Amazon.com

Trek trickster Q (John DeLancie) puts a spin on It's a Wonderful Life when he gives Captain Picard a chance to replay the follies of his youth. Picard lies dying on the operating table after a freak energy discharge damages his artificial heart when Q shows up like a devilish Clarence the Angel, offering him a do-over of his destiny and save his heart. Suddenly the older, wiser captain finds himself a young ensign of 21 (still played by Patrick Stewart, though his twentysomething comrades seem not to notice), fresh from the Academy and ready to take on the world. Picard is determined not to make the same mistakes again on that fateful day at the Academy, but immediately feels the repercussions of his decision when he slingshots back to the present a changed man, careful and cautious and no longer the sum of youthful mistakes. Stewart carries through with his usual dignity and confidence, but the episode really comes alive when he embraces his inner rascal and lets the impulsive ensign out with a smile and a mean right hook. The impish Q really only came into his own in later seasons, when his devious tests revealed an odd, usually well-hidden benevolence, and this is one of his more thoughtful outings. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (7)

What if Picard never took chances?..He wouldn't be captain.
This one shows how if Picard never got into a bar room fight in his acdemy years...he would have never taken chances that would have led him to be a starship captain. Q shows Picard what would have happened had he not taken the big risks that led to his career. I love the scenes with him in a blue starfleet tunic as a researcher for the Enterprise. Another priceless scene is when he asks Riker how he can gain advancement in his career. He essencially gave Picard the brush off. You could see his career was going to be one of redundant reports and endless monotony.

This one is a keeper. It's the ultimate Picard episode that gives you a lot of insight into the character.

Sometimes a second chance is not all its cracked up to be...
The Away Team beams up a badly injured Captain Picard, who dies on the operating table because of problems with his artificial heart. In the proverbial bright light of the afterlife Picard encounters a godlike figure--who turns out to be Q. They are going to spend eternity together, but first Q would like to know if there is anything Picard regrets. After all, if he had a real heart he would still be alive. Q refers to an incident that Picard told Wesley Crusher about in "Samaritan Snare" (Episode 43), where his heart was damaged in a bar fight with some Norsicans. When Picard does indeed express some regrets over having been so headstrong as a youth, Q gives him a second chance: Picard is again a young ensign, two days before the encounter with the Norsicans that will end up with him having a dagger piercing his heart. If Picard can avoid that fight, he will not die 30 years later. The "mature" Picard finds a way to avoid the fight and Q congratulates him and returns him to the present--where "Lieutenant" Picard discovers he is an assistant astrophysics officer, described by his superiors as hardworking but not command material. Jean-Luc has to wonder if maybe he would rather be dead than live out the rest of his life like this.

I have thought about it and I have considered it, and I think "Tapestry" is the best of the episodes featuring Q. We have all seen movies and television shows that deal with the big difference made on lives by little things, but that does not take away from the high quality of this episode. The scenes between Picard and Q have a certain sharpness to them missing in other encounters because of the significance of the subtexts here: this is not only about Picard's "life" as in the opposite of death but also his "life" in terms of who he is at his core being. This is definitely one of the top 5 STNG episodes focusing on Picard. Discuss Topic: It seems the best episodes with Q are the always the ones that do not have Q in their titles. Talk amongst yourselves.

Excellent Episode With A "Dead" Captain Picard!
I must comment on this wonderful episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It involves my favorite , and probably most other Star Trek fans' favorite character, the abominable "Q". In this episode, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard faces death for the first time (and the last time) in my favorite Star Trek series. He perishes on the sick-bay table from a fighting accident and goes to heaven to meet.....who else than God himself, Q! Q welcomes him with open arms (actually, an open handshake) into his eternal world and Capt. Picard is surprised to see him, and does not believe the heavens is run by HIM! But, it is, and Q gives him a chance to make changes and right the "wrongs" that he did as a younger man.....a cadet fresh out of the Academy. This is to relieve Capt. Picard of any regrets that he had when he was alive, so Q doesn't have to hear him...."whining and complaining through time!" "How much time?" says Capt. Picard. "Eternity", replies Q! Q is humorous and witty as usual in this episode and transports him back in time to his Academy days. It is at the point in time just before he got stabbed through the heart by a Nausican where he was transported back to....to his dormitory room. If he can manage NOT to get stabbed through the heart, Q would bring him back to the present day. All of this is REAL, not an illusion that Q made up for his amusement. After many a disillusionment and losing his former friends from the Academy, he DOES manage not to get stabbed through the heart by that Nausican, and is brought back to the present day. But it's not the present day that HE remembered! In his NEW "afterlife", he is just an ordinary crewman serving under Capt. Thomas Halloway as an astrophysics officer! He doesn't like this one bit, and asks Comm. Riker and Counselor Troi if he can be more.....like captain of the ship. Comm. Riker replies, "....We'll see"!. Funny. Capt. Picard mumbles to himself my favorite line that he gives in this episode, "All right Q, you made your point. Having a good laugh now?" He then goes into the turbolift to give his assignment to Lieut. La Forge and is brought back to heaven by Q. He and Q have a one on one confrontation with Q giving him a verbal war of how good he has it now...."with a real heart beating in your chest!" Capt. Picard admits it was a mistake, and that now...."I would rather die on that bed than live the life I just saw!" Q grants him his request and Capt. Picard is revived on his sick-bay bed chuckling at his experience! Was it a dream, or was it a real after-death experience?

A philosopher's episode?
Great episode - brimming with Neitzsche's concept of eternal recurrence - Star Trek TNG seems to find philosophically pregnant themes like this often, to its credit!

100% Compliments! by Elliott Lewis UK
I am no major fan of Star Treck, however I watch it when I can, and thank the lord I did! This was by far the best episode of Star Treck Gen. to ever be showen. The story line is complex and gripping and it realy ilustrates an important fact of life... You have to take chances. In this particular episode "Q" gives the Captain a chance to re-live a part of his life, which indirectly lead to his death, but also helped him become the captain of the Star Ship Enterprise. This was a truly fantasic episode and strangley ironic. SO RECOMENDED! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

My favorite childhood movie!
My sister and I were recently discussing our favorite movies when we were little. And this one was it. We had the disney movies and stuff, but this movie is funny and a great story. We use to watch this movie a lot! A great, perfect movie for children.

Fond Memories
I rented every volume of the Faerie Tale Theatre that the video store had at least 100 times when I was a kid. All these years later, this is the one I remember the most. That must say something for the quality of this story. Kids and parents will love it.

The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
I really enjoyed this movie. It was very comical. It's the funniest Faerie Tale Theatre film I've seen yet. And it teaches a very good moral too! A great family film! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Every Borg episode gets better and better!
"The Best Of Both Worlds" is the true inspiration of the Borg. Never-ending and teriffic action, the special effects (which you'll mostly see on part 2) and the plot gets you off your seat! You truly can't miss this one!

Crown Jewel of Next Generation. Film or tv
Unfortunately I only became a Next Generation fan around the time the series was about to go off of the air. So I can't even imagine the suspense that the truly faithful had when this episode aired with a whole summer remaining before the answer would be revealed. I was edgy just to see the next episode even though I only had to wait a day.

What I can say is that this episode is one of the best written and produced television events i've ever seen. The sets, as always, were awesome. The Borg ship is ominous and eerie. The action and surprise is palpable. And the plot is just outstanding. I don't wanna give ANY of it away but just suffice it to say that an almost perfect quandry is presented to the crew of the Enterprise.

