Reviews (9)

a weird crazy trip up the Howard family tree
Dr. Crusher travels to Caldos IV (all planets in Star Trek have Roman numerals - don't forget it! Caldos was such a popular name, they had at least 4 planets! We have trillions of stars, but each star gets its own name! Why not planets?!) to attend the funeral of her maternal grandmother, Felisa Howard. We learn that Beverly's mother died when she was only a little girl and she was raised by her grandmother, so they were very close.

The colony on Caldos IV started out as a terraforming project with the sole intent of mimicing the Scottish Highlands, so bagpipes are played at the funeral and Mrs. Howard's house is a modest & traditional stone and hay country home. As the mourners leave the gravesite, Beveryly notices a dashing young man (Duncan Regehr) who tosses a camellia (Felisia's favorite flower) onto her casket and as he walks away, he looks over his shoulder and gives a heartbroken, yet seductive look to Beverly.

Beverly enters the house to gather sentimental belongings of her grandmother and she tries to tie up the loose ends in her grandmother's affairs. She catches the caretaker, Ned Quint (Shay Duffin), attempting to throw out an old brass candle holder that has been in Beverly's family for generations, and perhaps one of her most treasured family possessions. Quint claims the candle is a source of bad luck, but Beverly kicks him out of the house and is quite brusque with him.

The Enterprise stays in orbit longer than planned, to fix an unidentified power fluctuation in the weather control net on the planet, which affords Beverly more time to stay on the planet and sleep in her grandmother's house. Beverly finds her grandmother's journals and discovers that she had a young lover named Ronin for years. She falls asleep after reading the journal, having what appears to be an erotic dream, only to be awakened by a man's sultry voice. When she wakens suddenly, no one is there.

The next day, she visits the grave of her grandmother to find it covered with camellias. Continued problems w/ the weather net cause storms to break out, so she runs back to the house, to find the house filled with camellias... and once again she hears the voice of the man who woke her from her special dream. He reveals that his name is Ronin, a ghost of sorts that has loved the Howard women for 8 centuries. He begins to touch her, but she tells him to stop and he retreats.

Geordi & Data discover that Quint is behind the problems with the weather net - as he's caught, he screams a warning, "he'll kill us all!" and is suddenly killed by a plasma discharge. Beverly's tricorder scans reveal that the plasma is not what killed him.

Normally one to investigate further, she is instead drawn back to Ronin and his wiles. He tells her that lighting the family candle will keep him in corporeal (touchable) form. On the Enterprise, she lights the candle and Ronin appears to her. She resigns her post on the Enterprise and decides to become a healer on Caldos IV like her grandmother. Apparently, loving a ghost that got jiggy with her grandmother isn't creeping her out like it should be.

Data discovers energy from the cemetery similar to what killed the caretaker, Quint. Picard goes down to investigate and Ronin blasts him with his green plasma kung fu grip.

Torn between her unquenchable desire for Ronin and her loyalty to Picard, she has an epiphany as to what Ronin really is.

An interesting story, but far from the best that The Next Generation has to offer. We do see some sides of Beverly we don't normally get to see - and for character development, it's a good episode - but easily forgettable.

The Worst Episode of the Series!
Out of every episode of the long run of Star Trek: The Next Generation I have only disliked a few episodes and I have to say that Sub Rosa is the episode that I dislike the most, my #1 least favorite episode followed by Samaritan Snare at #2 and Justice at #3. Bevery Crusher is one of my favorite characters but there are much better episodes that focus on her. I think this is the worst episode of the series but of course that is just a matter of personal opinion!

Sub Rosa,...Non! Sub Standard,...Oui!
While many episodes of the series rarely focused on ship's physician, Dr. Beverly Crusher, this one does and, unfortunately, it's rather tame with little that is commendable. At the end of my initial viewing, I couldn't help but wonder the mindset behind this installment. Repeat viewings have not altered this puzzlement.

