I admit Deanna Troi isn't my favorite character, so when I saw this episode on the queue I was worried. Fortunately I was wrong! This episode is really good and Troi is great in it! When she first has to face up to her role as a member of the dreaded secret police of Romulus it seems like the resistance has made the wrong choice and she is going to ruin the plan immediately. But she steps into the role more than I thought possible and is downright scary. The final resolution of the episode is a little quick, but works to wrap up all the loose ends. As a side note this was actually a pretty much perfect episode to watch on Halloween, I know what Troi is going to be this year!
The episode opens with Troi waking up and not quite feeling right. She makes her way to a mirror and turns on the light. To her shock she has been altered to look like a Romulan! A Romulan officer named N'Vek rushes in at tells her there is no time. She is going to need to be Major Rakal of the Tal Shiar and give the captain new orders or they will all be killed. Troi doesn't want to do it without answers, but also senses that N'Vek is telling the truth so she follows him to the bridge and encounters the indomitable Commander Toreth who at first questions her but steps into line with Troi starts giving orders like a champ. They are to proceed to an empty sector with cargo they are not to inspect or question. Back on the Enterprise they are to beam aboard a human Starfleet officer who defected to the Romulans years ago. As soon as he is aboard he insists on talking to the captain. As soon as Picard arrives the defector tells him he is here with a message from Spock that they are to proceed to the same sector that Troi is heading towards to meet a freighter. Picard has his doubts about the man, but does as he says.
Back on the Romulan warship N'Vek meets Troi in the cargo bay and shows her what the cargo is, high Romulan officials in stasis planning to defect to the Federation to create a pathway for more Romulans to defect. N'Vek also tells her the real Rakal was killed so she could take her place. They head to the officers mess for dinner with Toreth who expresses her disdain for the Tal Shiar, her own father was dragged away by them years ago. They are called to the bridge as a freighter arrives. Troi orders Torath to hail the vessel, but when she sees the captain she whispers to N'Vek that he is going to betray them so he opens fire and destroys the freighter. Toreth is outraged, but Troi shuts her down and orders them to hold position. In private she is outraged with N'Vek for killing all the freighter crew but agrees to his new plan to head into Federation space and transport the cargo themselves.
Toreth isn't pumped about the plant to fly through the Federation sensor web on the way into their space, but Troi assures her she will provide the access codes. But this plan is interrupted by the arrival of the Enterprise who detected the debris from the freighter. Toreth starts to sneak away as they can't warp out without being detected if they are in the debris cloud. Troi has to threaten N'Vek with death but he agrees to modify the cloaking device to allow them to be tracked. Toreth can't figure out how, but she does figure out they are being followed. Toreth orders them to prepare to attack the Enterprise but Troi countermands her orders and actually seizes command of the ship. She hails the Enterprise and gets them to drop their shields. N'Vek fires the phasers as soon as they do, but it is a fake blast that hides the transportation of the Romulan officials. Toreth realizes he has betrayed them and one the bridge crew shoots him when he goes for his weapon. Troi surrenders but as soon as they drop shields to cloak Worf beams her to safety.
Review: I may have said this before, but this is probably the best Deanna episode in all of Trek. She transforms before our eyes from the mild mannered ships councilor into a blood thirsty agent of a repressive state.
8 out of 10
Saturday, October 31, 2015
TNG: Aquiel
When I first saw this episode I had not seen The Thing so I am sure I thought it was waaaay more original than I did on this watching. Don't get me wrong, I understand why they would want to rip off such a fine film, but rip off really is the best way to describe this episode. Fortunately there is a bit more to it that just a rip off, the parts with Picard negotiating with the Klingon's are really good. Geordi's terribly romantic advances are less amazing. Also if Aquiel was really trying to prove her innocence she really did just about everything she could to make herself seem guilty.
The episode opens with the Enterprise stopping by a communications relay station on the Klingon border to drop off supplies, but when they arrive their hails go unanswered. Riker, Worf, Dr. Crusher and La Forge all beam down to investigate and find the station empty, a shuttle missing, and blood and stains of organic material on the bulkheads. They also find a lovable dog hiding in an access tunnel. The station was supposed to have only two occupants: Aquiel Uhnari and Keith Rocha. The blood matches that of Rocha but Beverley is unable to get any DNA from the tissue residue on the bulkhead so they cut it out and take it back with them. Geordi finds some discrepencies with the message logs implying someone tampered with them and also finds that the station logs have been partially scrambled.
Geordi gets to work on the logs and finds that he can only access those of Aquie. She was clearly pretty lonely on the station and complains a lot about Rocha. She also mentions being harassed by a Klingon captain who regularly locks weapons on the station to mess with them. Picard contacts the Klingon's to see if their captain could have been responsible and at first the governor isn't interested, but when he learns of Picard's ties to Gowron he gets right on it. A Klingon ship arrives and the governor shows up to prove their innocence. Picard doesn't want to believe him but he produces Aquiel alive and well. She was found the missing shuttle inside Klingon space. She claims to have been attacked by Rocha and tried to get a weapon, but doesn't remember anything after that until she was on the shuttle. This now makes her the prime suspect.
Ignoring all this plus the creepiness of having spent the last few days reading her logs, Geordi goes straight to asking her out. They start hanging out together and she is really happy to be reunited with her dog Maura. Back in sickbay Crusher does something to the goop on the bulkhead and it makes a copy of her hand she she realized they are dealing with some sort of shapeshifter that steals the shape of creatures it touches. Suddenly not only is Aquiel suspected of being the shapeshifter, but the Klingon captain who admitted to going on the station is a suspect as well. They are both put in confinement and Geordi starts going through logs again, but he is attacked by the dog Maura. It tries to shapeshift on him but he manages to blast it with a phaser and end the alien menace.
Review: I am going to have to take off at least one whole point for how much this episode borrows from The Thing. Not a bad episode never the less, but it would have been nice if they at least covered their tracks a little better.
5 out of 10
The episode opens with the Enterprise stopping by a communications relay station on the Klingon border to drop off supplies, but when they arrive their hails go unanswered. Riker, Worf, Dr. Crusher and La Forge all beam down to investigate and find the station empty, a shuttle missing, and blood and stains of organic material on the bulkheads. They also find a lovable dog hiding in an access tunnel. The station was supposed to have only two occupants: Aquiel Uhnari and Keith Rocha. The blood matches that of Rocha but Beverley is unable to get any DNA from the tissue residue on the bulkhead so they cut it out and take it back with them. Geordi finds some discrepencies with the message logs implying someone tampered with them and also finds that the station logs have been partially scrambled.
Geordi gets to work on the logs and finds that he can only access those of Aquie. She was clearly pretty lonely on the station and complains a lot about Rocha. She also mentions being harassed by a Klingon captain who regularly locks weapons on the station to mess with them. Picard contacts the Klingon's to see if their captain could have been responsible and at first the governor isn't interested, but when he learns of Picard's ties to Gowron he gets right on it. A Klingon ship arrives and the governor shows up to prove their innocence. Picard doesn't want to believe him but he produces Aquiel alive and well. She was found the missing shuttle inside Klingon space. She claims to have been attacked by Rocha and tried to get a weapon, but doesn't remember anything after that until she was on the shuttle. This now makes her the prime suspect.
Ignoring all this plus the creepiness of having spent the last few days reading her logs, Geordi goes straight to asking her out. They start hanging out together and she is really happy to be reunited with her dog Maura. Back in sickbay Crusher does something to the goop on the bulkhead and it makes a copy of her hand she she realized they are dealing with some sort of shapeshifter that steals the shape of creatures it touches. Suddenly not only is Aquiel suspected of being the shapeshifter, but the Klingon captain who admitted to going on the station is a suspect as well. They are both put in confinement and Geordi starts going through logs again, but he is attacked by the dog Maura. It tries to shapeshift on him but he manages to blast it with a phaser and end the alien menace.
Review: I am going to have to take off at least one whole point for how much this episode borrows from The Thing. Not a bad episode never the less, but it would have been nice if they at least covered their tracks a little better.
5 out of 10
Thursday, October 29, 2015
TNG: Ship in a Bottle
I really wanted this to be a great episode. I certainly thought it was when I was 11, but today it falls a little flatter than it once did. I still think it is a good episode though, so put down the torches. The basic idea of a holodeck program becoming self aware is a little silly, but not wildly so. I guess the holodecks within holodecks idea just seemed a lot fresher in the pre-Matrix world. Also, it seems a bit unrealistic that Moriarty would experience the world the same way we do and would be unable to detect that he was still in a simulation. But I guess maybe he just wanted to believe so bad he didn't notice? I guess he wouldn't really have any basis for comparison either. Ah well, it was a fun ride at least.
We begin with Data and Geordi back in action as Holmes and Watson, but just as Data gets to the grand reveal that the person he is talking to must be the guilty part it all goes awry. Data's reasoning hinges on the man being left handed, but when he is thrown a book of matches he catches it with his right hand. Data realizes something is wrong and shuts it down and calls Barclay to come fix it. He scans the memory for any errors and finds a bunch in a protected memory file. When he runs the file he encounters Moriarty who claims to have been aware inside the memory the entire four years he was saved. Barclay has a hard time believing that a program could be self aware, but he agrees to Moriarty's demand that he be allowed to meet with the captain.
On the bridge the crew are preparing to watch two giant plants collide and turn into a star. Barclay tells Data and Geordi about what happened on the holodeck and they all take it to the captain. Picard, Barclay and Data meet Moriarty on the holodeck and after some speech making Moriarty blows their minds by walking off the holodeck. He further demands that they do everything they can to get his girlfriend off the holodeck as well. Back on the bridge Picard tries to get Worf to fire some probes at the colliding planets but it doesn't work, Moriarty has seized control of the ship! Barclay, Data and Geordi get to work on a plan to use the transporter to get them out of the holodeck. They try it on a chair, but it fails. When Data checks the transporter logs he finds they are empty. Meanwhile Geordi has called Picard down to engineering to try and take command of the ship. Picard tries his voice codes, but it doesn't work. Just then Data arrives and tells the captain they are still in the holodeck, and by saying the command codes he has just given control of the actual Enterprise to Moriarty.
Back on the real bridge Riker is forced to negotiate with Moriarty. If he doesn't get back control of the ship they will be destroyed by their lack of understanding of physics. For some reason the writers believe that the planets colliding and turning into a star will increase their mass which makes absolutely no sense, they have the same total mass they had before the collision, possibly less since they will almost certainly throw matter into space during the collision. But for the purposes of the episode it is a crisis. They trick Moriarty into believing they have solved the problems and beam him and the countess out of the holodeck. They give him a shuttle and he releases control of the ship at which point they store his program in a cube on the captains desk for the rest of the series.
Review: This is a fun adventure episode if you just shut off your brain a few times along the way. I enjoyed watching it, but it didn't seem as rock solid as I remembered.
6 out of 10
We begin with Data and Geordi back in action as Holmes and Watson, but just as Data gets to the grand reveal that the person he is talking to must be the guilty part it all goes awry. Data's reasoning hinges on the man being left handed, but when he is thrown a book of matches he catches it with his right hand. Data realizes something is wrong and shuts it down and calls Barclay to come fix it. He scans the memory for any errors and finds a bunch in a protected memory file. When he runs the file he encounters Moriarty who claims to have been aware inside the memory the entire four years he was saved. Barclay has a hard time believing that a program could be self aware, but he agrees to Moriarty's demand that he be allowed to meet with the captain.
On the bridge the crew are preparing to watch two giant plants collide and turn into a star. Barclay tells Data and Geordi about what happened on the holodeck and they all take it to the captain. Picard, Barclay and Data meet Moriarty on the holodeck and after some speech making Moriarty blows their minds by walking off the holodeck. He further demands that they do everything they can to get his girlfriend off the holodeck as well. Back on the bridge Picard tries to get Worf to fire some probes at the colliding planets but it doesn't work, Moriarty has seized control of the ship! Barclay, Data and Geordi get to work on a plan to use the transporter to get them out of the holodeck. They try it on a chair, but it fails. When Data checks the transporter logs he finds they are empty. Meanwhile Geordi has called Picard down to engineering to try and take command of the ship. Picard tries his voice codes, but it doesn't work. Just then Data arrives and tells the captain they are still in the holodeck, and by saying the command codes he has just given control of the actual Enterprise to Moriarty.
