****
You should know all about "The Best of Both Worlds." That is, you may think you know all about "The Best of Both Worlds." It's the famous third season finale that sees the epic return of the Borg, which might as well be the Collective's first appearance (even though it's referenced as far back as the first season and first seen in the second season's "Q Who?"), and of course the assimilation of Picard.
But the funny thing is, this is actually a Riker episode. It may be the most famous Riker episode ever, but it's probably very rarely thought of in that sense. How can that possibly be?
Main characters receiving promotions in Star Trek will always be one of the fuzziest matters of the franchise. On the one hand, it seems by the very groundbreaking nature of the Big Giant Challenges they overcome on a weekly basis, the whole lot of them should be promoted, well, on a weekly basis, except in instances like space-displaced Voyager (although one of the famous and funniest knocks against it is that someone like Harry Kim could remain an ensign for seven years no matter the circumstances). Riker in particular was frequently discussed as a surefire captain of his own ship, but he always balked at the idea (until the end of Nemesis). The logistical reasoning is clear enough: you hardly want to lose one of your main characters to something as paltry as career growth. With the classic structure of the franchise rarely deviated from (Deep Space Nine came the closest; heck, Sisko wasn't even a captain until the end of his third season), once a crew is established it mostly remains intact until the end of the series. By the film era, the original series crew strained credulity (poor George Takei!) by sticking together for as long as it did.
But funny enough, this is the episode where the issue is explored most deliberately, whether for Riker or otherwise. Riker, for the record, wasn't even a commander when Picard chose him as his first officer. It was Picard's own selection that put Riker on the career fast track. And ironically, it was also this career development that slowed it down. Because Riker realized that he would never be in a position to be as integral to the fleet again. Even his own command could never compare to serving aboard the flagship, under Jean-Luc Picard.
Which is what makes this episode doubly agonizing.
The first layer of agony is ambitious Shelby, who appears as Starfleet's so-called Borg expert. She not only has the necessary tactics, but the yearning to replace Riker as commander of the Enterprise. The most famous episode of the series can actually become a little annoying because of her. Tellingly, she's never seen again.
Other firsts include this being the first season finale cliffhanger in franchise history. It also becomes the first two-part story since "The Menagerie" in the original series (which itself was probably in that format only because it featured extensive cuts from the original, previously untelevised pilot). Both concepts are subsequently duplicated over and over again, until DS9 and to a lesser extent Enterprise introduce serialized storytelling that run across multiple episodes and in some instances entire seasons, as well as the second season of Voyager. The cliffhanger especially is never really matched. It would be impossible even from an objective standpoint.
Part of the reason for that is that Patrick Stewart, Picard himself, was not guaranteed to come out the other end when the next season arrived. And just imagine Next Generation without him. That dramatic order from Riker to open fire could very well have been the final fate of Picard. That's part of the reason some fans will always rank the second part of this story as less satisfying, because it becomes much more predictable once you realize Picard is safe, and the story is no longer at all about Riker.
But then again, the massive battle at Wolf 359 is commemorated in a big way in the DS9 pilot "Emissary." No other single event in franchise lore has had such direct ramifications.
So what does the title ultimately mean? You might have assumed all along that it's a reference to the Borg, both mechanical and organic. And you might as well consider yourself right. But in this part, it might as well mean the phrase, "having your cake and eating it, too," which would mean Riker staying commander, remaining aboard the Enterprise, but still having the chance to have his own command, under the worst circumstances possible. "The best," in this instance, would also be the worst. Incidentally, there's a comic book sequel called exactly that.
How could you possibly consider this anything but a Star Trek classic? Unlike the jump between "Space Seed" and The Wrath of Khan, fans will probably continue to consider "Best of Both Worlds" as intrinsically more significant than First Contact, no matter how good the film is. And that may be all you need to know about that.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Elizabeth Dennehy
George Murdock
Colm Meaney
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary
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Showing posts with label Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x25 "Transfigurations"
*
Like the complete opposite of "Tin Man," but really exactly the same, "Transfigurations" is an episode that tries to mingle light character work with a compelling guest character arc. This time the guest character himself really doesn't amount to anything except what happens to him, while the main characters get a little more relevant material that ultimately still doesn't mean anything by the end.
This awkward dance somewhat revolves around La Forge, a character notorious for being unlucky in love. If the episode had been as memorable in his small triumph as some of his large failures (see: Leah Brahms), it could have come with a far bigger recommendation from me. Instead it's another episode that dances around why it's so hard for these characters to find love ("In Theory" covers most of this same material better, although Worf has some good moments, what you could consider classic Worf, actually, so maybe if you like that, that's your way into this one).
The main thrust of the story is the riddle of a John Doe figure, who like a number of recent episodes also triggers some meaningless material from another main character, this time Crusher. The structure of John Doe's story makes it another episode that needlessly obscures what's really going on, but by the time everything's clear, it doesn't really matter. Except in retrospect, this could have been a far, far more relevant episode if it had also featured, say, Q.
Why? Because ultimately this is a story about evolution. Voyager's "Distant Origin" is a vast improvement on the idea, but this is a fine starting point, I suppose. It's also what Q keeps teasing Picard that all his meddling is really about humanity's potential for just such development. (Ultimately, Babylon 5 tackled the same idea.) No one in the writing room seemed to realize or care how much this had in common with Q's overall arc, however.
Of course, the other way to have turned this episode into something more memorable would have been to pivot it around Data. But for some reason, that idea was used for the episode's strange counterpart, "Tin Man."
All of which is to prove that even though out of the first three seasons of this series this was clearly the best, there was still room for improvement. The third season at its best is arguably still the show's best material, certainly for sheer range (my picks, I'll remind you, for franchise classics were "The Defector," Deja Q," "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Sins of the Father," "Captain's Holiday," "Hollow Pursuits," "Sarek," and the episode that follows, "The Best of Both Worlds Part 1"). But the clunkers are still clunkers.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary
Like the complete opposite of "Tin Man," but really exactly the same, "Transfigurations" is an episode that tries to mingle light character work with a compelling guest character arc. This time the guest character himself really doesn't amount to anything except what happens to him, while the main characters get a little more relevant material that ultimately still doesn't mean anything by the end.
This awkward dance somewhat revolves around La Forge, a character notorious for being unlucky in love. If the episode had been as memorable in his small triumph as some of his large failures (see: Leah Brahms), it could have come with a far bigger recommendation from me. Instead it's another episode that dances around why it's so hard for these characters to find love ("In Theory" covers most of this same material better, although Worf has some good moments, what you could consider classic Worf, actually, so maybe if you like that, that's your way into this one).
The main thrust of the story is the riddle of a John Doe figure, who like a number of recent episodes also triggers some meaningless material from another main character, this time Crusher. The structure of John Doe's story makes it another episode that needlessly obscures what's really going on, but by the time everything's clear, it doesn't really matter. Except in retrospect, this could have been a far, far more relevant episode if it had also featured, say, Q.
Why? Because ultimately this is a story about evolution. Voyager's "Distant Origin" is a vast improvement on the idea, but this is a fine starting point, I suppose. It's also what Q keeps teasing Picard that all his meddling is really about humanity's potential for just such development. (Ultimately, Babylon 5 tackled the same idea.) No one in the writing room seemed to realize or care how much this had in common with Q's overall arc, however.
Of course, the other way to have turned this episode into something more memorable would have been to pivot it around Data. But for some reason, that idea was used for the episode's strange counterpart, "Tin Man."
All of which is to prove that even though out of the first three seasons of this series this was clearly the best, there was still room for improvement. The third season at its best is arguably still the show's best material, certainly for sheer range (my picks, I'll remind you, for franchise classics were "The Defector," Deja Q," "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Sins of the Father," "Captain's Holiday," "Hollow Pursuits," "Sarek," and the episode that follows, "The Best of Both Worlds Part 1"). But the clunkers are still clunkers.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary
Monday, January 20, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x24 "Menage a Troi"
**
A couple of developments and one key scene make this episode more memorable than it really is. The first thing you should know is that "Menage a Troi" is a Lwaxana Troi episode, and it's also a Riker/Deanna Troi episode, and it's also a Ferengi episode, and it's also a Wesley Crusher episode...And despite all that, the best scene involves...Picard.
