Star Trek: TNG Season 6 Episodes 21-26

Frame of Mind (6x21) May 3,1993

Riker's sanity is questioned, what does he imagine and what is real ? Is the Enterprise really a figment of the imagination of a killers mind ? Play within the Play, Dream within the Dream ? Another highly rated episode by me in this excellent season.

Suspicions (6x22) May 10,1993

A well written episode about Doctor Crusher facing an ethical crisis.

Rightful Heir (6x23) May 17,1993

A very spiritual episode as Kahless, the spiritual ancient Klingon has returned and it causes questions. I have said before the series really never took on religious and God issues. Roddenberry refused to touch the subject, here we  have faith as the central core of the episode. As this season has been written at high level, this is another of the high points of the season.

December 10th: I have 3 episodes of the sixth season and 26 episodes of the last season to go, 29 episodes in 21 days of the year to go. I know it is an artificial deadline. It is the holiday season and I find myself wanting to watch the traditional stuff. I have binged viewed this season in the last two or three weeks. The amount I have watched in the last few weeks does play into my decision. I am thrilled with the quality of this episode, finally, I am right ? I started the year by starting a season on the 1st and when ever I finished it taking a break until the 1st. I will do this with season 6 and pick up 7 on January 1st.

Second Chances (6x24) May 24,1993

The story reminded me somewhat of the first original story published as a book Spock Must Die !, in which due to a transporter accident there are two and very real Spocks. In this case the Enterprise arrives to a space station where Riker narrowly escaped. He has been living there for 8 years. Lt Riker and Commander don't seem to like each other. Lt Riker renews with passion his affair with Deanna Troi . The episode is completely engrossing. I don't think the writer could have handled this a couple of seasons ago.

Timescape (6x25) June 14,1993

A really amazing story about time. like the last episode a few years ago this story would have been totally screwed up. This episode is interesting,well written and satisfying on every level.

Descent  Part 1 (6x26) June 21,1993

Moment of Data: The opening scene has Data playing cards with Sir Isaac Newton,Albert Einstein and the real lfe Dr. Stephan Hawkings. Then comes the Red Alert and the Borg. The episodes deals with Issues of Data feeling an emotion and in the last scene Lore and Data in control of the Borg, evil laughter as they are going to take over the universe. An over acting treat for Brent Spiner fans.

Overview of the Season:
Season 6 was just phenomenal. This is when the series grows up. The stories don't fall apart in the final act, the stories seem more adult. Continuity happens. It can be argued that the appearance of a show called Babylon 5 is what made TNG raise it's game. Babylon 5 is one of the precursors to today's golden age of drama. Another syndicated sci fi show, this one demanded audience pay attention to the smallest details. In a lot of markets it was on back to back with TNG. The difference between the two shows was stark. I wonder if the writers felt like they needed to raise their games. Anyway we finally got a season that was not a pain to watch.

So It December 14th as I finished the season. Year one of  Star Trek from start to finish is over.
In 2013 I watched :
-Season 2 and 3 of Star Trek:The Original Series 50 episodes
-Star Trek: The Animated Series 22 episodes
-6 Star Trek Movies
-Seasons 1-6 of Star Trek:The Next Generation 152 episodes

I really have not yet made a dent in the franchise as a whole. Onward to Season 7 and beyond. Happy Holidays to anyone who happens to be reading this. See you in 2014.

Star Trek:TNG Season 6 Episode 12-20

December 2, 2013

I watched more episodes that I thought I would over the Thanksgiving break.I am starting to think it might be a stretch but it certainly possible to finish the series out by the end of 2013. The episodes have been better for sure but it still seems like a tall order, we will see.

Ship in a Bottle (6x12) January 24,1993
Moment of Data: Data as Sherlock Holmes, are we really back to this ?

The Rest of the episode: It is actually pretty good,other than I thought we were beyond bringing back minor episodes.Professor Moriarty is somehow real and able to walk around the ship, off the holodeck. Or Is He ???

I have decided December 10 is the line in the sand of will I go for finishing the series by the end of the year.It is December 5th and I have several entries to write, I am actually on 6x16 and it is doable to finish the season by December 10. The Question becomes do I want to give myself my an unrealistic deadline or take a break for the rest of the month.


Aquiel (6x13) February 1,1993

The episode is a mystery with no help from Data's Sherlock Holmes. It ends in another seemingly doomed romance for Geordi. It part of unraveling the mystery. of the disappearance or death of Lt. Aquiel Uhnari, Geordi listens to her logs for clues and guess what, falls in love. There is one interesting scene when a Klingon refuses to help Picard, Picard says he will ask a personal favor of Chancellor Gowron, suddenly the Klingon will help. That is why Picard is Picard.


Face of the Enemy (6x14) February 8,1993

Whoa, Troi wakes up on Romulan ship in full Romulan make up, Is it Sweeps ? Yes and another superior episode that involves spying and some great writing. I wish it was a two parter.

Tapestry (6x15) February 15,1993

Picard Dies, we discover he has an artifical heart. He is met by Q. Picard relives the events that lead to the heart and time chance the past,effect the future issues are explored. It is always good to see Q, we learn a lot of Picard at the academy.

Birthright (6x16/17) March 7,14, 1993

I have been struggle in completing this long and sometimes remarkably bad or boring series. The episode opens with the Enterprise at the space station Deep Space Nine and the introduction of Dr. Julian Bashir. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

A Klingon and an Android and lost fathers.Data resolves to take time to dream which is scary and I am glad this isn't season one. Much has been made of Worf's fathers legacy and the sin of the father being carried by the children and grandchildren. This is an effective story line, even the Data stuff.

Starship Mine (6x18) March 29,1993

Moment of Data: At the beginning of the episode Data is on a lift with Picard and engages in small talk, so he wants to learn the art of Small talk. The gag is repeated throughout the episode. This is so season one and two,it is kinda of shocking that they do this so late in the series.

The rest of the episode is brilliant. The ship is goin through a Baryon sweep and everyone has to leave the ship. Picard is given a chance to ride a horse and returns to the ship to get a saddle. He encounters terrorist who capture him and he says he is "Mr. Mott, the ships barber". Yes Patrick Stewart the action hero. Hand to Hand combat. The twists and turns are well done. The episode,minus the Data scenes becomes one of the best of the series.

Lessons (6x19) April 5,1993

Picard: A Love Story. This is a Sad,Romantic,Melodramatic. It is so well acted by Patrick Stewart and Wendy Hughes. Really everyone gave great acting performances in this episode.I was impressed reference was made to the episode where Picard lived an alternate life with wife,kids and grand kids. As every episode is basically self contained and continuity has been rare it was nice to have a past episode mentioned.

The Chase (6x20) April 26,1993

Humans,Klingons,Romulans and  Cardassians all appear this episode. After ripping most of the first half of the series, I am thrilled to be writing how good this episode is. Smart and philosophical,the episode deals with issues of we are all the same.It is also a religious episode in some ways.

ST:TNG Season 6 Episodes 1-11

Time's Arrow,Part 2 (6x1) September 21,1992

Lack luster as was the first episode. They really don't do time travel well. It is impossible to watch time travel stories with comparison to Doctor Who. I did like the scenes between Guinan and Picard. Yes she is that old apparently. I did not have a feeling this was the beginning of the relationship, I am sure they met earlier in Picard's life, unfortunately that took up very little. Let us hope the season picks up.

Realm of Fear (6x2) October 11,1992

The Yearly visit from Lt. Barclay. This is a well done throwback episode that recalls peoples fear of the Transportor. In this case it is Barclay, I noticed Barclay has the most ill fitting suit on the ship, I thought that was an interesting device for Barclay. I enjoyed the episode quite a bit. The 128th episode of the series.

Man of the People (6x3) October 18,1992

Psychic Vampires basically.

Relics (6x4) October 12,1992

Wiki is getting weird with the date of the episode airing again. This is the return of James Doohan as Scotty. It is really well done. The scene with Picard and Scotty on the holodeck of the original series is one of the best moments of this series. The episode is heavy on sentimentally,which is wonderful.

