My TNG reviews

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby panyasan » Sat Sep 03, 2011 5:54 am

I love your reviews, KTR! Your reviews make relive that times again that I watched TNG. I always find it very clever how you point out the good bits and the flaws about an episode, while still staying very respectful. Pulaski - I had no problem with her, but I wished they would have made a bit more interesting. But that's a general thing in the first seasons: the characters all seemed a bit bland. For me that changes with the coming seasons. Especially Worf and Data I came to like.
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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Sat Sep 03, 2011 3:27 pm

Why thank you most humbly, panyasan! :hatsoff:
She's got an awfully nice bum!
-Malcolm Reed on T'Pol, in Shuttlepod One

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Sun Sep 04, 2011 6:43 pm

Star Trek: The Next Generation Remastered is Confirmed

Just when I have bought the complete DVD set...
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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:59 pm

2-08 A Matter of Honour

I really liked A Matter of Honour, which is probably the first really standout episode of The Next Generation. We get our first real introduction to the Klingons of this era (the ones in Heart and Glory were renegades) and while they would be overused in modern Trek, I cannot fault them this early.

However it did establish the pigheadedness which has made me miss the smarter and more cunning Klingons from the original series, like Koloth and Kor. I cannot imagine them being as obstinate as this captain Kargan, who was just itching for an excuse to fight the Enterprise, was here. But that is tempered by the existence of Brian Thompson's Klag, who eventually formed some sort of friendship with exchange officer Riker.

I'm not a big fan of the Riker character, but I must admit that he handled himself perfectly here, with just the right mix of machismo to impress the Klingons and his qualities as a Starfleet officer. I liked the scene in the Klingon mess hall. It established rapport between him and the Klingons as he could give as good as he got, including the attention of the females and the live gagh. It also added depth to the Klingon concept of honour with Klag's disavowed father.

Riker was actually very clever in the way he resolved the crisis. I also couldn't help smiling at him ordering Picard to surrender. Heh, I guess he knows his French captain all to well by now…

The Benzite exchange officer on the Enterprise was in comparison pretty uninteresting, but I liked that Worf growlingly put him in his place.

I'll give my first grade of 7+ to A Matter of Honour.

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2-09 The Measure of a Man

There is a reason why The Measure of a Man is considered a classic episode of Star Trek, and it's because it's just that good and raises some important and fundamental questions about the nature of man, sentience and life. Is Data a person in his own right, or is he just a piece of Starfleet property that could be dismantled and examined without his consent?

The episode effectively sets the boundaries for what is considered not just human rights, not just even alien rights, but sentients' rights. A sentient life form, even an artificial one such as an android (and later on, in Voyager, a hologram) has rights as a person. While such life forms are entirely speculative, I can say that would they ever come to be in the real world, this is the view I would subscribe to. It is Trek morals and philosophy at its best.

The story is very moving as we see the characters struggling with the implications of their friend Data being considered as a mere thing, and that includes Data himself, who takes an understated - as befitting his persona - and yet firm stand to protect himself and his very life.

Picard was very right to come to the conclusion that creating a race of Datas to be used by the Federation would amount to slavery. A bit odd that it took a conversation with Guinan to make him realise what should have been plainly obvious regardless.

I get why the need for adversarial drama made Riker an unwilling prosecutor, but it strains belief that he would be forced into that role, even if he did his job to the best of his abilities. Didn't they have any other ranking officers on that space station? It was a bit eerie to see him smile when he found Data's weak spot, only to seconds later realise what it would mean. And he did feel guilty afterwards, but in a touching final scene, Data did forgive him.

Another thing that bothered me was that the entire premise of the episode didn't ring true. One would have thought that Starfleet and the Federation had already settled this issue when they allowed Data into their ranks. Why let an undefined thinking machine assume the rank and responsibilities as a Starfleet officer if he wasn't considered being alive with personal rights? I can excuse that because it made this great episode possible, but it brings it down a little.

I'll give my first ever grade of 9+ on this show to The Measure of a Man.

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2-10 The Dauphin

What could be less interesting than an episode centred on Wesley Crusher? Why, an episode centred on Wesley Crusher's first romance of course! I suppose The Dauphin was intended as a sweet story, but it didn't move me. Perhaps I'm just a heartless bastard, but I have little interest in teen romances, especially on Trek.

The revelation that the girl and her guardian were actually shapeshifters was mildly more interesting, but didn't add anything to the basic plot. And could those furry monster costumes have looked any cheesier? On the original series I wouldn't have minded, but by the late 80s they ought to have been able to do more.

Sorry, but a grade of 1+ is all I can muster for The Dauphin.

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2-11 Contagion

I'm a bit of a sucker for Romulans, archaeological science fiction and ancient civilizations so Contagion was right up my ally. Finally we get a story that features the pointy-eared antagonists more prominently, and it could have been more. The ancient Iconians were also intriguing even as extinct species and it made sense to search out their lost technology before the Rommies get a hand on it. Too bad it was in the neutral zone.

Less interesting, but still entertaining, was the computer virus infected Enterprise (and Romulan Warbird). The solution was obvious and it's odd that they didn't figure it out until the, all too rushed, end. As any computer literate person knows, when your hard drive is irreparably infected, you wipe it and reinstall from backups. But perhaps that wasn't so well known back in 1989? Or perhaps computers of the 24th century just are that good? (Yeah, right!)

