**
Geordi La Forge had the unfortunate task of following in the footsteps of a miracle-worker. When he finally became chief engineer of the Enterprise, La Forge could only be compared to Scotty, who made keeping starships together seem like the biggest emergencies that could only be solved by his quick wits and dedication. What could La Forge possibly offer in response?
Well, for starters he would always be one of the most visually unique characters in Star Trek. For some reason Next Generation was full of that. The bald captain. The gold android. The dude with the ridged forehead. And then there was Geordi, who wore a banana clip over his eyes, giving the blind man the ability to see. It wasn't until the last three movies that he finally lost his distinctive VISOR, but moreso than being chief engineer, it was this element that made La Forge stand out.
Eventually he formed a tight friendship with Data, but La Forge was better known for his unusual alienation. It's not that he was a loner, but that his physical handicap, no matter how expertly it was eventually corrected, made La Forge less comfortable with other people than is usual for Star Trek. The area where this was most obvious, and the episode that makes it stand out the most, was Geordi's relationship with women, as defined by "Booby Trap."
Unlike Scotty, La Forge was a more hands-on engineer. He helped make it seem more down-to-earth. Yet he couldn't work miracles. He needed help. So he turns to a holographic representation of a brilliant Starfleet engineer, and falls in love with it. He certainly believes that it's the engineer herself, but it's really the version of her that he's helped create. It's not quite Reg Barclay, but it's Geordi La Forge in a nutshell. He's the guy who loves people and technology, but perhaps best when they're in the same form. He and Data were the original platonic bromance, after all.
Most of the story is pretty generic Star Trek, coming across a derelict ship with a problem our crew must figure out. It's how the characters, especially La Forge, are brought to their best instincts around it that distinguishes "Booby Trap." It's another way of acknowledging that Next Generation is more cerebral than its predecessor, and that its characters have more depth. On this occasion the beneficiary is La Forge. Also worth noting are some key character tidbits for supporting characters Guinan and O'Brien. It's funny, because each of these three characters have the elements of this episode revisited in some form or another. Guinan talks about being saved by a "bald man" (referring to Picard, and to "Time's Arrow"), while O'Brien building ships in bottles is referenced amusingly in the final episode. This whole episode is revisited for La Forge in "Galaxy's Child." Little bits of continuity, probably, but still lightyears ahead of what the original series used to do.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Susan Gibney
Colm Meaney
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary.
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Next Generation 3x5 "The Bonding"
*
"The Bonding" has a somewhat awkward legacy constantly working against it. It's not the only time a Next Generation main character bonds with a young boy who's just experienced the loss of his family. Here I'm not even thinking of Alexander. I thinking, rather of "Hero Worship" from the fifth season, in which another boy bonds with (and imitates) Data. In this instance, you can absolutely not compete with Data. Sorry, Worf.
Actually, there's a nice redemptive element, regardless of whether or not you end up unfavorably comparing it to another episode. Various members of the main cast get to reflect on losses they themselves have experienced. Wesley is one of them. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that his father Jack plays an important part of Next Generation mythology, because he's dead by the start of the series, and Wesley himself is usually defined by just about every other element of his character. Tasha Yar is brought up, perhaps in anticipation of her unexpected return later in the season. And of course Worf, who lost his parents when he, too, was a boy. That's what the episode ultimately pivots around, Picard asking Worf to watch over the boy, which Worf takes to mean basically inducting him into Klingon culture and his own family. Worf's relationship with all things Klingon (it being alien to Starfleet, and him being alien to his own people, even though like Spock before him he became an iconic representation of the people who rejected him) could sometimes seem a little forced, and "The Bonding" is one such example. It didn't have to have anything to do with being Klingon, but then, it's also an episode that fans can point to in the development of Klingon culture (not surprising, because this is Ronald D. Moore's breakthrough, and his work in Star Trek became known for his Klingon material), so if you like that and don't necessarily care how it happens, you'll probably enjoy "The Bonding" for that alone.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
"The Bonding" has a somewhat awkward legacy constantly working against it. It's not the only time a Next Generation main character bonds with a young boy who's just experienced the loss of his family. Here I'm not even thinking of Alexander. I thinking, rather of "Hero Worship" from the fifth season, in which another boy bonds with (and imitates) Data. In this instance, you can absolutely not compete with Data. Sorry, Worf.