The Borg has to be the most ominous concept perhaps ever created for television. Picture this... a big metal cube that flies through space without any apparent leader. And wherever it goes it's sole purpose is to anihilate the planets and vessels it encounters. Or it seeks to assimilate the inhabitants into its' 'collective'. Once assimilated the beings lose all sense of self and become motivated only by the desire to serve the collective. It's kinda like Night of the Living Dead in space. You can't outrun em and if you kill em more just keep comin'. Frightening.

I used to have many discussions about what the Borg was meant to represent. I always believed that the Borg was meant to represent Communism but I was intrigued by the many different interpretations that I was exposed to.

In short, you don't have to be a Next Generation fan to appreciate this single episode. It stands on its' own merit. When you watch Next Generation in general it's hard to imagine how anyone ever even liked the original series with James T. Kirk. This episode is just beyond fantastic.

Next Generation has to be one of my five favorite television series ever and this is the crown jewel of Next Generation.

One of the Great Cliffhangers of All Time
In "Q Who?" (Episode 42), Q sent the Enterprise 7,000 light-years away, where they first encounter the Picard. Ever since the conclusion of that episode, which heralded the coming of age of Star Trek: The Next Generation, we have known that the Borg were coming to destroy the Federation. After a year and a half (as reckoned by television time), the Borg finally arrive in the season finale to year three. Starfleet has been preparing, and Commander Shelby, head of the Borg Tactical Analysis Team, is on the Enterprise to tell everybody how to do things right (No one likes her). The Borg arrive and demand Picard beam over to their ship. Picard refuses and although the Enterprise escapes from the initial battle, hiding in a nebula until they can devise a new high-energy beam weapon, the Borg appear on the bridge during the next encounter and disappear with the Captain. Riker sends an away team to rescue Picard, but to their horror they discover he has been transformed into a Borg named Locutus. This cannot be good.

This episode is just a fantastic payoff to the long wait for the return of the Borg. The two-parts of "The Best of Both Worlds" is clearly the highpoint of the series, the equivalent of the Fantastic Four fighting Galactus or Buffy slaying Angel. The final scene of Part I, indeed the final WORD of this episode is the most memorable moment on the show, seared into your memory because of the long hard summer it created wondering what would happen when we got to Part 2. Truly an epic episode on the top of every Trekkers list. Note: Commander Shelby is "currently" the Executive Officer on the Excalibur in Peter David's Star Trek: New Frontier series, which by definition makes her one of the more successful minor characters in the Star Trek universe.

The 2nd Best TNG episode (because part 2 is the best!)
Now how to explain the greatness of this episode without ruining the suspense for those who haven't seen it. Let's say this much - the borg are in it, which makes it good there. Now if you've seen episodes of Voyager or First Contact, these borg don't seem as rough looking or dangerous, but it's the same guys. This episode is filled with suspense and you'll love the ending. You'll want to see part 2 for sure and I'm not saying that just because it's only natural to watch a part 2. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Worst of Both Episodes
While Best of Both Worlds part 1 was unquestionably one of the best episodes of TNG, I can't say the same for the 2nd part. The amount of suspense that was built nicely through the first part made the summer seem interminably long, waiting for the conclusion. What a disappointment! I believe the writer's essentially painted themselves in a corner and then couldn't come up with a follow up that would both resolve all the issues and maintain the same level of drama.
On another note regarding the same episode, this was just one of a large number of episodes that proved Riker had no business being in command of a ship. Seems like every time Will got to sit in the "big chair" he would screw it up! (Near the end of the episode, after making the very WRONG decision of not making Data his 1st officer, when all else fails, what does he want to do to the Borg? "Gee, let's ram the big square ship with the Enterprise. It probably won't make much of a dent in the cube and they will go on to Borg-ify all the humans, but it will probably make a pretty cool fireball!")

As I said, it truly gets better and better...
Part 2 of this extrordinary episode is 2x more better than Part 1. A rescue mission to free Picard (Locutus) from the hive mind turns out to be a googleplex's amount of money worth of a battle. I especially like how the action and plot are, as that's what I always like, and the way they come out of this scary adventure. Enjoy watching this one!

Resistance is futile? Come over here and say that!
In Part I of "The Best of Both Worlds," the Borg finally arrived at the Federation, kidnapped Jean-Luc Picard and turned him into a Borg named Locutus. At the end, when Locutus made known the demands of the Borg to the crew of the Enterprise, Riker had ended the episode ordering Worf to fire the weapon that would destroy the Borg cube and everyone on it. However, as the fourth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation end the long summer of torment after one of the great cliffhangers of all time, the weapon does not work. Picard has been assimilated, and his knowledge has joined the collective. This cannot be good and indeed it is not. With the help of Locutus, the Borg annihilate the armada sent by Starfleet (one of the casualties being Benjamin Sisko's wife, as we shall find out in the pilot for Deep Space Nine). Riker comes up with a new plan: kidnap Picard and turn the tables by using his knowledge of the Borg to discover THEIR weaknesses.

Part 2 provides an excellent payoff to the fantastic ending of Part 1. We often say that stature of a hero depends on the qualities of the villain, in which case the Borg are one of the great adversaries of all time. From the perspective of humanity, the Borg are clearly everything we are not. The simple twist of fate by which Picard because one of the Borg, leaving Riker and the others to defeat their great enemy without their fearless leader, only serves to up the ante even more. This is another A+ episode and you cannot have one without the other.

The Best!
The follow up from part one does a very nice job. Riker is fantastic in dealing with the ways to rescue Picard from the Borg ship. Too bad you couldn't see the actual "battle" at Wolf 359. But you actually can if you watch the beginning of Star Trek Deep Space Nine's 1st episode. As with the 1st episode, this one's loaded with suspense. You won't want to miss a minute. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Booby Trap: A story about a guy in love with his ship!
Geordi's long awaited date with Christi on the holodeck doesn't go as well as he planned; sadly he strikes out again with yet another woman. He laments about this to Guinan in Ten Forward who offers him comfort and reassurance before he returns to duty. Meanwhile the Enterprise is exploring an asteroid belt that is the site of an interstellar battle between two warring alien races and has been over for nearly 1,000 years. They pick up an alien S.O.S. and in tracing it to the source find a battle cruiser left over from the war and still intact. They board it to conduct research and also to determine the cause of the demise of that ship's crew. When they attempt to leave the asteroid belt it is discovered that they are now caught within a minefield that is draining the ship's power and is impossible to attempt to navigate out of. Geordi's effort to determine a means of escape leads him to recreate the Enterprise's design labs on the holodeck. When Geordi asks for some assistance from the computer on the holodeck it fabricates a replication of Dr. Leah Brahms, the starship's designer - who Geordi falls for.

'Booby Trap' is a superior second season episode that is brilliantly conceived and soundly delivered. Though the premise of finding an ancient alien warship floating in space amidst an undetected minefield is intriguing on it own, the creators concern themselves primarily with Geordi and his pursuit of a relationship. In less capable hands the story may have concentrated on the discovery of the antique hardware and the ship's eventual escape; however, the writers of 'Booby Trap' dealt with the dimension that Trek always places the highest importance on - what it is to be human.

