****
This is the episode the original series never got around to, could probably have never done. It's the sequel to "Journey to Babel," which is to say Spock father Sarek's debut. "Sarek" is one of his final appearances, fittingly.
Sarek never came to peace with his son. In a way, as a Vulcan, as the traditional presentation of Vulcans go, he never could. (Incidentally, that's one of the reasons I love the 2009 Star Trek so much, because of that particular revision.) The only way he could was through Jean-Luc Picard (who in some of the final scenes in the episode go, has one of his most emotionally draining experiences ever).
The story of "Sarek" is one of those classic "final mission" stories. Sarek can no longer hide the ravages of a disease that is soon enough going to claim his life. He's losing control of his emotions, which for Vulcans is the ultimate indignity. He wants one last diplomatic success under his belt, though. He's become a legend of the Federation in his own right. He wants to preserve that legacy.
It's arguably the finest crossover episode in the franchise, where a character from one series appears in another. Part of the reason why is because it's so unexpected. Sarek, of all characters from the original series? He made one appearance in the series. He became better known for his appearances in the later films, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, actually, the first time we get a hint of what he really feels about his son.
Sarek ends up being as strong a character as ever featured in the franchise, his few appearances notwithstanding, and this is his finest hour, which only figures. Totally divorced from the presence of his son, Sarek is forced to fend for himself. Failing or not, his dignity is strong. He makes himself a legend. If this had been his only appearance, Sarek would still have left the same legacy in the franchise. That's how good this episode is.
Yes, there's a clearer bridge in the later two-part "Unification," in which Spock himself appears, where Picard is able to share hidden truths between father and son, but it's better and more resonant here. Rare is the opportunity for someone to upstage Leonard Nimoy. In his absence, Mark Lenard does exactly that. Is that the only way? It doesn't matter. Lenard doesn't let you even consider that. One of the finest hours of The Next Generation features a character from another era.
If you want to understand Star Trek at all, this is a fine place to start.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Mark Lenard
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary
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Sunday, January 19, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x22 "The Most Toys"
**
You may view this as a vast improvement over the dreaded original series episode "Spock's Brain" or even a variation on Next Generation's own "A Matter of Time," but not quite the genius of Voyager's "Living History" (but better than "Think Tank") or as fun as Deep Space Nine's "In the Cards." Bottom line, though, "The Most Toys" won't disappoint you.
If you like the character of Data, it's absolutely essential, in ways you probably wouldn't imagine without having seen it.
Simply put, this is an episode where a main character is "collected." Data is in fact one of the "toys" in the title. As distinguished from the very different case of Starfleet wanting to collect him in the second season classic "The Measure of a Man," everyone's favorite Star Trek android is deemed a valuable curiosity. That in itself would probably make for an interesting story. But the episode delves deeper.
Data doesn't end up worrying about himself. He becomes far more concerned about his kidnapper's assistant, who ends up realizing how little she means to the collector even though she's served under him for years. It's Data's shocking act at the end of the episode that speaks to how much of an impact this experience has on him. I won't spoil it here in case you haven't seen the episode, but rest assured it's a defining moment for the character, one that far elevates "The Most Toys" beyond its sometimes routine story beats (it's also another franchise example of a main character apparently being dead and the rest of the cast trying to prove how that couldn't be the case; DS9's "Armageddon Game" has the best example of that particular Star Trek trope).
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Saul Rubenik
Dennis Madalone
Memory Alpha summary
You may view this as a vast improvement over the dreaded original series episode "Spock's Brain" or even a variation on Next Generation's own "A Matter of Time," but not quite the genius of Voyager's "Living History" (but better than "Think Tank") or as fun as Deep Space Nine's "In the Cards." Bottom line, though, "The Most Toys" won't disappoint you.
If you like the character of Data, it's absolutely essential, in ways you probably wouldn't imagine without having seen it.
Simply put, this is an episode where a main character is "collected." Data is in fact one of the "toys" in the title. As distinguished from the very different case of Starfleet wanting to collect him in the second season classic "The Measure of a Man," everyone's favorite Star Trek android is deemed a valuable curiosity. That in itself would probably make for an interesting story. But the episode delves deeper.
Data doesn't end up worrying about himself. He becomes far more concerned about his kidnapper's assistant, who ends up realizing how little she means to the collector even though she's served under him for years. It's Data's shocking act at the end of the episode that speaks to how much of an impact this experience has on him. I won't spoil it here in case you haven't seen the episode, but rest assured it's a defining moment for the character, one that far elevates "The Most Toys" beyond its sometimes routine story beats (it's also another franchise example of a main character apparently being dead and the rest of the cast trying to prove how that couldn't be the case; DS9's "Armageddon Game" has the best example of that particular Star Trek trope).