Back on the real bridge Riker is forced to negotiate with Moriarty. If he doesn't get back control of the ship they will be destroyed by their lack of understanding of physics. For some reason the writers believe that the planets colliding and turning into a star will increase their mass which makes absolutely no sense, they have the same total mass they had before the collision, possibly less since they will almost certainly throw matter into space during the collision. But for the purposes of the episode it is a crisis. They trick Moriarty into believing they have solved the problems and beam him and the countess out of the holodeck. They give him a shuttle and he releases control of the ship at which point they store his program in a cube on the captains desk for the rest of the series.
Review: This is a fun adventure episode if you just shut off your brain a few times along the way. I enjoyed watching it, but it didn't seem as rock solid as I remembered.
6 out of 10
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
TNG: Chain of Command, Part II
Living in a country that tortures people makes this episode especially hard to watch. When I saw this as a kid I saw it from the perspective of, "those other guys do horrible things like this, good thing I am not on their side." But today that isn't really true any more. That said I think this is a good look into why torture shouldn't be done not just from a humanitarian perspective but from the perspective of it actually doesn't work. Jellico manages to kinda save the day in the end, but he is such a jerk that I can't really find anything good to say about him.
The episode opens with Picard being drugged and forced to answer questions about his mission which he does without hesitation. But then they start asking him about the defense plans for Minos Korva and he doesn't have anything to tell the, so they up the drugs and keep at it. Back on the Enterprise Jellico is negotiating with the Cardassians and they reveal that Picard has been captured after he and his team slaughtered many Cardassian civilians. Jellico sends Riker in a shuttle to pick up what remains of the mission while he keeps negotiating. Back in the torture chamber Picard is being tortured. They string him up, remove his clothes and reveal that he has a pain probe thing inside of him. They keep asking about Minos Korva but he clearly just doesn't know anything.
Back on the Enterprise Riker has returned with Crusher and Worf. The Cardassian shows them footage of Picards initial interrogation and tells Jellico he will execute Picard unless the Federation withdraws from the sector. Jellico refuses and then also refuses to mount a rescue. Riker gets so pissed off about it he is relieved of duty and Data takes over as first officer. Picard's torturer brings his daughter in to show her what he does and after she leaves Picard humiliates him by pointing out how she won't ever be a full person knowing this is how her people live. The torture goes on and on moving away from tactical questions to just trying to break Picard into seeing 5 lights where there are only 4.
Geordi has discovered that the Cardassian ship they are negotiating with has strange damage to its hull. The only thing in the area that would do that is a nebula near Minos Korva. Jellico correctly guesses the Cardassians are hiding in the nebula to attack. He moves the Enterprise in and plans to plan mines on the Cardassian ships with a shuttle, but he will need the best damn pilot around. Who is of course Riker. After telling each other how much they hate each he agrees the plan. It goes off perfectly and the Cardassians are forced to retreat and return Picard. The final scene with Picard in the torture chamber he is offered a final choice of a comfortable life or more torture and in the end he tells Troi he could see five lights, but he tells that damn Cardassian he only sees 4.
Review: This is a powerful and hard to watch episode, but I kinda feel like we should make everybody in America watch to see how messed up our country has become.
7 out of 10
The episode opens with Picard being drugged and forced to answer questions about his mission which he does without hesitation. But then they start asking him about the defense plans for Minos Korva and he doesn't have anything to tell the, so they up the drugs and keep at it. Back on the Enterprise Jellico is negotiating with the Cardassians and they reveal that Picard has been captured after he and his team slaughtered many Cardassian civilians. Jellico sends Riker in a shuttle to pick up what remains of the mission while he keeps negotiating. Back in the torture chamber Picard is being tortured. They string him up, remove his clothes and reveal that he has a pain probe thing inside of him. They keep asking about Minos Korva but he clearly just doesn't know anything.
Back on the Enterprise Riker has returned with Crusher and Worf. The Cardassian shows them footage of Picards initial interrogation and tells Jellico he will execute Picard unless the Federation withdraws from the sector. Jellico refuses and then also refuses to mount a rescue. Riker gets so pissed off about it he is relieved of duty and Data takes over as first officer. Picard's torturer brings his daughter in to show her what he does and after she leaves Picard humiliates him by pointing out how she won't ever be a full person knowing this is how her people live. The torture goes on and on moving away from tactical questions to just trying to break Picard into seeing 5 lights where there are only 4.
Geordi has discovered that the Cardassian ship they are negotiating with has strange damage to its hull. The only thing in the area that would do that is a nebula near Minos Korva. Jellico correctly guesses the Cardassians are hiding in the nebula to attack. He moves the Enterprise in and plans to plan mines on the Cardassian ships with a shuttle, but he will need the best damn pilot around. Who is of course Riker. After telling each other how much they hate each he agrees the plan. It goes off perfectly and the Cardassians are forced to retreat and return Picard. The final scene with Picard in the torture chamber he is offered a final choice of a comfortable life or more torture and in the end he tells Troi he could see five lights, but he tells that damn Cardassian he only sees 4.
Review: This is a powerful and hard to watch episode, but I kinda feel like we should make everybody in America watch to see how messed up our country has become.
7 out of 10
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
TNG: Chain of Command, Part I
What a frustrating episode! Seeing Picard replaced for an arrogant so called expert so he can be sent on a mission behind enemy lines that is clearly a trap to anyone paying attention is one thing. But seeing Riker and La Forge pushed around and told they aren't good at their jobs any more is pretty much intolerable. About the only part I approve of is making Troi put on a uniform if she is going to be on the bridge of the flagship just makes sense. I don't think the frustration of this episode was created by accident however. By bringing everyone so low they have a good place to get back from, but damn this one is kinda unpleasant to watch.
The episode opens with Admiral Nechayev showing up and relieving Picard of duty. Cut to the admiral briefing Riker, Data and Troi about the situation with the Cardassians, they appear to be preparing for war. When Riker asks about the captain he is told he will be replaced by Captain Jellico who is some kind Cardassian expert. They also learn that Crusher and Worf will also be transferred off the ship. Cut to Picard, Worf and Crusher training in caves for some sort of secret mission. Jellico arrives and starts pissing everybody off from the very start. He wants the ship taken off the standard three shift rotation and put on a four shift rotation. Cut to Ten Forward where the formal handover of command takes place and Riker is clearly worried since they wouldn't normally do this for a temporary transfer.
Down in engineering Geordi is getting it as hard as Riker as he is assigned to do an unreasonable amount of work on the warp core in the next two days. Jellico repeatedly tells Picard how much he doesn't like Riker throughout the whole process which really makes him seem like an asshole. Picard and company keep training for whatever they are doing. They arrive at the point where they are to depart and the three of them fly off in a shuttle to go meet with a Ferengi. Picard then briefs them that the Cardassians are believed to be working on an illegal biological weapon and it is there job to find it and destroy it. Their meeting goes well and they manage to book passage on the Ferengi ship.
Back on the Enterprise the Cardassian ambassador has arrived and after some messing around by Jellico they get down to business. Things seem to be going ok for the Federation until the ambassador reveals that they know all about Picard's secret mission and Jellico is visibly distraught over it. Back on the mission they are making their way through the caves. They repel down a 500 meter cliff with 10 meter long ropes some how. Eventually they find a service hatch to the secret base and after forcing it open find that the whole thing was a trap. Worf and Crusher manage to escape but Picard is captured and taken to be interrogated. The one thing he does get from his captor is that the whole thing was a ploy to get him specifically to come be captured.
Review: I am reviewing just this half episode rather than the whole and I have to say, I didn't really enjoy watching it. It does feel like a pretty good setup, but it doesn't really deliver anything other than frustration. Also the repelling scene is just silly.
5 out of 10
The episode opens with Admiral Nechayev showing up and relieving Picard of duty. Cut to the admiral briefing Riker, Data and Troi about the situation with the Cardassians, they appear to be preparing for war. When Riker asks about the captain he is told he will be replaced by Captain Jellico who is some kind Cardassian expert. They also learn that Crusher and Worf will also be transferred off the ship. Cut to Picard, Worf and Crusher training in caves for some sort of secret mission. Jellico arrives and starts pissing everybody off from the very start. He wants the ship taken off the standard three shift rotation and put on a four shift rotation. Cut to Ten Forward where the formal handover of command takes place and Riker is clearly worried since they wouldn't normally do this for a temporary transfer.
Down in engineering Geordi is getting it as hard as Riker as he is assigned to do an unreasonable amount of work on the warp core in the next two days. Jellico repeatedly tells Picard how much he doesn't like Riker throughout the whole process which really makes him seem like an asshole. Picard and company keep training for whatever they are doing. They arrive at the point where they are to depart and the three of them fly off in a shuttle to go meet with a Ferengi. Picard then briefs them that the Cardassians are believed to be working on an illegal biological weapon and it is there job to find it and destroy it. Their meeting goes well and they manage to book passage on the Ferengi ship.
Back on the Enterprise the Cardassian ambassador has arrived and after some messing around by Jellico they get down to business. Things seem to be going ok for the Federation until the ambassador reveals that they know all about Picard's secret mission and Jellico is visibly distraught over it. Back on the mission they are making their way through the caves. They repel down a 500 meter cliff with 10 meter long ropes some how. Eventually they find a service hatch to the secret base and after forcing it open find that the whole thing was a trap. Worf and Crusher manage to escape but Picard is captured and taken to be interrogated. The one thing he does get from his captor is that the whole thing was a ploy to get him specifically to come be captured.
Review: I am reviewing just this half episode rather than the whole and I have to say, I didn't really enjoy watching it. It does feel like a pretty good setup, but it doesn't really deliver anything other than frustration. Also the repelling scene is just silly.
5 out of 10
Monday, October 26, 2015
TNG: The Quality of Life
This is an episode about a Data discovering another form of artificial life. But it is also an episode about the stereotype of the arrogant scientist who is more interested in proving their harebrained theory than who gets hurt along the way. And sure enough, pretty much everything scientist lady does turns out to be stupid and or reckless. The whole particle fountain mining thing seems like it is probably a bad idea and literally everything she does to try and prove that thought wrong goes terribly awry and even gets one of her men killed.
The episode opens with Dr. Crusher trash talking beards at the officers poker game and almost gets them to agree to shave if she wins the game. But fortunately for everyone the captain calls them to the bridge before we find out what cards they have. The Enterprise has been assigned to evaluate a new mining technology called a particle fountain. Geordi beams over to discuss progress with the project leader Dr. Farallon. Suddenly the station shakes as a power grid goes down. Dr. Farallon knows what to do and pulls out a tiny robot called an exocomp and gives it the job of fixing the power grid. It replicates the proper tool and floats down the access tube and save the day. As a side note, Dr. Farallon is willing to risk all their lives rather than give up 4 months progress, not someone you probably would like to work for.
Dr. Farallon beams to the Enterprise to meet the captain but also Data who she is clearly very excited to meet. Back on the station Data works with an exocomp and is very impressed. He sends it down an access tunnel to repair a plasma conduit, but it returns before the job is done. Dr. Farallon tries to send it back in but the control circuits overload. Just then the conduit explodes which would have destroyed the exocomp. Back on the Enterprise Data works with Geordi and Dr. Farallon to figure out what went wrong. The interface is totally blown, but it looks like the rest of it is still working. Dr. Farallon explains that sometimes they start creating lots of new circuits in their central processors and have to be wiped. She and La Forge return to the station but Data wants to know more and takes the exocomp to his lab. He discovers that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the exocomp and that it appears to have intentionally destroyed its access circuits and then later repaired them. After meeting with Dr. Crusher Data takes goes to the captain, he believes the exocomps are alive.