First things first. Lwaxana Troi was a signature recurring character for Next Generation (one of her later Deep Space Nine appearances actually references this episode directly), and this is probably the only time she is directly tied into the main events without having orchestrated them herself. Even still, it's not one of her better showings. It's not as clear when she's hanging out with her daughter why she's such a fun character to have around. That's why the Picard scene is so memorable (but we'll get to that).
Riker and Troi have a fabled romantic background that was sparingly touched upon in the series (though it finally led to a wedding in Nemesis), and while this is the rare episode to tackle it, it's also not an especially memorable instance, because it's mostly the same kind of window dressing character work featured in "Tin Man" a few episodes earlier. Alas.
Then there's the matter of Wesley. His status as a Starfleet Academy candidate was so screwy. You can't present him as a prodigy and then have him have so much difficulty getting into the program (as shown in the first season). Clearly all this backpedaling on his career progress was meant to simply keep him around, which was all well and good, although his character became more and more pointless the more he was used simply as just another character on the bridge. Seriously, this is the closest he comes all season to having his own episode. Because of yet another bogus excuse as to why he hasn't left yet, Picard decides to give him a field promotion to ensign. This was a far bigger to-do behind the scenes, where Colin Powell was present for a ceremony that saw Gene Roddenberry present Wil Wheaton with the second lieutenant bars from his very real military days.
Then there's the fact that this is a Ferengi episode. One of the most impossible tasks of the miraculous third season was rehabilitating the Ferengi, who were supposed to be one of the signature creations of the new series, on par with Romulans and Klingons, but whose first season appearances made them out to be more or less complete jokes. While "Menage a Troi" doesn't quite accomplish the task any better than the earlier "The Price," it's an important step in the direction of DS9, which is still the best argument for Ferengi redemption (though many fans still dispute that).
And then there's The Scene. In order to get Lwaxana out of the clutches of a would-be Ferengi suitor, Picard must convince him of his own genuine love for her. As anyone who has seen previous Lwaxana appearances knows, Picard loathes Lwaxana. He most certainly does not love her. And so this is a tall order indeed. He ends up using cultural differences to perform this trick. He quotes Shakespeare. Anyone who knows the Picard character knows he loves his Shakespeare. (He certainly loves Shakespeare more than Lwaxana!) And the fact that Patrick Stewart is the epitome of classically trained actors in Star Trek, any excuse to let him present such material will always be worth whatever the material provides. And yet it works so perfectly. The audience is aware of all the ironies, which are entirely lost on the Ferengi. It works. Lwaxana is saved. And Picard gets the best scene in an episode that otherwise really has nothing to do with him.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Majel Barrett
Ethan Phillips
Memory Alpha summary
A couple of developments and one key scene make this episode more memorable than it really is. The first thing you should know is that "Menage a Troi" is a Lwaxana Troi episode, and it's also a Riker/Deanna Troi episode, and it's also a Ferengi episode, and it's also a Wesley Crusher episode...And despite all that, the best scene involves...Picard.
First things first. Lwaxana Troi was a signature recurring character for Next Generation (one of her later Deep Space Nine appearances actually references this episode directly), and this is probably the only time she is directly tied into the main events without having orchestrated them herself. Even still, it's not one of her better showings. It's not as clear when she's hanging out with her daughter why she's such a fun character to have around. That's why the Picard scene is so memorable (but we'll get to that).
Riker and Troi have a fabled romantic background that was sparingly touched upon in the series (though it finally led to a wedding in Nemesis), and while this is the rare episode to tackle it, it's also not an especially memorable instance, because it's mostly the same kind of window dressing character work featured in "Tin Man" a few episodes earlier. Alas.
Then there's the matter of Wesley. His status as a Starfleet Academy candidate was so screwy. You can't present him as a prodigy and then have him have so much difficulty getting into the program (as shown in the first season). Clearly all this backpedaling on his career progress was meant to simply keep him around, which was all well and good, although his character became more and more pointless the more he was used simply as just another character on the bridge. Seriously, this is the closest he comes all season to having his own episode. Because of yet another bogus excuse as to why he hasn't left yet, Picard decides to give him a field promotion to ensign. This was a far bigger to-do behind the scenes, where Colin Powell was present for a ceremony that saw Gene Roddenberry present Wil Wheaton with the second lieutenant bars from his very real military days.
Then there's the fact that this is a Ferengi episode. One of the most impossible tasks of the miraculous third season was rehabilitating the Ferengi, who were supposed to be one of the signature creations of the new series, on par with Romulans and Klingons, but whose first season appearances made them out to be more or less complete jokes. While "Menage a Troi" doesn't quite accomplish the task any better than the earlier "The Price," it's an important step in the direction of DS9, which is still the best argument for Ferengi redemption (though many fans still dispute that).
And then there's The Scene. In order to get Lwaxana out of the clutches of a would-be Ferengi suitor, Picard must convince him of his own genuine love for her. As anyone who has seen previous Lwaxana appearances knows, Picard loathes Lwaxana. He most certainly does not love her. And so this is a tall order indeed. He ends up using cultural differences to perform this trick. He quotes Shakespeare. Anyone who knows the Picard character knows he loves his Shakespeare. (He certainly loves Shakespeare more than Lwaxana!) And the fact that Patrick Stewart is the epitome of classically trained actors in Star Trek, any excuse to let him present such material will always be worth whatever the material provides. And yet it works so perfectly. The audience is aware of all the ironies, which are entirely lost on the Ferengi. It works. Lwaxana is saved. And Picard gets the best scene in an episode that otherwise really has nothing to do with him.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Majel Barrett
Ethan Phillips
Memory Alpha summary
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x23 "Sarek"
****
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
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
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.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x17 "Sins of the Father"
****
Simply put, "Sins of the Father" could easily be known as the true legacy of the third season. On the one hand, it's easy to acknowledge the importance of "The Best of Both Worlds," and on the other, an entire mythology and basically an entire series stems from "Sins."
This is the episode that at last allows Next Generation to expand on the existence of Klingons within its framework. Yes, Worf has been there from the beginning, and yet until this point he was a lot like the Spock of this series, the alien who is alienated from his own culture but nonetheless is a perfect representative of it. Until the J.J. Abrams movie, Spock didn't have a lot of material that went into much depth about his conflicts with other Vulcans (aside from his own father). Worf gets that in spades in "Sins."
Part of his backstory was that Worf was orphaned when he was very young, so that he was raised by humans. His parents were killed during the Klingon/Romulan conflicts that served as the backstory of the entire series (and were a prominent feature of "Yesterday's Enterprise" a few episodes earlier). Of course, early in the series its creators preferred to focus on new aliens rather than established ones. This is why we got the Ferengi, and why it was so complicated to explain their own history with Picard and Starfleet in general. When the Klingons showed up at all, it was mostly to make Worf uncomfortable, or give Riker a chance to showcase his particular skills outside the shadow of his captain. The Romulans showed up at the end of the first season, but pretty much continued the behavior they'd apparently been maintaining in the recent past. Then the third season brought them back to prominence again, showed how complicated it can be when they're involved.
When they're involved with Klingons, it's complicated indeed. In the original series, they were apparent allies. It's only reasonable to assume that eventually one of them decided their interests were better served alone, and thus they went to war against each other. Worf is the most famous victim of this conflict, and "Sins" demonstrates how that is a fact that only gets worse in time.
The episode is a deep immersion into Klingon culture and politics. We meet both Kurn and Duras in the process. Kurn is Worf's brother. The episode begins as Kurn serves the same function aboard the Enterprise that Riker did a season earlier aboard a Klingon ship in "A Matter of Honor." Worf doesn't know he has a brother. This part of the episode is fairly similar to other material in the season. It's when the truth is revealed that things truly become interesting. Suddenly it's no longer just another episode. It's all about Worf, the backstory, everything. Picard even gets a chance to expand on his diplomatic abilities, the thing that truly differentiates him from Kirk. When he gets his hands dirty, it's in the service of getting out and walking around, not shooting or brawling. He seeks out missing pieces of the puzzle, not just telling people that they were wrong to believe this or that.