Schims (6x5) October 19,1992

Moment of Data: I had hoped the series was beyond this,apparently not. The episodes opens with Data holding a poetry reading. Riker for reasons we see as the story unfolds is half awake and practically ruins the reading by applauding in mid poem.

Data has a long reading about his Cat, which has been alluded to,but the series have not gone into cat detail with this potential comedic devise.

Oh, but there is a plot, in spite of the opening it ends up being a good episode as aliens are using members of the Enterprise at night. Kinda like an X-Files in Space type story.



True Q (6x6) November 1,1992

Any Q episode is probably going to be a highlight of the season. It contains a reference to my hometown Topeka,Kansas which is always a plus. An intern played by Olivia d'Abo arrives followed by Q. Could she be a Q ? Yes. She is given the choice to join the Q or never using her ability. Naturally the Enterprise is in peril and will she use her powers to save the ship ?

Rascals (6x7) November 15,1992

This starts with a horrible premise, Picard,Guinan,Ro and O'Brien's wife are on a shuttle craft. They are beamed back to the ship and are 10 years old. The episode ends up wousrking on several levels. Comedy parts include Ro whining about how she hated her childhood. Guinan is planning to enjoy the childhood, Picard eventually turns the ship over to Riker.  The ends up being an interesting and strong episode. This shows the writers are better or have grown up. 2 or 3 seasons ago this episode would have been torture.

A Fistful of Datas (6x8) November 9,1992

Patrick Stewart directs this episode. The crew has some down time, Picard is taking flute lessons, Worf, his son and Troi use a holodeck program finding themselves in the Ancient West.Geordi and Data are running some tests to basically make Data the back up for the whole ship. Crusher is casting a play and tries to get Picard to take a role, he says "I'm not much of an Actor", one of the best lines in the series.

As the title implies,It is a very Data heavy episode, one I am probably not going to enjoy, I was intrigued by what when wrong. The conclusion is predictable. The episode is mixed at best. There was a reference to Data's poetry reading and his cat is used for Comedy. <smh>

The Quality of Life (6x9) November 16,1992

Occasionally the show gets pretty deep into Science, and frankly I have no idea if it is real or made up science, then or now.I would tend to vote for made up. Sooooo it hard for me to take an episode about exocomps seriously.

Chain of Command (6x10/11) December 14/21,1992

The 136th and 137th episodes may be the best story of the series. Picard is relieved of Command,the new Captain (Ronny Cox) is not getting along well with the crew Riker in particular.  Capt Jellico is to lead negotiations with the Cardassians. Picard,Worf and Crusher are on a top secret mission to destroy a piece of Cardassian weapons. Picard is captured and introgated by David Warner. I realize toward the end of the first episode that for as much as I don't like the makeup, the Cardassian may be the villain of the series. The Show had trouble creating a big bad. Yes we have the Borg, but they disappear for long periods of time. Feringee, not really, there was something comedic about that. Romulans, again they appear so rarely, I can't buy them as the big bad.

The tortures of Picard is unreal,brilliantly done. David Warner as always is an incredible villain. It is easily to love this episode. I really don't want to downplay Ronny Cox and the scenes with Jonathan Frakes. This easily top 10 of the whole series.

ST: TNG Season 5 Episode 21-26

The Perfect Mate (5x21) April 27,1992

My eyes lit up as the opening credits played,Guest starring Famke Janssen, Jean Grey ??? and Patrick Stewart, X-Men 8 years before the movie, wow. The episode is stunning. 2 waring factions have agreed to a truce of some sort on the Enterprise. The first member is played by Tim O'Connor from the Buck Rogers TV series in the 70's. He has brought a gift from the Chancellor of the other side, a Woman,Janssen.

All sorts of issues are discussed Cultural Relativism,does objection violate the prime directive, from appearances is the one life worth continuing the war. Heavy Stuff. The joy of the episode is Janssen being a Metamorph. She is instantly desirable to any man she comes in contact with. It is explained she will meet her mate and focus in only on him,the pharamones will stop. Picard is particularly taken with her and her with him. He regrets personally that he has to give her up.It is harder when the Chancellor is a cold not at all romantic figure. Janssen character will give up a lot to be with him. The Phrase is never spoken but the series has always taught us the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few or the one or the two in this case. I love the still, Picard is none to happy to be fulfilling his duty for this marriage. Great Acting.

This episode is sexy,thoughtful,melodramatic and somewhat sad.I came away think, this really was Picard's life mate. Janssen laments at the end hoping the Chancellor likes Shakespeare. This is easily in the top 10,top episodes for the series. It was a real joy. The episode immediately before and after are mundane and forgettable. This is a classic.

Ferengi appear for the first time in a long while.

Imaginary Friend (5x22) May 4,1992

Is it just me or are children getting a lot of play on the show now. Alexander is on again.The episode opens with Deanna in a counseling session with a child who has an imaginary friend.

I,Borg (5x23) May 11,1992

In hindsight it interesting how little The Borg appear in the series. This is the first appearance since the epic The Best of Both Worlds that ended season 3 and started season 4.This is a very good episode. The story of this season is how good the series can be when it had good stories lines, but again  too many episodes.

The Next Phase (5x24) May 18,1992

Are Ro and Geordi dead in a transporter accident ? Why are they wondering around the ship and no one can see them ? Why are the Romulans and the Federation working together ? I really enjoyed this episode.Smart and well acted.

The Inner Light (5x25) June 1,1992

Picard's It's a Wonderful Life episode. Sure,Why Not ?

Time's Arrow Part 1 (5x26) June 8,1992

Data's head is dug up underneath Starfleet Academy and Samuel Clemens might be involved.


Overview of the season:
Again too many episodes spoil the over all series.The season brought many high points for the series, some serious Sci-Fi type writing. The Game, The Prefect Mate come to mind. We saw some bad writing in the fourth act like A Matter of Time. The Introduction of Ensign Ro is a high point of the series.

Unification is a great two part episode. There was a curious amount of episodes about how the members of the crew deal with children. We may be closer to getting a great season of television by todays standards here, although the season finale is not very compelling. This took me about a month and a half as opposed to the last season which took 2 months. I have two seasons of this season to go. As I write this on November the 14th the really big question is can I finish the last 50 some episodes by the end of 2013.

ST;TNG Season 5, Episodes 11-20

Hero Worship (5x11) January 27,1992

The Enterprise investigating the disappearance  of  a science ship discovers a lone boy whom Data saves. The child develops an attachment to Data even to the point of mimicking him. Child Psychology hour is in full effect here. Child dealing with a traumatic event by clinging to his savior and buried emotions. A Noble effort that just doesn't work on this Saturday morning.

I did notice something interesting, last season there was an episode where a girl fell in love with Data and was pushed away by his lack of humanity. Yes he knew every sonnet in the universe but as an unfeeling android, he could not put any heart behind it. At the series worst it in one large Data crush we are suppose to have and this writing was bold. Here we have a child who tries to have a child/father relationship with Data. Again we are reminded he can't do that. I think we are setting something up, I am not sure I remember what. I remember watching the Spock episode but I think I had checked out of the series by this point.

And is just me or didn't the kid grow up to be Paul Ryan

Violations (5x12) February 3,1992

Troi then Riker in a coma and a band a psychics. Really,Really. A Hundred plus episodes and this is what you throw out. A check out the goofy pajamas.

Notable only for the flashback of Picard with hair

The Masterpiece Society (5x13) February 10,1992

Better than the last couple of episodes, The Enterprise encounters a closed society as an asteroid is about to hit their world. They are reluctant to  mix with members of The Enterprise. This is a good Science Fictiony episode with a morale. For as bad as the season has been, this was a pretty good one.


Conundrum (5x14) February 17,1992

The crew memories and the ship computers have been wiped by Aliens. This is an odd and fun little episode. The writers this season have really been pushing the relationship between Riker and Troi, more so than any point in the series.