Dr. Farallon refuses to believe it is even possible that they are alive. They devise a test by faking an overload in a conduit on the Enterprise and assigning the exocomp to fix it when it appears it will be destroyed. It fails the test, but Data isn't convinced. La Forge and Dr. Farallon get back to work trying to get the particle fountain operational in time for the captains inspection and Data keeps working on the exocomp. He eventually discovers that it has in fact determined that the conduit wasn't going to explode and even turned off the alarm. On the station Picard and Geordi beam over to inspect things but something goes terribly wrong. The beam is out of control and one of the technicians has been killed. They all leave except for the captain and La Forge who now have to figure out how to survive. On the bridge Riker and Dr. Farallon come up with a plan to detonate two exocomps to shut down the beam, but Data stops them and shuts down the transporters.
Riker is hella pissed at having his orders ignored but Data won't back down. They eventually decide that the best test is to give the exocomps a choice. They communicate the problem to them and they replicate tools that no one can figure out what they are for and set the transporter to beam them into the stations core. Inside the station the three exocomps manage to alter the beam enough that the captain and Geordi can beam back over and then one takes on the burden so the other two can be saved. Dr. Farallon kinda apologizes to Data and Picard makes it clear he was with Data the whole time.
Review: This is a pretty cool episode. They don't seem to be doing as many real scifi episodes as I remember, but this is a good one. Not a huge fan of playing up the reckless scientist stereotype, but otherwise a fine episode.
6 out of 10
The episode opens with Dr. Crusher trash talking beards at the officers poker game and almost gets them to agree to shave if she wins the game. But fortunately for everyone the captain calls them to the bridge before we find out what cards they have. The Enterprise has been assigned to evaluate a new mining technology called a particle fountain. Geordi beams over to discuss progress with the project leader Dr. Farallon. Suddenly the station shakes as a power grid goes down. Dr. Farallon knows what to do and pulls out a tiny robot called an exocomp and gives it the job of fixing the power grid. It replicates the proper tool and floats down the access tube and save the day. As a side note, Dr. Farallon is willing to risk all their lives rather than give up 4 months progress, not someone you probably would like to work for.
Dr. Farallon beams to the Enterprise to meet the captain but also Data who she is clearly very excited to meet. Back on the station Data works with an exocomp and is very impressed. He sends it down an access tunnel to repair a plasma conduit, but it returns before the job is done. Dr. Farallon tries to send it back in but the control circuits overload. Just then the conduit explodes which would have destroyed the exocomp. Back on the Enterprise Data works with Geordi and Dr. Farallon to figure out what went wrong. The interface is totally blown, but it looks like the rest of it is still working. Dr. Farallon explains that sometimes they start creating lots of new circuits in their central processors and have to be wiped. She and La Forge return to the station but Data wants to know more and takes the exocomp to his lab. He discovers that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the exocomp and that it appears to have intentionally destroyed its access circuits and then later repaired them. After meeting with Dr. Crusher Data takes goes to the captain, he believes the exocomps are alive.
Dr. Farallon refuses to believe it is even possible that they are alive. They devise a test by faking an overload in a conduit on the Enterprise and assigning the exocomp to fix it when it appears it will be destroyed. It fails the test, but Data isn't convinced. La Forge and Dr. Farallon get back to work trying to get the particle fountain operational in time for the captains inspection and Data keeps working on the exocomp. He eventually discovers that it has in fact determined that the conduit wasn't going to explode and even turned off the alarm. On the station Picard and Geordi beam over to inspect things but something goes terribly wrong. The beam is out of control and one of the technicians has been killed. They all leave except for the captain and La Forge who now have to figure out how to survive. On the bridge Riker and Dr. Farallon come up with a plan to detonate two exocomps to shut down the beam, but Data stops them and shuts down the transporters.
Riker is hella pissed at having his orders ignored but Data won't back down. They eventually decide that the best test is to give the exocomps a choice. They communicate the problem to them and they replicate tools that no one can figure out what they are for and set the transporter to beam them into the stations core. Inside the station the three exocomps manage to alter the beam enough that the captain and Geordi can beam back over and then one takes on the burden so the other two can be saved. Dr. Farallon kinda apologizes to Data and Picard makes it clear he was with Data the whole time.
Review: This is a pretty cool episode. They don't seem to be doing as many real scifi episodes as I remember, but this is a good one. Not a huge fan of playing up the reckless scientist stereotype, but otherwise a fine episode.
6 out of 10
Sunday, October 25, 2015
TNG: A Fistful of Datas
AFOD is the rare comedy episode of trek that actually works. This is the first episode since The Trouble with Tribbles that manages to be both funny and also have a good story going on without feeling just terrible in the process. I am not saying this is as perfect an episode as TTWT, but I really enjoyed watching it and found myself laughing out loud several times. It is also the first Alexander centered episode that works for me. I had forgotten that in addition to taking over the holodeck Data's programming also causes other problems across the ship including replacing Crusher's play with Ode to Spot and causing the replicators on several decks to make nothing but cat food.
The episode opens with the crew getting ready for some down time. Picard is trying to practice his flute but is constantly interrupted. First Data and La Forge want to try interfacing Data with the ships computer to test using him in the event of a computer failure. Then Beverley wants to recruit him to play the role of a butler in the play she is putting on and finally Worf wants to do some work, but Picard has to tell him to relax instead. We follow Worf home where he tells Alexander they will be able to do that recreation program he has created. Worf grabs his cowboy hat and the two of them head to the holodeck. They find themselves on the streets of Deadwood Arizona wearing sheriffs badges. Gun shots erupt and they head to the saloon. Worf apprehends the outlaw but it is too easy for Alexander who turns the difficulty up and they try again. Worf succeeds again, but needs help from the mysterious stranger (Troi) who save the day just in time.
Down in engineering Data has been hooked up to the computer. Tests initially go well, but something goes wrong and they have to disconnect. Everything seems to be fine, but Data starts dropping western slang into his normal routine. Back in the holodeck Worf and Alexander are holding the outlaw in jail until the marshal arrives to bring him to trial. Troi demands payment for her assistance so Alexander heads to the bank. On his way back he is kidnapped. His abductors take him to an old mine where he meets the outlaws father, only instead of being a normal holodeck character it is Data. Alexander tries to pause the program but nothing happens, something has gone wrong. Across the ship other problems crop up. Picards flute music has been replaced by eastern European dance music, Crusher's play is now Data's poetry, and the replicators are making nothing but cat food.
Back in the holodeck outlaw Data confronts Worf and tells him he will trade Alexander for his imprisoned son. Worf is ready to just do the exchange but luckily Deanna is there to warn him it is probably a trap. They come up with some sort of plan to make a shield from the power in a communicator (a la A Fistful of Dollars). More and more characters keep getting replaced by Data including all the henchmen of the villain and also his son. The shootout goes down and the shield barely works, but it allows Worf and Deanna to win the day. Before they can leave though Worf is confronted by the local madam, but instead of her normal appearance, she is also now Data. Geordi gets it all fixed and the final scene Alexander asks Worf if he would do it again and Worf tells him Deadwood may need a sheriff again, and a deputy. And they fly off into the sunset.
Review: This is a pretty cheesy episode and normally I would be complaining here about the unreasonableness of the holodeck safety protocols failing, AGAIN, but come on wild west Data's are just cool.
7 out of 10
The episode opens with the crew getting ready for some down time. Picard is trying to practice his flute but is constantly interrupted. First Data and La Forge want to try interfacing Data with the ships computer to test using him in the event of a computer failure. Then Beverley wants to recruit him to play the role of a butler in the play she is putting on and finally Worf wants to do some work, but Picard has to tell him to relax instead. We follow Worf home where he tells Alexander they will be able to do that recreation program he has created. Worf grabs his cowboy hat and the two of them head to the holodeck. They find themselves on the streets of Deadwood Arizona wearing sheriffs badges. Gun shots erupt and they head to the saloon. Worf apprehends the outlaw but it is too easy for Alexander who turns the difficulty up and they try again. Worf succeeds again, but needs help from the mysterious stranger (Troi) who save the day just in time.
Down in engineering Data has been hooked up to the computer. Tests initially go well, but something goes wrong and they have to disconnect. Everything seems to be fine, but Data starts dropping western slang into his normal routine. Back in the holodeck Worf and Alexander are holding the outlaw in jail until the marshal arrives to bring him to trial. Troi demands payment for her assistance so Alexander heads to the bank. On his way back he is kidnapped. His abductors take him to an old mine where he meets the outlaws father, only instead of being a normal holodeck character it is Data. Alexander tries to pause the program but nothing happens, something has gone wrong. Across the ship other problems crop up. Picards flute music has been replaced by eastern European dance music, Crusher's play is now Data's poetry, and the replicators are making nothing but cat food.
Back in the holodeck outlaw Data confronts Worf and tells him he will trade Alexander for his imprisoned son. Worf is ready to just do the exchange but luckily Deanna is there to warn him it is probably a trap. They come up with some sort of plan to make a shield from the power in a communicator (a la A Fistful of Dollars). More and more characters keep getting replaced by Data including all the henchmen of the villain and also his son. The shootout goes down and the shield barely works, but it allows Worf and Deanna to win the day. Before they can leave though Worf is confronted by the local madam, but instead of her normal appearance, she is also now Data. Geordi gets it all fixed and the final scene Alexander asks Worf if he would do it again and Worf tells him Deadwood may need a sheriff again, and a deputy. And they fly off into the sunset.
Review: This is a pretty cheesy episode and normally I would be complaining here about the unreasonableness of the holodeck safety protocols failing, AGAIN, but come on wild west Data's are just cool.
7 out of 10
Saturday, October 24, 2015
TNG: Rascals
When I saw the name I thought this might be the one, but then the review image for the episode is just a fairly generic picture of the captain and some crew. But I was right the first time. This is the one. I am by no means going to suggest that this is the worst episode in all of Star Trek. It isn't even the worst episode of TNG. But it certainly is going to make any list of memorably bad episodes, and for good reason. Any time you have a Captain Picard centric episode and replace Patrick Stewart with a child you know it is going to be a bumpy ride. And then everyone insisting he can't possibly remain captain due to his condition that they all agree hasn't effected his mental capabilities? Really? They didn't do an awful job with the child version actors, but that is really only in comparison to how bad it could have been in theory rather than against some objective standard of good.
Rascals opens with the captain, Ro, Guinan and Keiko returning from a trip in a shuttle when there is some sort of problem and the shuttle explodes. Miles is able to get them out in time, but he notices a 40% reduction in mass. It turns out they are all children now. Only on body, they seem to have their normal intelligence. Picard returns to the bridge but the crew can't seem to take him seriously. Crusher tells him that just maybe he will have mental issues as a result so he needs to step down. He agrees to leave Riker in charge and returns to his quarters. Guinan keeps trying to convince Ro to enjoy her new found youth, but Ro just wants to pout. More seriously Keiko and Miles are having serious relationship issues with her being a little girl.
Things get worse when Klingon ships decloak and attack. Boarding parties appear across the ship, although we later learn it is a total of 6 or 7 Ferengi. They somehow manage to take over the ship but not before Riker can lock them out of the computer. For plot reasons all the adult crew other than Riker are removed but the children are left behind. Picard manages to get Riker to transfer command control to a computer in the classroom where they are being held and along with the actual children they manage to beam all but two Ferengi into a sealed transporter pad with their weapons turned off. Picard returns to the bridge and along with Riker they take out the remaining two Ferengi. In the end they figure out how to use the transporter to turn them the right age again.
Review: Not only is this episode pretty lame for having children versions of most of the main character, the overall plot is pretty dumb too. Also, really TNG, I thought you gave up on the Ferengi being serious enemies a while ago.
3 out of 10
Rascals opens with the captain, Ro, Guinan and Keiko returning from a trip in a shuttle when there is some sort of problem and the shuttle explodes. Miles is able to get them out in time, but he notices a 40% reduction in mass. It turns out they are all children now. Only on body, they seem to have their normal intelligence. Picard returns to the bridge but the crew can't seem to take him seriously. Crusher tells him that just maybe he will have mental issues as a result so he needs to step down. He agrees to leave Riker in charge and returns to his quarters. Guinan keeps trying to convince Ro to enjoy her new found youth, but Ro just wants to pout. More seriously Keiko and Miles are having serious relationship issues with her being a little girl.
