rating: ****
the story: Ro Laren joins the crew and butts heads with everyone.
similar to: "The Galileo Seven" (original series), "Hollow Pursuits" (Next Generation), "Emissary" (Deep Space Nine), "Caretaker" (Voyager)
my thoughts: This is about as explosive a character introduction as you can get, and the first sign that Gene Roddenberry's edict of a perfect future was not going to outlive Roddenberry himself (this episode in fact aired three days before his death). Although never taken quite as literally as the legend suggests, Star Trek's creator envisioned a time when humanity had moved on from petty differences. Except the character of Spock frequently came up against it, experiencing bigotry in such episodes as "The Galileo Seven." Next Generation had previously examined the misfit in the character of Barclay in "Hollow Pursuits," someone who doesn't get along with his fellow officers for whatever reason. And yet Ro Laren was a clear escalation of this theme, a bold departure for a series that has frequently been labeled with having the most vanilla characters in the whole franchise, everyone far too chummy chummy. Even McCoy frequently, and famously, needled Spock.
In many ways, "Ensign Ro" was the first episode of the rest of the franchise, from Deep Space Nine to Voyager and even Enterprise (a planet of xenophobes is explored in "Demons"/Terra Prime," two of its best hours). Never mind that it introduces Bajorans, too, and thus completes the Next Generation guide to Deep Space Nine (after "The Wounded," introducing Cardassians, and "The Host," introducing the Trill, and not to mention the crucial battle of Wolf 359 in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2" which serves as the secret origin of Sisko). Ro is the character who can break the rules, and thus introduces characters who are pointedly looking for redemption, which is what the casts of Deep Space Nine and Voyager are looking for in spades. (Never mind, too, that late in the season we get a preview of Voyager's Tom Paris in "The First Duty.")
There's a whole story around Ro, in which she's being used as a pawn by a misguided Starfleet admiral in a game of chess with the Cardassians (who in just a few episodes become more interesting than the Romulans are throughout the series, arguably), but the character herself is so compelling, it's easily worth focusing on her alone, the impact this one blazing appearance leaves behind. And yes, she makes a few other appearances, but few of them are as compelling as this one (except its companion, "Preemptive Strike").
The episode also works as a spotlight for Picard in much the same way as "Darmok" before it, and serves to further build toward Guinan's biggest moment in the forthcoming "Time's Arrow," so it's got a lot going for it. Easily to earn classic status.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Michelle Forbes (Ro Laren)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
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Friday, February 19, 2016
Thursday, February 18, 2016
The Next Generation 5x2 "Darmok"
rating: ****
the story: Picard must learn to communicate with an alien who seems to speak in gibberish.
similar to: "Arena" (original series), "The Enemy" (Next Generation) "A Night in Sickbay," "Dawn" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: Being marooned on a planet with someone who appears to be an enemy and being forced to help each other survive...Yeah, that's a Star Trek as well as sci-fi in general (Enemy Mine)trope, from the debut of the Gorn in "Arena" to Geordi bunking down with a Romulan in "The Enemy." Yet it's "Darmok" that's the undisputable classic.
It's not so hard to see why. Unlike the divisive "Night in Sickbay" from Enterprise (though another classic), "Darmok" is actually the story of Starfleet finally making a breakthrough with an alien culture that previously proved too difficult to penetrate, and as such serves as another feather in the cap of Picard and his crew, surely the most intellectual from throughout the whole franchise. This is arguably the best example of that, as the strange language of the Tamarians is deciphered, simultaneously, both in researching their culture through databases and by the experiences Picard has with his counterpart.
It's the rare opportunity to see a situation explained to have no ill-will, no matter how the circumstances look, and while it would certainly have looked better for all involved if there had been no trickery involved, for the Tamarians this was a last-ditch effort, a desperation play, and it's only Picard with his infinite patience and powers of comprehension who can make the breakthrough.
It's a textbook Next Generation episode, perhaps the one to show anyone skeptical about it, whether original series partisans or those who have never watched Star Trek at all. You don't need to know anything about the series itself to enjoy it, and as such is also an excellent argument for the episodic nature the franchise was once allowed to embrace, because this really is about as good as it gets.
