Star Trek: The Next Generation: Reviews

Directed by Rob Bowman, the episode is very convincing and well produced. It is light but still has a dramatic tone once we realize that the holodeck is able to control the ship.
Guest actor Daniel Davis, mostly known for playing the butler in The Nanny, is perfectly cast and gives a great performance of Professor Moriarty.

VERDICT
I give it 5 out of 10. Good.

I found this episode quite interesting. An alien life form is judging the human species and this makes for some enjoyable drama.

VERDICT
I give it 5 out of 10. Good.

The story of the episode is very bad. The concept is that an alien life form impregnates counselor Troi, which then delivers the baby in less than a day. The baby grows into a child in a couple of hours and dies. The morale of the story? The alien entity wanted to learn about humans, hence why it fucked her and grew fast. Just horrible. Science fiction stories with babies are always bad, always.

There are some welcomed changed in this second season. First, Wesley finally getting rid of his rainbow sweater and is getting a much, much better uniform. Second, the sets have been updated and we even get some new ones, such as the bar.

Also, actress Whoopi Goldberg appeared as a recurring character. You cannot not like her smile.

But one last change was the removal of Dr. Beverly Crusher, for no good reasons. Behind the scenes, the actress received a phone call from her agent, saying she was fired. Apparently a producer didn't like her. That's a shame because there was clearly something to explore in her relationship with Picard. Instead of that, they replaced the doctor with another character. This was really not good.

VERDICT
I give it 2 out of 10. Very bad.

I love science fiction. But I hate science fiction. To me, there are two types of science fiction. The one with ridiculous and Manichean aliens and the one with real and fascinating science. The one that makes you think and the one that makes you cringe. Independence Day versus 2001: A Space Odyssey. That is the reason why I never watched Star Trek in the first place. I thought it was merely about "bad" science fiction. And I was not fully wrong. Most of the episodes of the first three series (including The Animated Series) are bad. Ridiculous creatures wearing ridiculous outfits, lame storytelling, no character development, you name it. But when the episodes are good, then suddenly the entire show elevates itself and the stories become fascinating.

Star Trek is a saga that you have to work your way through. You have to dig a long time to find gold. But once you strike it, it will hopefully make your journey worthwhile.

In this episode, we are faced with a story on cryogenics. Characters cryogenized for centuries are discovered wandering on a spaceship and get back to life. I just loved the idea and while the execution is not perfect and slightly cliché (as Kimmy mentioned in his own review, you've got the rich financier, the Texan macho man, the housewife), it is still well produced and the result is quite nice.

The sub-story, while not interesting, at least provided some drama to support the story and make it not boring. That was quite clever.

At the end of a first season, let me look back and share a few points:
- First, the season is way too long. 26 episodes is an impossible task. Too little budget per episode, but most importantly, too little time. Shooting an episode in seven days seems a daunting task to me. And it shows.
- There was no character development. Nothing lasts. No storyline that keeps ongoing throughout the year.
- There are only 4 very good episodes out of 26 in my mind: Where No One Has Gone Before (S01E06), Datalore (S01E13), Conspiracy (S01E25), The Neutral Zone (S01E26). That's a ratio of 15.3%. Not great.
So, I am looking forward to continue my journey with the second season. Something is telling me the series will become better, and not only because of Riker's beard.

VERDICT
I give it 6 out of 10. Very good.

Finally! After 24 episodes that were mostly bad, Star Trek: The Next Generation finally offers us a great episode. Where No One Has Gone Before (S01E06) was already quite good, but this one takes it to another level.

First, the music is top notch. Perhaps not really the music itself, but the music cues and effects. They highlight the drama in quite an effective way.

Which brings me to drama. This episodes is simply perfectly crafted. The scenario is great and gives director Cliff Bole the opportunity to deliver a great episode.

The gore climax was stupendous. The old guy kicking ass was excellent, with his both sharp and evil gaze. And seeing the return of the old annoying guy that made an investigation on Picard was simply an excellent idea.

VERDICT
I give it 7 out of 10. Without any doubt the best episode of the series yet.

Ah, Paris! Le Tour Eiffel. Le croissant. Le café. L'amour.

This episode starts in a very interesting way. Picard is reuniting with an old fling and we get to learn a bit more about his past, his French past, to be precise. The past of the most British of the French captains.
On top of it, we can see glimpses of two timelines separating. The episode was off to a cool start.

But unfortunately, the episode fails to deliver and ends up being messy and not entertaining.

And ultimately, while the female actress plays very well and is obviously very beautiful, I did not sense any emotional connection between her and Patrick Stewart. There was no magic and it ended up being unbelievable. Ironically, Captain Kirk was laughed at by kissing a woman in every three episodes. Picard is the opposite and you'd wish to see more emotions from him.

Last comment: I find it so bad that the French characters speak English in Paris. And their view of Paris is beyond cliché.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad. Et oui.

Spoiler alert.

AWFUL DEATH
This episode marks the death of Lieutenant Yar. Let's go straight to it: her death was really not built up. You'd expect her to die at the end of the episode, in some sort of climax. But no, we are not even half into the episode that Dr. Crusher already calls it. "She's gone." Moving on.
That was really rushed. Killing off a character would have been at least a fantastic opportunity for a very dramatic episode. I have never ever seen a major character of a series being killed off like that.

BLACK OIL CHARACTER
But, I may be in the minority, but I found the black oil character just wonderfully cool and yes, well done. I totally loved it!

GOOD BYE
And what to say about the final scene from Yar. She comes up in a green field in the form of a recorded hologram message. The word is cheesy. She gives a word to every member and I must say it was horrendous to watch. Once again, by far the worst death of any major character I've ever seen in television history.

YAR
Which brings me to Yar herself. I was quite surprised to see her dying so soon in the series. I mean, we are only at season 1 out of 7. Behind the scenes, the actress Denise Crosby was frustrated by the lack of depth of her character—and I cannot disagree with her. Her character was as flat as a piece of white paper and did not bring any value. To be honest, the other characters are not much better, but at least they have scenes and get some backstory from time too time (Worf with his Klingon heritage, the counselor and her home planet, Picard and his infamous self-named manoeuvre, Delta and his birth, etc.).
What will be the outcome for the series? Well, it is not as if she will leave a big void to fill. I am sad to say that I expect to see no difference. And it's already time for me to watch the next episode. Kirk out.

VERDICT
I give it 3 out of 5, just because of the epic creature.

This episode tells the story of a planet filled with drug addicts.

DRUGS ARE BAD, WESLEY
The worst moment is when Wesley is getting a lesson on drugs by Lieutenant Yar, who seems to know a lot about the effects of drugs, as confirmed by the look on Data's face after at the end of their discussion.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad.

CAPTAIN LA FORGE
What I enjoyed about this episode was Geordi La Forge taking sole command of the Enterprise while being attacked and facing harsh criticism of his temporary leadership.
That stressful situation is so exacerbated that at some point, there is a beautiful but really short shot from above, and you can feel all the burden of the Universe on La Forge's shoulders. Just great!
Yes, I dare say it, I think he made a much better captain than Picard, simply because he has to prove to the crew that he can lead. Both Kirk and Picard incarnated authority and virtually no one would doubt them. On the contrary, they would see them as their glorious leaders, which would inflate their ego.
Suddenly, we get strong conflict within the crew and it makes everything exciting. Suddenly, I'm glued to the TV and cannot wait to see what will happen next!

BATTLE DECK
What was also great is that we finally got to see again the battle deck as well as the ship splitting in two. I liked a lot that we only got to see it twice in the entire first season (at least so far). That made the effect much more powerful than using it in every couple of episodes.

BAD PLANET
The rest of the episode on the planet was quite bad. Dr. Crush and Picard are stuck together but... nothing even remotely happens. Apparently executive producer Gene Roddenberry was against it, oh well.

VERDICT
I give it 5 out of 5. Outstanding. First time that I enjoy a Star Trek: TNG episode from the first second to the last one. Just great and showing the great potential of the show. It seems that all my efforts were not made in vain.

Directed by talented filmmaker Rob Bowman, the episode focuses on the character of Lieutenant Worf. This is the first time the writers offered something remotely interesting about Klingons. As much as I dislike them as characters, I still acknowledge the undeniable qualities of this episode.

VERDICT
I give it 2 out of 5. Weak.

BETTER
While the episode is not great, it is definitely watchable and does not contain overly ridiculous scenes, unlike many other episodes.
I almost sense that the last part of this first season seems slightly more focused and interesting. But perhaps I'm just lost in the meanders of the Star Trek galaxies.

THE PICARD INVESTIGATION
The episode is made out of two separate stories. On one side, there is an investigation on Captain Picard. I did not like it, as we know in advance that it is a complete farce. We know that it will last for 43 minutes and that the next episode will already have forgotten everything about it.

THE ACADEMY
The second part is about Wesley going to the academy. It wasn't bad and somehow enjoyable.
There is even a scene which I found funny, when Wesley bumps into a species that "are infuriated by courtesy". Wesley therefore then decides to aggressively respond to the individual, which takes it very well.

Wesley: Zaldans are infuriated by courtesy. They view it as a form of phony social behaviour, designed to cover true feelings.

WESLEY
And I guess this is the moment I must confess I actually like Wesley. I never would have thought in a million years I would have said that when watching the pilot of TNG, but the character actually grew on me. That's the power of television series.

There's also a beautiful scene where Wesley says to Picard he thinks he failed him and the Enterprise. That scene particularly resonates, when you know that the actor portraying the young Wesley had parents that would force him to be an actor when he didn't want to, then stole his money. He surely would have been better off with a father like Picard.

Wesley: I failed, Captain. I didn't get into the Academy. I failed you and I failed the Enterprise.
Picard: Ridiculous. Did you do your best?
Wesley: Yes.
Picard: When you test next year, and you will test next year, do you think your performance will improve?
Wesley: Yes.
Picard: Good. The only person you're truly competing against, Wesley, is yourself.
Wesley: Then you're not disappointed?
Picard: Wesley, you have to measure your successes and your failures within, not by anything I or anyone else might think.

LESS GENE
I don't have too much else to say, only that this is the moment that Gene Roddenberry started to give up his role of script supervisor and I believe that while he created the myth, having him leaving might be the best course of action, quality-wise. Chris Carter, anyone?

VERDICT
I give it 4 out of 5. Very good.

The series is often so bad that when an episode is just barely doing the job, I end up being positively surprised. But if I compare it with shows that I truly love, I would then not feel as satisfied.
Still, the first half of the episode is fascinating. A group of scientists is terraforming and we get to learn a lot about their methods and the show is actually very clever and technical. Instead of immature sci-fi with manichaean characters wearing ridiculous outfits, we are immersing into a story with science. Never forget the science in science fiction.

But while the first half is interesting and taking place in great sets, the rest of the episode is back to the ship and adds little value.

Oh, and the quote about the ugly bags of mostly water quote was fun.

VERDICT
I give it 2 out of 5. Not awful but still extremely weak. I am not entertained.

STORY
Directed by the excellent Kim Manners, the episode tells a very simple story. A planet with no young people is stealing the kids from the Enterprise in order to build a new generation.

KIDS
The idea works very well. And the kids are better actors that many Star Trek guests in the past. And for once, Wil Wheaton is giving a careful performance.
The episodes focused on kids in Star Trek: TOS were all horrendously bad. This one is actually not an immature episode. I liked the gravitas around the kids of the Enterprise being abducted. The concept worked very well.

JERRY HARDIN
On top of it, Jerry Hardin is the main guest star of the episode and since I love him dearly, it is a great delight to see him in this episode. Jerry Hardin became famously known for portraying the character of Deep Throat in The X-Files series.

BRENDA STRONG
Also, the other guest star, Brenda Strong, famously known for her role in the pilot of Desperate Housewives, did a great job as well. The two special guest stars from this episode were really good.

LAST SCENE
Finally, the last scene provided us with an awesome location. Finally something interesting and exciting. We need much more of that.

VERDICT
I give it 4 out of 5. Very good.

This episode shows us the story of an old man who suddenly becomes younger as the story unfolds. Since the make-up effects are quite lame, it is hard to take the story seriously. But still, I went along. And it is with quite a shameful delight that I looked forward to see the character getting younger and younger. But the episode failed to deliver and became worse and worse until the painful-to-watch ending.

Besides sub-par make-up, the story of the episode is way too wordy. There is nothing, just endless talks. And the entire story around negotiation and hostages was plain boring.

And the actor playing the old (and young) admiral was awful. I have rarely seen a performance of agony so... agonizing.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad. I once again wonder why I am wasting so much time with Star Trek. Watching the entire TNG series is quite a challenge and probably a silly one, at least when it comes to the first season, which, I would say, is too long a season.

In many ways, the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation did not learn the lessons from The Original Series. The recipe of a bad Star Trek episode was: ridiculous outfits and bad sets. Kirk, Spock and McCoy would visit a strange planet that actually was made out of a colorful background with a few fake rocks here and there. And soon after, a new secondary character would appear, often wearing a ridiculous costume. This is to me what bad sci-fi is and why, even today, quality is not the first word that comes to mind when you think about science-fiction.
So, you'd think that almost twenty years after the original series, TNG would have learned a thing or two on how not to produce an awful episode. But unfortunately, from the very second episode (or third depending on how you count), we saw the same bad elements added into the series.

Here, this is exactly the contrary. The science-fiction element is clever and interesting. Riker is spending some time in a simulation with a gorgeous hologram that feels real. I really enjoyed that. While the episode's tone is a bit too positive to me, I still found it was a good episode. I still do not understand why they had to abandon the ship, but hey, don't ask too much for television from the 80's. And actually, it was probably me not being focused enough.

PICARD'S FRENCH
Picard only has two super short lines in French in the script and completely messes it up. I simply don't get why he wouldn't just spend five minutes with a French person showing him exactly how to pronounce the words.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad.

Once again, a very bad episode from TNG. I'm not sure where to start. The planet with women acting like men? The completely ridiculous outfits that Riker wears? Or the virus that spreads throughout the ship and is totally irrelevant to the story?

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. I am wasting my life now. This is beyond boring.

I know for a fact that one day, and sooner than we think, androids will be as real as Data. And they will roam the Earth and soon after we will start giving them rights. This is the inevitability of human progress—whatever progress means.

This episode, focused entirely on Data, is actually decent. And that was about time! The first season is really awful, as I only count two good episodes before that one (and one decent).

What I liked the most was the acting from Brent Spiner, playing both Data and Lore. Who would have thought, when watching the pilot, that this character would be actually interesting? I clearly didn't at least.
Even though Spiner has to play both a good and an evil brother, he does it with a subtlety that you'd not expect for Star Trek. I admired him for that.

And again, a decent episode directed by... Rob Bowman. So far, only his episodes are interesting. It's quite interesting to be noted.

VERDICT
I give it 3 out of 5. Enjoyable.

The episode reminded me a lot of some episodes where Kirk and Spock (and sometimes McCoy) would end up in a strange world resembling a lot like Earth from a few decades ago (for us). Here is exactly this type of episode, for the first time in The Next Generation.
The only problem is that Picard and Data are not Kirk and Spock—no offense. Their charisma are not equal and we feel like we are watching pale copies.
I did not care for the story and it ended up as a pointless episode to me, again.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad.

The episode started with a very dumb idea: an arranged wedding with the ship's psychologist *, or whatever is her precise title. The episode doesn't know where to go, from tragedy to comedy and back. But the tragedy is not making any sense and the comedy is not funny at all. Patrick Stewart is really awful when it comes to playing in a comedic way.

The dinner scene was unwatchable. Just plain bad. Oh and we get to witness yet another fake planet taken straight from the 1960's original series.

And the end of the episode is equally as bad. Just awful.

I don't see the point of making a soap opera of Star Trek. TOS was so much better than this mess.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad.

* PS: She is the ship's counselor.

Q IS BACK
This episode marks the return of the Q character, which I must say I detested in the pilot episode. While I actually welcome this type of science-fiction, I did not like the result.

TOS PLANET
Another thing I particularly disliked was the scenes on the planet, with a set that looked exactly like from the 1960's. This is really a shame and should not happen in a series produced in the late 80's, especially when you know what ILM is capable of in terms of SFX. This is not good and will never look good.

SECOND PART
But, the second part of the episode is actually quite interesting! Once we realize that Riker has the powers of Q, everything fits nicely and I found myself actually being interested at what I was watching, for once in TNG.

VERDICT
I give it 3 out of 5. Enjoyable.

FERENGI
Yes, I absolutely hate the Ferengi (Ferrengi?). But...

HEADACHE
I liked the super simple yet efficient story of Picard having a strong headache. I believe it was very efficient.

BACKSTORY
I also liked the backstory created for Picard.

ROB BOWMAN
Why am I not surprised that Rob Bowman is again directing one of the best episodes of the series already?

QUOTES
The episode also had a couple of interesting quotes, such as the final one:

Riker [OC]: Placed under guard for his act of personal vengeance. Seems there was no profit in it.
Picard: In revenge, there never is. Let the dead rest. And the past... remain the past.

VERDICT
I give the episode 4 out of 5. Very good! Would I be slowly opening up to TNG? Let's find out, shall we?

THE FUCK PLANET
Yes, you read it right, this episode could have been titled The Fuck Planet. The crew of the starship Enterprise beams down onto a planet where everyone is basically spending their time engaging in physical contact. The episode is beyond suggestive to the point where we even question if the kids are doing it.

RIDICULOUS
The episode is clearly ridiculous, with men wearing absurd costumes and the local police (aka mediators) wanting to kill Wesley because he messed up a couple of... flowers. Oh and I did mention that, when they don't fuck, people spend their time running half-naked?

EXECUTION
So the rule on this planet is: if you make any offense, you are sentenced to die. My brain is already melting. Talking about execution, kill me now because I simply don't know where I will find the energy and mental power to sit through seven seasons of this.

BUT...
But I will say this... Once Wesley is condemned for execution, the worst part of the episode enables its best part. Because suddenly, in a split second, we start to philosophically engage and debate about justice and it becomes... somewhat interesting.
There was one scene between Data and Picard, where they exchanges arguments and rationales about the current situation. And I found it very interesting. No costumes, nothing. Just dialogue without ridiculousness. I hope to see more of that in the future, as I sense there is a strong connection that will bind Picard and Data.

TWO STORIES
Overall, the episode chose to do sex and justice in one episode. This is just way too much and doesn't work. Pick one and do it right.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Horrendous. Six bad episodes out of seven so far. Pretty horrendous.

BORING
A quiet and again boring episode of TNG, why am I not surprised? I want to take a nap on the deck's nice rug and stay there for an entire weekend.

& BAD
Most of the episode is awful. Not interesting, boring, at times completely ridiculous. It goes into too many directions, none of which was interesting.
Data is now even stealing Spock's quotes:
Data: I believe I said that.

GOOD ENDING
But then (spoiler alert), everything changes when everyone finally discover that Captain Picard is actually the bad guy. I liked the ending a lot.

VERDICT
I would have given the episode a classic 1 (very bad), but the ending made me change my mind. I therefore give it 2 out of 5. Weak.

BAD START
The episode started very badly, with an engineer acting beyond overly arrogant that it made the first scenes very stupid and uninteresting.

BUT...
But suddenly, everything flipped when the Enterprise travelled far beyond imaginable. Simply put, it was awesome! The crew of the starship Enterprise travelled so fast that they ended up in another galaxy, more than 300 years of traveling away from their starting point. Just wonderful and finally something I like. Exactly the type I would have loved in TOS.

VISIONS
Not only that, but the science fiction in this episode was metaphorical and intelligent. That's the type of sci-fi I love the most. Then, the strange thoughts from the crew were equally as interesting. Picard seeing his dead mother was quite a mesmerizing scene. "Maman?"
Only one comment: I find it odd that the character would speak in English with his French-speaking mother.

MUSIC
Also, the eerie music of this episode was interesting and supported the episode in a relatively good way, even though we only get synthesizers.

WILL OKAY
And for the first time since he appeared on screen, young Will Wheaton played in a good way—or let me rewrite that: at least not in an utterly bad and too forced way.

ROB BOWMAN!
The episode was directed by Rob Bowman, one of my personal favorite TV directors, which I discovered and adored during his tenure on The X-Files. And I am not surprised to see his name in the credits, as he is a very talented director.

THE BEST OF THE WORST
Overall, I liked this episode, which is, to me, without any single doubt the best episode of the series so far. And it wasn't difficult at all, as we are only six episodes into the show and that most of the episodes were plain bad.

VERDICT
I give it 4 out of 5. Very good.

INTERESTING BEGINNING
The episode started off with an interesting space face-off between two ships, and ended up with ridiculous scenes on a planet with sets as ridiculous as in the 1960's. How is it even possible to produce such awful sets twenty years after the original series?

SUN TZU
Also, the first quote of Sun Tzu's The Art of War was pretty cool. But then the climax of the episode was built on Riker quoting Sun Tzu to the bad guy. What an awful ending.

FERENGI: KLINGONS MADE WORSE
I absolutely hated the Klingons in TOS. Well, they succeeded to make a new race that's even stupider and totally uninteresting and unidimensional. There's absolutely nothing remotely interesting about them. Nothing at all. This is everything I hate in Star Trek and if things continue this way, I might end my journey right there.

MISSING BATTLE?
Finally, why didn't they go to the battle bridge when confronted with an enemy ship?

AWFUL SEASON 1
I really do not like the beginning of this new series. But something is telling me the best is yet to come. I had to already sit through four bad episodes (or five if you count the pilot as two). TOS had six excellent first episodes in comparison. I want my life back.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad.

BORING
This episode feels like a very bad episode from the original Star Trek series. I don't have much to say. Cheap sets, cheap story, cheap result. I really do not know if I'll have the courage to sit through close to 200 episodes of the series...

POTENTIALLY OFFENDING
Some cast and crew members of Star Trek TNG felt embarrassed by this episode, finding it racist. I must admit this did not cross my mind while watching the episode, but of course it is quite obvious that it felt out of place. It's a kind of Tintin in Congo story.
I don't have the energy to go through this highly political topic, so I'll just say I actually don't care. What I always go back is the intention. I do not personally believe, even though I have absolutely no proof to say that, that the writers either were racists or purposely wanted to write a racist story. What would be the purpose? I think they simply went for a very unimaginative story and used a story of an indigenous tribe on a remote planet, without realizing it was actually offending.
Like Uhura said in one episode of TOS, over time, humans learned not to be afraid of words. Therefore, I am trying to elevate myself and I think it would be unjustified to call the two writers racist just because they wrote a story that might be offending. Are there not African tribes that still exist today?
I made a simple search and see that "there are over 3,000 distinct ethnic groups across the African continent, each with its unique customs. For instance, the Maasai, known for their distinctive dress and nomadic pastoral lifestyle, face modern challenges such as land encroachment and loss of traditional grazing grounds due to conservation efforts in Kenya and Tanzania. Similarly, the Zulu in South Africa maintain a strong cultural heritage while adapting to contemporary life, focusing on preserving their language and customs."
Therefore, as some might want to say these tribes don't exist, they actually do. Why couldn't we have an episode focused on a similar story? Is that racist?
I won't judge and I will let you, as a reader, make up your own mind. If you ask me, it's just a very bad episode, nothing more, nothing less.

FIGHT FOR DEATH
For instance, the Captain of the ship is just letting one of his Lieutenants to join a fight to death. Ridiculous.

THREE
What is very difficult to me and more important is that we are already in the third episode of the series (or four if you count the double-episode pilot as two) and I haven't found yet a great episode. This is extremely rare for a great series to start with so many bad episodes. Usually, great series have a tendency to start great and fade away with time, not the other way around.
Rewatch the pilots of Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Friends, ER, LOST, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, The Crown to get my point.

VERDICT
I give it 1 out of 5. Very bad.

EXCELLENT BEGINNING
The series premiere was a messy and complex story, which I ultimately didn't like, but I must say it set up the new characters and settings quite well. Here, this is the exact opposite. The story is extremely simple, which is very welcomed after the pilot.
The crew goes onto a ship and gets infected leading them to strange behavior. This is absolute classic Star Trek and I have no problem at all with the series already copying previous episodes—although I don't see the point of creating a new series then.

TOO EARLY
The main problem is that this episode comes way too early in the series. You cannot already start making your characters doing oddities in the second episode! You obviously have first to settle them into their environment, so that you can then have some sort of a guilty pleasure of witnessing them doing crazy things. If you already throw them into the nonsense right from the start, you fail to make a lasting impression to the audience.

IMMATURE
And already, we can sense the immaturity of the writing. The characters are infected with a strange disease and become erratic. One character becomes horny, another gets aggressive, etc. This makes for pretty bad television and I don't have much to say except that Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory was definitely right, Will Wheaton was quite a bad actor, at least as a child. And Patrick Stewart had a couple of awful acting moments in this episode too. He seems not to know how to play comedy, at least in this episode. His scene in which Crusher tries to jumps on him is atrocious. His acting is beyond terrible. Really, really awful.

COPY
And overall, the episode is just a pale copy of The Naked Time, an episode with the exact same story from The Original Series—the one where Mr. Sulu can be seen half naked holding a sword.

SEX, AGAIN
And let me make an analysis of Star Trek, this is the second series (apart from The Animated Series) and already we seem to understand that the meaning of life, the search in the void in space is... sex. Like the fantastic quote from Woody Allen: "I don't know the question, but sex is definitely the answer."

VERDICT
In my first watch, I gave this episode 1 out of 5. Upon my second rewatch, I actually will give it 2 out of 5. It might be bad, but it is extremely focused and the opposite of the pilot.

This is it, the final episode — and with this special event this is a double-length episode that could very well have been a theatrical movie! In fact, it was written at the same time as the first TNG movie, Generations, and the writers themselves (Braga & Moore) admit that the finale is the better script of the two. The finale is in plenty of “best of” lists, it won the series’ second Hugo Award (after season 5’s The Inner Light), it inspired Lost‘s best episode (The Constant), and its reputation is actually well-deserved. It really is a great combination: a Star Trek adventure in of itself, with a purely science fictional concept of time travelling; it provides a retrospective to the entire series, with Q’s judgement of humanity that started in the pilot (Encounter at Farpoint); and it is an emotional story about the characters we have come to love over seven seasons, with multiple versions of them from past, present and future.