There was enough action and suspense to keep the story flowing. It was even funny at times, such as when the systems on both ships kept going down and coming back. Riker also had some good lines, like the, by now, classic: "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise."

I wonder what that Iconian station was made of, since even after 200,000 years it looked spotless and the machinery worked perfectly. And why was that particular installation left undamaged when the rest of the planet surface had been completely destroyed? Too bad it had to be destroyed, but we now know where Stargate SG-1 got its inspiration from.

I'll give Contagion a grade of 8- on my 10-graded scale.

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2-12 The Royale

What could have been an interesting tale about an old 21st century spaceship was thoroughly squandered in The Royale. Instead we were treated to something akin to a holodeck gone awry where the away team has to finish a "game" from a bad novel set in a fictitious Las Vegas casino. And naturally they have to trust Data's magical proficiency with the dices.

The story was almost as bad as the trashy book, and I couldn't help smiling when Troi, of all people, wondered if people really talked like they do in the novel. Like she and the rest of the Enterprise crew are ones to give that kind of criticism!

The concept of a lost NASA astronaut from the year 2037 deserved a much better story. That is however a dated reference. Considering what little has happened with the space program, it defies belief that by 2037 we would attempt not just the first, but the third, attempt to travel beyond the solar system. Even more dated is the even in the 24th century unsolvable Fermat's Last Theorem, which was actually solved in the mid-90s. Also, the prop makers got lazy when the adorned the old space suit with the mission patch from the very real Apollo17 mission, complete with the visible names of Cernan, Evans and Schmitt.

The Royale gets a grade of 2+ from me.

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2-13 Time Squared

Time Squared has the advantage of being the first in a long line of time loop and time travel episodes, so it actually feels rather fresh. The story itself is quite good, with an ominous atmosphere of pending doom that is greatly enhanced by a thrilling score by Dennis McCarthy. It's an intriguing mystery to be solved, and we see the characters, particularly Picard, struggling with it and second-guessing themselves.

I can understand why Picard is so unsettled, and not just by the appearance of a doppelgänger from six hours in the future, but by the fact that that Picard was the only survivor from a destroyed Enterprise. Picard does adhere to the notion that a captain is the last to leave his ship, and that he'll go down with it if need be. Still, even given that, I was a bit surprised that he shot and killed his future self (although it's not clear if he intended to kill). Heh, who knew the cheese-eating surrender captain had it in him!

In the end we're still left with a mystery. What was that apparently sentient energy vortex and why was it out to get Picard? And how did travelling through it solve the crisis?

The Riker as a cook scene was intended to show the growing camaraderie between the crew, but residual memories of Chef Riker from Enterprise's awful finale made me not enjoy it on this re-watch.

I'll give Time Squared a grade of 7. My, this season's quality really is one big roller coaster!

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2-14 The Icarus Factor

Nothing much happens in this episode. It doesn't even have a real plot. It might have worked by virtue of the characters, but that's not the case with The Icarus Factor. What we have is long drawn out father and son clash between Riker and his estranged father. Yawn! I'm not a Riker fan to begin with, so I cannot get invested at all in his daddy issues, especially since they're so clichéd and the resolution a foregone conclusion, albeit with some truly atrocious Tron-like gear in a faux martial arts fight.

I was also annoyed at Riker for declining the opportunity for a command of his own. That will be the first of many such opportunities, so many in fact that it strains belief. In real life no one stays second-in-command for as long as Riker does before washing out of the service. Any officer with ambition would jump at the chance even if it meant leaving the "flagship of the Federation" (which is a misnomer by the way).

The very nature of a serialised television show precludes one of the main characters from leaving, which also makes Riker's decision to stay another suspense-killing foregone conclusion. That doesn't mitigate my criticism of Riker. It effectively washes away the character's displayed machismo and bravado as being nothing more than an outward shell. Commanding is way out of his comfort zone. He likes it best to play second fiddle. I cannot help that this is what destroys his character in the long run.

The violent Worf Ascension ritual sub-plot was more interesting, and we saw some nice character moments there as well, even including, gasp, Wesley! But it wasn't enough of that to save this episode.

A grade of 2+ is what I can give The Icarus Factor, and that's only because of the Worf story. Otherwise it's a 1.

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2-15 Pen Pals

I've made no secret about my intense dislike of the Prime Directive, especially the rigid way it's interpreted in the 24th century, and Pen Pals is the perfect example of why. Here we have Picard once again pontificating about how they shouldn't interfere even if interference means stopping a planetary civilisation from being destroyed. It's only because Data, of all people, has become a "pen pal" with a little girl, Sarjenka, native to the planet that another solution is even considered.

Any normal compassionate individual wouldn't hesitate to come to the aid of the planet. Anything else would be committing genocide by omission. But Picard seems more upset that Data has started to communicate with Sarjenka, thus eventually forcing him to try and save the planet, than with the immediate threat of a global catastrophe that would wipe out untold billions. And just watch the cold-hearted bastard on the bridge. He refuses even to make eye contact with Sarjenka! At the end, Picard even has the gall to lecture Data that the supposedly emotionless android has learned a lesson in being human. If anything, it's Data who should have taught Picard such a lesson.