Actually, there's a nice redemptive element, regardless of whether or not you end up unfavorably comparing it to another episode. Various members of the main cast get to reflect on losses they themselves have experienced. Wesley is one of them. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that his father Jack plays an important part of Next Generation mythology, because he's dead by the start of the series, and Wesley himself is usually defined by just about every other element of his character. Tasha Yar is brought up, perhaps in anticipation of her unexpected return later in the season. And of course Worf, who lost his parents when he, too, was a boy. That's what the episode ultimately pivots around, Picard asking Worf to watch over the boy, which Worf takes to mean basically inducting him into Klingon culture and his own family. Worf's relationship with all things Klingon (it being alien to Starfleet, and him being alien to his own people, even though like Spock before him he became an iconic representation of the people who rejected him) could sometimes seem a little forced, and "The Bonding" is one such example. It didn't have to have anything to do with being Klingon, but then, it's also an episode that fans can point to in the development of Klingon culture (not surprising, because this is Ronald D. Moore's breakthrough, and his work in Star Trek became known for his Klingon material), so if you like that and don't necessarily care how it happens, you'll probably enjoy "The Bonding" for that alone.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Next Generation 3x4 "Who Watches the Watchers?"
**
This is a definite Prime Directive episode. Like Insurrection, "Who Watches the Watchers?" features a Federation survey team that goofs and the exposure of its existence causes a huge problem.
Although visually perhaps the most notable thing about the episode is that it features primitive Vulcans (although the forehead ridges makes them seem like primitive Romulans, which is pretty much the same thing, but still). Although nothing relevant is made of this fact, it's still nice to see a little bit of continuity, the wider shadow of one of Star Trek's best known alien races once again being cast.
This is the one where Picard is mistaken for a god (it happens!) and to prove otherwise he allows himself to be shot by an arrow, an event that still stands as one of the more memorable pieces of action from the series. Yes, it's incredibly simple, but that's just the kind of show Next Generation was. For his efforts, Picard receives a tapestry that remains draped on the back of the chair in his ready room for the rest of the series.
Although not a true standout otherwise, "Who Watches" remains for me a signature episode from the early part of the third season. It can be a little annoying, because any time Star Trek features primitive aliens it tends to overdo it, especially when attempting to deal with matters like gods and advanced technology. The primitive aliens tend to cower, or react violently. It's always the same. Maybe that's how people really are. Maybe Star Trek just likes to simplify it. Still, fun to watch. The Vulcan (or Romulan) haircut is maintained by these guys, as if it somehow grows that way, although it's not neatly trimmed (because they're primitive!).
In this instance, no matter what you think of Insurrection (which is also similar to the seventh season episode "Homeward"), it's the better of the two to be considered here.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Ray Wise
Memory Alpha summary.
This is a definite Prime Directive episode. Like Insurrection, "Who Watches the Watchers?" features a Federation survey team that goofs and the exposure of its existence causes a huge problem.
Although visually perhaps the most notable thing about the episode is that it features primitive Vulcans (although the forehead ridges makes them seem like primitive Romulans, which is pretty much the same thing, but still). Although nothing relevant is made of this fact, it's still nice to see a little bit of continuity, the wider shadow of one of Star Trek's best known alien races once again being cast.
This is the one where Picard is mistaken for a god (it happens!) and to prove otherwise he allows himself to be shot by an arrow, an event that still stands as one of the more memorable pieces of action from the series. Yes, it's incredibly simple, but that's just the kind of show Next Generation was. For his efforts, Picard receives a tapestry that remains draped on the back of the chair in his ready room for the rest of the series.