Geordi is experiencing some painful feelings that a lot of people do, namely that life has unfairly dealt him lemons in the love life department. He also suffers from the same sense that many do in his situation, acutely aware of his loneliness, struggling to do something about it and having to continually reassure himself of his qualities when he doesn't succeed. The writers use this to their advantage having Geordi meet the proverbial "girl of his dreams" in the form of the starship he cares for beyond anything else. As Dr. Leah Brahms, Susan Gibney is both perfectly ethereal in appearance and gorged with all the same intimate knowledge of the Enterprise as is Geordi. Naturally the two begin to feel a strong attraction to one another but do realize the limitations of their relationship, which the writers emphasize in the credible and sensitive ending to the show.

Other elements worth mentioning include Picard's alluding to his childhood hobby of building ships in a bottle that gets a variety of quizzical and humorous responses from the crew; this theme would be brought back later for the aptly titled sixth season episode 'Ship In A Bottle', that dealt with the holographic Sherlock Holmes nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Dr. Leah Brahms would make a later appearance, in the flesh, in the fourth season episode 'Galaxy's Child' and inadvertently discovers Geordi's holographic representation. Also the incidental music used here is a cut above the usual, though still familiar sounding.

Can Geordi find true love before the booby trap hatches?
In the previous episode, "The Bonding," one of the Enterprise crew was killed when a land mine from a war long ago exploded on the surface of a planet. In this appropriately titled episode, the Enterprise encounters a much more sophisticated "Booby Trap." In a debris field from the last great battle a thousand years earlier between the now extinct Promellians and Menthars, the Enterprise responds to a distress signal and finds a pristine Promellian battle cruiser. When their engines suddenly fail and the Enterprise is surrounded by a high intensity radiation field, Picard realizes they are caught in the same trap of 100,000 aceton assimilators draining power that originally caught the derelict ship and killed off its crew. The clock is ticking, or whatever it is clocks do in the 24th century, and the race in on.

This episode provides a simple but effective deep space problem to be solved by the crew, but the most interesting part of this episode involves the sub-plot with Geordi La Forge, who has been having a real bad streak of luck with the ladies. While working on how to increase the ship's power to save their lives, La Forge recreates the original prototypes of the engines on the holodeck. Surprised it is an option, La Forge also has the computer create a representation of Dr. Leah Brahms, one of the key engineers on the original design team. While "Leah" helps La Forge solve their dilemma, the Chief Engineer finds himself drawn to this holographic creation. On the one hand this episode is another chapter in the interactions of the ship's crew with the wonderful creations of the holodeck (e.g., "11001001," Episode 16), but it also sets up a very interesting episode down the road when the REAL Leah Brahms the following season in "Galaxy's Child" (Episode 90). ... Read more

Amazon.com

A by-the-numbers action flick featuring a stern Arnold Schwarzenegger, Raw Deal has all the traditional traits of the genre. Schwarzenegger is a disgraced former FBI agent who winds up as sheriff of a backwater Southern town. He is given a chance to reclaim his job when the head of the Bureau offers him reinstatement if he'll go undercover to capture the mob boss responsible for killing his son. Schwarzenegger must get close enough to gain the trust of the gangster without being discovered as a mole, while gathering enough evidence to take him down. One of Schwarzenegger's early films, in which he honed his persona, Raw Deal offers up the usual quotient of gun battles and tough talk, with a trace of self-deprecating humor from its star, making it reasonably worthwhile entertainment. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Pure Immortal!
Arnold Schwarzenegger scores again with this under-rated action movie. Although, there are no other famous names in this film, Arnold carries it from start to finish. Intellect! Arnold is an F.B.I. agent that goes undercover as a mafia individual. This picture shows Arnold's true acting ability and he goes into the hideout at the end and obliterates his enemies. Annihilation! From the opening credits where Arnold Schwarzenegger is driving in the jeep chasing some clown. Splendid! Then Arnold combs his hair back and doesn't take any garbage from the mafia. How valiant! Arnold Schwarzenegger is truly my hero after I watched this bold action picture. The director was really thinking hard on this one and later on, made the epic "City of Industry".

The movie is a Raw Deal until the end!
RAW DEAL is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earlier performances, where he plays a 'cop', Kaminski. And basically, when Arnold plays a 'cop' in movies- and its an older action film, you can already tell the plot.

MY REVIEW:

"This elderly Arnold flick never really picks up until the end. I don't want to spoil it for you, but most of the film is boring until the action packed end! That's where the three stars come in! So fast forward those VCR/DVD players to the last fifteen minutes, and you'll be guaranteed an action packed, explosive ending sequence!"- MJV & the Movies.

"Resign or be prosecuted...".
In a time when the man with the biggest machine gun ruled the box office, Arnold Schwarzenegger was an unquestionable heavyweight amongst action stars. Following his success with the Conan films and "The Terminator", Ah-nuld signed on to do this crime thriller with director John Irvin. This one isn't one of his more well-known titles but is still "too cool for school". Not exactly one of the smartest action films ever released, what "Deal" lacks in brains, it makes up for in bullets.

Schwarzenegger is Mark Kaminsky, a former FBI big shot who is exiled to the role of local sheriff in a quiet Southern town. When an old friend's son is murdered by Mafia goons, Mark is called in to take down the bad guys in typical Schwarzenegger fashion. Faking his own death and re-emerging in Chicago under the assumed identity of an ex-con, Kaminsky infiltrates the mob organization and takes them down with an arsenal of awesome firepower. From taking down a mob foe in a car chase to driving a confiscated cement truck through an underground casino, Arnold gets to have plenty of fun while kicking his usual butt.

"Raw Deal" is a little bit longer than it should be and is overly talky at times but there are some solid moments to be had here. Any movie that has Arnold blasting his way through a gravel pit to the sounds of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" can't be all bad. The musical score was one of my favorites at the time that I saw it and the supporting cast including Darren McGavin, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, and Ed Lauter are all exceptionally talented and equally underrated. While far from a box office hit or even one of his most noteworthy flicks, "Raw Deal" is a bad-ass little movie that is actually very underrated in my opinion. It's never gonna get the kind of love as Arnie blockbusters like "The Terminator" and "Predator" but it's still worth the price of admission for any true action fan looking for some bullet-riddled fun on a Saturday night. Anyone looking to buy on VHS, may want to avoid the full-screen Video Treasures release as some copies contain the TV edit.

This Movie is BAD
Raw Deal is the perfect example of a action packed dud. I am a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but i have to say he is halarious when hes trying to be serious. This film is the weakest link out of Schwarzenegger's long list of films. Raw Deal is a really bad movie.

Not one of Arnold's better Efforts
Raw Deal was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earliest movies and it shows. He was particularly stiff and didn't seem entire comfortable or believable in his role as an Ex-FBI agent brought back in by his old boss (Darren McGavin) to take down a mob boss in Chicago.

Built from the same cookie cutter formula as Commando, Raw Deal is unapologetic brain-in-neutral action cheese. The acting is irrelevant; the dialogue is irrelevant... all that matters is the action, translated as the fact of a fistfight, chase sequence, and/or gun battle every few minutes. It doesn't even really matter why everyone's fighting, just as long as they do in fact fight and the audience is able to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Robert Davi plays the mob boss' second in command and as usual, brings a strong villianous edge to his role. He doesn't trust Arnold who is undercover as an up and coming Mob hood.

