Reviews (2)

Repellent attitudes
As a Star Trek story, this is standard fare, combining environmental disaster, conflict between characters, a holodeck problem, and a Prime Directive dilemma. Yes, it's well made and reasonably well-written. But it lacks emotional depth, and more was needed to explain Nikolai's actions and the difficult relationship between him and Worf. And I just don't believe that anyone could transport all those people into the holodeck with no-one noticing.
I've taken one star off because of the repellent atttitudes the crew of the Enterprise display in this episode. They will not lift a finger to intervene and save the Boraalans, which they could easily do without the Boraalans ever noticing. There seems to be no place for compassion or mercy in their world, as they flatter themselves that they are acting with nobler aims than is Nikolai. Picard's posturing was particularly annoying. Where would he and his crew be if Q had not shown them some mercy in "Q-Who"?

Another Prime Directive Fiasco involving Worf's "Brother"
The Enterprise responds to a distress call from Dr. Nicholai Rozhenko, the human stepbrother of Lt. Worf, who is on Boral Two. The planet's atmosphere will disappear in 30 hours ending all life. The problem is that Rozhenko is a Federation cultural observer who has broken the Prime Directive by setting up a force field over same caves nearby a Boralan village. Disguising himself as a native, Rozhenko led the villagers into the cave. Captain Picard refuses to set up atmospheric shields to provide the villagers with long term projection, so Rozhenko ups the ante: he creates an exact replica of the caves on the Holodeck and beams the Boralans on the Enterprise as their planet's atmosphere disappears. Now Picard needs to find a new home for the Boralans while Rozhenko and Worf lead them on a "journey" to their new home.

Having pretty much exhausted the possibilities of Worf's Klingon heritage, the series brings back his human family for another one of those episodes that reminds us that Starfleet believes the universe is served by letting planets of people die because they have not achieved warp drive and are therefore unworthy of belonging to the Federation. You would think at some point somebody in the history of Starfleet would have raised some objections, ethical or otherwise. Of course, the situation is contrived so Picard cannot simply beam the Boralans back to their lifeless planet. The relationship between Worf and his brother seems forced, while the subplot regarding Picard and the man who keeps the chronicle scrolls for the village (who manages to wander off the Holodeck) carries the emotional weight of "Homeward." This is an average STNG episode, burdened by the unnecessary stepbrother relationship of the Rozhenkoes, which adds nothing to the larger questions "Homeward" tries to raise. ... Read more

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"Give me two good actors in a room," said frequent DS9 and Next Generation director Winrich Kolbe in Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman's book Captains' Logs Supplemental, "and I prefer that over six bad actors hanging from a rope on the Matterhorn."

Kolbe got his wish in "Armageddon Game," one of the early DS9 episodes to highlight the superb chemistry between costars Colm Meaney (who plays chief engineer Miles O'Brien) and Alexander Siddig (known as Siddig El Fadil at the time, and the actor portraying Dr. Bashir). The two Starfleet characters are assigned to a laboratory orbiting T'Lani III to implement an agreement between the feuding T'Lani and Kellerun societies, who wish to dismantle a biochemical warfare system known as the Harvester. Before the chief and the physician can finish the job, however, Kellerun soldiers overrun the lab and O'Brien is exposed to the Harvester's dangerous contents.

A number of times on DS9, Bashir and O'Brien find themselves in harm's way together, allowing the show's writers (Morgan Gendel in this case) and directors (such as Kolbe) to bring a rare sort of actorly texture to the proceedings. Meaney and Siddig simply click together with their excellent, often funny dialogue, some of it quibbling, much of it pure banter about the most human, everyday things: family, love, decisions once made, etc. A very rewarding show. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (2)

O'Brien and Bashir, presumed dead but still arguing away
Chief O'Brien and Doctor Bashir, Deep Space Nine's resident odd couple, are overseeing the T'Lani and the Kellerun as they destroy their weapons stockpile of "harvesters." Assassins attempt to kill the officers, so that no one will ever be able to recreate the weapons, but O'Brien and Bashir escape. However, the Chief is infected by the final batch of harvesters. The T'Lani and Kellerun ambassadors report the death of the two Starfleet officers and even provide a clip of O'Brien causing the accident that killed them. However, Keiko insists the record is false because Miles never drinks coffee in the afternoon.