It's also worth singling out Paul Winfield's performance as the alien captain. Previously featured in Wrath of Khan, Winfield boldly appeared completely unrecognizable, speaking lines that hardly flatter an actor's natural instincts. And is a large part of why the episode works so well.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Paul Winfield
Ashley Judd (Robin Lefler)
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
the story: Picard must learn to communicate with an alien who seems to speak in gibberish.
similar to: "Arena" (original series), "The Enemy" (Next Generation) "A Night in Sickbay," "Dawn" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: Being marooned on a planet with someone who appears to be an enemy and being forced to help each other survive...Yeah, that's a Star Trek as well as sci-fi in general (Enemy Mine)trope, from the debut of the Gorn in "Arena" to Geordi bunking down with a Romulan in "The Enemy." Yet it's "Darmok" that's the undisputable classic.
It's not so hard to see why. Unlike the divisive "Night in Sickbay" from Enterprise (though another classic), "Darmok" is actually the story of Starfleet finally making a breakthrough with an alien culture that previously proved too difficult to penetrate, and as such serves as another feather in the cap of Picard and his crew, surely the most intellectual from throughout the whole franchise. This is arguably the best example of that, as the strange language of the Tamarians is deciphered, simultaneously, both in researching their culture through databases and by the experiences Picard has with his counterpart.
It's the rare opportunity to see a situation explained to have no ill-will, no matter how the circumstances look, and while it would certainly have looked better for all involved if there had been no trickery involved, for the Tamarians this was a last-ditch effort, a desperation play, and it's only Picard with his infinite patience and powers of comprehension who can make the breakthrough.
It's a textbook Next Generation episode, perhaps the one to show anyone skeptical about it, whether original series partisans or those who have never watched Star Trek at all. You don't need to know anything about the series itself to enjoy it, and as such is also an excellent argument for the episodic nature the franchise was once allowed to embrace, because this really is about as good as it gets.
It's also worth singling out Paul Winfield's performance as the alien captain. Previously featured in Wrath of Khan, Winfield boldly appeared completely unrecognizable, speaking lines that hardly flatter an actor's natural instincts. And is a large part of why the episode works so well.
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)
notable guest-stars:
Paul Winfield
Ashley Judd (Robin Lefler)
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
The Next Generation 5x1 "Redemption, Part 2"
rating: ****
the story: The end of the Klingon civil war sees scrambling on all sides to effect their best possible result.
similar to: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2" (Next Generation), "The Search" (Deep Space Nine), "Kir'Shara" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: A true Next Generation classic concludes, perhaps the defining story of the series, as various strands come together, some touched on in the preceding entry, others newly introduced.
The operatic nature of Klingon politics kind of speaks for itself at this point. More compelling are the matters of Sela and Data in command of a starship. In Sela is a peculiar legacy of the series, the re-introduction of Denise Crosby into series lore after her departure in the first season and subsequent return in the landmark "Yesterday's Enterprise," the events of which are herein recounted to notable skepticism until Guinan steps in to try and make sense of them. The results are almost more compelling for the character of Guinan than Sela. Sela returns in "Unification," while Guinan's past is finally explored in "Time's Arrow," both within this season, so clearly "Redemption" necessarily set up as well as concluded storylines for the series, another mark of its crucial nature.
And yet, the big confrontation between Picard and Sela is almost academic. Less so is Data's arc in the episode, in which he requests field command in the task force assigned to curb the fighting. It's a direct reflection of how Starfleet is still coming back from the devastation of the Borg crisis in "Best of Both Worlds," and a unique further examination of how Starfleet as a whole views Data. Those unfamiliar with him, it seems, still underestimate him. His rebellious first officer believes Data, an android, to view everything in cold terms, neglecting the human element, the sacrifices that may result from his strategies. Never mind that in other episodes we're reminded that this is precisely makes command material. In Data it's seen as a flaw. So he must once again demonstrate his brilliance in order to be accepted. Although one aspect of the episode, it's worth remembering in its impact on Data as a whole.
Of course, there's also the matter of how Worf finally resolves his relationships with the Klingons and Starfleet. That's the essence of "Redemption," how it all reflects around this character. Both Data and Sela only serve to reflect what happens to Worf, after all. And the end of the episode is a direct answer to "Sins of the Father," in which he made a difficult decision that led to "Redemption" in the first place.
It's one of the most significant moments in the series, and in the franchise, and largely defines what makes Star Trek what it is, more interested in the personal moments than in the greater ramifications, the ability to turn away from the drama rather than be defined by it. If this had been Star Wars, Worf would never have even considered rejoining Starfleet, much less letting slip his opportunity for revenge. If you ever wanted to explain the differences between the two franchises to someone, "Redemption" is exactly the story to use as your example. Star Trek features space exploration, but it's about the exploration of self first and foremost. Even if the self is an alien from a warrior culture who ended up joining a different family entirely.