In the fashion of A Christmas Carol, Picard gets to visit, like a ghost, Enterprise past, Enterprise present, and Enterprise future. The first hour, more or less, is spent with Picard sliding from timeline to timeline, confused about what’s going on, until it is revealed that Q is behind this. Q, or rather the Q Continuum’s, trial of humanity never ended, and higher powers have not yet decided whether humanity should roam the depths of space freely: “The trial never ended, captain. We never reached a verdict.” Q has put Picard in a last (?) test, where Picard’s resourcefulness will decide not just humanity’s fate but the very existence of every living creature on Earth from its very inception to the future — no pressure! This is revealed in an incredible jump back to some 3.5 billion years ago, where Q and Picard witness the very genesis of life on Earth, the very first protein: “Everything you know, your entire civilization, it all begins right here in this little pond of goo.“

The second hour is spent on solving Q’s intertemporal riddle of the time anomaly travelling in anti-time having consequences in normal-travelling time (what an idea!). It culminates in another incredible scene, with three Enterprises from different points in time, joining together and being destroyed in order to restore the prime timeline. It all readjusts and the only thing that remains of these events is in Picard’s brain (like in The Inner Light!); what we witnessed was like a disturbance in the quantum foam, appearing, folding in on itself, and disappearing.

The episode is very well structured with its transitions from time period to time period. It keeps the mystery of what’s going on going, keeping the point of view strictly on Picard and his confusion, and it manages and doses well the revelations of each character’s fate in the future timeline. The scenes are long in the beginning, then the transitions become more and more frequent as the episode progresses, contributing to its fast pace, until the timelines merge at the end.

Even though the whole crew contributes, the episode has a strong and tight focus on Picard: he is in all scenes in some timeline, giving Patrick Stewart a lot of work. But let’s face it, Captain Picard was the show’s strongest and most memorable character and the closest thing it had as a protagonist. It’s also an absolute joy to discover what the episode does with all the characters in their future version (with some amazing makeup, especially for Crusher!). Future vine-grower / retired Admiral Picard is the same yet his persistence comes off like a grumpy old man who doesn’t get what he wants. The Troi-Riker-Worf love triangle extends decades in the future and its stress caused them some white hair! Riker not only became Captain of the Enterprise (enhanced with a third nacelle!), he is also an Admiral, and in the process he has lost his smile. Worf still struggles with his double identity, serving for the Klingon Empire but at an outpost bordering the Federation. The Crusher-Picard relationship did develop into a marriage then a separation, but they still appear to be on good terms, with Beverly being Captain Picard (!) of the USS Pasteur (how fitting!). Geordi got rid of his VISOR and enjoys a happy married life. Data is an eccentric British professor with dozens of cats, more and more resembling Sherlock Holmes. Troi died early. All these fates ring true to the characters and seeing what they become some 25 years later feels like a last chapter in a long book and provides some closure, a la endings of The Lord of the Rings or Six Feet Under. It is also bittersweet, as the future we see is not the brightest for many. The characters getting older or dying and Picard’s neurological disorder makes you wonder about mortality and the passage of time, yet the Federation still goes on. Of course this is but one future, and the events of this episode erased it from existence — the direction of the feature films will be quite diffferent from what I know! Actually, with the future Picard series coming more or less 25 years later it will be interesting to see what the Prime (?) universe future holds in store for these characters.

But this future exercise is not futile, as it is a love letter to these characters. The same is true to their versions in the past: seeing them again how they were seven years ago make us realize how much they, and the show, have changed and matured while we were watching. Troi and her mini-skirts straight from TOS; Data and his lack of understanding of English expressions; Riker and his lack of a beard. The Enterprise crew was still young, and by series’ end it is a well-oiled and experienced machine. Then there are all the callbacks to the series’ history, like a TNG retrospective: not only Q and the presence of Tasha Yar and Miles O’Brien in the past timeline; but also Admiral Nakamura (from season 3/4’s The Best of Both Worlds), the Romulan Tomalak (from season 3’s The Enemy and The Defector), the Warp core designer Leah, who is probably Geordi’s future wife (from season 3’s Booby Trap), Nurse Ogawa.

Ultimately, our hero figures things out with the help of Q, the ever-excellent John DeLancie, proving his worth. However, humanity’s trial never ended and never will end; Q’s staged trial serves as a parable for humanity’s evolution as a species and its endless strive to something better, towards utopia. Just as the trial never ends, so the journey towards inner self-improvement and the journey of outward exploration never ends. With this return to Q’s initial challenge, the finale gives the series more structure than what was perhaps initially planned! Indeed the trial bookends the series very nicely. More importantly, it re-states what is essentially Star Trek‘s optimistic mission statement: that humanity can overcome any challenge it faces and become better and better.

The epilogue has Picard joining the poker game that has been a recurring meeting of the officers since season 2, and we pull back, leaving them to continue their lives and the Enterprise’s “continuing mission”. In short, it is difficult to find anything negative to say about this. It certainly tops off magnificently an uneven season 7. All Good Things is one of the best TNG episodes overall and one of the best-written, well-balanced and satisfying series finales out there!

The quotes:
Crusher: “Do you really think he’s moving through time? I’m not sure I do, either. But, he’s Jean-Luc Picard and if he wants to go on one more mission that’s what we’re going to do.”
Q: “That is the exploration that awaits you; not mapping stars and studying nebulae, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence.”


---
And so season 7 and TNG as a whole wraps. The actors would start filming Generations barely a week after the series finale! TNG would transition to a feature film series while DS9 and Voyager would run concurrently on TV, an impressive feat for a franchise. Despite some weaknesses I found in even this selection of “best of” episodes, TNG season 7 still gave us some amazing episodes — not least of which its finale. TNG ended when it was still massively popular; despite some slightly decreasing viewership figures since season 5, TNG was being re-broadcast in repeats and sold all around the world, becoming THE face of Star Trek for a whole generation. And so TNG was cancelled not because of popularity but because of increasing production costs (and actors’ salaries), and an expectation that feature films would prove more profitable. The jump to the big screen is always a big risk and few franchises have been truly successful, but that is a story for later.

TNG changed a lot since its beginning. There’s still a lot to like in the first couple of seasons, I find, and much of the overall feel and design and core ideals were there since the very pilot. But there was some wooden acting, the stories were quite formulaic (and TOS-like, I think), and the production values did become considerably better starting from season 3. That season 3 finale, The Best of Both Worlds, was really the turning point for the series; building up on an already excellent season 3, season 4 was incredibly fresh, spending a significant amount of time building characters and experimenting with the formula. Things continued from there, with a strong balance between the pure science fiction stories, the idealistic/utopian elements, and character pieces. From what I saw, seasons 3-6 were the true golden age of the series. Other shows follow this general trajectory: finding its identity, increasing in quality, experimenting with the formula, struggling with creativity, ending.

There was more and more continuity from season 5 or so, with multiple references building on top of each other, but at its core TNG remained an anthology series with largely self-contained episodes; this format gave way to the serialized DS9, following the general trend of the 1990s (see The X-Files and Babylon 5, which both started in 1993). The anthology format has been wrongly maligned lately, but it is a form of storytelling that has a lot of qualities to it, and the fact that you can rewatch a single episode any time and enjoy it fully has a lot to do with TNG’s longevity, I believe.

The most developed characters were certainly Picard, Data and Worf, for different reasons. Picard is iconic for his cool-headedness and insistence to do peaceful diplomacy instead of resorting to violence. Data very subtly became more and more human-like as the seasons passed, but his android demeanor and extremely enjoyable insights in human nature make him a truly memorable and loveable character. Worf started as the token alien(/black) character and the writers gave him and the Klingons a lot of episodes in which he blossomed, giving rise to some of the most emotional and dramatic scenes in the series. The rest of the characters were less fleshed out, although all of them were highly likeable. Troi in particular was more useful as the ship’s psychologist rather than the exotic bimbo empath. Some characters were so little developed in the minds of the writers that once they were written out they were not replaced: Tasha Yar, Wesley Crusher. I wish one of the characters had kept something of Dr. Pulaski‘s edginess.

From the get go, TNG presented itself as even more optimistic and utopian than TOS, being set some 80 years later, and being created by Gene Roddenberry with the benefit of thinking about and hearing others talk about his own creation for twenty years. As Rodenberry’s influence decreased, writers fused more character elements in the scripts, while still retaining the principles of Starfleet is always right and there is a minimum friction between crew members. As time passed, from about season 5, TNG started becoming more ambiguous, with episodes such as The High Ground (season 3), Ensign Ro (5), Chain of Command (6). All those instances where Starfleet is not entirely in the right but not wrong either are often praised as accurately representing the complexity of real situations and I can understand that; however there is something to be said for a message as simple as that of TOS and early TNG: humanity is capable of doing good, and doing good is what Starfleet does. As TNG went on, more and more episodes started putting shades of grey to that, and that early simple purity disappeared. Thus conceptually it makes sense to draw a line between the first half of TNG, more or less, and the second half, in which the themes and approaches to storytelling change and transition into DS9.

And so I started out these reviews asking the question whether ST:TNG is a series that can still be seen and enjoyed in 2018, whether it holds up as genuine intelligent entertainment over three decades after it started and not as a piece of interesting but has-been sci fi history. After reviewing these 100 (out of 178) episodes, I can resoundingly say: YES!

This is the penultimate TNG episode and we get what essentially must be a DS9 episode! In its themes, in its story, in its setting, in its characters, everything is quite remote from the “clean” environment of TNG and much closer to the “murkier” DS9 (or so I believe!). The episode also plays with the fact that the two series are airing at the same time and expects the viewer to follow both: the Maquis are explained very, very quickly here! And what an episode it is: in 45 minutes we get a jam-packed story that evidently spans a long period of time, in-universe, and it would certainly have made more sense to have this be the season’s two-parter instead of Gambit. Oh well.

Picard’s protégé since he recruited her in season 5’s Ensign Ro, Ro Laren is recruited for an undercover mission inside the Maquis in order to prevent them from harming the Cardassians and thus destroying an already unstable cease-fire with them. It’s an incredible situation for her, balanced between her Bajoran heart and her recent Starfleet training: “I’ve spent the better part of my life fighting the Cardassians. I never thought I’d be helping them out.” That dilemma has been with her ever since we met her. Back then, I thought that her complex background made for a unique recruit that would be different from the “mainstream” Starfleet officers, who would be able to know inside out the suffering the Federation was built to prevent, who would also have experienced the parochialism that sometimes prevents peaceful solutions to prevail. But her spending her energies to fight the Cardassians’ occupation of Bajor would also be entirely possible too. Her loyalty and debt to Picard are strong, yet Picard is unusually harsh in the fate he plans for the Maquis. Her feelings towards a new substitute father among the Maquis awake her wounds. What will she do? Her last scene with Picard, an undercover meeting in a dark bar, is an amazing piece of understated tension and dialogue that strikes both to their very essence; they have to act as client and prostitute as part of their cover, but the scene between them truly is sensual, in a way that TNG never dared to do before.

Until the very end of this episode I did not know what Ro’s destiny would be, and I would have believed possible and coherent (and tragic!) either outcome. She really was once of TNG’s best-written and best-acted characters, and it’s a shame she was not involved in DS9. The episode ends with a memorable Picard, silent and angered, in disbelief at Ro’s difficult betrayal.

The quote:
Ro: “It’s been a long time since I really felt like I belonged somewhere. Could you tell Captain Picard something for me?”
Riker: “Of course. What is it?”
Ro: “Tell him I’m sorry.”

The Enterprise from the point of view of the lower ranks. A really great idea! Four Ensigns and a civilian meet for drinks and poker. For them, the group of high-ranking officers we have come to know so well are their superiors: they are in awe before them, they are timid in approaching them, they are not privy to all their secrets and so they have to piece together information to understand what’s going on. Outside of big life-changing decisions on the Bridge, life goes on. It actually reminded me of a Babylon 5 episode that had a similar concept (A View from the Gallery), but chronologically the TNG episode came earlier!

There’s Ensign Ogawa, Crusher’s aide whom we’ve seen many times already since season 4 (her story here is just romance waiting for her prince…one negative point for this cliché sexist storyline); there’s a promising Bajoran Ensign Sito, who we met in Starfleet Academy with Wesley in season 5’s The First Duty; there’s a mini-Riker Ensign who wants to make a good impression on Riker; there’s a Vulcan Ensign who is exquisitely Vulcan (actually the son of key producer and writer Jeri Taylor!); and there’s the bartender (what happened to Guinan this season?), who doesn’t care much for all things Starfleet. Five great characters who come very much alive just in the 45 minutes we come to know them.

The episode becomes even better with the unexpected tragic turn in its latter part. Picard tests Ensign Sito for her resolve and, with some coaching from Worf, she passes; here we see that Picard can appear very tough to his crew, when in fact he is trying to bring those that do have potential to the point where they do make use of that potential (this reminded me of how tough he was with Riker in the pilot). Bajoran Sito embarks on a mission with a Cardassian spy for the Federation (yes, such a thing exists!) and…ultimately she never returns! I had grown to like her very much and wanted to see her in future episodes! This is a humbling moment for Picard and us viewers, who have grown accustomed to the stability of the main cast. To boldly go has a cost, and we often forget that. A one-of-a-kind experimental episode, really excellent.

Interrupting Captain Picard Day (!), Admiral Pressman, who used to be Riker’s Captain when Riker was just an Ensign on the Pegasus, arrives on the Enterprise with a secret mission from Starfleet Intelligence, which will put him at odds with the Enterprise crew. Are all senior officers from Starfleet Command the incarnation of evil? At times it seems as if the only utopia in the 24th century is aboard the Enterprise with Picard, while the rest of the world is still struggling with egos, hierarchies and jealously kept secrets! As his inferior, Picard has to execute Pressman’s orders, and Pressman expects nothing but loyalty out of Riker. However, Riker still wonders whether he should have had mutinied with the rest of the crew 12 years ago, that’s how bad it was — despite the fact that mutiny is as disgracing as can be for a Starfleet officer.

The Enterprise plays hide and seek with a Romulan warbird (and its delightfully menacing captain) and finally, well past the episode’s half way, the secret is revealed: Pressman and his scientists were developing cloaking technology, which apparently is prohibited under a treaty with the Romulans. I didn’t quite get why this is though, the Romulans and Klingons have cloaking technology and it seems like a big concession to make on the Federation’s behalf in order to have a cease-fire and neutral zone in exchange. This resulted in the Pegasus being half-fused together with the rock of an asteroid, very neat! (and reminiscent of similar things in The X-Files‘ Dreamland!) In order to get out of this alive though, the Enterprise has to make use of it, right under the Romulans’ noses! They have to shift phase and their matter can cross the inside of an asteroid, very neat too! — it seems to be the same technology as what happened to Ro and LaForge in The Next Phase. In doing so, Pressman’s illegal secret is revealed to the rest of the crew and Riker confidently turns against his ex-captain this time. It ends well here, but what does that mean for Starfleet Intelligence, which seems to be routinely breaking treaties under the guise of doing “important things”? Picard gets Riker out of this mess this time, however should he not also be in trouble due to his involvement with Pressman 12 years ago, now that everything is out in the open?

Overall, this was a tense episode on hard choices and secrets that eat on your conscience, similar themes to The First Duty with Wesley at the Academy, and I preferred The Pegasus. It is a heavy episode, and big on dialogue, like many of Ron Moore‘s episodes.

The quote:
Picard, on the ironic importance of context: “He disobeyed a direct order and he risked a general court martial because he thought he was right. And when I read that, I knew that I had found my Number One.”

Alumni-spotting:
Terry O’Quinn (Pressman) was “Mr. Ten Thirteen” for a while: three different roles in The X-Files, the excellent co-star Peter Watts in Millennium, and the main villain Santiago in the criminally short-lived Harsh Realm! Then he became famous for being John Locke in Lost.

Another great physics-bending episode by Brannon Braga, this time with parallel universes! Many things to like here. Blue-eyed Data‘s explanations are solidly based on real physics (although OK just Worf sliding is a stretch), I got some vibes of Back To The Future Part II. Poor Worf is sliding from world to world and progressively gets on a bifurcation further from his Prime universe (Sliders, anyone?). It starts slow, with Worf’s birthday cake changes (surprise party! that Worf hates), and culminates in an epic scene at the nexus of universes where over 9,000 Enterprises appear simultaneously! Apparently there is a nightmare universe where the Borg have invaded, Picard is assimilated and Captain Riker is so distressed he’d rather shoot on Worf than go back — a shock! There’s a Lieutenant Wesley Crusher. There are small things that change, like a Cardassian Starfleet officer in the background, and then there are big things, like Worf and Troi are a couple in many universes. That took me by surprise, I just assumed TNG would not break the “mainstream” coupling of Riker/Troi that is in place since the pilot, but it’s actually a nice evolution of Worf asking Troi to take care of Alexander. In the end of the episode, Worf and Troi share a dinner and champagne: would that have happened if “our” Worf had not seen his parallels? didn’t his parallels start this relationship somehow? chicken or egg? quantum confusion!

The quote:
A parallel Data (calm, as always): “At this rate, the sector will be completely filled with Enterprises within three days.”

Another crew member meets his mom — this time Data. By a big coincidence, the Enterprise finds the ex-wife of Dr. Soong, Dr. Tainter, and she is very excited to reconnect with her son. But how, why? An avalanche of expository dialogue and revelations ensues. There were some good scenes: between Data and his mother, or when he starts sensing that something is wrong. The episode is at times successful in what it tries to do, at times not. It goes through huge pains to make us believe in this story, but it’s quite a stretch. His mother was afraid that Data would turn out like Lore, so she didn’t want to take him with her and Soong when they evacuated their planet, then she died, but in the meantime Soong made the perfect human-like android and transferred her memories (all that by a single person, what a genius!), so she lives on as an android without knowing she is one (her new husband can’t tell? she never bled or had an injury?), then they separated with Soong (and yet the message Soong hid inside her mentions that, so when did he find the opportunity to insert it? the timeline is a bit confusing), and she turns out to be a geologist (quite a leap from an AI expert). Ultimately, Data’s dilemma is either to tell her the truth about herself or not. Wouldn’t Dr. Maddox and the Federation (The Measure of a Man) gain enormously from studying an even more perfect android? Isn’t Data all about being as human as possible, but with the knowledge that he is an android? Not telling her she is an android robs her of that achievement, but I guess there is some beauty to not telling her at all, a tribute to Soong’s creativity. Overall I found this episode to be trying too hard to recreate the excitement of the episode where we discovered Soong was alive, season 4’s Brothers.

Alumni-spotting:
Data’s exuberant mother, Fionnula Flanagan, was also the very cold Eloise Hawking in Lost!

This is the final season and it looks like the writers decided that it’s time to address remaining open issues and wrap things up. Namely here, the Picard and Crusher relationship. The problem is that the show and the entire episode build up to something and the last scene backs off as if it was still necessary, a few episodes before the finale, to return to the status quo.

Picard and Crusher are captured in a planet with two warring factions. They even get devices that slowly allow them to read each other’s thoughts (for no plot reason), which is either the most romantic idea possible or the most annoying thing possible! While they make their escape, Riker has to deal with the aliens: I absolutely enjoyed the caricatures they made of these aliens, how incredibly paranoid or uncommunicative they were, and naturally the end result is that none of them would be eligible for Federation membership. (Two people marching towards the border in a remote planet with a Cold War situation? I get feels of Ursula Le Guin‘s Left Hand of Darkness!)

This brings Picard to admit that he has had feelings for Crusher, that he purposefully set aside either because of her relationship with Wesley’s father or because his captainship of the Enterprise (in line with the outcome of his last relationship with the astrophysicist in the recent Lessons). It’s unlike The Picard to have lowly basic human needs like companionship, but Picard is not an ideal, he is still human! On the other side, we have seen at various points that it’s rather Beverly who has unstated feelings for Jean-Luc (e.g. all the way back to season 1’s The Arsenal of Freedom, or when they were captured in season 3’s The High Ground). So it’s surprising that at the end of the episode it’s Jean-Luc, not Beverly, that asks for this to go one step further, and it’s Beverly who pulls back, yet everything that came before would have us expecting that it would have been the opposite! At most, they could have both agreed to postpone this further as they seem to have done for years — they start the episode with one of their breakfasts together, which shows that already their relationship is close, comfortable, mature, without the need for it to be anything more. Like an old married couple! There’s buildup and then a return to the status quo as if there was a need to continue the status quo beyond the end of the series. This would have been fine if it was a step in a larger whole, but the end of the series is approaching fast.

What, is this series turning into a soap opera? I am not necessarily expecting romance everywhere, especially in Star Trek, but if it’s nicely written I am not allergic to it. The TNG writers don’t appear to be the best relationship writers (see here, or Second Chances), so I liked it that they kept this in the background throughout the series and still showed us a strong Captain and a strong Doctor. But here it’s an odd decision to spend the most exceptionally relationship-focused episode of the whole series on something that ultimately stalls progress. Either don’t progress and leave it in the background, or feature it and allow it to go forward. Still, the writing and acting is otherwise very good in this episode!

The quote:
Crusher: “I’m not sure whether we should go over this hill or that one. The topography on this map is a little vague.”
Picard: “Let me see. This way.”
Crusher: “You don’t really know, do you?”
Picard: “What?”
Crusher: “I mean, you’re acting like you know exactly which way to go, but you’re only guessing. Do you do this all the time?”
Picard: “No, but there are times when it is necessary for a captain to give the appearance of confidence.”

Alumni-spotting:
Robin Gammell (the paranoid alien) was Mike Atkins, the one who recruited Frank Black to the Group, in Millennium!
And it’s impossible not to mention this: this episode was written by Nick Sagan, yes, the son of The Amazing Carl Sagan!

Data has dreams and nightmares (in continuation with last season’s Birthright), and since he is an android a classic freudian interpretation (with holodeck!Freud himself) is not valid. There’s some weird stuff going on in his dreams, like a Troi made out of cake (with mint frosting!), an old style telephone inside Data’s chest (Android OS?) and early 20th century coal miners working on the warp drive... This is the most sexually explicit episode of TNG so far, it’s as if circumstances want to force Data fantasizing about Troi! There’s even a horror film vibe when Data stabs Troi (Psycho!). Is Data going mad?

It all turns out to be less robot psychology and more invisible alien bloodsuckers that only Data can feel. It’s all neatly explained at the end — too neatly perhaps, compared to the craziness that came earlier, but clear-cut answers is how Star Trek usually operates. A lot of humor, original weirdness, and scifi to top it off: this was an excellent episode! Also, written by Brannon Braga (Cause and Effect, Timescape) and directed by Patrick Stewart! (this is the season of the actors directing)

The quote
Data (giving Spot to Worf) “He will need to be fed once a day. He prefers feline supplement number 25.”
Worf “I understand.”
Data “And he will require water. And you must provide him with a sandbox. And you must talk to him. Tell him he is a pretty cat. And a good cat.”
Worf “I will feed him.”
Data “Perhaps that will be enough.”

In this two-parter, nothing is as it seems! Space pirates, Picard pretending to be an archeologist/artifacts smuggler (named Galen, after his beloved Professor from The Chase!), Riker pretending to be a Starfleet officer gone rogue, an undercover Vulcan who is an undercover-undercover Vulcan isolationist, a pirate captain worried that his crew is mounting a mutiny!… And then there’s all these undercover people trying to send a hidden message to Data hoping that he will figure it out. These episodes are like a poker game and figuring out who is bluffing! There’s even Data becoming Captain; he puts First Officer Worf in order when he complains in front of the crew, and does the “Picard maneuver”! I really enjoyed these episodes, they kept me intrigued throughout and many scenes with a lot of tension were excellently written, acted and edited.

The reason why all this is happening is ultimately revealed at the end of the second episode: a sort of psychic weapon that is effective only on people whose mind is not “at peace”. The “wave” of the weapon truly crosses Picard and leaves him unaffected because he is zen-like. This really is an idea straight out of TOS, it seems to me! Psychic things and teachings of peace are always around when we are talking about Vulcans, it is all very 1960s! What was more interesting in these episodes was the idea of a Vulcan isolationist movement, who would rather have Vulcan retire from all interstellar affairs and close in on itself in magnificent peaceful isolation.

TNG has given us episodes that are denser, even if I didn’t find the two parts excessively long. It’s possible that they could have said this story in a single episode, for instance by accelerating the beginning (Picard thought dead, Riker looking for him, undercover Picard is revealed only in the middle of the first episode; and did he really spend several weeks off-duty doing archeology before the start of this episode?). Overall, a good two-parter. They are not episodes with a deep message, they are a good fun adventure. There is little more to say about them.

The quote
Troi “He’s all right. He’s only stunned.”
Data “I must admit, I am experiencing a similar sensation.”
Riker “This is going to take a little time to explain. “

Alumni-spotting
Robin Curtis, the Vulcan Tallera, was another well-known Vulcan before, she was Saavik in Star Trek III and IV!
Caitlin Brown (one of the pirates) had a recurring role in Babylon 5, as G’Kar’s attaché Na’Toth (unrecognizable under that make-up)!
Cameron Thor (another pirate) was Dodgson in Jurassic Park!

Geordi is plugged in a simulation suit and sees and feels what a remote probe senses, very Matrix-like and something they could use more I think. While exploring an endangered ship he sees there his mother, who has just gone missing and is believed by everyone else but him. Everyone questions Geordi’s account and his sanity but Geordi persists. It turns out that Geordi was not crazy: desperate mind-reader aliens were taking the form of his mother to convince him to help them. What I liked in particular was that, while Geordi did feel strongly about what he saw in the face of doubt, when he was indeed proven right he did not go about victoriously telling everyone about it, he just coolly continued carrying on and even put himself in danger so that the aliens could be saved. I was surprised that after all we didn’t get a clear confirmation of Geordi’s mother’s fate at the end, Star Trek rarely leaves things open like this, but the episode did give Geordi the chance to say his goodbye. A solid episode.

Attention all decks. This is the final season. I get contradicting readings from different articles I read, but it appears that: As soon as The Next Generation started being quite successful (already in season 1?), all the actors were contracted all the way to season 6. Contracts were negotiated for season 7 and 8, but on the one hand costs were growing and growing for everyone involved, and Paramount was anxious to launch the Star Trek TNG movie franchise which it considered would have a higher return on investment, while DS9 was already underway. So season 8 was scrapped — apparently to the surprise of the actors! — and plans to do the movies were accelerated — to the dismay of the writers, who were dealing with TNG s7 and DS9 s2 and at the same time had to develop Generations and Voyager, both to be launched immediately after TNG wrapped! Season 7 is, according to everyone involved, a weak season. There are hits and misses (and I haven’t seen the real misses, so let’s say there are more misses than hits), at times you can feel there is less budget available despite still a good photography, and in general it looks as if not many people complained it ended when it did. There is a sense that the writers want to give closure to some character arcs, and those arcs were rather loose; at times it feels as if they are opening new chapters instead of closing them. Still, the hits are really great!