Things get worse when Klingon ships decloak and attack. Boarding parties appear across the ship, although we later learn it is a total of 6 or 7 Ferengi. They somehow manage to take over the ship but not before Riker can lock them out of the computer. For plot reasons all the adult crew other than Riker are removed but the children are left behind. Picard manages to get Riker to transfer command control to a computer in the classroom where they are being held and along with the actual children they manage to beam all but two Ferengi into a sealed transporter pad with their weapons turned off. Picard returns to the bridge and along with Riker they take out the remaining two Ferengi. In the end they figure out how to use the transporter to turn them the right age again.
Review: Not only is this episode pretty lame for having children versions of most of the main character, the overall plot is pretty dumb too. Also, really TNG, I thought you gave up on the Ferengi being serious enemies a while ago.
3 out of 10
True Q
As much as I am into the convention of all Q related episodes having Q in their names (other than Encounter at Farpoint which is of course the pilot so whatever) in this case having Q in the title kinda gives away the twist. Probably the most annoying part to me is how Crusher especially, but most of the human crew seem to think she should be able to just go back to being a human. First of all, she is clearly a Q so she isn't human. Also, is it really reasonable to expect her to give up the opportunity to experience the universe in ways none of us can even imagine reasonable? At least the writers figured this out by the end and she does decide to remain what she is.
The episode opens with Picard and Riker greeting Amanda Rogers who has been awarded an internship on the Enterprise. The ship is on a mission to help a beleaguered planet and she is there to participate in the mission. Riker takes her to her quarters and as soon as he is gone puppies appear and she manages to get them to disappear. Amanda works with Dr. Crusher on some tricorders and they take them to the cargo bay. Riker is almost crushed by a falling container but Amanda saves him without anyone seeing her do it. (Side note, didn't Worf almost die from a similar accident last season? Why are their cargo bays such death traps?) When she goes to engineering the warp core suddenly starts going out of control and just as everyone is about to be killed she holds up her hands and stops it.
The senior staff meet to discuss the strange occurrence when Q appears. He explains he was testing her as her parents were in fact Q and he needs to determine if she is too. If she is he will take her back to the continuum which upsets Crusher a lot. Crusher then gets the job of telling Amanda this and she agrees to meet with Q so of course he appears immediately. He tries to drag her to the continuum but she resists and Picard convinces Q to give her some time. On his way through the corridors Q is asked by a disembodied voice how it is going and he says he may not have to kill her after all. Amanda has a hard time adjusting to the news but decides to keep working with Beverley on her experiments. She also starts meeting with Q to learn about her new found powers.
While she learns about her powers by among other things transporting Riker to their own private playground and making him fall in love with her, Picard is working to investigate what killed her parents. It turns out there was a mysterious tornado that appeared out of nowhere, killed them and then disappeared. Picard confronts Q who pretty much admits they were executed by the continuum. Picard tells Amanda the news and Q explains she has a choice, she can either agree to never use her powers again under penalty of death, or she can come with him and join the continuum. She says she wants to not use her powers but just then the bridge gets a call from Riker on the surface of the planet. He and Geordi are working on a reactor and it is out of control. They are about to be killed when Amanda saves the day. She tells them all she has decided to be a Q and go learn what that means.
Review: Having a consistent race of gods rather than a pantheon of the week scheme like it TOS really lets the writers explore what it means to be an immortal omnipotent being. Not the greatest episode, but it has its moments.
5 out of 10
The episode opens with Picard and Riker greeting Amanda Rogers who has been awarded an internship on the Enterprise. The ship is on a mission to help a beleaguered planet and she is there to participate in the mission. Riker takes her to her quarters and as soon as he is gone puppies appear and she manages to get them to disappear. Amanda works with Dr. Crusher on some tricorders and they take them to the cargo bay. Riker is almost crushed by a falling container but Amanda saves him without anyone seeing her do it. (Side note, didn't Worf almost die from a similar accident last season? Why are their cargo bays such death traps?) When she goes to engineering the warp core suddenly starts going out of control and just as everyone is about to be killed she holds up her hands and stops it.
The senior staff meet to discuss the strange occurrence when Q appears. He explains he was testing her as her parents were in fact Q and he needs to determine if she is too. If she is he will take her back to the continuum which upsets Crusher a lot. Crusher then gets the job of telling Amanda this and she agrees to meet with Q so of course he appears immediately. He tries to drag her to the continuum but she resists and Picard convinces Q to give her some time. On his way through the corridors Q is asked by a disembodied voice how it is going and he says he may not have to kill her after all. Amanda has a hard time adjusting to the news but decides to keep working with Beverley on her experiments. She also starts meeting with Q to learn about her new found powers.
While she learns about her powers by among other things transporting Riker to their own private playground and making him fall in love with her, Picard is working to investigate what killed her parents. It turns out there was a mysterious tornado that appeared out of nowhere, killed them and then disappeared. Picard confronts Q who pretty much admits they were executed by the continuum. Picard tells Amanda the news and Q explains she has a choice, she can either agree to never use her powers again under penalty of death, or she can come with him and join the continuum. She says she wants to not use her powers but just then the bridge gets a call from Riker on the surface of the planet. He and Geordi are working on a reactor and it is out of control. They are about to be killed when Amanda saves the day. She tells them all she has decided to be a Q and go learn what that means.
Review: Having a consistent race of gods rather than a pantheon of the week scheme like it TOS really lets the writers explore what it means to be an immortal omnipotent being. Not the greatest episode, but it has its moments.
5 out of 10
Thursday, October 22, 2015
TNG: Schisms
I remember being fairly scared by this episode, probably more than any other TNG episode. Even today the idea of being taken away in your sleep and experimented on is pretty terrifying. As a kid the scene that always bothered me is when Troi gets the abduction victims together in the holodeck to reconstruct their torture and they are able to reconstruct the exact room from pretty basic descriptions. However as an adult two things felt different to me, first of all the discrepancies between the actual experimentation room and the holodeck recreation are more glaring, and secondly with google the idea of finding exactly what you want from a few search terms seems a little less unreasonable.
The episode opens with Riker waking up looking particularly haggard. he makes it to engineering late for La Forge's briefing. The Enterprise has been assigned the job of mapping a huge globular cluster and it is going to take a long time. To try and speed things up Geordi rigs the warp engine to the deflector dish and manages to significantly increase their scanning power. Data makes sure everyone knows that today is also the day of his poetry reading. Sure the poetry ain't great, but Riker's sleeping problems cause him to fall asleep even more during the poetry than seems warranted. He stops by sickbay and Crusher tells him to have a warm drink before bed which isn't really all that helpful.
Down in engineering Geordi is working on implementing his plan when the alarms go off, there has been an explosion in a cargo bay with people inside! They all rush in but when they arrive everything is fine. It seems that way at least. Afterwards Riker asks Geordi to stop by and wake him up the next day. As soon as Riker's head hits the pillow Geordi is there. Worf seems to be having problems too, he freaks out when he sees the barbers scissors. In the cargo bay Data and Geordi are working when Geordi's visor cuts out so he goes to sick bay. When he returns an hour later Data doesn't believe him, to Data Geordi has only been gone a few seconds. Eventually Troi realizes a bunch of her patients have been having the same dream and brings them to the holodeck where they recreate the creepy scene of their torture.
Crusher confirms their fears, Riker's arm shows signs of having been removed and reattached. Picard asks if any crew are missing and the ship confirms two are. They raise shields but that has no effect. One of the crew returns suddenly and Crusher rushes to his quarters, but it is too late, his blood has been turned into a polymer. Geordi figures out a plan to send a tracking beacon through, but someone has to go with it. Riker agrees to do it and Crusher gives him something to keep the alien sedative from working. As soon as he closes his eyes a portal opens in his room and drags him through. The cloaked lizard like aliens are experimenting on Troi as Riker watches. La Forge manages to trace the tracker and sends off graviton pulses to try and shut the portal. It starts working and Riker sees Data through the portal. He grabs Troi and runs out just as the portal closes behind him and leaves the ship.
Review: This episode still manages to be really creepy and worked better than I remembered. Not sure if the aliens were supposed to have abducted and sedated Data, but whatever, it was still creepy.
7 out of 10
The episode opens with Riker waking up looking particularly haggard. he makes it to engineering late for La Forge's briefing. The Enterprise has been assigned the job of mapping a huge globular cluster and it is going to take a long time. To try and speed things up Geordi rigs the warp engine to the deflector dish and manages to significantly increase their scanning power. Data makes sure everyone knows that today is also the day of his poetry reading. Sure the poetry ain't great, but Riker's sleeping problems cause him to fall asleep even more during the poetry than seems warranted. He stops by sickbay and Crusher tells him to have a warm drink before bed which isn't really all that helpful.
Down in engineering Geordi is working on implementing his plan when the alarms go off, there has been an explosion in a cargo bay with people inside! They all rush in but when they arrive everything is fine. It seems that way at least. Afterwards Riker asks Geordi to stop by and wake him up the next day. As soon as Riker's head hits the pillow Geordi is there. Worf seems to be having problems too, he freaks out when he sees the barbers scissors. In the cargo bay Data and Geordi are working when Geordi's visor cuts out so he goes to sick bay. When he returns an hour later Data doesn't believe him, to Data Geordi has only been gone a few seconds. Eventually Troi realizes a bunch of her patients have been having the same dream and brings them to the holodeck where they recreate the creepy scene of their torture.
Crusher confirms their fears, Riker's arm shows signs of having been removed and reattached. Picard asks if any crew are missing and the ship confirms two are. They raise shields but that has no effect. One of the crew returns suddenly and Crusher rushes to his quarters, but it is too late, his blood has been turned into a polymer. Geordi figures out a plan to send a tracking beacon through, but someone has to go with it. Riker agrees to do it and Crusher gives him something to keep the alien sedative from working. As soon as he closes his eyes a portal opens in his room and drags him through. The cloaked lizard like aliens are experimenting on Troi as Riker watches. La Forge manages to trace the tracker and sends off graviton pulses to try and shut the portal. It starts working and Riker sees Data through the portal. He grabs Troi and runs out just as the portal closes behind him and leaves the ship.
Review: This episode still manages to be really creepy and worked better than I remembered. Not sure if the aliens were supposed to have abducted and sedated Data, but whatever, it was still creepy.
7 out of 10
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
TNG: Relics
Relics isn't a bad episode at all, but it is one with some issues. I know they like to have a story arc so by having Geordi be annoyed with Scotty for the first half of the episode it gives him somewhere to go in the second half. But whenever writers set out to make a character annoying, they often succeed. That said, I do really like the overall theme of the episode and for one so clearly written around a guest star it works rather well. Not at all surprising, especially if you have read my other reviews, my favorite scene is actually the one with Picard and Scotty having a few drinks on the bridge of the old Enterprise.
We begin with the Enterprise detecting the distress signal from a Federation vessel lost 70 years ago. They stop to investigate and find the signal is coming from an amazingly huge sphere that for some reason they couldn't detect until now. Something about it having too much gravity of their gravity sensors to detect. Picard correctly guesses that the object is a Dyson sphere, a shell build to entirely surround a star providing both a nearly limitless source of energy and also an incredibly huge living space on the inner surface. Riker, Worf and Geordi beam over find the old ship still running at a very basic level. Life support is working, and so is the transporter, and not only that, there is someone trapped inside it! Geordi energizes the system and Scotty appears with his arm in a sling.
Back on the D Scotty has a hard time fitting in. He insists on letting himself into engineering, but his knowledge of modern systems leaves a lot to be desired, he even accidentally turns the engines off. Moving on he runs into Data in Ten Forward and gets the android to find him some real alcohol which he takes to the holodeck. He recreates the bridge of his Enterprise and hangs out drinking until Picard shows up. The two spend a while reminiscing about their earlier ships and generally having a good time. The next day Picard asks Geordi to work with Scotty to recover the data from the old ship and the two beam over. Meanwhile the Enterprise investigates the Dyson sphere and accidentally manages to get dragged inside. The tractor beams are so forceful that they knock out the engines leaving the Enterprise to drift dangerously close to the star inside.