Power Play (5x15) February 22,1992

Data,Troi and O'Brien take over the ship as they are pocessed by the spirit of the command of the Essex,a ship lost 200 years earlier. This a lot like the episode with the guy from the future. This is a good episode but I didn't like the last act and the resolution at all.

Ethics (5x16) March 2,1992

If it is an episode dealing Klingons it will be one of the best of the series. Worf is paralyzed in an accident and there is no or little hope of restoring him. Worf asks Riker to assist him in ritual suicide in the Klingon tradition. Riker at first is horrified and refuses. There is a wonderful conversation with Picard about cultural relativism. Riker finds a way out, telling him according to Klingon traditions his Son must perform the ceremony,Worf decided to try a risky surgery.

I have noticed a problem with the season so far, several times I have been hooked into what is going on,but the twist at the end is just lame. Here the surgery goes bad to a point of Dr. Crusher telling Alexander that Worf is dead. Then thanks to the the redunant Klingon parts, he lives. Klingons have several stomaches,hearts and other parts. It just seemed like a weak ending.

The Outcast (5x17) March 16,1992

Science Fiction at it's best tells us something about itself. The first 20  minutes of this episode are incredibility boring and poorly acted. We are introduced to J'naii, a genderless society. Soren is working with Riker and the two have a long conversation about how the J'naii got rid of gender. Then Soren explains that some of her kind begin to embrace Male or Female roles and sometimes fall in love and it is forbidden. They have to live and love in secret. They risk bullying (todays term). It sounds a lot like they need a "It Gets Better" campaign. She moving tells the tale of someone who goes through shock therapy to cure them.

Soren and Riker kinda fall for each other, she is observed and the final scene is tragic. This is a wonderful story that relates I think to Homosexuality. This is really one of the strong episodes in the run of the series. One of the main differences between the old and new series is the new one never really tried to tell us anything about ourselves. That is one of the biggest failings of the series, the lack of a message which is the hallmark of Science Fiction. I applaud this story from 1992.

Cause and Effect (5x18) March 23,1992

This was a really good episode. The Enterprise is stuck in a time distortion. It is well crafted. I meant to point out the last few episode have brought back the poker games. I have missed the poker games.

The First Duty (5x19) March 30,1992

Ray Walston's first appearance as Boothby, Robert Duncan McNeill would later appear in Voyager and a minor character in the play would be brought back in a future episode.

Picard returns to the Academy to deliver the commencement address, meanwhile Wesley is involved in an accident and most of the episode involves the hearing. One of the best acting scenes in the whole is the scene between Wesley and Picard late in the episode. The series has been riding a really good streak of watchable episodes. I hope it keeps up.


Cost of Living (5x20) April 20,1992

At this point I am a little upset with the writers. We have a Lwaxana Troi episode this season but no Q episode. This is one to be muddled through. She is getting married and of course wants to do it on the ship. She bonds with Alexander who is becoming more and more a character on the show. This is really an episode that at best I would classify as Meh.

ST:TNG Season 5, Episode 1-10 and Star Trek VI:The Undiscovered Country

Redemption,Part 2 (5x1) September 23,1991

There really is not a lot to add. At this point in the series the best episodes deal with Klingon culture.This was a nice 2 part story line.

Darmok (5x2) September 30,1991

"Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" . I hated watching this episode but as I thought about,it did seem rather brilliant and daring,especially for this show. Picard and a Tamarian representative are sent to a planet because even though they understand words, they couldn't figure out meanings.Eventually they figure out Tamarians speak through Metaphors. Again the writing was really good on this.

Ensign Ro (5x3) October 21,1991

The writers have rarely provided us when overly interesting characters. Ensign Ro is one of the more interesting characters that will reappear through the rest of the series. A Bajorian starfleet member who helps the crew track down a Bajorian. The crew is slow to trust her,why should they, she came from a Military Prison. The episode is exciting and well wriiten..

Silicon Avatar (5x4) October 21,1991

I have no idea about the double episode dating. This episode is representative of when the show was not working. AARP guest stars.Someone shows up on the episode who doesn't like Data, links to Lore and ends up loving him or what he can provide, a link to her son, Forgettable episode on many levels.


Disaster (5x5) October 21,1991 (no way I think 3 episodes aired on October 21,1991)

This was a team up episode that told about 4 stories as different groups dealing with the ship without power. Picard is stuck in a lift with children.Not the best episode in the world. I am noting a comfort level with the writing and the acting. 100 episodes in we knew these people quite well  by now. Critically the episode has it's moments. It was ok.


The Game (5x6) October 28,1991

Everyone on the ship gets addicted to a game that Riker brings aboard the ship,expect Wesley Crusher who is on break from Starfleet academy. This is a good episode and when you consider video games today, it comes off as futuristic.

Unification (5x7/5x8) November 4 and 11,1991

One of the better stories in the series. Spock appears just ahead of the sixth Star Trek movie, with a loose tie in. Klingons,Romulans and a very rare appearance by Vulcans. Maybe because the connections to the original series, but I think I liked this better than Picard as a Borg.


Star Trek VI:The Undiscovered Country Release Date December 13,1991

The last voyage of the original cast is certain to be bittersweet. Characters would pop up here and there on TV, but this is the end of the crew that so charmed the world since 1966. It would not be hard to be better than the last film which was so poorly executed and failed on many levels.

If you enjoy random Shakespeare quotes this movie is for you.I am sure somewhere someone did a cliffs notes of the movie. Who doesn't like Christopher Plummer as a Klingon General quoting Shakespeare.

The last seen of the movie is the most poignant,the last command, Kirk directs "Second Star to the right and straight on until morning." A beautiful summary of the adventurous spirit of the show. The closing titles with auotgraphs of the cast members seem a fitting conclusion to this branch of the series.

The movie and story almost don't seem to matter, at times it is good,at times it is not.These are old familiar people. They were a part of my life through the re runs and the movies.It was time for them to go. The Star Trek legacy at this point in 1991 is in good hands with the Next Generation Cast.


A Matter of Time (5x9) November 18,1991

This is episode is an example where, for me anyway the last act was such a disappointment. A travel from the future suddenly appears on deck of The Enterprise in the form of Matt Frewer (Max Headroom).He is intrigued to see the people he had read so much about and claims to be there to witnss a monumental moment in History. He asked each of the main cast to fill out questionaires.There is a swerve in the final act,he is not from the future at all. It was disappointing. I felt a little ripped off by the writing.

New Ground (5x10) January 19,1992

A New brings a return to the duel story lines that plagued a lot of the first two seasons. One,The Enterprise is testing a new type of warp dive. That is not the interesting plot line. The second plot is Worf Mother shows up and thinks Worf should be raising his son Alexander, so the episode is basically how Worf deals with being a Single and Working Dad. As my refrain of late has been, If it is about Klingons it is a good episode.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 4, Episodes 21-26

4x21 The Drumhead April 29,1991

TV Dramas at this point in the time did not do much with continuing plot lines. Continuing plot line were soaps. It was enough of a plot line and this was a ship and they were exploring space. Know then that Worf chose family disgrace in Sins of the Father (3x17), the story had been alluded to in the past but the plot returns here.

The main just of this episode is could there be a Romulan/Klingon alliance and that would be a major threat to the Federation. The episode has some wonderful trial scenes.

4x22 Half a Life May 6,1991

I am surprised an episode with Lwaxana could be thoughtful and memorable. This was as it dealt with age issues, approaching age gracefully. The episode features some really fine acting by David Ogden Stiers. It definitely is a Geritol episode. Really effective and moving.

4x23 The Host May 13,1991 

Dr. Crusher does the opening log report. It appears Dr. Crusher has fallen for an Ambassador who is on board. The Ambassador gets sick and it discovered the body is just a host. At the end of the episode the host is a woman. The Romance ends there. We were not ready for that plot line in 1991.To best honest, I spent most of the time reading a book.

