rating: ****
the story: Klingon civil war breaks out thanks in no small part to Romulan instigation, leading Worf to make a difficult decision.
similar to: "Way of the Warrior" (Deep Space Nine), "The Expanse" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: In many ways, "Redemption" is far more important to Next Generation's legacy than "The Best of Both Worlds." Where the latter is plenty iconic, "Redemption" defined in large part the show's legacy, which can be felt in each subsequent Star Trek series and in television generally. It's the point where serialized storytelling became more important than serialization, not because of soap opera qualities or some general goal, but because the mythology of a concept became the most important aspect of the storytelling.
I'm incredibly tempted to write a whole article on the predecessors and successors to "Redemption," from Next Generation itself, from other series, other movies. It's a legacy that quickly eclipses "Best of Both Worlds." It's really that important.
For starters, it introduces the Duras Sisters, Lursa and B'Etor, who end up impacting the franchise in ways the far more limited and utilitarian Duras himself ever could. They appear throughout the remainder of the series, in Deep Space Nine, and join Khan and the Borg as familiar figures to appear in the movies when they meet their demise in Generations, always scheming but in increasingly unpredictable ways. In a lot of ways, they're the true legacy of Harry Mudd, and they're a lot harder to forget.
If you start only from "Sins of the Father" and "Reunion," in which Worf enters the Klingon fray more directly than at any other point in his life, "Redemption" expands those developments and builds on them. In Star Trek lore, Klingons have opera. In the episodes themselves, this is the Klingon opera, a crescendo of all the best work the series had done to this point, and in a lot of ways, the rest of it was kind of a letdown, never really trying something this ambitious again (there's the realm of Deep Space Nine).
This is the meat and potatoes of the franchise mandate, coming to terms with an alien culture, in ways the original series and Spock could only play at, even in the movies. Worf's conflicts are indeed epic. Although he does return to Starfleet, the fact that he leaves at the end of this episode and season is completely unprecedented, and prove the depth of his character and the series around him.
This is a culmination, besides, of the rich character work that was the season at the peak of its creativity, and it successfully and artfully weaves high drama around a main character and significant guest stars around him, something that had heretofore eluded both the season and series so far, so often with one or the other dominating, but never both at the same time.
And the story only gets better...
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Robert O'Reilly (Gowron)
Tony Todd (Kurn)
Barbara March (Lursa)
Gwynyth Walsh (B'Etor)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Denise Crosby (Sela)
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Showing posts with label Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2016
Friday, February 5, 2016
The Next Generation 4x25 "In Theory"
rating: **
the story: Data attempts to have a romantic relationship.
similar to: "Family," "Data's Day"
my thoughts: I've had something of a conflicted relationship with this episode over the years. On the one hand, it's a valuable experience of what it's like to interact with Data on an intimate basis, and on the other, it really doesn't give him enough credit.
"In Theory" joins a suite of episodes from the fourth season that take a slice-of-life approach to the series, including "Family" at the start of it and "Data's Day" near the middle. "Theory" is the most simple of them, and therefore the easiest to take for granted. Yet it may be the most valuable. It's one thing to accept Data as a member of the crew, and another to accept that the crew accepts him. Often enough, we're remembered that other people haven't always been as accepting, but "Theory" presents what it's like to actually accept him, warts and all, including all the idiosyncrasies that are so easy to take for granted.
Fans hate it when they're introduced to characters who are relevant for one episode, but are otherwise represented as relevant on a continued basis to the ones we otherwise have followed all along. As with the rest of the season, "Theory" is interested in someone for their unique perspective, and so use them as a catapult to help the story along. The woman who falls in love with Data, however, is kind f beside the point. Unlike O'Brien in "The Wounded" or Barclay in "The Nth Degree," it wouldn't have benefited anyway (say, Nurse Ogawa) to have been used, from the available pool, and so let's just move on to Data himself.
The most telling scene is when Data explains everything he was processing at a given moment, and it's the rare moment where we're allowed to view him as the complex mechanism he really is. His girlfriend is pretty annoyed that she's just a part of his thought process, but it's exactly what Data should be doing. It's painful when he programs himself for love (Voyager's Doctor had better examples of such attempts, such as "Real Life" or "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy"), but again, that just goes to show he inexperienced he really is, despite his many years of service with humans.
"Theory" is hardly to the caliber or significance of "Measure of a Man," but it's still a valuable insight into Data and his greater role in the society of the crew. And besides, just as Wesley discovered before him, it's dangerous but incredibly amusing to ask crewmates about love!
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
the story: Data attempts to have a romantic relationship.
similar to: "Family," "Data's Day"
my thoughts: I've had something of a conflicted relationship with this episode over the years. On the one hand, it's a valuable experience of what it's like to interact with Data on an intimate basis, and on the other, it really doesn't give him enough credit.
"In Theory" joins a suite of episodes from the fourth season that take a slice-of-life approach to the series, including "Family" at the start of it and "Data's Day" near the middle. "Theory" is the most simple of them, and therefore the easiest to take for granted. Yet it may be the most valuable. It's one thing to accept Data as a member of the crew, and another to accept that the crew accepts him. Often enough, we're remembered that other people haven't always been as accepting, but "Theory" presents what it's like to actually accept him, warts and all, including all the idiosyncrasies that are so easy to take for granted.
Fans hate it when they're introduced to characters who are relevant for one episode, but are otherwise represented as relevant on a continued basis to the ones we otherwise have followed all along. As with the rest of the season, "Theory" is interested in someone for their unique perspective, and so use them as a catapult to help the story along. The woman who falls in love with Data, however, is kind f beside the point. Unlike O'Brien in "The Wounded" or Barclay in "The Nth Degree," it wouldn't have benefited anyway (say, Nurse Ogawa) to have been used, from the available pool, and so let's just move on to Data himself.
The most telling scene is when Data explains everything he was processing at a given moment, and it's the rare moment where we're allowed to view him as the complex mechanism he really is. His girlfriend is pretty annoyed that she's just a part of his thought process, but it's exactly what Data should be doing. It's painful when he programs himself for love (Voyager's Doctor had better examples of such attempts, such as "Real Life" or "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy"), but again, that just goes to show he inexperienced he really is, despite his many years of service with humans.
"Theory" is hardly to the caliber or significance of "Measure of a Man," but it's still a valuable insight into Data and his greater role in the society of the crew. And besides, just as Wesley discovered before him, it's dangerous but incredibly amusing to ask crewmates about love!
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
The Next Generation 4x24 "The Mind's Eye"
rating: *
the story: Geordi is programmed by the Romulans to become an unwitting assassin.
similar to: "Babel One," "United," "The Aenar" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: This is such a roundabout way to lead into "Redemption" that it's almost not even worth commenting on in that regard, but it's probably the best way to talk about it at all.
And by the way, this is also the introduction of Sela, the Romulan daughter of the Tasha Yar from "Yesterday's Enterprise," and even in that it's kind of a needless tease for how little mileage the character ends up getting. Denise Crosby famously exited the series in its first season because she didn't think she got enough to do. These are the episodes where she gets to prove whether or not it was a horrible mistake on her part, because they're by far her most important. Yet she never quite breaks the mold of being an actor who was arguably better suited to play Deanna Troi, as originally cast (Marina Sirtis makes a far better argument about deserving a shot at Yar in episodes like "Power Play" and "Face of the Enemy").
But since she's hardly in it, and not even officially so, let's not spend this review talking about Sela. It's not even worth talking about Geordi, which makes this another episode featuring a character but not really using them as bedeviled the midpoint of the season. Until the closing moments of the episode, in which Troi helps Geordi realize what's happened to him, he literally has nothing interesting to do except walk around on autopilot. Based on the classic movie(s) The Manchurian Candidate, I'd say "Mind's Eye" was a horrible misfire in that regard, far more so than the Deep Space Nine episode evoking Casablanca, "Profit and Loss."
Anyway, again, this whole story is really just an excuse to set up "Redemption" two episodes later as a season finale. It doesn't feature Worf, for whatever reason, but does have Romulans and Klingons awkwardly clashing. It's important in a very minor way, almost like the series realized such a moment was necessary, but had no better way to provide it. It's a place-filler of an episode.
Besides, the whole thing was done better in a three-part Enterprise episode concerning Romulans manipulating events behind the scenes.
criteria analysis:franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Denise Crosby (Sela)
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
John Fleck
the story: Geordi is programmed by the Romulans to become an unwitting assassin.
similar to: "Babel One," "United," "The Aenar" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: This is such a roundabout way to lead into "Redemption" that it's almost not even worth commenting on in that regard, but it's probably the best way to talk about it at all.
And by the way, this is also the introduction of Sela, the Romulan daughter of the Tasha Yar from "Yesterday's Enterprise," and even in that it's kind of a needless tease for how little mileage the character ends up getting. Denise Crosby famously exited the series in its first season because she didn't think she got enough to do. These are the episodes where she gets to prove whether or not it was a horrible mistake on her part, because they're by far her most important. Yet she never quite breaks the mold of being an actor who was arguably better suited to play Deanna Troi, as originally cast (Marina Sirtis makes a far better argument about deserving a shot at Yar in episodes like "Power Play" and "Face of the Enemy").