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Saul Rubenik
Dennis Madalone
Memory Alpha summary
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x21 "Hollow Pursuits"
****
Very likely the ultimate holodeck episode, which fans can otherwise sometimes dread, this is the introduction of the most neurotic Starfleet officer ever, Reginald Barclay.
Barclay would go on to make a significant franchise impact even after his infrequent recurring appearances in Next Generation; aside from being one of the few minor characters from this series to have an appearance in the resulting movies (First Contact), he transitioned into perhaps a more important recurring status in Voyager as one of the most significant crossover characters in franchise history. Not too bad for someone who could easily have been a gimmick in an episode that might otherwise have been remembered only for its unusual look at the main characters.
"Hollow Pursuits" is so clever, it accomplishes those things easily, and adds an infinite amount of depth to life in the Star Trek future, addressing a form of addiction and social awkwardness that might never have been considered before and might after all have been years ahead of its time (for instance, the advent of the Internet was still years away, but this whole episode might be said to be all about it).
Barclay is depicted as a pathetic figure most of the regular characters actually make fun of behind his back (with the nickname "Broccoli;" it's behavior you would hardly have expected from them otherwise), whose retreat into fantasy is later echoed by The Doctor's literary efforts ("Author, Author") in Voyager, where pointed caricatures of all those familiar faces who we saw mocking him are reduced to worse figures more deserving of ridicule. Again, how this is accomplished and no one despised Barclay is a testament to the episode's genius.
Even divorced from the rest of the character's legacy (which could sometimes look like it was reverting Barclay back to impulses he actually overcame), "Hollow Pursuits" is easily a classic.
franchise * series *essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Dwight Schultz
Colm Meaney
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary
Very likely the ultimate holodeck episode, which fans can otherwise sometimes dread, this is the introduction of the most neurotic Starfleet officer ever, Reginald Barclay.
Barclay would go on to make a significant franchise impact even after his infrequent recurring appearances in Next Generation; aside from being one of the few minor characters from this series to have an appearance in the resulting movies (First Contact), he transitioned into perhaps a more important recurring status in Voyager as one of the most significant crossover characters in franchise history. Not too bad for someone who could easily have been a gimmick in an episode that might otherwise have been remembered only for its unusual look at the main characters.
"Hollow Pursuits" is so clever, it accomplishes those things easily, and adds an infinite amount of depth to life in the Star Trek future, addressing a form of addiction and social awkwardness that might never have been considered before and might after all have been years ahead of its time (for instance, the advent of the Internet was still years away, but this whole episode might be said to be all about it).
Barclay is depicted as a pathetic figure most of the regular characters actually make fun of behind his back (with the nickname "Broccoli;" it's behavior you would hardly have expected from them otherwise), whose retreat into fantasy is later echoed by The Doctor's literary efforts ("Author, Author") in Voyager, where pointed caricatures of all those familiar faces who we saw mocking him are reduced to worse figures more deserving of ridicule. Again, how this is accomplished and no one despised Barclay is a testament to the episode's genius.
Even divorced from the rest of the character's legacy (which could sometimes look like it was reverting Barclay back to impulses he actually overcame), "Hollow Pursuits" is easily a classic.
franchise * series *essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Dwight Schultz
Colm Meaney
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x20 "Tin Man"
*
There are so many reasons "Tin Man" should have been a winner of an episode. Instead, it's almost like the Next Generation adventure Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory would have actually experienced, a little like the disappointment he discovered when he met "Wesley Crusher" for the first time.
The ending is a good beginning. It attempts to shape "Tin Man" into a Next Generation version of The Motion Picture, as Data describes it. And that's basically how I remember it, too, when I think about it that way. The way Decker merges with V'ger in the first Star Trek movie is exactly like what happens to the Betazoid and the Weird Space Creature. (There are a lot of Weird Space Creatures in Star Trek.)
That last line features just one of the element misfires of the episode, the fact that the guest character who all but completely dominates the episode and thus saps its energy with his depressive outlook, is barely relevant to Troi. She knew him. She's as close as he comes to thawing. Otherwise he rubs everyone the wrong way. He dismisses Data until they're forced to work together. That's all well and good, but it certainly doesn't work as a Data episode, because it isn't. The focus is always on the guest character.