4x24 The Mind's Eye May 27,1991
Geordi does the opening log
Geordi is kidnapped and returns to the ship as The Manchurian Candidate. Good episode again dealing a Romulan/Klingon and was that Denise Crosby in shadows ?? Continuity plot, I like it.


4x25 In Theory June 3,1991

Picard is back to doing the opening log. Boring episode can a woman fall in love with Data.


4x26 Redemption Part 1 June 17,1991

Season finale so a lot happens. Picard has to crown the new haed of the Klingon Council. Klingon Civil War. Worf can get redemption for his family and leaves Starfleet and in the last scene Denise Crosby walks out of the shadows as a Romulan. Interesting stuff.

Overview:
After taking the month of July off, I returned to watching and it took me 2 months to get through the 26 episodes. The season had good episodes but rarely anything memorable. A lot of the episodes brought back older characters. It was a real grind to watch. I blame a lot of this on compairing the show to dramas of today.

Star Trek:The Next Generation Season 4, Episodes 11-20

4x11 Data's Day (January 7,1991)

What a horrifying thought for an episode, a day aboard the ship as seen through Data's eyes. Actually I was pleasantly surprised. I have suspected for a season and a half the writers were getting a handle on ole gray eyes, or boredom had set in. This episode has a nice spy story.

4x12 The Wounded (January 28,1991)

I don't why but I always thought the makeup for the Cardassian was some of the worst of the series

Oh wait, that is something else. There just was something about the WWE chest and the very thick necks

4x13 Devil's Due February 4,1991

I really thought this was one of the more creative plot lines. According to ancient myths Ardra promised the people of Ventax II a thousand years of peace if they agree to give her their souls in a thousand years. The Enterprise just happens to be in the area when the thousand year deadline happens.And a Mysterious woman appears demanding the Ventaxian pay up.

What ensues is flirtations with Picard, an arbitration hearing with Data as the judge. Great Acting by Marta Dubois. Central to the story is the identity of Ardra, could it be a member of the Q ? Even thought a lot of the plot lines have been done in the series, this really stands out.









4x14 Clues February 11,1991

The Ship encounters a wormhole, everyone but Data loses a day and the crew tries to reconstruct the missing day and why is Data lying ?

Moment of Data: Data is performing Ebeneezer Scrooge, Why I don't know ? Why is the returns to the show ? I don't know. You don't get the 2 minutes of your life back.

4x15 First Contact February 18,1991

Issues explored in Who Watches the Watchers (3x4) of First Contact. I enjoyed this episode as I did the earlier one. The Writing the crisp, It is a common Sci Fi concept.

4x16 Galaxy's Child  March 11,1991

We go back again to early third season when Geordi made a holographoic representation of the designer of the Warp Drives, Dr. Leah Brahm (Booby Trap 3x6). Geordi meets her in real life and things don't go well.

This a really good episode both the exploring of
the relation between Geordi and Dr. Brahms but the plot with the story of the Alien they encounter to the resolution of the two plot lines.














4x17 Night Terrors March 31,1991

I really liked this episode no one could sleep and Data ends up running the ship. It reminded me a lot of the Galactica episode where the ships did jumps every 33 minutes or something. In both episodes you almost feel as tired as the crews. This is a very effective epsiode.

4x18  Identity Crisis  March 25,1991 (according to Wiki)

So/So episode about Alien Parasites. They really nothing new with it.

4x19  The Nth Degree April 1,1991

The return of Mr. Broccoli, Dwight Schultz character. If I had forgotten he ever guest starred on the show in the first place, I had forgotten he was a reoccurring character as well. This was a nice but forgettable episode.

4x20 Qpid April 22,1991 

Another returning character. Remember Vash, the woman Picard has an fling with when he was forced to take a vacation Captain's Holiday (3x19) she is back. So is Q and somehow the crew become Robin Hood and his merry men. Any episode with Q is highly entertaining. Vash was one of the more interesting characters.

ST:TNG Season 4, episodes 1-10

4x1 The Best of Both Worlds, Part II (September 24,1990)

so I took a little break in late June. It is August, where were we, ahh yes Captain Picard has been assimilated by the Borg. The Borg knows everything Picard knows which is a lot. The first part and this second are correctly considered to be among the best episodes of the whole series, the 160 some completed and the 500 or so to come.







4x2 Family (October 1,1990)

This was an interesting episode. Dramas at the time never really dealt with the ramifications of previous events. Everything for the most part stood alone.Some earth shattering event like The Best of Both World would be just forgotten. Picard seems to need a break and goes home to France. The other plot seemed to be the humor side as Worf's adoptive parents came from a road company of Fiddler on the Roof. Verdict: Uneven.

4x3 Brothers (October 8,1990)

Data,his evil brother and his creator Dr. Soong. I liked the beginning when Data went crazy and took over control of the ship,It was similar to Spock in Amok Time. I really was not going to like episode. I didn't become fond of Data during my break, Sorry


4x4 Suddenly Human (October 15,1990)

Late 90's teen idol Chad Allen plays a bratty alien child or something. I have noticed that the main problem with the series is waaaay to many episodes. The best dramas today have 10 to 15. Here we deal with 26. Yes, we will see a lot of pointless episodes, this is one of them. I am sure the story writers for Mad Men,Doctor Who,Battlestar, etc,etc came up with a lot of bad episodes, they just never see the light of day.

4x5 Remember Me (October 22,1990)

Ahh, a good episode, a superior episode. Beverly Crusher is stuck in a pocket universe. Nice to see the tall guy "The Traveler" from 1x6 Where No One has Gone Before. He was an interesting character.After irratic to bad episodes, it was nice to see the season really pick up.

4x6 Legacy (October 29,1990)

This was a good one, The Enterprise ends up at Tasha Yar's home planet which is in civil war. We meet Tasha's sister. This was really a first rate episode.


4x7 Reunion (November 5,1990)

Bringing back another good guest star Suzie Plakson as Worf's Ex. This is a great Klingon episode:Poltics,Honor. The season is a good groove right now.











4x8 Future Imperfect (November 12,1990)

A good episode where Riker appears to not remember the last 16 years after a mishap with the Transporter and Gas.


4x9 Final Mission ( December 2,1990)

This episode really has one intent, that is to send Wil Wheaton off the show and on to Starfleet academy. It succeeds in it's aims.

4x10 The Loss (December 31,1990)

Your basic two dimensional life forms episode, this has got to the most screen time Marina Sirtis has gotten in a single episode.

TNG Season 3: Episode 20-26

Tin Man (3x20) April 23,1990

Meh is about the best review I can give this episode.I do note that it is nominated for an Emmy for the visual effects.

Hollow Pursuits (3x21) April 30,1990

If you think about it, this may be one of the most notable guest stars to date. Dwight Schultz most known for his role on the iconic 80's TV The A -Team (guy on the left). The Charm of this episode is that is mainly the story of an average crew member. We see the big 9 from the credits and a few more but never the average rank and file crew member. The Original at least had the security guys in the dreaded Red Shirts.


In a sense this is an average episode, nothing major really happens, the guy is known for a nickname, Broccoli even Picard uses it . The writing is good, the acting is good. It is just an all around good episode.

The Most Toys (3x22) May 5,1990

Given my lack of appreciation of Data, One would think an episode where Data is on a shuttle that The Enterprise sees explode (before the opening credits) This should be my favorite episode ever. Of course it is too good to be true. Some guy who is a collector,arranged the explosion so he can keep Data. Dialogue like "You could be naked for all I care." makes the episode kinda creepy.

It is not a bad episode,I know they had a lot of casting problems and it really could have been so much better.

Sarek (3x23) May 14,1990

Mark Lenard plays Sarek in the Third Series and Movies. He is 200 plus years old and suffering for an affliction that Vulcans get in their 200's. They finally let out their emotions. The Mind Meld scene with Picard is not to be missed, Sir Patrick is in fine form as an actor in those scenes. We say goodbye to one of the most beloved characters in the Star Trek Universe.