So, about this episode: meh.

Picking up from Part 1: There were some interesting parts here, with the effects of Picard’s decision to return Hugh to the Borg (I, Borg): the Borg became confused with individuality, the Collective broke down, and when Lore came the individual Borg were willing to trade their freedom with a newly found sense of purpose. And so Lore created his cult, where the Borg are again brainwashed, it’s just that they are brainwashed in a different way (Lore encourages a lost Borg to reconnect with the Collective…but inside their local Collective they also have individual names?). There are some interesting parallels with the way human group dynamics work, from religious cults to fascism.

There is also Hugh himself, who is not the leader, and his underground resistance. But if there is a Collective to which all Borg plug in, then how does Hugh’s resistance even exist? And ultimately, it seems that this group of Borg is not the whole Collective but just a faction that broke off after the Hugh incident: so even if the episode ends with Hugh at the head of a group of “free Borg“, the main part of the Borg Collective is still a menace out there. Picard’s decision was justified after all, at least in part.

I also liked the parts onboard the Enterprise, with acting Captain Crusher and a group of unknown Ensigns escaping the Borg by diving in the sun’s corona.

BUT there are many things wrong with this episode.

There’s so much backstory here that it is simply told to us in very long dialogue scenes. Not much seems to happen over the whole episode, it takes place in a single location. Interesting trivia: the Borg compound is actually the same place where Camp Khitomer was shot in Star Trek VI!

Data, for all his touching Pinocchio quest to be “a real boy”, is reduced here to a mere slave of his circuitry. Lore turns a knob up, he feels dizzy and behaves badly; Geordi emits some different waves, he feels different. There is little real development here, rather there is regression: we are reminded even more that he is nothing more than a machine.

Troi points out that there are no negative feelings or emotions, only negative actions; yet in this second part the concept of negative feelings is brought up again and again.

The Borg used to be this superhuman technological force that was completely alien. Here they are reduced to fist fighting among themselves, like in any random dumb brawl.

Lore plans to destroy the Federation (with no good reason) and his plan is to turn everyone into an artificial being, from human to cyborg to android. It would be much simpler to kill everyone and create artificial beings from scratch, no? This gives rise to Data experimenting on Geordi, who used to be his friend, which is interesting emotionally. In the end, Data is able to deactivate Lore, so that menace is done for good.

So I can’t say I liked this two-parter much. I think both Lore and the Borg offered better story possibilities than what we got.

Alumni-spotting:
One of the one-time faces we see on the Enterprise in this episode is a young Benito Martinez, who went on to become a major character in The Shield, David Aceveda!

We come to the end of the season with an episode that promised big but has several issues. It is difficult to discuss this one without talking about the second one, since the first part is essentially one extended tease to the reveal at the cliffhanger. The Enterprise encounters a group of Borg that behave oddly, and it turns out they have Data’s brother Lore as their leader.

There is a whole first half here where Data experiences a feeling for the first time, anger, and wonders about his morality. (What about his hysterical laughter in season 3’s Deja Q?) If he were able to fully feel, he would indeed be more human, but would he be a better person or transform into a bad person? Do feelings complete someone, like most humans would say for their good feelings, or are they a bad influence that one must get rid of, like the idealized Vulcans? Such questions are at the core of Star Trek since the beginning. But then it all gets very simple when with the help of a “bad feelings transmitter” the Borg convinces Data to turn to the dark side within one minute.

Another nice aspect was the callback to I, Borg, an episode I found really interesting in what it tried to do with the Borg but that also simplified the Borg and made them much less threatening than the almost Lovecraftian horror of their first appearance in Q Who?. Here, Admiral Nechayev confronts Picard with his decision then not to take advantage of the situation to potentially exterminate all Borg and eliminate that threat; the moral debate in the viewer’s mind from I, Borg is something that really took place in Starfleet. As with Data, good and bad are juxtaposed to moral and immoral, and the lines are blurred: “It may turn out that the moral thing to do was not the right thing to do.” But what does the episode ultimately tell us about the goodness or morality of Picard’s decision on the Borg? We will only see in the next episode, as apart from the revelation about Lore there’s little more information here. This set up made me expect that the leader would be revealed to be Hugh from I, Borg, but that was not the case!

Then there is a number of questionable scenario decisions. The Borg escape through a wormhole and Geordi figures out in just ten minutes how to copy that super-advanced technology that allows them to travel ten times faster than their warp drive. The second half of the episode is an extended hunt for Data leading to the cliffhanger, with not much happening. On the hunt for Data, Picard decides that not only will he, the Captain, leave the ship, but also that nearly everybody will leave too, naming Crusher as acting Captain, a very weird decision; it seems this was motivated by the plan to have the Enterprise crash land on the planet, the titular “descent”, with Crusher (Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis had not yet signed for a seventh season!), but this was postponed to TNG: Generations. All of these little things point to writing that is not as sharp as it used to be, which is disappointing for a season finale.

Overall, this first half is an interesting attempt to do something new with the Borg and Data, but it leaves all the “meat” of the plot to the second half. It must have been a frustrating summer between seasons!

Alumni-spotting:
Around the poker table in the teaser there’s Data, holodeck Albert Einstein (same actor as in season 4’s The Nth Degree), holodeck Stephen Hawking (the very real Stephen Hawking!), and holodeck Isaac Newton (British actor John Neville, the unforgettable Syndicate elder Well-Manicured Man in The X-Files)!

---

From what I saw from season 6, there are some greatly enjoyable episodes but also signs that perhaps the TNG crew is getting tired. It might be just an overdose on my side as well, any viewer can grow tired of too much of a good thing, and 26 episodes are so much. There is a move towards double episodes when the story does not necessarily justify that length. There are many more episodes that focus on character rather than on story or science fiction or utopia; while in the early seasons that was in doses (season 2, The Icarus Factor) or fresh in its contrast with the rest (season 4, Family), here there is a lot of it. This is not necessarily a bad thing, we are far from a complete soap opera and the character episodes I saw were still good, but it does mark a change of focus that is often the sign that the writers are running out of original ideas. The season alternates between these character pieces that look back to the past for inspiration (Tapestry, Second Chances) and space adventures where the story is like the earlier seasons but where production values and pacing have reached their best level (The Chase, Timescape) and episodes that play with the nature of reality and identity (Schisms, Ship in a Bottle, Face of the Enemy, Frame of Mind).

It is a season of change: DS9 launched in parallel, and we have the O’Briens‘ last TNG appearance (Rascals), we have Worf change his hair to a much better ponytail (from Face of the Enemy), we have Troi letting go of her décolletés and finally wear a uniform (Jellico’s order in Chain of Command is never put into question!). Behind the scenes, plans are in motion to continue the TOS films with TNG films, and so to wrap up TNG as a series, although it was still known during season 6 whether TNG would end with next season or if it would continue with season 8 and beyond. We are in 1993, there is a host of tie-in novels and comics and figures, the franchise is bigger than any one person, and that means creativity must fight with business interests. It is with caution that I am approaching TNG’s season 7. One half impulse power.

In this episode, time is still, time goes forward, time goes backward, and nothing is as it seems. As Picard, LaForge and Troi return from a conference, they come across time dilations and an Enterprise time-frozen in an attack with a Romulan vessel, and everything is wrong: the Romulans are invading, the warp core is exploding, Riker and Crusher are hit or shot! For a large part of the episode we don’t quite know what’s going on nor how they will get out of this mess, the episode had really pulled me in. There’s some goofy humor too, with Picard drawing a smiley on the cloud from the exploding warp core, but that quickly turns into drama as Picard was losing his mind because of the localized time dilations.

It turns out that there are time-manipulating aliens feeding on the Romulans’ quantum singularity core, and that they are doing this in self-protection — what a far-out idea! Reminiscent of past Trek episodes like Home Soil. What I also like in this is the surprise that the Romulans are actually not the enemy here as initially assumed, they are genuinely cooperating with the Enterprise crew to be evacuated (unlike in the fake evacuation in The Next Phase). It’s been a few episodes now that the Romulans (or at least some of them) are presented in a good light — Unification, The Face of the Enemy, The Chase — and I wonder whether the show is heading towards a relaxing of the tensions.

It was written by Brannon Braga, who likes to experiment with time it seems (last year’s Cause and Effect, where the Enterprise also exploded!), and directed by Adam Nimoy (Leonard’s son)! This is a very strong science fiction adventure, classic Trek, perfectly paced and helped by the short time length of one episode. It is also bookended by Riker and his fear of Spot, Data’s cat!

Alumni-spotting:
The Romulan taken over by the time aliens was Michael Bofshever, who was Jesse Pinkman’s dad in Breaking Bad, and was prey to the devilish Lucy Butler in the Millennium episode Saturn Dreaming of Mercury!

Two Rikers for one Troi! A transponder buffer issue during an emergency evacuation years ago left a second Riker stranded there (or is “our” Riker the second one?). This was directed by LeVar Burton, another cast member behind the camera.

This episode really answers questions any Trek fan should have, and creates new ones. How does the transporter work? The original is scanned then destroyed, and a new body is recreated based on the information — à la The Prestige. Does the existence of a buffer mean that any scanned object can be stored indefinitely? Can anyone be recreated from any moment in their life when they used the transporter in the past, essentially meaning that it’s not a big deal if you die? Is the transporter like a replicator? Does that mean that there is no soul and we’re all just atoms structured in a specific pattern? Etc, etc. But I don’t think that was the point of the episode!…

This episode is for Riker what Tapestry was for Picard: to wonder about the path not taken. Could have things gone differently between Riker and Troi if he hadn’t given precedence to his career? Would Riker be Riker if he hadn’t made that decision? And on Troi’s side, would she take a Riker still devoted to him, even if the other Riker assures her that he will make the same decisions as he did? There are some soap opera elements here and it’s a type of story the writers are not accustomed to, so the dialogue is not the sharpest; plus, with Troi and Beverly discussing it it doesn’t really pass the Bechdel test either. Even so, the themes are very interesting. I don’t think we ever got so much background on Riker and Troi’s past relation. There’s some self-loathing, with Riker and Riker that do not get along well at all. There’s a nice callback to season 2’s The Icarus Factor too, where Riker and his father somewhat resolved their issues. Same as with Lessons, the episode builds to a point where you expect that the death of the guest character will be the resolution, but surprises you by this not happening; and again the episode ends with a conscious choice to leave the Enterprise. “Thomas” Riker has some difficult times ahead of him, with no second Troi in his life and several years of “career gap” to catch up to. And Troi takes the decision to remain, not taking this second chance, as she has invested too much of herself in the Enterprise and its crew and this Riker; things between them are not as simple as “together” but they do share a lot. This is certainly a better ending than the original draft, which had “our” Riker die and “Thomas” Riker take his place!

Riker finds himself trapped: is he being held captive in a mental institution by aliens, or is he crazy and his visions in a starship called Enterprise are a fantasy, or is he really on the Enterprise and his visions of the alien planet a sign he’s going crazy? Just when you think you know what’s going on, the episode goes one step further and explore its ideas to the fullest. Like with the holodeck-within-a-holodeck in Ship in a Bottle, the ending has multiple dreams/hallucinations breaking apart one after the other. An excellent episode for Jonathan Frakes! The alien psychologist was very convincing with his calm compassionate voice. While in the Enterprise, Riker has to be in a theatre play where he is indeed tortured and his sanity is put into question, which further increases the confusion in him. Whether it’s intentional or not, this part echoes Picard’s earlier experiences at the hands of the Cardassians in Chain of Command! And it is just as dark. This is much better than a previous Riker-in-a-simulation episode, season 4’s Future Imperfect. With all these mind games, I was reminded of the oldie-but-goldie series The Prisoner!

The quote:
Data (to Riker): “Commander, I must congratulate you on your performance this evening. Your unexpected choice to improvise was an effective method of drawing the audience into the plight of your character. You gave a truly realistic interpretation of multi-infarct dementia.”

Alumni-spotting:
Susanna Thompson, the paranoid alien also imprisoned in the mental facility, was the NASA engineer Michelle Generoo in The X-Files‘ very 1990s episode Space!

This is a classic high-concept sci-fi story, TNG hadn’t done one of those in a long while, which completely won me over thanks to its ideas. It starts slow, with Picard’s fancy of archeology (I love him!) with his old professor Galen, and after Lessons it’s nice to see him casually have breakfast with Dr. Crusher! And then it evolves into a futuristic Indiana Jones chase between multiple races to complete a four billion years old riddle that, no more no less, reveals the origin of dozens of sentient species! And the message was coded in DNA strands, these DNA strands also somehow mapped to star configurations as they were in the past, and also this genetic code somehow converted into digital code that could configure a device that did not yet exist when it was conceived and use it to project a recorded message! Each of several ideas in this episode would be sufficient to fuel a big feature film.

The revelation is staggering in how ambitious it is: an ancestral race guided the evolution of life in multiple worlds over billion of years in order to create sentient races that are all more or less alike, humanoids, all cousins! This means that evolution was not natural, it was guided, and not by God but by ancient aliens: intelligent design in panspermia. The philosophical and ontological repercussions of this discovery should be huge, normally this should change the societies and beliefs of all humanoid species in-depth, as Professor Galen anticipated. It’s a long-winded plan to explain why all aliens look like humans with make-up prosthetics, for sure.

But when the coded message is revealed, Klingons and Cardassians are disappointed it’s not a weapon of some sort. Only the Romulan representative shows some compassion after the fact, calling Picard and recognizing that they are not that different. That “perhaps, one day” holds incredible promise!

The quote:
Picard: “Until we assemble it, we will never know its purpose.”
Gul Ocett: “He’s right. As far as we know it might just be a recipe for biscuits!”

Picard gets laid, again! He progressively falls for the head of stellar cartography Daren, a strong-willed woman who has a way of convincing others to have it her way and who shares with Picard her love of classical music. I love it that this show has fans of astrophysics and classical music! He even opens up to her with something very personal from him, the flute from The Inner Light! Although you know where this is going — she dies or she leaves — this doesn’t mean that the execution is impeccable. Actually, she dies and she leaves, as Picard has first to suffer remorse at potentially having her killed on duty before realizing that he has left his personal feelings interfere with his professional judgement; but she survived, and they separate on good terms knowing fully well that they won’t really keep their promise of maintaining a long-distance relationship. This is the cost of being a captain. You could argue that this is why Picard has resisted starting a relationship with Beverly Crusher — but then he does let himself go at Dr. Daren here! There are some hints of jealousy from Beverly, but the two don’t get a scene face to face to address the underlying tension. Maybe only in the series finale? In the meantime, characters have relationships on the side (Beverly in The Host, Riker with...many...) without letting go of the main relationship and without this being the end of the world, and this loose polyamory is great from Star Trek!

The main story of the two-parter has Worf getting word that his father might have survived Khitomer in hiding, a disgrace in this Klingon’s eyes; he follows the lead and discovers a prison of sorts, where Klingon prisoners of war willingly prefer to remain hidden instead of dishonoring their families, and have in fact created new families with children of their own. The Romulan wards present this as a utopian colony where the two races co-exist peacefully, and indeed Worf falls in love with a Romulan-Klingon hybrid, Ba’el — and is appalled when he finds out. Worf refuses to be a prisoner and stirs unrest among the younger generation, awaking their “nationalistic” feeling, telling them Klingon stories around a fire (literally!), practicing Klingon martial arts, doing ritual hunting, and eventually starting a rebellion. Part II is only Worf’s story, interrupted by unnecessary scenes where the Enterprise crew just wonders what happened to him. This whole story lacks some energy but also develops too quick; it manages to feel both longer and shorter than it should have been. It also leaves many open questions: Did Worf keep his word and kill the alien information broker since he found out that his father was not among the imprisoned Klingons? I was not sure whether Ba’el decided to leave the colony after all, thus tearing her family apart. It was interesting on paper but could have been executed better.

Overall, both these stories -- Data in part 1, Worf mostly in part 2 -- would have been better served if they had been their own independent episodes.

The quotes:
Worf: “A place can be safe and still be a prison.”

Alumni-spotting:
Richard Herd, also under make-up (the leader of the Klingons), was the commander of the alien Visitors invasion fleet in the two V mini-series from the 1980s!

This is the weirdest of two-parters. There are two completely separate stories, the main one with Worf, which gives the episodes their title, and one with Data, which only takes place during Part I and is not touched upon at all during Part II. They had one story that was bigger than one episode and they couldn’t find a way to stretch the other story to a full episode so they just juxtaposed them together: you can tell it’s clumsy. They are only linked by Data and Worf looking for their fathers, but it’s a weak link. All previous two-parters did in fact feel like stories big enough for two parts, even when they were two independent stories stitched together, like with Chain of Command; Birthright does not feel this way at all. In addition, this is the first (and only) time TNG has two mid-season two-parters, which reinforces the impression that they are running out of ideas and trying to stretch their stories thinner.

But first, we have the Enterpise visiting Deep Space 9! And so until DS9 gets the Blu-Ray treatment (in 2023? in 2033?), this is the only place where you can see the DS9 station in HD, and it’s beautiful! I also met Dr. Bashir for the first time here, he looks quirky and interesting, looking forward for more.

The Data story involves him discovering that he can dream! He has flashes of a metal smith (his creator Dr Soong!) and a crow, and he obsesses about it and does plenty of paintings of his memories — interesting that dreams usher creativity in both humans and androids. The directing is also interesting, with longer lenses and flying shots, but not too dream-like either. Data investigates about dreams in plenty of human cultures, as dreams are a door to the subconscious and include symbolic imagery specific to each culture’s cultural references: here I found it interesting that Picard advised Data to look within instead of without: “You’re a culture of one, which is no less valid than a culture of one billion“, and Data’s subconscious and cultural references are specific to him. Ultimately, he learns he has unlocked a part of his programming that Dr. Soong had kept hidden until he would reach a higher level of computational complexity. This is surprising and very interesting! What else does this brain contain that Data does not know about? What will Data do with this new ability? Are there other chips in there, like the emotion chip from season 4’s Brothers, that will make him more human or even more super-human? The episode leaves you wondering: I expected the story to continue in Part II but no.

The quote:
Picard: “Explore this image, Data. Let it excite your imagination. Focus on it, see where it leads you. Let it inspire you.”

Alumni-spotting:
James Cromwell is a great actor (and environmental activist), nearly unrecognizable under all this make-up (the alien information broker). He was also Zephram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact, George in Six Feet Under, Jack Bauer’s father in 24, and George Bush Sr in Oliver Stone’s W.!

Picard dies and sees Q. Is Q God? Is this hell? Is the afterlife the Q Continuum? Do the Q see time and multi-verses in the same way we see our three dimensions of space, and so change anything whenever they want? Was it all in Picard’s mind? Who knows. What matters is that Picard is given the opportunity to explore his life and maybe “correct” it, with unintended consequences. An episode about life, the universe, and everything.

The episode shows that if Picard had not attacked the alien Nausicaan in a bar fight, itself a very anti-Picard move, he would actually not have become the Picard we know! This near-death experience resulted in two things that made Picard: he did not back off from responsibility and danger, but also it made him think more and decide to make the most out of his life in this universe. Does one’s character all boil down to a single event in a lifetime? It’s a bit simplistic to think so, anyone is the result of a long string of events and decisions, but I guess getting stabbed through the heart does count as a particularly traumatic event.

We also see Jean-Luc’s father Maurice, as grumpy as his brother Robert. The scenes where Picard is a cadet again are fun to imagine, his cadet friends immediately sense that he was behaving differently; and young Picard was quite the womanizer! Note also the uniforms, like the ones from the TOS films era. Alternate Picard, who has no initiative and plateaus as a junior lieutenant, is a sad thing to see — and I understand the point of the episode, but it is hard on the thousand of bureaucratic lieutenants out there to hear that Picard would rather die than live like that!

After all this, Picard is reanimated on sick bay, laughing as the timeline corrected itself (and still with an artificial heart, that cyborg!). But actually Picard did remember himself laughing, earlier when Q showed him getting stabbed! This links back to the idea of Time’s Arrow, that the timeline is unique and what has already happened cannot change, although time travel is possible. It’s all coherent!

This was an episode of TNG like no other, entirely focusing on character and really with a catch that could be science fiction, could be fantasy, could be just illustrated psychology. Another success by Ron Moore — a story inspired by A Christmas Carol, or It’s A Wonderful Life. It is an episode that works because we know Picard so well after all these years. We already heard about his misbehaviour as a cadet (last season’s The First Duty) but never saw it; we know who he is today but can’t imagine him being any different before. Yet anyone changes before he becomes who he is, and any viewer will find a lot to chew on whenever he/she revisits this episode.

The quote:
Q: “You will go on with your life with a real heart.”
Picard: “Then I won’t die.”
Q: “Of course you’ll die! It’ll just be at a later time.”
Picard: “What if I don’t avoid the fight? What if I won’t make the changes?”
Q: “Then you die on the table, and we spend eternity together.”
Picard: “Wonderful…”
Q: “I’m glad you think so.”

Troi wakes up disguised as a Romulan inside a Romulan Warbird, and is told to act as a Tal Shiar, the Romulan intelligence! The callback to Unification is nice: this is an effort by Spock to give Romulan defectors safe passage to the Federation. There’s even a human defector to the Romulans who decides to return to the Federation again, further complexifying the relations between these races. Because of her empathic abilities, Troi has been chosen and was somehow abducted to help undercover Romulans to carry out this mission. The interaction with the jealous and militaristic commander of the Warbird is nice, especially given her background as a military person who has suffered because of the Tal Shiar. Troi undergoes a surprising transformation with a harsh commandeering voice in order to survive — not only to the Romulan commander but also to her undercover captor. It is all resolved in the end after some tense moments, but after so many episodes it feels less strong or new than previous Romulan episodes like season 3’s The Defector or season 4’s Data’s Day.

Alumni-spotting:
This is co-written by Naren Shankar, who joined in TNG season 4 and stayed till season 7 as science consultant (PhD in engineering and physics). Years later, he developed for television The Expanse, i.e. the best space show currently on the air!

Barclay accidentally reactivates the Professor Moriarty program in the holodeck (from season 2’s Elementary, Dear Data) and the crew is trapped in the labyrinthine scheming of the Professor, who wants nothing more than just live freely in the real world. Moriarty “leaves” the holodeck and wanders around in the Enterprise, something that is physically completely impossible, but stands for the victory of mind over matter! When Holmes/Data figures out that they have been inside a holodeck Enterprise the whole time, the crew has to manipulate Moriarty into believing that he really has made it and is exploring the galaxy with his beloved, when in fact he is just living a simulation inside a crystal cube.

The twists and turns already make this a great episode, but the avant-garde elements of simulated reality really make this stand out. This is years before the wave of works that explored this idea in the late 90s-early 00s — The Matrix, Existenz, and more recently Inception or Black Mirror — and Picard here drops this bomb at the end of the episode: “All this might just be an elaborate simulation running inside a little device sitting on someone’s table“. Mind-bending stuff!

The quote:
Barclay (last line of the episode): “Computer, end program.” [nothing happens]

Picard‘s unpleasant time with the Cardassians is a story you would have never seen in Star Trek in earlier seasons. It is dark and indeed does not smooth things in order to make it more palatable to an audience accustomed to more innocent stories. The story is ruthless to Picard: he is stripped of his clothes and dignity, his name is taken away from him and he is referred to only as “Human”, he is hit, drugged, starved, and looks like it. Since the beginning of the series, the Captain has been this untouchable superhuman ideal who hardly raises his voice yet is very authoritative, so to see him so belittled is a shock to the viewer, as it should be. The “Grand Inquisitor” Gul Madred is very memorable (the no less excellent David Warner, very good guest stars here!). He takes his time with his prey, acting all civil while at the same time being so cruel. Almost the whole of Part 2 is two great actors doing theatre-like work. The Cardassians’ culture is fleshed out more, they are established as very similar to the Romulans, severe and militaristic, perhaps more ruthless than manipulative; I look forward learning more about them. The parallels with Orwell‘s 1984 are obvious (convincing that 2+2=5, or that there are five lights instead of four…). The set design is dark but “cleaner” than what it would have been had it been made with today’s standards, but that’s been the production design of TNG since the start. Ultimately, Picard does not give in to torture, and it would all have been too neat had there not been that final scene where he confesses to Troi that he was just about to break. That last scene does invalidate the point of view that Picard mentions that torture does not work, which is the “progressive” argument. However, this conclusion feels right thematically and for the character: nobody is perfect and torture leaves behind some trauma. Writers and actors read on Amnesty International to prepare for this episode, and it rings true. I see several themes later developed in Battlestar Galactica in these two episodes (that panel about torture and civil war with BSG cast and writers and Guinan at the UN was a crowning achievement!).

Both the stories that make up part 1 and 2 -- Jellico on the Enterprise, Picard with the Cardassians -- are actually completely independent. They are only connected by showing us why Picard left the command to Jellico. There is no particular thematic connection between the two sections. Nevertheless, I didn’t get the feeling of disconnect between stories that I got with some parts of the Unification two-parter. It shows a bit that this was initially developed as a single episode that expanded into two. Each of the two stories feels larger than for a single episode, so making an “event” out of combining them into a two-parter makes sense and the result is an excellent adventure.

The quote:
Picard: “There are four lights.”
Gul Madred: “I don’t understand how you can be so mistaken.”

Alumni-spotting:
David Warner (Gul Madred) is a Trek alumni: he was in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (as St John Talbot) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (as Klingon Chancellor Gorkon). But also so many other roles: Jennings in The Omen, several roles in Tron, Thomas Eckhardt in Twin Peaks, Dr. Wrenn in John Carpenter’s In The Mouth of Madness, Lovejoy in James Cameron’s Titanic…!

After season 5’s Unification, season 6 follows the trend with a mid-season two-parter, an opportunity to tell a big story! There is only a little bit of filler here (Picard, Worf, Crusher training for their mission) but not much; they are definitely better watched together, especially with the second part being almost entirely just Picard. The overall result is an impressive epic story that takes risks and goes to places unimaginable for Star Trek a few years ago. It is also a lead-in to Deep Space 9, refreshing the viewers’ memory of the Cardassians before they become an important part of DS9; the pilot of DS9 would air just a few weeks later.

The two episodes deal with two stories: Enterprise under the command of a Captain that deals with things very differently than Picard, and Picard held captive by the Cardassians.