Schwarzenegger is truly in his element here, falling easily into the generic stereotype role that can best be described as "another muscular hero played by Arnold". He wears the part like a glove, and he's smart enough to know that the movie he's making is "B" grade cheese, a fact that he runs with when delivering his dialogue with an implied wink. One scene in particular comes to mind where he's about to drive a tow truck into a restaurant window, and he politely asks the people standing near the truck "Excuse me, but could you move to the side a little bit?" His method of delivery is dead on; it's plain to see that Arnold has a full grasp on the comedic elements afforded by the script and that he's having a good time. "You should not drink and bake" is another wonderfully delivered side-splitter, though nothing tops the tip o' the hat query of "Who do you think I look like? Dirty Harry?"

All in all, pretty mindless, but harmless popcorn fun. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This curious episode re-introduced the meddling Q (John de Lancie) to the show, following the quasi-villain's key role in The Next Generation's two-part pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint." Establishing a pattern for all his visits to the Enterprise, Q simply pops up on the starship's bridge while Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) makes haste for an important mission. In this instance, Q transports key personnel (Data, Geordi, Tasha, Wesley, Worf, and Riker) to a barren planet, where they battle horrid creatures wearing the uniforms of Napoleon's army. Most importantly, Q bestows his powers onto Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who then struggles not to use them--and fails spectacularly. The script by series staff writer Maurice Hurley (under the pen name C.J. Holland) was stripped of action by Gene Roddenberry in favor of a talky, philosophical approach to questions concerning human destiny. Things look and feel even more dry on the alien planet set, which looks like a holdover from the zero-budget third season of the original series. More positively, a climactic scene in which Riker attempts to grant his Enterprise friends their most cherished dreams is quite singular in its ensemble work and drama.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (5)

We learn about the ethical code of the "Q" continuum
This episode is in many ways a combination of two of the episodes of the original series. When "Q" is on the desert planet with Riker and some of the other officers, his speech and mannerisms are very similar to those of Trelane in "The Squire of Gothos." Riker is granted the power of the "Q", which is similar to what happened to Gary Mitchell in "Where No Man Has Gone Before." However, unlike Gary Mitchell, while Riker grows very arrogant, he maintains his fundamental humanity and does not turn into a monster that must be destroyed.
The most significant event in the episode takes place in the conversation between Riker and "Q" on the surface of a desert world. "Q" admits to Riker that the "Q" continuum is concerned that humanity is advancing quickly and they believe that over thousands of years, the human species may even advance beyond what the "Q" can do. At first, this seems absurd, as the relative evolutionary development between humans and the "Q" is roughly equivalent to that between humans and microbes. However, this demonstrates that the "Q" are governed by a very severe code of ethics when it comes to their interaction with humans. Even though "Q" treats the Enterprise and her crew like toys, the fact that the continuum is concerned about the potential of humans means that he is essentially powerless to affect it in any substantial way. With their tremendous power to alter time and space, it would be a simple matter for the "Q" continuum to eliminate any potential threat that humans may pose.
In the end, Riker renounces his powers and "Q" is forced to return to the continuum against his will, much like Trelane was forced to do. Nevertheless, we learn that even the "Q" have their limits, although we do not know if they are self-imposed or a requirement of an even more powerful authority. I rank it barely in the top quarter of TNG episodes.

"Oh, your species is always suffering and dying."
John de Lancie has always done an outstanding job whenever he has guest-starred as the mischievous and omnipotent Q. The unique interplay Q had with the crew, especially with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), was always amusing to watch as he never failed to cause some trouble whenever he could. In fact, Q-episodes actually developed into its own sub-genre of Star Trek: The Next Generation with many of them still remaining fan-favorites. Yet, every now and then there came along a clunker Q episode and "Hide and Q" was one of them.

Q intercepts the Enterprise-D as it is heading to a planet that has just experienced a terrible mining disaster. The entity grants Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) the powers of Q so that he can be studied by the Continuum. Eventually Riker comes to the conclusion that being a God is not all it is cracked up to be and declines Q's gift in order to remain with the Enterprise.

"Hide and Q" is one of the more serious Q outings that just comes across as too heavy-handed and too narrow in scope. The notion of having God-like powers given to Riker is intriguing but instead of exploring how this development will redefine his place in the universe and the implications of accelerated evolution, we are treated to Riker performing parlor tricks for his fellow crew members. "Hide and Q" had a chance to explore genuinely profound ideas but instead chose to limit its ambition by only exploring how Riker's friends would react to his new place in the galactic food chain.

Hide and Q ..........or Q Number 2?
Q Number 2?

In this poignant episode; the notorious Q decides that Riker is to become another member of the continuum. He takes his away team and Wesley and Worf perish in the first half of the episode! It's how Riker decides to bring them back that makes this story a keeper. This is what tempts him to the dark side.

Aboard the bridge, Picard has to deal with a first officer with the power of a God. Riker takes it upon himself to attempt to cure Geordi's blindness, make Data human and Wes into a mature man. It's the outcome of this tele-play that makes this one that I call a Q classic.

The Last Temptation of Riker, Courtesy of Q
One thing you have to admire about the Next Generation series is that they showed admirable restraint when it came to appearances by Q (and the same for Lwaxana Troi). Apparently the Q Continuum finds some hope for humanity on the basis of the Farpoint Station test and have decided to invite Commander Riker to join the Q. Given the power of the Q, Riker uses them to restore Worf and Wesley to life after the pair are killed during one of Q's little tests. Picard persuades Riker not to give into the temptation, but Riker's will power is put to the test during a particularly brutal rescue mission to Sigma III when he looks at the dead and wounded. Rethinking his decision, Riker uses his power to provide "gifts" to the bridge crew: Wesley becomes ten years older, Geordi is given sight, and Worf is provided with a Klingon female. However, when Data refuses the chance to be human, Riker and the others rethink exactly what they are being offered.

"Hide and Q" is one of the more thoughtful episodes from the first season although I always think Jonathan Frakes looks so baby-faced without his beard in these early episodes. The idea of Q as a meddlesome presence to the Enterprise's mission is being developed, but without the constant comic twists that will become standard fare. This is not only the second episode with Q, but also the second time the series explores the Riker character (see: Episode 7, "The Last Outpost"). At this point in the development of the Next Generation, Commander Riker is the Away Team Leader as the series tries to avoid the "Kirk beams down into danger" paradox that has the captain repeatedly putting himself into harm's way because he is the hero of the show and that is what heroes do. Eventually Riker's leadership abilities will be developed in other ways. The brief look into the hopes and dreams of the various characters is much more satisfying that the too little, too early examinations in "The Naked Now" (Episode 3).

Hide & Q
This episode marks the second appearance of the entity known as Q. Q gives Commander Riker the power of Q in an attempt to make Riker one of the Q. To this end, Q places the crew of the Enterprise in some 'games' to tempt Riker to join with him.

All in all it's not a bad episode for the first season. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"The Naked Now" is a must-own for all TNG fans. Who cares if it's basically a retread of the original series' "Naked Time" or that it breaks out every Star Trek cliché in the book? This episode lays the groundwork for fundamental relationship story lines that take seven years to unfold. Thanks to some nasty alcoholic space bug, the crew of the Enterprise-D loses all inhibition and has a good ol' time. See Picard and Doctor Bev get hot and heavy. Watch in awe when Troi asks Riker "Don't you want to be alone with me in your mind?" Find out what "fully functional" really means whether you want to or not. Of course, all good things must come to an end. (Un)fortunately, Dr. Crusher finds a cure and Wesley saves the day. "Naked Now" is so joyously and transcendentally bad, it's good. A number one guilty pleasure among TNG fans everywhere. --Kayla Riggney ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Interesting Episode Quite a crowd pleaser.
This is the second episode of TNG's first season making it the Second episode of the series. Officially is is listed as episode 3 because the pilot episode was a 2 part or "double" episode.