Anyway, Kurn very quickly becomes a key figure of the entire franchise. He's the version of Worf who remained among his own kind. Yet they're not really so different. Kurn only makes a handful of appearances, but he quickly becomes what Gene Roddenberry would have called a beloved character. As much as Worf himself, Kurn helps inform the depths of the episode, when Duras attempts to hide his own shame by saying it was Worf's father Mogh who betrayed the Klingons at Khitomer to the Romulans, the very place of his death. Better to slander the dead. Kurn has been hiding his true identity. Picard quickly realizes that Worf will not only represent himself but the entire Federation.
All of this pulls us out entirely from the usually episodic material of the series. The series plays at it again a few times, but arguably could very easily have completely changed its format to accommodate this revelation. Deep Space Nine did in fact do this on a regular basis, and eventually embraced Klingons more fully than Next Generation ever did, and even after acquiring Worf didn't stop at him to do this.
Duras later returns and becomes far more infamous. It can be argued that the narrative of Next Generation could be said to belong to a number of different characters. Worf could very easily be one of them. When he murders Duras, or temporarily resigns from Starfleet to help fight the Klingon Civil War, these moments again shatter the format, and if it weren't for the Borg, everyone would think of this grand Klingon saga when they think of Next Generation. Yet even the series lost track of this. By the end it had become an afterthought. Those pesky Duras Sisters? It's like they aren't even related to such a notorious figure.
"Sins of the Father" turns his own people deliberately against Worf, who accepts dishonor, the very thing Klingons abhor, and then returns to Starfleet, where he effectively hides and doesn't really think about any of it except for the periodic occasions where it's too obvious to ignore. Perhaps this is just as well. A moody Worf can be depressing. This is the rare Star Trek character who actually considered suicide, after all (Neelix and O'Brien would be two others). It could still have reshaped the series without going that dark. Instead the Borg delivered the memories everyone has. Sure, most people will call "Sins" a standout, and in a lot of ways it was a permanent game-changer. It went where Star Trek had never gone before. Yet it could so easily have done much more.
Maybe I'm just trying to envision a reality where Kurn was around more often...
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Tony Todd
Memory Alpha summary.
Simply put, "Sins of the Father" could easily be known as the true legacy of the third season. On the one hand, it's easy to acknowledge the importance of "The Best of Both Worlds," and on the other, an entire mythology and basically an entire series stems from "Sins."
This is the episode that at last allows Next Generation to expand on the existence of Klingons within its framework. Yes, Worf has been there from the beginning, and yet until this point he was a lot like the Spock of this series, the alien who is alienated from his own culture but nonetheless is a perfect representative of it. Until the J.J. Abrams movie, Spock didn't have a lot of material that went into much depth about his conflicts with other Vulcans (aside from his own father). Worf gets that in spades in "Sins."
Part of his backstory was that Worf was orphaned when he was very young, so that he was raised by humans. His parents were killed during the Klingon/Romulan conflicts that served as the backstory of the entire series (and were a prominent feature of "Yesterday's Enterprise" a few episodes earlier). Of course, early in the series its creators preferred to focus on new aliens rather than established ones. This is why we got the Ferengi, and why it was so complicated to explain their own history with Picard and Starfleet in general. When the Klingons showed up at all, it was mostly to make Worf uncomfortable, or give Riker a chance to showcase his particular skills outside the shadow of his captain. The Romulans showed up at the end of the first season, but pretty much continued the behavior they'd apparently been maintaining in the recent past. Then the third season brought them back to prominence again, showed how complicated it can be when they're involved.
When they're involved with Klingons, it's complicated indeed. In the original series, they were apparent allies. It's only reasonable to assume that eventually one of them decided their interests were better served alone, and thus they went to war against each other. Worf is the most famous victim of this conflict, and "Sins" demonstrates how that is a fact that only gets worse in time.
The episode is a deep immersion into Klingon culture and politics. We meet both Kurn and Duras in the process. Kurn is Worf's brother. The episode begins as Kurn serves the same function aboard the Enterprise that Riker did a season earlier aboard a Klingon ship in "A Matter of Honor." Worf doesn't know he has a brother. This part of the episode is fairly similar to other material in the season. It's when the truth is revealed that things truly become interesting. Suddenly it's no longer just another episode. It's all about Worf, the backstory, everything. Picard even gets a chance to expand on his diplomatic abilities, the thing that truly differentiates him from Kirk. When he gets his hands dirty, it's in the service of getting out and walking around, not shooting or brawling. He seeks out missing pieces of the puzzle, not just telling people that they were wrong to believe this or that.
Anyway, Kurn very quickly becomes a key figure of the entire franchise. He's the version of Worf who remained among his own kind. Yet they're not really so different. Kurn only makes a handful of appearances, but he quickly becomes what Gene Roddenberry would have called a beloved character. As much as Worf himself, Kurn helps inform the depths of the episode, when Duras attempts to hide his own shame by saying it was Worf's father Mogh who betrayed the Klingons at Khitomer to the Romulans, the very place of his death. Better to slander the dead. Kurn has been hiding his true identity. Picard quickly realizes that Worf will not only represent himself but the entire Federation.
All of this pulls us out entirely from the usually episodic material of the series. The series plays at it again a few times, but arguably could very easily have completely changed its format to accommodate this revelation. Deep Space Nine did in fact do this on a regular basis, and eventually embraced Klingons more fully than Next Generation ever did, and even after acquiring Worf didn't stop at him to do this.
Duras later returns and becomes far more infamous. It can be argued that the narrative of Next Generation could be said to belong to a number of different characters. Worf could very easily be one of them. When he murders Duras, or temporarily resigns from Starfleet to help fight the Klingon Civil War, these moments again shatter the format, and if it weren't for the Borg, everyone would think of this grand Klingon saga when they think of Next Generation. Yet even the series lost track of this. By the end it had become an afterthought. Those pesky Duras Sisters? It's like they aren't even related to such a notorious figure.
"Sins of the Father" turns his own people deliberately against Worf, who accepts dishonor, the very thing Klingons abhor, and then returns to Starfleet, where he effectively hides and doesn't really think about any of it except for the periodic occasions where it's too obvious to ignore. Perhaps this is just as well. A moody Worf can be depressing. This is the rare Star Trek character who actually considered suicide, after all (Neelix and O'Brien would be two others). It could still have reshaped the series without going that dark. Instead the Borg delivered the memories everyone has. Sure, most people will call "Sins" a standout, and in a lot of ways it was a permanent game-changer. It went where Star Trek had never gone before. Yet it could so easily have done much more.
Maybe I'm just trying to envision a reality where Kurn was around more often...
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Tony Todd
Memory Alpha summary.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x16 "The Offspring"
***
Like an echo of "The Measure of a Man," one of the defining episodes of the second season and the young series as a whole to that point, "The Offspring" explores the concept of the rights of an artificial lifeform. This time we're considering the daughter/creation of Data rather than Data himself.
Data is of course the son/creation of Noonian Soong. I think I would be more interested in that episode, that semi-sequel, in which we see a tad more of Soong than simply his fatherly latterday relationship, and more of what he thinks of Data and how he dealt with the prejudices of others as they faced the reality of having an incredibly human android running around. (There were nods here and there to that, but I always had the sense that Data's would be another story that could easily carry its own series, or perhaps movie reboot. As a plus, Brent Spiner could still easily portray Soong.)
Still, I'm here to talk about Lal. Although in hindsight this is perhaps not the greatest story to tell in a single episode rather than arc (just imagine what Deep Space Nine would have done with it), it's still notable (and in fact might be said to be a kind of basis for a similar Voyager episode, "Latent Image," a classic that sees The Doctor struggling with the very thing that eventually ends Lal's existence). As a continuation of "Measure," it's worth noting, too. Most Data episodes about Data himself and the legacy of his creator were about Lore, Data's evil twin (the way that sounds only makes it sound bad). The last odd thing I'll say is that it's weird that Data apparently gave up making babies (as it were) after this experience, especially after everything the characters talk about in the episode, and his own yearning to keep his kind around should anything happen to him (which would make Star Trek Nemesis and B-4 far better in context than most fans have been willing to admit).