The other way it fails is in the way the episode begins, which is on another seemingly strong main character note, this one with Riker. Riker had the most interesting pre-Enterprise career of all Picard's officers. Until Deep Space Nine, however, most of the time when Star Trek referenced a character's service prior to the start of their respective series, it was handled poorly. Ironically, Riker ended up being one of the few who got it right (along with O'Brien in "The Wounded") with "The Pegasus" from the final season (and of course Picard in "Tapestry"). Here is a particularly botched opportunity. Such a strong emphasis early on only to amount to nothing at all. Then again, the series tried so hard to emphasize Riker's career, and almost always got it wrong. This is no exception in that regard.
One more wasted element is the inclusion of the Romulans in their last real outing of the season. After far more significant moments previously, they go out with a whimper.
It's not a bad episode, it's just tonally and conceptually off-center. Both problems could have been avoided by sticking with Troi and Riker as they were presented as relevant, rather than abruptly shifting to Data. It would have been a great opportunity to lightly explore Troi and Riker, too. Generally a missed opportunity and probably the worst episode of the season for it.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary
There are so many reasons "Tin Man" should have been a winner of an episode. Instead, it's almost like the Next Generation adventure Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory would have actually experienced, a little like the disappointment he discovered when he met "Wesley Crusher" for the first time.
The ending is a good beginning. It attempts to shape "Tin Man" into a Next Generation version of The Motion Picture, as Data describes it. And that's basically how I remember it, too, when I think about it that way. The way Decker merges with V'ger in the first Star Trek movie is exactly like what happens to the Betazoid and the Weird Space Creature. (There are a lot of Weird Space Creatures in Star Trek.)
That last line features just one of the element misfires of the episode, the fact that the guest character who all but completely dominates the episode and thus saps its energy with his depressive outlook, is barely relevant to Troi. She knew him. She's as close as he comes to thawing. Otherwise he rubs everyone the wrong way. He dismisses Data until they're forced to work together. That's all well and good, but it certainly doesn't work as a Data episode, because it isn't. The focus is always on the guest character.
The other way it fails is in the way the episode begins, which is on another seemingly strong main character note, this one with Riker. Riker had the most interesting pre-Enterprise career of all Picard's officers. Until Deep Space Nine, however, most of the time when Star Trek referenced a character's service prior to the start of their respective series, it was handled poorly. Ironically, Riker ended up being one of the few who got it right (along with O'Brien in "The Wounded") with "The Pegasus" from the final season (and of course Picard in "Tapestry"). Here is a particularly botched opportunity. Such a strong emphasis early on only to amount to nothing at all. Then again, the series tried so hard to emphasize Riker's career, and almost always got it wrong. This is no exception in that regard.
One more wasted element is the inclusion of the Romulans in their last real outing of the season. After far more significant moments previously, they go out with a whimper.
It's not a bad episode, it's just tonally and conceptually off-center. Both problems could have been avoided by sticking with Troi and Riker as they were presented as relevant, rather than abruptly shifting to Data. It would have been a great opportunity to lightly explore Troi and Riker, too. Generally a missed opportunity and probably the worst episode of the season for it.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary
Monday, January 6, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x19 "Captain's Holiday"
****
Akin to the original series effort "Shore Leave" in its claim to being a classic, "Captain's Holiday" is an excellent deviation from your standard Captain Picard episode.
On the basis of the debut for Vash, this one would be a milestone. Vash is basically the Next Generation equivalent of Harry Mudd, a character who made several appearances despite not necessarily adding to the overall legacy of the original series. She returns in "Qpid" and the Deep Space Nine episode "Q-Less," which interestingly leaves the same distinction for the character with Q.
Here and in "Qpid" she's an unlikely romantic foil for Picard, a classic example of opposites attracting. Perhaps a younger Picard would have had much more interest in pursuing her, but the older model only finds her interesting on a sexual level (when he warms to the idea, because at first it's a vacation destination impishly suggested by Riker but not otherwise explained), and the fact that they share archaeology as a passion. Their artifact hunting here just so happens to also feature the classic Star Trek staple of timeline shenanigans, a weapon from the future hidden in the past.
And yes, Vash technically counts as a pop cultural predecessor to Lara Croft, Tomb Raider.
Anyway, the episode is a lot of fun. It introduces Risa, the quintessential Star Trek pleasure planet, handily replacing the one featured in "Shore Leave." Risa is a major feature of two later episodes, "Let He Who Is Without Sin..." from DS9 and "Two Days and Two Nights" from Enterprise. In terms of an impact on the franchise, that has got to count for something.
Aside from all that, it is a sign that looking for different ways to present Picard can frequently lead to some of the show's best material, another reason why the third season is so crucial to the series, because it's the point where the best initial efforts in this regard are made. The same thing happened in DS9's third season with Sisko, by the way, arguably Enterprise with Archer as well.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Jennifer Hetrick
Max Grodenchik
Memory Alpha summary
Akin to the original series effort "Shore Leave" in its claim to being a classic, "Captain's Holiday" is an excellent deviation from your standard Captain Picard episode.