The Enterprise crew experiences command under Captain Jellico (the excellent Ronnie Cox). He is more into vertical hierarchy, more confrontational, likes to use machiavellian tactics to force a result out of his crew or out of his opponents. What is interesting is that he is not an evil person or with anti-Federation intentions: he just has a different way of doing things. The viewer does get the impression that he is the “bad guy” — after all, he is replacing Picard!! — but the whole point is that he is not. It’s a complicated balance to pull off and the episodes are mostly successful. For instance, just when you are convinced he is kind of a bastard, you see another side of him when he talks about his children or when he has a nice chat with LaForge. I did expect that he would have a more strategic mind with the Cardassians and that Riker and Troi would find out about his true plan eventually; but in the end he was just playing with their temper until they would explode in anger. The obvious characterization of Jellico would be that he is sure of himself, but Troi sees through him and says that he is not, so perhaps he is projecting aggressiveness because of some inner imbalance or lack of love? I found this very interesting as it forces an entirely new reading on the character and the episodes. This is not touched upon again, but it would be great to get more of this type of psychological insights into Star Trek characters. Does this invalidate Jellico’s whole approach to command as something immature? No, it should not be read as such, and at the end he does get things done! But it does force a new appreciation of Picard and that not everyone in Starfleet is as utopian-like as this captain. Overall, I found that this story was well written and acted — albeit a bit simplistic — and did a great job at tackling some complex themes. I would love to see Jellico again, actually!

The quote:
Captain Jellico: “Get it done.” (echoing Picard’s “Make it so.”?)

Alumni-spotting:
Ronny Cox (Captain Jellico) is…well…many people! He experienced John Boorman’s Deliverance, he developed the robot police in RoboCop, he was Cohaagen in Total Recall, he was Senator Kinsey in Stargate SG-1!

A transporter malfunction converts crew members into kids! Picard struggles with projecting the gravitas of The Captain. With Guinan’s help, Ro Laren reluctantly gets to relive the childhood she never got the chance to experience the first time around. Keiko is awkward with O’Brien given their age difference and their baby. They even all work with Alexander and save the ship when Ferengi invade and don’t pay as much attention to these kids. This is all good fun! I particularly liked the young actresses for Guinan and Ro, but it’s tough to portray Picard (the actor is actually the same as nephew René in season 4’s Family!). The episode plays around with the “adults in kids’ bodies” concept, but despite some talk of DNA analyses the whole thing is absurd and un-scientific even for Star Trek. Perhaps the episode could have taken even more risks to make it really memorable.

The quote:
Ro: “Well, I should be doing something, instead of just standing around, waiting for them to find a cure!”
Guinan: “You’re right. Let’s go play.”

Alumni-spotting:
Mike Gomez, one of the Ferengi, was the Puerto Rican alien abductee Jorge in The X-Files‘ Little Green Men (the first episode I ever saw!).

Q returns, when he senses that a medical intern is actually part of the Q continuum without her knowing it. As she discovers her powers, she swears she will not use them and vows to remain human — however Q tricks situations in order to force her to use her powers to save the Enterprise crew, and she accepts her nature. In essence, this is a similar episode to season 1’s Hide and Q, where Q had momentarily given his powers to Riker to “corrupt” him. I really felt the repetition — after 130 episodes it’s bound to happen.

The 1990s really was the “alien abductions” decade! The X-Files (launched in 1993) comes to mind, of course, but also Communion (1989 film based on the 1987 book), the Sightings TV docuseries (1991-1997), Fire in the Sky (1993), the Roswell TV film (1994)… Schisms is TNG doing a “classic” alien abduction episode. The episode spends a long time around the mystery of what is going on to Riker and some other crew members and half-remembered flashes, setting up the reveal. The scene where they all recreate what they remember on the holodeck is reminiscent of a regression hypnosis session, something that was also in vogue and associated to alien contact and paranormal literature of the 1970s-1990s. The aliens who are responsible are abducting people in their sleep, do medical experiments, use probes — they are like aliens from another show. The problem is that TNG works in a framework where interacting with hundreds of alien species is no more alien than taking a haircut; the rules of alien horror don’t quite apply and the whole thing feels forced. The focus is again Riker, who had a key role in the other TNG episode that toyed with the alien contact theme: season 4’s First Contact. And that one was much more creative than Schisms.

The quote:
Data’s “Ode to Spot”: “Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature / An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature.”

Alumni-spotting:
This was co-written by Ron Wilkerson, who went on to write some Stargate SG-1 episodes.

The highlight of this episode is of course that it features Montgomery Scott from TOS! — although he was not given a double episode like Spock was in the previous season (Unification). This episode could have been just a shot of nostalgia due to the mere presence of Scotty, but it manages to be quite a bit more than that, reflecting on the passing of time and old age.

Scotty is found stored in the transporter system of a derelict ship, and with a considerable amount of technobabble he is brought back. The titular “relic” is actually Scotty, who is shown that he is without friends, obsolete and all his technical knowledge is no longer relevant for 24th century technology — to the extent that he becomes a nuisance to Geordi and the functioning of the new Enterprise. He does get to save the new Enterprise in an emergency situation, the story would not have been complete without that, and leaves to explore the universe. But the overall feeling is bittersweet about the passage of time. A special mention to the holodeck scene, where the old Enterprise bridge is recreated and Scotty and Picard share a drink. This episode and scene might gain new significance now that we know that a new series with an older Picard will be made in 2019/2020!

In addition, this episode features an excellent science/science fiction concept: the Dyson sphere! To show how grand and majestic such a structure is would need a bigger budget, and this episode does very well with miniatures and matte paintings, but I would have loved it if more time had been spent on that idea and how advanced a Kardashev Type II civilization must be to master it.

The quote:
LaForge: “I told the captain I would have this diagnostic done in an hour.”
Scotty: “And how long will it really take you?”
LaForge: “An hour!”
Scotty: “Oh, you didn’t tell him how long it would really take, did you?”
LaForge: “Of course I did.”
Scotty: “Oh, laddie, you have a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker.”

We drop out of warp in a crucial time for the Star Trek franchise. The films with the cast of The Original Series just wrapped. The Next Generation is continuing with unprecedented success into a sixth season and 150 episodes, a juggernaut. The franchise is expanding with the launch of a second series, Deep Space 9. Star Trek is huge, setting a template that many other franchises will want to copy in the next decades. Producers are pulled between multiple tasks, particularly Rick Berman and Michael Piller, Roddenberry‘s “replacements” since TNG‘s season 3. Viewers’ attention is waning as well: viewer ratings peaked for TNG in season 5 and start a slow decline with season 6. Five seasons is a long time in television, especially with these 26-episode seasons, anything more than that is really riding on the success of what came after. And indeed season 6, although with the same high production values reached in season 5, starts showing signs of wear for TNG. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some really excellent episodes though!

On this episode:
Second parts are tough to pull off: they have to deliver on the mysteries set up by the first part. In this second part there’s more exciting time travelling and events that fall into place resulting in a timeline that is intact: things that happened happened in the way that they happened and could not have been any different! I liked this aspect, instead of delving into multi-verses and paradoxes and other SF tropes. The realization introduced in the previous episode — Data will inevitably die — is overturned here: Data’s technology is so good that it withstood the passage of five centuries and all they had to do was reconnect the head to the body! We also got Picard and Guinan‘s first meeting and we are still teased that their relationship will go “far beyond mere friendship” — but what does this mean?!? But this episode also did not treat any differently these magical soul-sucking aliens, too “spiritual” for my taste of Trek. As I suspected, we did meet some historical figures: I didn’t know that Samuel Clemens was Mark Twain‘s real name (nor did I know that he wrote a time travel novel “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court“, shedding new light in this two-parter, which is essentially an adaptation!) and the bellhop turns out to be Jack London. All in all, a very entertaining two-parter, which maybe plays better watched back-to-back. It all ends with “Everyone who should be in the 19th century is safely there and those who should be in the 24th are here“, as it should, and season 6 is off to a great start.

The quote:
Riker: “The disappearance of Mark Twain, one of the most noted literary writers of the 19th century–”
Clemens: “Thank you!”
Riker: “That’s not supposed to happen.”
Clemens: “I only took advantage of an irresistible opportunity, as any good writer would.”

A very good season premiere. King Joffrey is already the bad king that everyone loves to hate. From the opening scene, he's just vile and that's why we love to hate him!

Meanwhile, Tyrion is finally back at King's Landing.

For the first time, we get to see the witch Melissandre.

SUMMARY
I give it 6 out of 10. A very good continuation of the series.

At this point TNG has already made a number of time travelling or rather time rift shows: Yesterday’s Enterprise, Cause and Effect, even TOS‘s The City at the Edge of Forever. The writers devised of a story ambitious enough for two episodes, and it’s clear that everybody is enjoying themselves here, taking the time to make the most of the “Data in 19th century San Francisco” story!

That part of the episode is exactly what you would expect: Data like a fish out of water but not being particularly disconcerted. He uses his skills in poker, gained with so many games on the Enterprise, to get those little bits of paper everybody’s crazy about: money. He spends some time explaining technology to his hotel valet that I get the impression that the second part will reveal that this will become some famous inventor. The science enthusiast Mr. Clemens also seems to be set up so as to reveal him as a well-known historical figure (otherwise why the makeup?) but I don’t know who that could be — at the time of writing this I haven’t seen part 2.

We finally get some more background for Gainan, who has been a mysterious character from the start. She has a father, and has been an envoy on Earth or observer of some sorts; the Borg haven’t still destroyed her civilization. I hope we’ll learn more in the next episode! So there were Ancient Aliens in Star Trek’s Earth!

I have to say that the concern that the Enterprise crew showed towards the certain death of Data is in stark contrast with the external impassiveness for the death of Geordi a few episodes before (The Next Phase). At this stage of the series, there might still be occasional episodes focused on such or such character but the series has arranged itself around the emotional core of Picard and Data.

The time-shifted aliens look like something magical: stealing life “energy” or “spirits” and swallowing them through their third eye, Star Trek had not accustomed us to something so supernatural-looking! (Nice special effects, though.)

In short, an excellent first part to a big adventure, perhaps less galaxy-spanning than previous season cliffhangers like The Best of Both Worlds and Redemption, but it definitely made me look forward to next season!

The quote:
Troi (impersonating Data defining friendship): “As I experience certain sensory input patterns my mental pathways become accustomed to them. The inputs eventually are anticipated and even missed when absent.”

Alumni-spotting:
Behind that makeup (why the makeup?), Mr. Clemens is Jerry Hardin – a.k.a. the Deep Throat from The X-Files!

---

All in all, an excellent season that is hard to distinguish in my mind from Season 4 in terms of quality. The production values are undeniably higher to earlier seasons, the actors are all on top of their form, and episodes vary from high adventure to experimental. There is little repetition (at least from the episodes I’ve seen) and when the series falls into a routine (e.g. with the Romulans and Sela) it has much to offer besides. This is the season during which Gene Roddenberry died (pictured: Roddenberry at the shooting of the 100th episode, Redemption Part 1) and the last movie with the TOS crew was released (The Undiscovered Country); it is the last season before another spin-off series is launched (DS9); at this stage, The Next Generation is Star Trek’s proud flagship. With no transition, let’s plot a heading to Season 6!

What an episode! This is certainly another fan-favorite and an emotional roller-coaster. Another Picard-focused episode, this one has you guessing for a long while where Picard has been transported and whether the Enterprise will show up to save him. But the episode goes on, and on, and on. Picard adapts to his new life as Kamin, becoming an important member of his community and father to a scientist and an artist — a perfect couple of descendants wouldn’t you say? (The son is played by no other than Patrick Stewart‘s own son, Daniel!) From some point onward, the quick returns to what’s going on on the Enterprise are rather counter-productive and I could easily have done without them: they take away from the emotional engagement with Picard’s story and sort of spoil the ending, hinting that this is all happening in Picard’s head.

Ultimately, this is a whole civilization’s cry not to be forgotten. Cosmic chance had it that they did not survive to colonize the stars like humans did, and this jewel-shaped probe is all that survived. Remember us! This is the mark we leave in the universe! This is a themes that comes up in several science fiction stories, from Icehenge to Interstellar, and even in the real world, from the Pioneer/Voyager probes to the Long Now clock and the mysterious Georgia Guidestones. This in itself is already a very emotional message to convey, and this episode manages to turn this abstract concept more relatable by making it Picard’s personal story. The difference with this time capsule is that instead of objects or recordings of the lost civilization, it allows the receiver to experience that life in that civilization!

At the end of this episode, Picard has lived a full life to its very end of old age, and is returned into a body in its fifties with still many years of life ahead of him. This should certainly have a strong long-term psychological impact on him, similar to his experience with the Borg, and as much as I know that the next episode will have a reset button I hope that some future episode will mention it. After all, he knows plenty of things about agriculture and drought, and can now play the flute!

A word of congratulations to the wardrobe department: similar to Season 4’s Family, the dresses here are very tasteful and could come from a less technologically advanced society as well as from a society advanced enough that it can hide its technology in the background and showcase its aesthetics.

Such a memorable episode, and it was written by a newcomer to TNG and one writer with just two other credits to his name, both did very little else! An all-time classic, this episode will have you whistling flute tunes!

The quote:
Eline (to Picard/Kamin): “Now we live in you. Tell them of us… my darling.”

Geordi and Ro are believed dead when they become “phased out” in a dimension slightly parallel to ours. Before they learn that though they are very confused when nobody sees them, which makes for some great scenes! It also makes Ro wonder about the afterlife and whether ghosts stories really were real — a rare step for TNG into the supernatural, made by a character who has “ethnic” and more “primitive” characteristics rather than by Geordi who remains a hardcore engineer throughout. All of this happens in parallel to yet another Romulan infiltration plan. The pair manages to draw attention to themselves in an amazing scene at Ten Forward where Ro shoots her disruptor everywhere in the background while nobody seems to be noticing.

One thing that stands out as odd here is how dispassionate the crew seems when they get news of Geordi and Ro’s demise. No cries or dramatic sadness, only cold-blooded following of protocol. I realize Starfleet has removed quite a bit of emotions from the way officers operate in this future utopia, but this seemed extreme. At least we got Riker hinting that Ro meant/means a lot to him. This lack of sadness is counterbalanced by the wake ceremony in Ten Forward, which is purposefully set as a great party with music, which I liked!

The quote:
LaForge, at his own funeral: “Looks like a great party – mind if we join you?”

I don’t know what to make of this one. Now, I understand what the episode is trying to do and what the intentions of the writers were, but I am not convinced. The Enterprise puts its hands on a member of the Borg collective, and while some see the opportunity to use it as a means to destroy the Borg entirely, some want to help it and make a friend out of him. Picard is with the former, showing a ruthless detachment and cold calculation that might just have a personal revenge dimension to it, excellent acting by Stewart. Dr. Crusher is with the latter, as a doctor she feels bound to assist anyone even if it is their enemy. First LaForge is convinced, then Gainan, and the episode of course culminates with Picard meeting with the Borg, indirectly reopening his wounds from when he had been assimilated. The script drives the viewer into feeling compassion for Geordi’s new friend Third of Five/”Hugh“: away from the collective, this Borg is faced with solitude, the need for friends, the possibility of individualism. I understand all that, and were we not talking about the Borg I would have felt more emotion with that last shot where Hugh seems to have kept something out of all this.

But we are talking about the Borg. Previous episodes that featured them built an impressive aura of invincibility and inevitability around them, they are among TNG‘s most important additions to the Trek universe. Their conception of the world is fundamentally at odds with a concept like a Federation, victory against them cannot come via military conquest or peace treaties like with any other race we have encountered. At most, Beverly and Geordi came to awaken parts of the original host that were overwritten by the Borg when he was assimilated, similar to Picard surviving under Locutus. But hoping that Hugh would convince the collective of stopping assimilation altogether is wishful thinking.

Using Hugh like a computer virus was a really nice idea; to use the very concept of individuality like a virus that would unravel the Borg’s unity is also an idea nice on paper but it is difficult to swallow even for a fiction like TNG. The alternative, a complete genocide, is of course diametrically opposed to Star Trek’s values, and this is exactly this episode’s reason of existence. (I see a direct continuation of these ideas through to Ron Moore‘s Battlestar Galactica and episodes such as Resurrection Ship and A Measure of Salvation!)

I understand why this episode is appreciated among fans, and I imagine it opens the way for later characters like Voyager‘s Seven of Nine — but I did feel “manipulated” by the writers here. I can’t shake the feeling that the writers tried to do the same thing they did with the Romulans and the Klingons, to humanize the Borg, and by doing so they made this enemy much less scary and thus less exceptional. This might be Star Trek, but sometimes not everything can be resolved by being nice to each other.

The quote:
Third of Five: “You will be assimilated.”
LaForge: “Yes, we know, but before that, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

An “empathic metamorph”, Kamala, intended as a gift wife is awakened early and has to wait for her destined husband, and meanwhile she gets to “interact”/seduce the Enterprise’s crew — in particular the most difficult and professional of them all, Picard. Funnily enough, the focus of this episode is not the series’ womanizer, Riker! It is certainly a sentimental episode, starting light-hearted and ending very bittersweet, with Kamala imprinted on Picard showing her true love but still gifted to the alien lord as originally intended. And through all that is Beverly Crusher who has “always has been” there for him, an understated and somewhat tragic love that has been there in the background since season one but has never quite come to the fore. (This is understandable given that this is an on-going series; however time passes and people get older, how long till it’s no longer realistic not to address it head on?)

This is the kind of episode that would never have been made in the series’ early seasons, as it is very personal and, well, serious. It has some excellent dialogue and acting, and continues to show that TNG is now a mature series trying to break new ground beyond its formula.

A story focused on Wesley again — it’s ironic how writers were complaining that they didn’t know how to write Wesley and this season he has had two very interesting episodes! Although this episode is an atypical one: set entirely on Earth, concerned with Starfleet Academy and not space exploration. A cadet dies in an accident and his close-knit group of friends, including Welsey and a charismatic leader, are asked to explain. It becomes more and more obvious that they are trying to cover up something, and the episode turns into a trial with Wesley’s heart balanced between loyalty to his group and loyalty to the truth — the script is intelligent enough not to make it as simple as I make it sound, by noting that deep trust within a group and bonding under stress are important qualities expected of officers. This is a different Wesley from the one we knew, and although everything turns out all right it is evident he is undergoing some life-changing experiences, and I hope we will see more of him. Who knows, maybe the writers were testing the waters for that always-rumored series based at Starfleet Academy!…

On the Enterprise side, the focus is on Beverly, naturally, and Picard, while Data and Geordi do some tests. We get to meet Picard’s old teachers and reflect on the not-so-ideal student he used to be and the exemplary captain he has become. But the series forgets that every single crew member has gone through Starfleet Academy! Surely it would have been very interesting to see Riker or O’Brien or whomever stroll around and reminisce or get revelations about their past.

The quote:
Boothby (to Picard): “You made a mistake. There isn’t a man among us who hasn’t been young enough to make one.”

Alumni-spotting:
The deceased cadet’s father is Ed Lauter, also seen as the alien-possessed Lt. Col. Belt in The X-Files‘ Space.

Yes, the Groundhog Day episode. But…actually Groundhog Day was released one year after this episode aired! Mind blown! Crusher has déjà vu all over again culminating in the destruction of the Enterprise, until she can figure out a way to push events on a different path and pull the Enterprise out of this temporal rift. This is the absolute crowd-pleasing cult episode, there’s humor, there’s drama, there’s crying “NO!” each time the loop repeats, there are plenty of opportunities for a drinking game! For each iteration there are differences in the positioning of the camera or slight differences in the dialogue to keep things interesting, although there is some repetition (directing by Frakes!). This is not the first time we see the crew playing poker, by now it’s a well-established pass time for them. At first, you would think that the voices Crusher hears would be some fantasy element like “the echo of their souls dying” but it is all wrapped up nicely with a real-sounding scientific explanation. I liked the fact that Data could only transfer a handful of bits of information to himself. Little else to say, classic Trek!

The quote:
Picard: “All hands abandon ship! Repeat: all hands abandon–” boom

Worf is injured and demands he be euthanized, prompting a discussion on friendship and compassion. Riker‘s move to bring his son Alexander to make him realize what he’s asking of him was a tough but intelligent twist. Alexander quickly arrives (very quickly! aren’t they in the middle of nowhere usually?) to better illustrate the way Worf is pulled between his strict Klingon moral code and the more liberal upbringing among humans that he experienced himself and that his son is now experiencing. Obviously behind the tough facade Worf has made friends among the crew, and it’s no small thing to ask of Troi to take care of Alexander should he die. In 1992 euthanasia was only slightly less taboo than it is today, and as far as episodes on moral issues go it does its job really well.

But the ethics of the title also refer to the Hippocratic oath of the medical profession. Dr. Crusher brings in Dr. Russell who would like to perform experimental surgery on Worf, but what started as medical advice develops into a race for results for a treatment that could bring her fame. The episode provides enough examples of ruthless behaviour to stack the cards against Russell, but the core issue addressed is an interesting one: advances in research often come from repeated failures and bold experiments. How funny then that the episode gets away with taking sides and its cake and eat it too by having Worf die and resurrect — thanks to something mentioned earlier in the episode, that Klingons have backup systems for each organ. True warrior organisms!

The quote:
(Final moment)
Worf: “We will work together.”
Alexander: “Yes, sir.”

The Enterprise’s memory is wiped and under alien influence they believe their mission is to attack the aliens’ enemies. The scenes where the crew struggles to figure out who they are and what the hierarchy is supposed to be are delightful: unhinged from their formatted behaviour, you see their true character in their immediate reactions. Worf assumes he’s the leader. Picard is level-headed. Riker and Ro actually get along well. That last one is the most surprising development, leading to a love triangle between Riker, Ro and Troi. They will remember these events later, which makes for an awkward situation. At this stage the Riker-Troi romance is like a given, something that certainly happens between scenes — so I am not sure whether future episodes will delve back into the Riker-Ro relationship (or antagonism), but it would be interesting if future episodes built upon what was teased here. In the end, the aliens’ schemes are no match to the Enterprise’s crew wits, of course, and all is right again — the general structure really reminded me of a similar memory wipe episode, last season’s “Clues“. An entertaining episode.

The quote:
Riker: “For all we know, you and I could be married.”
Ro: “For all we know, you and I could hate each other.”

The titular “unification” refers to the Vulcan-Romulan re-unification after some thousands of years of divergence. It is a very interesting idea, in line with core Trek values of progress through peace. If they were the same race at some point, then the idea of reunification re-positions the current war as a civil war, and makes you think how these sneaky Romulans can be persuaded towards a peaceful path. For Sela, Romulan conquest of Vulcan is also a unification, which is interesting because the “correct” way promoted by the series’ point of view really does sound like the Romulans being guided to see that the Vulcans’ way of life is the superior one. But then we have hardly seen anything sympathetic and likable in the Romulans, so Spock’s strategy of inserting more Vulcan-ism in an underground Romulan network is justified. All of this makes a great first half of Part 2, and I hope the story thread of unification is picked up again in the series’ future.

Then Sela appears. Once more as with “Redemption Part 2” Sela has been built up as the absolute baddie, but the show has already settled in the formula where her plans are foiled before she can have any real victory, and she escapes at the end to brew her next cunning plan. This part of the episode I liked less. I understand that Sela doesn’t appear again in the future, which might also mean that the writers were out of original ideas for her! This doesn’t get better if you start over-analyzing the motives: if a hologram of Spock was going to be used anyway, why the need to torment him and convince him to deliver Sela’s message himself? While the storylines have become more complex and more inter-connected compared to the start of the series, TNG is still a show that is at its core a string of independent episodes; it’s a shame TNG doesn’t experiment with a change in form that could have been brought by following through what would have happened if Sela succeeded in part. That is for another series. (This also means that the only sympathetic Romulan, Pardek, whom Spock knew for years, is also a manipulative liar; there’s really no saving to the Romulans!)

The B-story is that of Riker pursuing a lead of some unknown space debris. Here Star Trek goes full Star Wars! — with giant space junkyards, shady space merchants, and especially a musical diner full of aliens that recalls a lot-a lot Mos Eisley. This all provides a lighter comic adventure that acts like a counterpoint to the heavy political story on Romulus and is a bit uncharacteristic of TNG, although it did give us Worf singing Klingon opera! This story proves to merge with the A-story in the end, but for most of both episodes I was wondering why we were watching this and why couldn’t we return to the main story. It was an odd structure and I’m sure I wouldn’t have the same impression upon rewatching it.

Finally, there’s Spock and his interaction with who are really becoming TNG‘s two leads, Picard and Data. There’s a bit of Spock in both of them, so for a fan of TOS it must have been amazing to see their reactions, which are often similar. The episode ends with one of the most emotional scenes to date, with Spock accessing Sarek’s memories via Sarek’s mind meld with Picard. That last shot of Picard is both Picard proud of himself he helps an important member of Starfleet, and Sarek experiencing a moment he never got to while living. And since we leave Spock in the middle of the action, I do expect him to come back…maybe? Despite some shortcomings, like the caricature villains, the way these episodes managed to mix all these stories is remarkable; with these two-part episodes, the producers were perhaps testing the waters too with the idea of TNG feature films in the future.

The quote
Data “As you examine your life, do you find you have missed your humanity?”
Spock “I have no regrets.”
Data “‘No regrets.’ That is a human expression.”
Spock “Yes. Fascinating.”

These episodes mark one of several important “passing of the torch” moments between TOS and TNG. They come soon after Gene Roddenberry’s death and are dedicated to his memory (I am guessing that they could have dedicated to him the episode that aired after his death but they were holding it for a special occasion); they also include the death from a neural degenerative disease of Sarek, the father (read: creator) of Spock, who we saw earlier could be considered to be a stand-in for Roddenberry in TNG (“Sarek“). They come soon prior to the release of the sixth and final TOS movie, The Undiscovered Country, whose story also dealt with trying to settle peace in a situation where division has been the way of life for so long — actually these episodes were in part created to promote the movie, as Spock references to the Federation/Klingon peace talks. And finally, and I imagine at the time this must have been billed as the main attraction, they feature Spock himself — Leonard Nimoy — who is revealed at the very end of Part 1.

This event was important enough to exceptionally produce a two-part episode in the middle of the season — a first in the series’ history, and I guess setting the trend for the future. It’s true that it’s got it all and mixes nearly all recurring story threads created by the Trek universe: a space adventure, Romulans, Vulcans, Klingons… The first part has some delightful scenes with Picard and Data getting makeup on to pass for Romulans (breaking the fourth wall, Stewart and Spiner really did wear the same makeup other actors wore to look like aliens!). The search for Vulcan spaceship parts led by Riker is for the time being completely incidental to the main events but promises to tie in with the main story. It is difficult to address these two episodes separately, so on to part 2.

