Star Trek: The Next Generation series review

Herein lies my effort to rewatch and blog about one of  the greatest science fiction series of all time: Star Treck: The Next Generation.



No doubt the show was, for me, my first intellectual stimulant. True, mine was a particularly  dry environment, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say TNG was at times pretty mind-blowing. Entities existing outside of our three-dimensional reality, questions about alien societies that made us think about our own, time travel and that awesome holodeck... Oh, the holodeck!








Here's a question: Why do all the best TNG episodes take place on the holodeck? Okay, that's a huge exaggeration, but it might be (sort of) true for the first season. They really stuck in my mind, anyway. It's interesting that in a series known for it's explorations into the unknown, some of the best writing is about Picard's and Riker's exploration of the past.

At one point in "The Big Goodbye" Dixon Hill's friend asks him if "all of this" will continue once Hill leaves the narrative and returns to the real world aboard the Enterprise. Picard (as Hill) ponders this for a second and then responds with great sincerity, "I don't know." For a 12 year old boy living in farm country, this was an eye opening moment. Having no idea about the concepts of meta-fiction and post-modern philosophy, this was the first time I had thought about such things. Pretty heady stuff.

Maybe the mere fact that the show was dealing with something literary, that the characters read writers like Arthur Conan Doyle and Raymond Chandler warmed my heart. As a voracious reader I could appreciate that.

The episode hinges on a software glitch and super nerd Wesley Crusher is the only one who can fix it without causing Picard et al to "be lost" (would that really happen?). Ah well, everything works out just in time.

The fun of the episode is in watching Picard and Data interact. Both of the actors playing them are great here, especially Mr. Patrick Stewart, of course. Some random dude gets shot and we get to see Laurence Tierney playing a badass gangster with characteristic fervor. That's never a bad thing.

"11001001": Looking at the episode in 2013, it seems a little...hokey. Riker playing his "bone" for the lady with the teased hair and short skirt isn't quite as full of awesome as I remember; however, overall the plot is quite interesting. The Bynars rely on their central computer to keep them connected and functioning. Without it they end up as we Picard and Riker find them, heaped in a pile on the floor of the bridge, barely able to speak. Picard and Riker have to work together to save them and the dynamic between the two is enjoyable to watch, especially in the scenes with the mysterious Minuet. The two of them salivating over a holographic image is fun if a bit strange. How did the Bynars program "her" to be so intuitive? Of course, when Riker goes back to find her at the end of the episode, she has been replaced by a boring old computer program, with nothing of her former panache. The Bynars represent something interesting here, a strong SF meme of integrated consciousness, much like the character of the "Traveler" from the episode "Where No One Has Gone Before."



"Code of Honor": Okay, this script isn't that bad. I don't think anyone would object to had it not been decided that the Ligonians would be played exclusively by African Americans. Bad call. The "African" costumes and the negative characterization of their leader give it an old-school racist vibe that had me a bit shocked watching it in 2013. You see, 1987 doesn't seem that long ago to me, yet the major evolution in cultural sensitivities is pretty obvious.

The way they kidnap Lt. Yar and force her to take part in a ritual fight.  Between the costumes and the Ligonian's "tribal" customs, it's just a bad scene all around. And the fight that ends the episode is just silly. Did we learn anything from this episode? Yeah, be more cautious with your casting.



"Where No One Has Gone Before":

This is the one where we learn just how awesome Wesley Crusher truly is.

Okay, okay...I know there are a large group of haters out there. People who love the series but always hated poor Wes. I too disliked his character intensely when I was watching the series the first time. Why? I'm not completely sure. However, some of it may be the fact that he was the only young person on the ship. We could look up to the others, but we never felt that we had to look up to Wes; he was just a young punk like most of us. And the fact that he was also some sort of precocious master of beyond light speed travel made him all the more annoying.