This is an average but still solid episode of DS9, offering this particular pair of Star Trek characters a chance to return from the dead. Most of the fun in the episode is the way O'Brien and Bashir snipe at each other, no matter what else is going on around them. However, the best part of this episode is the nice little comic twist at the end. I have to admit, I never saw that coming and I do not think anybody else did either.

A pretty good episode
This was a pretty good episode. It mainly focuses on O'Brien and Bashir's frienship when the two are trapped on a planet. Although nothing groundbreaking, it is entertaining and contains a pretty cool battle sequence. ... 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

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Geordi in the Next Generation version of a classic war tale
The Enterprise responds to an unknown distress call from Galorndon Core, an uninhabited planet wracked by constant storms. Riker, Worf and La Forge beam down and discover a Romulan craft that has crashed. Searching for survivors, Riker and Worf find a wounded Romulan and are forced to beam back before they can find La Forge. While the Enterprise figures out a way to locate their Chief Engineer, La Forge is attacked by another Romulan. Because of the struggle and the violent storms of the planet, La Forge loses his vision and the Romulan can no longer walk. Meanwhile, a Romulan ship has arrived upon the scene ready and willing to fight.

One of the standard war stories has a pair of enemy soldiers having to work with together in order to survive. The most notable example of this would be the 1968 film "Hell in the Pacific" with Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune marooned together on an island. Of course the story does not have to take place in a war, as Tony Curtis and Sidney Portier proved in "The Defiant Ones." In the Next Generation episode "The Enemy," the Federation is not a war with the Romulan Empire, but there is certainly a level of mutual distrust. Consequently, this is a rather standard version of the tale, quite predictable. The idea that the Romulans show up at a crash site and immediately start threatening to start a war is a bit over the top and loses the episode a star. After all, the planet is causing enough problems without falling back on the Romulan "Evil Empire" stereotype. Besides, the story is predicatable enough that neither LaVar Burton or anybody else has any really worthwhile dramatic moments. Certainly a missed opportunity. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Hatfields & McCoys of outer space
After a Federation oupost is raided, the Enterprise heads to Acamar Three (it would seem that most planets in Star Trek need to have numbers connected to them) where they meet Marouk (Nancy Parsons), leader of the planet. Marouk explains that a group called "the Gatherers" is to blame for the raid on the outpost. After centuries of blood feuds, the renegade group of Acamarians who call themselves "gatherers" live as space-faring nomads, "gathering" the belongings of others.

Marouk has a sincere desire to reintegrate Acamar Three's lost sons. Marouk's servant, Yuta (Lisa Wilcox), is always at her side. She is almost like a Labrador retriever, being Marouk's "gofer" for everything and treated sometimes like a robot instead of a young woman. Riker finds her to be quite fetching and the two take a liking to each other.

Picard volunteers to help Marouk locate the clan leader of the Gatherers, Chorgan (Stephen Lee), so that they can make peace with them, give them amnesty for their "gathering" crimes and give them a piece of land so they can start to reintegrate into their society.

Unseen to everyone else, Yuta runs across an elderly Gatherer, a member of the Lornack clan, who recognizes her from years before. With a touch of her hand, the old man drops dead. Crusher finds that the man, despite his age, was relatively healthy, but died of a rare virus that was almost designed to attack him specifically. This is the second such death and a connection is made - members of the Lornack clan are dying and the only one left is Chorgan. But who could be killing off the Lornacks? Their sworn enemies were wiped out 50 years earlier?

Some sleuthing by Data and Crusher reveal the secret and Riker must beam into the middle of talks with Chorgan, Marouk & Picard to stop Yuta in her tracks.

An interesting tack on an old theme.

There's no feud like an old blood feud
Picard determines that a Federation research center was raided by the nomadic Gatherers. A century before the Gatherers had left Acamar Three during the height of the clan blood feuds that killed thousands. Marouk, the ruler of Acamar Three wants to have peace talks with the Gatherers and comes aboard the Enterprise with a small group which includes her cook, Yuta, who catches Riker's eye. During the negotiations at one of the Gatherer's camps, Yuta is talking with one of the old men. When she finds out he is a member of the Lornack clan, she touches him and he dies. While Picard tries to keep the negotiations going, Dr. Crusher works on determining how the old man died, and Riker keeps on being Riker.