This episode is a spin-off of the TOS episode "The Naked Time" Basically the same type of thing happens. In this episode the Enterprise meets up with the U.S.S. Tsiolkovsky, in observing a star that is about to go nova (Named after the great Russian physicist and rocket scientist, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky if you look closely you will notice that one of the plaques on the ship is written in Russian) The crew is acting in a strange manner. They then, in their drunken-like state blow out the hatch, decompressing much of the ship. The Enterprise crewbeams over to find the ship is a mess. The entire crew is dead, there are clothes strewn all over the corridors, naked people in one of the crew quarters with the environmental controls set to a winter-like condition. One crew member is found in a shower stall fully-clothed. The Enterprise crew returns to their ship and the ship is contaminated.

The Transporter's Bio filter and decontamination is unable to filter out the contaminant. It is a set of water-based molecules that are in a chemical like state that when passed on to a human, will affect the human body like alcohol. Now eventually the whole crew becomes "drunk", the star is about to go nova at any minute and the ship's controls have been taken over by Wesley!

This is a great episode and in it we leard about Data's full functionality. and the "multiple techniques" he is programmed with. The documenatry "Trekkies goes into this as well"

A poor retread of an episode in the original series
This is the first episode of Star Trek TNG that I saw and I was not impressed. It is a remake of episode 7, "The Naked Time" of the original series, so my first impression was that TNG would consist of storylines from the original series. Secondly, it lacked the panache of the original episode, having nothing to equal the dash of Sulu swashbuckling his way around the ship. Furthermore, and by far the worst feature, was that once the crew of the new Enterprise found the historical reference, all they had to do to stop the spread of the disease was to avoid touching each other. It was like they had never heard of biological isolation suits. They go around touching each other and then saying, "Oh no, I touched you and now I have it." These are not the actions of Star Fleet officers and they appeared to be pathetic bumblers.
Few of the actors seem able to carry off the role of acting intoxicated, and that is another problem. When the crew of the original series were infected, they acted out their repressed psychoses, which is quite different from pretending to be a stumbling drunk. Sulu was never more dynamic than when he was chasing his shipmates around with a sword. Captain Kirk was never more troubled than when his fears were uncontrollably bubbling to the surface.
Fortunately, the producers were wise enough to avoid doing this again, creating story lines either independent of the original series or having only a secondary relationship. The only redeeming feature of this episode is that it forces the characters to interact with each other, so we are able to see some of the underlying dynamics in their relationships.

I Liked The Episode!
Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of my favorite television shows and when they were still making new episodes it was the only show that I would be unhappy if I missed an episode. The Naked Now may not be the best episode of the series but I think it was pretty good and I enjoyed watching it and I like that they played homage to the Original Star Trek series episode The Naked Time. It was a nice tie-in to that show! As everyone knows this is the episode where the crew is exposed to some kind of highly contageous virus that makes the infected individuals act as though they drank too much booze and are very drunk. I'm not sure if the humor in this episode with Data the android acting as though he was drunk was intentionally funny or not but it sure was funny! which resulted in some I have this episode on video and I'm hoping to someday buy the complete seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD.

"It never happened."
It is still not clear whether "The Naked Now" was meant to be a homage to the original Star Trek episode "The Naked Time," a sequel to that episode, or whether it was just a plain repeat performance of it, but it is clear that this was one of the less inspired episodes of the first season.

After beaming over to the derelict U.S.S. Tsiolkovsky, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) starts to exhibit some curious behavior upon returning to the Enterprise-D. It turns out that LaForge has become infected by a substance that causes anyone infected by it to lose their inhibitions. Eventually most of the Enterprise's crew becomes infected and the ship is placed in imminent danger as it finds itself in close proximity to a collapsing star with its engines disabled.

The decision to go with this story so early in Star Trek: The Next Generation's run seems a little puzzling. "The Naked Time" was noteworthy because it showed viewers aspects of Captain Kirk's crew that we had never been privy to before. However, since most of the characterizations of the Next Generation's crew had not been firmly established yet, showing the "other" sides of these characters had a rather muted dramatic effect since we were not yet used to the "normal" personas of these characters. This episode might have worked better had it been saved for one of the later seasons. Still "The Naked Now" was not a total lost cause as it did put to rest all questions over just how compatible Data (Brent Spiner) could be with a humanoid.

Sequels from the Original Series
The third episode, "The Naked Now", is the sequel to the Original Series episode, "The Naked Time." The story opens with a Federation science vessel, the U.S.S. Tsiolkovsky, studying a star, on the verge of going supernova. During the mission, the crew of the ship is exhibiting strange behavior, until one person of the crew blows a emergency hatch, killing the Tsiolkovsky's entire crew. The U.S.S. Enterprise is ordered to investigate, and finds that most of the crew are frozen, someone has been playing with the environmental controls, letting the heat suck out into space. Not long after, Geordi complains that Sickbay is too hot. It prompts Dr. Crusher to keep Geordi under observation.

Slowly, more crewmembers fall prey to the same strange feelings, prior to the Tsiolkovsky crew's deaths. ... Read more

Reviews (54)

A nearly flawless experience
This is a masterful movie by director Juzo Itami. It is a story of the truck-drivin' cowboy Goro who strolls into town, sets things right and rides off into the sunset. Rather than kill the bad guys however, he helps a widow become sucessful running her late husbands ramen shop. Itami lends a mosiaic quality to the movie with many character sketches about food's pervasive influence on human behaviour. Tsutomu Yamazaki who plays Goro, and Nobuko Miyamoto who plays Tampopo, both from Itami's "A Taxing Woman", give wonderful performaces. The DVD contains a complete filmography that is a great window into Itami's other works. The DVD is letterbox and looks good. The sound is 3-channel, Japanese only with English subtitles selectable. The timing on the subtitles is at times sloppy, which is too bad since it is a subtitle-only release. I would have liked very much to see directors commentary but language may have restricted this. The DVD gets 4 stars for minor subtitle issues, and lack of more deluxe treatment, but I give the story, and my review, 5 stars. This is really a must have, in a decent package for a foreign film.

Dandelions, Cowboys and the perfect Ramen
"Tampopo" is one of those rare films that just...works. Every piece of it is perfect, combining to form a more flavorful whole, like a well-made dish of ramen noodles. Itami was inspired for this film, and it is easily one of the best Japanese films ever made.

Japanese culture is filled with a love of food. Japanese travel brochures are filled, not with pretty sights and adventures, but with photos of local delicacies and dishes. Food questing is a popular hobby, with each person knowing a local favorite shop, or a master chef. Restaurants also tend to specialize, often serving only one dish such as ramen or udon noodles. "Tampopo" perfectly captured this national obsession, creating a story that is undeniable Japanese. Goro and Tampopo's search for the perfect broth, the most delicious way to cut meat and such is an honest and charming portrayal.

There is plenty going on in this film, with the sexual subplot of the gangster and his lover exchanging food and sex, or the young executive fluent in French cuisine. Each vignette forwards the tone. Along with this is the marriage of the samurai and the cowboy in the character of Goro, and the delicate strength of Tampopo herself.