Although not a true standout otherwise, "Who Watches" remains for me a signature episode from the early part of the third season. It can be a little annoying, because any time Star Trek features primitive aliens it tends to overdo it, especially when attempting to deal with matters like gods and advanced technology. The primitive aliens tend to cower, or react violently. It's always the same. Maybe that's how people really are. Maybe Star Trek just likes to simplify it. Still, fun to watch. The Vulcan (or Romulan) haircut is maintained by these guys, as if it somehow grows that way, although it's not neatly trimmed (because they're primitive!).
In this instance, no matter what you think of Insurrection (which is also similar to the seventh season episode "Homeward"), it's the better of the two to be considered here.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Ray Wise
Memory Alpha summary.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Next Generation 3x3 "The Survivors"
**
To my mind, this is where the third season really begins. On the surface it doesn't have much more creative worth than its two predecessors. I would never argue that it's a classic per say, but it's just more fun to watch, and Next Generation simply became more fan to watch once it finally figured itself out, which is what the third season is all about.
Like an episode of the original series, our crew encounters a situation that isn't what it seems, a couple of odd individuals who don't much care for visitors, and yet the more our crew pushes them, the closer they get to the startling truth. It's a formula that works so well plenty of other episodes from across the franchise liberally borrow from it in the years to come.
"The Survivors" also features (if you don't particularly mind a spoiler) another original series staple, a god-like being with its own ideas of morality, which turns an good story into an interesting one. As is usual, Next Generation does an established franchise trope with more nuance.
If you click the "Star Trek A-to-Z" link above, you'll also see that I've got a tiny obsession with the character Kevin Uxbridge's wardrobe, with is another reason why the episode remains memorable for me despite not having any particular relevance to the series or its cast (which are usually the ways to my heart).
On the one hand, I'm trying to be subjective about "The Survivors" and on the other, I know this is a personal favorite. I'll give the theoretically uninitiated the benefit of the doubt and assume that you won't necessarily share the exact interests I have. It's still a good one to at least sample for existing and budding fans of the series.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
To my mind, this is where the third season really begins. On the surface it doesn't have much more creative worth than its two predecessors. I would never argue that it's a classic per say, but it's just more fun to watch, and Next Generation simply became more fan to watch once it finally figured itself out, which is what the third season is all about.
Like an episode of the original series, our crew encounters a situation that isn't what it seems, a couple of odd individuals who don't much care for visitors, and yet the more our crew pushes them, the closer they get to the startling truth. It's a formula that works so well plenty of other episodes from across the franchise liberally borrow from it in the years to come.
"The Survivors" also features (if you don't particularly mind a spoiler) another original series staple, a god-like being with its own ideas of morality, which turns an good story into an interesting one. As is usual, Next Generation does an established franchise trope with more nuance.
If you click the "Star Trek A-to-Z" link above, you'll also see that I've got a tiny obsession with the character Kevin Uxbridge's wardrobe, with is another reason why the episode remains memorable for me despite not having any particular relevance to the series or its cast (which are usually the ways to my heart).
On the one hand, I'm trying to be subjective about "The Survivors" and on the other, I know this is a personal favorite. I'll give the theoretically uninitiated the benefit of the doubt and assume that you won't necessarily share the exact interests I have. It's still a good one to at least sample for existing and budding fans of the series.
franchise * series * essential * character
Memory Alpha summary.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
The Next Generation 3x2 "The Ensigns of Command"
*
To my mind, this is the most anonymous episode of Next Generation's third season. Maybe it's because I didn't see it (or don't remember seeing it) when I originally saw the rest of the episodes (in second run syndication) or because the the title "The Ensigns of Command" is basically hugely confusing, because you'd assume it'd have something to do with ensigns in Starfleet...and it doesn't.
(Apparently it comes from a poem, "The Wants of Man." Just so you know.)
It's a patented Next Generation version of a typical original series episode, in which inhabitants of a world have to deal with a huge transition. "Patented Next Generation" means that it's our crew doing a little more diplomacy than Kirk would have, because Kirk was a man of action whereas Picard's crew was more cerebral, more willing to look at the nuances of a situation (although admittedly Kirk faced nuance in a big way at least in "Balance of Terror"). Otherwise you could skip this episode and not really notice.