But since she's hardly in it, and not even officially so, let's not spend this review talking about Sela. It's not even worth talking about Geordi, which makes this another episode featuring a character but not really using them as bedeviled the midpoint of the season. Until the closing moments of the episode, in which Troi helps Geordi realize what's happened to him, he literally has nothing interesting to do except walk around on autopilot. Based on the classic movie(s) The Manchurian Candidate, I'd say "Mind's Eye" was a horrible misfire in that regard, far more so than the Deep Space Nine episode evoking Casablanca, "Profit and Loss."
Anyway, again, this whole story is really just an excuse to set up "Redemption" two episodes later as a season finale. It doesn't feature Worf, for whatever reason, but does have Romulans and Klingons awkwardly clashing. It's important in a very minor way, almost like the series realized such a moment was necessary, but had no better way to provide it. It's a place-filler of an episode.
Besides, the whole thing was done better in a three-part Enterprise episode concerning Romulans manipulating events behind the scenes.
criteria analysis:
notable guest-stars:
Denise Crosby (Sela)
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
John Fleck
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
The Next Generation 4x23 "The Host"
rating: ****
the story: Crusher finds herself in an unusual romantic situation in the franchise debut of the Trill.
similar to: "Sarek" (Next Generation), "Life Support," "Rejoined" (Deep Space Nine)
my thoughts: It's rare that a species that essentially is set up to try and prove a point ends up becoming a major element in the wider franchise, but that's exactly what happens to the Trill once Jadzia Dax debuts in Deep Space Nine.
This is a very, very tricky episode, and its immediate impact comes most directly from its closing moments, when the symbiont that has previously been residing in Crusher's lover and then Riker ends up in the body of a woman. This is the first franchise statement on sexual orientation. It's not a matter of how you interpret it so much as that it's addressed at all, not as the entire point of the story but rather how it ends, and that's really quite remarkable.
Crusher was routinely a tough nut to crack as a character. She was famously excised from the series entirely following the first season, only to make further franchise history by returning in the third. She's the main cast member with the least to do in the movies. And every time she's got a moral quandary, she comes off as being shrill.
So here's Crusher in her biggest test. How does she do? That's the big question, isn't it?
That she somehow remains the main draw even after "The Host" twists into one of Riker's more unusual romances is a good start. What the episode ultimately proves is that everyone has a point where they're no longer willing to play along. That's in fact arguably the character's whole legacy. From her backstory and entangled relationship with Picard to other weaker versions of this same plot ("Ethics," one of her worst moments), Crusher was always defined by this trait.
It's not a judgment, then, on her part, when she declines to continue the romance. It's a statement the franchise is making about sexuality with or without her: that gender is more fluid than it seems, when a whole species can exist that plays host to a continuing personality who can easily step from male to female, and only pesky outsiders will fail to completely understand.
Isn't that how it always is? Deep Space Nine itself later revisited this topic in "Rejoined," ostensibly the episode where sexual orientation was the subject matter. It was for viewers, anyway, and in point of fact, I know it engendered the conversation because in my own family it was the breaking point in viewership for some of us. I ended up being the last one to continue watching it regularly because of creative decisions like that.
And beyond that, "The Host" joins a rich Star Trek tradition of the irreplaceable negotiator whose presence is predictably compromised, from Next Generation's own "Loud as a Whisper" and "Sarek" to Deep Space Nine's wrenching "Life Support."
So there's a lot of really good reasons to watch this one. And to name it a classic.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Patti Yasutake (Ogawa)
the story: Crusher finds herself in an unusual romantic situation in the franchise debut of the Trill.
similar to: "Sarek" (Next Generation), "Life Support," "Rejoined" (Deep Space Nine)
my thoughts: It's rare that a species that essentially is set up to try and prove a point ends up becoming a major element in the wider franchise, but that's exactly what happens to the Trill once Jadzia Dax debuts in Deep Space Nine.
This is a very, very tricky episode, and its immediate impact comes most directly from its closing moments, when the symbiont that has previously been residing in Crusher's lover and then Riker ends up in the body of a woman. This is the first franchise statement on sexual orientation. It's not a matter of how you interpret it so much as that it's addressed at all, not as the entire point of the story but rather how it ends, and that's really quite remarkable.
Crusher was routinely a tough nut to crack as a character. She was famously excised from the series entirely following the first season, only to make further franchise history by returning in the third. She's the main cast member with the least to do in the movies. And every time she's got a moral quandary, she comes off as being shrill.
So here's Crusher in her biggest test. How does she do? That's the big question, isn't it?
That she somehow remains the main draw even after "The Host" twists into one of Riker's more unusual romances is a good start. What the episode ultimately proves is that everyone has a point where they're no longer willing to play along. That's in fact arguably the character's whole legacy. From her backstory and entangled relationship with Picard to other weaker versions of this same plot ("Ethics," one of her worst moments), Crusher was always defined by this trait.
It's not a judgment, then, on her part, when she declines to continue the romance. It's a statement the franchise is making about sexuality with or without her: that gender is more fluid than it seems, when a whole species can exist that plays host to a continuing personality who can easily step from male to female, and only pesky outsiders will fail to completely understand.
Isn't that how it always is? Deep Space Nine itself later revisited this topic in "Rejoined," ostensibly the episode where sexual orientation was the subject matter. It was for viewers, anyway, and in point of fact, I know it engendered the conversation because in my own family it was the breaking point in viewership for some of us. I ended up being the last one to continue watching it regularly because of creative decisions like that.
And beyond that, "The Host" joins a rich Star Trek tradition of the irreplaceable negotiator whose presence is predictably compromised, from Next Generation's own "Loud as a Whisper" and "Sarek" to Deep Space Nine's wrenching "Life Support."
So there's a lot of really good reasons to watch this one. And to name it a classic.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Patti Yasutake (Ogawa)
Monday, January 25, 2016
The Next Generation 4x22 "Half a Life"
rating: ****
the story: Lwaxana Troi serves as the voice of reason as she argues for an elderly man's right to live.
similar to: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
my thoughts: Just as "The Nth Degree" a few episodes earlier used Barclay, "Half a Life" ingeniously uses Lwaxana Troi in strict contradiction to her established character diameters. Previously known at best as a comedic presence and at worst a pest, Lwaxana would not have been considered worth taking seriously at any rate. (For another such instance, witness Deep Space Nine's "The Forsaken.")
Just as Kirk felt old and pointless in the first and second movies, this episode tackles the matter of what aging members of society can still contribute. As is usual for the franchise, it presents an extreme example, literally an alien culture that condemns the elderly to death (a few years ahead of the Jack Kevorkian debate in the real world), and is one of the best examples of topical subject matter in the franchise, one of the more positive tropes and frequently the source of its best material.
And for a change, the voice of the opposition, the poor man at the center of the story's own daughter, doesn't come off as stilted, possibly because it's Michelle Forbes' first franchise appearance. She'd inhabit the more familiar guise of Ro Laren next season.
But it's really Lwaxana's moment to shine, and it's so unexpected and it works so unexpectedly well, that it's easy to take for granted, but it deserves to be remembered as a classic.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Majel Roddenberry (Lwaxana)
Michelle Forbes
David Ogden Stiers
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Carel Struycken (Mr. Homn)
the story: Lwaxana Troi serves as the voice of reason as she argues for an elderly man's right to live.
similar to: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
my thoughts: Just as "The Nth Degree" a few episodes earlier used Barclay, "Half a Life" ingeniously uses Lwaxana Troi in strict contradiction to her established character diameters. Previously known at best as a comedic presence and at worst a pest, Lwaxana would not have been considered worth taking seriously at any rate. (For another such instance, witness Deep Space Nine's "The Forsaken.")
Just as Kirk felt old and pointless in the first and second movies, this episode tackles the matter of what aging members of society can still contribute. As is usual for the franchise, it presents an extreme example, literally an alien culture that condemns the elderly to death (a few years ahead of the Jack Kevorkian debate in the real world), and is one of the best examples of topical subject matter in the franchise, one of the more positive tropes and frequently the source of its best material.
And for a change, the voice of the opposition, the poor man at the center of the story's own daughter, doesn't come off as stilted, possibly because it's Michelle Forbes' first franchise appearance. She'd inhabit the more familiar guise of Ro Laren next season.
But it's really Lwaxana's moment to shine, and it's so unexpected and it works so unexpectedly well, that it's easy to take for granted, but it deserves to be remembered as a classic.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Majel Roddenberry (Lwaxana)
Michelle Forbes
David Ogden Stiers
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Carel Struycken (Mr. Homn)
Sunday, January 24, 2016
The Next Generation 4x21 "The Drumhead"
rating: ****
the story: The ship is investigated in relation to an elaborate conspiracy.
similar to: "Court Martial" (original series), "Rules of Engagement" (Deep Space Nine)
my thoughts: One of the truly exceptional and unique episodes in franchise lore, despite ostensibly participating in one of its more frequent tropes, the courtroom drama.
Except as it takes a look at further parts of how the ship runs on a routine basis (see "Family," "Data's Day," and "In Theory" elsewhere this season), it provides an expansive view that neatly complements another intimate look at Picard (see "Family" and "Qpid") and specifically how his assimilation by the Borg has affected his reputation but not his moral conviction (see the other great series courtroom classic, "The Measure of a Man").
This is about as sophisticated and intricate as Star Trek storytelling can get, aside from the more bombastic elements featuring the nasty Federation judge hell-bent on her witch hunt (until she becomes the recipient of Picard's greatest intellectual takedown), so unlikely and powerful a source of emotional catharsis that it continues to stand alone in execution and tone in franchise lore, a rare opportunity for the bad guy to get what's coming to them and the audience be entirely onboard with no manipulation or need to just assume the good guy is right because the whole thing is spelled out so brilliantly.