The quote:
Picard: “The man is dying. And it’s my honor to tell him that his son may have betrayed the Federation.”

Alumni-spotting:
The Klingon bureaucrat rewriting history to Duras’s benefit, unrecognizable under that makeup, is Erick Avari — who was, among many other roles, Kasuf in Stargate the movie and Stargate SG-1 the series!

Wesley is back, this time as a guest star! He saves the day, obviously, like he used to, but this time there’s the extra spice of a love interest, with an Ensign that is as obsessed with science experiments as he is — and accordingly, it’s an extremely beautiful Ensign, Ashley Judd. The Enterprise is plagued by an addictive virtual reality game that stimulates more and more pleasure to the brain with each level, and everyone ends up in hedonistic isolation in their own little world — anticipating the smartphone phenomenon by over two decades! And who else did the aliens on Risa choose as the one who would introduce this game to the Enterprise but Riker, womanizer and easy prey? Another very entertaining episode.

The quote
(Post-money 24th century:)
Data “Each wishes to be the first to use the thermal imaging array.”
LaForge “Well, tell ‘em to flip a coin. We’ve got to work together on this mission otherwise we’re never gonna get it done.”
Data “A coin. Very good. I will replicate one immediately.”

Alumni spotting
Ashley Judd, also a political activist, appeared in the recent revival of Twin Peaks: The Return, as the now older Ben Horne’s flirt temptation.

Disaster strikes the Enterprise! because of some technobabble, with quantum in it — but the focus is the characters. The cast is trapped in five different parts of the ship, each part doing its best to do right. A tense episode with problem arising on top of problems, and somewhat of a bottle episode too. Troi is put in charge of the Bridge, that was an unexpected and welcome development; Troi is proven right about her faith that others would prevent the Enterprise from exploding, but things could very well have turned out differently — an easy resolution to her disagreement with Ensign Ro (I didn’t expect to see her again really, that was a surprise!). Dr. Crusher and LaForge face chemicals and radiation — a coupling of characters not seen much before. Riker is reluctant to use Data as a machine with detachable parts — and a detachable head! — but Data doesn’t have such human prejudice. In the episode’s comic relief bit, Worf is cornered into becoming the one who has to deliver Keiko’s baby — predictable but effective! As for Picard, his dislike of children (set up ever since the pilot) is put to test as he has to marshal three very different kids into a miniature Starfleet unit — it was nicely written in how the one who turned out the leader was not necessarily the one it looked like it would be when we met them. By season 5, both writers and audience know these characters very well, and it is in putting them in unexpected situations and teasing them where it hurts that the writers find inspiration for new stories.

The quote:
Worf: “Congratulations, you are fully dilated to ten centimeters. You may now give birth.”
Keiko: “That’s what I’ve been doing!”

Really a jewel of an episode! The themes are deep: submission to or rebellion against power, peaceful resistance or terrorism, cynicism in politics, giving yourself to a higher cause (be it Bajoran sovereignty or the Federation)… The dialogue is sharp, the acting excellent, the situation much more complex and less clear-cut than in an earlier seasons episode. The situation just by itself would make an interesting episode: the Enterprise is pulled by acts of terrorism into a war between a new ally and an oppressed people — really a very similar situation as in season 3‘s “The High Ground“, which was already exceptional! What makes this episode stand out is the titular Ensign Ro, an interesting character in of itself, and deliciously portrayed by Michelle Forbes. Strong, independent, contrarian, seemingly incompatible with everyone, she had some great interaction with Guinan here, and it was very interesting in the end that Picard found that Ro showed several qualities that could be honed in to make her an excellent Starfleet officer.

The writers must have spent some time developing her character more than a character that they would use for just an episode, and it shows. Forbes was cast as a recurring role throughout season 5. The writers/producers liked her and she would have become a lead character in Deep Space 9 — some sight that would have been! It didn’t turn out like that after all, a different actress got cast as a Bajoran, and I’ll have to keep watching to see how interesting she became.

The quote:
Ro Laren (about other Bajorans): “They’re lost, defeated. I will never be.”

Alumni spotting:
Michelle Forbes was a very memorable guest star in what was perhaps Battlestar Galactica‘s best arc, “Pegasus”/”Resurrection Hub I/II”, as the ruthless Admiral Cain!

What an episode! Picard spends his time on a planet with an alien nobody understands in a hopeless situation that could result to war. How much violence, how many wars have resulted from lack of understanding one another, from not being able to communicate or share one’s feelings? Certainly more than as the result of genuine disagreement. At any moment the situation could slide towards the worst but Picard is adamant: he doesn’t use the Enterprise’s weapons to assert his superiority, he doesn’t take the knives handed to him to fight. His dedication to a peaceful solution, however long it takes and frustrating the path there may be, is remarkable. As Picard says, “In my experience, communication is a matter of patience, imagination. I would like to believe that these are qualities that we have in sufficient measure” — this makes Star Trek‘s Federation stand out from most of other on-screen science fiction. This doesn’t work in all situations, but the script sells this idea nicely. The aliens’ language, using metaphor from their mythology for anything they say, was very beautiful and seemed to me very original as well. (In the same vein but with a totalitarian twist: see Loyal to the Group of Seventeen in Gene Wolfe‘s The Book of the New Sun! https://www.gwern.net/docs/culture/1983-wolfe-thecitadeloftheautarch-thejustman) Picard and Dathon try to understand each other at night around a campfire — and Picard tells the dying Dathon of the Epic of Gilgamesh — this is certainly one of the series’ most memorable scenes up to now.

The quote:
Dathon (meaning that he/Picard understands): “Sokath, his eyes uncovered!”

Alumni-spotting:
Under that makeup, Dathon is Paul Winfield — a.k.a. Traxler, the head cop along with Lance Henriksen in The Terminator!

Season 5, the season of maturity. By now, The Next Generation has nothing more to “prove” to the world. It stands on its own and with the continuous upward trend of seasons 1 through 4 it is already a remarkable achievement. Season 5 is the first truly post-Roddenberry season and the season during which the TOS series of movies draws to a close. Next season, TNG will be the tentpole around which the spin-off shows will develop. Star Trek has become a huge franchise and now TNG is at the heart of it. The Enterprise-D crew is cool with that.

This is the show’s 100th episode! This two-parter comes one year after “The Best of Both Worlds“, and a comparison is inevitable. There is a lot to like here, in particular all the Klingon aspects: in particular the power plays between Duras and Worf and his brother are gripping and really feel like the culmination of all the build-up over the past season and a half. As with the attack on Earth by the Borg exactly one year ago, a bigger budget would have been welcome to widen the scope of the Klingon civil war to more than just the handful of ships manned by known faces. Another enjoyable part of this episode is Data being handed the command of another ship and encountering a lieutenant who does not believe an android capable for the job: similar themes to previous episodes, but well written and acted here. Cool new wardrobe for Picard, too!

However, I am more conflicted with the Romulan stories included here. Part 2 shocks us with the revelation that Sela is the daughter of Tasha Yar and a Romulan, and the callback to “Yesterday’s Enterprise” is indeed welcome, but in retrospect it feels like an artificial way to justify that they were able to cast Denise Crosby as a guest star. In the end, the plot is exposed, the bad guys escape to be able to torment the heroes another day, and Worf quickly returns to the service of Starfleet and to the status quo. It’s all a bit too easy and too fast, which is a trait shared by many second parts, and not just of TNG. Previous Klingon episodes had presented a rich world full of political intrigue, weird cultural practices and a colorful cast of secondary characters; by comparison “Redemption Part 2” is an enjoyable adventure but lacks some of the earlier episodes’ subtlety.

The quote:
Kurn: “What’s wrong? Kill him!”
Worf: “No!”
Kurn: “But it is our way! It is the Klingon way!”
Worf: “I know. But it is not my way.”

Alumni-spotting:
Timothy Carhart, the Lieutenant who disliked Data, was the titular “2Shy” in The X-Files — a fat-sucking mutant who loved to read Dante!

We come to the season finale, which since last year’s explosive episode is now established to be a cliffhanger for next season! It is wholly dedicated to the Klingons‘ battle for power and Worf‘s family history — it is interesting to realize that the character who started as a late addition to the show when the pilot was being written has now been developed so much so as to be given such a prominent place! Klingon all-out civil war and royal factions, alliances to clear Worf’s family name, secret alliances with the Romulans, Klingons trying to seduce Picard, a Romulan revealed to look like Tasha Yar, Worf resigning from Starfleet, space battles, special effects that certainly don’t feel cheap, themes of honor, duty, trust — there’s so much going on here! Perhaps it doesn’t end with as much of a punch as last season, it would be hard to top that off, but the ending is powerful nevertheless. Written by TNG‘s “Mr. Klingon”, Ron Moore, and directed by Cliff Bole, this episode tops off season 4 in style!

The quote:
Worf: “I’ve been told that patience is sometimes a more effective weapon than the sword.”
Picard: “Patience is a Human virtue… one that I’m glad to see you’ve taken to heart. But doesn’t this situation require a more… Klingon response?”

---

In retrospect over the whole season and the series so far: it has been a steady upward trend in quality since TNG‘s beginning, and I have the impression I have wrapped up the show’s best season yet! Compared to the already excellent season 3, season 4 has much more character work, starting off with a string of episodes like “Family” that show that this is a more mature series and not “just” the science fiction of its earlier years. With enough episodes in its belt, TNG starts playing with its formula, and season 4 has many experimental episodes like “Data’s Day” or “First Contact“. Season 4 also looks better than previous seasons, more cinematic, contrasted, rich, even closer to today’s standards and so more 2018-compatible than season 1 — this is probably a result of more work from the director of photography (Marvin Rush took over that duty in season 3) and of a higher budget. It is also the season that saw the departure of Wil Wheaton as Wes Crusher; like Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar) before him, it’s interesting that his character was not replaced with another — that says something about how essential the writers viewed them! From now on the core group of actors will not change until the end.

TNG does “The Manchurian Candidate” in this episode where Geordi, unbeknownst to him, is brainwashed by the Romulans to kill a Klingon diplomat. All this is conducted by a mysterious Romulan female Commander, still in shadows. The trick is discovered, of course, by Data using all his technobabble science. The situation awkwardly leaves strong suspicions that some Klingons and Romulans are in alliance, but diplomatic protocols prevail and suspicions remain suspicions. It’s a predictable plot, but overall this is a tense and very entertaining episode, TNG in top form.

Alumni spotting:
Majel Barrett was the wife of Gene Roddenberry. Although she has been voicing the ship’s computer since the beginning, this is the first time she is credited for it (she has also been on TNG before as…Deanna Troi’s mother).

The quote
Data “I have surmised that Commander La Forge was conditioned by Romulans. A process referred to historically, and somewhat inaccurately, as ‘brainwashing’.”

Doctor Beverly falls in love with an alien…who proves to be a slug within a humanoid host! (Another inspiration for Stargate SG-1?) An episode on how we feel about love and what we associate with love — clearly for humans the whole package is important, physical appearance, voice, touch. While this is not an exploration of sexuality per se, the subtext is there and this episode could be seen as a proto-manifesto for tolerance of LGBTI+ people. Beverly is deeply conflicted about the changes in physical appearance of her lover Odan as he changes hosts, and the situation is made even more complex due to her friendship with Riker and due to the final host being a woman. But with Troi‘s advice Beverly does not directly reject the situation, she just humbly acknowledges that this is beyond her and that “perhaps, someday, our ability to love won’t be so limited”. An optimistic message. It is also funny to see Picard‘s internalized jealousy at the situation, he hardly allows himself to say a word — what’s more he offers his support, which is a very mature approach to the situation many should look up to in the year 2018. I would have liked for the performances of the three actors portraying Odan to have been more alike — at least Frakes gets sort of a pass because the graft was not working well and Odan was in great pain.

The quote:
Odan/Riker: “Speak softly, governor. Those who cannot hear an angry shout, may strain to hear a whisper.”

The subplot of tensions with the Romulans continues in this episodes, where any opportunity is good to suspect spies, sabotage and conspiracies. When the threat of war is real, how much is a healthy dose of paranoia and when does one go over to the side of totalitarian ideologue? Do politics and war strategy justify to overlook proof (or lack of proof)? The episode is a court drama, like the landmark “The Measure of a Man” before it, and somewhat borrows its structure from “Twelve Angry Men” by first leaning towards the obvious explanation of sabotage then by having Picard being the only one who persists looking at the details. Things accelerate at the end, with things becoming personal between Picard and investigator Admiral Satie — perhaps things escalate too quickly but time is limited in an episode. It is remarkable that TNG does not make things too bombastic or victorious, preferring to let the actors’ performances, silences and lack of music tell the story. A truly powerful episode.

Alumni-spotting:
The writer, Jeri Taylor, joined the crew in season 4, and will become one of the Star Trek franchise’s most important producers, in TNG and VOY.

The quote:
Worf: “Sir, the Federation does have enemies! We must seek them out!”
Picard: “Oh, yes. That’s how it starts. But the road from legitimate suspicion to rampant paranoia is very much shorter than we think. Something is wrong here, Mr. Worf; I don’t like what we have become!”

Lieutenant Barclay (from season 3’s “Hollow Pursuits“) is the “chosen one” by an alien probe and suddenly becomes way more intelligent than everyone else, eventually overtaking the Enterprise’s computer; and once his mission completed he (nearly) becomes his old self again. This reminded me of the plot of the science fiction classic book “Flowers for Algernon“! The progressive increase in Barclay’s abilities is very well brought about — and very well acted — and the show’s production values shine with the impressive set and lighting of the man-machine interface with blue lasers! I found the idea of the Cytherians interesting, a race of explorers sending probes out there that will bring samples back to them, as opposed to the Enterprise, which is actively exploring. The Cytherian’s questioning/cataloguing of humans reads like something out of Carl Sagan‘s “Cosmos“! I wonder whether this means that the Federation will soon have access to technology that allows them to travel halfway across the galaxy so quickly? (I guess the Voyager could make use of that!)

Alumni-spotting:
Kay E. Kuter (the Cytherian) was “The Calusari” (a Romanian exorcist) in that episode of The X-Files!

The quote:
Cytherian: “Emotive electrochemical stimulus response; cranial plate; bipedal locomotion; endo-skeletal contiguous external integument.”
Picard: “I’m Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the Federation starship Enterprise.”
Cytherian: “Hierarchical collective command structure.”
Picard: “Who are you?”
Cytherian: “Interrogative!”

Another experimental episode, told from the point of view of the aliens. A spiritual sequel to the Prime Directive episode “Who Watches the Watchers?” in season 3, this is the definitive episode on what happens when the Federation considers that a civilization is advanced enough to join its ranks in the great peaceful interstellar brotherhood. No “Captain’s Log” here: things start in media res, with Riker wounded and captured, and this increases the stakes compared to a normal run-of-the-mill episode. We take a good look at the political complexities of the planet in question, getting to know presidents, advisors, ministers, scientists, common folk, and their often opposing agendas and worldviews. The parallels with our world are many and very much on purpose: the sets and costumes are all slight variations of their late-20th-century Earth equivalents in order to make us identify with these people. Technology changing society, investing in innovation versus conserving traditions, openness versus isolationism: we can easily imagine these debates occurring on Earth if/when the time comes. Actually, there is a reading of the episode that fans of UFOs and conspiracy theories and of The X-Files can enjoy: this is happening right now on Earth, and world leaders have had to make such choices! Riker’s line “It’s far more likely that I’m a weather balloon than an alien” is an exact riff on that, an open reference to the Roswell UFO crash! (The laugh-out-loud moment when the nurse asks him to make love to her too: sex with aliens is a common recollection of close encounters of the third kind!) In the end, this civilization decides it is not yet time, but at least the lead scientist gets a happy end with her leaving with the Enterprise.

The quote:
Chancellor Durken: “I will have to say this morning, I was the leader of the universe as I knew it. This afternoon, I am only a voice in a chorus. But I think it was a good day.”

The Enterprise crosses a wormhole and not everything is what it seems. The mystery persists and suspicions build up around Data until at the very last moment he has to confess that yes, he is withholding something — and just when you would think that TNG is breaking its own rules, it is revealed that Data is following Picard‘s orders, before Picard’s memory was erased by xenophobic aliens. It is an interesting episode, ending up not where one would expect compared to where the episode starts. Troi‘s role in this episode in particular is more pronounced, sensing that something is wrong. But it is a bottle show that is a bit slow, and the flashbacks to one day earlier do slow the episode down considerably. Also, in front of the alien menace Picard seemed to me too eager to propose a solution that involves having the brains of the entire crew tampered with — twice! The episode’s beginning does echo nicely the rest of the episode — the search for clues — as we see Gainan pretending to be the femme fatale in Picard’s holodeck detective noir adventure! Also (not that they would make it) I would certainly watch an episode entirely devoted to what the crew does when they have free time, like in the first minute of this episode!

Chief O’Brien finally gets his moment to shine — Colm Meaney has been there since the beginning and by now is as much a starring member as LeVar Burton or Michael Dorn! Also, first appearance of the Cardassians! This is an episode about the trauma of war: about the very close ties that are created between fellow team members fighting a common enemy, and about soldiers continuing to see war everywhere even when the rest of the world has moved on. In that sense, this episode has the same theme as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which at that point in time had completed its script and was only in pre-production, so there is a slight chance this influenced the episode.

I was afraid the episode would be too much of a caricature of clear-cut good vs bad choices, but the actors of Captain Maxwell and O’Brien and their scenes together sold it to me. The episode is elevated by the ending: there is reason to suspect the Cardassians of preparing war with the Federation! But instead of choosing preemptive strikes during a time of freshly signed peace (which is what Captain Maxwell does), Picard chooses to play by the rules in order to impress on the Cardassians that peace and trust are possible and that war is not inevitable. A noble choice, as could be expected of Picard.

Alumni-spotting:
Bob Gunton (Captain Maxwell) is a recognizable face, I remember him as Ethan Kanin in 24. There’s also Marc Alaimo (the Cardassian Gul Macet) who will become an important Cardassian (Dukat) in DS9. And also, co-writers and real-life couple Stuart and Sara Charno are The X-Files alumni: Stuart was an actor (the killer medium in the timeless masterpiece “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose“) and Sara was a writer of two season 2 episodes!

The quote:
Picard: “I think, when one has been angry for a very long time, one gets used to it. And it becomes comfortable like…like old leather. And finally… it becomes so familiar that one can’t remember feeling any other way.”

“A Day in the Life of Data”. An episode with a completely different format in a season that is not afraid to experiment, and this one is one of the very best! Data reports to Dr. Maddox (from “A Measure of a Man“) and describes his day and his very Data-like thoughts observing the humans around him. We get to know more of O’Brien and we get to meet his maybe-future-wife Keiko (they seem oddly unaware of each other’s habits for a couple getting married!). We have Dr. Crusher teaching Data how to dance — I found it interesting that Data could perfectly copy a highly technical and complex solo dance but had trouble doing a simpler dance that involves human interaction and improvisation! And, not content to have all this original material, the episode also includes an intrigue that would have been sufficient to cover an entire episode in earlier seasons: a Vulcan ambassador negotiating a secret peace with the Romulans that turns out to be a Romulan spy. The density and entertainment value of this episode is far ahead of what previous seasons seemed capable of! Bonus points for the introduction of Data’s pet: the cat Spots!

The quote
Data “I could be chasing an untamed ornithoid without cause.”
Dr. Crusher “A wild goose chase?”

Riker wakes up sixteen years later, or does he? Is he a captive of the Romulans, or is he? The episode builds up these mysteries and spends enough time in each of them to make us believe in them and wonder how this will be corrected. The first world, Riker in the future, is actually very convincing, except perhaps in the fact that it would depress Riker/Troi shippers, but one can easily imagine Riker as Captain of the Enterprise, an older, bearded Picard as a high diplomat, and a Federation that welcomes the Ferengi and the Romulans in its midst. Maybe “Jean-Luc” as the name of Riker’s child was too much, especially with his older namesake up and about! Nice return casting of Minuet from “11001001” though! The second world, a Romulan jail, made me think that this could be a fail-safe holodeck layer in case the first failed as it did. This was close to the truth, but the ultimate resolution, that it was all the making of the imagination of a lonely alien child, was either touching or anti-climactic, depending on how one looks at it. TNG in season 4 had by now accustomed us to more interesting endings!

The template now in season 4 is clear: episodes focusing on one character, evolving storylines explored in one episode left open to be picked up in a future episode again. It is a formula that works very well, for the time being. Here: Worf-focused, picking up on the Klingon Empire drama from “Sins of the Father“. Worf has a family! Worf’s mate K’Ehleyr was a great addition to the show, a half-Klingon with very different morals from your typical war-mongering Klingon, a a very likable character overall — and it was surprising that she was introduced only to be killed off in the same episode! Season 4 has no time to waste! The potential for flashback episodes (or spin-off novels, of which the Star Trek franchise has many) is huge. Worf’s son Alexander (!) is shipped off to Earth as the TNG formula can’t have Worf with a son running around, but I’m very sure this is not the last time we’ve seen him. With Worf killing another person while on duty as a Starfleet officer should have serious consequences; I wonder whether we will see that later, otherwise that was treated quickly with just a disgruntled Picard. Overall an excellent episode with palpable tension and twists (the Klingon conspiring with the Romulans was not Duras!). More, please!

Alumni-spotting:
Quite surprisingly, I discovered that Patrick Massett (Duras here) is also a producer, and he was co-executive producer of the Battestat Galactica spin-off/prequel Caprica!

The quote:
K’Ehleyr to Worf: “Not even a bite on the cheek for old time’s sake?”

Wesley‘s experiments with warp physics create a bubble universe of Beverly‘s making. Half the episode is spent with us wondering what the hell is going on, as we follow Dr. Crusher’s point of view and people start disappearing. In the other half the mystery is revealed and there is a race against the clock as Beverly’s universe threatens to disappear. The universe getting smaller and smaller really creates a claustrophobic atmosphere and would make you crazy if you think too much about it — what’s the in-universe purpose of a ship travelling through space in a universe slightly bigger than the ship itself? — but this serves to illustrate Beverly’s fear of aging and losing the people she loves, a nice find. What doesn’t work for me is the too technobabbly pseudospiritual séance that Wesley and the Traveler go through to bring Beverly back. Of note, the production values of the show are even higher this season, and it shows.

The quote:
Dr. Crusher: “If there’s nothing wrong with me, maybe there’s something wrong with the universe!”

We continue with episodes that are very important for the characters with this one on Data, Lore, and Dr. Soong — 3 chances for Spiner to shine! The episode starts with Data taking over the Enterprise and isolating the crew, which of itself was an intriguing and tense part, but the episode surprised me in how much beyond all that it progressed. Dr. Soong is the mad scientist, very intelligent, living in isolation, a bit wacky, a bit egoistic (androids in his own image), but not lacking of emotion: the reason for all this is that he wants to gift Data with emotions. And Data’s first question is of course the eternal question: why do I exist? (30 years later, AI films have not advanced one bit from that: this creator/creation question is at the core of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant) It is also in perfect continuation with Lal in “The Offspring“, where Data was exploring the act of creation himself. There is a bit of retcon here, with Data learning that he was not created as less perfect than Lore (and repeating that to himself to assimilate that twist!) but it comes naturally. There is a definitive sense that this is not over and that we will meet Lore again: the writers are purposefully spinning story threads for them to explore from time to time, and that’s good for now. I could have done without the B-story of the two kid brothers fighting, which was there to create urgency for them to leave Soong’s planet; without it, we could have had more time with Soong. I really regret he died here, I would have loved to have seen more of Spiner as Dr. Soong.

The quote
Soong “Again, I ask you, why?”
Data “Perhaps, for humans, old things represent a tie to the past.”
Soong “What’s so important about the past? People got sick, they needed money. Why tie yourself to that?”
Data “Humans are mortal. They seem to need a sense of continuity.”
Soong “Ah hah!! Why?”
Data “To give their lives meaning. A sense of purpose.”
Soong “And this continuity, does it only run one way, backwards, to the past?”
Data “I suppose it is a factor in the human desire to procreate.”
Soong “So you believe that having children gives humans a sense of immortality, do you?”

A one-of-a-kind episode, in that it’s very clearly outside of the format of the Star Trek space adventure: the only plot here is purely character-focused and psychological. Already in season 2 “The Icarus Factor” there were character-focused episodes, but this is taking it much further. An entire episode devoted to the Enterprise‘s stay on Earth and its orbit, recuperating, makes the importance of the Borg encounter even bigger in retrospect. It is so much out of format that this episode was not produced second, but later in the season, and was made at the insistence of writer Ron Moore that there was something interesting to be done here.

Picard‘s visit in rural France and his feud with his brother feel very right for the character (with the exception of that still unexplained impeccable English accent: pourquoi? and couldn’t Paramount figure out that the French don’t toast with “salut”?) If I didn’t know there were four more seasons, I would really have believed that Picard could be convinced to stay on Earth and change careers, so the episode was successful at that. I want to see more of Chateau Picard and nephew René! (pictured here) Worf‘s awkwardness with his visiting foster parents on the Enterprise is a highlight that is both humorous and very touching! Interesting that the parents are Russian (and very cliché at that!), extending the metaphor of Klingons-as-Russians/Soviets of TOS, only that by now the Russians are very sympathetic (we are in October 1990 and the USSR is in the middle of its collapse). And finally, Wesley seeing his father’s recorded message is not too creative but it does the work ad is also touching; given that Wes is about to written out of the show, I would have largely preferred for this moment to have come much sooner in the series.

You can tell by how much I have written: this is one of TNG‘s best, and I believe the choice to do such a different episode payed off in emotional attachment with these characters. By now, TNG is as much about the self-contained adventures as it is about its characters, and is richer for it.

Alumni-spotting:
I know Doug Wert, Jack Crusher here, from the defining UFO/conspiracy TV movie of the 1990s, “Roswell“, with Kyle MacLachlan!

The quote:
Sergei Rozhenko, to everyone he meets: “I have all the specs and diagrams at home!”

After that cliffhanger in Part 1, Trekkies must have spent the summer of 1990 full of anticipation for the return of the show! While the last movie of the original TOS crew was still in production during TNG season 4, TNG is by now the Trek to watch! Merchandising must have been flooding shops everywhere and Paramount must have been rubbing its hands in dollary joy. The producing crew is finally stable for the first year since TNG started, and the producers can finally start thinking ahead of ways to expand the franchise and start brainstorming ideas about future spin-off series.

So how does this conclusion to Part 1 play out?