The part that brings you back is that this is still early in the series when it finally started feeling like itself. Structurally it's built around Data, figuring out some small ways to grow in his journey to become more human. Here it's about his violin playing, which remains a lingering focus of his character for the remainder of the series. The teaser, which became an artform for Next Generation, is perhaps one notable aspect of the episode, kicking off the violin thing, which is brought back at the conclusion (something later teasers didn't need to be effective).
Still, there are far more notable episodes later in the season, and better interpretations of this same basic plot. Watch because it's watchable, but otherwise don't worry too much about it. Data, the series and the season have much more interesting things elsewhere.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
To my mind, this is the most anonymous episode of Next Generation's third season. Maybe it's because I didn't see it (or don't remember seeing it) when I originally saw the rest of the episodes (in second run syndication) or because the the title "The Ensigns of Command" is basically hugely confusing, because you'd assume it'd have something to do with ensigns in Starfleet...and it doesn't.
(Apparently it comes from a poem, "The Wants of Man." Just so you know.)
It's a patented Next Generation version of a typical original series episode, in which inhabitants of a world have to deal with a huge transition. "Patented Next Generation" means that it's our crew doing a little more diplomacy than Kirk would have, because Kirk was a man of action whereas Picard's crew was more cerebral, more willing to look at the nuances of a situation (although admittedly Kirk faced nuance in a big way at least in "Balance of Terror"). Otherwise you could skip this episode and not really notice.
The part that brings you back is that this is still early in the series when it finally started feeling like itself. Structurally it's built around Data, figuring out some small ways to grow in his journey to become more human. Here it's about his violin playing, which remains a lingering focus of his character for the remainder of the series. The teaser, which became an artform for Next Generation, is perhaps one notable aspect of the episode, kicking off the violin thing, which is brought back at the conclusion (something later teasers didn't need to be effective).
Still, there are far more notable episodes later in the season, and better interpretations of this same basic plot. Watch because it's watchable, but otherwise don't worry too much about it. Data, the series and the season have much more interesting things elsewhere.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Colm Meaney
Memory Alpha summary.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The Next Generation 3x1 "Evolution"
**
The third season of Next Generation kicks off with an episode that anyone from this moment forward would find very familiar, in some ways a template of what the franchise and not just the series would be like from this moment forward. It's also the start of the series finally looking like the one you remember, and as it would look for the remaining five seasons (including this one).
Aside from uniforms and characters now falling into sync with history, "Evolution" is a classic ship-malfunctioning episode, which engages the whole crew (in the original series it would simply have been Scotty trying to work a miracle, or Tribbles turning up in inappropriate places), which in some ways is very similar to what the previous two seasons had featured, but as with everything else it seems completely fresh, like seeing it for the first time. We've also got a patented Federation scientist acting as a kind of foil to our cast of regulars, not being nearly as philosophically ideal as Picard and company, although he does wonder for one of two Crushers in the spotlight.
The one I'm thinking about is Wesley, the resident boy wonder, who is thrust into the spotlight right from the start of the episode, which takes a casual approach to the bold new era about to begin. He's asleep, pushing himself hard to achieve the results he and everyone else expects from him. This in itself is a marked contrast to the Wesley from the first season, who never seemed to have to work at anything (except the curious interlude featured in "Coming of Age"). He's starting to feel like a real boy! But his temporary friend cautions him that the bright future he indeed has in front of him has a great deal more complications than he might expect.
It's not hard to see the writers treating the whole episode as an acknowledgment that they know as well as the rest of us that a momentous occasion has come, but that this is no time to rest on laurels.