Back on the old ship Geordi is starting to see that even though they do things differently Scotty really is a brilliant engineer. When they realize the Enterprise is gone they manage to get the ship running again and trace the Enterprise to the huge door. They back off before signalling to open the door and manage to avoid the tractor beams and wedge the ship in the door giving time for the Enterprise to buzz through to safety. To thank him Picard gives Scotty one of their shuttles (one of the reasonable sized ones too!).
Review: Given how much has changed between TOS and TNG it isn't surprising that this episode has a few rough patches, but overall I really enjoyed getting to see Scotty back at work.
6 out of 10
We begin with the Enterprise detecting the distress signal from a Federation vessel lost 70 years ago. They stop to investigate and find the signal is coming from an amazingly huge sphere that for some reason they couldn't detect until now. Something about it having too much gravity of their gravity sensors to detect. Picard correctly guesses that the object is a Dyson sphere, a shell build to entirely surround a star providing both a nearly limitless source of energy and also an incredibly huge living space on the inner surface. Riker, Worf and Geordi beam over find the old ship still running at a very basic level. Life support is working, and so is the transporter, and not only that, there is someone trapped inside it! Geordi energizes the system and Scotty appears with his arm in a sling.
Back on the D Scotty has a hard time fitting in. He insists on letting himself into engineering, but his knowledge of modern systems leaves a lot to be desired, he even accidentally turns the engines off. Moving on he runs into Data in Ten Forward and gets the android to find him some real alcohol which he takes to the holodeck. He recreates the bridge of his Enterprise and hangs out drinking until Picard shows up. The two spend a while reminiscing about their earlier ships and generally having a good time. The next day Picard asks Geordi to work with Scotty to recover the data from the old ship and the two beam over. Meanwhile the Enterprise investigates the Dyson sphere and accidentally manages to get dragged inside. The tractor beams are so forceful that they knock out the engines leaving the Enterprise to drift dangerously close to the star inside.
Back on the old ship Geordi is starting to see that even though they do things differently Scotty really is a brilliant engineer. When they realize the Enterprise is gone they manage to get the ship running again and trace the Enterprise to the huge door. They back off before signalling to open the door and manage to avoid the tractor beams and wedge the ship in the door giving time for the Enterprise to buzz through to safety. To thank him Picard gives Scotty one of their shuttles (one of the reasonable sized ones too!).
Review: Given how much has changed between TOS and TNG it isn't surprising that this episode has a few rough patches, but overall I really enjoyed getting to see Scotty back at work.
6 out of 10
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
TNG: Man of the People
Ugh, a psychic vampire episode. Also, WTF, when Troi's neurotransmitter levels dropped her hair turned young again too? This episode is the opposite of Where Silence has Lease in that the negotiator depends on others, but this time in very evil way. Also, would lacking emotions really make you a better negotiator? I guess you might be more patient, but I am not sure what else he would get from it. Side note: when googling this episode it is the first one to ever not autocomplete, I guess google doesn't like it much either.
The episode opens with the Enterprise rushing to assist a transport ship that has been attacked. The ship is fine but the captain requests that the Enterprise take on board a negotiator and his mother they were transporting. Picard agrees and meets them in the transporter room with Troi. The negotiators mother screams at Troi when she arrives and is taken to quarters while Deanna gives Alkar a tour of the ship. Troi starts falling for him immediately, she finds his serene mind very attractive and soon they are doing Klingon yoga together. When Alkar returns to his quarters his mother again verbally assaults Troi. Back in her quarters Deanna is doing staff evaluations with Riker when he is called to Alkar's quarters, his mother is dead.
Alkar asks Deanna to perform a funeral meditation with him and she agrees. It involves touching glowing rocks together and when it is done something seems wrong with Troi. Dr. Crusher is annoyed that Alkar won't let her perform an autopsy on his mother but Picard agrees to follow Alkar's customs. Troi starts losing it, telling her counselling patients to shut up, picking up random ensigns in the hallway, and dressing in very revealing outfits. They arrive at the planet Alkar is supposed to negotiate with and he prepares to beam down, but Troi shows up looking older than normal and screams that he has to take her with him. She then pulls a knife and stabs Picard in the shoulder when he tries to stop her.
Troi gets taken to sick bay and Picard finally agrees to the mother autopsy. But as is kinda obvious she isn't his mother, she is another of his victims. Picard tries to get Alkar to beam to the ship but he has guards pull guns on Worf and the captain so they leave. They fake Troi's death and he finally comes aboard. In his quarters he tries to do the glowing rock thing with his aide but for some reason freaks out and dies.
Reviews: Not a great episode. I mentioned some of the problems with the sciency stuff at the top, but the whole tone of the episode seems kinda off.
3 out of 10
The episode opens with the Enterprise rushing to assist a transport ship that has been attacked. The ship is fine but the captain requests that the Enterprise take on board a negotiator and his mother they were transporting. Picard agrees and meets them in the transporter room with Troi. The negotiators mother screams at Troi when she arrives and is taken to quarters while Deanna gives Alkar a tour of the ship. Troi starts falling for him immediately, she finds his serene mind very attractive and soon they are doing Klingon yoga together. When Alkar returns to his quarters his mother again verbally assaults Troi. Back in her quarters Deanna is doing staff evaluations with Riker when he is called to Alkar's quarters, his mother is dead.
Alkar asks Deanna to perform a funeral meditation with him and she agrees. It involves touching glowing rocks together and when it is done something seems wrong with Troi. Dr. Crusher is annoyed that Alkar won't let her perform an autopsy on his mother but Picard agrees to follow Alkar's customs. Troi starts losing it, telling her counselling patients to shut up, picking up random ensigns in the hallway, and dressing in very revealing outfits. They arrive at the planet Alkar is supposed to negotiate with and he prepares to beam down, but Troi shows up looking older than normal and screams that he has to take her with him. She then pulls a knife and stabs Picard in the shoulder when he tries to stop her.
Troi gets taken to sick bay and Picard finally agrees to the mother autopsy. But as is kinda obvious she isn't his mother, she is another of his victims. Picard tries to get Alkar to beam to the ship but he has guards pull guns on Worf and the captain so they leave. They fake Troi's death and he finally comes aboard. In his quarters he tries to do the glowing rock thing with his aide but for some reason freaks out and dies.
Reviews: Not a great episode. I mentioned some of the problems with the sciency stuff at the top, but the whole tone of the episode seems kinda off.
3 out of 10
Monday, October 19, 2015
TNG: Realm of Fear
I always have really mixed feelings about Barclaycentric episodes. I suffer from anxiety attacks to there are many ways in which I can empathize with him, but I am also constantly left wondering how the hell he made it through the academy. This episode in particular points out many of the ways he isn't exactly a functional member of the crew, I mean seriously, he is never used a transporter? I guess being an engineer he isn't usually sent on away teams and presumably he doesn't go on shore leave very often, but man, that seems like it would have been an issue before somewhere down the line. Also, I kinda suspect you only get to wake the senior staff for an emergency middle of the night meeting a few times.
The episode opens with the Enterprise discovering the science vessel Yosemite stuck in a plasma stream between two stars (they keep calling it a plasma streamer but that sounds like some sort of party decoration to me). There is too much interference to tractor the ship out or to take a shuttle craft over. Picard calls Geordi for options and Barclay points out that by linking the two transporter systems together it should be possible to get over safely. He immediately regrets his decision when Geordi asks him to join the away team. O'Brien warns them it may be a bit of a rough ride over which terrifies Barclay. When it is his turn to beam over he runs off the pad and straight to Troi's office. On the Yosemite they find the crew missing other than one dead man and signs of an explosion on the transporter pad. There are also pieces of a containment vessel all over the area near the pad. Barclay manages to calm down enough to beam over.
When they finish up and it is time to beam back Barclay is again hesitant and when he is almost back he sees some sort of creature in the beam with him. He raises his arm and it makes contact with his left arm just as he materializes. Barclay talks to Geordi and along with O'Brien then rip the transporter apart looking for problems, but it appears to be fine. Data and Geordi work on a plan to replicate the experiments on the Yosemite and when they beam some plasma into engineering and start scanning the container explodes for no apparent reason. Meanwhile Barclay is in full freak out mode. His arm has started glowing where the worm thing touched him be he has decided it is transporter psychosis and doesn't tell anybody. Well, that isn't quite true, he wakes O'Brien up in the middle of the night and gets him to beam him over to the Yosemite and back again and this time he is sure he is seeing the worm creatures so he has O'Brien wake the senior staff.
At the meeting no one seems to believe him, but they all agree to investigate further and when Beverley gets him to sick bay she does find strange ionization in his arm. Further scans show some sort of matter/energy creatures have ended up inside him. The only solution of course is to put him back in the transporter to reprogram the biofilters. It is an extended stay and just before they lose his signal Barclay sees the worm things again and for some reason grabs one. When he re-materializes he has one of the lost crew members in his arms. Worf and two security personnel go through and get the three other missing crew back. The final scene is Barclay and O'Brien hanging out in Ten Forward and Miles leaves Barclay to hang out with his pet tarantula.
Review: As a kid I always thought the transporters were hella cool and this episode showed a side of them never seen before. I can't help but think that the this inspired the writing of Relics which I also remember fondly, but we shall see if it holds up. Barclay manages to be fairly annoying, but at least he isn't crazy this time.
6 out of 10
The episode opens with the Enterprise discovering the science vessel Yosemite stuck in a plasma stream between two stars (they keep calling it a plasma streamer but that sounds like some sort of party decoration to me). There is too much interference to tractor the ship out or to take a shuttle craft over. Picard calls Geordi for options and Barclay points out that by linking the two transporter systems together it should be possible to get over safely. He immediately regrets his decision when Geordi asks him to join the away team. O'Brien warns them it may be a bit of a rough ride over which terrifies Barclay. When it is his turn to beam over he runs off the pad and straight to Troi's office. On the Yosemite they find the crew missing other than one dead man and signs of an explosion on the transporter pad. There are also pieces of a containment vessel all over the area near the pad. Barclay manages to calm down enough to beam over.
When they finish up and it is time to beam back Barclay is again hesitant and when he is almost back he sees some sort of creature in the beam with him. He raises his arm and it makes contact with his left arm just as he materializes. Barclay talks to Geordi and along with O'Brien then rip the transporter apart looking for problems, but it appears to be fine. Data and Geordi work on a plan to replicate the experiments on the Yosemite and when they beam some plasma into engineering and start scanning the container explodes for no apparent reason. Meanwhile Barclay is in full freak out mode. His arm has started glowing where the worm thing touched him be he has decided it is transporter psychosis and doesn't tell anybody. Well, that isn't quite true, he wakes O'Brien up in the middle of the night and gets him to beam him over to the Yosemite and back again and this time he is sure he is seeing the worm creatures so he has O'Brien wake the senior staff.
At the meeting no one seems to believe him, but they all agree to investigate further and when Beverley gets him to sick bay she does find strange ionization in his arm. Further scans show some sort of matter/energy creatures have ended up inside him. The only solution of course is to put him back in the transporter to reprogram the biofilters. It is an extended stay and just before they lose his signal Barclay sees the worm things again and for some reason grabs one. When he re-materializes he has one of the lost crew members in his arms. Worf and two security personnel go through and get the three other missing crew back. The final scene is Barclay and O'Brien hanging out in Ten Forward and Miles leaves Barclay to hang out with his pet tarantula.
Review: As a kid I always thought the transporters were hella cool and this episode showed a side of them never seen before. I can't help but think that the this inspired the writing of Relics which I also remember fondly, but we shall see if it holds up. Barclay manages to be fairly annoying, but at least he isn't crazy this time.
6 out of 10
Sunday, October 18, 2015
TNG: Time's Arrow, Part II
I guess it is just always easier to write a crazy cliffhanger than to actually resolve things in a way that is as good. At least this time Part II is a worthy successor to the first half. However by skipping over the arrival of the rest of the crew to the past and how they managed to get themselves so well set up feels a little bit like cheating us out of the best part. How did Riker get himself a police uniform? Who knows! How did Beverley get a job working as a nurse? You figure it out! I realize there isn't really time for all that, but it still makes the second half feel a little bit inferior to the first.