Second parts and conclusions are a tough challenge for writers. The stakes are high, the excitement is at its maximum, but somehow the reboot button has to be pressed at the end in order for the show to continue starting from the next episode. This episode delivers on the previous one and has some amazing moments: the relentless and unstoppable approach of the Borg towards Earth, the tear shed by Picard as he cannot prevent what he does as a Borg, Riker‘s reluctance to replace Picard and his amazing strategic skills to extract him from the Borg ship, the linking of Data with Locutus/Picard. Still, there are a couple of issues that are sort of obligatory if they wanted to get out of this situation: the Borg do not assimilate the Enterprise when they could in the beginning, and the triggered self-destruct of the Borg ship is an easy solution and if I were a Borg I would consider this a serious security issue (all it takes to destroy them all is take one hostage). There is also, to the eyes of this viewer in 2018, a lack of resources in special effects to show the scope of the war and destruction with the Borg: the models work is great as ever and shots get more and more complex as the show goes on, certainly reflecting an improvement on the budget, but even with that there’s something missing.

But let’s not nitpick: this is an amazing episode, with the highest stakes yet for TNG (the survival of Sector 001, Earth itself) that will have serious consequences. It is a landmark moment and the writers know it, they will come back to it in DS9 and the movie First Contact! A pensive Picard not being able to drink his tea due to his experience is a memorable ending!

The quote:
Locutus: “Worf, Klingon species; a warrior race. You too will be assimilated.”
Worf: “The Klingon Empire will never yield!”
Locutus: “Why do you resist? We only wish to raise the quality of life for all species.”
Worf: “I like my species the way it is!”

DOWN THE HOLE
Ironically, the fifth and final season of The Wire starts with a very funny scene, of the detectives having fun with a young gangster. But don't get fooled by this fun start.
A year has passed since we last saw Baltimore and the situation is not better, on the contrary. Things are going down. Since discovering the financial hole of the school, the newly elected Mayor has decided to focus on school instead of delivering on his promises about the police. Overpaid hours are deferred, police cars are not repaired and overall the morale of the police force is extremely bad.

JOURNALISTIC SHIT
This episode introduces a new theme, which will probably be the central focus of this fifth season, as per the opening credits. Journalism. As usual, since we are being introduced to many new characters, it feels always odd at first. Therefore, I will reserve my judgement for later in the season.

BUBBLES
But in this shithole of a corrupt city, there is still some hope, at least for some. In this episode, we learn that Bubbles' name is Reginald. His sister accepted to give him a space and I can only feel touched by that. He found a legit low-paying job, but still better than nothing. And we can see a metaphor of it all, when Bubbs is passing by the guy who harassed him in last season. And they just say hi to each others. That was much deserved.

SUMMARY
An excellent beginning. The Wire is so beautifully planned and executed that I could watch Baltimore (the main character of the series) over and over again. I give the episode 7 out of 10.

This season finale is the longest episode of the season, if not of the entire series, at 79 minutes.

THE GREEK!
I was so happy to see that The Greek was back! This was really, really fun.

BODIE'S DEATH
This episode marks the death of Bodie, one of the characters from the first season.

SUMMARY
A great season finale. I give it 8 out of 10. I have no clue what the fifth and final season holds for me.

STATISTICS
What was extremely interesting was to see how the statistics play such an important role. The police would even purposely not dig out a body, for the sakes of their own seat at the table. This is corruption at its lowest.

BABY
But there is far worse. There's a young boy, who must be something like six years old, getting kicked by some older kids. This was just so overly sad. Once again, everybody loses. When the baby kid watches the other kid beating him down, there's the all world looking at him.

BUBBLES
I wondered how Bubbles would try to get his vengeance. I imagined he would try to buy a gun and simply kill the guy harassing him. But not Bubbles, he's too smart for that. But what was extremely sad is that he was not able to find the harasser. And instead of that, the poor kid that he was caring for took the pills and died. This was really, really sad to watch. Since the series is so realistic, it felt that much sadder.

TRUE
I loved the scene where the kid with the long hair is finally opening and crying, saying that he cannot come back home anymore, because of his mother and his situation.

SUMMARY
A superb penultimate episode of this great season. I give it 8 out of 10.

Once again, an excellent in an equally excellent season, who seems to be my favourite one so far.
The last scene is quite powerful and very elegantly executed.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

I much enjoyed the opening scene, of the young kid being purchased by the police in car.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

One particularly interesting scene was when Prez is discovering that working at a school is no different than working at the police, statistics wise. They have to play the exact same game in order to fake the statistics.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

Excellent

Excellent. I give the episode 7 out of 10.

I don't know how to explain it, but the series flows perfectly with me now. Rating individual episodes of The Wire is like rating trees in a forest.

MOTHER
I found very interesting the mother forcing her kid to deal drugs.

OMAR
Omar being locked up was quite ironic, knowing that he robbed so many gangsters. He'll probably have a very bad time in jail.

ELECTION
Meanwhile, we finally get to see the outcome of the mayor's primary election. Carcetti won the primary. Good for him.

FOURTH SEASON
This fourth season is working very, very well.

SUMMARY
I give it 8 out of 10.

I really liked this episode and how things are progressing with the campaign for mayor.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

KIMA
I liked that Kima joining the homicide section and getting the murder investigation that is supposed to take forever to be resolved. They decide to give it to the rookie and I expect that she will actually care and resolve it quickly, which will have some consequences.

EVERYBODY LOSES
In this episode, there is a great quote that I think fits particularly this literary exercise of a tv series. Prez is watching the game and then says to his wife that "no one wins, one side just loses more slowly." I think this was just the perfect quote to summarize The Wire and the situations of the social classes. The gangsters are suffering, the kids are suffering, the policemen are suffering, the politicians are suffering. It's a zero sum game where no one wins at the end.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode, once again. I give it 7 out of 10.

I am now at a point where I really enjoy watching The Wire. All the storylines are interesting.

SUMMARY
I give it 7 out of 10. Excellent.

I liked everything about this episode and especially the politics of it.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

I liked this season premiere, focused on children, which I imagine will be the center of attention during this fourth and penultimate season.

OPENING
The opening scene was quite original!

SUMMARY
I give it 7 out of 10. Excellent.

This episode perfectly binds all the elements together and ultimately proves that The Wire is worth watching. The Wire is not about getting surprised at every corner. The main detectives do not get shot every three episodes. They don't get amnesia. They don't get kidnapped. They don't have choreographed fights. They simply are. And they are true.

SUMMARY
A great conclusion to a great season. I give it 8 out of 10. And if I had to add something, I'd say... mission accomplished.

WHISTLING WESTERN
The opening of Omar whistling in a dark alley, facing the bow-tie man was a very visual scene. It felt like a western and at one point, even though we are watching a very realistic series, it feels damn good to have some pulp action, even if no one shoots at the end.

POLITICS
I loved the way that the mayor is trying to desperately find a way to benefit from the initiative from the Major. This was really compelling.

STRINGER
The episode seals the fate of Stringer. The end sequence was really great.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

LOCKED ELEVATOR
I really liked this episode, especially the dialogue. There is a beautiful scene in which McNulty explains to Kima that he doesn't belong to any world. He made a great analogy about even not being able to take the elevator without a key. That was very smart and felt true.

The killing of the young lady was very visual.

ROCKY
I also really liked the character trying to build a boxing gym in a very difficult neighbourhood. This reminded me of the original Rocky movie and I liked it.

Finally, the Major is finally revealing his plan, which was a very nice scene.

SUMMARY
I give it 7 out of 10. Excellent.

Once again, a good episode. I actually really enjoyed the relationship between McNulty and the politics lady. It was fun to see that when they get together for the first time during diner, she hates every little thing he says.

SUMMARY
I give it 5 out of 10. Good.

What I liked the most about this episode is the story about the character who wants to become mayor. And most importantly how he learns how to act and talk in public.

SUMMARY
A good episode. I give it 5 out of 10.

A good episode.

A good episode. I give it 5 out of 10.

This episode is the most corrupt that I have seen so far and I liked it a lot. The politics went so far that the police is actually going so far as to bring the customers to the gangsters, all of that in order to reduce their statistics.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

I am slowly starting to understand much more and equally appreciate more this season, now that things are taking shape.

SUMMARY
I give the episode 5 out of 10. Good.

OPENING SCENE
I just loved the opening scene, with the Lieutenant being grilled and removed of his functions with immediate effect. This was really over the top and ultimately very violent.

D'ANGELO
I liked McNulty going into the jail in order to see if D'Angelo was murdered.

SHOOTING, PART II
This episode shows us the second open air shooting scene. It was once again brilliantly executed. And overall, Omar's gang was a very compelling and original one.

STATISTICS
I also loved the later sequence with the same new regular meeting, where the police leaders review the statistics.
And later, we get another great scene, in which the gangsters are also getting their weekly performance reviews, aka "Your numbers are way down."

WESTERN DISTRICT
What I also found really original was that the responsible of the Western District decides to push the gangsters outside of the residential area. I imagine that this will probably be an interesting story arc this season.

HOMMAGE
Finally, the scene of the Baltimore policemen giving a hommage to one of their peers was really moving and clever.

SUMMARY
This is my favourite episode of the season so far. I give it 7 out of 10.

THE COURSE OF TIME IS CHANGING CONTINUOUSLY
Season 3 is a crossroad between 2 differents visions of the Game. The Game is the Game, always, but the rules are changing. Young players does not follow the old code, things get nasty and violence is not an option anymore. The old Baltimore is collapsing with the towers and roads are thick with dust.

Like Colvin at the end of the episode, who is forced to put his hat to identify his job, we are stunned by the behavior of the new youth street corners.

OPENING CREDIT
This time, we have a jazzy Way Down In The Hole by The Neville Brothers. Not my favourite version but it works very well with the season. The picture of Robert F. Colesberry is shown during the opening for the first time. Rest in peace man.

POINT OF VIEW CHARACTERS
As usual, we loose some POV characters and gain new ones instead.
Tommy Carcetti : a young wolf full of ambition and dream, portrayed by actor Aidan Gillen. We will plunging with him more deeply into the politic aspect of Baltimore.
Dennis Wise : a reformed criminal who will have to find his way out of the shadows of the past. Having him with Wee-Bey on jail was a very smart way to introduce him.
Howard Colvin : briefly appeared during the second season, "Bunny" will try his best to have a real impact on the "real police work".
Marlo Stanfield : the Fury and the Ambition, by actor Jamie Hector.

POLITIC
Politic is the new topic. Not the most exciting, but probably the most important. It is always a pleasure to discover another part of Baltimore city, the true and only main character of the series.

SYDNOR
Sydnor is back ! He was not a part of the docks investigation and we're pleased to have him back.

Time After Time is not my favourite season premiere and season 3 is not my favourite season, but it is for sure the most essential segment and the crossroad between 2 eras.

THE INVISIBLE POLITICS
The episode was interesting and we are deep into the waves of politics. The problem is that politics is invisible. That is why politics is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Therefore, we get politics in various discussions between people who have some little power and try to do anything to preserve it. I will not say that this makes for some very entertaining scenes. But at the same time, it feels realistic, which is always good.

SUMMARY
A good but slow pace episode. I give it 5 out of 10. Good.

TOWER COLLAPSE
The opening scene of this new third season was perfect. I loved it! In it, the towers, famous for their crimes, are collapsing, physically. Even though this was CGI, this was elegantly done.
What I liked also about this scene is simple. It visually shows change. And change is always good, or, as Barney Stinson would say, new is better.

MISSING YOU
What is interesting and very ironic is that I feel precisely like in the beginning of the second season. I deeply miss the characters from the previous season. To summarize, at first, I disliked the characters from season 2, and now I really miss them. Zig, his cousin, the Greek, Sobotka, you name it.

VISUALLY
Visually, I miss the port from last season. It was really stunning and I just start to understand it now.

SUMMARY
A good episode. I give it 5 out of 10.

I am unsure how I feel about this episode, as well as how to rate it. I felt as if we did not get the proper ending that we were supposed to be having, after having spent an entire season on the docks.

After the previous episode, I was expecting that Frank Sobotka would be facing the Greek. In this season finale, we only get to see his dead corpse. The confrontation has actually been taken from us. But on the other side, I actually tend to appreciate the fact that The Wire is constantly trying to be different. In any other tv series, we would have had a big confrontation. Here, nothing at all. Just "true reality".

SUMMARY
I give it 5 out of 10. Good.

There was a beautiful scene in the jail's parlour between Sobotka and his son, seen for the first time since he killed two people in cold blood.

Meanwhile, I was really surprised that Sobotka would actually become a snitch.

SUMMARY
A very good episode. I give it 6 out of 10.

This episode is excellent. It contains two memorable scenes.

First, the new character wearing the bow tie is enigmatic and overall much fun to see. The way he simply shoots another man was quite interesting.

But the best scene was without any doubt the one when Ziggy freaks out and suddenly takes out a gun and kills two people. The overall scene was beautifully done. But also, the consequences of it all was really superb.

Meanwhile, I really liked when the Detective punched his father in law.

Finally, the last scene of the bad guys getting rid of the evidence and the drug was a very interesting one.

SUMMARY
A great episode. We sense that this is the beginning of the end of something. I give it 8 out of 10.

OPENING SCENE
The opening scene is magnificent. Simply sublime. After seeing this, I don't know how I will be able to watch again all those bad tv series with gun shooting. Also, the ending of that sequence with the lost bullet was the perfect dramatic yet still realistic conclusion.

The rest of the episode is very interesting.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode with a great opening scene. I give it 7 out of 10.

DRUNK OPENING
The episode starts with an excellent opening. In it, McNulty is once again completely drunk, but this time even more than usual. When we see him driving, one could easily imagine that he will jump into a river or something overly dramatic. But no, not in The Wire. Because the series is totally authentic. In real life, chances are that you won't just die in a dramatic fashion. He simply partially breaks his car. And does it again. This was, once again, very interesting.

LET'S GO TO COURT!
Once again, exactly like in the first season, the legal lady friend of McNulty is asked to review the policemen case. Let's go again to court! While this feels like deja vu, it still works well.

THEY KNOW
But what I liked the most in this episode was by far the fact that "the bad guys" (I really shouldn't use that expression for such a realistic series) are now aware that they are under surveillance. This makes everything more compelling and even though the end of the season is just starting I already miss the ending that I have not yet seen. It is that good.

SUMMARY
A very good episode where the bad guys learn that they are under surveillance. I give it 6 out of 10.

I really liked this episode. First, it opens with a dramatically funny scene.

A WIRE
Second, for a series called The Wire, this episode is really interesting. In it, two of the policemen go shop for a wire. This was again extremely realistic. They have a plan to test it for free and then give it back. But of course, the wire gets broken. This may feels like small things, but it works damn well and is very compelling.

Meanwhile, the scene in which the container is stolen was really rewarding, because it's been a while we were talking about it. I really enjoyed that scene as well.

SECOND PART OF THE SECOND SEASON
The second part of the season is much more interesting, probably because now that all the elements are in place, it's just a matter of getting slowly but surely the reward until the end of the season (I guess).
I am now really hooked into the second season, since actually the previous episode. And it continues here.

SUMMARY
Once again, an excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

On one side, the scenes are the court with Omar were really interesting. Meanwhile, I liked the way the police officers are not moving forward so much. Third, I liked the little soap opera story between the main character and his ex-wife, which even concludes on a very hot scene.

D'ANGELO'S DEATH
Finally, the end of the episode is extremely well executed (no pun intended). The death of D'Angelo is really top notch and, once again, the definitive realism of the series is without any doubt its best feature. Even more than this, after the initial shock, we can even see that D'Angelo is almost crying, when realizing that he is about to die. That was extremely powerful.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode with a slow pace but a big ending. I give it easily 7 out of 10. One of the best episodes of the season so far, along with S02E02.

There is a before and an after this episode; it is perhaps the show's best-known episode. After this episode, TNG is no longer a sequel series: Star Trek *is* TNG. This episode takes the series to an unprecedented level of tension by not wrapping up its story as the show usually did and by ending with a cliffhanger! The cliffhanger was certainly not new in 1990 (Twin Peaks season 1 also ended with an "everything happens" cliffhanger in that year) but it was certainly much more rare compared to today, when it is *expected* of the season to end on one. Those final minutes of the episode, with the Picard/Locutus reveal and the "resistance is futile" line sure go a long way to explain the episode's fame, and it is justified! Riker is once more presented with the opportunity to become Captain, and at the end of the episode he gets just that: at the helm of the Enterprise, he turns its weapons against who used to be Captain Picard. But it is not only the ending that make this a great episode. There are many connections to the past, contributing to making this a payoff to what has come before: the destroyed outposts call back to the season 1 finale "The Neutral Zone"; Riker's dilemma as Captain connects back to "The Icarus Factor"; the Borg themselves were introduced in "Q Who". The buildup of tension is progressive within the episode all the way to the end. The stakes are interesting intellectually, with the awesome force of the Borg, and emotionally, with the characters we have come to love being impacted. This is, quite simply, Star Trek at its best!

With this, we wrap up an already excellent season 3 that upped the ante from season 2, which itself was a vast improvement over season 1.

Alumni-spotting:
The Admiral giving a warning about the Borg is George Murdock, better known as the Second Elder of the Syndicate in The X-Files (and yes, this part of my reviews started off just as a checklist of actors shared by the two shows, so what?)

The quote:
What else? "I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life, as it has been, is over. From this time forward you will service us."

Sarek, Spock's father, is a mythical figure in the Star Trek universe, and apart from his appearances in TOS he was also in several of the movies; so his appearance in TNG at the respectable age of 202 was something of a big deal. 202 is also a ripe age for starting to present signs of senility, which for Vulcans correspond to loss of emotional self-control and descent into a state of mind comparable to that of those barbarians, the humans. Despite the very science fiction setting of negotiations with a weird alien race that we never end up seeing, and the very 1960s New Age association of superior race with telepathy, this story is at its core a very human story: how to deal with a very highly regarded person who does not want to admit that s/he is not who s/he used to be due to old age? This is an episode that works on many levels, for old fans and new alike. Another level it works in, which might have been conscious when writing it, is if one considers Sarek stands for Gene Roddenberry: at that time the creator's health was declining rapidly, he was hardly or not at all involved with making the show, and this loss did mean more responsibilities for the new writers and producers in handling the franchise. Of note, again: Picard would only have Dr. Crusher see him at his most vulnerable, during the mind meld with Sarek; again hints that these two trust each other more than just coworkers.

The quote:
Sarek: "It would be illogical for a Vulcan to show anger! It would be illogical! Illogical! Illogical! Illogical!"

A rare objects collector kidnaps the most unique "object" of them all: Data! Things escalate until Data is brought before the impossible choice of having to kill his captor in order to escape; the Enterprise's transporter intervenes and Data doesn't have to live with the consequences of that choice, only he, Riker and O'Brien know that he had actually chosen to pull the trigger. That decision, and his ironic taunting at his captor at the end, strike me as a bit out of character -- Data would indeed not allow to remain captive but most likely he would not harm his captor nevertheless, and the suffering that his captor inflicts on others should not "trigger" Data emotionally. A run-of-the-mill episode otherwise.

The quote:
Riker: "For an android with no feelings, he sure managed to evoke them in others."

A really introvert Enterprise engineer cannot deal with real-world issues and finds refuge in the holodeck, where he let his fantasies with the crew's females run wild (and play the Three Musketeers with the males): one could say this is the 24th's century equivalent of a geek/otaku/... According to interviews, if this was a joke at the expense of a certain type of very introverted Trekkies then it was not conscious on the writers' behalf (but then would they really say so if it were?). So much television has happened since TNG aired that it is hard to say to what extent what we see was original at the time it aired; see the latest season of Black Mirror for a dark twist on the exact same pitch (what's more, in that series' tribute to Star Trek TOS!). Like all TNG episodes, it is well-made, well-acted and enjoyable. What stands out is Geordi's and the crew's refusal to just dismiss or fire the officer that does not live up to their standards, something that would be understandable in most of today's fiction and the real world. In the 24th century utopia, people work on their issues, try to resolve them and become better persons in the process. That is justification enough to make this episode required viewing for today's cynical viewers (or prospective company managers).

The quote:
Picard: "I'm just not accustomed to seeing an unsatisfactory rating on a member of my crew."

An interesting premise -- an alien the size of a ship that can communicate telepathically, and the arms race to find it and win its favours between the Federation and the Romulans -- but the end result is somehow less than its potential. The character of Tam Elburn, a gifted telepath and a previous acquaintance of Troi's, is indeed original, and it would be interesting to follow his career as he acts as a mediator and negotiator to make different races peacefully co-exist. But the episode itself doesn't manage to make these ideas exciting. There was a lot of potential of exploring and discussing with a sentient living being that is also living symbiotically with humanoid hosts, a la Farscape; but despite interesting sound design the episode doesn't communicate as much a sense of awe as it could.

Alumni-spotting:
Tam Elburn is portrayed by Harry Groener, the evil Mayor of Sunnyvale in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.

A bottle episode of sorts, with Picard and three other aliens all trapped in a room possibly watched by their abductors. All four have different attitudes and relationships with authority, which is what the abdcutors were studying. Meanwhile, the Bounty/Enterprise progressively decides to mutiny against the replica of Bligh/Picard that replaced him. But not before we get an impressively straightforward attempt for replica-Picard, in his robes, to flirt with Dr. Crusher, and an out-of-character replica-Picard singing with the crew as if this were a 17th-century English ship in open seas, both rare opportunities for Patrick Stewart to act differently! The resolution of the episode is very simple, with the crew of the Enterprise giving a lesson to the abducting aliens; the whole thing feels too much like an episode of The Twilight Zone, including the aliens' makeup and the "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" setup!

Alumni-spotting:
The tall violent alien is a tall German actor, Reiner Schöne, who was Dukhat in Babylon 5, Delenn's mentor.

An episode that starts as a comedy and progressively turns into a very personal dramatic story for Worf. As a continuation of Riker's exchange program from season 2's "A Matter of Honor", the Enterprise receives a Klingon -- who proves to be Worf's brother! We visit the Klingons' homeworld, which is as dark and red as you would expect, for a trial that can either result into honor restored or death, as you would expect. We get a lot of background on Worf and the circumstances that led him to become a member of Starfleet. Despite his role in Starfleet far away from anything Klingon, Worf still holds the honor of his family very close to heart; and despite his expectations, the Klingon High Command is more concerned with internal power struggles than the values such as honor that Klingons should hold dear. The solution to the episode, the Klingon equivalent of ostracization, sort of pushes Worf further closer to his Starfleet family, and also certainly sets up a future continuation. A great episode full of very quotable dialogue!

Alumni-spotting:
Tony Todd (Worf's brother Kurn) has been everywhere. For instance, Augustus "Preacher" Cole in The X-Files' "Sleepless"!

The quote:
Worf: "It is a good day to die, Duras, but the day is not yet over."

Data is a father! Building on his research on his own positronic brain -- a clear reference to its inventor, Isaac Asimov, by the way -- Data builds what he describes as a piece of himself that could continue once he is no more: a child. A most positive proof that Data is behaving like any other living organism in search of perpetuating itself, only that Data doesn't use self-replicating molecules of organic chemistry. More specifically: a daughter. If the episode would have been made today, Troi might have said more about gender and identity in the scenes where Lal is choosing her gender, compared to the single line she gets here -- but that line is there! Lal's accelerated development and learning makes for a captivating episode; although the additional threat of Starfleet taking Lal from Data's custody, reminiscent of the philosophical debate of "The Measure of a Man" feels too artificial and sudden. Lal manages to outdo Data in feelings and understanding of human emotions, appropriately for a next generation android that evolves beyond its predecessor; and the fact that Data inserts her memories into his is promising for Data's further self-actualization.

This is the first time Jonathan Frakes, Riker himself, sat in the director's chain, and he who would go on taking that role many times in the Star Trek franchise, including directing two of the TNG films! It is also the first episode written by René Echevarria, who would write many TNG and DS9 episodes.

The quote:
Data to Riker just after Lal kissed Riker: "Commander, what are your intentions towards my daughter?"
Riker: "Your daughter?!"

An unexpected change in form: an episode told from the point of view of Tasha Yar from a different universe! The predecessor of our Enterprise gets trapped in a temporal rift and its absence in a conflict with the Romulans creates a present where the Federation is a much more military organization (great work on costumes and lighting to signify this "darker" timeline), at war also with the Klingons; the old Enterprise must be sent back to its certain death in order to restore the timeline. This is an episode that gives Denise Crosby / Tasha Yar a proper farewell after her expeditive killing in season 1's "Skin of Evil" (albeit this is temporal bubble Tasha, not "our" Tasha). Of course this episode works better if one is a bit familiar with the show and its past: the show is now old enough to create emotional responses based on the cumulative experience of watching these characters live their lives. It was a team effort: no less than five pairs of hands were involved in its writing, and on top of that written in a haste because of production reschedulings. It was also Ira Stephen Behr's first episode as a writer -- he will become the key person in the development of Deep Space 9 a few years later. An excellent episode all around, a fan-favourite and rightly so!

The quote:
Alternate Picard: "Let's make sure that history never forgets the name Enterprise. Picard out."

TNG's "Rashomon" episode, of sorts: Riker on trial for murder and the holodeck is used to recreate every witness's account of the events. Riker having inherited the womanizing aspects of Kirk's character, he is under suspicion since he seems to be hiding that he flirted with the wife of the deceased scientist. It's amazing what the holodeck can do with such limited information, it makes you wonder how far we are in attaining this technology in our world at least using VR goggles. The resolution involves a technological gimmick of course -- this is Star Trek -- and we don't exactly learn how far Riker was willing to go with the flirting. There could have been more about the subjectivity of memory here, but this is a very straightforward episode.

Alumni-spotting:
The scientist, Mark Margolis, is a recognizable face from many of Aronofsky's films; and was also Tio Salamanca in Breaking Bad!

The quote:
Riker: "We can't both be telling the truth."
Troi: "It is the truth... as you each remember it."

Another Q episode, but this time the writers try something new and make the most out of De Lancie's excellent performance by going full comedy; TNG had humor from the start but this is perhaps TNG's first entirely comedic episode! Q is expelled from the Q Continuum to teach him some humility (and we meet another representative of the Q, but the actor is not as good at doing De Lancie as De Lancie); Q takes shelter with his best friends at the Enterprise -- where actually nobody wants him, especially Picard and LaForge. Q's frustration with the human body makes for good laughs and he makes a good pairing with Data, either lamenting or holding in high esteem the human condition. Some of the humor might be too much (Cuban cigars?) but overall this is a very welcome change of pace for the series! Of note: this is the episode that is the source of that meme that has flooded the internet, the Picard facepalm!