Star Trek has always been against the Old Testament version of vengeance that demands an eye for an eye until everyone is blind. In that regard "The Vengeance Factor" is another variation on a standard theme, but the story of how Yuta became a living weapon deadly only to the enemy clan that all but obliterated her own, is rather fascinating. You always have to appreciate it when the writers are really able to pull off something reasonably "futuristic." Of course, when it comes to Riker, if it wasn't for bad love . . .

pretty good
This one is pretty good. As someone who has seen and is collecting them all, this is one of the first 40 that I have purchased. Out of 176 or so episodes, that should tell you something. The caracters are very believable and there isn't too much over acting. The story will hold you in for the entire episode. ... Read more

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Star Trek fans know that the character Miles O'Brien (ColmMeaney), the Irish-born engineer with a very small role on The NextGeneration, grew into a major figure on Deep Space Nine, befittingMeaney's rising prominence in film (The Snapper). The episode called"Whispers" places the actor at the center of an unnerving,Twilight Zone-like story in which O'Brien returns to the station following an assignment inthe Paradas system, only to find that everyone is treating him distantly.Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) assigns him to meaningless work and denies thechief his usual security clearance on important matters. Meanwhile, theengineering crew lies to him, Odo (Rene Auberjonois) talks to him as if were a suspect, and O'Brien's closest friend, Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil), andhis own wife (Rosalind Chao) regard him mechanically.

Suspecting a conspiracy afoot, O'Brien finds ample evidence that a kind ofInvasion of the Body Snatchers scenario may be underway, and he boltsfrom the station in a Runabout under a hail of fire. Searching for answers, thegood chief runs smack into a cruel discovery about the nature of destiny and identity. A fine mystery from beginning to end, "Whispers" draws upon a favoriteStar Trek theme, that of questionable realities and fear of madness.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Whispering Imposter!
This is not so much a review as it is a search for an answer. The episode "Whispers" in which Miles Obrien returns to DS9 to find that all is not as it should be stikes a remarkable resemblance to the movie staring Gary Sinise - IMPOSTER. I'm curious as to which story is the original. As this episode was part of DS9's second season and the movie came out much later, it appears as though there was a slight "borrowing" of a story line here. If anyone has seen both the episode and the movie and can offer some enlightenment, please do so. Thank You.

'The Spy Who Wouldn't Come In From The Cold'
Returning to DS9 after a short absence Miles O'Brien slowly finds that he has stumbled unto a potential conspiracy that the Federation may or may not be a part of. As he tries to untangle what he believes is a plot to disrupt an upcoming peace conference, the Chief is constantly diverted and encounters many peculiarities among the crew members. The conundrum becomes a full blown conspiracy when he is summoned to Odo's office where the DS9 staff officers draw weapons on him and order him to surrender! I don't want to give away the mystery any more than that, but be certain that you watch this one if you haven't yet.

Borrowing liberally from the 1956 sci-fi masterpiece "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" and mixing in a small dosage of "Blade Runner" and adding just a touch of "The Manchurian Candidate", the writers of DS9 create an exceptional mystery. The political themes and undertones so present in those classic films are retained here as well, injected occasionally building an uncomfortable amount of tension for the Chief to endure.

Flashback episodes can be cliched and pedestrian by nature but the Star Trek writers breathe new life into that tiresome vehicle here. "Whispers" is a uniquely filmed episode because O'Brien is featured in literally every shot. Every line of dialogue that is heard in this episode is a conversation that he has with another of the DS9 crew members. This technique works great for the story as we become totally convinced that O'Brien is right to suspect the crew of deception. Also, the ending of this episode is well constructed - it provides a great twist and a satisfying explanation for the strange happenings.

A few notes: In this show O'Brien is referred to as a replicant, the term used in the film "Blade Runner". Wisely, both the Trek creators and writers decided against using the term android which would have caused some small confusion considering it is so closely associated with Data. Using replicant also works effectively because in "Blade Runner" the replicants were on the run - O'Brien eventually does too toward the end of the episode. I've noticed also that O'Brien has to be DS9's most durable and put-upon crew member. After this ordeal he would suffer through worse personal trials on such episodes as the later "Tribunal" and "Hard Times".