Painful
Crusher is prepared to throw in her career for the sake of her new lover, Ronin - the family ghost who has loved the women of her family since the seventeenth century. But why isn't she telling her friends what's going on? And what is the connection with the problems with Caldos II's weather control system?
Gothic romance meets Star Trek? This might have been a good idea in theory, but it didn't come off. The writing is bad and the acting is over the top. The reasons for Crusher's strange behaviour are never really made clear. The faux Scottish setting is twee. And so what if Ronin made Crusher's female ancestors very, very happy? He was a lying creep who fed on them for centuries!
I would go so far as to call this episode unwatchable.

Bizarre!
This episode where Beverly Crusher gets it on with some kind of ghostly being is the strangest episode I have ever watched, not just of a Star Trek the Next Generation episode but of any TV show period! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Deanna Troi the former empatheic counselor to the rescue
Whenever a character has special abilities, as does Counselor Troi with her empathic abilities, sooner or later you get around to an episode where they are stripped of their powers and have to see if they can function as a "normal" person. After a counseling session Troi's head explodes and she passes out. When she regains consciousness, she can no longer read emotions. Meanwhile the Enterprise encounters some unknown spacial anomlies that start dragging the ship through space. Could these two events somehow be related? (Rhetorical question, people, put your hands down.) Troi resigns as Ship's Counselor and starts lashing out at her friends as she grieves for her loss. As for the anomalies, they turn out to be a colony of two-dimensional beings who have trapped the Enterprise in their wake and are dragging it towards a cosmic string that will destroy the ship. When all the scientific solutions fail, Picard turns to Troi: if only she can help them understand the psychology of the creatures, maybe that will help save the day. After all, she lost her empathic powers; it is not like her brain was taken away by aliens or something.

The lesson her for Deanna and all those of you at home is a gentle reminder that you are more than your "special" powers. Troi has other gifts besides the ability to sense emotions and if this crisis helps her to remember this basic lesson, then that is the way it has to be. This is one of the few episodes that gives Marina Sirtis a chance to emote (without Lwaxana being around). There is also a nice scene between Troi and Riker, who, as her oldest friend aboard the Enterprise, has the privilege of telling her the truth. Certainly a much better Troi episode than "The Child," but there are much better ones to come.

One of the Weaker NG Episodes
I would recommend this episode only if you are a BIG fan of Troi or this is one of the only episodes you have yet to collect and you want the complete collection.

It attempts to show how Troi reacts when she loses her biggest assest, her emphathic powers. To me, she reacts more like a spoiled brat than a Starfleet Officer. She soon turns in her resignation as she feels she can no longer do her job effectively. In the end, of course, she regains her powers.

Besides making a marginal character look about as shallow as possible, the storyline that accompanies it is weak too. This makes my list of one of the five worst episodes of the best TV series in history

For fans of the Counselor Troi
This episode is about when Counselor Troi loses her emphatic powers that is a part of her Betazoid heritage. This causes her great anguish and pain and makes her question whether she is capable of being a counselor still. Meanwhile, the ship encounters a strange new life form and must cope with the problems that it brings. If you are a fan of Troi, then this is definitely for you! ... Read more