On the basis of the debut for Vash, this one would be a milestone. Vash is basically the Next Generation equivalent of Harry Mudd, a character who made several appearances despite not necessarily adding to the overall legacy of the original series. She returns in "Qpid" and the Deep Space Nine episode "Q-Less," which interestingly leaves the same distinction for the character with Q.
Here and in "Qpid" she's an unlikely romantic foil for Picard, a classic example of opposites attracting. Perhaps a younger Picard would have had much more interest in pursuing her, but the older model only finds her interesting on a sexual level (when he warms to the idea, because at first it's a vacation destination impishly suggested by Riker but not otherwise explained), and the fact that they share archaeology as a passion. Their artifact hunting here just so happens to also feature the classic Star Trek staple of timeline shenanigans, a weapon from the future hidden in the past.
And yes, Vash technically counts as a pop cultural predecessor to Lara Croft, Tomb Raider.
Anyway, the episode is a lot of fun. It introduces Risa, the quintessential Star Trek pleasure planet, handily replacing the one featured in "Shore Leave." Risa is a major feature of two later episodes, "Let He Who Is Without Sin..." from DS9 and "Two Days and Two Nights" from Enterprise. In terms of an impact on the franchise, that has got to count for something.
Aside from all that, it is a sign that looking for different ways to present Picard can frequently lead to some of the show's best material, another reason why the third season is so crucial to the series, because it's the point where the best initial efforts in this regard are made. The same thing happened in DS9's third season with Sisko, by the way, arguably Enterprise with Archer as well.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Jennifer Hetrick
Max Grodenchik
Memory Alpha summary
Friday, January 3, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x18 "Allegiance"
*
Very similar to the later Next Generation episode "Liaisons" from the seventh season, "Allegiance" may best be viewed as a light character study of Captain Picard.
Aliens decide to observe members of the crew, a common launching point for episodes in the franchise (other examples include Pike in "The Cage," the first pilot of the original series, and a number of such instances from Voyager), which in this case is limited to Picard (although taking leadership notes from him became a whole thing during the run of the series, epitomized by the book Make It So). He winds up in a prison cell with two other individuals. He's replaced aboard the Enterprise by a doppelganger. That element is itself another reason to give the episode far more credit than it deserves, in that it is reminiscent both of the Duffy character from "Conundrum," another Next Generation episode, and the Mirror Universe from "Mirror, Mirror" (an original series episode) and various Deep Space Nine adventures. In fact, the fake Picard is a lot like what it would have been like to stick with a Mirror Universe substitute for an entire episode, or even "Turnabout Intruder," the final episode of the original series, where this plot device also occurs...
Okay, so there are plenty of connections to be made. I still stick by the assertion that "Allegiance" is after all a minor affair and tentative in its results, and therefore not nearly as significant as it can be made to seem. It's fine, nothing terrible, but not otherwise notable, not really worth talking about, fun to watch but that's about it. Just watch it for some light Picard material.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
Very similar to the later Next Generation episode "Liaisons" from the seventh season, "Allegiance" may best be viewed as a light character study of Captain Picard.
Aliens decide to observe members of the crew, a common launching point for episodes in the franchise (other examples include Pike in "The Cage," the first pilot of the original series, and a number of such instances from Voyager), which in this case is limited to Picard (although taking leadership notes from him became a whole thing during the run of the series, epitomized by the book Make It So). He winds up in a prison cell with two other individuals. He's replaced aboard the Enterprise by a doppelganger. That element is itself another reason to give the episode far more credit than it deserves, in that it is reminiscent both of the Duffy character from "Conundrum," another Next Generation episode, and the Mirror Universe from "Mirror, Mirror" (an original series episode) and various Deep Space Nine adventures. In fact, the fake Picard is a lot like what it would have been like to stick with a Mirror Universe substitute for an entire episode, or even "Turnabout Intruder," the final episode of the original series, where this plot device also occurs...
Okay, so there are plenty of connections to be made. I still stick by the assertion that "Allegiance" is after all a minor affair and tentative in its results, and therefore not nearly as significant as it can be made to seem. It's fine, nothing terrible, but not otherwise notable, not really worth talking about, fun to watch but that's about it. Just watch it for some light Picard material.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Not soon...but soon
I have not abandoned the Fan Companion project. I will be back at some point to continue discussing each individual episode from every Star Trek series. That is a promise.
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