Voyager 3x11 "The Q and the Grey"

rating: ****

the story: Q shows Janeway the results of "Death Wish."

what it's all about: In a lot of ways, Q's appearances in Voyager were a direct continuation of his Next Generation episode "Deja Q," where his story is changes from the obnoxious omnipotent being who put humanity on trial to the obnoxious omnipotent being whose main concern is...the rest of the obnoxious omnipotent beings in the Q Continuum.  So in a lot of ways, Voyager managed to tell an incredibly important franchise story in the midst of being a series that was supposed to be removed from incredibly important franchise stories.  And Q is a character who lends himself to that possibility, after all.

Naturally, it infuriated fans to no end, the idea that Voyager could improve on Next Generation material.  I mean, precious few Star Trek episodes improve on "Tapestry," but in terms of Q being Q but still having a good reason for showing up...it's kind of really hard to argue exploring the nature of Q in real depth.  Because that's what the one-two punch of "Death Wish" and "The Q and the Grey" are all about.  It's comparable to the Mirror Universe episodes in Deep Space Nine, certainly the first few ("Crossover," "Through the Looking Glass," and "Shattered Mirror"), all of which function as sequels to the original series classic "Mirror, Mirror," and are arguably far superior to it in terms of nuanced storytelling.

The best material in the episode is onboard the ship.  Discovering Q's ex gave Suzie Plakson, who was already a legend in the franchise, a bold new character to play, arguably her most important.  It's hard to play opposite John de Lancie, but Plakson was absolutely up to the challenge.

And Janeway?  After "Death Wish" it became easier to believe Q would take her seriously.  Picard was always the skeptic, who thought Q a menace and not much else.  Janeway, though, stood up to him, too, and in that episode helped him understand that not every human was like Picard, that some would stand up for the likes of him.  No doubt an incredibly intoxicating thought.  But the very idea of why he shows up, it's fraught with the kind of natural comedy the character had become best known for, none of the serious "trial of humanity" business that bookended his Next Generation existence.  Putting aside all prejudices, these appearances are by definition classics.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - The last great Q appearance.
• series - A hugely effective sequel to a prior standout episode.
• character - Works extremely well for Q, and for helping further define what sets Janeway apart.
• essential - To truly understand Q, you need to see this episode.

notable guest-stars:
John de Lancie (Q)
Suzie Plakson (Q)
Harve Presnell

The Next Generation 4x7 "Reunion"

rating: ****

Memory Alpha summary

Not pictured: Gowron
(even though he's the best
Klingon ever!)

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

The Next Generation 2x20 "The Emissary"

rating: ****

Memory Alpha summary

via Treknologic
"Today is a good day for style!"

When Next Generation's second season nailed it, it really nailed it.  And thus we reach the last great episode of the season, "The Emissary."

Which means we've finally reached the point where the series has figured out how to present Worf, a character whose importance not just to the series but the franchise would grow exponentially.  So basically what I said about "Manhunt" in regards to Lwaxana Troi.  This was a season dedicated to figuring out the characters.  Sometimes it worked exceptionally ("The Measure of a Man") and other times not as much ("The Icarus Factor").

In terms of lasting significance, "Emissary" may have the second greatest legacy of the season after "Q Who?" (which introduced the Borg) as it features K'Ehleyr, perhaps the best of the franchise's periodic efforts to feature "a former lover" (seriously, this is a whole Star Trek trope, and yes it's a fiction trope in general but Star Trek embraced the idea almost as enthusiastically as Space Nazis...and now we will end this parenthetical phrase...).

K'Ehleyr herself only survived to make one additional appearance ("Reunion"), but it completely opened up Worf's possibilities, not just because of the son they had together (Alexander, who would become a recurring character), but after "A Matter of Honor" (another second season classic, which actually featured Riker rather than Worf) stands as the birth of true Klingon nuance, a culture that flourished throughout the rest of the franchise until reinvention in the reboot era.

But aside from legacy, again, the episode itself works miracles for Worf, who until that point had languished under writers who seemed about as eager as Gene Roddenberry to have a Klingon in Picard's crew.  Worf's own alienation was previously poorly defined and depicted, until he had another strong Klingon to play off against (and in subsequent Worf episodes, having other strong Klingons to play against proved to be a continuing source of strong material).