Menage a Troi (3x24) June 10,1990

June episodes again, what is up with this ?If the last episode said goodbye to a beloved episode, this one involves Deanna Troi's Mother . No way this was a good episode.  What is not to be missed is Sir Patrick reciting Shakespeare at the end of the episode. That scene is worth everything else.


Transfigurations (3x25) June 17,1990

Humans evolution to higher life forms. Weighty episode to be sure.

The Best of Both Worlds (3x26) June 18,1990

The date can't possibly be correct can it ? Anyway. ....
From the original 79, the 22 episodes of the Animated Series and 3 full seasons of TNG, we get a cliff hanger. We get the best Oh, Wow moment since Spock Died in Wrath of Khan.

Elemental questions about Riker , Is he playing it safe as he declines the third offer of Command. What about Commander Shelby, the hot blonde of the series. Just a wonderful episode. Of Course reaching the Cliff Hanger as the Borg take Picard from the Bridge and we end with Picard being half Borg announcing "I am Locutus, Resistance is Futile."

Over view of the Season

If the first was slow to find itself and the second was a mess really, this season seems like a Star Trek season worthy of all that has come before it. Yes as you read my opinions,at times I was bored. I do think 26 episodes is far too many for anything. At times I think Doctor Who and the modern wave of dramas are too short, with modern series you are left longing for more. Here is to too much.

Sir Patrick Stewart's acting is a triumph in this season, the writers finally seem to understand what Picard is all about. Slowly the characters become deeper. Happily we have almost completly left behind the days when Data was the star of the show, The Moments of Data is practically gone, no more why do people sneeze ?

To get back to the 26 episodes thing. You have network shows go 22, cable shows go 10 to 13. I think that is part of the popularity of these shows, the fact you can go through a season quickly, there is less of a chance for a bad episode, the really bad episode never see the light of day. Here with 26, yes some really episodes come through the cracks. About the only good news is the great episodes really stand out.

I planned on taking breaks, a vacation at the end of June and a long holiday weekend and I decided to wait until August to start Season 4.

TNG:Season 3 Episodes 9-

The Vengeance Factor (3x9) November 20,1989

Warring factions,peaceful solutions and Riker and a girl. The episode worked for me. There really hasn't been anything bad this season.

The Defector (3x10) January 1,1990

I remember watching this episode on New Years Night 1990 and being amazing here the series that had to be saved by fans had entered it's 4th decade.

This episode is a good one, who is this Romulan defector ? Is his information to be believed.This is really Next Generation at it's best.

The Hunted (3x11) January 8,1990

Super soliders run amok,wooden acting really made me not care, episode took 2 tries to finish over 3 days. I am glad I am ahead of my episode a day pace. At least if his acting ability was lacking, his character  had a cool name Roga Danar

The High Ground (3x12) January 29,1990

Isn't always disappointing when Vidal Sasson models are driven to acts of terrorism ?

The guest star acting his gotten really bad, the head of government security is equally as bad,wooden acting apparently was running rampant in late 1989 bit part/waiter circles.

The episode is probably best known for having scenes that mention the IRA deleted in Irish and British broadcasts.




Deja Q (3x13) February 5,1990

Q to the rescue of poorly acted episodes, Q has been kicked out of the continuum and is now human,turning up on The Enterprise as they are trying to put a moon that is about to crash into a planet  back in orbit. Corbin Bernson who was a big star on L.A. Law and the Major League movies appears,credited as Q2.

A Matter of Perspective (3x14) February 12,1990

The season hasn't had a Pulp episode yet, I enjoy them, this time Riker is accused of Murder and the holodeck is used to prove his innocence.

Yesterday's Enterprise (3x15) February 19,1990

This is the best episode in a while,or at least since the last best episode of the series. The writing,dealing with Time Travel and outcomes of changing the future/alternate timelines is first rate. The Proper send off of Tasha Yar is touching. It is the best Whoopi Goldberg episode to date.

The Offspring (3x16) March 12,1990

An interesting episode where Data makes an android, which chooses to be a female and calls him Father. Star fleet of course wants to take Lal away from Data and the Enterprise. It ends be a really episode, the writing and ideas are solid, the acting surprising so. Hallie Todd plays Lal and her robotic moments are very well done. The episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes (Riker) who appears only one scene, a comedic scene, that had me laughing out loud.

Sins of the Father (3x17) March 19,1990

Any episode dealing with Klingon culture are the best in the series. This is no different,written by Ronald D. Moore. As I get into the portion of the series where he wrote episodes, I am excited.It is really a sure sign the series has turned around from a rocky start.

Allegiance (3x18) March 26,1990

This episode just kinda misses with me. It is not bad, It is just overly memorable. It follows some really spectacular episodes. I do wonder why the seasons had 26 episodes. I am not sure this episode would have seen the light of day today with 10 to 15 episodes per season like the finer shows do today.

Captain's Holiday (3x19) April 15,1990

The Tax Day episodes have grown to become some of the finest moments in the series. I recall the anticipation surrounding those episodes ......

This is one of the better and more interesting episode, it may be on the best Picard episodes of the series and I doubt few actors could carry this episode off better than Sir Patrick Stewart did.

Picard is forced to take a vacation, on what I gather is a resort planet and gets involved with an archaeologist named Vash who will re appear in the series,Ferengis and a pair of time travelers from the 27th century.

TNG: Season 3, Episodes 1-8

Evolution (3x1) September 25,1989

Ok, start with what is new, and old

-Gates McFadden returns as Dr. Beverly Crusher.
-The Uniforms are new, I believe I read they are 2 piece instead of 1 piece, this is seen most clearly with Deanna who went from Gray to Red.

I watched Star Trek V over the Memorial Day weekend, but otherwise it has been 10 or 11 days since I have watched any TNG, as is the custom, I start a new season on the first day of the month. I lot has happened in the Star Trek Universe since I finshed season 2. Our local Library had an all day Star Trek festival which ended with a showing of the 2009 Star Trek movie. I went,it was nice,several people brought their collections of books,posters,models.I was not there for the trivia contest, I did think I would be really good at everything up to season 2 and lost completely after that. They had a vote on who is your favorite Captain, Interestingly Captain Picard won. Also a new Star Trek movie with the rebooted cast was released.

This episode was frankly unimpressive, again they tried to do too much. Dr. Crusher the mother wondering about her teen age son and how they don't seem to spending any time together.

The main plot was The Enterprise was set to observe a once in 200 steller explosion, a scientist was on board to do tests and weird things begin to happen.It turns out Wesley accidently released Nanities which take control of the ship.

Guinan makes a Frankenstein reference, Picard says he can't get Gulliver's Travel out of his head "over run by Lilliputians." Apparently this season comes with a reading list, I will keep monitoring that list.


The Ensigns of Command October 2,1989

The 50th episode of the series and one of the best to date.

We begin with the Moment of Data, the episode begins with Dr, Crusher and Picard getting ready to watch a String Quartet of which Data is a part of. Soon into the concert Picard gets up and leaves,walking past Data who looks hurt.

The main plot involves The Sheliak message The Enterprise to remove the colonist on Tau Cygini V. Picard figures out it will take 3 weeks while Sheliak are only giving him 3 days. The Treaty between the Sheliak and the Federation is long and plays a key as they refuse to give Picard extra time or even have face to face negotiations until he and Troi find the sub section paragraph that allows a face to face meeting.

Meanwhile on the planet, the colonist do not want to leave their homes and only Data can convince them to leave. In a nicely done sub plot a colonist falls in love (my interpretation) with Data.

The Dialogue is outstanding in this episode

Riker : Gentleman, we are giving you an assignment.I don't want to hear it is impossible."

Later
LaForge; "He wants the impossible" Wesley: "That is the definition of 'Captain'"

Data before vaporizing the water supply with his phaser: "That was the stun setting.This is not."