Anyway, so obviously there's plenty to recommend about "The Offspring," even if it's basically a springboard for a lot of nitpicking. But it's far less creepy than anything Harry Mudd was doing in the original series.
On top of everything else, Starfleet is still obsessed with exploiting the unique breakthroughs that allow Data and Lal to exist. It's worth wondering why that is, if even in the future devoid of monetary motivation an organization the size of Starfleet thinks that space exploration would be so much easier with the fallible human element. What's up with that? By the time of the Emergency Medical Hologram, it's still trying to exploit this concept. Sure, it's probably a metaphor about our own times and trying to deny basis human rights to a given minority, but it's certainly a shift from the ideals of Gene Roddenberry. But then again, Spock was always running into subtle bigotry as well. Is it just a given that we'll never be able to shake that impulse?
Although now that I've thought about it, DS9 did do this episode, and it was better. It's called "The Begotten." Watch that and "Latent Image," and that'll be the true worth of this one, its own legacy.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary.
Like an echo of "The Measure of a Man," one of the defining episodes of the second season and the young series as a whole to that point, "The Offspring" explores the concept of the rights of an artificial lifeform. This time we're considering the daughter/creation of Data rather than Data himself.
Data is of course the son/creation of Noonian Soong. I think I would be more interested in that episode, that semi-sequel, in which we see a tad more of Soong than simply his fatherly latterday relationship, and more of what he thinks of Data and how he dealt with the prejudices of others as they faced the reality of having an incredibly human android running around. (There were nods here and there to that, but I always had the sense that Data's would be another story that could easily carry its own series, or perhaps movie reboot. As a plus, Brent Spiner could still easily portray Soong.)
Still, I'm here to talk about Lal. Although in hindsight this is perhaps not the greatest story to tell in a single episode rather than arc (just imagine what Deep Space Nine would have done with it), it's still notable (and in fact might be said to be a kind of basis for a similar Voyager episode, "Latent Image," a classic that sees The Doctor struggling with the very thing that eventually ends Lal's existence). As a continuation of "Measure," it's worth noting, too. Most Data episodes about Data himself and the legacy of his creator were about Lore, Data's evil twin (the way that sounds only makes it sound bad). The last odd thing I'll say is that it's weird that Data apparently gave up making babies (as it were) after this experience, especially after everything the characters talk about in the episode, and his own yearning to keep his kind around should anything happen to him (which would make Star Trek Nemesis and B-4 far better in context than most fans have been willing to admit).
Anyway, so obviously there's plenty to recommend about "The Offspring," even if it's basically a springboard for a lot of nitpicking. But it's far less creepy than anything Harry Mudd was doing in the original series.
On top of everything else, Starfleet is still obsessed with exploiting the unique breakthroughs that allow Data and Lal to exist. It's worth wondering why that is, if even in the future devoid of monetary motivation an organization the size of Starfleet thinks that space exploration would be so much easier with the fallible human element. What's up with that? By the time of the Emergency Medical Hologram, it's still trying to exploit this concept. Sure, it's probably a metaphor about our own times and trying to deny basis human rights to a given minority, but it's certainly a shift from the ideals of Gene Roddenberry. But then again, Spock was always running into subtle bigotry as well. Is it just a given that we'll never be able to shake that impulse?
Although now that I've thought about it, DS9 did do this episode, and it was better. It's called "The Begotten." Watch that and "Latent Image," and that'll be the true worth of this one, its own legacy.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x15 "Yesterday's Enterprise"
****
One of the episodes long recognized as a classic is this unusual revisit of a prior series regular (though I've listed the similar experience of Kes returning to Voyager in "Fury" as another classic, this is far from a typical Star Trek fan's view) as an alternate reality allows the late Tasha Yar to stage a comeback, although she goes back and forth during the episode as to whether or not this is a good thing.
"Yesterday's Enterprise" references in its title one of the many nifty aspects of the episode. The lineage of the name Enterprise as a ship in Starfleet was established by Pike and Kirk's commands in the original series as well as the next one under Kirk in the films. Picard's command of the Enterprise-D was the next one established in continuity, and then the Enterprise-C in this one. It wouldn't be until Star Trek Generations that we learn anything about the Enterprise-B, while the NX version was established under Archer in Enterprise. Of course Picard also commands the Enterprise-E in the movies.
Anyway, we're chiefly concerned with the Enterprise-C for the purposes of this episode. After Kirk's heydey and before Picard's there was considerable unrest between Klingons and Romulans. Worf's backstory involves some of the particulars, although his presence isn't really relevant to "Yesterday's Enterprise." The ship in question becomes time-lost in Picard's present in a crucial incident, which alters the timeline so that Starfleet has become more militaristic, but more important in this reality Yar is still alive (after all, she died pretty randomly in the more familiar one, in "Skin of Evil," which I've also listed as a classic).
She proves useful in bringing the older crew up to speed, complicated when Captain Rachel Garrett doesn't survive the experience that brought her ship into the future. An odd kind of bonus is that Yar starts to fall for the de facto new commander of the ship. This becomes relevant the longer she becomes aware that as far as Guinan is concerned, she shouldn't exist.
That's the most interesting aspect of the episode for me. Guinan was often kind of overly mysterious. The creators kept hinting about her backstory and abilities (Generations eventually revealed exactly what species she was and how she ended up hanging out with Starfleet), and sometimes that made for some incredibly interesting material, even though no single episode was ever based entirely around her (strangely enough). This one came closest. She's the only member of Picard's crew that is aware that reality has been altered, and she lets Yar know that she's the most obvious blip. This might be considered incredibly insensitive. If Guinan had remained quiet about that Yar wouldn't have made the decision she does at the end of the episode, and we wouldn't have Sela later in the series (also played by Denise Crosby).
But that decision is its own kind of redemption for the character, alternate version or not. She goes out much more heroically, choosing to lend her expertise to the Enterprise-C crew when it goes back in time and undoes its undoing of the timeline (does the doing of the timeline?). Anyway, feel-good moment for everyone, except when you realize the crew is headed to its own doom, and that Yar will become a Romulan prisoner, and mother of a real Romulan watchyourmouth.
At this point in Star Trek lore, acknowledging any kind of continuity was still a rarity, so something like this would have been special one way or another, but it's still an excellent and unexpected episode. And yes, technically there was a female captain of an Enterprise!
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Denise Crosby
Whoopi Goldberg
Christopher McDonald
Memory Alpha summary.
One of the episodes long recognized as a classic is this unusual revisit of a prior series regular (though I've listed the similar experience of Kes returning to Voyager in "Fury" as another classic, this is far from a typical Star Trek fan's view) as an alternate reality allows the late Tasha Yar to stage a comeback, although she goes back and forth during the episode as to whether or not this is a good thing.
"Yesterday's Enterprise" references in its title one of the many nifty aspects of the episode. The lineage of the name Enterprise as a ship in Starfleet was established by Pike and Kirk's commands in the original series as well as the next one under Kirk in the films. Picard's command of the Enterprise-D was the next one established in continuity, and then the Enterprise-C in this one. It wouldn't be until Star Trek Generations that we learn anything about the Enterprise-B, while the NX version was established under Archer in Enterprise. Of course Picard also commands the Enterprise-E in the movies.
Anyway, we're chiefly concerned with the Enterprise-C for the purposes of this episode. After Kirk's heydey and before Picard's there was considerable unrest between Klingons and Romulans. Worf's backstory involves some of the particulars, although his presence isn't really relevant to "Yesterday's Enterprise." The ship in question becomes time-lost in Picard's present in a crucial incident, which alters the timeline so that Starfleet has become more militaristic, but more important in this reality Yar is still alive (after all, she died pretty randomly in the more familiar one, in "Skin of Evil," which I've also listed as a classic).
She proves useful in bringing the older crew up to speed, complicated when Captain Rachel Garrett doesn't survive the experience that brought her ship into the future. An odd kind of bonus is that Yar starts to fall for the de facto new commander of the ship. This becomes relevant the longer she becomes aware that as far as Guinan is concerned, she shouldn't exist.