The solution was way too neat. After having saved the planet in five seconds, they conveniently wipe Sarjenka's memory of the events, including her friendship with Data. But I have to say that despite how much I despise the immoral arguments for the Prime Directive on display here, it was very moving to see Data and the poor girl here. And I normally don't like kids on Trek. I'll also give kudos to both LaForge and Dr. Pulaski (and admittedly even to Troi) for giving the human and compassionate argument for saving this civilisation.

The sub-plot of Wesley's first command was pretty forgettable. No wonder some of his team tried to challenge him. He's a kid with a field commission, whereas they are trained professionals with years of experience. It would grate on me too to have to take orders from the boy wonder. And Riker's advice to Wesley about "what would Picard do" is extremely ill-advised her when Picard is such a callous and heartless s.o.b.

I cannot grade Pen Pals very high because of that damn Prime Directive subversion, but I'll give it at least a 3+ because of Data's display of humanity.

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Fri Sep 09, 2011 10:34 pm

She's got an awfully nice bum!
-Malcolm Reed on T'Pol, in Shuttlepod One

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Cogito » Fri Sep 09, 2011 10:48 pm

:tears:

sfx wrote:You can’t polish a nerd.

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby CX » Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:02 am

About the only thing I don't get when it comes to Wesley is why the actor caught so much flak. The writers and GR, on the other hand, they deserve plenty of flak.

As for Wesley, he may have had his moments, but let's face it, he was written horribly.
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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:00 pm

2-16 Q Who?

I wouldn't say that the show kicked into high gear with Q Who? since there are
lots of mediocre and bad stuff up ahead, but it introduced the resident villains of this incarnation of Trek, the Borg. Some of their characteristics aren't yet developed, such as assimilation or the ominous line "Resistance is futile", but as a first introduction it's very good indeed. They are scary of a magnitude never encountered before, from their casual indifference towards they crew members to their single-mindedness and awesome power capabilities. No wonder that a collective hive mind is much more menacing than some greedy caricatures of capitalism!

It's a pity that they have to throw in Q to be the facilitator of this encounter. The first fifteen minutes or so is entirely devoted to Q and his antics, including a silly confrontation with Guinan. It just feels arbitrary that it was Q throwing a tantrum that led them to the Borg. Since the Borg was already present nearby (the destruction of starbases in the neutral zone) there was no need to hurl the Enterprise two years from the nearest Federation outpost to meet the new enemy. Still, this is the first real good Q episode, but not by virtue of Q's presence.

The weakness of Picard's command style is also evident here. He calls just not one, but two, conference meetings while they're staying right next to the Borg cube. The more prudent action would be to get the hell out as soon as possible. Granted the Borg tractor beam could have caught them, but they didn't even try that until it was much too late.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention Ensign Sonya Gomez. Finally someone who felt like a real human being among the crew. I didn't hurt that she was wicked cute as well. Too bad that she'll only be present in one other episode. And if the writers had had any balls to tell a more depressing story hammering down the Borg threat, they should have killed her off with the rest of those unseen 18 people that did suffer such fate.

I'll give Q Who? a very strong grade of 8+. Without Q it might have been a 9 or even a 10.

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2-17 Samaritan Snare

Ah, the infamous Pakleds! At least we now know what happens to stupid people in the perfect society of the 24th century. They become scavengers and pirates! I do wonder if there really are dim-witted persons in the Federation. Are they even allowed?

But the premise of the episode doesn’t hold water. I cannot believe that such simpletons have the smarts to pull off the stunts that they do. Perhaps with someone like Riker, who doesn't hesitate to send over his chief engineer in five seconds, but with Klingons and Romulans! And the one time when Troi might have proven useful, she's conveniently absent from the bridge so she can't sense that the Pakleds are deceiving them.

The other plot with Picard going to have heart surgery was actually the better part, even if it involved Wesley. We got some nice insights to his character with his concern for his image among the crew, not to mention his younger self's bar brawl with Nausicaans that got him the artificial heart. It seems Picard really is the opposite of Kirk. He was rash in his youth but became serious, whereas Kirk was "a stack of books with legs" at the academy, becoming a cowboy when he assumed command.

I'll be generous and give Samaritan Snare a grade of 3- out of 10.

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2-18 Up the Long Ladder

This was just two dreadful stories meshed together into one equally dreadful episode. First we have the more technologically backward people getting saved to the Enterprise from solar flares, played for laughs with obnoxious drunken Irish stereotypes. "Sometimes you just have to bow for the absurd" as Picard says while having goats and chickens running around his feet. Um, no!

Then suddenly the episode drastically changes theme to deal with cloning. It's such a jarring disconnect. And it's not given the treatment it deserves because there's no time left. What are the ethics of cloning? We see Riker callously destroy the maturing clones of himself and Pulaski with nary an afterthought. At least he's called a murderer by the clone prime minister. Is he? The episode doesn't delve into the issue here, other than Riker spouting some pro-choice buzzwords. But he might as well have been a murderer.

A grade of 1+ is all I can give Up the Long Ladder.

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2-19 Manhunt

My God, what a waste of an hour, but that's par the course for any episode featuring Lwaxana Troi. Manhunt is completely pointless. It doesn't have a plot and serves no useful purpose. Do I care that Mommy Troi is in heat? No. Is it even remotely funny that she has her eyes set on poor Jean-Luc? No. Or that she changes her affections to Will Riker and then a hologram - which she doesn't even recognise as hologram despite being on the damn holodeck? No. And it's plainly obvious that the holodeck sequences are mere filler.