Picard has just out negotiated The Sheliak and getting the time needed to evacuate the planet
Riker : "You enjoyed that"
Picard "Your Damn Right I did"


LaForge: "Captain, we can do it. We can modify the transporters."
Picard:"Excellent"
LaForge: "It will take 15 years and a research team of a hundred.."
Picard:"Mister LaForge, I believe will postpone."

This episode was strong on every level.

The Survivors (3x3) October 9,1989

The Enterprise answers a distress call and finds only 2 people, a couple in their 80's, played by John Anderson and Anne Henry. The don't want to leave,Meanwhile Deanna Troi is hearing music box music to the point of being hysterical and is more or less put into a coma. Some of the details, of course one or both of them are not human and it is related to Troi's illness. The episode has a sentimental side that is really well done. In total, it works even though at times it seems it won't.

Who Watches the Watchers (3x4) October 16,1989

This is a Prime Directive episode and as I watched it I recalled the episode Justice (1x8) when someone is beamed up from a primitive planet to see God, that was done in an effort to save Wesley's life who was up on the Death Penalty for violating a local law. The concept here is interesting, The Federation in a holographic "duck blind" has been observing a proto-vulcan society. Two of the locals see the away team, one of whom is injuried and taken aboard The Enterprise, and he believes Picard to be their deity (The Picard). Most of the episode is how they get around the Prime Directive and make it ok. I thought the episode was better than a lot of critics did.

The Bonding (3x5) October 23,1989

It should be noted this is the first episode written by Ronald D. Moore who be responsible for the incredible reboot of Battlestar Galactica . This is an episode worthy of the legacy to come. 5 Star,can't miss. New candidate for the best show of the series.

Jeremy Aster is now an Orphan after the death in the line of duty of his mother. The first half of the episode deals with how crew members react to the death. Picard relates he told Wesley similar news about his father, Wesley can relate to losing a parent in the line of duty at that age. Worf as well is an orphan. I will say before I made the connection to Ronald Moore this the best written episode of the series to date. The actors all rise to the material. I particularly enjoyed how the entire cast in some way is involved. Micheal Dorn is great as Worf as he wants to go through a Klingon bonding ceremony with the child.

Suddenly his mother appears in the ship,then we get into spoilers, beautifully written. 5 Episodes into the season and it has been a strong season. The writing,acting and approach to the series is so much better than the first two season.It is almost making the first two seasons throw away seasons.

Bobby Trap (3x6) October 30,1989

The memorable part of this episode is Geordi falling for a holodeck version of the inventor of the warp engines, or propulsion or some techno babble. She is played by Susan Gibney who would return later in the series as the same character.

The Enemy (3x7) November 6,1989 

The plot really rips off Enemy Mine, the 1985 movie staring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr. Federation and Romulans working together. Other wise it is a pretty good Romulan episode.

The Price (3x8) November 13,1989

This is another in the line of superior episodes that have opened this season. We are finally getting cool names for characters Devonini Ral as a love interest for Deanna,with some fairly hot scenes between the two of them. I suspected in the first two season the show was being written for Children. This evidence is prove it was not.






  

TNG: Season 2 Episode 16-22 and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Q Who (2x16) May 8,1989

Enter The Borg . Q returns, we learn he knows Guinan. Q sends The Enterprise 7,000 light years away where they encounter the  Borg and assimilating race. The Borg of course are the enemy in the whole series,much much more later. I was excited to reach this point in my viewing.

Samartian Snare (2x17) May 15,1989

The net flix guide had a picture similar to this and I took a pass for the day. Look at that horrible 1980's make up. No Way these villains are going to be interesting. Well, not much could follow the introduction of The Borg.

The episode kinda gets interesting at points. The Enterprise answers a distress call, the people seem rather causal about the whole thing, Geordi beams over and the Aliens (Pakleds) are , ahhh "linguistically challenge"  "He is Smart" , "We look for things", "Can you make our ship go" and " we need weapons like you have."

So it does get a little more interesting as it moves on. The other plot is more interesting. Picard and Wesley go to a star base, Wesley to take exams and Picard for his second heart replacement surgery.


Up the Long Ladder (2x18) May 22,1989

The Enterprise beams aboard the cast of The Quiet Man. A Klingon and an Irishman walk into a bar .........

The first half of the episode is fairly entertaining, the second half with the Mariposa colony is not and the result of keeping the Mariposa is interesting and pose some interesting questions on polygamy, if you care to tackle them.

Manhunt (2x19) June 19,1989

Please forgive your blogger. I had planned on watching everything in chronological order and I did not imagine the show would episodes in June. This episode actually aired 10 days after Star Trek V:The Final Frontier was released. My plan all along was to watch that movie after finishing this season. Ooops !

Any way, there is a lot going on in this episode and I think the maturity of the writers show in the fact this was not a bad episode at all even though anything involving Majel Barrett acting and time spent on the holodeck is immediately a prime recipe for a bad episode.

The episode had weird aliens,an unrecognizable Mick Fleetwood , Lwaxana Troi in heat, Picard hiding in the holodeck as Dixon Hill and  a truly hilarious Moment of Data where he is asked to go to a dinner  party and basically bore Lwaxana out of her mind. Some how it all works.

The Emissary (2x20) June 26,1989

Where this season has really shined is in Klingon episodes.You can argue about how good of actor Michael Dorn is, and I think he is suitable for the part. An old flame comes aboard the ship. Really good episode.

Peak Performance (2x21) July 10,1989

War game exercises go awry when a Fergi Vessel shows up. A really good episode on several levels. I liked the obnoxious Federation observer.Riker's command decisions are worthy of Kirk and the Kobayashi Maru. Moment of Data,the observer is a grand master at a 3D Connect 4 type game. After losing to the observer he begins to doubt his abilities, he gets the Grand Master to quit in the rematch by playing for a tie.

Shades of Gray (2x22) July 17,1989

Due to a writers strike, the season was cut short, which might be the reason for the Summer episodes. This is a clip show as Riker's life is in the balance.


Overview of the Season:

I recall my overview of TOS Season 2, I thought it started strong and then on a dime produced some of the worst episodes of that series. This season is the polar opposite, the same season that contained Data wanting to sneeze introduced us The Borg and the amazing episode where Riker was an officer on a Klingon ship. Back in the day, my friends agreed a series from the Klingon perspective  would be great  "These are the Voyages of K'tar, on a 5 year mission ....." The Klingon episodes are the best.

The Acting and the chemistry seems to be coming around in the season. The disappointment was in Dr. Pulaski's character which it seemed like writers weren't that interested in,She does have a lot of worthy moments after a rocky start,I can say she will be missed. I guess a middle aged actor playing a Doctor on a Star Ship was a bit of reach.

All of which brings us to an unfortunate interlude:


Star Trek V: The Final Frontier  Release Date: June 9,1989

It seems to be cruel to think people would actually need to force you into seat belts to see this movie, maybe to keep you in your seats for this 105 minute franchise low point.

Some how William Shatner ends up Directing and writing the story. It starts off well, we meet a renegade Vulcan, awesome idea. He and an army go to the Planet of Peace where the Federation,Klingons and Vulcan are negotiating,awesome idea. David Warner plays the human delegate, he has little to do,unfortunate waste of his talent.

Kirk,Spock and McCoy are camping in Yosemite and singing  Row,Row,Row your boat. Clever plot device "life is but a dream". Silly.

The Renegage Vulcan kidnaps the crew of The Enterprise to go the mythical planet at the center of the Universe. Now here is the problem. There is no payoff when the get to the planet. They meet a God like figure until Kirk asks the question "What would God need with a Space Ship ?" Good point and the major failing of the movie, It has no payoff what so ever.

Think about Raiders of the Lost Raider, OK, we have the Ark of the Covenant. At some point in time the Ark will be opened and we better have a good payoff, we get it, the Ark does what it did in the Bible and lots of Nazi's die. Great Movie. The pay off here is less and it is really where the movie fails. Shatner did a lot of spin control, the studio wouldn't let me do what I wanted to. When I had a chance to do a Director's Cut,I didn't , blah,blah,blah.