That's the most interesting aspect of the episode for me. Guinan was often kind of overly mysterious. The creators kept hinting about her backstory and abilities (Generations eventually revealed exactly what species she was and how she ended up hanging out with Starfleet), and sometimes that made for some incredibly interesting material, even though no single episode was ever based entirely around her (strangely enough). This one came closest. She's the only member of Picard's crew that is aware that reality has been altered, and she lets Yar know that she's the most obvious blip. This might be considered incredibly insensitive. If Guinan had remained quiet about that Yar wouldn't have made the decision she does at the end of the episode, and we wouldn't have Sela later in the series (also played by Denise Crosby).
But that decision is its own kind of redemption for the character, alternate version or not. She goes out much more heroically, choosing to lend her expertise to the Enterprise-C crew when it goes back in time and undoes its undoing of the timeline (does the doing of the timeline?). Anyway, feel-good moment for everyone, except when you realize the crew is headed to its own doom, and that Yar will become a Romulan prisoner, and mother of a real Romulan watchyourmouth.
At this point in Star Trek lore, acknowledging any kind of continuity was still a rarity, so something like this would have been special one way or another, but it's still an excellent and unexpected episode. And yes, technically there was a female captain of an Enterprise!
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Denise Crosby
Whoopi Goldberg
Christopher McDonald
Memory Alpha summary.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Star Trek: The Next Generation 3x14 "A Matter of Perspective"
*
"A Matter of Perspective" is interesting, and yet it's not as memorable as the similar Voyager episode "Ex Post Facto." Both are stories about a crewmember being accused of murder on an alien planet and being forced to clear their names by extraordinary means. In Voyager's version it's Tom Paris, who has already been sentenced and punished by the time we catch up with him, forced to relive the murder he supposedly committed over and over again.
For The Next Generation, it's Riker. The means by which his supposed crime is explored is more interesting than the crime itself. (In Voyager's it's both, although fans of that series mostly criticize it for bringing out all the wrong elements of the character at an early stage of his and the show's development.) Simply put, it's essentially a holodeck episode, but more importantly than saying that is that it's one of several episodes from the series to use it as much as a tool as a means of entertainment. (Although no one's entertained with it this time, including the audience, relatively speaking.)
It's a devise that's used again in "Schisms" to much greater (and creepier) effect, not to mention "Identity Crisis" when Geordi is trying to figure out what's happening to some old colleagues of his (and because I love "Distant Origin" from Voyager, there's a memorable recreation sequence there, plus the whole completely inaccurate recreation from "Living Witness" from the same series).
Anyway, so this one seems to have bred an entire genre of Star Trek storytelling, one that begs the common belief that the holodeck was a terrible trope in franchise lore. It just so happens that the first effort wasn't the best one. They seldom are.
Actually, the most notable element for the characters in the whole episode is Data's barbed comments about Picard's artistic abilities. Which may as well as be a metatextual comment about the episode itself.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
"A Matter of Perspective" is interesting, and yet it's not as memorable as the similar Voyager episode "Ex Post Facto." Both are stories about a crewmember being accused of murder on an alien planet and being forced to clear their names by extraordinary means. In Voyager's version it's Tom Paris, who has already been sentenced and punished by the time we catch up with him, forced to relive the murder he supposedly committed over and over again.
For The Next Generation, it's Riker. The means by which his supposed crime is explored is more interesting than the crime itself. (In Voyager's it's both, although fans of that series mostly criticize it for bringing out all the wrong elements of the character at an early stage of his and the show's development.) Simply put, it's essentially a holodeck episode, but more importantly than saying that is that it's one of several episodes from the series to use it as much as a tool as a means of entertainment. (Although no one's entertained with it this time, including the audience, relatively speaking.)
It's a devise that's used again in "Schisms" to much greater (and creepier) effect, not to mention "Identity Crisis" when Geordi is trying to figure out what's happening to some old colleagues of his (and because I love "Distant Origin" from Voyager, there's a memorable recreation sequence there, plus the whole completely inaccurate recreation from "Living Witness" from the same series).
Anyway, so this one seems to have bred an entire genre of Star Trek storytelling, one that begs the common belief that the holodeck was a terrible trope in franchise lore. It just so happens that the first effort wasn't the best one. They seldom are.
Actually, the most notable element for the characters in the whole episode is Data's barbed comments about Picard's artistic abilities. Which may as well as be a metatextual comment about the episode itself.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
Friday, February 15, 2013
The Next Generation 3x13 "Deja Q"
****
In his last appearance ("Q Who?") Q made a play of wanting to join Picard's crew, but ended up going on and on about the same kind of ideas that had brought humanity to the Continuum's attention to begin with, whether or not it was ready to take the next step. He seemed to come to the reluctant conclusion that humans were not as barbarous as they first appeared, yet also far less capable than they imagined themselves to be (well, meeting the Borg will do that).
This time around he does join the crew, although no one's happy about it. For one, Q has been banished from the Continuum, stripped of his powers and made for all intents and purposes human (by his own choice!) for being unruly. As always, no one's happy to see him, but that hardly proves a challenge, even in Q's diminished capacity.
What's perhaps equally interesting is the B-story, which is a strict contrast to some of the less memorable episodes of the third season to this point, our crew facing a crisis on one of those alien-worlds-of-the-week, yet interacting with it only via viewscreen, maintaining a strict distance between the two, so that or crew can do what it does and the viewer doesn't have to worry too much about the anonymous folk that rarely have any significance anyway. And yes, it's a model that Star Trek uses in earnest from this point forward.
Anyway, the whole point is that there's a crisis the crew is trying to handle, and immediately suspects Q being behind, although all things truly are equal in this instance. Q really has lost his powers and the crisis is most definitely happening. Eventually this puts our impish acquaintance under the care of Data, the android who wishes to become more human, or as far as this episode is concerned the polar opposite of Q.
The third season, strangely enough, took its time getting around to addressing Data, who had previously stolen the entire second season with a single episode, "The Measure of a Man," in which his rights as an individual were put on trial. That would always be a tough act to follow, so perhaps it's not surprising that the creative forces who sought to drastically reshape the whole series approached Data from a distance. He was perhaps the last element that needed any fixing.
Yet "Deja Q" begins a more sober approach, presenting him on more equal terms, less a curiosity than before. It's by no means an episode worth watching if you're only following the arc of Data, but it's a beginning, a new beginning, much as it is for Q. Watching the two together, this is probably the only moment they could have synced up together. You may recall that at first Q was obsessed with Riker, and yet the writers realized perhaps as much as Q that Picard was his true foil, and from this point on, at least in Next Generation, there's very little remaining to separate them. For one moment it's Data, however, who intrigues Q, because Q sees the android not as an artificial being or for his awesome abilities, but very much as Q is at the moment himself, merely an imperfect being, striving to be better than what he is, even if that may seem contradictory.
It's a subtle moment of clarity, and you have to pay attention to catch it. The episode itself doesn't draw too much attention to it, but there it is. Sometimes it's easy to think of Q simply as the annoying pest who happened to be extremely entertaining. Yet the genius of the character was that he was always much more than that. This was the episode to prove it, and it's a great success.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
John de Lancie
Whoopi Goldberg
Corbin Bernsen
Memory Alpha summary.
In his last appearance ("Q Who?") Q made a play of wanting to join Picard's crew, but ended up going on and on about the same kind of ideas that had brought humanity to the Continuum's attention to begin with, whether or not it was ready to take the next step. He seemed to come to the reluctant conclusion that humans were not as barbarous as they first appeared, yet also far less capable than they imagined themselves to be (well, meeting the Borg will do that).
This time around he does join the crew, although no one's happy about it. For one, Q has been banished from the Continuum, stripped of his powers and made for all intents and purposes human (by his own choice!) for being unruly. As always, no one's happy to see him, but that hardly proves a challenge, even in Q's diminished capacity.