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First, the good news: Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) isbeing given the opportunity to captain his own ship, the Aries, on adangerous mission into a remote part of space. The bad news is that the person offering him this mission is Kyle Riker (Mitchell Ryan), his father, whom he hasn't spoken with for 15 years. Ever since his mom died, Commander Riker has had bitter feelings toward his dad, believing he was all but abandoned by the man. Elsewhere on the ship, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) has noticed that Worf (Michael Dorn) is in a particularly bad mood. With a little investigation and the help of Data and Geordi, he discovers it is the 10th anniversary of Worf's Age of Ascension, a special day that Klingons celebrate with family and pain. While Wesley figures out a way to celebrate Worf's big day, Commander Riker and his dad spar both mentally and physically, and through battle are able to say what they're feeling about each other. Trés masculine. Oh, and in a further attempt to give Dr. Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) more of a backstory, it's revealed that she used to date Kyle Riker. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Emotional pettiness has no place among commanders
Star Trek is never better when non-human cultures are being examined and it is sometimes at its' worst when emotions are involved. Star Fleet officers are subjected to the most rigorous training and psychological screening. They are clearly the best people, selected from billions of creatures in the Federation. The Enterprise is also the best ship in Star Fleet, so only the best of the best could possibly command her. Any person who commands a star ship will have enormous power, both military and economic. They possess enough power to destroy civilizations and at any time could engage in actions that could expand the Federation or plunge it into interstellar war
While human nature will remain human nature, no matter where the species goes, there are some things that just will not follow, and that is emotional pettiness. In this episode, Riker is offered the command of a Starship, where the mission is to go to a very remote place to investigate the possibility of another culture. It will take months at maximum warp to get to the location, so he will be completely autonomous. A civilian consultant to Star Fleet beams aboard to brief Riker about the mission, and it turns out to be Riker's father, from whom he is estranged. This is where the story breaks down. Riker reacts like a hurt child, at first refusing to talk with his father, and when he does, is very curt. Since Riker is being offered the command of a mission with the potential for great consequences for the Federation, an officer would not engage in such pettiness.
A secondary story concerns Worf. He is testy, even for Worf and Wesley discovers that Worf is suffering from cultural isolation. It is the tenth anniversary of his Age of Ascension, and he should engage in a ritual to mark the date. With the aid of the holodeck, Worf's friends engage in the ceremony, which involves him walking a gauntlet of Klingons armed with pain sticks. This story line improves the episode, as it gives us further insight into the Klingon culture.
While the emotional pettiness of Riker and his father drag this episode down, the events describing Klingon culture bring it back up into a good, but not great episode.

A story about Riker's Dad and a Klingon coming of age
Anbo-Jyutsu and Worf's Age of Ascension

Spoiler Alert for those of you who want to see the episode..

In this one we get to see Worf's coming of age ceremony with the Klingon Pain Sticks in the holodeck. While Wes, O'Brien and Dr. Pulaski look on.. also this one has Riker's father. He's been absent pretty much all of the time. He tells Riker he's hurting his career and has to move on. It would have been a variation of the formula if Will Riker did take command temporarily and returned to the Enterprise. I can't understand as to how he did keep turning down promotions and Starfleet still offered him the chair. Oh well, that's going to change with the new film "Nemesis."

There's no place like the Enterprise for Riker and Worf
"The Icarus Factor" is the first Next Generation episode to deal explicitly with the idea that the crew of the Enterprise has become a family. There are two plot lines in the episode, both dealing with how Riker and Worf are alienated from their families and both establishing that the spair has found a home on the Enterprise. The episode begins with a threat to our happy little family. Commander Riker has been offered command of the Aries along with a sensitive mission. Just to make things interesting the person sent to brief Riker is his father, Kyle, and it becomes very clear that these two would have to work really hard just to have a strained relationship (which involves martial arts fought blindfolded with large sticks). Meanwhile, Worf is about to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his age of ascension, but as the only Klingon in Starfleet he has no one with whom he can share the moment (which involves a ritual that uses pain sticks).

It is always interesting to me how enlightened Starfleet is by giving Riker a choice to accept a new command or not. You have to admire any sort of military structure that allows such freedom of choice, unless, of course, the episode is written so that Starfleet actually issues orders or something like that. The relationship between Riker and his father is a bit overblown: Apparently they have not seen each other for fifteen years and they can not have a civil conversation unless they are beating each other up on the holodeck. The situation with Worf offers a nice counterpoint, because his situation is more understated. Certainly the resolution to that plotline is more in keeping with the idea of family. ... Read more