On to the next Season ............

TNG: Season 2,Episode 9-15

The Measure of a Man (2x9) February 13,1989

Data , does he have rights of not ? That is a great,well acted episode, much of the second half of the episode is about whether Data is the property of Starfleet, the arguments are well written and very well acted by Sir Patrick Stewart. One of the joys of the show and one I have not written about is the wonderful acting I get to see of Sir Patrick.

The last two episodes have been really good they featured Riker yesterday and Riker and Picard in a court room scene with this one. Both of the actors have carried the show through a lot of lame plot lines so far. It is time to give them, particularly with the last two episodes full due.

The Dauphin (2x10) February 20,1989

The Enterprise is transporting the future ruler of Daled 4 (wish it was Dalek 4, oh well :( ) for some reason or another. It appears they are shape shifters. This basically is the teen romance episode of the show as Wesley and the Dauphin hit it off pretty well.

Contagion (2x11) March 20,1989

Neutral Zone, Romulans, Ship Malfunctions, Self destruction sequence. Awesome scene where Picard beams aboard the Romulan ship. This is really good and I am noticing we have gotten a lot of strong episodes recently. The Writing has really picked up the pace.

The Royale (2x12) March 27,1989

You can check into the Hotel Royale any time you like,but you can never leave.

This series has several occasions been quite literary. I don't know if it was the scene at the beginning of Wrath of Khan "It was the best of times,It was the worst of times" or what. We had Data and Sherlock Holmes, Picard and the Noir dectective Dixon Hill and know we run into a cheap trashy novel with bad dialogue. The set up is a piece of a NASA space ship is found in a debris field,several solar systems away from NASA deepest exploration.

Riker,Data and Worf beam down and find themselves in a hotel with Texas gamblers and a bell boy who is afraid of Micky D. Eventually the find the body of an astronaut and a diary entry mentioning the world is based on a trashy novel. The Enterprise accesses it library and finds the book "Hotel Royale". Really of the funnier scenes in the whole series is Picard listening to the book with a look of disgust on his face at bad dialogue and dumb plot.

This is a light episode and one that is a lot of fun. If it been last season of earlier in this one, It would be horrible. I am not sure I have gotten use to the bad episodes, the near ending Moments of Data or if it really has gotten better.

Time Squared (2x13) April 3,1989

Other than a needless scene at the beginning involving Riker cooking, this is a 5 star episode. Time Travel, 2 Picards, all that was missing was the TARDIS.

The Icarus Factor (2x14) April 24,1989

There is really too much going on this episode:
Riker is weighing a chance to leave The Enterprise and be a Captain.
Riker and his father don't get along
Worf is missing out on some Klingon Ritual which the Gang help him out with
Riker's Dad,played by Mitchel Ryan who I think was in every World Ward 2 movie ever and Dr. Pulaski had a past

I see from looking at the cast John Tesh played a small role as a Klingon. If you know who John Tesh is no explaination is necessary, if you don't know who John Tesh, you are lucky.


Pen Pals (2x15) May 1,1989

The episode that took me 3 days to get through.I will probably not give this episode it's due. Wesley leads his first mission and Data and the ship violate the prime directive to save a girl.

TNG Season 2: Episode 1-

I began season 2 on May 1,2013, I finished the first season around the 22nd of April. I needed the week off. I am pumped and ready to watch and write.

The Child (2x1) November 21,1988

Wow, The season began in late November, that is wild. Tons of new stuff. Riker has a beard, Dr. Crusher left to become the head of Starfleet medicine or something,Worf has new make up,Geordi is now"Chief Engineer". I wonder who the old Chief Engineer was. The ship bar is introduced "Ten-Foward" and Whoopi Goldberg is the bar tender. That is a lot to take in terms of new things.

The story: Deanna Troi is pregnant and very ahead of schedule. "Last night,while I slept.Something I can only describe as a presence entered by Body." Dr. Pulaski (couldn't they do better name wise) announces she will have the baby in 36 hours.

Moment of Data: Data is amazed and fascinated by the Birth Procedure. Oh and the Doctor says "Dah-ta" and is corrected by Data "No,Day-ta"

It turns out the ALF was interested in the ship as it passed by and just wanted to check us out. Really this episode was not bad, It just wasn't very good with a very pedestrian plot line.

Where Silence Has Lease (2x2) November 28,1988

At first I thought the Entity that trapped the Enterprise in a void was a cat, I don't think so,but the dialogue did talk Curiosity.

I liked the episode  but it was the second one in a row where an ALF was studying the crew.

Moment of Data: Doctor Pulaski  refers to Data as "It" and apologizes.






Elementary,Dear Data (2x3) December 5,1988

If you have been following along, I don't like Data. The odds that I would like an entire episode where is playing Sherlock Holmes in the holodeck are slim. Why, Oh, Why was this not the Holmes where Moriarty won. Unfair , the second half of the episode where Picard gets involved in pretty good. The Costumes and Art Design are very good. It is just a Data problem with me.

The Outrageous Okona (2x4) December 12,1988

A charming rougue with a disabled ship and Data's interest in Stand Up Comedy create one of the worst episodes ever. Not to mention Joe Piscopo as the Comic. This season is not doing too well.

Loud As A Whisper (2x5) January 9,1989

Wow, this is an episode that interested me. Riva is a negotiator who is a deaf and travels with a party od 2, known as the Chorus.  The Enterprise is taking to for a tough negotiation, he is pompus,arrogant and wants to have dinner with Councilor  Troi. After the death of the chorus,Data (not all moments of Data are bad) learns sign language. This was very intelligent high mind episode. A joy to watch.

The Schizoid Man (2x6) January 23,1989

So the last episode was so good I decided lets watch two. Big Mistake !!! Before the opening credits Data is experimenting with a beard. Data meets the man who taught Dr. Soong everything he knew, Dr. Graves announces in a sense I am your Grand father. This can not be good. Data announces he has died, and then begins to act weird. At some point in time in watching the episode I get distracted and when I get ready to watch my morning episode I find out I didn't finish this one. Dr. Graves somehow took over Data's body. Fun

Unnatural Selection (2x7) January 30,1989

I have wondered all month why Diana Mulder's credit on the show has been "Special Appearance by" not listed as a full cast member. She has been little used, primarily as someone who didn't understand Data. She is the focus of this wonderful,well done episode about Genetic Engineering. I love the idea she doesn't use transporter beams for similar reason Dr. McCoy didn't use them. When no one can find a match of her pattern, they cleverlty use DNA from a hair bush.

The dialogue with Doctor Pulaski and Picard is first rate.

A Matter of Honor (2x8) February 6,1989

Riker serves in an officer exchange program on a Klingon ship. Through the first season and the 8 episodes of the second this is the best episode of the series so far. 3 out of the last 4 episodes have been very good, things are picking up

TNG Season 1,Episode 20- 26

Heart of Glory (1x20) March 21,1988

A Klingon Episode, Worf gets his most air time thus far. Worf's origins are explained. This may be the best episode of the season so far.

The Arsenal of Freedom (1x21) April 11,1988

I suppose it was inevitable that 80's character Vincent Schiavelli would appear in the Star Trek franchise. This was another good episode as the show has picked up it's pace as far as the writing goes.I have seen a repetitive plot line in a while.As I think back of the last several episode, this is the first one that has taken place on the planet surface in a lot time. From an action stand point it seems like a TOS episode.

Symbiosis (1x22) April 18,1988

Casting:Merritt Butrick who played Kirk's son in Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock appears in this episode.

Sci Fi at it's best puts a mirror to our society and maybe tells us something about our self. The over riding theme of this so/so episode is drug addiction.It comes off as much as an intergalactic after school special, which is fine I guess.Wesley doesn't understand the appeal of Drugs as Tasha Yar explains how society can be destroyed by drugs. Wesley says "I guess I just don't understand the appeal" Tasha "I hope you never do."


