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.