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You know those aliens who give anal probes to rural farmers andperform cattle mutilations? Well, Earth is not the only focus of theirsurgical investigations, as the Enterprise is loath to discover. Asthe episode opens, Commander Riker has been having trouble sleeping. Rather,he's been falling asleep fine but waking up unrested. Soon others begin tofeel "off" in a similar way. Then Geordi somehow winds up with a foreignbacterial infection that interferes with his visor. The trouble is traced toa subspace rupture in cargo bay four. Expanding on the late-'80s phenomenonof recovered memories, a group therapy session on the holodeck reconstructsthe alien operating room that they all believe they've been taken to, givingthem comfort in knowing the alien violations are really happening. Meanwhile,the subspace rupture is expanding to the point where it may destroy theEnterprise, and they need to figure out a way to stop it. The ultimatemessage of this episode is that there are forces in the universe that we maynever understand, and it's more than likely that these forces are malevolent.Oh, and Data learns that poetry cannot be good or interesting if it's justtechnical formalism without emotional substance. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Schisms
I was searching for this episode for over a year. "Askme.com" gave me the title/episode number, and "Amazon.com" to purchase it. This was one of my favorite "Trek/NG". It was a haunting episode which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I've been around since Kirk. It's worthy of any collection.

Someone is doing weird science experiments on the crew
The Enterprise is busy mapping the Amagosa Diaspora when several of the crewmembers report unsettling visions to Counselor Troi. When she gathers Riker, La Forge and Worf on the holodeck, they are able to reconstruct an examination table that looks like something from a torture chamber. Meanwhile, in Cargo Bay 4 an area of subspace instability has suddenly appeared, and, as we all know, there are no coincidences in space...

The mystery part of "Schisms" is certainly an intriguing set-up, but the payoff is less than stellar. The scene when Dr. Crusher informs Riker than his arm is a teeny bit shorter because it had been amputated and reattached is where I start to lose it with this episode. What I do like about this episode, besides Troi getting to do her job with the bridge crew rather than some unknown person brought in just for a particular story, is that the ending is not a clean resolution. "Schisms" is certainly one of the darker STNG stories.

One of my favorites!
I love this episode because it combines your classic UFO abduction stories with Star Trek, to create a unique and exciting episode. Another thing I like about this episode is that it's probably the erriest one, especially (in my opinion, anyway) in the scene where the abductees recreate the alien craft on the holodeck. Star Trek fans will definitly get their money's worth!

one of the dumbest, most pointless STTNG episodes
This episode is a rather pointless exploration of alien abduction theories. All the suspense is contrived, and the episode never really goes anywhere, nor does it do anyhting experimental. It just sets up a situation, never resolves it, and never goes back to it later in the series. For UFO conspiracy buffs only, unless you're a completist. ... Read more