The episode might have been saved somewhat had they made more out of those fishy alien ambassadors who really were assassins, but they didn't. Pointless.

The only redeeming thing was Picard having Data come to bore Lwaxana with his stories about anomalies, brown dwarf stars and whatnot, to save himself from the randy Betazoid.

Ugh! A low grade of 1- goes to Manhunt.

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2-20 The Emissary

The Emissary is an episode I quite liked, and that's in no small thanks to the half-Klingon/half-human Federation emissary K'Ehleyr, deliciously played by Suzie Plakson, previously seen as an equally hot Vulcan doctor in The Schizoid Man. She has a Klingon temper but also a more human-like sense of humour. Plus, she looked really good in those catsuits.

I actually think she and Worf worked well as a couple. There were some sparks. I was a bit disappointed about their holodeck encounter though. It's presumed they had sex but we see them fully dressed afterwards; Only Worf's sash is lying on the ground. Talk about tiptoeing around what must have been a steamy, wild night of Klingon passion! I also find it hard to believe that Klingons would mate for life after what amounts to a one-night-stand.

The plot about a century-old Klingon sleeper ship was just an excuse to get K'Ehleyr to the Enterprise, and that could have been a better story. For a diplomatic envoy, she was single-minded in her recommendation to destroy them on sight. What was the point of sending her along then, and in such a contrived manner? But I liked the ruse at the end, with Worf acting out as the captain of the Enterprise, even if I could see that coming a parsec away.

All in all, I'll give The Emissary a grade of 7+ on my 10-graded scale.

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2-21 Peak Performance

They really dropped the ball with Peak Performance, an episode that could have showcased how Starfleet trains and gears up for battle, what with the Borg threat coming and everything. But in the end it amounted to nothing but an ill-conceived jab at people who do know something about military strategy and tactics.

One of my pet peeves about modern Trek is the self-delusional notion that Starfleet isn't a military. Picard even says as much, despite having the naval rank of captain and commanding a heavily armed combat vessel (which granted also doubles as a ship of exploration). But guess what, Starfleet is a military! Saying it isn't so only makes a fool of you, and it doesn't fool potential foes. It's just the absurd politically correct view that anything labelled "military" is inherently bad. But if something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Starfleet could be called the Interstellar Girl Scouts for all I care. It doesn't change the fact that it is a military. It wages war, so it is a military. End of story.

But given the misconception about what they are, it's not surprising that they call in an outsider master strategist to conduct a war game. Alas, the chosen venue is utterly pointless, especially since this is no way to train a crew to face the Borg. Why have Riker and 40-odd crew members getting aboard a Starfleet derelict to fight the Enterprise? Riker decides to cheat by using Worf's knowledge to fool the Enterprise computers, and Wesley to steal some anti-matter. Yeah, like that course of action would be open when facing the Borg!

Then we have the Ferengi entering from nowhere to mess things up for no good reason. It did however save the exercise from being entirely without merit since it wasn't expected.

The only really interesting thing about the episode was Data's moment of self-doubt when he lost a game to the arrogant Zakdorn strategist. But could that game have looked more cheesy, not to mention being horribly misnamed as Strategema (there was nothing strategic about them wiggling their fingers around).

But I'll give Peak Performance a grade of 2+ on my 10-graded scale.

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2-22 Shades of Gray

You've got to be kidding me!? A freaking clip show! As a season finale to boot! Words fail me! The only (barely) acceptable reason to do a clip show is to show newcomers some essential events that have happened before. No such luck here.

The framing device of Riker being infected by some parasite is totally flimsy and just a contrived reason to show some of his memories from the past two seasons as he struggles to beat those parasites. And for some unfathomable reason they decide to mostly show scenes from some of the absolute worst episodes made so far.

I cannot give anything than a zero grade to this dreck. There is no excuse for having produced it. None!

(-)


Season 2 overview

The second season of The Next Generation was an improvement over the first. Mind you, that isn't saying much considering how abysmal the first one was. And really, the second season wasn't very good either. It gets a season grade of 3.83, or 4- out of 10, which is still below average. Except for the season finale I didn't give any zero grades. Compare that to the first season which earned a whooping four zeros.

Unlike the first season though, this one had a few excellent episodes, notably The Measure of a Man and the introduction the Borg in Q Who? I also liked the some of the Klingon episodes, such as one with the officers' exchange and the one with K'Ehleyr. But it was wildly inconsistent. A great episode could be followed by a truly awful one. By now I've come to accept that modern Trek goes like a roller coaster in quality, but it is annoying. You never know what to expect.

On the character front I appreciated the growing development of Worf and Data, the two most interesting crew members. I've realised that I don't care much for Picard. He's smug and sanctimonious and prone to have conference calls too often instead of taking prudent action. And Riker continues his downward slide towards emasculation. Troi is still as useless as ever. As for Wesley, well at least the wonder boy didn't save the ship all the time. I appreciate that LaForge got a regular job, but even as a chief engineer he played second fiddle on technical matters to Data. I surprised myself in liking Dr. Pulaski more than I thought. Her crusty persona made her a more relatable human being. I still miss the sight of Beverly Crusher though, and she will return next season.