Do you end up caring for that poor half-Romulan crewman? Absolutely. You've never seen him before, and you'll never see him again, but his part is essential to how the whole thing unfolds. This is emblematic of how the series had begun to realize how important it is to develop every aspect of the story, and why it elevated the whole franchise to levels fans found hard to see in later series (even though Deep Space Nine, from "Duet" onward, took it still further).
In the end there's very little to say but to let this one work its own magic. It's the least flashy of all Star Trek classics, but absolutely deserves it placement with them.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
the story: The ship is investigated in relation to an elaborate conspiracy.
similar to: "Court Martial" (original series), "Rules of Engagement" (Deep Space Nine)
my thoughts: One of the truly exceptional and unique episodes in franchise lore, despite ostensibly participating in one of its more frequent tropes, the courtroom drama.
Except as it takes a look at further parts of how the ship runs on a routine basis (see "Family," "Data's Day," and "In Theory" elsewhere this season), it provides an expansive view that neatly complements another intimate look at Picard (see "Family" and "Qpid") and specifically how his assimilation by the Borg has affected his reputation but not his moral conviction (see the other great series courtroom classic, "The Measure of a Man").
This is about as sophisticated and intricate as Star Trek storytelling can get, aside from the more bombastic elements featuring the nasty Federation judge hell-bent on her witch hunt (until she becomes the recipient of Picard's greatest intellectual takedown), so unlikely and powerful a source of emotional catharsis that it continues to stand alone in execution and tone in franchise lore, a rare opportunity for the bad guy to get what's coming to them and the audience be entirely onboard with no manipulation or need to just assume the good guy is right because the whole thing is spelled out so brilliantly.
Do you end up caring for that poor half-Romulan crewman? Absolutely. You've never seen him before, and you'll never see him again, but his part is essential to how the whole thing unfolds. This is emblematic of how the series had begun to realize how important it is to develop every aspect of the story, and why it elevated the whole franchise to levels fans found hard to see in later series (even though Deep Space Nine, from "Duet" onward, took it still further).
In the end there's very little to say but to let this one work its own magic. It's the least flashy of all Star Trek classics, but absolutely deserves it placement with them.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
Saturday, January 23, 2016
The Next Generation 4x20 "Qpid"
rating: ****
the story: Q uses Vash and the tale of Robin Hood to teach Picard a lesson.
similar to: "A Piece of the Action" (original series), "Our Man Bashir" (Deep Space Nine), "Bride of Chaotica!" (Voyager)
my thoughts: "Captain's Holiday" guest character Vash makes the second of three appearances (the third occurs in Deep Space Nine's "Q-Less"), entangling herself in the affairs of Q in the process. She thusly becomes a sort of next generation Harry Mudd, a character fans hopefully identify with the series even if her overall impact is less than other familiar faces end up being.
Airing the same year as Kevin Costner's blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, "Qpid" could very easily have come off as a bad gimmick, but the contributions of Vash and Q, as well as how the proceedings help distinguish the dynamics of the crew (notably, Worf's immortal line, "Captain, I must protest, I am not a merry man!") elevates it to a classic very easily.
Picard's near-romance with Vash is exceptional enough, and this return engagement of its very possibility helps flesh out Picard, how he interacts with the crew (Crusher is always at her best playing off of him). The only person who seems more hapless at finding love than Geordi is Picard, and this is a fun way of exploring that status.
Even better? His increasing chemistry with Q. The more flippant Q becomes, the more regular his appearances, the better he is, and this is one of his best. The more exasperated Picard becomes, the more he has to break from his most comfortable bearings. It's not even Q, but the whole Robin Hood scenario that further reveals how even in action mode he differs from Kirk. The frequent allusions to how in his youth Picard was considerably more carefree make it all the more rewarding when we see glimpses of what exactly that might have looked like, or what it looks like now, given an opportunity to stretch a little. When he climbs into Vash's chambers, for instance, he's not looking to storm the premises, but make it as quick and painless as possible (never mind what Vash does to him in return!), so that even carefree doesn't mean careless for him. (Which is not to say Kirk was careless, but certainly, reckless.)
And to fit in his archeology hobby, too seldom in the spotlight, and how he fits in to the greater galactic community outside of his role in Starfleet, and his feelings on that...This episode is just firing on all cylinders. It's the season, and the series, once again completely owning its own potential.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character -essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
John de Lancie (Q)
Jennifer Hetrick (Vash)
the story: Q uses Vash and the tale of Robin Hood to teach Picard a lesson.
similar to: "A Piece of the Action" (original series), "Our Man Bashir" (Deep Space Nine), "Bride of Chaotica!" (Voyager)
my thoughts: "Captain's Holiday" guest character Vash makes the second of three appearances (the third occurs in Deep Space Nine's "Q-Less"), entangling herself in the affairs of Q in the process. She thusly becomes a sort of next generation Harry Mudd, a character fans hopefully identify with the series even if her overall impact is less than other familiar faces end up being.
Airing the same year as Kevin Costner's blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, "Qpid" could very easily have come off as a bad gimmick, but the contributions of Vash and Q, as well as how the proceedings help distinguish the dynamics of the crew (notably, Worf's immortal line, "Captain, I must protest, I am not a merry man!") elevates it to a classic very easily.
Picard's near-romance with Vash is exceptional enough, and this return engagement of its very possibility helps flesh out Picard, how he interacts with the crew (Crusher is always at her best playing off of him). The only person who seems more hapless at finding love than Geordi is Picard, and this is a fun way of exploring that status.
Even better? His increasing chemistry with Q. The more flippant Q becomes, the more regular his appearances, the better he is, and this is one of his best. The more exasperated Picard becomes, the more he has to break from his most comfortable bearings. It's not even Q, but the whole Robin Hood scenario that further reveals how even in action mode he differs from Kirk. The frequent allusions to how in his youth Picard was considerably more carefree make it all the more rewarding when we see glimpses of what exactly that might have looked like, or what it looks like now, given an opportunity to stretch a little. When he climbs into Vash's chambers, for instance, he's not looking to storm the premises, but make it as quick and painless as possible (never mind what Vash does to him in return!), so that even carefree doesn't mean careless for him. (Which is not to say Kirk was careless, but certainly, reckless.)
And to fit in his archeology hobby, too seldom in the spotlight, and how he fits in to the greater galactic community outside of his role in Starfleet, and his feelings on that...This episode is just firing on all cylinders. It's the season, and the series, once again completely owning its own potential.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character -essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
John de Lancie (Q)
Jennifer Hetrick (Vash)
Friday, January 22, 2016
The Next Generation 4x19 "The Nth Degree"
rating: ****
the story: Barclay develops exceptional intelligence.
similar to: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (original series)
my thoughts: This one's really quite remarkable, at once snapping the season's dry spell while drawing on some of its more common instincts and bringing back a familiar guest-star.
Last seen in his debut appearance, "Hollow Pursuits," Barclay has a wonderful opportunity to counterpoint his own known characteristics as he inexplicably becomes the smartest man in the room. This could easily have degenerated into nonsense, and at face value it's strange that a guest character experiences this at all, but this was a whole season of exploring the limits of the show's characters, wisely branching out in the process to begin shaping the supporting cast (it's no wonder that the next season introduces Ro, easily in her first appearance the best-developed character in the series).
It's the series once again affirming that it has a firm grasp of its own potential, and it's a nod to the second pilot of the original series at the very same time.
Really? Yeah, really. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the story of Kirk's old buddy Gary Mitchell develops god-like abilities. That in itself set off a whole subset of Star Trek tropes, which Next Generation had already answered in the character of Q. For one episode, "Hide and Q," the series even played with the idea of Q bestowing his abilities on one of the main cast members (arguably the weakest Q episode, alas), the closest the theme had come to merging back with the franchise's origins.
Barclay is about as far away from Gary Mitchell as you can get. "Hollow Pursuits" featured him as one of the most marginalized Starfleet officers ever, crippled by his own neuroses. Yet he was a capable officer, perhaps even a brilliant one. So it's interesting that in his next appearance, he accidently becomes the best one ever, surpassing even Data's abilities.
It's a fascinating concept executed perfectly because of Barclay's established personality. It would have felt stiff and awkward shoehorned into a main cast member's character. And it's the rare instant where a perfect solution was realized. It's a situation that works to everyone's advantage, a crisis that pushes everyone to their limits, with something as simple as trying to figure out what the heck's going on with Barclay.
(In Voyager, Barclay gets to have an achievement all his own when he's the one who locates the wayward crew, so it's nice that Star Trek finally let him get a bona fide win.)
That the whole thing is actually a plot by some aliens to explore the galaxy in ways very different from Starfleet's, harkens back to moments like "Clues," which features another left-turn ending, or "Future Imperfect," where we learn late in the episode what Riker was really experiencing. It's a culmination of a particular creative itch from the writing staff, and it works perfectly.
The fact that Barclay doesn't progress as a character, at least for the duration of this series? Don't let it bother you.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Dwight Schultz (Barclay)
the story: Barclay develops exceptional intelligence.
similar to: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (original series)
my thoughts: This one's really quite remarkable, at once snapping the season's dry spell while drawing on some of its more common instincts and bringing back a familiar guest-star.