You really can't go wrong with this film.

You will be hungry for real ramen!
It can be very difficult to describe this movie and what the premise or plot is. Oh, there is the central plot, make no mistake, but the entirity of the film is a flurry of sub-stories and vignettes that act like ingredients to the ever-present ramen (Japanese noodle soup) otherwise known as this brilliant gem out of Japan. The bottom line, the final product is a fancifal tale based around food and how our lives are encompassed by it, how we struggle with it, and most importantly how integral it is to human beings on the whole.

Tampopo also is an homage film to a few genres depending on the scene. For example, Goro (an obvious samurai reference) drives into town on a truck... with cow horns on the top! He wears the cowboy hat constantly and those themes are as thick as the noodles he's seeking out. There is also a tribute to Chaplin/Keaton and the silent comedies with one of the vagabonds in his efforts to make a rice omelette. There are a few mob movie shots as well, including the semi-narrator or guide of the man in the white suit. Beyond celebrating these genres, though, as well as film itself, this really is a story about food.

Tampopo is a widowed soup cook who can't really make soup. Ramen, one of the staple Japanese foods, is as varied and unique in stores throughout the town as there are chicken soup recipes in the US. She can't seem to make a good bowl, though, and Goro feeling bad for her, decides to stay on and help her out with the help of his sidekick Gun. Along the way, they pick up a colorful band of characters each with his own addition to the recipe and technique that helps Tampopo understand the importance of finding that perfect bowl of Ramen.

Light-hearted, more than a bit hilarious, and full of twists and turns, Tampopo is definitely one of the best movies to come out of Japan. Aside from comedy or possibly drama, one would be hard-pressed to try to define this movie as the movie more defines itself and others like it. A life story for sure, definitely a good laugh, and a little eye-opening at times, too. Not for children, though, as there is some nudity and minor violence. Film buffs should already own this movie and anyone else who has a love of film or a desire for one of the most fun movies ever made, pick this one up. You will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

Warning
This DVD is in my garbage. I bought it for a young person who is learning Japanese. There is some good stuff, humor, cooking, but the cruelty is such that I could not give it to her. The worst is the live, struggling small turtle being sliced straight down, all along the body, just behind the head in front of the shell. There are also some unpleasant sex scenes, including a man stimulating a young woman by placing a container of live fish to wiggle against her bare abdomen. What a disappointment!

Still Tastes Great
I watched this one with a group of friends last night... it's been about 15 years since my first viewing and 8 since the last one. It's still brilliant, quirky and as enjoyable as ever.

A very John Wayne like truck driver plays noodle guru to a single mom struggling to be a master noodle chef. A whole host of characters are brought in to assist and some very unlikely types prove to have esoteric food knowledge. This is a quest for enlightenment in guise of perfect ramen.

The main story is broken by 2 and 3 minute glimpses into amusing (and at times bizarre) but totally unrelated stories revolving around food (with the food-sex connection illustrated vividly).

One of my favourite films. ... Read more

Reviews (71)

The Merchant Ivory Team finally misfires
Over the years we have learned to expect films of great beauty, intelligence, style, and elegance from the entire team at Merchant Ivory. Why they chose this slight piece of fluff when they are used to illuminating EM Forster, Henry James, etc remains a mystery. Essentially this story is a battle of FrancoAmerican social amenities (or lack thereof) contrived over an abrupt divorce: French husband leaves pregnant American wife for a married lover and the ambiguites of French divorce proceedings conflict with American ones with a American owned French hierloom painting by La Tour as the dangling 'miscreant'. The script is poorly devised, though the idea of half of the film being democratically spoken in French has its merits. The cinematography is nice: when doesn't Paris look stunning? But the real jolt in this unsuccessful venture is the waste of using actors of the highest quality to try to make this fluff merit attention. Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Leslie Caron, Stockard Channing, Glenn Close, Stephen Fry, Sam Waterston, Thierry Lhermitte, Matthew Modine etc have the grace to seem serious about the project, but their performances are flat due primarily to the script, but also to the direction (or lack thereof). One is reminded of Robert Altman's films, casting 'stars' in minute moments just to validate an otherwise pallid project. Not a film to recommend.

Beautiful to Look at, But Awfully Unfunny and Unpleasant
Excuse me if I sound too harsh, but I have to say this. James Ivory film was never so humorless and pointless as "Le Divorce," wasting everything and everyone who must have gathered here simply because of the name of the director. Sorry that I have to say so, but it was a painful experience to sit through the two hours watching this mess.

The premise based on the bestselling novel of the same title is promising. Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson are American sisters. Naomi is married to a French, who turned out unfaithful at the beginning of the film, and we see him leaving the apartment in Paris, where Kate arrives at the exact moment when he ditches (when his wife is pregnant). Naomi's character Roxeanne refuses to divorce (for no other reason than ... well, we are not allowed to know), while Kate's sister Isabel falls in love with a guy (and husband), watching him in a show on TV.

Now, it should be the time for hilarious culture-clash comedy, or at least some good romantic comedy against the backdrop of the beautiful city of Paris. And Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson can really act, as you know, plus you get delightful Stockard Channing as their mom flying all over from America. You also get Stephen Fry, Bebe Neuworth, Jean-Marc Barr, Leslie Caron, and even Glenn Close.

And what happened? A mess. A real mess. Don't be mistaken, please. The photography is great, showing the charms of the city. And I do not particlulary disagree with the descriptions of the French. Well, they may not like talking about money; they do not care much about infidelty; no, no, I just don't know these things, but the film suggests so.

The real problem is its characters, or the way the film shows them on the screen. In short, you can relate to none of them. French may act like this, but the problem is, THE FILM FAILS TO MAKE THEM CHARMING. It is quite unfunny to see a pregnant woman deserted unless the hubby in case has some redeeming quality. In "Le Divorce" there is none. And you see wrist-cutting; stalker, and murder. What do these things mean?

Or see Kate Hudson. It is quite disheartening for us to see a grown-up American female (and played by Kate 'Penny Lane' Hudson') fall in love with a cardboard character, simply because he looks great and speaks French. And it seems that Kate thinks he is gorgeous (actually, he is not) and marvellous even after she knows that she is just one of many affairs. If this is a typical case of love in France, the film should be dealt with more delicate touch and convincing characters.

The sub-plot about the painting is just as uninteresting as the main one, and the film, with so many great locations, adds up to nothing. It's all about the fantastic costumes and hairduts, but the they can hardly cover up the fact that "Le Divorce" is awfully empty and its values are quite dated. Avoid it.

Le Divorce is Tres Horrible!
The trailer for this movie looked so appealing, and then I saw it. All this picture led me to think is that Kate Hudson is one of the luckiest young celebrities in show business. She can coast on the fact that Goldie Hawn is her mother and make movies that are 10 times worse than any bad flick her mother has ever made.
All Le Divorce really adds up to is another chance to shoot scenes with Kate in bed--never mind who with--period. I don't hate her as an actress, but her exceptional roles are few and far between. In fact, you could confuse her with Heather Graham.
Also, shame on Leslie Caron for being a party to this lousy endorsement of kept women in modern day France. After her portrayal of Gigi, a favorite heroin who revolts against that sort of sexism in early 1900's France, it's a slap in the face to see her play a mother-in-law who's willing to put up with it!
There's no delicate way to sum up this cinematic turkey: Le Divorce makes moi want to vomitte!