We begin with Mark Twain (I know, he is says he is really Samuel Clemens, but lets be honest, they are going full Twain) walking down the street talking to a reporter about the alleged time travelers invading the present. He starts following Data as he emerges from the hotel he is staying at as the two disguised aliens with the snake cane walk by. Cut to Riker and Dr. Crusher examining victims of the cholera epidemic which Beverley seems to think was no big deal really. She does find a victim whose body has been totally drained of life energy or something. Then we get a bit about the crew staying in a rented apartment and being pestered to pay the rent. Back at the hotel the bell boy has let Twain into Data's room for a small bribe and Twain pokes around and picks up a part of the machine Data is building, then he rushes to the closet when he hears Data approaching.
Data and Guinan enter the room and discuss that the mine Data needs into is on a military base, but Data tells Guinan he has faith in her powers to convince people. After some more discussions Twain sneezes from the closet and tries to get Data to admit he is from the future, but of course he won't. Meanwhile Crusher is working as a nurse at a hospital apparently and when the doctor leaves her in charge the rest of the crew come out of the woodwork. The two aliens show up and Riker tries to shoot them with a phaser but they disappear and the police arrive and notice that Riker isn't actually one of them. Riker punches the cop in the jaw and they all flee just in time for Data to pick them up driving a carriage having detected the aliens time shifting. They mess around in the crews apartment a bit more but eventually make their way to the mine under the Presidio.
In the mine Geordi discovers that the mine/cave (they switch what they call it a few times, but it has stairs and stuff which makes me think mine) but suddenly Twain arrives, armed! The two aliens arrive and grab the snake cane from Data but he grabs it back and it turns on and blasts his head clear of his body and his body disappears. A time rift opens and everybody but Guinan who is hurt and the captain rush through, including Twain! One of the aliens also remains behind after the rift closes and laughs at Picard when he says they are going to blow up the aliens in the future, it will only destroy earth in the past! In the future (the shows present) Troi is assigned to Twain and quickly convinces him how amazing and perfect the future is without much effort. Geordi sets to work getting Data operational using the head they found in the cavemine but something isn't working. In the past Picard does something to Data's head and evidently leaves a piece of iron behind which Geordi finds in the future. Data reawakens and tells them to not fire the torpedoes at the planet just in time. They manage to get the rift open again, but only one person can go back and one forward to Twain volunteers and manages to get Picard through just before the planets surface is struck by torpedoes from the Enterprise.
Review: Not as great as the first part, but still a solid conclusion to the various mysteries created. Maybe a little less of Twain and the landlord lady and a bit more of the crew and this one would have been even better.
7 out of 10
We begin with Mark Twain (I know, he is says he is really Samuel Clemens, but lets be honest, they are going full Twain) walking down the street talking to a reporter about the alleged time travelers invading the present. He starts following Data as he emerges from the hotel he is staying at as the two disguised aliens with the snake cane walk by. Cut to Riker and Dr. Crusher examining victims of the cholera epidemic which Beverley seems to think was no big deal really. She does find a victim whose body has been totally drained of life energy or something. Then we get a bit about the crew staying in a rented apartment and being pestered to pay the rent. Back at the hotel the bell boy has let Twain into Data's room for a small bribe and Twain pokes around and picks up a part of the machine Data is building, then he rushes to the closet when he hears Data approaching.
Data and Guinan enter the room and discuss that the mine Data needs into is on a military base, but Data tells Guinan he has faith in her powers to convince people. After some more discussions Twain sneezes from the closet and tries to get Data to admit he is from the future, but of course he won't. Meanwhile Crusher is working as a nurse at a hospital apparently and when the doctor leaves her in charge the rest of the crew come out of the woodwork. The two aliens show up and Riker tries to shoot them with a phaser but they disappear and the police arrive and notice that Riker isn't actually one of them. Riker punches the cop in the jaw and they all flee just in time for Data to pick them up driving a carriage having detected the aliens time shifting. They mess around in the crews apartment a bit more but eventually make their way to the mine under the Presidio.
In the mine Geordi discovers that the mine/cave (they switch what they call it a few times, but it has stairs and stuff which makes me think mine) but suddenly Twain arrives, armed! The two aliens arrive and grab the snake cane from Data but he grabs it back and it turns on and blasts his head clear of his body and his body disappears. A time rift opens and everybody but Guinan who is hurt and the captain rush through, including Twain! One of the aliens also remains behind after the rift closes and laughs at Picard when he says they are going to blow up the aliens in the future, it will only destroy earth in the past! In the future (the shows present) Troi is assigned to Twain and quickly convinces him how amazing and perfect the future is without much effort. Geordi sets to work getting Data operational using the head they found in the cavemine but something isn't working. In the past Picard does something to Data's head and evidently leaves a piece of iron behind which Geordi finds in the future. Data reawakens and tells them to not fire the torpedoes at the planet just in time. They manage to get the rift open again, but only one person can go back and one forward to Twain volunteers and manages to get Picard through just before the planets surface is struck by torpedoes from the Enterprise.
Review: Not as great as the first part, but still a solid conclusion to the various mysteries created. Maybe a little less of Twain and the landlord lady and a bit more of the crew and this one would have been even better.
7 out of 10
Saturday, October 17, 2015
TNG: Time's Arrow
Season 5 really knows how to end on a strong note. Wrapping a string of four strong episodes with a time travel adventure is always a good thing. For whatever reason I remember being kinda disappointed by this one as a kid, but I have no idea why. Well, I guess maybe part 2 isn't as good as the first one, but I will leave that problem for tomorrow night. Time's Arrow starts off great right out of the gate with the discovery of Data's head buried for centuries under San Francisco and then seeing him find himself in the past where he will presumably die and deciding to tell everyone he is, "a Frenchman," to put them at ease is just amazing. Then having Guinan hanging out with Mark Twain. I really hope part 2 is better than I remember too.
The episode opens with the discovery of a cave under San Francisco with signatures of an energy only ever used by a few rare species of aliens implying they were on Earth about five centuries early. But also in the cave is Data's head. The rest of the crew take this really hard, but Data thinks it is great. It means that he is mortal like his friends and he finds that comforting while they all find it upsetting. The trace the energy signature to a planet a few star systems away and beam to the surface, but not Data. Troi detects life human life forms, but Geordi figures out they are out of sync with time by just a little bit. They need some sort of very specific equipment that the Enterprise lacks, but Data has in his head to alter their own time enough to interact. Picard approves Data beaming down and he manages to see the lifeforms, but they aren't human. Two more aliens appear to him, with a snake, and then his voice breaks up and they lose him.
Data finds himself in San Francisco in 1893. He asks about the entities with the snake of some passersby and is laughed at for being French. He runs into a homeless miner but is unable to give him any money. He finds his way to a hotel and at first his lack of money is a problem, but he learns about a poker game and talks his way in. After cleaning out all the other players he moves into a hotel room and gets the bellhop the help him get what he needs for some sort of crazy piece of equipment. Back on the Enterprise Guinan learns of the mission and talks to the captain. She tells him that it is vitally important that he participate in the mission to rescue Data. She doesn't tell him why, but he agrees.
Back in the past Data learns Guinan is there and barges into a reception she is attending with Mark Twain. She doesn't recognize him, but agrees to talk when he mentions being on a starship with her. Privately she ask him what he is and isn't surprised when he says he is an android. She then asks if her father sent him, but he explains he is from the future and assumed she was too. Suddenly some cigar smoke blows in and Mark Twain appears, he has heard everything. Back in the future Picard leads an away team to try and rescue Data. Geordi has made one of the things that only Data had in his head and they also see the aliens. Troi figures out they are feeding on life energy taken from humans in terror. A rift opens and two aliens show up with a snake and a bottle full of suffering. They go back through the rift and the away team follows, TO... BE... CONTINUED!!!
Review: It is always hard reviewing the first half of a two part story, but this one seems like it has been planned well enough to have a cool ending. I admit I don't actually recall how they resolve all this, but as I said in the opening I recall being disappointed. But this isn't about what I remember from the first time watching so I am going to have to go with having really enjoyed watching this one.
8 out of 10
The episode opens with the discovery of a cave under San Francisco with signatures of an energy only ever used by a few rare species of aliens implying they were on Earth about five centuries early. But also in the cave is Data's head. The rest of the crew take this really hard, but Data thinks it is great. It means that he is mortal like his friends and he finds that comforting while they all find it upsetting. The trace the energy signature to a planet a few star systems away and beam to the surface, but not Data. Troi detects life human life forms, but Geordi figures out they are out of sync with time by just a little bit. They need some sort of very specific equipment that the Enterprise lacks, but Data has in his head to alter their own time enough to interact. Picard approves Data beaming down and he manages to see the lifeforms, but they aren't human. Two more aliens appear to him, with a snake, and then his voice breaks up and they lose him.
Data finds himself in San Francisco in 1893. He asks about the entities with the snake of some passersby and is laughed at for being French. He runs into a homeless miner but is unable to give him any money. He finds his way to a hotel and at first his lack of money is a problem, but he learns about a poker game and talks his way in. After cleaning out all the other players he moves into a hotel room and gets the bellhop the help him get what he needs for some sort of crazy piece of equipment. Back on the Enterprise Guinan learns of the mission and talks to the captain. She tells him that it is vitally important that he participate in the mission to rescue Data. She doesn't tell him why, but he agrees.
Back in the past Data learns Guinan is there and barges into a reception she is attending with Mark Twain. She doesn't recognize him, but agrees to talk when he mentions being on a starship with her. Privately she ask him what he is and isn't surprised when he says he is an android. She then asks if her father sent him, but he explains he is from the future and assumed she was too. Suddenly some cigar smoke blows in and Mark Twain appears, he has heard everything. Back in the future Picard leads an away team to try and rescue Data. Geordi has made one of the things that only Data had in his head and they also see the aliens. Troi figures out they are feeding on life energy taken from humans in terror. A rift opens and two aliens show up with a snake and a bottle full of suffering. They go back through the rift and the away team follows, TO... BE... CONTINUED!!!
Review: It is always hard reviewing the first half of a two part story, but this one seems like it has been planned well enough to have a cool ending. I admit I don't actually recall how they resolve all this, but as I said in the opening I recall being disappointed. But this isn't about what I remember from the first time watching so I am going to have to go with having really enjoyed watching this one.
8 out of 10
Friday, October 16, 2015
TNG: The Inner Light
It would be hard to pick between this and Darmok as my favorite TNG episode. Both episodes are about how Picard deals with challenges and in both cases he proves well suited to the job. They are also both pretty serious scifi which helps put them at the top of my TNG pedestal. The Inner Light despite not really featuring much of the normal cast other than Picard manages to make me feel incredibly strongly. The idea of sending out the memories of a community to live on in another person a thousand years after your culture is destroyed is a really cool concept.
The episode opens with the Enterprise encountering a probe of unknown origins. It activates and Picard falls to the ground and wakes up in a strange womans arms. She tell him he is her husband and that he has had a fever for days. He gets up asking all sorts of questions about where he is. She tells him his name is Kamin but he runs off before they can discuss much more. He runs into a councilman named Batai planting a tree to show the communities strength despite the drought. After the speech Picard confronts the man who says he is Kamin's friend. Picard figures out that he is in a community on the relatively primitive planet Kataan. Back on the Enterprise Dr. Crusher is called to the bridge. The probe is sending a beam of some sort into Picards brain and he is in some sort of coma. Crusher tells Riker not to damage the probe since it might hurt the captain.
Back on Kataan it has been five years and Kamin still has strong memories of being Picard and is driven to study the stars, but he has also started trying to figure out what is going on with the drought which has only worsened. Working with his friend Batai Kamin presents a plan to build atmospheric condensers to generate more water to the local administrator, but even though he says he will think about it, Kamin figures correctly that he won't. Batai and Kamin go back to Kamin's house for dinner and afterwards hang out on the porch while Kamin plays his flute. Eline, Kamin's wife, comes out and sends Batai home. Kamin apologizes for not being a good husband the past five years and asks her to have children with him.