Last seen in his debut appearance, "Hollow Pursuits," Barclay has a wonderful opportunity to counterpoint his own known characteristics as he inexplicably becomes the smartest man in the room. This could easily have degenerated into nonsense, and at face value it's strange that a guest character experiences this at all, but this was a whole season of exploring the limits of the show's characters, wisely branching out in the process to begin shaping the supporting cast (it's no wonder that the next season introduces Ro, easily in her first appearance the best-developed character in the series).
It's the series once again affirming that it has a firm grasp of its own potential, and it's a nod to the second pilot of the original series at the very same time.
Really? Yeah, really. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the story of Kirk's old buddy Gary Mitchell develops god-like abilities. That in itself set off a whole subset of Star Trek tropes, which Next Generation had already answered in the character of Q. For one episode, "Hide and Q," the series even played with the idea of Q bestowing his abilities on one of the main cast members (arguably the weakest Q episode, alas), the closest the theme had come to merging back with the franchise's origins.
Barclay is about as far away from Gary Mitchell as you can get. "Hollow Pursuits" featured him as one of the most marginalized Starfleet officers ever, crippled by his own neuroses. Yet he was a capable officer, perhaps even a brilliant one. So it's interesting that in his next appearance, he accidently becomes the best one ever, surpassing even Data's abilities.
It's a fascinating concept executed perfectly because of Barclay's established personality. It would have felt stiff and awkward shoehorned into a main cast member's character. And it's the rare instant where a perfect solution was realized. It's a situation that works to everyone's advantage, a crisis that pushes everyone to their limits, with something as simple as trying to figure out what the heck's going on with Barclay.
(In Voyager, Barclay gets to have an achievement all his own when he's the one who locates the wayward crew, so it's nice that Star Trek finally let him get a bona fide win.)
That the whole thing is actually a plot by some aliens to explore the galaxy in ways very different from Starfleet's, harkens back to moments like "Clues," which features another left-turn ending, or "Future Imperfect," where we learn late in the episode what Riker was really experiencing. It's a culmination of a particular creative itch from the writing staff, and it works perfectly.
The fact that Barclay doesn't progress as a character, at least for the duration of this series? Don't let it bother you.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Dwight Schultz (Barclay)
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
The Next Generation 4x18 "Identity Crisis"
rating: *
the story: Geordi is transformed into an alien.
similar to: "Ashes to Ashes" (Voyager)
my thoughts: This is a Geordi episode that works less well than the earlier "Galaxy's Child." It attempts to flesh out more of his backstory by drawing on his earlier career (the series loved doing this, almost to an obsessive degree: "Clues," also just a few episodes earlier; "The Wounded," also just a few episodes earlier; and "The Pegasus," from the final season, which was further expounded on in the controversial Enterprise finale, "These Are the Voyages...").
The problem with "Identity Crisis" is that Geordi gets together with a friend with no dramatic heft, and nothing to say about Geordi's past. The whole thing becomes far more about a random sci-fi story (which itself is pretty interesting; that's the main reason why I'll give it franchise credentials, because, as fans seem to forget, Star Trek is above all things kind of a random sci-fi story vehicle in the best Twilight Zone tradition). The later "Ashes to Ashes" explores a similar tale of someone being somewhat forcibly drafted into an alien species.
When the episode can literally be about anyone but goes to the trouble of being about someone, that's a problem.
But as I said, it's not without its merits. For example, there's one of those neat holodeck recreation scenes (such as also featured in "Schisms") that's a wonderful working example of how these people in the future use their fancy technology in ways that are easy for people like us to understand (in other words, not what's commonly known as "technobabble).
All that being said, if you want to watch this just for having the spotlight on Geordi, then it's all good. He was apparently a tough character to write for, outside of his purely functional roles, so it's always a treat to watch him in one of his own episodes.
criteria analysis: franchise -series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Patti Yasutake (Ogawa)
Dennis Madalone
the story: Geordi is transformed into an alien.
similar to: "Ashes to Ashes" (Voyager)
my thoughts: This is a Geordi episode that works less well than the earlier "Galaxy's Child." It attempts to flesh out more of his backstory by drawing on his earlier career (the series loved doing this, almost to an obsessive degree: "Clues," also just a few episodes earlier; "The Wounded," also just a few episodes earlier; and "The Pegasus," from the final season, which was further expounded on in the controversial Enterprise finale, "These Are the Voyages...").
The problem with "Identity Crisis" is that Geordi gets together with a friend with no dramatic heft, and nothing to say about Geordi's past. The whole thing becomes far more about a random sci-fi story (which itself is pretty interesting; that's the main reason why I'll give it franchise credentials, because, as fans seem to forget, Star Trek is above all things kind of a random sci-fi story vehicle in the best Twilight Zone tradition). The later "Ashes to Ashes" explores a similar tale of someone being somewhat forcibly drafted into an alien species.
When the episode can literally be about anyone but goes to the trouble of being about someone, that's a problem.
But as I said, it's not without its merits. For example, there's one of those neat holodeck recreation scenes (such as also featured in "Schisms") that's a wonderful working example of how these people in the future use their fancy technology in ways that are easy for people like us to understand (in other words, not what's commonly known as "technobabble).
All that being said, if you want to watch this just for having the spotlight on Geordi, then it's all good. He was apparently a tough character to write for, outside of his purely functional roles, so it's always a treat to watch him in one of his own episodes.
criteria analysis: franchise -
notable guest-stars:
Patti Yasutake (Ogawa)
Dennis Madalone
Friday, January 15, 2016
The Next Generation 4x17 "Night Terrors"
rating: (no stars)
the story: Troi attempts to figure out why no one can achieve REM sleep.
similar to: We'll skip this one.
my thoughts: When talk about bad episodes, they normally focus on concepts that just didn't work for them, such as someone stealing "Spock's Brain," or Next Generation characters appearing in Enterprise's final episode ("These Are the Voyages..."). They rarely bring up clunkers like "Night Terrors." I have no idea why.
This is the kind of episode that can be summed up in one sequence: Troi floating in space, crying "Where aaaaare youuuuu?"
And I will let that set in for a moment.
Apparently it was a nightmare to shoot. When the nightmare in shooting completely translates to the screen, you know there's a problem. Those same fans often bring up Star Trek V: The Final Frontier as the worst film in part because they have little faith in it creatively (William Shatner directs, is plague by the perennial Star Trek movie problem of not having enough time to finish his vision; see also: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, another favorite among chatter about the worst of the franchise). Yet to actually watch Final Frontier, you can quibble about special effects not being impressive enough or creative choices, but nothing you see on the screen is nearly as bad as the image described above from "Night Terrors."
So to me, that's what defines bad Star Trek.
The episode in general is horribly uninspired, the franchise on autopilot, as riddled with tropes and devoid of real character content as you can get. I don't pin this on the character of Troi, but Next Generation's habit of forgetting that, generally, it did characters far better than the original series. No, I'm not talking the affinity and familiarity of Kirk, Bones, or Spock. But about depth of characterization. And there's just no depth here at all. Poor Miles and Keiko O'Brien are so soon reduced to story fodder it's like the episode was trying to take a huge step back for the series. Worf contemplating suicide? For any other time he was feeling low, this is just a mockery of his character.
It's that bad. And worse, it doesn't even try to play along with established character traits. Troi is half-Betazed. The guy who technically leads her to the terrible sequence is a full Betazed. Yet he spends the entire time comatose, and the best way he can communicate is enigmatically? It's just bad storytelling.
Next Generation unquestionably features a certain level of quality storytelling over all. And yet, sometimes it was far too comfortable in taking it easy. Fans bellowed that later series (Voyager, Enterprise) coasted on good will (and sputtered because they both used it up quickly), but that very level of quality was evident well before they ever made the air. And the second season of this series at its creative peak (generally agreed to have begun in the third season) releasing material of this poor caliber is just insulting.
Yet the fans...You get the point. "Night Terrors" is kind of like the barometer of bad in Star Trek. If you can somehow stomach it, if you find it easy to gloss over, then your ability to judge the franchise objectively is completely compromised. It's the kind of episode you would rather the uninitiated not sample as their first taste of Star Trek. Because it will forever bias them, too, unquestionably.
If you want to know what kind of fan I am, just read this review. Typically, I don't react to episodes like this. There are some fans who made it a habit to react to whole series this way. That's just ridiculous. But there are episodes truly deserving that ire. Such as this one.
(For those wondering if the season as a whole completely degenerates, it doesn't. There are some really good episodes coming up!)
criteria analysis:franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
the story: Troi attempts to figure out why no one can achieve REM sleep.
similar to: We'll skip this one.
my thoughts: When talk about bad episodes, they normally focus on concepts that just didn't work for them, such as someone stealing "Spock's Brain," or Next Generation characters appearing in Enterprise's final episode ("These Are the Voyages..."). They rarely bring up clunkers like "Night Terrors." I have no idea why.
This is the kind of episode that can be summed up in one sequence: Troi floating in space, crying "Where aaaaare youuuuu?"
And I will let that set in for a moment.
Apparently it was a nightmare to shoot. When the nightmare in shooting completely translates to the screen, you know there's a problem. Those same fans often bring up Star Trek V: The Final Frontier as the worst film in part because they have little faith in it creatively (William Shatner directs, is plague by the perennial Star Trek movie problem of not having enough time to finish his vision; see also: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, another favorite among chatter about the worst of the franchise). Yet to actually watch Final Frontier, you can quibble about special effects not being impressive enough or creative choices, but nothing you see on the screen is nearly as bad as the image described above from "Night Terrors."