The other Crusher, naturally, is Beverly, the resident doctor in six of seven seasons. It's still odd to think that she was absent during the second season, but "Evolution" marks her return, and even briefly acknowledges the lapse in continuity that would never happen again in franchise lore (once a cast member always a cast member, unless you leave, and then you're pretty much gone for good). It's another bit of continuity that would never have happened in the original series. In fact, a lot of "Evolution" is about the Crusher family. It's everything that the first season never really did, so is another sign that the third season is all but a reboot of the whole series, which in some ways it might as well be. Beverly spends a lot of time reflecting on Wesley's future, about his life in general. It's a rare family moment for the two, but then, the whole season breathes new life into the greater Next Generation family.
Lest you think the Borg are not already on the mind of the series that by the end of the season would make history with "The Best of Both Worlds," know that your friendly neighborhood Collective is indeed referenced at the start of it.
The most appropriate aspect of the episode, however, is the fact that "Evolution" is in many ways a redo of one of the show's own previous episodes, "Home Soil" from the first season, featuring artificial intelligence arising and taking everyone by surprise. As I indicated in my review of that episode, "Evolution" is better, more subtle. Although Picard comfortably assumes the moral high ground in the matter, it's really Wesley who has the most significance in the matter. Curiously enough Data, the android whose very existence was challenged in the second season classic "The Measure of a Man," doesn't play much of a role here.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Ken Jenkins
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary.
The third season of Next Generation kicks off with an episode that anyone from this moment forward would find very familiar, in some ways a template of what the franchise and not just the series would be like from this moment forward. It's also the start of the series finally looking like the one you remember, and as it would look for the remaining five seasons (including this one).
Aside from uniforms and characters now falling into sync with history, "Evolution" is a classic ship-malfunctioning episode, which engages the whole crew (in the original series it would simply have been Scotty trying to work a miracle, or Tribbles turning up in inappropriate places), which in some ways is very similar to what the previous two seasons had featured, but as with everything else it seems completely fresh, like seeing it for the first time. We've also got a patented Federation scientist acting as a kind of foil to our cast of regulars, not being nearly as philosophically ideal as Picard and company, although he does wonder for one of two Crushers in the spotlight.
The one I'm thinking about is Wesley, the resident boy wonder, who is thrust into the spotlight right from the start of the episode, which takes a casual approach to the bold new era about to begin. He's asleep, pushing himself hard to achieve the results he and everyone else expects from him. This in itself is a marked contrast to the Wesley from the first season, who never seemed to have to work at anything (except the curious interlude featured in "Coming of Age"). He's starting to feel like a real boy! But his temporary friend cautions him that the bright future he indeed has in front of him has a great deal more complications than he might expect.
It's not hard to see the writers treating the whole episode as an acknowledgment that they know as well as the rest of us that a momentous occasion has come, but that this is no time to rest on laurels.
The other Crusher, naturally, is Beverly, the resident doctor in six of seven seasons. It's still odd to think that she was absent during the second season, but "Evolution" marks her return, and even briefly acknowledges the lapse in continuity that would never happen again in franchise lore (once a cast member always a cast member, unless you leave, and then you're pretty much gone for good). It's another bit of continuity that would never have happened in the original series. In fact, a lot of "Evolution" is about the Crusher family. It's everything that the first season never really did, so is another sign that the third season is all but a reboot of the whole series, which in some ways it might as well be. Beverly spends a lot of time reflecting on Wesley's future, about his life in general. It's a rare family moment for the two, but then, the whole season breathes new life into the greater Next Generation family.
Lest you think the Borg are not already on the mind of the series that by the end of the season would make history with "The Best of Both Worlds," know that your friendly neighborhood Collective is indeed referenced at the start of it.
The most appropriate aspect of the episode, however, is the fact that "Evolution" is in many ways a redo of one of the show's own previous episodes, "Home Soil" from the first season, featuring artificial intelligence arising and taking everyone by surprise. As I indicated in my review of that episode, "Evolution" is better, more subtle. Although Picard comfortably assumes the moral high ground in the matter, it's really Wesley who has the most significance in the matter. Curiously enough Data, the android whose very existence was challenged in the second season classic "The Measure of a Man," doesn't play much of a role here.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Ken Jenkins
Whoopi Goldberg
Memory Alpha summary.