And yet, of course, the Klingon saga in Star Trek only grew larger. That's the beauty of "Redemption."
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character -essential (all criteria meta)
notable guest-stars:
Denise Crosby (Sela)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Tony Todd (Kurn)
Robert O'Reilly (Gowron)
Barbara March (Lursa)
Gwynyth Walsh (B'Etor)
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
the story: The end of the Klingon civil war sees scrambling on all sides to effect their best possible result.
similar to: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2" (Next Generation), "The Search" (Deep Space Nine), "Kir'Shara" (Enterprise)
my thoughts: A true Next Generation classic concludes, perhaps the defining story of the series, as various strands come together, some touched on in the preceding entry, others newly introduced.
The operatic nature of Klingon politics kind of speaks for itself at this point. More compelling are the matters of Sela and Data in command of a starship. In Sela is a peculiar legacy of the series, the re-introduction of Denise Crosby into series lore after her departure in the first season and subsequent return in the landmark "Yesterday's Enterprise," the events of which are herein recounted to notable skepticism until Guinan steps in to try and make sense of them. The results are almost more compelling for the character of Guinan than Sela. Sela returns in "Unification," while Guinan's past is finally explored in "Time's Arrow," both within this season, so clearly "Redemption" necessarily set up as well as concluded storylines for the series, another mark of its crucial nature.
And yet, the big confrontation between Picard and Sela is almost academic. Less so is Data's arc in the episode, in which he requests field command in the task force assigned to curb the fighting. It's a direct reflection of how Starfleet is still coming back from the devastation of the Borg crisis in "Best of Both Worlds," and a unique further examination of how Starfleet as a whole views Data. Those unfamiliar with him, it seems, still underestimate him. His rebellious first officer believes Data, an android, to view everything in cold terms, neglecting the human element, the sacrifices that may result from his strategies. Never mind that in other episodes we're reminded that this is precisely makes command material. In Data it's seen as a flaw. So he must once again demonstrate his brilliance in order to be accepted. Although one aspect of the episode, it's worth remembering in its impact on Data as a whole.
Of course, there's also the matter of how Worf finally resolves his relationships with the Klingons and Starfleet. That's the essence of "Redemption," how it all reflects around this character. Both Data and Sela only serve to reflect what happens to Worf, after all. And the end of the episode is a direct answer to "Sins of the Father," in which he made a difficult decision that led to "Redemption" in the first place.
It's one of the most significant moments in the series, and in the franchise, and largely defines what makes Star Trek what it is, more interested in the personal moments than in the greater ramifications, the ability to turn away from the drama rather than be defined by it. If this had been Star Wars, Worf would never have even considered rejoining Starfleet, much less letting slip his opportunity for revenge. If you ever wanted to explain the differences between the two franchises to someone, "Redemption" is exactly the story to use as your example. Star Trek features space exploration, but it's about the exploration of self first and foremost. Even if the self is an alien from a warrior culture who ended up joining a different family entirely.
And yet, of course, the Klingon saga in Star Trek only grew larger. That's the beauty of "Redemption."
criteria analysis: franchise - series - character -essential (all criteria meta)
notable guest-stars:
Denise Crosby (Sela)
Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)
Tony Todd (Kurn)
Robert O'Reilly (Gowron)
Barbara March (Lursa)
Gwynyth Walsh (B'Etor)
Colm Meaney (O'Brien)
Bryan Fuller joins the Series VII team
The news of Bryan Fuller joining the new TV show's team has been making the rounds, and I thought I'd chip in some thoughts.
Fuller's recent work includes an upcoming TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, plus Hannibal. He also worked on Mockingbird Lane, an updated Munsters, and among other credits is known for the cult TV favorites Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, and Wonderfalls. He wrote some of the better-received episodes of Heroes, including "Company Man" and "Cold Snap."