So to me, that's what defines bad Star Trek.
The episode in general is horribly uninspired, the franchise on autopilot, as riddled with tropes and devoid of real character content as you can get. I don't pin this on the character of Troi, but Next Generation's habit of forgetting that, generally, it did characters far better than the original series. No, I'm not talking the affinity and familiarity of Kirk, Bones, or Spock. But about depth of characterization. And there's just no depth here at all. Poor Miles and Keiko O'Brien are so soon reduced to story fodder it's like the episode was trying to take a huge step back for the series. Worf contemplating suicide? For any other time he was feeling low, this is just a mockery of his character.
It's that bad. And worse, it doesn't even try to play along with established character traits. Troi is half-Betazed. The guy who technically leads her to the terrible sequence is a full Betazed. Yet he spends the entire time comatose, and the best way he can communicate is enigmatically? It's just bad storytelling.
Next Generation unquestionably features a certain level of quality storytelling over all. And yet, sometimes it was far too comfortable in taking it easy. Fans bellowed that later series (Voyager, Enterprise) coasted on good will (and sputtered because they both used it up quickly), but that very level of quality was evident well before they ever made the air. And the second season of this series at its creative peak (generally agreed to have begun in the third season) releasing material of this poor caliber is just insulting.
Yet the fans...You get the point. "Night Terrors" is kind of like the barometer of bad in Star Trek. If you can somehow stomach it, if you find it easy to gloss over, then your ability to judge the franchise objectively is completely compromised. It's the kind of episode you would rather the uninitiated not sample as their first taste of Star Trek. Because it will forever bias them, too, unquestionably.
If you want to know what kind of fan I am, just read this review. Typically, I don't react to episodes like this. There are some fans who made it a habit to react to whole series this way. That's just ridiculous. But there are episodes truly deserving that ire. Such as this one.
(For those wondering if the season as a whole completely degenerates, it doesn't. There are some really good episodes coming up!)
criteria analysis:
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
The Next Generation 4x16 "Galaxy's Child"
rating: **
the story: Geordi meets the real Leah Brahms
similar to: "Hollow Pursuits" (Next Generation), Star Trek: First Contact, "Author, Author" (Voyager)
my thoughts: A sort of sequel to "Booby Trap," the episode where Geordi interacts with a holographic version of Dr. Brahms, "Galaxy's Child" is one of those episodes where you can squarely ignore the sci-fi crisis elsewhere happening, if you so choose, and instead focus on the character development happening along the way.
Geordi is one of the more hapless romantics in Star Trek lore, not because of his VISOR, but because of the basic problem of not really knowing what to do around the opposite sex. Ironically enough, this duo of episodes encompasses the experiences of another engineer in the crew, the infamous Barclay as introduced and featured in "Hollow Pursuits," who is far more comfortable interacting with people in the holodeck than in real life.
(No, these are not episodes based on the Internet age.)
That Geordi somewhat duplicates that in these episodes is a little ironic, because no one would otherwise associate him with Barclay's rich psychoses. Yet that's kind of what happens with Dr. Brahms, whom he first meets in deceptive holographic form. This episode is all about learning what the real person is like. Suffice to say, she's almost the complete opposite of everything Geordi previously thought he knew about her. Only O'Brien has worse luck, in general.
That makes for a pretty fun episode. Not only can you discard the rest of it, you really wouldn't be missing much. This is a rare opportunity in the series to just watch a single character squirm from very human circumstances. Unlike Scotty, Geordi was not known as a miracle worker. He wasn't even known as an engineer originally. Yes, he's hugely capable in that regard, but he becomes more and more useful as one of the more relatable people in the crew, and this is probably the episode to see why.
criteria analysis:franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Susan Gibney (Brahms)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
the story: Geordi meets the real Leah Brahms
similar to: "Hollow Pursuits" (Next Generation), Star Trek: First Contact, "Author, Author" (Voyager)
my thoughts: A sort of sequel to "Booby Trap," the episode where Geordi interacts with a holographic version of Dr. Brahms, "Galaxy's Child" is one of those episodes where you can squarely ignore the sci-fi crisis elsewhere happening, if you so choose, and instead focus on the character development happening along the way.
Geordi is one of the more hapless romantics in Star Trek lore, not because of his VISOR, but because of the basic problem of not really knowing what to do around the opposite sex. Ironically enough, this duo of episodes encompasses the experiences of another engineer in the crew, the infamous Barclay as introduced and featured in "Hollow Pursuits," who is far more comfortable interacting with people in the holodeck than in real life.
(No, these are not episodes based on the Internet age.)
That Geordi somewhat duplicates that in these episodes is a little ironic, because no one would otherwise associate him with Barclay's rich psychoses. Yet that's kind of what happens with Dr. Brahms, whom he first meets in deceptive holographic form. This episode is all about learning what the real person is like. Suffice to say, she's almost the complete opposite of everything Geordi previously thought he knew about her. Only O'Brien has worse luck, in general.
That makes for a pretty fun episode. Not only can you discard the rest of it, you really wouldn't be missing much. This is a rare opportunity in the series to just watch a single character squirm from very human circumstances. Unlike Scotty, Geordi was not known as a miracle worker. He wasn't even known as an engineer originally. Yes, he's hugely capable in that regard, but he becomes more and more useful as one of the more relatable people in the crew, and this is probably the episode to see why.
criteria analysis:
notable guest-stars:
Susan Gibney (Brahms)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
The Next Generation 4x15 "First Contact"
rating: *
the story: Riker finds himself compromised on an alien world that has yet to find out they're not alone in the universe.
similar to: "The Communicator" (Enterprise), "Who Watches the Watchers" (Next Generation)
my thoughts: This is an episode that feels like it breaks new ground, but then you realize, the series itself had just done most of this episode already only a season earlier ("Who Watches the Watchers") with proto-Romulans instead of...whoever the alien race is this time.
Yes, the approach is different, but the gist the same: alien species finds out Starfleet exists and puts our crew in a hairy situation. Here you might consider it a Riker episode, but I'm hesitant to give "First Contact" too much credit. It really could have featured anyone, and as a Riker episode, it's about as generic as you can get, in that he has a quasi-romance that's so convoluted and impossible (even for him!) that it's just not worth considering in that way. Riker in peril, in short, is really it amounts to, and again, it could have been anyone.
It's a Prime Directive episode first and foremost, an exploration of something that's about as basic a Star Trek trope as you can get, so I'll recommend it for that basis alone. Enterprise later goes a little deeper with the same basic premise ("The Communicator"), with the advantage of being able to add something to the mythos.
It's not a bad episode, it's just, in the grand scheme, not as memorable as you might originally think. Enjoy it for what it is, but there are better episodes out there.
criteria analysis: franchise -series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Bebe Neuwirth
Michael Ensign
the story: Riker finds himself compromised on an alien world that has yet to find out they're not alone in the universe.
similar to: "The Communicator" (Enterprise), "Who Watches the Watchers" (Next Generation)
my thoughts: This is an episode that feels like it breaks new ground, but then you realize, the series itself had just done most of this episode already only a season earlier ("Who Watches the Watchers") with proto-Romulans instead of...whoever the alien race is this time.
Yes, the approach is different, but the gist the same: alien species finds out Starfleet exists and puts our crew in a hairy situation. Here you might consider it a Riker episode, but I'm hesitant to give "First Contact" too much credit. It really could have featured anyone, and as a Riker episode, it's about as generic as you can get, in that he has a quasi-romance that's so convoluted and impossible (even for him!) that it's just not worth considering in that way. Riker in peril, in short, is really it amounts to, and again, it could have been anyone.
It's a Prime Directive episode first and foremost, an exploration of something that's about as basic a Star Trek trope as you can get, so I'll recommend it for that basis alone. Enterprise later goes a little deeper with the same basic premise ("The Communicator"), with the advantage of being able to add something to the mythos.
It's not a bad episode, it's just, in the grand scheme, not as memorable as you might originally think. Enjoy it for what it is, but there are better episodes out there.
criteria analysis: franchise -
notable guest-stars:
Bebe Neuwirth
Michael Ensign
Monday, January 11, 2016
The Next Generation 4x14 "Clues"
rating: **
the story: The crew begins to suspect something's wrong with Data when things don't add up and he looks increasingly guilty.
similar to: "The Menagerie" (Original Series), "The Omega Directive" (Voyager)
my thoughts: For most of the episode, "Clues" feels like a fairly generic mystery, with the crew trying to figure out why they seem to have lost time. I prefer to think about it less in terms of the way most of the episode unfolds, and more about its ultimate implications. It's best considered as a Data episode.
Just as Spock made himself look bad (in "The Menagerie") and Janeway had to withhold information from her crew (in "The Omega Directive"), what might have been an ultimately hackneyed story about Data being controlled by aliens (it's a Star Trek trope with spotty history, believe me) instead turns into another exploration of what sets the android apart. I think ultimately the way the story approached limited its impact, actually. A more straightforward story would have been more useful in that regard. To salvage "Clues," you can of have to ignore most of it.
The series routinely attempted to feature Data in circumstances that exploited his unique nature as a nonhumanoid. Most of the time it did so from oblique angles (Voyager was far less bashful with the Doctor, and even Enterprise with Phlox), as if making Data stand out too much would, well, make him stand out too much. His ability to experience the alien culture mostly teased in the episode, and then have to lie about it, could have been far more interesting (would he really be incapable of tying up all the loose ends in the effort?).