On the Enterprise Data has come up with a plan to cut off the beam but Crusher advises against it. Back on Kataan Kamin and Eline are hosting the naming ceremony for their second child. Kamin collapses as Data cuts off the beam but his body also starts failing and they rush to get it back on again. On Kataan it is now at least 10 years later and Kamin is working in the garden with his now adult daughter. She has discovered that all bacterial life in the soil is dying on their planet. On the Enterprise La Forge has trace the probe to a star system that was destroyed by a super nova over a thousand years ago. Kamin is now many years older and working on his telescope when Eline comes in and tells him their son has something to say. His now adult son has decided to become a full time musician and instead of being agree Kamin tells him he will think about it. The next day he goes to the administrator with the conclusion that the sun is going to explode, but the administrator already knows, but there is nothing they can do other than a secret plan.
Just then Kamin's son rushes in, his mother is dying. Kamin runs to her side and she dies in his arms. It is many years later and Kamin is playing with his grandson when his daughter comes in. They need to go to watch the launch. Kamin is confused, he doesn't know of any launch. When he goes to the plaza he is greeted by his now long dead friend Batai. He explains that Kamin does know about the launch, it is the probe the we saw at the beginning of the episode. Fade to white and Picard wakes up on the Enterprise. It has been many years since he has been there to him, but only 25 minutes for everyone else. The probe shuts down and he goes with Beverley to sickbay. In the final scene Picard is looking around his quarters like a long lost memory. Riker comes in, the probe isn't working any more, but inside they found something, Kamin's flute. Riker leaves and Picard/Kamin starts playing.
Review: I said most of what I needed to at the beginning. I have always considered Darmok my number one episode, but damn I may have to reconsider.
10 out of 10
The episode opens with the Enterprise encountering a probe of unknown origins. It activates and Picard falls to the ground and wakes up in a strange womans arms. She tell him he is her husband and that he has had a fever for days. He gets up asking all sorts of questions about where he is. She tells him his name is Kamin but he runs off before they can discuss much more. He runs into a councilman named Batai planting a tree to show the communities strength despite the drought. After the speech Picard confronts the man who says he is Kamin's friend. Picard figures out that he is in a community on the relatively primitive planet Kataan. Back on the Enterprise Dr. Crusher is called to the bridge. The probe is sending a beam of some sort into Picards brain and he is in some sort of coma. Crusher tells Riker not to damage the probe since it might hurt the captain.
Back on Kataan it has been five years and Kamin still has strong memories of being Picard and is driven to study the stars, but he has also started trying to figure out what is going on with the drought which has only worsened. Working with his friend Batai Kamin presents a plan to build atmospheric condensers to generate more water to the local administrator, but even though he says he will think about it, Kamin figures correctly that he won't. Batai and Kamin go back to Kamin's house for dinner and afterwards hang out on the porch while Kamin plays his flute. Eline, Kamin's wife, comes out and sends Batai home. Kamin apologizes for not being a good husband the past five years and asks her to have children with him.
On the Enterprise Data has come up with a plan to cut off the beam but Crusher advises against it. Back on Kataan Kamin and Eline are hosting the naming ceremony for their second child. Kamin collapses as Data cuts off the beam but his body also starts failing and they rush to get it back on again. On Kataan it is now at least 10 years later and Kamin is working in the garden with his now adult daughter. She has discovered that all bacterial life in the soil is dying on their planet. On the Enterprise La Forge has trace the probe to a star system that was destroyed by a super nova over a thousand years ago. Kamin is now many years older and working on his telescope when Eline comes in and tells him their son has something to say. His now adult son has decided to become a full time musician and instead of being agree Kamin tells him he will think about it. The next day he goes to the administrator with the conclusion that the sun is going to explode, but the administrator already knows, but there is nothing they can do other than a secret plan.
Just then Kamin's son rushes in, his mother is dying. Kamin runs to her side and she dies in his arms. It is many years later and Kamin is playing with his grandson when his daughter comes in. They need to go to watch the launch. Kamin is confused, he doesn't know of any launch. When he goes to the plaza he is greeted by his now long dead friend Batai. He explains that Kamin does know about the launch, it is the probe the we saw at the beginning of the episode. Fade to white and Picard wakes up on the Enterprise. It has been many years since he has been there to him, but only 25 minutes for everyone else. The probe shuts down and he goes with Beverley to sickbay. In the final scene Picard is looking around his quarters like a long lost memory. Riker comes in, the probe isn't working any more, but inside they found something, Kamin's flute. Riker leaves and Picard/Kamin starts playing.
Review: I said most of what I needed to at the beginning. I have always considered Darmok my number one episode, but damn I may have to reconsider.
10 out of 10
Thursday, October 15, 2015
TNG: The Next Phase
What's not to love about this episode? The Enterprise saving some scheming Romulans, check! Hilarious hijinks running through parts of the ship while invisible and able to pass through walls, check! A great fight scene ended with a scheming Romulan being thrown through and wall directly into deep space, check! And to cap it all off a lot of touching scenes with people talking about how Geordi changed their lives. There is even a running gag about Ensign Ro wanting to know what it is Riker will say about her at her memorial. This is one of the best TNG episodes that isn't super dark.
The episode opens with the Enterprise rushing to rescue a crippled Romulan ship. Riker leads an away team over to help and they find that the core is going to explode if they can't get some important parts. Ro and Geordi prepare to beam over with the equipment, but something goes wrong and they are both lost. Data and Riker have to rush to manually eject the core and do so just before the ship explodes. Back on the Enterprise Ro wakes up in a corridor outside sickbay, but when she goes in everybody ignore her. Picard shows up and she hears him and Dr. Crusher discuss Ro and Geordi's death. Then he walks right through her. Data starts investigating but also asks the captain if he can plan a memorial service for Geordi, Picard agrees.
Ro runs into Geordi after some wander, he awoke in the arboretum with the same problem. They start working on a plan. Geordi keeps an eye on Data's investigation and discovers that the solution may be on the Romulan ship so he and Ro sneak onto a shuttle. On the Romulan ship they learn the scheming Romulans are scheming! Who would have ever thought that of the least trustworthy race in the universe? They have done something to the beam of energy from the Enterprise that is keeping them all alive that will destroy the Enterprise if they try to go to warp. Back on the Enterprise Ro and Geordi split up with Ro headed to the bridge and Geordi staying with Data in engineering. Geordi figures out that he and Ro are leaving trails of chronotons where ever they go that Data is detecting and that the radiation used to purge the chronotons will bring them back into phase with reality.
Meanwhile Ro runs into a Romulan on the Enterprise that has the same problem as them. They have one of the most hilarious scenes in all of TNG as they run through various quarters as he tries to chase her down. Geordi shows up just in time to kick the Romulan into deep space and recover is phaser. Data detects the firing of the phaser due to huge chronoton emissions so Geordi realizes it may be a solution. They head to Ten Forward where their memorial service is happening, quite a party it turns out. Ro runs around shooting everything with the phased phaser, but the radiation purge isn't quite enough so they overload it and briefly appear right in front of Picard and Data. Data figures it out and gets them back just in time for Geordi to keep the ship from going to warp and killing them all.
Review: My summary doesn't do any justice to this truly amazing episode. Season 5 has quite great run at the end, which is good because the first two thirds left something to be desired.
9 out of 10
The episode opens with the Enterprise rushing to rescue a crippled Romulan ship. Riker leads an away team over to help and they find that the core is going to explode if they can't get some important parts. Ro and Geordi prepare to beam over with the equipment, but something goes wrong and they are both lost. Data and Riker have to rush to manually eject the core and do so just before the ship explodes. Back on the Enterprise Ro wakes up in a corridor outside sickbay, but when she goes in everybody ignore her. Picard shows up and she hears him and Dr. Crusher discuss Ro and Geordi's death. Then he walks right through her. Data starts investigating but also asks the captain if he can plan a memorial service for Geordi, Picard agrees.
Ro runs into Geordi after some wander, he awoke in the arboretum with the same problem. They start working on a plan. Geordi keeps an eye on Data's investigation and discovers that the solution may be on the Romulan ship so he and Ro sneak onto a shuttle. On the Romulan ship they learn the scheming Romulans are scheming! Who would have ever thought that of the least trustworthy race in the universe? They have done something to the beam of energy from the Enterprise that is keeping them all alive that will destroy the Enterprise if they try to go to warp. Back on the Enterprise Ro and Geordi split up with Ro headed to the bridge and Geordi staying with Data in engineering. Geordi figures out that he and Ro are leaving trails of chronotons where ever they go that Data is detecting and that the radiation used to purge the chronotons will bring them back into phase with reality.
Meanwhile Ro runs into a Romulan on the Enterprise that has the same problem as them. They have one of the most hilarious scenes in all of TNG as they run through various quarters as he tries to chase her down. Geordi shows up just in time to kick the Romulan into deep space and recover is phaser. Data detects the firing of the phaser due to huge chronoton emissions so Geordi realizes it may be a solution. They head to Ten Forward where their memorial service is happening, quite a party it turns out. Ro runs around shooting everything with the phased phaser, but the radiation purge isn't quite enough so they overload it and briefly appear right in front of Picard and Data. Data figures it out and gets them back just in time for Geordi to keep the ship from going to warp and killing them all.
Review: My summary doesn't do any justice to this truly amazing episode. Season 5 has quite great run at the end, which is good because the first two thirds left something to be desired.
9 out of 10
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
TNG: I Borg
This is an episode that really struck a nerve for me as a kid and it still does today. The idea of taking in an enemy so alien and hostile to everything they stand for and not only teaching him to be a person, but also learning to see the Borg as sentient creatures as well. Seeing Picard snap back into form as Locutus was pretty intense, it is a part of the episode I had forgotten. It is episodes like that that really make First Contact look bad. Not only is Picard a totally different person in FC, but the Borg queen character doesn't really make much sense.
The episode opens with the Enterprise encountering an unknown signal from an unoccupied moon that appears to be a distress signal of some sort. When they investigate they find a small Borg vessel that has been destroyed. All the Borg are dead except for one. Dr. Crusher begins treatment as Riker notifies the captain. Picard orders them back to the ship so they can flee before more Borg arrive but Beverley tells he she needs to treat her patient. After some negotiation Picard allows her to beam the borg up to a detention cell for treatment while they get the hell out of there. Geordi starts working on its mechanical parts and Picard orders him to work on a computer virus that will destroy the Borg collective when he is accepted back in. Only Crusher seems to think of him as a person.
Picard and Guinan meet for a fencing match and Guinan makes it perfectly clear that she thinks the borg should be destroyed no matter what and Picard doesn't seem to disagree. Meanwhile Geordi begins working on the borg who identifies itself as Third of Five and goes straight into the normal, "you will be assimilated," spiel. Geordi starts working to test the borg's intellectual powers and it is off the charts in spacial awareness. They also convince him to take on a new name and pick Hugh from something the borg says. Geordi talks to Guinan in Ten Forward and convinces her to go down for a chat. She is mad as hell about it, but does it anyway and after some extreme hostility on her part the borg seems to be understanding how terrible it is to be assimilated against ones will. He also tells her that he is lonely which shakes her to the core.
Now convinced that Hugh is more than just a thing to be destroyed Guinan manages to convince Picard to talk to Hugh and he is beamed to the captains ready room. Hugh recognizes Picard as Locutus but refuses to assist in the assimilation of the Enterprise and clearly states how much he cares about Geordi. He even refers to himself as I which shakes Picard. Now realizing they can't just send Hugh back as a living bomb to destroy his people they ask Hugh what he wants. After some agonizing he realizes he has to return to the Borg or they will never stop chasing the Enterprise. He and Geordi beam down and suddenly two more borg beam in and link with Hugh. They collect their dead and beam back to the cube, but just as they beam up Hugh looks Geordi straight in the eye.
Review: After establishing the Borg as the greatest threat ever faced by sentient life this episode turns all that on its head showing how the Borg don't see themselves as the villains. Picard and Guinan are both at their best in this episode as well.