However, I think this is a pretty cool episode. The Traveler is able to make the Enterprise travel mind blowing distances. He combines his knowledge of physics with "the world of feelings." Wesley seems to instinctively understand what the Traveler is up to, and even able to help him. Unfortunately, the alien overdoes it a bit and in order to get the Enterprise back where they started, becomes one with the energy core and disappears entirely.

We get a view of the world beyond time and space, where people's thoughts influence their environment.



"When the Bough Breaks"

Wesley and some of the brighter kids get kidnapped by an ancient and peaceful race with just one problem, they can't have kids of their own. As much as some fans wanted Wesley to stay kidnapped, that was not to be. Instead, LaForge comes up with an awesome plan to beam Riker and Data through the Aldean's seemingly impenetrable shield.

But first we get to meet the Custodian (a super computer) who was built by the Progenitors. The people of Aldea depend on the Custodian and have become pretty much useless in the sex department, but they do have a pretty cool repulser beam.

Turns out their limitless energy source is radiating their entire planet and somehow their shield is ruining their ozone layer. Or something like that. Anyway, it's the radiation that's wrecking their mojo. Picard and the good doctor are finally able to explain this to them and offer the help of Starfleet. And so, the One They Call Wesley is returned to his rightful place.

Kindof a lame episode, except for getting to see Picard interact with some kids, especially one cute little girl who insists he pick her up.


"Skin of Evil"

This one really stuck in my mind. Seeing that big black goop take shape and zap Yar really took me back to when I first watched this.

Once again, we are introduced to an advanced entity, a form of life more intellectually and physically evolved than the humans. This one really sucks. He likes to play sadistic games with people's lives. It seems this entity is made up of all that is evil and has been shed like a second skin by an advanced life form that now dances among the stars or something.

Lt. Yar dies and stays dead. Apparently Denise Crosby was dissatisfied with the development (or lack of development) of her character. It's a shame, because she does some pretty good acting. Really, I think she should have been more patient. Much of this season is shaky, and honestly, the actors who played Riker, Worf, and Dr. Crusher didn't exactly knock it out of the ball park, either. And they all had to wait to develop as characters. Yar's holographic funeral speech was nicely done, however.

"We'll Always Have Paris"
Picard's got a girlfriend! Boo-ya!

Well not exactly, but it's pretty obvious that he and the beautiful Jenice Manheim used to be in love. Jenice is the wife of Paul Manheim, a genius who has "opened a crack into another dimension" that is causing some ripples in the fabric of space/time. It's up to the crew to fix that shite.

It's nice to see that Picard has a romantic side and the scenes between him and his former lover are pretty great. The two actors bring a real tenderness to their portrayal.

This is some pretty good writing too, exploring the nature of time with the memories of love and Paris and stuff. It's got a wistfulness and sense of nostalgia that comes through well without any lingering. Data saves the day (naturally) by adding the right amount of anti-matter into the professor's doohickey. After all that science stuff, the episode ends with Jean-Luc and Jenice having a glass of champagne in holodeck Paris.


Season 2

Season 2 episode 1: Troi gets pregnant! But it's not Riker's baby, I swear. It's more like a little floating star thing (teh old stand-by "entity" used so often in TNG). It's a pretty good episode and it gives us a chance to get to know Troi better (though I'll admit Marina Sirtis has never been one of my favorite Star Trek actors). She does a pretty good job and showing us all the fears and anxieties of someone suddenly made pregnant by mystical entity.

This event is pretty obviously connected the Enterprise's mission to cure a "plasma plague" on some planet. LaForge engineers some kind of clever containment zone for the dangerous chemicals, yet they still seem to be making everyone sick. It's up to Counselor Troi and her baby boy to figure it all out. Turns out the entity is on a mission to save the Enterprise.

Notes: the new doctor doesn't like Data. There's a great scene where everyone is arguing about terminating the pregnancy and Troi suddently speaks up and let's everyone know that it's her body and her choice. you go girl! Riker gets very protective of Troi when he finds out she's having a baby. It's pretty obvious he wants to rekindle whatever romance they had before.