How to spend millions in a really bad movie
I'm not american and i don't know how difficult could be the relations between USA and France, but what I know is: This is the worst picture I ever saw!!!
It's a shame to watch excelent actors work on a project with no sense. Maybe the book is good but the movie is stupid. I like romantic movies but this movie sucks.

Excuse, I'm angry >(

Le Boring
I won't speak for the book because I haven't read it, and I'm not French. If I was French, however, I imagine that I might feel insulted. The movie seems to scream at the viewer that the French are evil, gauche, and utterly frivolous, while Americans are victims, innocent and pure. While neither can be the case, it is ridiculous to taut such views.

The characters in the movie as well as their interactions, comings and goings make no sense. No one has a reason for doing what they do or going where they go. Kate Hudson's character falls in love with two men that she barely knows and is in no way a support to her sister whose French husband mysteriously runs off with a Russian woman. The evil French husband then does all he can to be utterly unfair to poor Roxy (his wife). He wants to take her children, her family's painting, ie everything he can for reasons that the movie does not go into.

What bothers me more than ridiculous people doing ridiculous things for ridiculous reasons is when movie writers have cardboard cutout people do ridiculous things for reasons that are kept hidden from us. From the scene where Kate Hudson gets a strange haircut for seemingly no reason, I simply lost interest in the story.

Also, the writers were trying to elicit emotions where their wasn't sufficient development for there to be any. Examples were the murder of the cheating husband and his girlfriend, the selling of the painting, the suicide of Roxy, the mad gun battle on the Eiffel Tower, etc. Need I go on? Save your time and your money. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The starship Voyager wasn't the only vessel with a problem of finding itself too far from home. In "Where No One Has Gone Before," the Enterprise ends up at least a billion light years from Federation territory (compared to a measly 70,000 light years for Captain Janeway). The mystery of how it happened follows the arrival of an arrogant Starfleet consultant (Stanley Kamel) on the Enterprise. The insufferable guest claims he can increase engine efficiency, but the result plunges the ship into a dimension where the borders between time, space, and thought disappear. Meanwhile, Wesley (Wil Wheaton) realizes it isn't the consultant who is gifted but his subordinate, an advanced alien called "the Traveler" (Eric Menyuk). A somewhat wondrous episode, "Where No One" takes the Enterprise (and us) well beyond the usual black backdrop of space into extraordinary and beautiful territory. (Particularly haunting is a crystalline region that looks a bit like an ice cave.) The drama ratchets up when Picard and the others find their thoughts becoming reality; a tender moment between the captain and his late mother is quite special. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Where Wesley goes from a boy to an Ensign
The Enterprise is to be the subject of an experiment. An arrogant Starfleet propulsion expert comes on board with his alien assistant, claiming to be able to boost the output of the ship's engines. Even though his formulas appear to be nonsense, Picard rather tartly consents to the test, over the objections of his crew. They certainly get more than they expected, being propelled millions of light years beyond their goal. Everyone puts it down to a malfunction, but only Wesley Crusher understands that it was somehow the result of the actions of the expert's assistant.
That assistant is the only one who can return them, but in the first attempt, they enter a nether region where thoughts can become reality and the assistant, who is actually a "Traveler", grows sick and is on the verge of dying. Nevertheless, by marshalling all their thoughts, the crew of the Enterprise provides enough assistance to the Traveler so that they are able to return to their own galaxy.
This is the episode where Wesley Crusher makes the transition from "the boy" to Ensign Crusher. At the start, Picard and Riker refer to him as the boy, to the point where he has to remind them that his name is Wesley. Picard is also much more rigid in this episode than in others, until the end when he "promotes" Wesley, he is unwilling to accept dissent, cutting off all who try to explain circumstances to him.
Like some of the other early episodes, the principals are rigid and overly authoritative in their behavior. In my opinion, one of the primary reasons why the quality improves in later episodes is that the main characters become much less rigid in their actions, no doubt due in part to the actors adjusting to their roles. This episode is not one of the best, I rank it right in the middle of the group. It is most memorable for the fact that Wesley becomes a full member of the crew, opening up many plot possibilities for future episodes.

"Is Mister Kosinski what he seems? A joke?"
Certainly the most interesting development in Wesley Crusher's (Wil Wheaton) character during the first season was his initial meeting with the Traveler (Eric Menyuk) in "Where No One Has Gone Before." Not only was the Traveler the most interesting alien introduced in the early going of the series but the special bond he would form with Wesley would be integral to the evolution of the latter in future episodes.

Specialist Kosinski (Stanley Kamel) boards the Enterprise-D with boastful claims that he can magically improve the efficiency of the ship's warp engines. Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frankes) and Chief Engineer Argyle (Biff Yeager) are skeptical of their visitor but they allow him to continue with his upgrades. Wesley becomes intrigued with Kosinki's assistant, an alien called the Traveler, who turns out to be the secret behind Kosinki's past success. The truth behind the charade is exposed after the Traveler accidentally hurls the Enterprise into another dimension.

"Where No One Has Gone Before" starkly illustrates another difference the new Star Trek series would have from its predecessor. The special effects that depict the Enterprise's journey into the unknown are of feature film quality and easily outdoes anything seen on the original series. The guest stars are strong also with Menyuk turning in a very memorable performance as Wesley's future mentor. It is no surprise that the producers decided to make him a recurring character after his work in this episode. In sum, "Where No One Has Gone Before" was a welcome outing that broke a run of average episodes.

The outer regions of the Universe.
Original air date: October 26, 1988
Stardate: 41263.2

The U.S.S. Enterprise and crew bring aboard a cocky warp engines mechanic and his assistant to do tests on the starship’s new warp engines and even more.

The U.S.S. Enterprise has intercepted the U.S.S. Fearless and brings aboard a cocky warp engines mechanic named Kosinski and his assistant on board the Enterprise.

They head to Engineering and begin the first test, with the Enterprise going at warp 1.5. The assistant does a mistake and begins to dematerialize in the engine room. After that, the Enterprise goes into super-warp, going past warp 10. On the viewscreen, quasars and pulsars go flying past the Enterprise. Picard orders the starship to come to a full stop. The starship Enterprise ends up in a different galaxy than their own. La Forge calculates that the Enterprise has ended up on the far side of the Triangulum Galaxy, also known as M-33 and they left their own galaxy and passed two other ones. Picard asks Data how far they have traveled. Data says that the Enterprise has gone 2,700,000 light-years from their former position. That’s impossible! La Forge calculates that it will take the starship three centuries even at their fastest speed. Kosinski explains what happened to the Enterprise when they were in warp.

Picard asks Kosinski to do the same thing as before to get back to the galaxy they live in, and Kosinski agrees and heads back to the Engine Room. They do it again and the assistant begins dematerializing again and this time Riker sees what is happening to the ship. The Enterprise goes into super-warp and suddenly, disappears from the Triangulum Galaxy. The starship starts to shake violently. They stop again, and they aren’t in their galaxy but in another strange one. Picard asks what the place is called. Data says for his friend, “Where none have gone before.” The U.S.S. Enterprise’s present position is at least over a billion light-years from their own galaxy. Picard heads to the Engine Room and sees the alien dying. Later, in Sickbay, the alien calls himself a “traveler”. The reason the Enterprise is in this galaxy because the warp formula had thought in it. He also tells him that Wesley is special and must get the best attention like Mozart, the famous composer of the 17th and 18th centuries. As Picard tries to get to the Bridge, a crewman is thinking of fire and is trapped. Picard tells the crewman to put it out in his thoughts. It works, and he continues his duties. Picard talks to the crew to think of the Traveler or his or her duty, it might be enough to get the crew back to the Milky Way Galaxy.