9 out of 10
The episode opens with the Enterprise encountering an unknown signal from an unoccupied moon that appears to be a distress signal of some sort. When they investigate they find a small Borg vessel that has been destroyed. All the Borg are dead except for one. Dr. Crusher begins treatment as Riker notifies the captain. Picard orders them back to the ship so they can flee before more Borg arrive but Beverley tells he she needs to treat her patient. After some negotiation Picard allows her to beam the borg up to a detention cell for treatment while they get the hell out of there. Geordi starts working on its mechanical parts and Picard orders him to work on a computer virus that will destroy the Borg collective when he is accepted back in. Only Crusher seems to think of him as a person.
Picard and Guinan meet for a fencing match and Guinan makes it perfectly clear that she thinks the borg should be destroyed no matter what and Picard doesn't seem to disagree. Meanwhile Geordi begins working on the borg who identifies itself as Third of Five and goes straight into the normal, "you will be assimilated," spiel. Geordi starts working to test the borg's intellectual powers and it is off the charts in spacial awareness. They also convince him to take on a new name and pick Hugh from something the borg says. Geordi talks to Guinan in Ten Forward and convinces her to go down for a chat. She is mad as hell about it, but does it anyway and after some extreme hostility on her part the borg seems to be understanding how terrible it is to be assimilated against ones will. He also tells her that he is lonely which shakes her to the core.
Now convinced that Hugh is more than just a thing to be destroyed Guinan manages to convince Picard to talk to Hugh and he is beamed to the captains ready room. Hugh recognizes Picard as Locutus but refuses to assist in the assimilation of the Enterprise and clearly states how much he cares about Geordi. He even refers to himself as I which shakes Picard. Now realizing they can't just send Hugh back as a living bomb to destroy his people they ask Hugh what he wants. After some agonizing he realizes he has to return to the Borg or they will never stop chasing the Enterprise. He and Geordi beam down and suddenly two more borg beam in and link with Hugh. They collect their dead and beam back to the cube, but just as they beam up Hugh looks Geordi straight in the eye.
Review: After establishing the Borg as the greatest threat ever faced by sentient life this episode turns all that on its head showing how the Borg don't see themselves as the villains. Picard and Guinan are both at their best in this episode as well.
9 out of 10
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
TNG: Imaginary Friend
Imaginary Friends is a fairly well executed episode with a pretty lame premise. I guess there really are kids with imaginary friends, but mostly I am familiar with the idea from uninspired television like this episode. I guess the episode is supposed to all come together with Picards speech at the end about how the alien saw the ship from the perspective of a child and didn't like us as a result, but the alien here seems to have been malevolent from the start. Also, can she do stuff while invisible or not? And is the glowing ball that she takes as her natural form invisible or did they just not bother telling the actors that it was supposed to be where they could clearly have seen it?
The episode begins in a counselling session with Deanna talking to a little girl named Clara about her imaginary friend. Her father sits in the background looking concerned and after Clara leaves Troi explains that it is normal behavior, especially since Clara has been transferred between ships so many times she hasn't had time to develop real friends. Clara goes to the arboretum to plant stuff for Keiko along with her imaginary friend Isabella. Cut to a small red sphere of energy wandering around the ship and eventually flying into Clara's head and out again. Suddenly Isabella appears, Clara is confused since even she know Isabella wasn't physically present before. Isabella convinces Clara to take her to engineering.
When they get to engineering Isabella disappears and Clara wanders in alone and gets told sternly by her father that she has to leave. In the hallway Clara confronts Isabella about the disappearing thing and Isabella tells her she has to be invisible to grown ups. But when they run into Worf unexpectedly he seems to see her just fine. Meanwhile the ship is rocked by some sort of invisible obstacle in the nebula they are exploring in one of the thinnest B stories ever. Clara goes to Ten Forward at Isabella request and runs into Guinan who gets along with her just fine, but then her dad shows up since kids aren't really supposed to be in Ten Forward. Back in her quarters Troi shows up and takes Clara to a pottery class with the other kids and insists Isabella stay behind. In the class Isabella starts messing with the other kids while invisible. Clara confronts her and Isabella says she hates Clara now and she will let her die when the others arrive.
Back in her quarters Clara is so upset she won't go into her room until Troi arrives. She searches the quarters with Clara and everything seems fine until Isabella appears and attacks Troi with some sort of energy blast. Back on the bridge the situation is getting bad. The ship has been slowed significantly and now something is pressing against them eating through their shields. Troi wakes up in sickbay and tells the captain what happened. He has a security alert put out for Isabella when things get ever worse on the ship. Clara goes to the arboretum with the captain and they manage to convince Isabella to appear. She tells them her people feed off the ship energy and since they are all so mean she is going to let her people destroy the ship. Picard gives a speech about how we only set rules for kids to protect them and this convinces Isabella to save them all. As a parting gift Picard has the deflector dish set to send a feast of energy into the nebula.
Review: Episodes revolving around child actors tend be a little rough and this is no exception. It isn't as bad as it could have been, but unless you really want a star trek episode about a kid who needs friends, move on past this one.
3 out of 10
The episode begins in a counselling session with Deanna talking to a little girl named Clara about her imaginary friend. Her father sits in the background looking concerned and after Clara leaves Troi explains that it is normal behavior, especially since Clara has been transferred between ships so many times she hasn't had time to develop real friends. Clara goes to the arboretum to plant stuff for Keiko along with her imaginary friend Isabella. Cut to a small red sphere of energy wandering around the ship and eventually flying into Clara's head and out again. Suddenly Isabella appears, Clara is confused since even she know Isabella wasn't physically present before. Isabella convinces Clara to take her to engineering.
When they get to engineering Isabella disappears and Clara wanders in alone and gets told sternly by her father that she has to leave. In the hallway Clara confronts Isabella about the disappearing thing and Isabella tells her she has to be invisible to grown ups. But when they run into Worf unexpectedly he seems to see her just fine. Meanwhile the ship is rocked by some sort of invisible obstacle in the nebula they are exploring in one of the thinnest B stories ever. Clara goes to Ten Forward at Isabella request and runs into Guinan who gets along with her just fine, but then her dad shows up since kids aren't really supposed to be in Ten Forward. Back in her quarters Troi shows up and takes Clara to a pottery class with the other kids and insists Isabella stay behind. In the class Isabella starts messing with the other kids while invisible. Clara confronts her and Isabella says she hates Clara now and she will let her die when the others arrive.
Back in her quarters Clara is so upset she won't go into her room until Troi arrives. She searches the quarters with Clara and everything seems fine until Isabella appears and attacks Troi with some sort of energy blast. Back on the bridge the situation is getting bad. The ship has been slowed significantly and now something is pressing against them eating through their shields. Troi wakes up in sickbay and tells the captain what happened. He has a security alert put out for Isabella when things get ever worse on the ship. Clara goes to the arboretum with the captain and they manage to convince Isabella to appear. She tells them her people feed off the ship energy and since they are all so mean she is going to let her people destroy the ship. Picard gives a speech about how we only set rules for kids to protect them and this convinces Isabella to save them all. As a parting gift Picard has the deflector dish set to send a feast of energy into the nebula.
Review: Episodes revolving around child actors tend be a little rough and this is no exception. It isn't as bad as it could have been, but unless you really want a star trek episode about a kid who needs friends, move on past this one.
3 out of 10
Monday, October 12, 2015
TNG: The Perfect Mate
I only vaguely remember this episode, but from where it seemed to be going in the beginning to where it ended I found it more interesting than I expected. I think that Picard was right to describe what happens in this episode in terms of an arranged marriage since honestly neither party seemed all that excited about it, but it is easy to see how Dr. Crusher would be so offended by what happens. I am not really sure why the Ferengi were included other than to just act as the trouble makers of the episode. TNG writers clearly consider Ferengi to be the comic relief of the galaxy so I guess it makes at least that much sense.
The episode opens with the Enterprise en route to pick up at ambassador from a planet that has been at war with a planet of their near relatives for generations. The Enterprise is to serve as the meet grounds for the two peoples to try and work out their differences. The ambassador has some odd cargo that he requests be kept away from all but the senior staff of the ship. While planning the ceremony for the meeting of the two peoples Picard is interupted by a call from the bridge. A Ferengi shuttle has failed nearby and Picard tells Riker to provide assistance. The Ferengi shuttle explodes but the two crew are safely beamed aboard the Enterprise. After being taken to their quarters they cackle gleefully.
One Ferengi starts trying to negotiate trade agreements with the ambassador while the other sneaks into the cargo bay. He finds a glowing cocoon shaped thing floating and while trying to scan it he is interrupted by Worf and knocks a barrel towards the cocoon. The cocoon breaks up and there is a beautiful woman inside. The ambassador rushes to the cargo bay and is concerned by not upset, the woman Kamala is a special member of their species who is both empathic and bread to satisfy any man she is paired with. The ambassador explains she is to be the wife of the other ambassador as a gesture of peace. Riker takes her to her quarters and has to rush off to the holodeck after a kiss. The ambassador believes she is unsafe around the crew, but Picard insists she be free to go about the ship and assigns Data to her, but she is clearly more interested in Picard.
After a few incidents around the ship Kamala agrees to stay in her quarters but asks Picard to visit her. The Ferengi manage to get the ambassador to come to their quarters where they attempt to bribe him, but when that doesn't work a pushing match breaks out and the ambassador is knocked unconscious so it is now Picards job to serve in the role of ambassador. This means spending more time with Kamala who he is clearly attracted to, but insists on doing his job. Picard finally meets with the other ambassador and learns he is a cold man more interested in trade than his beautiful new wife. Just before he is to give Kamala to the ambassador Picard learns she has empathically bonded with him and can never undo that which only makes him more sad about the whole thing.
Review: A fairly sexist episode, but I, like the captain think it is wrong to hold other cultures to the same standards that we hold ourselves to. Kamala understands that her role is to end the war between the two peoples and her sense of duty outweighs her sense of self fulfillment.
6 out of 10
The episode opens with the Enterprise en route to pick up at ambassador from a planet that has been at war with a planet of their near relatives for generations. The Enterprise is to serve as the meet grounds for the two peoples to try and work out their differences. The ambassador has some odd cargo that he requests be kept away from all but the senior staff of the ship. While planning the ceremony for the meeting of the two peoples Picard is interupted by a call from the bridge. A Ferengi shuttle has failed nearby and Picard tells Riker to provide assistance. The Ferengi shuttle explodes but the two crew are safely beamed aboard the Enterprise. After being taken to their quarters they cackle gleefully.
One Ferengi starts trying to negotiate trade agreements with the ambassador while the other sneaks into the cargo bay. He finds a glowing cocoon shaped thing floating and while trying to scan it he is interrupted by Worf and knocks a barrel towards the cocoon. The cocoon breaks up and there is a beautiful woman inside. The ambassador rushes to the cargo bay and is concerned by not upset, the woman Kamala is a special member of their species who is both empathic and bread to satisfy any man she is paired with. The ambassador explains she is to be the wife of the other ambassador as a gesture of peace. Riker takes her to her quarters and has to rush off to the holodeck after a kiss. The ambassador believes she is unsafe around the crew, but Picard insists she be free to go about the ship and assigns Data to her, but she is clearly more interested in Picard.
After a few incidents around the ship Kamala agrees to stay in her quarters but asks Picard to visit her. The Ferengi manage to get the ambassador to come to their quarters where they attempt to bribe him, but when that doesn't work a pushing match breaks out and the ambassador is knocked unconscious so it is now Picards job to serve in the role of ambassador. This means spending more time with Kamala who he is clearly attracted to, but insists on doing his job. Picard finally meets with the other ambassador and learns he is a cold man more interested in trade than his beautiful new wife. Just before he is to give Kamala to the ambassador Picard learns she has empathically bonded with him and can never undo that which only makes him more sad about the whole thing.
Review: A fairly sexist episode, but I, like the captain think it is wrong to hold other cultures to the same standards that we hold ourselves to. Kamala understands that her role is to end the war between the two peoples and her sense of duty outweighs her sense of self fulfillment.
6 out of 10
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