Skin of Evil (1x23) April 25,1988 

I am trying to recall if I knew Tasha Yar was going to die or not when it first aired, certainly I did ? This is a surprising episode, her death takes place in the first 12 minutes of the show, they spent the rest of the episode dealing with the villain and rescuing Deanna Troi and the others who had a crash landing in a shuttle.

Worf is the acting head of security and it is in the last 10 minutes that we deal with the death of Lt. Yar. In a holodeck crew members listen to a monologue to each of them telling them how much she learned from each of them.

A couple of Moments of Data here that are quite well done. The first is Tasha's words to Data "You see things with the wonder of a child,take makes you as human as any of us". Afterwards Data asks Picard if he understood what had happened saying "My thoughts are not for Tasha but for myself, I think how empty I will be without her presence,Did I miss the point ?" Picard replies "No, You didn't Data, You Got it." That was a truly wonderful sentiment. A very well done episode. I am not talking about the black oil slick which killed her, it was one of the dumb villains of the series, any of the series really.


We'll Always Have Paris (1x24) May 2,1988

Michelle Phillips is the guest star as a former flame of Picard. I guess anytime you talk about Time Distortion you think Dr. Who. I Can't quite put my finger on it,but at times the series/season seems more like Doctor Who than something out of the Star Trek Universe. This is really a so/so episode.

Conspiracy (1x25) May 9,1988

I really liked this episode, although again it seemed like Doctor Who.  Picard takes the ship off course to a top secret meeting where he is told something strange is going on, a lot of strange things are going on. After one of the ships Captained by someone at meeting explodes, Picard takes The Enterprise to Earth. Aliens have taken over several members of the Federation.

The ending has some of the SFX of the series to date.As the episode ends we find out the Aliens are sending a distress signal. It is a fun horror episode, ominous ending. Could something  be on it's way to Earth ?

The Neutral Zone (1x26) May 16,1988

I was hoping the show had gotten away from the double plot lines, unfortunately not. Data and Worf bring 3 people who have been cryogenic frozen. It is played mostly for laughs but it does have it's moments. Initially I  liked Picard's monologue how humans had put away it's childish past, but a couple of hours later it is preachy and annoying.

The other plot is Picard returns from a meeting with orders to go to the Neutral Zone. We find out no one in the federation has seen or heard from The Romulans in 50 years or so. Outposts on both sides have been wiped out. The two sides agree to work together and so the season ends. Something or someone is out there.

I liked the way they are setting this up, the distress signal, the trouble on the outposts, Romulans realize they might need the Federation help. Fun things to come in season 2.

Overview:

This was a really uneven season, in fact it is a wonder the show stayed on the air. They were slow in giving origins to characters. Most were underwritten. I really disliked the 2 plot episodes. I love Riker and Picard but the others have their moments. Killing Tasha just seems odd more than it seems daring. The show does get better ! On to  Season 2 and a bunch of changes.

TNG Season 1, Episode 11- 19

Haven (1x11) November 30,1987

I had forgotten one of the most annoying characters in the Star Trek Universe was Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett). Again this is a horribly uneven episode. Haven is a planet of legendary healing abilities. A ship appears with Tarellians carrying a plague, the Electrine of Haven asked Federdation defense from the plague ship. The Enterprise holds it in a tractor beam.

Set that aside for a while as Deana Troi is about to go through with an arranged marriage with the creepy guy from Prison Break (Robert Knepper), the wedding dinner erupts into a series of arguments between the In Laws as Moment of Data looks on with complete fasination,including asking the parties to continue the pity bickering. Also things are uneasy between the Bride and Groom to be as Deana does not really want to leave starfleet or follow the ancient Betazoid traditions. For the Grooms part he has been drawing pictures of a blonde women all his life thinking it was Deana.

Once contact is made with the Tarellians of the members of the crew ends up being  the person the Prison Break guy has been seeing all his life and drawing all his life. In the end Troi stays on board and The Prison Guy gets the girl of his dreams.

The Big Goodbye (1x12) January 11,1988

I really liked this episode, I could even put up with Data. Picard tries out the  new holodeck choosing to be the lead character in pulp fiction dectective novels from his youth. He is joined by Data,The Ship Historian and Dr. Crusher. The episode in nicely written down to Data "It was a Rainy Night in the City  by the Bay"




Datalore (1x13) January 18,1988

I really don't look and compare my opinions with others, but I did here. I wanted to know if I was missing something. I think sometimes writers go off on tangents and things may not be as interesting to the general public as it is to the creators. This episode is as bad as I thought it was. The Crew goes to Data's home planet and find the lab where he was created.

In searching the lab,the away time finds an incomplete copy of Data, I still recall an episode where Data meets his maker, I thought this was it,but it was not that episode. So the complete Data is built and declares himself to be Lore and sibling rivalry is on to very predictable results. It is the Moment of Data in overload.

I really ought to talk a bit about why I don't like Data. I have not watched the show in years and years, I remember 2 things that I took into bias as I began watching series again in late March 1) I didn't like Troi, mostly the way she was written and 2) I really did not like Data. I am changing my opinion rapidly of Deanna Troi, an interesting character, I kinda wish she was full Betazoid and not half. The Character shows more depth than I recall and I love the interplay, often subtle between her and Riker.

I have not received a change of heart with Data, I get what they were trying to do but it fails most of the time,a andriod casting a mirror on humans ? Maybe , but then we have his interest in sneezing and attempting to tell jokes. I wonder sometimes if anyone ever the age of 15 is suppose to like him. The writers did a. good job showing the computer/information aspect of Data. He is the internet circa 1987. I have not yet been won over by him, I groan when he does something cute, I was not likely to get into an episode about his origins.That is where I am at with Data. I am interested to see if my feelings change over the next few seasons.


Angel One (1x14) January 25,1988

Something you would not say about Star Trek until Jeri Ryan's 7 of 9 in Voyager. This is a sexy episode. The wreck of a ship is discovered on a planet The Federation has not visited in 60 some years. The Planet is ruled by women, and the man dress interestingly. Riker leads a landing party featuring Troi and Yar.

Riker dressed in native clothing, at least for the males on the planet. The search party searches, the castways don't want to leave. Rikers diplomatic dinner is ruined and it is a really fun episode. The only real draw back is on board The Enterprise, everyone is sick and in of your moment of  Data, he is the only one left to command the ship. Romulans are mentioned for the first time. The Enterprise sure seems to catch a lot of bugs.


11001001 (1x15) February 1,1988

Repeating plot lines 15 episodes in , crew members trapped in the holodeck,in this case Picard and Riker are in a 1950's New Orleans Jazz Club. And another repeat, a mandatory upgrade causes trouble.It was however an enjoyable episode.

Moment of Data: Geordi wants to know, or maybe Data wants to know, is Data creative, so he is painting Riker comments " A Blind Man teaching an Android to paint"

Too Short a Season (1x16) February 8,1988

Aging Admiral Mark Jameson is the only person who negotiate  a hostage crisis, The Enterprise picks him up and as the get closer to the planet,he seems to be getting younger and younger. Interesting middle of the road episode.

When the Bough Breaks (1x17) February 15,1988

This is a really great and clever episode. The Enterprise follows energy readings and come upon the hidden planet of Aldea,which has cloaked itself for centuries. They probe the ship and steal children and then offer fair trade in return.

Home Soil (1x18) February 22,1988

The Federation has a lot to learn as the Enterprise visits a TerraForming operation on Velara III. The Episode begins with a murder mystery involving killer lasers and ends with contact with an Alien Life Form. I love the line when the away team beams down and meets one of the workers "I am Luisa Kim,Gardener of Eden."

Coming of Age (1x19) March 14,1988

This is a really good episode,both plots work very well, the Admiral snooping around the crew and Wesley taking a Starfleet exam. As I look at different sources to get detail and see cast members I get little bits and pieces about script troubles, I am going to need to get a book about the making of the series, It sounds interesting.