The quote:
Q: "I have no powers! Q, the ordinary!"
Picard: "Q, the liar! Q, the misanthrope!"
Q: "Q, the miserable! Q, the desperate! What must I do to convince you people?"
Worf: "Die."
Q: "Oh, very clever, Worf. Eat any good books lately?"

This was unexpected! Most TNG episodes have been focused on a science fiction story or a demonstration of what a utopian way to deal with things in the 24th century looks like; but this episode and its focus on terrorism is clearly tackling socio-political issues. There is much here that could be expected from such an episode -- one man's terrorist is another man's hero and the such -- but the high quality of the dialogue for all characters and excellent casting of the lead rebel elevate this episode above expectations. Unfortunately this was Melinda Snodgrass's last episode for TNG, and oddly enough the other writers didn't like this episode; she left due to differences with showrunner Michael Piller (she also wrote season 2's "The Measure of a Man"). Of note: Beverly's confession to Jean-Luc is cut at the last moment and we are left to wonder what it would be. Another quick hint that there's a lot going on under the surface!

But what was *most* unexpected from this episode is that it paints the Federation in a dark light for the first time in the history of the series, I think! (and much earlier than DS9) The terrorists are presented as three-dimensional characters with senseful motivations and questionable choices, and we are led to extend this moral relativism to the Federation itself: what if the terrorists were right and the Federation is unfairly choosing sides, even indirectly? The question is too big for a single episode to tackle; the story of this episode is neatly wrapped up at the end with, obviously, the terrorists safely neutralized, but the issues raised by it remain. And we still have six years left, according to Data, for the reunification of Ireland thanks to terrorism.

Alumni-spotting:
Richard Cox as the lead terrorist Kyril Finn was memorable as the lawyer Al Pepper in Millennium's extraordinary "Powers, Principalities, Thrones and Dominions"!

The quote:
Finn: "I am willing to die for my freedom. And, in the finest tradition of your own great civilization, I'm willing to kill for it, too."

Season 3 sees Ronald D. Moore joining the writing team and he will become very important for the rest of the Star Trek franchise. His second script for TNG hits all the good marks, with relentless tension, sharp dialogue, humor where it's needed, and a final twist that ends in a tragedy. James Sloyan's portrayal of the Romulan defector and his pain at the idea he will never see his family again is one that should stay long in the memory of TNG fans. War means death and suffering: the story as it is told here, and particularly its end, points to the fact that TNG is changing and is moving beyond its early template characterized by happy endings. The episode also includes Picard training Data in how to act Shakespeare in the holodeck!

Alumni-spotting:
Ron Moore will also create a little show called Battlestar Galactica, where he will attempt to do everything he couldn't do on Star Trek!

The quote:
Jarok: "How do you allow Klingon peta'Q to walk around in a Starfleet uniform?"
Worf: "You are lucky this is not a Klingon ship. We know how to deal with spies."
Jarok: "Remove this tohzah from my sight!"
Riker: "Your knowledge of Klingon curses is impressive. But, as a Romulan might say, only a veruul would use such language in public."

It's with episodes like this one that it's clear that this season is set on making the most out of the Star Trek universe! The Federation and the Romulans nearly destroy their cease fire and descend into war when the Enterprise comes across a Romulan intrusion into the Neutral Zone. Partly focused on Geordi, stranded on the planet with a Romulan survivor, partly on Worf, who refuses to let go of his hatred of the Romulans, partly on Picard and his handling of the tense situation, there's a bit for everyone in this episode and there's not a moment that could be cut without losing something precious. Excellent!

Alumni-spotting:
The Romulan that was a Narn: Andreas Katsulas, the Romulan Commander, was the memorable lead character G'Kar in "Babylon 5"!

The quote:
Geordi: "We did it! The first Federation-Romulan co-venture!"

Two episodes in one: One is the exploration of a derelict spaceship and its mummified crew, which is full of conscious references to the landmark "Alien" (even the music directly references Jerry Goldsmith's "Alien" soundtrack!). The miniature work is excellent, and the interior images look better, clearer (were they using more expensive film stock?), more interestingly lit; the production values this season seem as updated as the quality of the scripts! The other half of the episode is focused on Geordi and his loneliness. He finds company in a holodeck representation of a fellow engineer, the Enterprise's engines designer, but this was only momentary. I don't expect at this stage that the series will give much character evolution to Geordi to the point where he will develop an on-screen relationship, but within this episode this was a touching story. The end is very satisfactory for any science or science fiction fan, with Picard out-doing the computer's simulations by making use of a gravitational slingshot.

The quote:
Geordi, to his virtual recreation / potential love interest: "Don't go away! I mean, Computer, save program."

The perfect episode for the Prime Directive: what happens when it is broken inadvertently and the situation builds up to the point that the Enterprise has to reveal itself to a less advanced race. The episode does exactly what one would expect from a pitch like that: the primitive race mistaking the crew for gods (the hilarious "The Picard"!) and creating a religion, the crew debating how to contain the situation, the happy ending. It is the illustration of Arthur C. Clarke's law that a civilization with sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The episode includes the memorable scene where Picard does his best to convince the Mintakans' leader that he is a mere mortal and that the Mintakans can too wield the power he has, if just enough time passes. The vaguely matriarchal alien civilization is represented by just a lightly populated small village in the Californian desert, much smaller in scope than the civilization-wide issue that is discussed, but that's probably all they could do with the budget they had. Although the episode is not exactly surprising, it is one of those definitive First Contact tales.

Alumni-spotting:
The religious zealot is Ray Wise, none other than the man who one year hence would be Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks!

The quote:
Picard: "Look at me. Feel the warmth of my hand, the rhythm of my pulse. I'm not a supreme being. I'm flesh and blood, like you."
Nuria: "Not like me."
Picard: "Like you! Different in appearance, yes, but we are both living beings. We are born, we grow, we live... and we die. In all the ways that matter, we are alike."

A story that should carry a lot of emotional punch, with an alien turned pacifist after he was responsible for a genocide. It could either be a half-hour Twilight Zone episode or a longer epic like Iain Banks' "Use of Weapons", but in this 45 minute format it doesn't quite work. With her empathic powers blocked and in pain, Troi is integrated in the story, which does not appear to happen often. The crew visits a planet and it's shot in an outdoor location for a change, not on a soundstage!

More massive changes behind the scenes between seasons! creator Roddenberry at this stage is almost entirely absent with a rapidly declining health; Maurice Hurley, the near-showrunner for season 2, leaves the series out of frustration at the constraints Roddenberry had put on the format of the show; newcomer Michael Piller and Rick Berman take on the role of showrunners and try to build some stability and direction. Dr. Pulaski leaves and Dr. Crusher is back, as in season 1 -- and boy has Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) grown between seasons!

Speaking of which, this episode focuses on Wesley and his precocious (cognitive) growth. A genius scientist visits the Enterprise and builds a rapport with Wesley, but when push comes to shove and his experiment is threatened he proves to be dangerous to the ship. Wesley is also responsible for creating nanotechnology that develops sentience, and it is surprising how quickly Picard considers this a life form that is worthy of protection, while it was just a little experiment that could be replicated at will; given the threat of these nanites to the safety of the ship, one would think that Picard would take more swift action. This is Star Trek, and solution is not in conflict -- however this one was too easy. Yet, it was enough to get Michael Piller appointed as head writer!... The soundtrack sounds quite different from the past two seasons, less orchestral and more electronic, more pulsing, to generate tension.

The quote:
Wesley: "I always get an 'A'."
Guinan: "So did Doctor Frankenstein."

A war-game simulation is the opportunity for "Captain" Riker to show his qualities against Picard, and how he too can be a leader of men -- in this instance inspiring Wesley to improvise and obtain something necessary for their side's strategic advantage. In the middle of all that, the Ferengi attack and the war game becomes reality: it's Picard's turn to come up with a plan to use his knowledge of how Ferengi think (pure mercantilists) in order to outwit them. The episode goes from surprise to surprise and is very enjoyable. The B-story has Data in deep self-doubt when he cannot beat a humanoid in a simulated game; I'm not sure that the solution, to play for a stalemate instead of a quick win, would be sufficient to satisfy an AI in reality, but it is well played.

Overall, of what I've seen of season 2, this is a clear improvement over season 1, despite many personality clashes behind the scenes. The stories in each episode are still self-contained, but they operate within a universe that is evolving (the tensions/wars with the various races) and, most importantly, characters build on things they have learnt previously. If season 1 was interesting, season 2 is great!

One thing I didn't mention previously is an enormous quality of TNG, which its self-consistent approach to all aspects of the universe's aesthetics: the looks of the display screens, the sets of the spaceship interior, the costumes, the the furniture, the primary colors of the photography. This minimalism is in line with an optimistic vision of the future. Everything is thought of as a coherent whole and the visual identity of the show is instantly recognizable, which makes for a very immersive experience.

Alumni-spotting:
In one of the first Ferengi sightings, it's Armin Shimerman -- who will become the franchise's most recognisable Ferengi during the seven years of Deep Space 9 as Quark!

The quote:
Picard: "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life."

The episode that introduces the Borg, which were originally planned at the season 1 finale! They would have been much more involved during season 2, but the man who is the unofficial showrunner at this stage, Maurice Hurley, is encountering behind the scenes issues himself, so his plans keep changing. The Borg will become iconic for TNG: cyborgs with a hive mind, they are completely alien and at the same time appropriate for our present concerns of rapidly evolving technology. This first encounter is masterfully handled by director Rob Bowman. Q is back and he wants to crush Picard's faith that humanity and the Federation can overcome any obstacle. And indeed the episode doesn't end optimistically with everything wrapped up: there are dangers out there. Inadvertently, with this little experiment Q might have drawn the Borg's attention to humans and changed the course of future events! The short B-story of a goofy ensign that could be a love interest to Geordi is...awkward and forgettable (and the writing team knew that, we won't see her much more).

The quote:
Q: "You can't outrun them. You can't destroy them. If you damage them, the essence of what they are remains. They regenerate and keep coming. Eventually, you'll weaken. Your reserves will be gone. They are relentless."

A touching story about Data's young pen pal resulting in him violating the Prime Directive, and the dilemma that follows of interfering to help a civilization from destruction or not. The high point of the episode is the discussion where the Prime Directive is discussed passionately, a philosophical debate that Star Trek was created for! The solution is to interfere but to make their interference unknown to the aliens by erasing Sarjenka's memory: it is a synthesis of positions, and an easy way out, but as the first (?) episode dealing with the Prime Directive head-on this is not a drawback. The B-story is about Wesley growing in self-confidence and being given a team of scientists to lead: another episode where TNG reads like a dramatized lesson in good management.

The quote:
Riker, to Wesley: "In your position it's important to ask yourself one question: 'What would Picard do?'"

TNG is dedicating more and more of its time to character development episodes, which from my point of view is very much appreciated; the format is such that there is enough space for both character and science fiction stories.

The A-story is about Riker and his conflicted relationship with his father, whose method of upbringing was the old school manly "growth through challenges" method. This is directly put in contrast with Troi's more feminine emphasis on empathy and growth through understanding. I wouldn't read too much in Riker compensating for the lack of his mother in growing closer to Troi, but that reading is there in the episode.The whole situation is resolved very quickly at the end of the episode (and with an imaginative game of anbo-jyutsu!), too quickly perhaps. The B-story concerns another weird aspect of Klingon culture. Despite them being a bit disgusted at it, Worf's crewmates are supportive and act as real friends; in 2018, in a time of rising racism, I find this depiction inspiring!

The quote:
Picard, to Riker, about being the Captain: "You know, there really is no substitute for holding the reins."

Star Trek and time travel are obvious good bedfellows, and I know this is not the last episode with that science fiction trope. What is interesting here is Picard's reaction to what is happening and his frustration at the idea the captain would abandon his ship; it is also unsettling to see so much distress in the second Picard, as we have grown accustomed to an impeccable authoritative Captain. At moments, the tense music (different from the usual symphonic music) helps the episode; at other moments the lack of music gives the impression the episode is longer than its script warrants. In the end, no explanation is given why the entity focused so much on Picard; while keeping a part of mystery is interesting, this does feel a bit anticlimactic. To explain that, this episode would have been linked with "Q Who?" but Roddenberry was apparently not a fan of too much interconnection between episodes; this sheds an interesting light on the differences between generations of showrunners, as TNG came at the exact time when series were shifting from a strict anthology format towards a more serialized form (more on that with DS9, obviously!).

The quote:
Picard to his future self: "What happened? Why did you leave the ship? Don't turn away. Look at me. Picard! Look at me!"

Xenoarchaeology (archaeology of alien civilization, something I always fall for), a man-sized portal that instantaneously transports one to a distant point in the galaxy, a tense military situation and an arms race with an alien foe: this episode really is the template that inspired Stargate SG-1! Also, a nice nod to other science fiction with naming the Enterprise sister ship the USS Yamato! The tension throughout the episode is very well managed, first with the destruction of the Yamato and then with Data's investigation of the Iconian ruins as the situation with the Romulans brings everyone to the doorstep of war.

The quote:
Picard: "The victors invariably write the history to their own advantage."

This philosophical tale is perhaps uncharacteristic of Star Trek as a whole, it is essentially a bottle episode with a trial, with the only science fiction element being Data's nature as an android, but it shows the breadth of types of stories this series can tell. It is essentially the "controversy of Valladolid" where instead of American Indians it is debated whether androids have a soul, and set a legal precedent for all future androids. Writer Melinda Snodgrass drew on her experience as an attorney to write the episode. The only drawback I would say is forcing Riker to be the advocate of the position against Data, which feels a bit artificial in generating drama, but very effective at that. There is also Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan, who is in charge of the ship's bar but we have not been given much background as to who she really is. In the end, even Dr. Maddox is impressed with the quality of Data's character; despite their recent opposition, once the matter is settled Data has no trouble putting that behind him and acknowledging that scientific research and advancement that would come out of studying Data is in the interest of both. In many ways, Data is the perfect Starfleet officer: dispassionate, self-improving, inspiring. I wonder what a Star Trek series set in the future of TNG would look like, and whether most of the crew would be androids. This is a remarkable episode in the way it is written and the values it promotes, and earns my first 10/10 for the series!

The quote:
Data "That act injured you and saved me. I will not forget it."
Riker "You're a wise man, my friend."
Data "Not yet, sir. But with your help, I am learning."

Riker goes on an Erasmus to a Klingon ship, where he out-Klingons the ship's captain! This is an excellent episode for Riker, showcasing his wits and capability to adapt and use the constraints he is dealt with (the Klingon code of honor) to reach his ultimate goal (allegiance to Starfleet, not destroy the Enterprise); he might not show it behind that smile but he is alsways one step ahead of everyone else. There's a lot more humor this season, which helps us build affection for the crew. The Klingons are also more humanized in this episode: we do learn a lot of their bloodthirsty culture, which would put ancient Sparta to shame, but we also see they are capable of humor and complex feelings. We have also seen enough episodes to appreciate Picard's and Riker's two different styles of leadership: one could learn more about management from watching TNG than reading "how to be a good manager" books!

Alumni-spotting:
The Klingon that would have killed Riker is Brian Thompson, a well-known face, among other things the Alien Bounty Hunter in The X-Files!

The quote:
Klag: "Klingons do not express...feeling the way you do!"
Riker: "Perhaps you should."
Klag: "We would not know how!"
Riker: "Yesterday, I did not know how to eat gagh!" [a Klingon delicacy]

A holodeck adventure that spills over to the real world: one has to wonder who was the IT engineer who gave user rights to holodeck AIs to interact with the rest of the ship. Seeing Data, LaForge and Pulaski in a late 19th-century London setting and attire is indeed very cool, and the casting of Moriarty was excellent! We get to know more of Dr. Pulaski, vastly different from the underdeveloped Dr. Crusher, and perhaps McCoy-like in her humor and attitude; also, having a character who has difficulty in treating Data as anything else than a machine was a very good move and sets up future developments.

The quote:
Moriarty: "I do not want to die."
Picard: "And I do not want to kill you."

Season 2: changes behind the camera, changes before the camera. After many TOS writers left during season 1 because they couldn't get along with Roddenberry, it is Roddenberry that begins to be much less involved in season 2; Maurice Hurley essentially becomes the showrunner, inserting more character development in the episodes. Dr. Crusher is replaced by Dr. Pulaski (producer conflict over McFadden's acting, it seems), quite unceremoniously. A writers' strike will also impact the organisation of producing the series in the first half of the season, and there will be "only" 22 instead of 26 episodes.

In this episode: Star Trek encounters a big blob in space which is a sentient entity that plays games with them: it's very pulp scifi-ish and the pitch sounds like the reason why many people don't watch Star Trek. The interesting part is the entity's curiosity about humans and the concept of death -- which triggers a similar curiosity in Data. This gives the opportunity for Picard to talk about his view of metaphysics and his definition of a soul; unexpectedly he is not a pure materialist, despite the mostly purely god-less worldview of the Star Trek universe.

Alumni-watching:
Directed by Winrich Kolbe, who among many things directed several "Millennium" season 1 episodes, including hte landmark "Lamentation"!

The quote:
Data "Captain, the most elementary and valuable statement in science, the beginning of wisdom, is 'I do not know.'"

The opening scene with Zig is excellent. The directing is simply perfect and utterly realistic.
As for the episode itself, things move and the team is getting back together, which feels really familiar.
Meanwhile, I liked the fact that String is going to marketing classes and try to work like if he was running a Fortune 500 company.

SUMMARY
A good episode. I give it 5 out of 10.

It's a bit surprising that Data should be a one-of-a-kind android and not one of many mass-produced androids of a technology mastered by humans, like for example Ash in Alien. This situation sets up some interesting developments later on in the series, but it is an odd starting point. "Datalore" introduces Data's evil twin, who is evil maybe because he is more human than Data is, an interesting concept. It gives Brent Spiner the opportunity to shine, and actually draws the attention to how good an actor he is as Data, his android mannerisms are so familiar by now that one wouldn't think there's a human behind that! The B-plot on the crystalline entity is, however, not the best Trek has to offer; special effects are really hit and miss. Bravo for Star Trek's representation of diversity with the name of Data's creator, a vaguely Korean-sounding name.

Alumni-spotting
This is one of many TNG episodes directed by Rob Bowman! His work in The X-Files in a few years will become legendary!

The quote
Lore, to Data, about humans "And you want to be as stupid as them, dear Brother?"

If you can survive the tar-man special effects and some not very convincing acting for Troi (also hinting at her and Riker growing closer), there is a great scene at the end. Tasha Yar's death comes very suddenly and, surprisingly, at the beginning of the episode -- apparently as a result of the actress being dissatisfied with how little she was given to do, indeed I hardly got to know her. Her holodeck funeral at the end is beautifully set up, her recorded messages are touching; the high point is certainly Data's struggling to understand all these very human emotions.

The quote:
Data, on the funeral service "Sir, the purpose of this gathering confuses me."
Picard "Oh? How so?"
Data "I find my thoughts are not for Tasha, but for myself. I keep thinking, how empty it will be without her presence. Did I miss the point?"
Picard "No you didn't, Data. You got it."

As a work of science fiction, Star Trek is as much about the adventures as it is about imagining how our current human condition can evolve to a better future that needs to be imagined first before it can be realized. It was inevitable then that Star Trek would do an episode where present-day humans find themselves in the utopian 24th century, highlighting how different things are: no poverty, no hunger, any material needs available instantly thanks to technology, self-improvement as the society's goal. The three examples of present-day humans here shine by how provincial they seem: a money-obsessed finance speculator, a booze-and-chicks country music performer, a housewife. A somewhat predictable episode, but very effective. The episode also has a B-story about tensions with the Romulans, doing some necessary world-building and providing some connective tissue between episodes. TNG episodes tend to be very self-contained, although there is some character development that carries over from the past, and this as the final episode of the season is no exception: no cliffhangers here.

Over season 1 there were many changes of writers and producers behind the scenes, and the series was apparently still trying to define itself and distance itself from being a rehash of TOS. Creator Roddenberry's strict adherence to too-perfect characters and lack of interpresonal conflict was apparently unnerving and constraining several writers already in season 1. Overall, of what I've seen of season 1, it still makes for fresh and interesting television in 2018, although some episodes do lack a little additional spark of originality; indeed I cannot imagine seven 26-episode seasons of a show with this format. Some characters are mostly just archetypes (Troi, Dr. Crusher, Tasha); most of the others are well-defined but the more interesting episodes for them are still to come.

The quote:
Riker: "Makes one wonder how our species survived the 21st century."

Alien invasion! Mind control bugs! Very 1980s practical gory effects! This is TNG going full John Carpenter! A great episode managing tension very well, particularly with Riker and Picard's infiltration of Starfleet Command -- which is oddly very empty of people (no budget left for extras?). This is the first time we see the San Francisco-based Starfleet Command and Earth in general in TNG, and I would love to see more of it.

Alumni-spotting:
The man with the peculiar physique, Michael Berryman, is an alien ally here and was Owen Jarvis in The X-Files' "Revelations". Also, this was written by Tracy Tormé, who would create "Sliders" a few years later.

The quote:
Captain Keel, with a recurring line for all conspiracy-themed works it seems: "Don't trust anyone!"

In this episode, automated weapons systems give the opportunity to Picard and Dr. Crusher to spend some time together and grow closer (I wonder how far that closeness will go?), and for LaForge to test his management and authority skills. Not very memorable otherwise.

Alumni-spotting:
The holographic salesman, Vincent Schiavelli, was, among many other things, the monster's brother Lenny in The X-Files landmark episode "Humbug"!

With a title like that, it's a Klingon-focused episode! We get a glimpse at Klingon culture with the "howl at the moon"-like death ritual and Worf's loyalties are tested. The episode does a good job at portraying Worf, properly giving him credit for the efforts he has made to be a worthy Starfleet officer, but also not denying certain aspects of his Klingon heritage that he deems important, here in the way that he howls for the death of the Klingon he killed. It was to be expected that TNG would have an alien as part of the main characters, following up on Spock from TOS, although apparently it was a last-minute decision. And a black actor too -- with Geordi filling the checklist for *human* black character! This creates many opportunities for storylines where cultures clash and we viewers think about our relationships with foreigners in our real world. Klingons of course are so over the top bestial that it is difficult not to side with Starfleet systematically (for now).

Alumni-spotting:
You couldn't tell without looking at the cast list, but the first Klingon to die is Robert Bauer, aka mentally ill Johnny Horne in Twin Peaks!

The quote:
Worf: "Cowards take hostages. Klingons do not."

What is impressive to this day is Star Trek's attachment to the scientific method. Information about the real world is collected, analysed, theories are tested, and decisions are made based on facts. Take note, world of 2018! Take note, drama-only TV series of 2018! This episode is the most hard-science one so far, with discussions of terraforming, electricity conductivity and silicon-based life that were fascinating to this science fiction fan! There is very little beyond the science here, but the mere fact that TNG is confident enough of itself to base an entire episode on the awe of scientific discovery makes me think highly of this one.

Alumni-spotting:
The terraforming effort's director, Walter Gotell, memorably protrayed Nazi scientist Victor Klemper in The X-Files' "Paper Clip"!

The quote:
The silicon lifeform's description of humans: "Ugly giant bags of mostly water."

The Enterprise encounters aliens, aliens appear malevolent, malevolence is revealed to be just a result of misunderstanding between us and them, everything ends happily. It is a recipe for many an episode of an optimistic show like Star Trek, I suppose. It is handled well here with these binary aliens, and the episode showases Picard and Riker working well together. The film noir-type holodeck simulation of a femme fatale to draw Riker's attention is a bit outdated though. Also, it is surprising to see so many moments where the characters just smile -- modern-day series have accustomed viewers to a much bleaker, cynical worldview, where torment and pain is the main driver behind the story.

The quote:
Riker knows his Casablanca: "What's a knockout like you doing in a computer-generated gin joint like this?"

A retread of the "Q" parts from the pilot episode: Q and his antics, judging humanity's irresponsability, trying to make his point here with the adage "power corrupts" -- only that it doesn't corrupt the collaborative effort that is the crew of the Entrerprise-D! The scenes on the plant with the ugly aliens, obviously shot on a sound stage, are not convincing at all. The episode only stands out for the Q-Picard dialogue, copiously quoting Shakespeare!

Alumni-spotting: The excellent John DeLancie (Q) is a familiar face, among other things from Breaking Bad (the air controller that "causes" that airplane crash in season 2)! This and several TNG episodes are directed by Cliff Bole, who directed several The X-Files, Millennium and Harsh Realm episodes (e.g. "Bad Blood")!

The quote:
Q: "Perhaps maybe a little... Hamlet?"
Picard: "No. I know Hamlet. And what he might say with irony I say with conviction. "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty. In form, in moving, how express and admirable. In action, how like an angel. In apprehension, how like a god...""
Q: "Surely you don't see your species like that do you?!"
Picard: "I see us one day becoming that, Q. Is it that which concerns you?"

First, a word or a couple on my relationship with Star Trek at the start of this journey. Star Trek is one of those inescapable pop culture franchises that you know without knowing it. The Kirk/Spock duet is a creation that has entered history books and will certainly be remembered for a long time still; and for a science fiction fan like myself, the Enterprise, Klingons, warp speed, when TNG occurs compared to TOS, even what was Phase II, all of this is just common background knowledge. However, for some odd twist of fate, I had nothing to do with Star Trek in my life even though I followed closely the other major space-based TV series of the past two decades -- Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, Battlestar Galactica, and now The Expanse -- with the exception of the movie First Contact that I saw as a teenager. And so a few years ago I decided to remedy that by watching a "best of" episodes from The Original Series. Truth be told, I was quite underwhelmed; fifty years have passed, and although I have enjoyed watching other things from that time period (The Twilight Zone, The Prisoner), TOS has aged quite a bit. But let's leave my death by stoning for uttering that for another day.

The plan is to watch The Next Generation, leading into the movies and Deep Space Nine. Gone are the days of the 26-episode seasons and also real life calls, so it will have to be a "best of", at least for now. It will also be interesting to discover ST:TNG thirty years after it premiered, and judge it not just as an important piece of television history that belongs in a museum but as a piece of art/entertainment that can or cannot be enjoyed by today's audience on its own merits.

"Encounter at Farpoint" is a pilot episode that is...just functional. The actors are still discovering their roles, the directing and the editing are not very tight. It spends more time introducing the key settings and concepts rather than the characters, it only spends more time on Picard and (beardless!)Riker; so the effect is a bit jarring, as if I already had missed some information. Although all characters are clearly defined already, TNG is a series that takes its time: future episodes that focus on each member of the crew will take care of character development. For the most part, the effects stand extremely well to today's standards, partly because of the excellent work for the HD transfer, but also because miniature work and matte paintings are timeless and often better than CGI, let's face it.