"Q Who"

I'm skipping around a bit now, because I can. This is a Q episode and those are always interesting because they use think about the nature of time and space, and also because Q and Picard are funny together. Nobody brings out the pissy side of Picard like Q.  It's also revealed that Guinan is something of a time-traveler herself and is aware of what Q is. The two of them cackle at each other like a couple of witches. This is also the first time we meet the Borg. Q is pissed that Picard won't let him join the crew (he's been kicked out of the Q continuum). The whole episode is hugely influential. to other SciFi shows and games. The Borg ship is pretty much the Matrix in space. While the concept of cyborgs had been explored before in books, this was one of the first mainstream shows to deal with it. The collective consciousness of the Borg is too much for the Enterprise crew to deal with and the Captain is forced to admit he is overwhelmed and in need of Q's help. Then with a snap of his finger, they are all whisked to safety. The episode is important as it introduces the relentless Borg, later to become the show's main villain.

Episode 18 - Up the Long Ladder

aka "The One with all the Irish People". Ten minutes in and we've already had way more good stuff than some entire episodes from season one. Worf gets sick (the Klingon version of the measles) and when Dr. Pulaski covers for him, he drops by to share the ancient Klingon tea ceremony with her. The good doctor is growing on me teh second time around, I gotta say. Not that I prefer her to Crusher mind you, but Pulaski is a lot of fun, and her strength and humor turn out to be a good foil for the aloof Picard and the fierce Worf.

The primary plot revolves around discovering an ancient Terran SOS, which brings them to an earth colony that's been on its own for a couple of centuries. Naturally, that's turned everyone extremely Irish, with their leader appearing to be a tall version of the Keebler elf. it's all very silly, of course. And, of course, Riker falls in love with the Irishman's daughter.

We do learn some cool Earth history; for instance, there was a WWIII, which nearly wiped out all life. Naturally, some people fled the planet. In this particular case, there were two groups of colonists who got separated and while one group got super Irish the other group got...clon-ey? The group of clones need fresh DNA. And then things get a little hinky. The baddies grab some of Riker and Pulaski's DNA and Riker does not like this. At all.

I think it's safe to say that cloning was a much less familiar, and much scarier, concept in 1987. Anyway, it all gets worked out as the two sides are able to come together. Riker's new love leaves for the colony. Troi would have been pissed anyway.

Episode 21 - "Peak Performance"

A famed war strategist joins the crew of the Enterprise before the beginning of some war games. Kolrami is a Zakdorn, widely considered the most brilliant strategic minds in the known universe. He is also a pompous jerk who pisses off pretty much everyone onboard the ship.

The set up is that Riker will take control of an old star ship and attempt to defeat the Enterprise in a battle simulation, but Kolrami begins by doubting Picard's choice of Riker as leader of the opposition. then he goes on to constantly denigrate Picard's number one until Picard takes him to task.

This one has some fun scenes, especially the ones featuring Worf. when asked what chance they have against the Enterprise when "outgunned, outmanned and out equipped". Worf pauses for a thoughtful moment, then says "guile". it's an awesome moment and Michael Dorn rocks it. Season 2 saw Worf really begin to develop into the kick-ass character we know and love.

Some Ferengi get involved ("I am Bractor!") and mess with the war games. More trickery and "Klingon guile" are used to extricate the crew from their clutches. it's all pretty cool and each of the characters gets to show off their strengths.

There's also a subplot involving Data, Kolrami and a game called Stratagema. Data plays against Kolrami and is beaten, provoking disbelief, especially from Dr. Pulaski. Data goes into a little funk at this point, constantly running self diagnostics to figure out what is wrong with his logic processors, or whatever. Finally, it's up to Picard to shake him out of it with the mature advice that, "it is possible to make no mistakes and yet lose; that is not weakness, that is life." Data changes his logical premise when playing Kolrami again and is able to provoke him to forfeit the game, thereby, in the doctor's words, "busting him up."