What's perhaps equally interesting is the B-story, which is a strict contrast to some of the less memorable episodes of the third season to this point, our crew facing a crisis on one of those alien-worlds-of-the-week, yet interacting with it only via viewscreen, maintaining a strict distance between the two, so that or crew can do what it does and the viewer doesn't have to worry too much about the anonymous folk that rarely have any significance anyway. And yes, it's a model that Star Trek uses in earnest from this point forward.
Anyway, the whole point is that there's a crisis the crew is trying to handle, and immediately suspects Q being behind, although all things truly are equal in this instance. Q really has lost his powers and the crisis is most definitely happening. Eventually this puts our impish acquaintance under the care of Data, the android who wishes to become more human, or as far as this episode is concerned the polar opposite of Q.
The third season, strangely enough, took its time getting around to addressing Data, who had previously stolen the entire second season with a single episode, "The Measure of a Man," in which his rights as an individual were put on trial. That would always be a tough act to follow, so perhaps it's not surprising that the creative forces who sought to drastically reshape the whole series approached Data from a distance. He was perhaps the last element that needed any fixing.
Yet "Deja Q" begins a more sober approach, presenting him on more equal terms, less a curiosity than before. It's by no means an episode worth watching if you're only following the arc of Data, but it's a beginning, a new beginning, much as it is for Q. Watching the two together, this is probably the only moment they could have synced up together. You may recall that at first Q was obsessed with Riker, and yet the writers realized perhaps as much as Q that Picard was his true foil, and from this point on, at least in Next Generation, there's very little remaining to separate them. For one moment it's Data, however, who intrigues Q, because Q sees the android not as an artificial being or for his awesome abilities, but very much as Q is at the moment himself, merely an imperfect being, striving to be better than what he is, even if that may seem contradictory.
It's a subtle moment of clarity, and you have to pay attention to catch it. The episode itself doesn't draw too much attention to it, but there it is. Sometimes it's easy to think of Q simply as the annoying pest who happened to be extremely entertaining. Yet the genius of the character was that he was always much more than that. This was the episode to prove it, and it's a great success.
franchise * series * essential * character
notable guest-stars:
John de Lancie
Whoopi Goldberg
Corbin Bernsen
Memory Alpha summary.
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Next Generation 3x12 "The High Ground"
*
This is another episode that could've been so much better than it ultimately was, and unfortunately has a lot of other Star Trek that's better, namely any Bajoran episode, whether in Next Generation itself or Deep Space Nine. It's also essentially a Dr. Crusher episode, and that's almost never a good thing.
"The High Ground" is about terrorism. Crusher is kidnapped by terrorists, in fact, and is forced to come to terms with their thoughts on why they're killing people to get their message across. Star Trek has had a shocking emphasis on terrorism over the years, which only changed in the aftermath of 9/11, when an entire storyline was built around it. We were meant to sympathize with the Bajorans who regularly participated in terrorist attacks, for example. The line was only drawn with the Maquis, who were summarily declared to be Federation rebels, enemies of Picard and Sisko and only reluctantly absorbed into Janeway's crew, on the strength of its more idealistic and qualified representatives.
Like other episodes that don't quite succeed, "High Ground" fails by featuring another alien-culture-of-the-week, which is something some Star Trek fans enjoy and also drives other fans crazy. Randomness is only effective when the central characters really connect, and as I said, this is a Crusher episode. Not the best way to connect.
Gates McFadden has the distinction of being the only franchise series regular to have a gap in their record. For many reasons, she was dropped from the Next Generation cast after the first season, only to return in the third and thereafter remain, including appearances in its four movies. Yet Beverly Crusher remained a maddeningly ineffective character, thanks to McFadden's remoteness as a performer. This is not to say that she wasn't memorable at moments, or that if you see her or one of her episodes you should immediately find the skip button. It's just that, she was a constant challenge. "The High Ground" is one such moment where the challenge turned out to be a failure.
It's also an episode that slips your mind the longer it's been since you've seen it. Sometimes a fresh viewing will fix this. "The Seventh" from Enterprise is an example of an episode that quickly redeems itself upon watching it again. I somehow doubt that "High Ground" is in that company. There are just too many episodes that handle the same material, for whatever reason.
You might think it gets better once Picard joins Crusher as a hostage, and yet the series so frequently dodged the obvious issue of their past (and sometimes future) relationship that it's no surprise that "High Ground" ignores it (or perhaps explains why it never happened, which may be a reason to give it another shot after all). A lot of the episode ends up defaulting to the typical series mode of negotiating and, well, taking the high ground, removing the crucial element Crusher herself can't provide.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
This is another episode that could've been so much better than it ultimately was, and unfortunately has a lot of other Star Trek that's better, namely any Bajoran episode, whether in Next Generation itself or Deep Space Nine. It's also essentially a Dr. Crusher episode, and that's almost never a good thing.
"The High Ground" is about terrorism. Crusher is kidnapped by terrorists, in fact, and is forced to come to terms with their thoughts on why they're killing people to get their message across. Star Trek has had a shocking emphasis on terrorism over the years, which only changed in the aftermath of 9/11, when an entire storyline was built around it. We were meant to sympathize with the Bajorans who regularly participated in terrorist attacks, for example. The line was only drawn with the Maquis, who were summarily declared to be Federation rebels, enemies of Picard and Sisko and only reluctantly absorbed into Janeway's crew, on the strength of its more idealistic and qualified representatives.
Like other episodes that don't quite succeed, "High Ground" fails by featuring another alien-culture-of-the-week, which is something some Star Trek fans enjoy and also drives other fans crazy. Randomness is only effective when the central characters really connect, and as I said, this is a Crusher episode. Not the best way to connect.
Gates McFadden has the distinction of being the only franchise series regular to have a gap in their record. For many reasons, she was dropped from the Next Generation cast after the first season, only to return in the third and thereafter remain, including appearances in its four movies. Yet Beverly Crusher remained a maddeningly ineffective character, thanks to McFadden's remoteness as a performer. This is not to say that she wasn't memorable at moments, or that if you see her or one of her episodes you should immediately find the skip button. It's just that, she was a constant challenge. "The High Ground" is one such moment where the challenge turned out to be a failure.
It's also an episode that slips your mind the longer it's been since you've seen it. Sometimes a fresh viewing will fix this. "The Seventh" from Enterprise is an example of an episode that quickly redeems itself upon watching it again. I somehow doubt that "High Ground" is in that company. There are just too many episodes that handle the same material, for whatever reason.
You might think it gets better once Picard joins Crusher as a hostage, and yet the series so frequently dodged the obvious issue of their past (and sometimes future) relationship that it's no surprise that "High Ground" ignores it (or perhaps explains why it never happened, which may be a reason to give it another shot after all). A lot of the episode ends up defaulting to the typical series mode of negotiating and, well, taking the high ground, removing the crucial element Crusher herself can't provide.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The Next Generation 3x11 "The Hunted"
*
Like a lot of Next Generation episodes, Picard and his crew get to demonstrate their superiority over the alien culture of the week, only this time it's a story about war veterans and their inability to integrate back into society.
It's certainly a worthy and continually relevant story, but "The Hunted" is told in the wrong context for it to really matter, the wrong series and in the wrong way. It's hard to truly care about the guy who's fighting for his rights when we don't know or care about his culture (it's James Cromwell in his first Star Trek appearance representing that culture, by the way), just more random aliens, which I know plenty of fans are perfectly fine with but others would prefer more continuity (which is what later series did on a regular basis).
Yet shockingly, "The Hunted" is still a pretty singular event in franchise lore. Deep Space Nine told a lot of stories about war, but the Dominion War ended at the end of the series, so there was never a chance to tell the DS9 version of this one. There were plenty of Bajoran episodes about the effects of the Occupation and holdouts from current political regimes, but nothing quite like this. Voyager didn't do it, either, or Enterprise. It's just so surprising. If I had been in charge of any of these series, it would have been natural to revisit this episode, even if it was a MACO in the fourth season (which never happened) of Enterprise, following the Xindi conflict.
It's a missed opportunity. "The Hunted" is a placeholder, a competent one, but not a tremendously memorable one. One of the things that might've redeemed it would have been better casting for the soldier, but even there it's pretty generic, and by budget uninspiring in wardrobe, which was always a problem.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
James Cromwell
Memory Alpha summary.
