Prepare to be transported by Craggus’ Trek Trek Phase II Vol 10
Craggus’ Trek Trek Phase II Vol 10 starts with perfection then gets bogged down in family-focused soap operatics.
Star Trek The Next Generation S3E26: The Best Of Both Worlds
Not just one of the finest episodes of The Next Generation but one of the finest episodes of cliffhanger TV full stop. It’s so perfectly judged throughout. Sombre, doom-laden and spectacularly plausible in its implied consequences. Back when it first transmitted, it was entirely believable that the series would write out Picard and go on with Riker as Captain. Elizabeth Dennehy’s abrasive and ambitious Commander Shelby shook up the cosy status quo in all the right ways and gave every impression she’d be here to stay. The Borg have never been scarier or more relentless than this, their finest hour (well, 44 minutes).
Star Trek The Next Generation S4E01: The Best Of Both Worlds Part II
Not since the summer spent wondering who killed JR had TV delivered such a finely balanced cliffhanger, and in common with many such high watermark cliffhangers, the immediate resolution is utterly anti-climactic. It’s pretty much downhill all the way in this episode, coasting on the dramatic high from the last episode of season three but thankfully the starting point is so high that you don’t notice the decline even by the end of the episode. The problem is it’s just nowhere near as good as its predecessor. Because it’s usually watched in a double bill it gets away with it, but if you look at it in isolation, it’s actually a pretty average episode and it’s very clear the production team hadn’t plotted it out until they came to make it. Not only does it miss the opportunity to have Jonathan Frakes do the opening ‘Space, the final frontier…’ monologue but it doesn’t even show us the Battle Of Wolf 359 that it keeps promising – we’d have to wait for the pilot episode of Deep Space Nine for that.
Star Trek The Next Generation S4E02: Family
Showing remarkable foresight, the second episode of season four serves as a prequel to both Star Trek Generations and Star Trek Picard. Unusually for episodic television of the time and almost unprecedented in Star Trek at this point, the episode deals with the consequences of the previous episode’s events. That’s it, that’s all it’s interested in. There’s no additional peril or other threat or menace going on, it’s just (almost) all about Picard’s recent experience with The Borg. I say almost because there is an ‘amusing’ sub-plot of Worf’s adoptive parents visiting him onboard the Enterprise to remind us of the discommendation storyline which will come to the fore this season and also Wesley is reminded once again that his Dad died tragically. It’s all terribly well-acted, sombre and serious and it’s creditable the series tried to acknowledge the serious effects assimilation may have had on Picard but ultimately its undermined by it not really having an impact beyond the limit of this episode and by the fact that’s it’s a little bit dull.
Star Trek The Next Generation S4E03: Brothers
With Picard cured of being a stick-in-the-mud, things are back to normal on the Enterprise, although we’re not straying far from the theme of ‘family’. This time we’re treated to a story, or a pair of sibling stories, of brotherly love. A pair of brothers have got themselves into trouble thanks to a prank which goes wrong and infects one of them with a lethal parasite which cannot be treated aboard the Enterprise. No biggie for our intrepid crew who set course for the nearest Starbase. Unfortunately, Data’s deadbeat dad Doctor Noonien Soong has decided it’s time to reconcile with (one of) his electronic offspring and sends a signal which compels Data to immediately travel to Terlina III. With impeccable machine logic, Data achieves this by hijacking the Enterprise and locking the crew out of the ship’s controls. With time ticking away for the infested infant, Data finds he must vie for his father’s affections and Star Trek Generations-ruining MacGuffin the emotion chip, with his bad-boy-brother Lore who also picked up Soong’s signal. The episode, of course, is dominated by Brent Spiner who hams it up in triplicate but if you’re thinking this is peak Soong Soap Opera, then you’re in for a disappointment.
Star Trek The Next Generation S4E04: Suddenly Human
Answering a distress call from a Talarian vessel, the Enterprise crew discover one of the survivors is a young human. Discovering the child is a long-lost Federation citizen thought killed when his parents died during a skirmish years ago, Picard must try to convince the young man to return to his human family. Yes, it’s another family affair on Star Trek: The Next Generation, this episode dealing with issues around adoption and cultural assimilation. It’s a subject Deep Space Nine would later tackle in the episode Cardassians and with a little more success than it’s tackled here. It’s too slowly paced, the script isn’t great, lumbering guest actor Chad Allen with some sub-Anakin Skywalker petulance and mood swings. It also leaves some important plot points such as Picard directly disobeying the order to return the boy to his human family without resolution, giving the whole episode a decidedly unsatisfying feel.
Star Trek The Next Generation S4E05: Remember Me
It’s a Beverly Crusher episode but unusually, it’s not one that focusses on her embarking on another doomed romance. Instead, it’s a forensic examination of the egotism required to be a top surgeon as Beverly begins to believe the entire universe revolves around her. The twist is, she’s absolutely right. Thanks to her son’s latest experiment gone awry (seriously, how is Wesley still allowed to continue experimenting aboard ship), Doctor Crusher is trapped in a collapsing mini-universe. The episode plays its concept cleverly, drip-feeding the mystery as more and more people vanish until it becomes clear what’s actually happening. After the kitchen-replicator family dramas of the past few episodes, it’s a welcome return to pure sci-fi shenanigans and an early highlight of Season Four.
Star Trek The Next Generation S4E06: Legacy
We’re back to keeping it in the family as the Enterprise answers a distress call from a freighter crew who have crash-landed on Turkana IV, a human colony which left the Federation fifteen years before, and the birthplace of Tasha Yar. Beaming down to the lawless colony, they meet Tasha Yar’s sister and reigning Linda Hamilton lookalike champion Ishara Yar. She promises to help them find the missing colonists but ends up betraying the crew for her own faction’s interests. It’s a solid but ultimately forgettable episode which somehow doesn’t really add anything to the character of Tasha Yar or have any longer-lasting repercussions, which is odd considering what will be revealed later in the season. It’s also something of a lacklustre milestone marker as TNG surpasses TOS’ episode count with this show.
Star Trek The Next Generation S4E07: Reunion
We’ve had long lost fathers, long lost brothers, long lost sisters and long lost grandchildren so if you’re playing drama cliché bingo at home, get ready to complete your game card because this time we’ve got secret love child! Also, you remember the Klingons? I bet you’ve been dying to know what those crazy crimp-heads have been up to? Worf’s ex returns to the Enterprise and she’s got a surprise with her: a son Worf didn’t know he had. Meanwhile, K’mpec – the leader of the Klingon Empire – is dying, poisoned by a rival. After appointing Picard his Arbiter Of Succession he promptly dies, leaving Duras to compete with Gowron for the Klingon leadership. Before anyone can ascend to the throne, a Romulan explosion disrupts the ceremony, K’Ehleyr finds out the truth about Khitomer, Duras kills her to cover up his shame and Worf kills Duras in retaliation, leaving Gowron to take over the Empire. Confused? You won’t be after this episode of Soap: The Next Generation. It packs a lot of important season arc developments into the episode but it’s all overshadowed by the death of Suzi Plakson’s K’Ehleyr which hits harder than any death previously shown on the show (sorry, Tasha Yar).