But, the episode is poised as a mystery, so you must accept that Data inevitably has his own limitations. So to watch him try is as much as you'll get, and it's at least worth it just for that. Theoretically he would experience moments like this all the time, maybe not to such a dramatic extent, but at least things he can't properly convey, or moments that he can't properly share, like how Geordi sees everything differently because of his VISOR, or Worf because he is a Klingon. Which makes this a somewhat clumsy but still fascinating way to explore another aspect of what sets him apart and yet still a welcome member of the crew.
In the end, then, "Clues" is a better riddle about Data himself than the aliens he's attempted to help shield from the outside world.
criteria analysis:franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Patti Yasutake (Ogawa)
the story: The crew begins to suspect something's wrong with Data when things don't add up and he looks increasingly guilty.
similar to: "The Menagerie" (Original Series), "The Omega Directive" (Voyager)
my thoughts: For most of the episode, "Clues" feels like a fairly generic mystery, with the crew trying to figure out why they seem to have lost time. I prefer to think about it less in terms of the way most of the episode unfolds, and more about its ultimate implications. It's best considered as a Data episode.
Just as Spock made himself look bad (in "The Menagerie") and Janeway had to withhold information from her crew (in "The Omega Directive"), what might have been an ultimately hackneyed story about Data being controlled by aliens (it's a Star Trek trope with spotty history, believe me) instead turns into another exploration of what sets the android apart. I think ultimately the way the story approached limited its impact, actually. A more straightforward story would have been more useful in that regard. To salvage "Clues," you can of have to ignore most of it.
The series routinely attempted to feature Data in circumstances that exploited his unique nature as a nonhumanoid. Most of the time it did so from oblique angles (Voyager was far less bashful with the Doctor, and even Enterprise with Phlox), as if making Data stand out too much would, well, make him stand out too much. His ability to experience the alien culture mostly teased in the episode, and then have to lie about it, could have been far more interesting (would he really be incapable of tying up all the loose ends in the effort?).
But, the episode is poised as a mystery, so you must accept that Data inevitably has his own limitations. So to watch him try is as much as you'll get, and it's at least worth it just for that. Theoretically he would experience moments like this all the time, maybe not to such a dramatic extent, but at least things he can't properly convey, or moments that he can't properly share, like how Geordi sees everything differently because of his VISOR, or Worf because he is a Klingon. Which makes this a somewhat clumsy but still fascinating way to explore another aspect of what sets him apart and yet still a welcome member of the crew.
In the end, then, "Clues" is a better riddle about Data himself than the aliens he's attempted to help shield from the outside world.
criteria analysis:
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Patti Yasutake (Ogawa)
Thursday, January 7, 2016
The Next Generation 4x13 "Devil's Due"
rating: ****
the story: The crew attempts to counter a being's claims to fulfilling an alien culture's prophecies.
similar to: "The Apple" (Original Series), "False Profits" (Voyager)
my thoughts: From seemingly such common origins as a Star Trek trope, "Devil's Due" emerges to be a true classic in execution thanks to displaying just how clever the crew really is.
An alien claiming to be the devil is certainly unique in the franchise (unless you count the Animated Series), but otherwise the original series had so many godlike beings running about, Next Generation already created Q in answer (brilliantly, of course) in that direction. So exploring the opposite was both natural and risky. Watching it all play out could just as easily have produced another episode about a naïve culture needing to be set straight, but instead it becomes a battle of wits. Voyager did a lot of episodes like this, actually, and usually quite well. The most similar one would be "False Profits" (a sequel to a Next Generation episode, fittingly enough), in which a different prophecy is seemingly fulfilled.
But watching Picard match wits with a con artist, or someone other than Q, is a thrilling experience, with a wonderful denouement as all their tricks are reproduced by Starfleet technology. Too often this sort of intervention story can seem condescending. It helps that even our crew is trying to figure it out, and by the time they do they're far more concerned with the bad guy than judging the duped alien culture.
This is a wonderful example of Star Trek taking one of its most tired tropes and really having fun with it in the classic one-off adventure format. As a result, existing fans will have as much fun watching it as someone not nearly as familiar with the franchise. That's a good way of defining a classic right there.
What's more, it's a perfect example of just how comfortable the series was with itself by this point. This could have been a Q episode. It wasn't, and even references Q in the dialogue. That's confidence for you, in ways that at the time were startling and new. It's hard not to love.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
the story: The crew attempts to counter a being's claims to fulfilling an alien culture's prophecies.
similar to: "The Apple" (Original Series), "False Profits" (Voyager)
my thoughts: From seemingly such common origins as a Star Trek trope, "Devil's Due" emerges to be a true classic in execution thanks to displaying just how clever the crew really is.
An alien claiming to be the devil is certainly unique in the franchise (unless you count the Animated Series), but otherwise the original series had so many godlike beings running about, Next Generation already created Q in answer (brilliantly, of course) in that direction. So exploring the opposite was both natural and risky. Watching it all play out could just as easily have produced another episode about a naïve culture needing to be set straight, but instead it becomes a battle of wits. Voyager did a lot of episodes like this, actually, and usually quite well. The most similar one would be "False Profits" (a sequel to a Next Generation episode, fittingly enough), in which a different prophecy is seemingly fulfilled.
But watching Picard match wits with a con artist, or someone other than Q, is a thrilling experience, with a wonderful denouement as all their tricks are reproduced by Starfleet technology. Too often this sort of intervention story can seem condescending. It helps that even our crew is trying to figure it out, and by the time they do they're far more concerned with the bad guy than judging the duped alien culture.
This is a wonderful example of Star Trek taking one of its most tired tropes and really having fun with it in the classic one-off adventure format. As a result, existing fans will have as much fun watching it as someone not nearly as familiar with the franchise. That's a good way of defining a classic right there.
What's more, it's a perfect example of just how comfortable the series was with itself by this point. This could have been a Q episode. It wasn't, and even references Q in the dialogue. That's confidence for you, in ways that at the time were startling and new. It's hard not to love.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
The Next Generation 4x12 "The Wounded"
rating: ****
the story: A rogue captain declares war on the Cardassians.
similar to: "The Doomsday Machine" (Original Series), "Defiant" (Deep Space Nine), "Equinox" (Voyager)
my thoughts: It's not at all uncommon for Star Trek to bring in a Starfleet guest character who's gone off the rails. It's one of the franchise's most notable tropes. What sets "Wounded" apart, other than the debut of the Cardassians, is how it ends up focusing on Miles O'Brien instead of someone from the main cast.
In contrast to his wedding in the preceding "Data's Day," O'Brien's appearance here gives him his first real chance at carrying a story, letting the viewer know just what kind of man he really is. It's the perfect way for a Next Generation fan, besides, to find a way into Deep Space Nine, because that's exactly the version of the character they're going to find. Almost two years to the day this episode originally aired, in fact, and it looks like a deliberate set-up to the third live action series, with O'Brien beginning a new career confronting Cardassians on a regular basis.
Whereas Picard was always known as the calmer counterpart to the more rash Kirk, even he seems pretty wild to the O'Brien we meet here. For someone who had been making the odd appearance in the series since "Encounter at Farpoint," the very first episode, it took a long time to find out who he was. Until now, he could just as easily have been another of the original series type of supporting character, familiar but still nowhere near as memorable as the main characters.
And he does it by being completely vulnerable, even admitting that he was wrong. That's just something you don't see in Star Trek all the time. Here is the franchise really breaking the mold, with the one character most capable of selling it.
The Cardassians you'll see here are almost exactly as they'd later appear, with some odd exceptions, including the uniforms. The series had tried so hard with the Ferengi to create a distinctive new threat, and here it appears almost effortless. The difference is astonishing.
As for the ostensible main plot of the episode, you can almost put it aside, as it so easily gives way to better elements. "The Wounded" is one of the more unique classics in franchise lore. It deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as "Balance of Terror." It's all but an answer to it.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Marc Alaimo
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Bob Gunton
the story: A rogue captain declares war on the Cardassians.
similar to: "The Doomsday Machine" (Original Series), "Defiant" (Deep Space Nine), "Equinox" (Voyager)
my thoughts: It's not at all uncommon for Star Trek to bring in a Starfleet guest character who's gone off the rails. It's one of the franchise's most notable tropes. What sets "Wounded" apart, other than the debut of the Cardassians, is how it ends up focusing on Miles O'Brien instead of someone from the main cast.
In contrast to his wedding in the preceding "Data's Day," O'Brien's appearance here gives him his first real chance at carrying a story, letting the viewer know just what kind of man he really is. It's the perfect way for a Next Generation fan, besides, to find a way into Deep Space Nine, because that's exactly the version of the character they're going to find. Almost two years to the day this episode originally aired, in fact, and it looks like a deliberate set-up to the third live action series, with O'Brien beginning a new career confronting Cardassians on a regular basis.
Whereas Picard was always known as the calmer counterpart to the more rash Kirk, even he seems pretty wild to the O'Brien we meet here. For someone who had been making the odd appearance in the series since "Encounter at Farpoint," the very first episode, it took a long time to find out who he was. Until now, he could just as easily have been another of the original series type of supporting character, familiar but still nowhere near as memorable as the main characters.
And he does it by being completely vulnerable, even admitting that he was wrong. That's just something you don't see in Star Trek all the time. Here is the franchise really breaking the mold, with the one character most capable of selling it.