Like a lot of Next Generation episodes, Picard and his crew get to demonstrate their superiority over the alien culture of the week, only this time it's a story about war veterans and their inability to integrate back into society.
It's certainly a worthy and continually relevant story, but "The Hunted" is told in the wrong context for it to really matter, the wrong series and in the wrong way. It's hard to truly care about the guy who's fighting for his rights when we don't know or care about his culture (it's James Cromwell in his first Star Trek appearance representing that culture, by the way), just more random aliens, which I know plenty of fans are perfectly fine with but others would prefer more continuity (which is what later series did on a regular basis).
Yet shockingly, "The Hunted" is still a pretty singular event in franchise lore. Deep Space Nine told a lot of stories about war, but the Dominion War ended at the end of the series, so there was never a chance to tell the DS9 version of this one. There were plenty of Bajoran episodes about the effects of the Occupation and holdouts from current political regimes, but nothing quite like this. Voyager didn't do it, either, or Enterprise. It's just so surprising. If I had been in charge of any of these series, it would have been natural to revisit this episode, even if it was a MACO in the fourth season (which never happened) of Enterprise, following the Xindi conflict.
It's a missed opportunity. "The Hunted" is a placeholder, a competent one, but not a tremendously memorable one. One of the things that might've redeemed it would have been better casting for the soldier, but even there it's pretty generic, and by budget uninspiring in wardrobe, which was always a problem.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
James Cromwell
Memory Alpha summary.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
The Next Generation 3x10 "The Defector"
****
This is the best Romulan episode of The Next Generation. Where the earlier third season effort "The Enemy" seemed to go out of its way to avoid real comparisons to the classic original series episode "Balance of Terror," "The Defector" tells its own story, which is very much of a common Next Generation theme, and emerges as a new classic.
There are many episodes that successfully mine some of the same territory, whether "Chain of Command, Part II" from Next Generation or "Duet" and "Defiant" from Deep Space Nine, but none diminish the impact of "The Defector." The title character, naturally, is a Romulan, who stumbles onto some plans and rushes to Starfleet in order to prevent a costly war. At first he pretends to be a minor figure, believing that he'll have a better chance at being believed, but the truth is eventually revealed, his bad reputation known, and his credibility once again tossed around by Picard and his crew. The whole episode is about these characters mulling over the situation, an even more pure version of the stalemate from "Balance of Terror," this time set entirely aboard the Enterprise. There's no place to hide. This is Next Generation diplomacy at its finest.
James Sloyan makes the first of many Star Trek guest appearances as the Romulan in question, which is just one of many further elements to relish about the episode. There's also one of the series' classic teasers to kick things off, Data performing Shakespeare's Henry V on the Holodeck (with Patrick Stewart nearly unrecognizable in support, allowing him to flex his considerable acting muscles), and a return from Andreas Katsulas's character from "The Enemy" (thereby completing the redemption of that episode).
When you think of the dramatic rise in quality of the series in its third season, "The Defector" is at least as responsible as any other episode that may spring to mind, and yet I think it can be easy to overlook. It's a Romulan episode, and Romulans aren't new in Star Trek, certainly by this point in the franchise. Sometimes it can be easy to assume that you need fresh aliens to remain relevant, but "The Defector" is also a reminder that established continuity can provide for relevant and engaging material, which is a concept DS9 ran with for seven seasons. Could this story have been told with aliens we'd never seen before? Sure, but it probably wouldn't have been as memorable.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
James Sloyan
Andreas Katsulas
Memory Alpha summary.
This is the best Romulan episode of The Next Generation. Where the earlier third season effort "The Enemy" seemed to go out of its way to avoid real comparisons to the classic original series episode "Balance of Terror," "The Defector" tells its own story, which is very much of a common Next Generation theme, and emerges as a new classic.
There are many episodes that successfully mine some of the same territory, whether "Chain of Command, Part II" from Next Generation or "Duet" and "Defiant" from Deep Space Nine, but none diminish the impact of "The Defector." The title character, naturally, is a Romulan, who stumbles onto some plans and rushes to Starfleet in order to prevent a costly war. At first he pretends to be a minor figure, believing that he'll have a better chance at being believed, but the truth is eventually revealed, his bad reputation known, and his credibility once again tossed around by Picard and his crew. The whole episode is about these characters mulling over the situation, an even more pure version of the stalemate from "Balance of Terror," this time set entirely aboard the Enterprise. There's no place to hide. This is Next Generation diplomacy at its finest.
James Sloyan makes the first of many Star Trek guest appearances as the Romulan in question, which is just one of many further elements to relish about the episode. There's also one of the series' classic teasers to kick things off, Data performing Shakespeare's Henry V on the Holodeck (with Patrick Stewart nearly unrecognizable in support, allowing him to flex his considerable acting muscles), and a return from Andreas Katsulas's character from "The Enemy" (thereby completing the redemption of that episode).
When you think of the dramatic rise in quality of the series in its third season, "The Defector" is at least as responsible as any other episode that may spring to mind, and yet I think it can be easy to overlook. It's a Romulan episode, and Romulans aren't new in Star Trek, certainly by this point in the franchise. Sometimes it can be easy to assume that you need fresh aliens to remain relevant, but "The Defector" is also a reminder that established continuity can provide for relevant and engaging material, which is a concept DS9 ran with for seven seasons. Could this story have been told with aliens we'd never seen before? Sure, but it probably wouldn't have been as memorable.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
James Sloyan
Andreas Katsulas
Memory Alpha summary.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Next Generation 3x9 "The Vengeance Factor"
*
This would be one of those generic Next Generation episodes that proves that although the third season was basically the start of the series as fans know it, it's not the best of all possible seasons. It can sometimes be all but forgettable.
"The Vengeance Factor" is one of many, many episodes from the series where our crew is asked to mediate a conflict between warring factions. There were so many of these, it's surprising that none of the movies were really about it, but perhaps not surprising that its only nominal spin-off, Deep Space Nine based a part of its premise on the concept.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot to distinguish this one from the rest of them. There are even episodes from other series that are exactly like it but more memorable, "Battle Lines" from DS9 for instance, and that's just because it features the unexpected death of a recurring character.
Actually, if there's anything to talk about with this variation, it's that "Vengeance Factor" is one of Next Generation's periodic attempts to represent Riker as a Kirk kind of guy, who becomes involved with the female guest just because he's male and she's female. Of course, most of Riker's such relationships turn out miserable, even worse than Tucker's in Enterprise (and that's saying something!), and this one is no exception. But it's not even prominent enough to make too much of. It does tie into the resolution, but it leaves no real lasting impression, just another part of the unhappy ending.
That may be what you can best take away from the episode, its ambiguity. Star Trek can sometimes be stereotyped as fairly black-and-white. Heroes are pretty obviously heroes and villains are pretty obviously villains. DS9, again, was an exception to this rule, but Next Generation helped set that tone more than fans might sometimes admit. If nothing else, "Vengeance Factor" is one such experience to prove such an assertion.
So there you have it. You can probably skip this one, but it wouldn't hurt to have a look.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
This would be one of those generic Next Generation episodes that proves that although the third season was basically the start of the series as fans know it, it's not the best of all possible seasons. It can sometimes be all but forgettable.
"The Vengeance Factor" is one of many, many episodes from the series where our crew is asked to mediate a conflict between warring factions. There were so many of these, it's surprising that none of the movies were really about it, but perhaps not surprising that its only nominal spin-off, Deep Space Nine based a part of its premise on the concept.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot to distinguish this one from the rest of them. There are even episodes from other series that are exactly like it but more memorable, "Battle Lines" from DS9 for instance, and that's just because it features the unexpected death of a recurring character.
Actually, if there's anything to talk about with this variation, it's that "Vengeance Factor" is one of Next Generation's periodic attempts to represent Riker as a Kirk kind of guy, who becomes involved with the female guest just because he's male and she's female. Of course, most of Riker's such relationships turn out miserable, even worse than Tucker's in Enterprise (and that's saying something!), and this one is no exception. But it's not even prominent enough to make too much of. It does tie into the resolution, but it leaves no real lasting impression, just another part of the unhappy ending.