Friday, January 11, 2013
The Next Generation 1x26 "The Neutral Zone"
**
Like "Space Seed" and "The 37s," "The Neutral Zone" features humans awakened from cryonic sleep being completely outmatched by the greater story around them. In this instance, it's the return of the Romulans and the first tangible evidence of the Borg.
It is a little odd that Star Trek kept doing the cryonic sleep trope, but there you are. I guess the batch in this episode are interesting enough, how they try to reconcile their memories with what they find in the future, but it's a first season episode of Next Generation, and as such it's always at the back of your mind that the series probably would have done this better and more memorably later.
The real story is the Romulans. Slightly less so than the Klingons, they were a featured element of the original series, and not just because they were basically the evil cousins of the Vulcans. Unlike the Klingons, however, Romulans were never a significant part of the first six films (or seven or eight or nine, but they totally dominate the tenth and eleventh!). Their appearance in "The Neutral Zone" is the first of many subsequent appearances in the franchise after this point. They would become a signature species of Next Generation, actually.
Unfortunately, this appearance isn't much more notable than being that first appearance. Most of the story is dominated by those cryonic folk. The Romulans don't have much more of a role than the suggestion of the Borg, who have been skirting Federation space along the way toward the conquest of assimilation memorably featured in "The Best of Both Worlds." It's basically, as one of the Romulans actually says, that they're back. It's a calling card.
But these twin calling cards are still enough to overshadow the main story. In fact, the title doesn't even refer to the main story, and that's pretty rare, but it's also one of the first times modern Star Trek doesn't attempt to use the same naming scheme as the original series, so there's that as well.
Just like that, however, the first season is finally over. Ending it on this kind of note is a sign of encouragement. While most of it is like the rest of the season, there's also the conscious effort to do something greater and more lasting, which like Data's brother Lore sticks in the later developments of the series, and while much of the season tried to establish a separate identity for this generation, returning to the Romulans and especially how the episode does it is a very good idea indeed.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Marc Alaimo
Memory Alpha summary.
Like "Space Seed" and "The 37s," "The Neutral Zone" features humans awakened from cryonic sleep being completely outmatched by the greater story around them. In this instance, it's the return of the Romulans and the first tangible evidence of the Borg.
It is a little odd that Star Trek kept doing the cryonic sleep trope, but there you are. I guess the batch in this episode are interesting enough, how they try to reconcile their memories with what they find in the future, but it's a first season episode of Next Generation, and as such it's always at the back of your mind that the series probably would have done this better and more memorably later.
The real story is the Romulans. Slightly less so than the Klingons, they were a featured element of the original series, and not just because they were basically the evil cousins of the Vulcans. Unlike the Klingons, however, Romulans were never a significant part of the first six films (or seven or eight or nine, but they totally dominate the tenth and eleventh!). Their appearance in "The Neutral Zone" is the first of many subsequent appearances in the franchise after this point. They would become a signature species of Next Generation, actually.
Unfortunately, this appearance isn't much more notable than being that first appearance. Most of the story is dominated by those cryonic folk. The Romulans don't have much more of a role than the suggestion of the Borg, who have been skirting Federation space along the way toward the conquest of assimilation memorably featured in "The Best of Both Worlds." It's basically, as one of the Romulans actually says, that they're back. It's a calling card.
But these twin calling cards are still enough to overshadow the main story. In fact, the title doesn't even refer to the main story, and that's pretty rare, but it's also one of the first times modern Star Trek doesn't attempt to use the same naming scheme as the original series, so there's that as well.
Just like that, however, the first season is finally over. Ending it on this kind of note is a sign of encouragement. While most of it is like the rest of the season, there's also the conscious effort to do something greater and more lasting, which like Data's brother Lore sticks in the later developments of the series, and while much of the season tried to establish a separate identity for this generation, returning to the Romulans and especially how the episode does it is a very good idea indeed.
franchise * series * essential * character
Notable guest-stars:
Marc Alaimo
Memory Alpha summary.
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