and the malfunction wouldn’t have even occurred. I can’t recommend buying this episode on VHS. Even if you get the DVD set, I would recommend skipping this episode.


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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 12 (Too Short a Season)

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

Even in the 24th century, not everything is perfect. Time still takes its toll on the human body. Admiral Mark Jameson is in his 80s or 90s and showing his age. He’s got a terminal illness and is bound to the equivalent of a wheelchair. The Enterprise is to take Jameson to a planet where he once negotiated a treaty. A governor there, Karnas, requested him by name saying that hostages have been taken on his planet and that Jameson is the only one that he trusts to get the hostages back.

En route, strange things start happening to the admiral. At first, it’s simply bizarre. (He is able to walk when he shouldn’t be able to.) Then, he starts actually looking younger. He’s also experiencing pain. Eventually, he reveals that after conducting negotiations for a planet, he acquired two treatments of an anti-aging substance. (One was for him and the other was to be for his wife.) Rather than wait for it to take its full course, he took both of them. However, the effect was too much for one person to withstand.

By the time the Enterprise reaches its destination, Jameson is a young man again. It also turns out that Governor Karnas was lying. Karnas is the one that actually has the hostages and is trying to lure Jameson to the planet to exact revenge. Jameson ‘negotiated’ with Karnas by giving into Karnas’s demands for weapons. Jameson then gave weapons to the other sides, thus plunging the planet into 40 years of civil war. Karnas doesn’t get his revenge, though. Jameson dies as a result of the treatment; his body simply can’t take the strain of two treatments.

The episode comes across as a little too preachy, trying to tell the audience how a second chance at youth comes at too great a price. Simply put, taking both treatments was selfish and stupid. It was Jameson’s own shortsightedness that killed him. What did Jameson expect would happen? I’d also like to point out that the medicine was never followed up on. There was nothing ever said about the planet being quarantined or other people trying to get the drug.

Also, the older version of Jameson didn’t quite work well. The makeup looked just short of realistic and Clayton Rohner, who played Jameson, sounded like he was trying to impersonate Yoda. He didn’t quite pull it off.

The only real concern I had was when Picard insisted on beaming down with an away team. In the pilot episode, it was specifically said that Riker got the job of first officer because he wasn’t afraid to tell the Captain to stay on the Enterprise when an away mission might be dangerous and it definitely looked like Picard was walking into a dangerous situation.

Overall, it wasn’t a great episode. If you’re buying the VHS tapes, skip this one. In fact, if you’re watching the episodes on DVD, you might want to consider saving this episode for a slow night on TV. It was good, but not great. I give it three stars. 

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 11 (Hide and Q)

Once again, the Enterprise is on its way somewhere. In this case, it’s a relief mission to a planet in dire need of aid. On their way there, Q decides to drop in. Q is that omnipotent being from the pilot that used members of the Enterprise bridge crew to hold humanity on trial for being a barbaric race. This time, Q is only interested in Commander Riker. During that encounter, the Q found Riker to be interesting and different.

Q decides to take most of the bridge crew (including Riker) to a mysterious planet. (Picard is left on the bridge to discover that nothing works.) On the planet, Q tells Riker that they’re going to play a little game. The purpose of this game is to study how everyone behaves. It seems simple enough, especially considering that their opponents seem to be these beasts with rifles. Riker thinks it’s too easy; he even tests his phaser out on a rock to make sure that they still work. When the beasts approach, the rifles shoot phaser blasts. They even kill two people

That’s when Q’s real motives become evident; he gives Riker all of the powers of the Q. Riker is able to send everyone back to the bridge and heal the wounded. Q and Riker discuss the possibilities. However, when Riker returns to the Enterprise, Captain Picard has him promise not to use his powers. This proves more difficult that Riker initially thought. In the end, Riker comes to realize what the price of omnipotence is. No one likes the man that Riker has become.

It’s a good story, even if it is a bit predictable. Q stories tended to be a little better; Q was one of the many Trek characters that I looked forward to seeing. It shows how power can corrupt and Riker was given absolute power. This is also the first reference to others like Q. There’s an entire continuum, where the Q exist. (I think that there were two other Q shown on The Next Generation, but it was better developed on Voyager.) This is also the first time that Q has to deal with responsibility. Q, having been defeated, was to leave humanity alone. Other Q step in and remove him forcibly.

Part of the problem with the episode was that Riker’s change from first officer to god-like being was very quick. I suppose that there are limitations imposed by the 48-minute timeframe imposed by television. The only other problem I found was a goof. Chief of Security Tasha Yar was sent back to the Enterprise to be put in a penalty box. After sending her there, Q explains to everyone else what happened to her. When Yar gets up there, she explains it to the captain. How can she be so certain what happened to her? Did Q explain it on the way up?

I’d say that this episode is worthy of three stars. You don’t really need to be a fan of the show to understand it, but I would say that only regular viewers would be interested. I could see a lot of non-fans not liking this episode. I’d recommend it, but it would depend on who I’m talking to.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 10 (The Battle)

Before taking command of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard was captain of the U.S.S. Stargazer. He had commanded it for 22 years until a fight with an unidentified ship. Picard destroyed the other ship, but the Stargazer was so badly damaged that the ship was abandonded. Now, the Ferengi are trying to contact Captain Picard, but they won’t give details on why. On the way to meet them, Picard starts getting headaches, which is apparently a pretty rare thing in the 24th century.