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The crew's much-needed shore leave has to be postponed when they runacross anomalies in the space-time continuum. Hiccups in time are causing occasional moments of déjà vu. The distress signal from Dr. PaulManheim (Rod Loomis), a scientist who's been working on experiments in nonlineartime, puts Picard into a bit of an emotional funk. You see, 22 years prior, Picard was supposed to meet a woman in a café in Paris--a woman whom he loved and who loved him. He stood her up for fear of being tied down by a relationship, choosing instead his Starfleet career. Needless to say, the old flame (Michelle Phillips) ended up marrying Manheim, and now it's up to Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to save them both. "We'll Always Have Paris" is an engaging examination of the personal sacrifices made bya workaholic, played against the backdrop of a smart, action-packed story. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Picard relives a moment of great weakness
On their way to a base to engage in some much-needed shore leave, the Enterprise suddenly experiences a brief looping of time. After verifying that the loop did indeed occur, they discover that it was not an isolated event, as it propagated across several thousand light years. Shortly after this, they receive a distress call from Dr. Paul Manheim, a scientist known to be conducting research in the fundamentals of time.
The situation is complicated because Manheim's wife is Captain Picard's first love, someone he was to have met in a café in Paris many years ago, but didn't due to an admitted lack of courage. Which raises the interesting human dilemma that some people who find it easy to face down physical danger fold like a cheap tent when faced with emotional danger. In order to prepare himself for meeting, Picard goes to a holodeck and has it recreate the café where the meeting was to take place.
Arriving at the laboratory, the Enterprise is able to rescue Dr. Manheim and his wife, the only two members of the research time still alive. Clearly, there is still a great deal of attraction between Picard and Mrs. Manheim, which stirs feelings of jealousy in Dr. Crusher. Dr. Manheim is phasing between dimensions, which is damaging his body, so we are once again made to suffer through more instances of Dr. Crusher saying she doesn't know what to do.
Eventually, Dr. Manheim recovers enough of his senses to explain to the Enterprise crew how to bypass the security system in his lab and heal the rift between the dimensions. Data beams down alone and manages to place antimatter in the rift at the right time so that it is sealed.
In terms of human interest with Picard as the focus, this is one of the best episodes in the series. We see him reliving his past, clearly with some sense of regret over his inability to let his emotions take some control over his life. While it is not part of the plot, it does raise the issue that perhaps that is one of the reasons why he is an excellent star ship captain. The feelings of jealousy in Dr. Crusher are also very evident, and both characters play their emotional conflicts very well. The ending scene where both Picard and Mrs. Manheim are in a holodeck simulation of the Parisian café is a classic example of two people putting closure to a part of their life. While they both still have deep feelings for each other, they clearly understand that they must part and they do so with a great deal of dignity.
The one part of the episode that I found detrimental was the role of counselor Troi, whose actions seem out of synch with the rest of the plot. When Picard first realizes that he will be meeting his first love, he obviously reacts with strong emotion. Before Picard can even leave the bridge, Troi stops him and offers him counseling services. We do not need to be told that Picard is undergoing emotional turmoil and he is rightfully annoyed at what should be considered an intrusion. Later, Troi approaches Dr. Crusher, expressing concern over her feelings of jealousy. Once again, this is an instance of over-zealous counseling. The feelings are of no danger to the ship and one would hope that the crew would be able to express natural emotions without having the counselor attempting to get involved in every instance.
Relying on one of the oldest themes in human existence, finding a long lost love, this episode shows Picard at his most vulnerable, where even he demonstrates weakness. Despite this, Picard also shows his greatest strength, in leading the Enterprise crew to the successful completion of a task that had to be done. This episode is good, but not great, slightly better than average when compared to all others.

Au contraire....
Contrary to the review "Time Distortion" just previous, I would have to say that chemistry of a former affair between the characters of Picard and Jenice was, in fact, in evidence. But this former connection was played with subtlety and maturity, not foolish hot kissing and furtive groping, as is so much in evidence on current television. The former affair would have had its after effects, years later, very plausibly in the way it was protrayed. It made an interesting foil to the time distortion story, as well as help to flesh out the human side of Picard's normally brusque character, a necessary development in the first season towards building audience interest in the new series. And it didn't hurt that Michelle Phillips was cast as Jenice - she played the part with the right mix of chic, loveliness and grace. This episode is one of my favorites, as it addresses the age-old story of lost loves, regrets, ambition, and other roads taken, all as a universal theme of the human condition.

Time Distortion
Manheim's Experiment

The highlight in this episode was not the flirtatious romance between Picard and Jenice (Michelle Phillips). It kind of fell flat because there was no chemistry between them. The effects shots that makes this one a keeper? The scenes where Data is attempting to plug the dimensional "hole" in the space time continuum. He exists in three different time lines simultaneously in the climatic scene.

The whole premise where Manheim spent his life studying time travel was tragic. A miscalculation put him in multi-dimensions. Why the producers threw in the former romance is a mystery to me. There was no spark between Philips and Stewart that led me to believe that at one time they loved each other.

Data saves the episode in this one. It was the only saving grace that put this one in my first season favorites list. I can understand how the producers must save money for the season. However, a little character conflict might have made this a dramatic episode. I see the contrast in the episodes done on Voyager and how far the producers have come in making the series more interesting for viewers.