And he's worked on Star Trek before. Contributing the psychologically-charged "Empok Nor" and "The Darkness and the Light" to Deep Space Nine, he then went on an extended run with Voyager, where again he contributed to deepening the mythology of the series. Here are the episodes he worked on:
"The Raven" (exploring Seven's backstory)
"Mortal Coil" (Neelix suffers a near-death experience)
"Retrospect"
"Living Witness" (one of the show's most clever episodes)
"Drone" (a rare Voyager Borg fan favorite)
"Bride of Chaotica!" (the series at its comedic best)
"Gravity"
"Dark Frontier, Part 1" (returning to Seven's past)
"Course: Oblivion" (one of the best fake-outs in franchise history)
"Juggernaut"
"Relativity" (one of the key later time travel episodes in franchise lore)
"Barge of the Dead" (one of the best Klingon episodes in the franchise)
"Alice"
"One Small Step" (one of several franchise odes to today's space program)
"Spirit Folk"
"Fury" (controversial final appearance of Kes)
"The Haunting of Deck 12"
"Flesh & Blood, Parts 1 & 2" (finishing out the Hirogen in the series)
"Workforce, Parts 1 & 2"
"Friendship One"
These were all episodes that spoke to either the characters or the concepts at the heart of the series, in ways that made it easier for fans who liked what Voyager was doing like it even more. They represent a full gamut, besides, of what the franchise was capable of, from classic sci-fi adventures to innovative stories that pushed the series to new depths. The biggest complaint about Voyager was that it wasted its premise for more of the same, and yet in these episodes one can see how unique the series really was, and how easily it fit the storytelling instincts of a creator other pockets of fandom found incredibly endearing.
In short, this is the guy to pull off the new series.
Joining him are some other guys I have a tremendous amount of faith in. Alex Kurtzman's Star Trek credentials have been established in the last two films. He's also been involved with Sleepy Hollow, Limitless, Hawaii Five-O, and Scorpion, and I have a particular soft spot for the guy thanks to his work on Alias and Fringe.
And with Fuller and Kurtzman will be Michael Green, who has done work on such diverse shows as Smallville, Everwood, Jack & Bobby, Kings, and The River (which featured Bruce Greenwood, by the way). He also worked on Heroes, like Fuller, and the Green Lantern movie, which is a personal favorite of mine.
I have every faith that this will be a rewarding experience, and a fine return to television for Star Trek.
Fuller's recent work includes an upcoming TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, plus Hannibal. He also worked on Mockingbird Lane, an updated Munsters, and among other credits is known for the cult TV favorites Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, and Wonderfalls. He wrote some of the better-received episodes of Heroes, including "Company Man" and "Cold Snap."
And he's worked on Star Trek before. Contributing the psychologically-charged "Empok Nor" and "The Darkness and the Light" to Deep Space Nine, he then went on an extended run with Voyager, where again he contributed to deepening the mythology of the series. Here are the episodes he worked on:
"The Raven" (exploring Seven's backstory)
"Mortal Coil" (Neelix suffers a near-death experience)
"Retrospect"
"Living Witness" (one of the show's most clever episodes)
"Drone" (a rare Voyager Borg fan favorite)
"Bride of Chaotica!" (the series at its comedic best)
"Gravity"
"Dark Frontier, Part 1" (returning to Seven's past)
"Course: Oblivion" (one of the best fake-outs in franchise history)
"Juggernaut"
"Relativity" (one of the key later time travel episodes in franchise lore)
"Barge of the Dead" (one of the best Klingon episodes in the franchise)
"Alice"
"One Small Step" (one of several franchise odes to today's space program)
"Spirit Folk"
"Fury" (controversial final appearance of Kes)
"The Haunting of Deck 12"
"Flesh & Blood, Parts 1 & 2" (finishing out the Hirogen in the series)
"Workforce, Parts 1 & 2"
"Friendship One"
These were all episodes that spoke to either the characters or the concepts at the heart of the series, in ways that made it easier for fans who liked what Voyager was doing like it even more. They represent a full gamut, besides, of what the franchise was capable of, from classic sci-fi adventures to innovative stories that pushed the series to new depths. The biggest complaint about Voyager was that it wasted its premise for more of the same, and yet in these episodes one can see how unique the series really was, and how easily it fit the storytelling instincts of a creator other pockets of fandom found incredibly endearing.
In short, this is the guy to pull off the new series.
Joining him are some other guys I have a tremendous amount of faith in. Alex Kurtzman's Star Trek credentials have been established in the last two films. He's also been involved with Sleepy Hollow, Limitless, Hawaii Five-O, and Scorpion, and I have a particular soft spot for the guy thanks to his work on Alias and Fringe.
And with Fuller and Kurtzman will be Michael Green, who has done work on such diverse shows as Smallville, Everwood, Jack & Bobby, Kings, and The River (which featured Bruce Greenwood, by the way). He also worked on Heroes, like Fuller, and the Green Lantern movie, which is a personal favorite of mine.
I have every faith that this will be a rewarding experience, and a fine return to television for Star Trek.
Monday, February 8, 2016
The Next Generation 4x26 "Redemption"
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)
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)
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
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