Miles O'Brien returns to DS9 and finds the Twilight Zone
Chief O'Brien is racing to the Paradan system in the Gamma Quadrant to get the Paradans to call off a peace conference that is supposed to take place on Deep Space Nine. We then learn that O'Brien had visited the system a week earlier and had returned to DS9 to find everybody was...different. Even Keiko was treating him strangely. "Whispers" reminds me of some of those classic episodes of "The Twilight Zone" where some unfortunately character finds themself displaced from their reality. There is even a final twist to this episode worthy of the best the Zone had to offer. I especially like seeing Colm Meaney given more to do than run around doing engineering stuff providing an additional element of unease to the Chief's adventures this time around.

An excellent mystery show.
"Whispers" is an excellent stand-alone mystery. It's so complex, you can watch it two times and it will still be interesting. The first time, when you have no idea what is going on, the mystery angle as O'Brien tries to figure out what is wrong with everyone on the station, is done so well, you don't want it to end. The second time through, when you know is really going on, everything comes on a different level. That is difficult to write and perform, but everyone delivers in a marvelous way. Even though "Whispers" has no impact on the series' plot-arc's, it is still a wonderful show, worth seeing.

One of Star Trek's best
Although Colm Meaney has been an underused actor throughout Deep Space Nine's seven year run, almost every episode of the series that has focused on his Chief O'Brien character has been superb.

"Whispers" is not only the best Chief O'Brien episode, it's one of the best Deep Space Nine episodes, and quite possibly, when taking all four incarnations of Star Trek into consideration, one of the best Star Trek episodes. Meaney plays out the paranoid element of the story perfectly, the music was better than Trek's (at least TV Trek) usual sub-par fare, and the story kept you guessing until the end (is there something wrong with O'Brien, or is there something wrong with everyone else?). Not to be missed. ... Read more

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In "Heart of Glory," Worf's Klingon heritage is examined and testedagainst his loyalty to the Enterprise. After detecting a disturbance inthe Neutral Zone, the Enterprise discovers the remains of one ship and adamaged cargo vessel whose life-support systems are failing. A rescue team sentin to find the survivors discovers a trio of Klingons and brings them back tothe ship. These Klingon officers don't trust the peace with the Federation and are also wanted by the Klingons for crimes that they have committed. The officers question Worf's dedication to his race, wondering aloud if his instincts have been dulled by living with civilized men, and try to goad him into joining their revolution. "Heart of Glory" does an excellent job at adding depth and personal history to the Worf character by forcing him to make decisions he'd rather not make. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (6)

"The true test of a warrior is not without, it is within."
The Klingons arrive on the scene in "Heart of Glory" to shake things up in the 24th century. Even though there is an alliance in place between the Klingon Empire and the Federation, you can always rely on those classic warriors to stir up trouble anyway.

The Enterprise-D rescues three Klingons from a damaged Talarian vessel. Unknown to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the Klingons are actually fugitives. One of them dies from his injuries after coming aboard. Soon after, the other two fugitives start to devise a plan to take over the ship. They ask Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) to aid them but he remains loyal to his comrades. Eventually, a final showdown ensues in engineering between Worf and one of the fugitives.

"Heart of Glory" was the first Star Trek: The Next Generation Klingon episode and it did not disappoint. The howling during the Klingon Death Ritual was hokey but seeing the Klingons as Star Trek adversaries once more sure rekindled fond memories of their appearances in the original series. The guest performances were solid with Vaughn Armstrong turning in a strong effort as Korris and Charles H. Hyman complimenting him in his role as Konmel. And wasn't that a great moment when that Klingon battle cruiser appeared on the viewscreen? Talk about stirring up those feelings of nostalgia. The Federation and the Klingon Empire are inextricably connected in Star Trek lore and reinforcing this connection in the Next Generation era was a welcome development indeed.