When the Enterprise finally meets up with the Ferengi ship, the Ferengi Daimon (roughly equivalent to a captain) presents Picard with the Stargazer. They found it adrift and wish to present it to Picard – at no cost. This shocks his subordinate officers, but Daimon Bok is insistent that it be presented as a gift. The shock is warranted, considering that the Ferengi are motivated solely by profit.

The headaches worsen, but an explanation becomes evident to the audience: there’s some sort of device that glows whenever Picard gets one of his headaches. Bok seems to be controlling it. It turns out that the ship that Picard destroyed was a Ferengi ship and Bok’s son was on it. Bok wants to exact revenge by putting Picard through what Bok went through all those years ago.

It’s an interesting episode, even if it is just a little odd. This is the second appearance of the Ferengi and they’re not as ridiculous as their last appearance. The Ferengi are still a one-dimensional race, motivated by profit in the extreme to the point that when it’s revealed what Bok has done, he’s relieved of command; there’s no profit in revenge.

We also get to learn what Picard had done before commanding the Enterprise, but many other people have pointed out that there hasn’t been anything said about what Picard did during the nine years between abandoning the Stargazer and taking command of the Enterprise. (Actually, come to think of it, Commander Riker is the only one who has had his previous career explored. Other than Picard and Riker, I don’t think that it was ever mentioned where many characters had served prior to coming on the Enterprise.)

The Stargazer would be mentioned again in the series. In fact, this episode would serve as the basis for a seventh-season episode. The Picard Maneuver is also established in this episode. If you ever want to know what it is, this is the episode you’ll want to watch.

I’d give this episode three stars. It’s interesting, but nothing spectacular. Other than that one seventh-season episode, you could probably skip it and not miss it. In fact, you don’t entirely need to have seen this episode to understand the other. I’d still recommend it, though.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 9 (Justice)

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

Throughout the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, there seemed to be a few throwaway episodes that seemed to serve no purpose other than to fill out the season. These throwaway episodes suffered from bad writing, bad plots and/or bad acting. “Lonely Among Us” is one of those episodes. (Most of the throwaway episodes seemed to be concentrated in the first two seasons.)

The Enterprise is taking two sets of delegates to a planet called Parliament. Both worlds have been at odds for as long as each world has had interplanetary travel. On the way, the Enterprise encounters some sort of cloud made entirely of energy. The ship picks up some sort of energy being, which goes into Worf. Worf is knocked unconscious and taken to sickbay, where the being transfers to Dr. Crusher, who then begins to act strangely.

From Crusher, the energy is transferred into the ship’s computers. Once that happens, things start malfunctioning; the assistant chief engineer is killed by the energy being, albeit accidentally. It eventually finds its way into Captain Picard, who also starts acting strangely. The crew knows something’s up, but no one has grounds to remove Picard from command. The episode ends strangely. I don’t think that I could adequately explain it if I wanted to. It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me.

Part of the problem is that the energy-based life form dominates the story. The delegates seem to be there only to add urgency; it wouldn’t be that much of a problem if the delegates didn’t need to get somewhere. The problem doesn’t pose an immediate problem to them and there’s no hard deadline on their arrival, but it’s still a nuisance.

Then, there’s the body-snatching aspect. How many times has some alien entity invaded someone and left them with no memory of what happened? In Worf’s case, he was unconscious the entire time. However, it would have been nice for someone to be able to convey some sense of what the entity wanted.

I give this episode one star. The story just doesn’t seem to have much substance. There was nothing learned or gained. One could very easily be skipped without gaining or losing anything. I really couldn’t find any redeeming quality to the episode other than the acting, which again wasn’t exceptional.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Episode 8 (Lonely Among Us)

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

Throughout the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, there seemed to be a few throwaway episodes that seemed to serve no purpose other than to fill out the season. These throwaway episodes suffered from bad writing, bad plots and/or bad acting. “Lonely Among Us” is one of those episodes. (Most of the throwaway episodes seemed to be concentrated in the first two seasons.)

The Enterprise is taking two sets of delegates to a planet called Parliament. Both worlds have been at odds for as long as each world has had interplanetary travel. On the way, the Enterprise encounters some sort of cloud made entirely of energy. The ship picks up some sort of energy being, which goes into Worf. Worf is knocked unconscious and taken to sickbay, where the being transfers to Dr. Crusher, who then begins to act strangely.

From Crusher, the energy is transferred into the ship’s computers. Once that happens, things start malfunctioning; the assistant chief engineer is killed by the energy being, albeit accidentally. It eventually finds its way into Captain Picard, who also starts acting strangely. The crew knows something’s up, but no one has grounds to remove Picard from command. The episode ends strangely. I don’t think that I could adequately explain it if I wanted to. It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me.

Part of the problem is that the energy-based life form dominates the story. The delegates seem to be there only to add urgency; it wouldn’t be that much of a problem if the delegates didn’t need to get somewhere. The problem doesn’t pose an immediate problem to them and there’s no hard deadline on their arrival, but it’s still a nuisance.

Then, there’s the body-snatching aspect. How many times has some alien entity invaded someone and left them with no memory of what happened? In Worf’s case, he was unconscious the entire time. However, it would have been nice for someone to be able to convey some sense of what the entity wanted.

I give this episode one star. The story just doesn’t seem to have much substance. There was nothing learned or gained. One could very easily be skipped without gaining or losing anything. I really couldn’t find any redeeming quality to the episode other than the acting, which again wasn’t exceptional.

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