Time to reveal Jean-Luc Picard's tragic romantic past
After reality starts to replay itself all over the ship, the Enterprise receives a distress call from the famous Dr. Paul Manheim. Fifteen years previously Manheim and his group of young scientists had disappeared trying to prove the doctor's theories concerning time. On Vandor IV the crew find everyone dead except for the doctor and his wife, Jenice. When the time distortions continue, Manheim confesses his experiments opened a rift to another dimension and if they can not seal this rift then reality will no longer exist, the laws of the universe will be undone, and life as we know it will come to an end. But more important than all that, we learn 22 years earlier Jean-Luc Picard had broken off a love affair with Manheim's wife!

As the first season of Next Generation draws to a close we have a belated effort to developed Picard as a romantic figure, although having Michelle Phillips play the role of Jencie is a very good start indeed. The series had began with the captain being pretty much the anti-Kirk and a celibate father-figure, career officer, who was married to his job. Ironically, in the end Picard will prove to be much more of a romantic figure than Riker, who was clearly set up to be the smooth talking stud on the show. The climax of this episode, where a trio of Datas have to figure out which one is at the correct point in the time continuum to seal the rift, is well done and a very nice last second hurdle to be overcome in solving the problem. It is that payoff to the other plotline which elevates "We'll Always Have Paris" above the melodrama of Picard's imitation "Casablanca" tragic past (For added fun, think of how the title applies to the crisis part of the episode rather than the romantic part). ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Star Trek's most pivotal & influential moment...
The two-part cliffhanger "The Best of Both Worlds" reacquainted the viewing audience with Star Trek's most relentless alien foes the Borg. The end of Part One disturbed viewers with the visage of Captain Picard, captured by- and assimilated into- the Borg collective. Now he is Locutus, one of the enemy, fighting against his former shipmates and comrades, his knowledge and experience involuntarily used against them. How can one possibly defeat an enemy who knows you almost as well as you know yourself? Find out in part two...

Considered by Trekkie (yes, TREKKIE) consensus to be the best two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Best of Both Worlds" also launched NextGen into a fourth TV season, surpassing the Original Series' run.

"The Best of Both Worlds" and its repurcussions would also have the greatest impact on future Star Trek continuity. A few subsequent NextGen episodes and the "First Contact" movie would feature Picard coming to grips with and facing his darkest nightmares about his forced assimilation into the Borg collective mind. Benjamin Sisko of "Deep Space Nine" was introduced facing a Borg attack directed by Locutus. The Voyager crew has a former Borg crew member.

To sum it all up: it's my belief that "The Best of Both Worlds" showcased Star Trek at it's absolute best. It set the standard which, in my opinion, has yet to be surpassed by any subsequent Trek movie or episode. If you've been looking for Star Trek's most pivotal & influential moment, look no further... you've found it!

Star Trek:The Next Generation at its best!
They are from the deepest reaches of the Delta Quadrant; they call themselves the Borg. Half-humanoid, half machine, their only goal is total perfection using one sole strategy-the assimilation of whole worlds, cultures, and races. They are relentless, chilling, and almost unstoppable. Which is why its no wonder that they have been voted Star Trek's favorite villain! The Best of Both Worlds deals with the Borg (first encountered in 2nd season episode "Q Who?") invading the Federation. The U.S.S. Enterpise-D is sent to buy time for a Starfleet Armada assembling at Wolf 359, but in the process, Captain Picard is captured, assimilated, and becomes known as Locutus of Borg. With Picard's past experience, the Borg are able to decimate the armada and its up to the Enterpise and Commander Riker to stop them before they reach Earth. This truly is the best episode of the second Star Trek series. It also gave way to other Borg two parters, including "Descent", "Scorpion", "Dark Frontier", and "Unimatrix Zero". The only downside is that we only see the graveyard of Wold 359 but two years later, we would see the actual battle during the pilot for "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Thus, remember that freedom is irrelevant and resistance is futile!

