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.