The Next Generation still has a long way to go.
She's got an awfully nice bum!
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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Cogito » Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:14 pm

Kevin Thomas Riley wrote:
Do I care that Mommy Troi is in heat? No. Is it even remotely funny that she has her eyes set on poor Jean-Luc? No. Or that she changes her affections to Will Riker and then a hologram - which she doesn't even recognise as hologram despite being on the damn holodeck?



Hard to maintain credibility when you have any sensible grownup forgetting they're on a holodeck, but especially when that person is an empath. These of all people are hardly likely to forget the whole thing is an illusion.

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:23 pm

Season Three


3-01 The Ensigns of Command

While I should have sympathies for the accidental human colonists on a planet claimed by a hostile race, I just found them dull and boneheaded to a fault. Especially the leader came off as much too obstinate in refusing to leave, despite Data's repeated warnings that they would all be exterminated had they remained. I get that they had pride in their accomplishments and ties to their home, but given the alternative? It's not like they wouldn't know what a starship could do from orbit.

Equally obstinate are the human-hating aliens for not allowing sufficient time for evacuation, until Picard comes up with a bureaucratic manoeuvre stipulated in their treaty with the Federation. But I liked when he hung up on them.

The "romantic" subplot with Data and the female colonist was underdeveloped and frankly not very believable. She must have known his android limitations when it comes to such feelings.

I'll give The Ensigns of Command a grade of 3- out of 10.

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3-02 Evolution

Evolution was the first season three episode to air, and I appreciated that they acknowledged the return of Beverly Crusher and that she and her son Wesley had problems since she was away last season. I don't care for Wesley but it was a bit funny that his mother worried about him being too serious and not getting into the usual troubles 17-year-olds normally do.

It was typical that it was Wesley's damn science project that got them into trouble here - accidentally creating an intelligent life form of nanites. One wonders why such things are allowed for school kids to experiment with. Another wonder boy accomplishment! But I was sorry to see that no one chewed him out for having done this, let alone for not informing Picard immediately when he found out.

Wesley is compared to another wunderkind (a word even used in the episode) in Dr. Stubbs. The old man is now desperately trying to relive past glories. I liked Stubbs's abrasive behaviour, especially when he curtly told Troi to mind her own business and not poke around his mind. I wish more people would do that!

The story is similar to both Home Soil and Contagion, and there will be more like this on the show, but it is competently done by newcomer Michael Piller, who will later helm the spin off series Deep Space Nine. His addition (and some others) to the writing staff will be what brings out The Next Generation from mediocrity.

The entire look of the series got better in this season, most notably in the uniforms which now actually looks like uniforms instead of pyjamases. But we can also see it subtly in the ship sets and computer displays.

Evolution receives a grade of 5 on my 10-graded scale.

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3-03 The Survivors

The Survivors played like an episode of The Twilight Zone and it would actually have fitted better as such, least of all because that would entail a length of half an hour instead of a full hour. While there certainly is a mystery here, it is just too drawn out and that kills the suspense. But the premise is good - with two survivors of a planetary disaster in a small square field of green left on an otherwise eradicated surface.

What mainly bugs me is how Picard in the end refuses to judge the behaviour of "Kevin Uxbridge". The all-powerful being may have been a pacifist at heart, but that doesn't mitigate the fact that he snapped and committed genocide of an entire race - all 50 billion of them. Yes, he feels remorse, but that's no reason for not condemning him. Kevin's action is a shocking revelation, and it works well for the story, but Picard's display of moral relativism is equally shocking.

Still, despite these objections, it was a rather intriguing tale. I'll give The Survivors an average grade of 5-.

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3-04 Who Watches the Watchers

As far as Prime Directive episodes go, Who Watches the Watchers is fairly tolerable. At least Picard doesn't condemn a people to die, even if he came close with wishing that the proto-Vulcan man had bitten the dust. Thankfully, the Hippocratic Dr. Crusher intervened. Ironically, that same native came to believe Picard to be The Picard, a god.

Given that the Feds accidentally exposed themselves to the natives, it made sense to try and repair the damage, but sending Riker and Troi in disguise was a bad call. And it defied belief that these natives, said to be more rational than you'd expect from Bronze Age people, so easily would re-adopt religion just because a guy in delirium said he'd seen The Picard. Also, another long standing gripe of mine, we only saw a small village with a dozen people or so. How are they representative of the entire planet and why would this minor settlement's possible belief in the supernatural affect the entire world?

And what was the point of having the natives be Vulcan-like? They weren't related to Vulcans, and they didn't act like Vulcans. It was pointless. Well, since we've seen a lot of humanoid non-humans on various planets in Trek, I suppose there could be Vulcanoid non-Vulcans too, using the explanation/excuse of "parallel development". Still doesn't make a lick of sense, but there you are…

Who Watches the Watchers gets a grade of 3- on my 10-graded scale.

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3-05 The Bonding

This episode surprised me in a positive way. Dealing with kids on the Enterprise doesn't seem like a good premise, but it worked here with the boy who lost his mother on an away mission. For The Next Generation it was honest about grief and the tone was more dark than I would have thought this show capable of. But then again, it was penned by Ron Moore, another great addition to the writing staff this season, and that explains it.

What didn't quite work was the non-corporeal alien masquerading as the dead mother, but she/it wasn't really the main part of the story. It was how we deal with anger, grief and loss. Space can be a dangerous place, even in the 24th century and the people of Starfleet must recognise that. And like Picard, I think it's ill-advised to have children on starships, and this episode is a perfect example of that.