All of which makes the ending ironic, because Worf's not the only one who has a hard time being Klingon, his lover does, too, but they have to pretend to be exactly that, just a couple of regular warriors.  But after this, it's much, much easier for regular Klingon warriors to populate Star Trek.  For the first time, being Klingon means something other than cunning or prowess.  And that is a very good thing.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

Suzie Plakson

Diana Muldaur

Colm Meaney

Diedrich Bader

The Next Generation 2x6 "The Schizoid Man"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

via Star Trek
This brief glimpse of Bearded Data
is probably more noteworthy
than the rest of the episode.

"The Schizoid Man" is essentially the best the season could do with Data until "The Measure of a Man," an instant all-time classic.  You can see the tiny connecting pieces from "Schizoid," derived from the earlier "Datalore," that lead to "Measure," but the best that can be said of "Schizoid" is that it's a gimmicky episode that's outclassed in much of what it attempts to be by the later "Inheritance" (in which we meet Data's "mother") and even "Silicon Avatar" (in which Data's ability to hold multiple memories comes is explored).

All of which is to say, it's somewhat painfully simplistic.  In the full context of Data's adventures, it's even ridiculous, given how reductive it is about his functioning, about exactly what the scientist in "Measure" thinks of him before Picard successfully argues otherwise.

So, some ornery old dude downloads his consciousness into Data, and the crew has to figure this out.  Actually, it's very much "Datalore" all over again, with a guy claiming to be Data's "grandfather."  And so the episode is a light walk through who and what Data is supposed to be like.  If it had been done later in the series, when there was a much more firm grasp of everything, perhaps this is a story that could have worked.  But as it is, it doesn't.  Best to pretty much forget it.  As a touchstone to where the series and Data were at this point, it's indicative of all the wrong things, but it's still somewhat fascinating to consider, that things that seem so obvious now could be so badly misread.  So you can watch this one, I won't say you shouldn't, but you should be aware that this is hardly Next Generation at its best.  Not its worst, because there are plenty of episodes from the preceding season that amply demonstrate that (and later ones that are certainly head-scratchers).  Just, approach with caution.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

Suzie Plakson

Diana Muldaur

W. Morgan Sheppard

Enterprise 2x15 "Cease Fire"

***

Perhaps the most curious development of the second season was that Shran only appeared once.  A big part of what helped spark the first season creatively was his initial appearance in "The Andorian Incident" and then return in "Shadows of P'Jem."  It wasn't just that Andorians returned to the franchise for the first time since the original series, but that Shran was a significant new character (portrayed by a significant guest actor, no less, Jeffrey Combs).

His appearances also provided Enterprise with the kind of light continuity that balanced the expectations of fans who'd grown to enjoy that sort of thing in Deep Space Nine (and other genre shows such as Babylon 5) and what Star Trek fans knew from other incarnations.  By the time of the second season with its new approach, the crew stumbling along on its own in uncharted territory, bringing Shran back was a crucial proposition, especially the manner of which he appeared.  "Cease Fire" is less about Shran, actually, and more about Vulcan-Andorian relations, which was ostensibly what the prior episodes centered on, even though Shran stole both of them.

To see him sort of take a back seat to the interspecies conflict is softened a little by the appearance of another veteran guest actor, Suzie Plakson (please don't make me tell you who she's famous for portraying, because it will only make us both look bad).  The whole episode is filled with familiar faces, actually, something that was rare for the second season, with appearances by Admiral Forrest and Soval as well.  In the first season there wasn't much reason to like Soval.  "Cease Fire" is also notable in that it presents a different side of him as well.

Part of the point of the episode is also that Archer unwittingly stumbles into a role that he's destined to fill, and the timing of it is another indication of the deliberate shape of the season.  The events of the previous season have almost become a distant memory.  The second season to this point had avoided the familiar while making subtle moves at some of the more procedural developments later generations would take for granted.  The relationships Archer previously formed now come back in new and important ways.  Soval doesn't trust him.  Shran does.  To put Archer in the middle of them at the negotiating table puts all of them in a new light.  Archer benefits from being able to provide a fresh perspective.  Soval finds this refreshing, especially since he and every other Vulcan (except T'Pol) finds Archer to be the epitome of humanity, young and naive and hopelessly useless.  "Cease Fire" is the first time he is anything but in their eyes.  And for Shran, it's the first time his relationship with Archer truly proves beneficial.

It's not a monumental moment, like "The Andorian Incident," but it's an episode the second season needed, the series needed, and even the franchise benefited from.  You can skip it, but you won't regret paying attention.

franchise * series * essential * character

Notable guest-stars:
Jeffrey Combs
Gary Graham
Christopher Shea
Vaughn Armstrong
Suzie Plakson

Memory Alpha summary.