The pilot is really two episodes merged into one, and you can tell. There's DC Fontana's "Encounter at Farpoint" half, which is the less interesting bit; the character of Farpoint's supervisor is not very fleshed out, the ending with the huge medusa entities is mesmerizing and unexpected by its scope. It's hard to imagine the series starting its journey just with this episode. But, as a result of studio pressure, Gene Roddenberry wrote the "Q" half, which is much, much more suited to a series pilot, and acts as a framing story for this double episode and for the series as a whole. With Q, Roddenberry sets the tone for the ideals behind Star Trek and defines TNG's mission statement: that we, humans, can evolve beyond our belligerent and violent past to a future where we strive to better ourselves. Q puts humanity on trial, quite literally, for its past horrors -- including those of World War III in our own future -- and Picard argues that humanity has moved past that and will progressively evolve to make those days seem like barbaric pre-history before civilization truly began. Q and the trial he sets up are whacky enough to make me think this is more of a fantasy series than science fiction, but the quality of the dialogue make up for that oddity.

The pilot does its job; but the best is yet to come. "Let's see what's out there. Engage."

Alumni-spotting: Bones, of course! That cameo from a TOS character was a really nice touch!

The quote:
Picard: "I recognize this court as the one that agreed with that line from Shakespeare: 'Kill all the lawyers!' "
Q: "Which was done."

OPENING SCENE
The opening scene at the docks is brilliant from first second to the last. Brilliantly shot, nicely played, with great lines.

EPISODE
Then, the episode is very good, even though without any real drama.

SUMMARY
A very good episode for certain. I give it 6 out of 10.

SUMMARY
An interesting episode. I give it 6 out of 10. Very good.

During the previous episode, I felt discountenanced. All the characters were gone and some new characters were introduced. I wanted to give up on the series, as it was a totally different storyline.
But of course, I know I would continue to watch the next episodes.

I started this one and instantly loved it. There's directly a good old murder case - which we did not have in the first season. And it is a true delight to watch it. I really loved this episode.

SUMMARY
The moment where you love the second season already, after just two episodes. I give it 8 out of 10. Superb.

I really liked that episode. The beginning of Morty extensively using his sex machine was really funny.

SUMMARY
A nice concept, I give it 5 out of 10. Good.

FROM FIRST SECOND
I loved this episode from its first second. As in many movies and episodes, you can usually see from the start if the quality is there or not. Usually, concepts work from the start or don’t work at all. There are of course many exceptions, but it is a true concept.

WRITING
I found the writing excellent. Really. A few excerpts:

Jerry: Beth, do y-you still love me?
Beth: Ugh, what kind of question is that?
Jerry: The "yes or no" kind?
Beth: Jerry, do you want homeless people to have homes?
Jerry: Yes.
Beth: Are you gonna build them?
Jerry: No.
Beth: Then what good was the "yes"?
Jerry: Wait, i-is loving me the house or the homeless people?

Rick: Boy, I really Cronenberged the world up, didn’t I?

Jerry: I wish that shotgun was my penis.
Beth: If it were, you could call me Ernest Hemingway.
Jerry: I don’t get it and I don’t need to.

MULTIPLE REALITIES
The story is also having a bit of a complexity, with the multiple realities. It is a concept that I loved since my childhood, with movies such as Back to the Future or series like Quantum Leap.

ENDING
Finally, the ending is brilliant. Morty is stunned at this new reality, with this beautiful background music. Just a perfect ending.
And the scene in which Rick and Morty bury themselves is a concept I have never seen in tv or cinema before. Just great.

VIOLENCE
Oh, and I forgot the totally (guilty) free violence in this episode. I just loved it.

JERRY/BETH
And the story between Jerry and Beth was also great. Just a great episode overall.

SUMMARY
The series is clearly taking a new turn in this episode. I found the series quite average and not particularly great before. In here, this episode proves that the series has a great potential and can be superb, if the work goes into it.
I give the episode 7 out of 10.

I don’t like this series for now. The episodes are not entertaining to me and the only moments I find interesting is when characters are crossing the lines. For instance, the only moment I enjoyed in this episode is when the strange character (actually, the king) is trying to abuse Morty.

SUMMARY
I give the episode 3 out of 10.

ODD
After being so used to watch the lives of the wire unit detectives, it feels extremely odd to start a brand new season with a complete new set up. There are many new characters being introduced - characters which I don’t like instantly, but like in the previous season, I imagine they will grow on me over time.

REASSIGNMENTS
Kima, McNulty and most of the wire unit detectives are now assigned to different sections. It is refreshing to see them in a new place.

SUMMARY
I didn’t love this episode. I actually loved the first season so much that I already feel nostalgia for the first season. Therefore, I only rate this episode 5 out of 10.

I think this is the first episode where I really understand than Rick & Morty was not just a succession of anthology episodes. Rick & Morty actions has a lot of consequences. The end of this episode is one of them.

The plot of this episode is very important for both the development of Morty and the mythology of the show. In Rick & Morty, everything matter.

Great first conclusion indeed.

I love how Simon and Burns think of everything, every details. The role of the mother, for example, is very important in Di'Angelo's (non)life.

"The game is the game".

D'ANGELO
The interrogation scene of D'Angelo is brilliant. I loved how real it felt and that the character was true. I loved the moment he says he wants to start fresh, "I just want to go somewhere where I can breathe like regular folk."

LIEUTENANT
I loved as well that the Lieutenant is not entirely clean, which makes the character also extremely believable and makes him, ironically, even more lovable as an audience.

POLITICAL CORRUPTION
Also, it makes for great tv to see that the "wire team" (sorry for that name) is trying to run with a case, only to discover that what interests the feds is the political corruption that could come out of it.

MCNULTY/KIMA
The moment where McNulty and Kima finally get to see each others was also very powerful, also very subtle.

FIRST SEASON
At the end of the season, I can only confirm that the season was great work. The series do not follows the standards and codes of the usual series. It is not a series that you watch and get a thrill from first second, but it grows on you until you finally get to appreciate it fully.

SUMMARY
This season premiere is a brilliant ending of a brilliant season. I give it 9 out of 10.

CORRUPTION
I really enjoyed the scene in which the Lieutenant is faced with heavy criticism from his leadership about the driver found with 20,000 dollars in cash. The corruption aspect is very believable.

KILLING IS NEVER DONE SOFTLY
There is a beautiful scene as well. The two you kids kill their so-called friend Wallace. The scene, yet extremely simple, is extremely powerful.
We are so used to see people shooting at others on series and movies that we usually do not care anymore. Here, we get the true emotions of it, as if we were in this room living the moment.

WALLACE
Meanwhile, I've just discovered that the actor playing Wallace is the same playing in Creed! That's actually not so much as a surprise, as you could clearly see that as a kid, he was a great actor already.

SUMMARY
I give the episode 9 out of 10. This is more than great tv. I felt like I was really part of this world.

SENSE OF URGENCY
For the first time in the series, there is a strong sense of urgency. The manhunt is a topic I love and it works perfectly in this series. There is a real investigation and it makes perfect sense.

IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT
There is one scene which was extremely original. In it, McNulty feels guilt at the hospital. The Senior guy (which I forgot the name) comes to him and basically says that it's not his fault and he has to believe him because he hates his guts. I found this was beautiful writing.

EMOTION
There is a beautiful but very short scene in which the girlfriend of the detective who was shot cries on her couch and touches the spot where the detective made a mark earlier. That felt very true and was highly emotional.

SUMMARY
The Hunt is my favourite episode of the series so far. I give it 8 out of 10.

SPREADING ITS WINGS
I can sense that the series is slowly but steadily spreading its wings.

SUMMARY
Excellent, as usual. I give it 7 out of 10.

AMBITION
We can sense that the ambition of the series is growing in that particular episode. Omar is trying to get his final revenge, while we start to understand the scope of Avon Barksdale's little empire, financially speaking.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode, which seems to open the door for an even higher ambition. I give the episode 7 out of 10 and sense that the next one will be even better.

KIDS
I loved the opening scene, where McNulty asks his kids to participate in a trail. I cannot wait to see his ex-wife learning that their kids were trailing a drug lord.

SUMMARY
As usual, an excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

GOOD COPS BEATING WITNESS
One scene I really found interesting and courageous is when the three "good" cops beat the hell out of Bird. This definitely crosses the line, as I have rarely seen any other police show when the main characters do something like this. This makes for a very realistic hour of television.

SUMMARY
An excellent episode, as usual. 7 out of 10.

OPENING SCENE
The opening scene was simply great and also visually very interesting, with the body of Omar's boyfriend and the camera following the orange wire before we get to see the daily routine of the two young folks from the projects.

REALISM
I liked the moment when McNulty goes out in the night to meet with Omar, with his two kids in the back sets of his car. I found this quite realistic and original in a dark way.
The moment where the kids are at the morgue and that Omar screams. Just well done.

SUMMARY
Once again, the exact same rating as before, 7 out of 10.

STEADY QUALITY
Since The Wire is telling a continuation of the story in each episode, the quality is staying quite steady.

CEMETERY
The Pager also includes a beautiful location in the form of the cemetery in broad daylight. The scene where the two detectives are questioning Omar.

LESTER
I really like the character of Lester Freamon. The small scene between him and the Lieutenant was really interesting and opens the door to the wire that I imagine will be a key player in the series, based on its name.

SUMMARY
I give the episode 7 out of 10. Once again, an excellent one.

OLD COPS
The relationship with the two oldest cops was very moving and realistic.

FUCK
Near the end of the episode, there's a very interesting scene in which McNulty and Bunk try to come up with the way a crime was committed. The only dialogue is basically resumed as this: "fuck". I don't know why, but I really enjoyed this sequence, known apparently as "the fuck scene".

SUMMARY
Once again, an excellent episode. I give it 7 out of 10. I slowly start to feel the series the more I am diving into it.

Like the previous episode, I didn't particularly like it.
And once again, my favourite scene was the one from after the end credits.

SUMMARY
I give the episode 3 out of 10.

SCATOPHILE HUMOUR
I particularly dislike scatophile humour. Therefore, the all concept of the episode, being inside a human body did not really work for me. To be frank, there weren't so many of those jokes as I would have thought, but I found the episode a bit disgusting and not really fun to watch. Just a gross episode.

AMUSEMENT PARK
Of course, the story of the amusement park inside a hobo was original and I can say I liked the references to Jurassic Park.

POST-CREDIT SCENE
Ironically, the scene I liked the most was the one from after the post-credits, with the conference call about the new amusement park. It felt real and was funny.

HUMAN HOLIDAY
Meanwhile, the part about the family holiday was fun to watch.

SUMMARY
I wasn't a big fan of the episode, which I found gross. I give it 3 out of 10. Bad.

The Wire is probably the best show of all time. And the legend starts here with the first appearance of Omar Little, oftenly cited by fans and medias has one of the most iconic character in all the history of television.

Omar is coming !

I started to watch thx to my nephew. I was not very happy at first. I think I had to wait some episodes to very enjoy the show. The pilot is not a very good Rick & Morty one, but it is very very hard to start a 20 minutes show and it still works.

The moment when Morty et Rick says :

Morty: They're not robots, Rick!
Rick: It's a figure of speech, Morty. They're bureaucrats. I don't respect them. Just keep shooting.

I knew this show would be able to do anything and be great. And I was right. Today I love Rick & Morty, but also Summer, Beth, Jerry... amazing characters for a very brillant main story.

INCEPTION
I really liked this episode, much better than the pilot. The story of Rick and Morty doing an inception on Morty's math teacher was great fun. As a big fan of not only movies but Inception as well, I particularly enjoyed it. What was extremely fun was to see both Rick and Morty going under multiple levels of dreams.

DOG EAT MAN
Meanwhile, I found the story of the dog annoying and empty at first. But as soon as the dog started to talk, I was hooked. Damn, that felt so good. The dog asking where are his testicles and why was his face put into his own urine was hilarious. I really loved the idea of the dogs doing the same things to men what men do to dogs. If animals could talk, I bet we would not be eating them anymore.

SUMMARY
It was agreat fun watching the episode. I give it 7 out of 10.

AM I NOT ENTERTAINED?
I have just discovered Rick and Morty and I can say that it is for sure original. But at the same time, I wasn't particularly involved as an audience, during the pilot episode.

CROSSING THE YELLOW LINE
The only moments I appreciated was when the show was crossing the yellow line, such as when the kid was squeezing the boobs of Jessica or when he blew off the legs of an animal.

SUMMARY
I give the episode 4 out of 10. Average.

UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE:
It is now September 7, 2019, and I just rewatched the first episode of Rick and Morty. I really enjoyed it this time. I now give the episode 5 out of 10. Good.

CHESS GAME
Once again, an excellent episode. The series seems to be very stable in terms of quality. It doesn't jump from one story to another. It just perfectly continues to move the story forward, one piece at a time, like a chess game.

SUMMARY
I give the episode 7 out of 10. Excellent.

HOOKED
And it only took me one and a half episode to get hooked. That's it.

COMPLEX
This series is not something that you can watch with one eye (pun intended based on this episode). You cannot have the series and play a mobile game or check the news on your smartphone. The density of the dialogue is so high that you have to stay focus in order to understand what's happening, especially since there are so many new characters that are being introduced in the beginning of the series. I can honestly say that I wasn't so focused in the first episode as well as the first half of this one. Then, I just stopped doing anything else and simply focused on the episode.

REALISM II
And I love it already. Mostly because of the series' realism, as mentioned in my previous review of the pilot episode. Everything feels true:
- The employees are criticising their colleagues, like in any other institution or company.
- Things get political (the Lieutenant is getting some under-performers into his team).
- There are talks about promotions, overtime, computers, salaries.
- We get to see the organization of a detective's team and the split of activities and roles within that team.
This is so well done that it simply raises the bar for all the other series out there, trying to be real in their fake locations with thick white windows or fake backgrounds. Once you see this, it is very difficult to ever come back to the low standards of television series.

HARD WORK
And I am deadly sure that this is no chance. You can see that this required lots of hard work, whether in terms of productions (locations, sets) as well as writing. It is definitely enormously complex to depict reality. I would even go so far as to say that it is even much more difficult to create reality than to build an imaginative world. But that is for another topic.

FALLING FROM THE SKY
In this episode, there are two cult scenes for me. The one where the inspectors (or is it detectives?) questions D'Angelo. And the second, and much more visual, is when the three detectives (or is it inspectors?) decide to go near the two towers and just randomly harass young folks. Suddenly, they get much more than they anticipated, in the form of bottles and tv's falling from the sky on their heads. This scene was just brilliant and felt so real that I could see myself in that situation.

REPERCUSSIONS
And everything that happens is having true repercussions. For instance, in most series, no one would even care if a random citizen gets an injury from a detective. In here, this is a major plot point. The boss has to deal with the situation, the detective will have to lie and ultimately, we learn that the young man will lose one of his eyes because of this. This makes for true interesting tv and more than this - we actually get to live the story from within.

FROM THE STARS TO THE STREETS
Don't get me wrong, I love imaginative fictions as well. But that's the beauty of film and literature. You get to live adventures in outside universes (Star Wars), go back in time (War and Peace), live the lives of poor people (Germinal) or reach ones (The Great Gatsby). We get to laugh (Rick and Morty) and cry (City Lights). That's the reason of being of tvore.com, a site devoted to the art of telling a story. But I digress.

SUMMARY
A great episode, that I find much better than the pilot episode. I give it 7 ouf of 10.

REVIEW FROM 03.03.2018

INTO THE DARKNESS
After years of hearing about the series The Wire, I finally gave it a chance and started my journey in early 2018, sixteen years after the pilot aired. I actually started to watch the series after a rewatch of Breaking Bad and a discussion with a friend, saying that The Wire was actually even better than Breaking Bad. Therefore, I simply had to watch it.

REALISTIC, REALLY
"Realistic: representing things in a way that is accurate and true to life."
So, I've started the pilot episode and went straight into the darkness. I actually thought that it would be quite realistic, so I wasn't particularly surprised about the tone. Nevertheless, this series is really realistic. Pun intended. By watching it, I can only say that the word itself "realistic" is quite a loaded word. I think we use it way too often, when referring to series or movies.
As a big fan of realism in cinema, I can only deeply appreciate it in The Wire. The series feels like a total immersion in a dark and real world. For instance, there is no music in most scenes. Since this is so rare in series - where we are used to hear music almost the entire episode - it feels really strange and therefore, this is an original move which I can only applaud. And I am a huge fan of music in cinema, so I think that this is a fantastic bet. It takes enormous courage to be able to produce a series with so little background music. Not only in terms of the audience (will they get bored?) - hence financially speaking as well - but also in terms of storytelling. Removing music from the equation is having to focus even more on some other artistic qualities, such as the acting, the directing and... the dialogue.

FUCK, THE WRITING
The writing of the series, or at least the first episode, is very good. In a sense that we do not have any cheesy dialogue or any immature writing that we see in most series. The dialogue feel real. Because in reality, we rarely finish any sentence, we say stupid things, we make sentences without any verbs and we curse way too often. And boy do the characters curse in The Wire! I am wondering how many times we can hear the word "fuck" in the entire series - as I imagine that the next episodes will be quite similar in tone and dialogue.

AMBITION? I DUNNO SHIT
I sense that the series is starting to place its pieces into a real puzzle. And I simply do not know what will happen in terms of ambition and scope. I can easily imagine that if we follow so "truly" these true characters, that if they feel emotions, those will be even "truer" and therefore the climaxes will be even higher than in other ambitious stories. The realism would exacerbate the feelings. Only time will tell in my new journey throughout the series.

ENTERTAINMENT
As a all, I was not particularly entertain. I would say that the series is a all and that you cannot simply watch one episode and feel rewarded the same way as in many other movies and most importantly tv series. It definitely does not follow the classic 3 or 4 storytelling acts. Once again, this is quite a courageous move and can have many downsides. But I do not want to start criticising before having watched as least the entire first season.

HOW TO RATE IT?
For once, I really have no clue how to rate this episode. It is very rare for me, as I usually am able to judge an episode or a movie very quickly. But here, I can only say that I didn't find the episode captivating. But at the same time, maybe that is a good thing. Because reality is often boring. That's the all concept. So, I am definitely in front of something original and I do not want to preemptively say anything about the overall quality.

SUMMARY
As mentioned before, I do not know yet how to rate it. I will refrain my judgment and will just put a standard 5 for now, before I come back and edit this review, whether in a few days, weeks, months, years or even decades. That's the beauty of not knowing what the future will bring and watching a series without knowing anything at all about it. I have no clue if anyone is going to die (I imagine many will), I do not know who I am going to root for, if I will remember a few characters' names or if I will cry or get emotional for some others. And damn, not knowing feels fucking good.

EDIT I: Already on same day, just after the three first episodes, I think this episode deserves a 6. It's definitely not as good as episodes 2 and 3. Hence the 6 for this one and 7 for the other two. But maybe it should have 7 and the next two 8. To be seen.

"The compulsion to act was introduced to me by an English teacher when I was 12," actor Patrick Stewart said in an interview once. "I found it primarily a means of escape, of detaching myself from a difficult and at times unsafe life and going into a world of make-believe where the world was predictable."

A NEW CHAPTER
It is with this quote that I open a new chapter in my lengthy and exciting (and yes, often extremely boring) project of watching every Star Trek series and movies in order. After watching The Original Series, The Animated Series and the first four films, I now move onto Star Trek: The Next Generation. The year is 1987 and Star Trek is back on the small screen, 18 years after the (bad) series finale from The Original Series aired on national TV after only three seasons. As you probably know by now if you read my reviews, The Original Series only became a success when it moved to syndication, which led to a series of motion pictures with the original cast.

THE WRATH OF GENE
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was heavily involved in the first film, but some of his choices did not please Paramount, which slowly but surely put him on the side.
Frustrated by this situation, Gene came back on the small screen with TNG. And yes, the man definitely still has things to say!

NEW OPENING CREDITS
The pilot of TNG, Encounter at Farpoint, which is a double-episode, starts with the brand new opening credits. I really enjoyed the fact that they re-used the main theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It feels much more vibrant and... energized than the original theme, which I obviously also love, but I felt it was a good idea to not reutilize the same original theme.

JEAN-LUC PICARD
The opening of the series is fantastic. Truly fantastic. Jean-Luc Picard is an instant love. You cannot dislike the man. As I said in previous reviews, the audience usually like or dislike a character right from the start, the same way a recruiter decides to hire or not a candidate after only a mere ten seconds after welcoming the candidate. I find the first shot of Pike simple fantastic. It lasts precisely ten seconds and you already know that the character will work well.
In many ways, he has similar traits with his predecessor, Captain James T. Kirk. He may not have the same sense of humor and may not wink as much, but he definitely has the ego and the sense of being the one in command. Patrick Stewart, a man with a passion for acting and for the theater, is showing his self. He is Picard. He talks loudly and care for the words and emotions. His gaze is straight and one can only be impressed by his intensity.

A NEW CHARACTER...
And one new character is actually exacerbating the feeling of intensity. The camera. After so many classic episodes from Star Trek, the camera is now a character and the director is not afraid to play with it. For instance, characters are filmed with close-ups that encompass the drama. I really liked this aspect. A stark contrast since the television series from the 1960's. Televisions series are rising in quality and trying to replicate the cinematographic qualities of cinema.

BATTLE BRIDGE (aka SERIOUS)
Back to the humor, we don't laugh in The Next Generation, or at least not in this pilot. 18 years have passed and television series are not the same as they once were. 18 years have passed, but it could have been a century. The opening scene shows us that clearly. In only a few minutes, the new Captain is ordering his crew to go to the battle bridge:

Picard: Note in ship's log that at this startime, I'm transferring command to the battle bridge.

I'm sorry, what?! My jaw literally dropped, as the crew members moved onto another deck, that resembled the beloved and original deck from the first series. Soon after, the audience witnesses the starship dismantling into two separate ships, one for combat and one for the rest of the crew and their family. Epic is clearly the word. Technology has moved forward tremendously and the technics of special effects along with it. We can now do things that were previously either not possible or not realistic. And it shows. Star Trek was ahead of its time, and time is now more inclined to provide the necessary tools to support the stories.

BACK TO 4:3
After four movies shot in 2.35 cinemascope format, Star Trek is back on its good old television format at the time: 4:3. And whilst many would think it's an outdated format that wouldn't work today, I say don't be so quick to judge, my young apprentices. The 4:3 format suddenly show again the characters in the center of the frame and they take back their importance, which is paramount for a military series filled with captains and lieutenants other other various ranking officers.

A MESSY STORY
Which brings me to the story. I did not like it. It started off great, with the ship being encircled with an energy field, but soon after, the story goes into so many directions that I could not even summarize it. Many new characters are introduced, new places, elaborate metaphors, possible backstories, this is almost endless and, to me, felt overwhelming. I couldn't concentrate and the problem too is that the series premiere lasts for an hour and a half. It makes for quite a messy series premiere, but one that shows that things will be possible.

VERY LONG
And yes, 91 minutes felt overly long. Really long.

Q
If Q is a fan-favorite, I really have to scratch my head to figure out why. I found the character not interesting, the actor not having any charisma, which is kind of the problem in this pilot. Most of the characters are interesting but I find them not iconic at all, apart from Kirk and perhaps Data. I'm sure if you are a fan of TNG, you might be shocked by this comment, but I found the original cast of the Enterprise in TOS iconic and working perfectly together right from the first episode. Here, I have to be convinced.

WES
Also, like I keep repeating, we usually love or hate characters right from the start. It is evidently clear to me that I despised the young boy character of Wes right from the start. I found the actor really appalling and by far the worst actor of the entire saga so far. And he was able to destroy it in only five seconds.
As much as I find interesting to bring a boy onboard, the casting was awful if you ask me.
Sheldon was right after all...

RIKER
When Riker came aboard, I wondered what was Picard's beef against him. Picard spends his time looking away from him and being rude toward him. Why?
Apparently, Riker refused to beam down his previous Captain onto a planet because of a grave danger. Picard doesn't appreciate it and wants to be crystal clear with Riker that he's in command and no one else. Pretty much a way to ascertain his authority.

MCCOY
And yes, we get the utmost delight of seeing an old version of Leonard McCoy! Bones is appearing in this episode as a 137 year old man and I found the link to The Original Series a welcomed addition.
The only problem, if you allow me to say, is that this cameo servers no real purpose. It looks as if they show us Bones and that's it. It is not at all embedded within the episode in a way to have any sort of purpose, except to show a cameo to the audience. Fans deserve better. if you ask me. Either you bring it into the story or you don't.

TROI
I sense that Troi's character is a very emotional one and as a hyper-emotional person myself, I find this concept completely fascinating! I cannot wait to watch her in future episodes and see where this brings us.

DATA
It would have been very easy and probably commercially sound to feature another Vulcan as the scientist officer on the deck. This actually worked extremely well in the movie Star Trek II, where Saavik was a sexy and compelling Vulcan character.
Unfortunately, the actress was replaced and because the timelines are different, we are not able to get her here.
Regardless, instead of coming up with a third Vulcan character, the producers decide to go different yet similar approach, by introducing an android. Let me share it right there: I love it. I am completely and irrevocably fascinated by androids and cannot wait to live in a world where we can interact with actual robots—even if I know this will ultimately mark the humanity's demise.
As much as it was interesting, I'm not sure I particularly like the character itself, by it I mean the actor. Like so many other cast members from TNG, I don't find the actor iconic and "different" enough from all the Hollywood actors. I long for more, but I let myself being hopefully convinced over time. I was told TNG is a series that becomes better over time, so let's see what's this journey will bring before already judging during the pilot episode, which would make no sense.

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Even as I am watching this episode almost forty years later, I still find the special effects carefully executed. And shall I mention we are in 1987? This is four years before Terminator 2: Judgment Day and six years before Jurassic Park. These VFX have nothing to be shy compared to movies of the time.

So, let's see what's out there. Engage!

VERDICT
The final words of the episodes are:

Picard: Some problem, Riker?
Riker: Just hoping this isn't the usual way our missions will go, sir.
Picard: Oh no, Number One. I'm sure most will be much more interesting. Let's see what's out there. Engage.

Indeed, like Riker, I hope that the next adventures will be much more interesting, otherwise this will be a long, long journey for me. I am not sure I have the mental energy to go through seven full seasons of this show, but let's try anyway.

I give it 3 out of 5. Enjoyable but overly long and with many weaknesses.