That may be what you can best take away from the episode, its ambiguity. Star Trek can sometimes be stereotyped as fairly black-and-white. Heroes are pretty obviously heroes and villains are pretty obviously villains. DS9, again, was an exception to this rule, but Next Generation helped set that tone more than fans might sometimes admit. If nothing else, "Vengeance Factor" is one such experience to prove such an assertion.
So there you have it. You can probably skip this one, but it wouldn't hurt to have a look.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
The Next Generation 3x8 "The Price"
***
Fans got an unexpected sequel to "The Price" in Voyager's "False Prophets," but the real common denominator is The Next Generation finally figuring out a better way to present the Ferengi after their all-but-disastrous debut in the first season, not quite to the nuanced portrayal in Deep Space Nine, but respectable.
The occasion (and reason why Voyager could revisit the Ferengi featured here) is discussions concerning an artificial wormhole, the appearance itself helping years in advance to set up another defining feature of DS9. Representatives of various species gather aboard the Enterprise for the rights to the wormhole.
Interestingly, the episode apart from its enduring legacy is a fairly standard Next Generation affair, featuring the crew deep in negotiations as happens frequently elsewhere in the series (previously Kirk did a lot of his negotiations not with his mouth but fists). Troi gets the nominal lead when one of the participants turns out to be part-Betazoid, but he's hidden this aspect of himself so he can exploit his empathic abilities. Riker gets to step up as well during the course of the episode.
Yet it's the weaselly Ferengi, always in search of profit and willing to do anything to get it, that steal the episode. They end up making the trip through the ultimately unstable wormhole, ending up in the Delta Quadrant where "False Prophets" later catches up with them. Before that, although not particularly likable they're more memorable than even the Ferengi who was at one point considered Picard's mortal enemy. This is exactly how you picture Ferengi in the field, twitchy and duplicitous but probably ineffective, because they work best in far better-defined financial territory. Watching them flounder in "The Price" is enough to establish a firm new context for the species, and it's one that endures.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
Fans got an unexpected sequel to "The Price" in Voyager's "False Prophets," but the real common denominator is The Next Generation finally figuring out a better way to present the Ferengi after their all-but-disastrous debut in the first season, not quite to the nuanced portrayal in Deep Space Nine, but respectable.
The occasion (and reason why Voyager could revisit the Ferengi featured here) is discussions concerning an artificial wormhole, the appearance itself helping years in advance to set up another defining feature of DS9. Representatives of various species gather aboard the Enterprise for the rights to the wormhole.
Interestingly, the episode apart from its enduring legacy is a fairly standard Next Generation affair, featuring the crew deep in negotiations as happens frequently elsewhere in the series (previously Kirk did a lot of his negotiations not with his mouth but fists). Troi gets the nominal lead when one of the participants turns out to be part-Betazoid, but he's hidden this aspect of himself so he can exploit his empathic abilities. Riker gets to step up as well during the course of the episode.
Yet it's the weaselly Ferengi, always in search of profit and willing to do anything to get it, that steal the episode. They end up making the trip through the ultimately unstable wormhole, ending up in the Delta Quadrant where "False Prophets" later catches up with them. Before that, although not particularly likable they're more memorable than even the Ferengi who was at one point considered Picard's mortal enemy. This is exactly how you picture Ferengi in the field, twitchy and duplicitous but probably ineffective, because they work best in far better-defined financial territory. Watching them flounder in "The Price" is enough to establish a firm new context for the species, and it's one that endures.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The Next Generation 3x7 "The Enemy"
**
"The Enemy" is incredibly similar to a number of episodes in franchise lore, all of them basically inspired by the movie Enemy Mine. One of ours ended up having to survive on a planet with one of theirs, a "good guy" and "bad guy" working together. It has another subplot that's also been used multiple times, a medical dilemma concerning one character not willing to help as another is dying simply because their species are or have been blood enemies. Also, it's basically "Balance of Terror" from the original series as well.
So there's a lot going on, and most of it ends up with Three Stooges Syndrome, stuck in the doorway because none of the three wants to give way to the others.
But what you may take as a unifying element is that it's a Romulan episode, and Next Generation is generally good for these. This one's just disturbingly generic about it. The franchise itself probably realized that when it kept trying to redo some of its elements in later series. Sometimes it's because a story is good. Sometimes it's because the story could be better.
The hero of the first element is La Forge, and this is mostly relevant because the Romulan he's trapped with ends up noting that his kind would have ended La Forge's life after it was discovered that he was blind. Being blind tends to dominate La Forge's character, when necessary. It's seen as a handicap, except when it isn't. In this same episode his VISOR is an asset, a great piece of technology that allows innovative solutions to problems.
Worf is the subject of the next element. His parents were murdered by Romulans. He refuses to donate blood that would save one in the present. It's Worf being controversial, much as he would be in the Deep Space Nine episode "Change of Heart," making a decision that could adversely affect his career. This time he gets off much easier. Next time he's told he will never advance in rank again. Half of this is Worf being Worf, but you can't help feeling that it's because he's Klingon and the writers think it's easier for an alien to get away with this and not seem like a monster (although in DS9 he's saving his wife Jadzia), regardless of Klingon honor. I don't know. It's an odd episode to reconcile on that score alone.
"The Enemy" also features the debut of Tomalak, a faintly recurring Romulan played by Andreas Katsulas, later to become famous as G'Kar in Babylon 5. Part of me wishes that the episode had downplayed the other elements and played more like an updated "Balance of Terror," a duel between Tomalak and Picard. Would fans have been upset? I doubt it. Well, probably. Star Trek fans are rabid. (Though I personally don't bite.)
All of this means that "The Enemy" is an episode well worth watching, but how much you care to remember it depends on how much you care about these particular characters having these moments that happen again to others.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Andreas Katsulas
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
"The Enemy" is incredibly similar to a number of episodes in franchise lore, all of them basically inspired by the movie Enemy Mine. One of ours ended up having to survive on a planet with one of theirs, a "good guy" and "bad guy" working together. It has another subplot that's also been used multiple times, a medical dilemma concerning one character not willing to help as another is dying simply because their species are or have been blood enemies. Also, it's basically "Balance of Terror" from the original series as well.
So there's a lot going on, and most of it ends up with Three Stooges Syndrome, stuck in the doorway because none of the three wants to give way to the others.
But what you may take as a unifying element is that it's a Romulan episode, and Next Generation is generally good for these. This one's just disturbingly generic about it. The franchise itself probably realized that when it kept trying to redo some of its elements in later series. Sometimes it's because a story is good. Sometimes it's because the story could be better.
The hero of the first element is La Forge, and this is mostly relevant because the Romulan he's trapped with ends up noting that his kind would have ended La Forge's life after it was discovered that he was blind. Being blind tends to dominate La Forge's character, when necessary. It's seen as a handicap, except when it isn't. In this same episode his VISOR is an asset, a great piece of technology that allows innovative solutions to problems.
Worf is the subject of the next element. His parents were murdered by Romulans. He refuses to donate blood that would save one in the present. It's Worf being controversial, much as he would be in the Deep Space Nine episode "Change of Heart," making a decision that could adversely affect his career. This time he gets off much easier. Next time he's told he will never advance in rank again. Half of this is Worf being Worf, but you can't help feeling that it's because he's Klingon and the writers think it's easier for an alien to get away with this and not seem like a monster (although in DS9 he's saving his wife Jadzia), regardless of Klingon honor. I don't know. It's an odd episode to reconcile on that score alone.
"The Enemy" also features the debut of Tomalak, a faintly recurring Romulan played by Andreas Katsulas, later to become famous as G'Kar in Babylon 5. Part of me wishes that the episode had downplayed the other elements and played more like an updated "Balance of Terror," a duel between Tomalak and Picard. Would fans have been upset? I doubt it. Well, probably. Star Trek fans are rabid. (Though I personally don't bite.)
All of this means that "The Enemy" is an episode well worth watching, but how much you care to remember it depends on how much you care about these particular characters having these moments that happen again to others.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Andreas Katsulas
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
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