Worf was good here, feeling remorse over having lost a crewmember under his command. It was a nice touch to have him perform a Klingon bonding ceremony with the boy. Even Wesley and Troi were useful here - Wesley by revealing his anger at Picard for having survived when the man under his command, Wesley's father, died, and Troi by actually doing what a counsellor should be doing.

I'll give The Bonding a grade of 6-.

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3-06 Booby Trap

Booby Trap could have been a much better episode, but alas, it's weighed down by copious amounts of technobabble and a silly, and somewhat creepy, romantic subplot for LaForge. Otherwise the discovery of a thousand year old alien vessel and a clever ancient booby trap might have been both interesting and exciting.

Technobabble is the bane of modern Trek, and thus far not too much have been used on The Next Generation, but I guess this is where it begins in earnest. One just has to take it on faith that it makes some in-universe sense, but I just tend to tune out when it starts.

LaForge's creation of a holo-Leah is something of a geek fantasy, making an artificial and perfect mate, but it is also a bit creepy and stalkerish considering that there is a real Dr. Leah Brahms out there (who will eventually meet Geordi with predictable results). Yeah, I get that he's a dolt around women and I can sympathise with that, but still… But who am I to talk? I'd probably jump at a chance to hang around with a holographic version of T'Pol!

Booby Trap receives a grade of 4+ out of 10 from me.

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:18 pm

3-07 The Enemy

My favourite Trek adversaries the Romulans show up again in the aptly titled The Enemy, and it is a very good outing with a few flaws. The pacing is fine and all the intercutting storylines are well-balanced and come together to form a coherent whole.

There wasn't anything particularly new about the story of LaForge and the Romulan trapped on the planet, learning to work together in order to survive. Such stories abound not just on Star Trek. But it was competently done. But I have to question LaForge's naiveté (or oversight) in not taking the Romulan's gun away from him when he got temporarily knocked down. At that time LaForge had no reason think that the Romulan would turn out to be reasonable. In fact, it took quite a while before that happened.

I know there were disagreements among both writers and fans about the fact that Worf did refuse to give blood to the other injured Romulan leading to his death, but I applaud it. It showed that even in the "perfect" 24th century some things aren't easily forgotten or forgiven, even if you're a Klingon raised by humans. Some may say it's a betrayal of Roddenberry's ideal, but I say so much the better. It makes it feel real and not so tidy. It makes a good story.

I also enjoyed the brinkmanship between Picard and the Romulan commander Tomalak (played by the terrific Andreas Katsulas, who'd rise to fame as G'Kar on [ii]Babylon 5[/i]), in the first of recurring appearances. But I have to question why Picard never alerted Starfleet to quickly send reinforcements, and why he just let the captured Romulan go. It was obvious the Romulan had been on some secret spy mission in Federation space. I can understand that Picard didn't want to provoke a battle with Tomalak, but surely the Romulans must have seen this as a weakness - something that will just embolden them in the future. But that (and LaForge's initial mistake) is par the course for these 24th century types.

The stated flaws notwithstanding, I give a generous grade of 8- to The Enemy.

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3-08 The Price

I cannot believe I just watched an episode where Deanna Troi got an oily foot rub by a slimy con artist! What were they thinking when the greenlighted this crap? There was absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between Troi and that romance-of-the-week™ negotiator. It was just embarrassing to watch and how could the empathic counsellor be so blind to who that guy really was?

The episode isn't exactly helped by the presence of the always annoying Ferengi. Serves them right to get stranded on the other side of the galaxy (and to make a re-appearance in an episode of Voyager years later).

The only interesting part about The Price was the discussion about the ethics (or lack thereof) of empaths between Troi and the negotiator. I have to give him credit for pointing out the hypocrisy displayed by Troi. Both hide their abilities from outsiders to use it to their advantage. They just happen to serve different masters.

A mere grade of 1 goes to The Price.

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3-09 The Vengeance Factor

There wasn't much of interest in this tale of Picard trying to mediate between some renegade pirates and their former homeworld, previously the site for disastrous clan feuds. Too much backstory that wasn't all that engrossing and too many characters we're never able to get invested in.

There was another romance-of-the-week™ here, this time involving Riker and a servant girl who also doubled as a long-lived assassin, which was pretty much a waste of time and effort. And why was it necessary to kill her in the end? Her only weapon was her hands, and they only worked on that pirate guy. Riker could just gave overpowered her.

I'll give The Vengeance Factor a grade of 2+ out of 10.

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3-10 The Defector

This Next Generation take on the Cuban Missile Crisis one of the first excellent outings, and we have writer Ronald D. Moore to thank for that. It's intriguing and suspenseful, and it's a great character story. James Sloyan does an awesome job as the defecting Romulan Admiral Jarok.

Jarok might have committed atrocities in the past (the story is a little vague on that) but his feelings are sincere. He considers himself a patriot trying to avoid a disastrous conflict, but as Picard reminds him, to the Romulans he's already a traitor. What makes it even sadder is that it was all a setup from his superiors. There was no invasion planned. The Romulans just wanted to get hold of the Enterprise, exposing a dissident within their ranks in the process. It's not surprising that Jarok committed suicide in the end. You cannot help but to feel sympathy for the poor man. A tragic figure.