The best Star Trek
Okay, I raise my hands in admittance, I'm a Babylon 5 fan, not a Star Trek fan. But before you hurl injurous objects at me and assault me outmoded farming implements let me say that there is more than enough room on TV for both of them. There, let us stop bickering and stop sulking B5 fans.

This is the best Star Trek. The idea behind the Borg is horrific. They just keep on coming. Healing within seconds and constantly adapting they are a terrible foe to whom the galaxy probably belongs in the future. Against them they have The USS Enterprise and it's highly skilled (and highly flukey) crew. The best thing about this two parter is that the Borg make all the right moves. They do nothing stupid that allows the federation gain the upper hand, they are ready for anything the good guys can throw at them. This obviously has Starfleet on the run and for a while it looks like the Borg are going to win this one. The assimilation of Picard (played by the stupendously ace Jean Luc Picard, who is the best actor around currently, and not because he comes from my home town, nyaah rasp) is genuinely chilling and the calmness of the Borg as they attack is unnerving. The Borg are indeed the best villains ever!

There are a couple of flaws with this though. The massacre of Starfleet isn't shown which is quite damning considering if they did it would be the dramatic equivilent of whacking friend viewer around the back of the head by a two by four. Also everything after the show returns to good old hunky dory. Bah. More psychological scars and long term consequences next time, please! Still, it is exciting and the acting is of a high standard. It is the equivilent to Babylon 5's 'Coming of Shadows' and 'The Long Twilight Struggle'. Only in those two the good guys lose. Nyuk nyuk.

The main problem is that now the new Star Treks have squandered the Borg shamelessly. They have junked everything that made them chilling, introducing individuality (see well done but conceptually wrong Borg queen and Hugh) and those bloody 'Quantum torpedoes' which gives Starfleet a handy excuse for taking on cubes and winning. And now they've introduced a more powerful enemy... which they beat by using technobabble! Aiee! Bring back the grim nightmare of proper Borg. Anyway, buy this and enjoy.

Good videos
My review is about the review done by James A. Reynolds III. All of his reviews are worthless. He never gives insight about the game, movie, book, etc. He just spews the same Taliban-like crap from right-wing conservative morons. Leave your political views out of the reviews. If you want to continue to make these stupid remarks, go to Foxnews.com. Fox news - they lie & you comply.

Interesting Tale, But A Lost Opportunity To Enlighten
This pivotal two-parter, for those of you just back from Mars, entailed Capt. Picard's capture and assimilation by the Borg, the cybernetic creatures. The action in these episodes revolves around the Enterprise crew's efforts to destroy the Borg and retrieve Capt. Picard.

However, the writers passed up a stupendous opportunity to portray life as it can and ought to be. When the Enterprise crew was attacked by the Borg, Worf and the others responded by trying to kill them (and they kept trying, though the Borg could adapt to every weapon employed).

What if the Enterprise crew had, after the first attack, asked itself, "Why do they hate us?" The Enterprise folks should have spent a substantial amount of time analyzing which of their own failings and misdeeds were instrumental in provoking the Borg attack. Capt. Picard should have then formed a coalition, perhaps engaging the United Nations, and sent representatives to negotiate with the Borg. Resolutions could have been passed, and inspectors sent to ensure that the Borg complied with the resolutions. The Enterprise crew could have been FAR more compassionate, diverse, tolerant and inclusive toward the Borg -- but instead, they just tried to kill them, and neutralize the threat. They acted without regard for how other planets might have felt about them. They simply wanted to destroy the Borg, and end the threat.

That doesn't sound like enlightened space travelers. It sounds like a bunch of unilateral cowboys. They prevailed over the Borg attackers, but that's beside the point. They should have been more gentle, more tolerant, more diverse and understanding in their dealings with the Borg terrorists. They should have appeased them. That would have taught those Borg a lesson, all right. ... Read more