Picard puts the starship on Red Alert and gets ready to go back to the Milky Way Galaxy. Counselor Troi and Lt. Yar tell Picard that there will be stress and general fear by the crew. Picard orders La Forge to set a retroactive course to get back to the Milky Way Galaxy, and The Enterprise goes to warp speed. They are getting faster and it is not enough yet. What’s worse, is that the alien is trying to dematerialize again. It was enough, and the alien disappears. What’s also great, is that the Enterprise is back in the Alpha Quadrant and back in their galaxy.

La Forge calls this trip through the universe a “sleigh ride.” Captain Picard summons Wesley and has been commissioned “Acting Ensign” Until Starfleet Academy can accept him. He is greatly pleased and accepts the offer.

This is my favourite TNG first season episode.

fan of tng
This is avery good season one episode.It was made when star trek The Next Generation was only six episodes old so the special effects and the way the actors play the characters is still a little shaky. That is the reason why I did not give it a five. Despite the things that I have just mentioned above this is a very good episode! I reccomend it to anyone who likes science fiction and appreciates good story telling. The acting is good in this episode but not as good as in other first season episodes like Heart of Glory or The Big Goodbye.However, those episodes are outstanding for the entire 177 episode run of the series.All in all it is worth getting due to the exitment and interest that the script brings to the viewer. This is a good episode to buy.

One Of My Favorites!!!!!
Where No One has Gone Before is one of my favorite TNG episodes, maybe it's just me but I actually felt sorry for Kosinski as he actually thought he had found a way to improve the warp drive and when the test backfired and they were propelled into a strange dimension he thought he had been the one who did it and when it turned out to be his assistant The Traveler who really did it he was humbled but also quite emotionally upset about it. OK, Kosinski was arrogant and standoffish but I still felt sorry for him! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This somewhat patchy drama never quite comes to life until late in the episode, when Patrick Stewart gets a chance to play Captain Picard as a man literally possessed. While escorting delegations from two feuding planets to a Federation outpost, the Enterprise passes through a mysterious cloud containing intelligent life in the form of pure energy. One such entity alternately enters the bodies of Worf (Michael Dorn), Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden), the ship's computers and, finally, Picard. The script by Dorothy Fontana, based on a story by Michael Halperin, burns up a lot of time treating the basic idea as a mystery, with Data (Brent Spiner) even going so far as to adopt the mannerisms and vernacular of Sherlock Holmes. (A dubious element, though Spiner does get some great comic mileage out of it.) Again, it's Stewart's ingenuity that makes one forget the story's problems, playing Picard in a way that seems off by a few, unsettling degrees. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (7)

An attempt to do too much in an hour
This episode suffers from attempting to do too much, and what it chooses to do is predictable. The mission of the Enterprise is to transport delegations from two different warring planets to a peace conference. One species is feline in nature, using live animals as food and obviously playing with that food for some time, as a cat does, before killing and eating it. The other species is reptilian, and each would much rather kill the other than make any attempt at peace.
The Enterprise crew is obviously disgusted with their behavior and it would have been possible to create an interesting story using this as a premise. Unfortunately, while the two species hunt each other while on the Enterprise, a truly preposterous notion, a different storyline is the main one.
On their way to the peace conference, the Enterprise alters course to investigate an energy cloud that is traveling at warp speed. As the Enterprise passes near the cloud, an energy being comes aboard, takes possession of several members of the crew and causes many systems to malfunction. The members of the crew all appear to be dunderheads, totally unable to understand what is happening. Finally, the alien takes possession of Captain Picard and embarks on a course of action where the outcome is obvious.
In no way is this one of the better episodes of TNG. It would have been a much more interesting story if the energy being had been left out and the emphasis placed on the crew's attempt to make peace between two deadly enemies, where both have applied for membership in the Federation. Despite all the time spent on the two different species, we learn nothing about what happens at the peace conference.

"Sorry, wrong species."
If there is any lesson to be learned from "Lonely Among Us," it is to steer clear of strange clouds in space that have the ability to travel at faster-than-light speeds. You never know when a discharge from the cloud will attempt to take over your body so caution is strongly advised.

The Enterprise-D beams aboard delegates from the Antican and Selay governments in order to transport them to Parliament for diplomatic negotiations. On their way to their destination, the ship encounters a cloud in space. An energy bolt from the cloud boards the Enterprise and quickly takes over the bodies of various crew members as it jumps from host to host.

The often-used "body possession" story premise produces lackluster results in "Lonely Among Us." The drama that the episode strives for is undermined by our knowledge that nothing serious is going to happen to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) once he leaves the ship and the strange B-story involving the alien delegates which vacillates between horror and comedy. In fact the entire notion of the ship being attacked by a cloud can't help but come across as goofy. Record "Lonely Among Us" as another bump in the road in Star Trek: The Next Generation's early going.

I like this video.
This movie is great. I like this movie because I'm a Star Trek fan. I like all the things this episode gives. I like the action, characters, and the acting. I highly recommend this to future fans.

One Of The Best Season 1 Episodes!
Lonely Among Us is one of the best TNG sesaon 1 episodes. A strange energy cloud briefly takes over the minds of several crew members including Worf and Dr. Crusher before finally taking over Captain Picard's mind which has him acting very strangly indeed. A very good episode!!!!

The Mysterious Cloud
The Cloud Creature

This is one of the first of what I call the mysterious cloud....or writer's block episodes. This was done better with the original series episode "Obsession." It's Star Trek tradition when ideas run dry.....throw in the mystery cloud! However, as opposed to the ones done on Voyager; this one was exciting to watch.

Picard was possessed by this cloud and it takes control of the Enterprise. Blue lightning bolts are emitted from his body when he holds the bridge members hostage. With all this happening; the cannibal diplomats aboard the ship were trying to eat one another on their way to the planet, Parliament.

I wish the writer of this episode; D. C. Fontana, was asked to stay on staff. As a former member of the original series writers; she had a tremendous amount of experience to offer. I often wonder how different the show would be with her input.

For all intents and purposes this one is worth the price of the video. It doesn't suffer from lack of action/adventure elements. The story shows us how the crew pulls together when our favorite captain is incapacitated. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Very Good Wesley Crusher Episode!
I'm a big fan of Star Trek The Next Generation and Wesley Crusher is one of my favorite characters but I do admit that they did go a little overboard at times with the whole Wesley the boy genius thing but I still like the character anyway. The First Duty is one of my favorite Wesley Crusher episodes and I believe it was the second episode that guest-starred Wil Wheaton as Wesley after he left the show as a fullfledge member of he cast. In this episode Wesley messes up big time when he is part of a coverup involving the death of a fellow Starfleet Academy cadet and this episode shows that even Wesley the boy genius can make mistakes.

Wesley the rat
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Man, I'm just havin' the time of my life at this here party! Good thing I decided to throw it, hmm? All right, time for me to open another present! Now I wonder which one I should... hey, howzabout this small rectangular one? It loo