There wasn't a lot of action, and there wasn't even a space battle, but I didn't mind. Picard showed he had another ace up his sleeve when he enlisted the aid of (cloaked) Klingon vessels, thus avoiding a shooting match with Commander Tomalak, who made his second appearance here.

I give a well-earned grade of 9+ to The Defector. It might just have been a 10, but I'm saving that for the even more outstandingly excellent episodes to come.

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3-11 The Hunted

This Trek version of Rambo isn't very good. It's not really bad either. It just didn't leave a lot of impressions, probably because it's a bit simplistic. Yes the Angosians were wrong, very wrong, to discard their engineered super-soldiers like they did, and they have no business being members of the Federation, but there weren't much of a plot made of that.

So we were left with an extended sequence when the captive soldier frees himself and runs around the Enterprise chased by Worf's less-than-efficient security guards. As such sequences go, it was fairly well done, and I suppose they had to fill the hour with something.

While I liked that Picard left the planet to let them sort out their own mess (an application of the Prime Directive I can support), it was hypocritical of him to state earlier that the age-old cry of the oppressor is "internal security". Isn't that a cry that is at the heart of the Prime Directive? War, natural disasters, genocide and extinctions… all are internal matters we shouldn't interfere in!

A grade of 3 is what I can give to The Hunted.

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3-12 The High Ground

About the only thing I appreciated with The High Ground was that it didn't have neat and tidy ending. They rescued the hostages but the terrorism and violence on the planet will continue, and there appears little that the Federation can and will do about it. A bit pessimistic for the 24th century.

Otherwise the story was all over the place. It felt like they didn't know whether to condemn or condone the terrorists. They kept trying to blur the line by invoking a version of the "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" crap. The lead terrorist even had the gall to compare himself with George Washington. It wasn't a good story for Beverly Crusher either, who seemed to exhibit some symptoms of the so-called Stockholm syndrome before coming to her senses.

Make no mistake, terrorist deliberately targeting civilians and killing them is an unforgivable atrocity, no matter your perceived grievances. You don't negotiate and give in to their demands. You root them out and kill or capture them. So my sympathies were with the planetary government. That was made easier by not really knowing what the conflict was about, besides the terrorists being some kind of separatists, or if the government really was an oppressive one or just reasonably responding to a threat like present day Israel against Hamas or West Germany against the Rote Armee Fraktion in the 1970s.

A grade of 2- is all I can muster for The High Ground. The episode is further hampered that it too closely resembles the episode before.

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3-13 Déjà Q

Surprise, a Q episode I actually liked (Q Who? was more a Borg than a Q episode). It probably is because Q lost his powers here and thus wasn't able to shove his omnipotent powers up everyone's noses. I'll grant that John de Lancie always is an excellent actor, but I often have trouble standing his trickster character. But being human, he's actually tolerable.

Déjà Q is decidedly a comedy episode, and one would think that wouldn't work for a show that isn't really a comedy, but it succeeds here. Q has a razor-sharp wit, which he has no problem to use even while defrocked and really at the mercy of Picard and the Enterprise crew, who has no reason to care for him. But the crew can bite back too, like Worf, who told Q to die in order to prove that he's human now. To which Q retorted "Eat any good books lately?"

It was a nice touch to pair up Q with Data in this episode, since Data strives to be that which Q had become as a punishment. Interesting set of different perspectives. It was even a bit sad to see Data laughing for the first time, as a parting gift from Q.

Alas, given that this is an episodic series, there really isn't much character growth for Q. Sure he exhibited compassion when he left the Enterprise to save it from some energy aliens that had a grudge against him, but once the Q Continuum gave him back his powers he seemed to be back to his old annoying self, even if he relocated that moon back to safe distance.

But I'll give Déjà Q a generous grade of 7- out of 10.

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:33 pm

3-14 A Matter of Perspective

A novel use of the holodeck, A Matter of Perspective stages a kind of pre-trail/hearing where different testimonials are presented in Rashomon-style to determine whether Riker is guilty or innocent of killing a forehead alien scientist. Too bad that the novelty wears off pretty soon and we're left with extended scenes of unbelievable events - like Riker shouting "You're a dead man, Apgar".

The resolution hinges on confusing amounts of technobabble, and the weird notion that the holodeck recreation of some machine could be so exact that it actually functioned just like the original. And I really have to question that Starfleet would even have a policy of extraditing its officers to alien civilizations, especially if those civilizations have a very questionable legal system, as they did here.

A Matter of Perspective receives a grade of 3+ from me.

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3-15 Yesterday's Enterprise

I'm a bit torn about this episode. For many fans Yesterday's Enterprise is one of the classics and to some degree I can understand that. It's a riveting action-oriented drama. But in my mind it suffers for being a Reset Button™ episode, and I really don't like those. In the grand scheme of things they don't matter. Everything is restored to the status quo ante and no one really remembers anything from what transpired, and thus they don't learn or grow from the experiences.

And so it is with this episode. The only one reflecting about events is Guinan, who just has a mysterious hunch that things got wrong when the Enterprise-C from 22 years back came forward through a temporal rift. But remove Guinan from the equation and everything falls apart. And why should alternate-Picard act on just a hunch from a barkeep?

But I have to correct myself slightly. There is one event that will have consequences in the real timeline, but that won't be revealed until later, and that is alternate Tasha Yar (who survived in the wrong timeline) went back with the Enterprise-C. That also gave her character a better ending than being randomly snuffed out by an evil tar pit.