The Cardassians you'll see here are almost exactly as they'd later appear, with some odd exceptions, including the uniforms. The series had tried so hard with the Ferengi to create a distinctive new threat, and here it appears almost effortless. The difference is astonishing.
As for the ostensible main plot of the episode, you can almost put it aside, as it so easily gives way to better elements. "The Wounded" is one of the more unique classics in franchise lore. It deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as "Balance of Terror." It's all but an answer to it.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Marc Alaimo
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Bob Gunton
Monday, January 4, 2016
The Next Generation 4x11 "Data's Day"
rating: ***
the story: Data records a letter detailing, among other things, the wedding of Miles and Keiko O'Brien.
similar to: "In Theory" (Next Generation), "Explorers" (Deep Space Nine), "Dear Doctor" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: Groundbreaking without being overly significant, "Data's Day" is one of those episodes you can heartily recommend to fans of the series. It's a true slice-of-life experience.
"In Theory" later in the season revisits observing what being Data means on a routine basis, and on the whole it's fairly mundane, though not in a particularly trivial way. Data's wonder at life around him, and his attempts to make sense of it, has a wide range of implications. He's the only character who could get away with having nothing to do with someone else's marriage and yet still be relevant to its occasion.
It's not particularly a surprise, however, that this isn't an experience the franchise rushed to duplicate, and thankfully when it did there was usually a better point to be made, some personal achievement (the Siskos bonding in "Explorers") or perspective worth noting (Phlox's opposition to Archer's actions in "Dear Doctor").
What's puzzling is that Data is composing a letter to Maddox, a character we originally meet in "The Measure of a Man," and he's supposed to be addressing matters of his own unique nature. If the recipient had been anyone else, or merely his recording a common log entry, it would have made more sense.
As much as you might enjoy Data in the episode, it's much more important as an O'Brien story, the culmination to that point in his whole development, and his further adventures in Deep Space Nine, solidifying him as important in his own right, and not just as a familiar face.
It's always nice to have a change of pace, and aside from everything else, this is an episode that proves once and for all that Next Generation is comfortable in its own skin.
criteria analysis:franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Alan Scarfe
the story: Data records a letter detailing, among other things, the wedding of Miles and Keiko O'Brien.
similar to: "In Theory" (Next Generation), "Explorers" (Deep Space Nine), "Dear Doctor" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: Groundbreaking without being overly significant, "Data's Day" is one of those episodes you can heartily recommend to fans of the series. It's a true slice-of-life experience.
"In Theory" later in the season revisits observing what being Data means on a routine basis, and on the whole it's fairly mundane, though not in a particularly trivial way. Data's wonder at life around him, and his attempts to make sense of it, has a wide range of implications. He's the only character who could get away with having nothing to do with someone else's marriage and yet still be relevant to its occasion.
It's not particularly a surprise, however, that this isn't an experience the franchise rushed to duplicate, and thankfully when it did there was usually a better point to be made, some personal achievement (the Siskos bonding in "Explorers") or perspective worth noting (Phlox's opposition to Archer's actions in "Dear Doctor").
What's puzzling is that Data is composing a letter to Maddox, a character we originally meet in "The Measure of a Man," and he's supposed to be addressing matters of his own unique nature. If the recipient had been anyone else, or merely his recording a common log entry, it would have made more sense.
As much as you might enjoy Data in the episode, it's much more important as an O'Brien story, the culmination to that point in his whole development, and his further adventures in Deep Space Nine, solidifying him as important in his own right, and not just as a familiar face.
It's always nice to have a change of pace, and aside from everything else, this is an episode that proves once and for all that Next Generation is comfortable in its own skin.
criteria analysis:
notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Rosalind Chao (Keiko)
Alan Scarfe
Friday, January 1, 2016
The Next Generation 4x10 "The Loss
rating: **
the story: Troi loses her empathic ability.
similar to: "Broken Link" (Deep Space Nine), "Mortal Coil" (Voyager)
my thoughts: Of all the episodes that centered around Troi, this is probably the most important, the essential one, where her whole character is deconstructed. Like taking away Odo's shape-shifting ability ("Broken Link" and half the episodes of the fifth season) or Neelix's will to live ("Mortal Coil"), taking away her half-Betazoid-derived powers is about as big as it can get.
Naturally, she's completely devastated, and the episode is a complete examination of her coping with that, and how she fits in with the rest of the crew, with or without her empathic ability. The result is about as fascinating a character study as Next Generation ever did, even if it's wrapped up in a fairly generic sci-fi story that is otherwise undistinguished (don't blame the series and/or franchise if you don't like that sort of thing; it's pretty much half the reason Star Trek exists at all, something a lot of people have a hard time understanding).
What results is a version of Troi who's more significant than perhaps she is otherwise, in the series or later films, someone who has unique insight not only into the minds of others but the psychology of the situation. This would have been fascinating to explore later, but Troi reverts to what she always was, which is a real shame, and somewhat diminishes the impact of the episode.
On its own, "The Loss" is a classic allegory in the best Star Trek sense, what might almost be described as a PTSD episode (Deep Space Nine's "It's Only a Paper Moon" explores this in more detail, and more directly). The fact that it features Troi and augments her character, however briefly, is kind of a bonus.
If you're a fan of Troi, this is the one to watch.
criteria analysis:franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
the story: Troi loses her empathic ability.
similar to: "Broken Link" (Deep Space Nine), "Mortal Coil" (Voyager)
my thoughts: Of all the episodes that centered around Troi, this is probably the most important, the essential one, where her whole character is deconstructed. Like taking away Odo's shape-shifting ability ("Broken Link" and half the episodes of the fifth season) or Neelix's will to live ("Mortal Coil"), taking away her half-Betazoid-derived powers is about as big as it can get.
Naturally, she's completely devastated, and the episode is a complete examination of her coping with that, and how she fits in with the rest of the crew, with or without her empathic ability. The result is about as fascinating a character study as Next Generation ever did, even if it's wrapped up in a fairly generic sci-fi story that is otherwise undistinguished (don't blame the series and/or franchise if you don't like that sort of thing; it's pretty much half the reason Star Trek exists at all, something a lot of people have a hard time understanding).
What results is a version of Troi who's more significant than perhaps she is otherwise, in the series or later films, someone who has unique insight not only into the minds of others but the psychology of the situation. This would have been fascinating to explore later, but Troi reverts to what she always was, which is a real shame, and somewhat diminishes the impact of the episode.
On its own, "The Loss" is a classic allegory in the best Star Trek sense, what might almost be described as a PTSD episode (Deep Space Nine's "It's Only a Paper Moon" explores this in more detail, and more directly). The fact that it features Troi and augments her character, however briefly, is kind of a bonus.
If you're a fan of Troi, this is the one to watch.
criteria analysis:
notable guest-stars:
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Thursday, December 31, 2015
The Next Generation 4x9 "Final Mission"
rating: **
the story: Picard accompanies Wesley Crusher on his way to Starfleet Academy but they end up marooned on a desert planet after a crash-landing.
similar to: "Skin of Evil" (Next Generation), "The Gift" (Voyager)
my thoughts: So few main characters leave any of the series in franchise history with any kind of send-off, it's hard not to think of "Final Mission" as Wesley's farewell as a regular. The problem is that after his subsequent visits in later episodes, "Mission" loses whatever luster it might have had in that regard, and must rely on its own meager merits.
Unlike "Skin of Evil" (the sudden death of Tasha Yar) or "The Gift" (where Kes departs), the event of Wesley's departure is at once so formal and ultimately anticlimactic it's irrelevant to the episode, meaning the rest of the story has to stand on its own, which means whether or not Wesley himself has grown, or is presented well here, is what counts. And while Wesley has grown since the beginning of the series, he's actually lost what made him special. By this point he's become just another presence in the series, about as significant as anyone else who exists in the background, really. His interactions with Picard are minimal (Picard becomes incapacitated for much of the episode), and so even that is robbed of him for this occasion.
Later Wesley appearances find him in a new dynamic, fending for himself, wrestling with new moral dilemmas and new modes of responsibility. This is an episode of mere survival, in which nothing is more important than the most basic heroism and generic antagonists (the selfish pilot who sucks most of the life out of the proceedings thanks to a bad casting job or perhaps uninspired directing; the actor portraying him finds a much better role in Deep Space Nine's "Honor Among Thieves").
The problem here is that the sentiment behind scenes is left almost entirely absent in the episode itself. It was a big deal. But the episode fails to convey that, unfortunately. Still, it remains unique in franchise history. Wesley remains the only series regular (except his mom Dr. Crusher, who left after the first season, and returned in the third, as a regular both times) to leave with the promise, and delivery, of future appearances.
You can enjoy it, to a limited extent, for what it is, but there was such potential to be something more.
criteria analysis:franchise - series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Nick Tate
the story: Picard accompanies Wesley Crusher on his way to Starfleet Academy but they end up marooned on a desert planet after a crash-landing.
similar to: "Skin of Evil" (Next Generation), "The Gift" (Voyager)
my thoughts: So few main characters leave any of the series in franchise history with any kind of send-off, it's hard not to think of "Final Mission" as Wesley's farewell as a regular. The problem is that after his subsequent visits in later episodes, "Mission" loses whatever luster it might have had in that regard, and must rely on its own meager merits.