Still, it was kind of cool to see a darkened Enterprise and its crew on a warlike footing, even if the space battles were too slow and a bit disappointing. And I liked the design of the Enterprise-C.

I'll be generous and give Yesterday's Enterprise a grade of 6 on my 10-graded scale.

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3-16 The Offspring

The Offspring is a rather moving episode. Data creates an android who he names Lal and who he considers his daughter. Despite them both being artificial life forms deemed to be lacking emotions, it is a very emotional story. But sometimes I wonder about this notion of no emotions. Data exhibits many traits which we would consider being part of having emotions - such as devotion, loyalty and friendship. I often think that Data does have some kind of emotions; he just doesn't understand that it is emotions. And of course Lal does grow to experience them, but that ultimately leads to her breaking down and effectively dying.

To complicate things, an obnoxious Starfleet admiral turns up and wants to separate them and get his hands on Lal. First of all, that admiral was too obviously set up as an obstacle, an intransigent straw man plot device. And second, whatever happened to the court ruling in The Measure of a Man where Data's "human rights" was recognised? There ought not to be a legal basis to forcibly remove Data's child from him.

But The Offspring remains a very good and touching episode. I'll give it a grade of 7 out of 10.

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3-17 Sins of the Father

What first appears to be the flip side of A Matter of Honor suddenly switches to an intriguing episode about Klingon politics and Worf's family background. This launches a story arc that won't be completed until the end of Deep Space Nine, and one that I've come to appreciate most about modern Trek. Granted, the Klingons spouting "honour" at every turn gets a bit tired and clichéd after a while, but they are one of the most in-depth realised alien civilizations. Also, as a political junkie I cannot do anything other than appreciate politics in a science fictional setting.

It turns out Worf isn't so removed from his origins as we might have thought. His family is, or rather was, quite important in the Klingon Empire. He finds out he has a younger brother, Kurn (very nicely played by Tony Todd), who lives with an adopted family. And now their family is forced, through a lot of twists and turns, into disgrace to avoid a civil war.

I liked that there was very little you could predict about what would happen in the episode (at least that's what I recall from seeing it first). The bond of respect and loyalty between Worf and Picard was also a nice touch.

Adding to the complexity of the Klingons, it was revealing to see the rampant hypocrisy and corruption of their leaders. Outwardly Worf must face dishonour and expulsion (discommendation) to protect the dishonour inherent in keeping the secrets of the ruling council and the traitorous family of Duras.

Sins of the Father gets a grade of 8 on my 10-graded scale.

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3-18 Allegiance

And the Trek roller-coaster takes a sharp downward turn again with Allegiance. After the original series original pilot The Cage, stories about crewmembers being abducted by aliens hasn't been very good, and this episode certainly fits that mould.

There's nothing much of interest here, and the story just drags on. Particularly the scenes with captive Picard and the three others seems repetitive. And while the doppelgänger Picard on the Enterprise is more humorous, one just watches it impatiently waiting for the crew to finally clue in on the fact that he's not who he appears to be. Also, the poor Picard/Crusher shippers are mercilessly teased here with faux-Picard inviting Beverly to a romantic dinner in his quarters.

A grade of 3- is all I can muster for Allegiance.

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3-19 Captain's Holiday

By all accounts I should dislike Captain's Holiday. It introduces us to the stupid hedonistic Risa vacation planet, it features an annoying Ferengi character and I really didn't need to see Captain Picard in speedos. But the episode was surprisingly enjoyable nonetheless. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a "guilty pleasure" though.

The main reason for it being as agreeable as it is is Vash. Not only is the actress Jennifer Hetrick very easy on the eyes, but her character has spunk and she's a nice departure from the stoic stiffs that otherwise seem to populate the perfect, evolved 24th century. And she hits it of with the über-stiff Picard no less! They actually had some good chemistry together, and you could tell he was enjoying himself with their little scavenger hunting adventure.

So I'll give Captain's Holiday a grade of 5 on my 10-graded scale.

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3-20 Tin Man

There's nothing earth-shattering about Tin Man. It's a fairly run-of-the-mill encounter with a space-dwelling creature. And in the end we don't learn much about it as it conveniently disappears.

We're supposed to empathise with guest character Tam Elbrun (a younger Harry Groener before he became the Mayor of Sunnydale), but he's a thoroughly unlikable person. Even the knowledge that he suffers from being a hyper-sensitive Betazoid doesn't make me care for him. And the Romulans came off as way too thuggish instead of the smart villains we usually meet.

But I did like Data realising that for life to have meaning you must belong somewhere and Data belongs with his friends and crewmates on the Enterprise, just as Elbrun belongs with the creature dubbed Tin Man.

I'll give Tin Man a grade of 3 out of 10.

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby panyasan » Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:04 pm

Well, Captain's Holiday is a guilty pleasure of mine. I just love the interaction between the stiff Picard and Vash.

I remember The Offspring, I found it indeed very moving.

And like you said, Sins of the Father rocked.
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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Tue Oct 04, 2011 11:39 pm

She's got an awfully nice bum!
-Malcolm Reed on T'Pol, in Shuttlepod One

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Re: My TNG reviews

Postby Kevin Thomas Riley » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:23 pm

She's got an awfully nice bum!
-Malcolm Reed on T'Pol, in Shuttlepod One

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