Unlike "Skin of Evil" (the sudden death of Tasha Yar) or "The Gift" (where Kes departs), the event of Wesley's departure is at once so formal and ultimately anticlimactic it's irrelevant to the episode, meaning the rest of the story has to stand on its own, which means whether or not Wesley himself has grown, or is presented well here, is what counts. And while Wesley has grown since the beginning of the series, he's actually lost what made him special. By this point he's become just another presence in the series, about as significant as anyone else who exists in the background, really. His interactions with Picard are minimal (Picard becomes incapacitated for much of the episode), and so even that is robbed of him for this occasion.
Later Wesley appearances find him in a new dynamic, fending for himself, wrestling with new moral dilemmas and new modes of responsibility. This is an episode of mere survival, in which nothing is more important than the most basic heroism and generic antagonists (the selfish pilot who sucks most of the life out of the proceedings thanks to a bad casting job or perhaps uninspired directing; the actor portraying him finds a much better role in Deep Space Nine's "Honor Among Thieves").
The problem here is that the sentiment behind scenes is left almost entirely absent in the episode itself. It was a big deal. But the episode fails to convey that, unfortunately. Still, it remains unique in franchise history. Wesley remains the only series regular (except his mom Dr. Crusher, who left after the first season, and returned in the third, as a regular both times) to leave with the promise, and delivery, of future appearances.
You can enjoy it, to a limited extent, for what it is, but there was such potential to be something more.
criteria analysis:
notable guest-stars:
Nick Tate
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
The Next Generation 4x8 "Future Imperfect"
rating: **
the story: Riker wakes up sixteen years in the future, but discovers all may not be as it seems.
similar to: "The Corbomite Maneuver" (Original Series), "All Good Things..." (Next Generation), "Child's Play" (Voyager)
my thoughts: This is a fun episode that plays with the viewer's knowledge of the series, bringing back characters like Minuet ("11001001") and the Romulan Tomalak while presenting a possible future. It's most fun as a Riker episode, of course, and possibly the most fun Riker episode of the series (for such a fun character in general, it's odd to admit that so few of his episodes were fun).
By the time you realize what's really going on, it's the end of the episode, and it's a kid who's been abandoned by his parents and forced to make up his own reality. There are countless episodes like that throughout franchise history. It's one of the better examples, to be sure, because at least most of it is spent with everyone being able to enjoy the experience, because the alternative can be grim on all scores, or sometimes just for the characters (in a very roundabout way, Icheb's experiences in "Child's Play," where we discover how a different set of parents basically made their own child's life a living hell to escape a bad situation...).
Alternate futures and/or timelines have an equal mixed bag in franchise history. "Future Imperfect" has better footing for happiness than most of those, too, except maybe Worf's odd adventures in "Parallels," where he explores dozens of different versions of how things might have turned out differently for himself and the crew.
The somewhat more hackneyed part of it is the Romulan subplot. The series pressed the Romulans so much and yet only occasionally got something good out of them. Their presence here is more of a red herring than anything, which is a good thing.
In the end, relish the good in this "Imperfect" episode, and never mind the rest.
criteria analysis: franchise -series - character - essential
notable guest-stars:
Andreas Katsulas (Tomalak)
Carolyn McCormick (Minuet)
Patti Yasutake (Nurse Ogawa)
the story: Riker wakes up sixteen years in the future, but discovers all may not be as it seems.
similar to: "The Corbomite Maneuver" (Original Series), "All Good Things..." (Next Generation), "Child's Play" (Voyager)
my thoughts: This is a fun episode that plays with the viewer's knowledge of the series, bringing back characters like Minuet ("11001001") and the Romulan Tomalak while presenting a possible future. It's most fun as a Riker episode, of course, and possibly the most fun Riker episode of the series (for such a fun character in general, it's odd to admit that so few of his episodes were fun).
By the time you realize what's really going on, it's the end of the episode, and it's a kid who's been abandoned by his parents and forced to make up his own reality. There are countless episodes like that throughout franchise history. It's one of the better examples, to be sure, because at least most of it is spent with everyone being able to enjoy the experience, because the alternative can be grim on all scores, or sometimes just for the characters (in a very roundabout way, Icheb's experiences in "Child's Play," where we discover how a different set of parents basically made their own child's life a living hell to escape a bad situation...).
Alternate futures and/or timelines have an equal mixed bag in franchise history. "Future Imperfect" has better footing for happiness than most of those, too, except maybe Worf's odd adventures in "Parallels," where he explores dozens of different versions of how things might have turned out differently for himself and the crew.
The somewhat more hackneyed part of it is the Romulan subplot. The series pressed the Romulans so much and yet only occasionally got something good out of them. Their presence here is more of a red herring than anything, which is a good thing.
In the end, relish the good in this "Imperfect" episode, and never mind the rest.
criteria analysis: franchise -
notable guest-stars:
Andreas Katsulas (Tomalak)
Carolyn McCormick (Minuet)
Patti Yasutake (Nurse Ogawa)
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
The Next Generation 4x7 "Reunion"
rating: ****
Memory Alpha summary
There's a lot to know about this episode:
1) It's the return, and death, of K'Ehleyr.
2) Alexander officially becomes a fixture of Next Generation.
3) Duras makes his second and final appearance, but with hugely lasting ramifications.
4) The debut of Gowron!
Besides that, it's the Klingons are their politically operatic best. For a series that was reluctant to use the Klingons at all, some of Next Generation's best work involved them, not merely because of Worf's presence, but because the series discovered in the classic aliens a rich source of storytelling potential, using them less as villains and more as the springboard for high drama which might otherwise have forever eluded the franchise. More than in the several film appearances, including the climactic Undiscovered Country, with which "Reunion" shares some blood, this episode was the moment everything came together.
Thus, very easily, a classic. Both K'Ehleyr and Duras had made impactful appearances before, but seeing them converge, and not even necessarily over their mutual acquaintance Worf, was the catalyst the episode needed. Alexander, Worf's son with K'Ehleyr, could be even more polarizing than Wesley Crusher before him in later appearances, but here he represents the great tragedy of what unfolds.
And it might indeed be called great tragedy. When Klingon fan culture began linking them with Shakespeare, it wasn't just Undiscovered Country that brought the Bard to mind, but "Reunion" as well, perhaps more grandly. Thrust into the mix is the would-be king Gowron, making the first of many welcome appearances in Next Generation and then Deep Space Nine. I don't often talk about the actors in these reviews, but Robert O'Reilly is absolutely essential in how "Reunion" takes shape and makes history. He may be the first great Klingon actor, and at times he achieves this distinction merely with his bulging eyes! It takes considerable talent to produce something under that heavy prosthetic forehead. O'Reilly was born for the task.
While Worf takes his rightful place in the course of events, it's Picard who truly rises to the occasion. Long groomed as the true ambassador of Starfleet's peaceful potential, here he's given the unlikely role of mediating in the midst of Klingon egos, which he takes in stride. With so many moving parts, the captain still finds his chance to shine and is the secret heart of the episode. It's a defining moment for all involved, including the series and franchise as a whole.
Can you watch it and appreciate "Reunion" on its own? Sure? But remember, too, that without it the more serialized nature of Star Trek in the years ahead might never have happened.
four quarter analysis
franchise * series * character * essential
notable guest-stars:
Suzie Plakson
Robert O'Reilly
Memory Alpha summary
 |
| Not pictured: Gowron (even though he's the best Klingon ever!) |
1) It's the return, and death, of K'Ehleyr.
2) Alexander officially becomes a fixture of Next Generation.
3) Duras makes his second and final appearance, but with hugely lasting ramifications.
4) The debut of Gowron!
Besides that, it's the Klingons are their politically operatic best. For a series that was reluctant to use the Klingons at all, some of Next Generation's best work involved them, not merely because of Worf's presence, but because the series discovered in the classic aliens a rich source of storytelling potential, using them less as villains and more as the springboard for high drama which might otherwise have forever eluded the franchise. More than in the several film appearances, including the climactic Undiscovered Country, with which "Reunion" shares some blood, this episode was the moment everything came together.
Thus, very easily, a classic. Both K'Ehleyr and Duras had made impactful appearances before, but seeing them converge, and not even necessarily over their mutual acquaintance Worf, was the catalyst the episode needed. Alexander, Worf's son with K'Ehleyr, could be even more polarizing than Wesley Crusher before him in later appearances, but here he represents the great tragedy of what unfolds.
And it might indeed be called great tragedy. When Klingon fan culture began linking them with Shakespeare, it wasn't just Undiscovered Country that brought the Bard to mind, but "Reunion" as well, perhaps more grandly. Thrust into the mix is the would-be king Gowron, making the first of many welcome appearances in Next Generation and then Deep Space Nine. I don't often talk about the actors in these reviews, but Robert O'Reilly is absolutely essential in how "Reunion" takes shape and makes history. He may be the first great Klingon actor, and at times he achieves this distinction merely with his bulging eyes! It takes considerable talent to produce something under that heavy prosthetic forehead. O'Reilly was born for the task.
While Worf takes his rightful place in the course of events, it's Picard who truly rises to the occasion. Long groomed as the true ambassador of Starfleet's peaceful potential, here he's given the unlikely role of mediating in the midst of Klingon egos, which he takes in stride. With so many moving parts, the captain still finds his chance to shine and is the secret heart of the episode. It's a defining moment for all involved, including the series and franchise as a whole.
Can you watch it and appreciate "Reunion" on its own? Sure? But remember, too, that without it the more serialized nature of Star Trek in the years ahead might never have happened.
four quarter analysis
franchise * series * character * essential
notable guest-stars:
Suzie Plakson
Robert O'Reilly
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