The Klingon equivalent of romantics
Given that humans of different creed find it so difficult to understand each other, any interaction with a different bipedal species is bound to be a diplomatic and social minefield. As someone who has traveled internationally, I had to undergo crash courses in local manners, and it certainly takes effort to avoid making blunders. Even simple hand gestures are considered obscene in some cultures.
Without question, a major component of Star Fleet training would be an appreciation for social and cultural differences. Therefore, I was surprised at the reaction of Picard and the other human members of the Enterprise crew when they witnessed the Klingon death ritual. Two Klingon renegades bent on restoring the martial qualities of the Klingon empire hijack a ship, defeat a pursuer and then are rescued from the damaged ship by the Enterprise. Their true purpose is discovered and they are jailed, only to escape, leading to the death of one. The other makes it to engineering with a phaser, where one shot could destroy the Enterprise.
Worf then confronts the fugitive and finds himself being confronted as to how much he really is a Klingon. That scene is one of Michael Dorn's finest moments as Worf. He is clearly torn between his Klingon heritage, his time with humans and his Star Fleet training, as the fugitive pleads with Worf to join him and become a true Klingon once again. The Enterprise crew senses Worf's personal dilemma, as they are clearly reluctant to let him confront the renegade.
This episode is only average, although it is good, demonstrating what must be the Klingon equivalent of romantic war. There are holes in the plot. In any military vessel, there is no way that someone in the brig could ever make it to a location where they could destroy the ship. Nevertheless, there are points where you do not know what Worf will do, which gives it an acceptable degree of tension.

a question of Heart
"Heart of Glory" was the eagerly anticipated first-season Klingon story, and it did not disappoint! Worf's mysterious past was finally revealed: how as a child he had been orphaned, to be rescued and raised by a Human Starfleet couple. Many tantalizing facets of Klingon warrior culture were introduced in this episode. Among them, the death-howl, the stashing of covert weapons on one's person, the Bushido-like concept of Honor. And here originated the enduring theme of the Klingon Heart, which would torment Worf through seven seasons of Next Generation and conclude in Deep Space Nine. From the start, Worf's heart is conflicted by Klingon nature and Human nurture; the values of an Imperial warrior against those of a Starfleet Officer. Sometimes Worf would embrace his Klingon heart and sometimes reject it. He would love and avenge a mate, and refuse a dying enemy a transfusion of his blood. He would quit the Federation to join in a Klingon civil war, then show Human compassion for the son of his most hated nemesis. He would impart to culturally-deprived Klingon youths the xenophobic prejudices of their warrior hearts. And ultimately he would renounce it all -- the Chain of Duty, his career, and his Klingon honor and Heart of Glory -- by following his Human heart to save the life of his Trill mate, Jadzia Dax.

Are You a True Klingon?
Heart of Glory or .......Are You Truly a Klingon Warrior?

The Enterprise is called to assist a Talarian Freighter that's been commandeered by Klingons. Taken aboard they ask Worf to leave the world of Starfleet and join his fellow Klingons for "glorious battles." When the rebel Klingons are put in the brig they naturally escape and go to the engine room to take over the ship.

In one of the best scenes with Worf to date; he has to convince the Klingon soldier not to fire his weapon on the engines. In classic Worf fashion he resolves this problem. This character didn't believe in political correctness. He tells this disturbed Klingon that one does not have to battle and maim to be a true Klingon. The battles are fought and won in the heart. That is the nature of a true warrior. The fight to do the right thing and obey your conscience.

Our first in-depth look at the only Klingon in Starfleet
A relatively simple episode, "Hearts of Glory" is the first Next Generation episode to take a look at the character of Worf (then in his short hair phase). Investigating a battle in the Neutral Zone, the Enterprise finds three Klingons, one of whom has lethal wounds, aboard a damaged freighter. When a Klingon ship arrives on the scene its captain tells Picard the men are fugitives who had attacked and destroyed a Klingon cruiser and demands they be turned over to him. The pair of Klingons are put in a holding cell but then make good their escape. After one is killed the other goes to Engineering where he threatens to blow up the dilithium chamber unless he speaks with Worf.

If Data is the babe in the woods on Next Generation then Worf is the stranger in a strange land. His backstory that he was raised by foster parents on Earth after surviving the Khitomer Massacre has received scant attention at this point in the series, although in future episodes (#65 "Sins of the Father" and #100-101 "Redemption") the idea that Worf's family is in disgrace because his father was accused of being a traitor will focus more on the Klingon honor that becomes the soul of Worf's character. "Hearts of Glory" provides the first real look at Worf as a Klingon and at the Klingon's as something more than the Soviet Union's evil empire dressed up in allegorical form. Finally, Worf receives some dignity as a character and Michael Dorn receives more to do than make deep throated growls and snarls in the background. ... Read more

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One of the beautiful things about Star Trek: The Next Generation is that the character dramas on the ship are often more important than the planetary politics that are taking place outside of it. Case in point: the episode "Man of the People." When the transport ship carrying Ambassador Alkar (Chip Lucia) to peace negotiations on a turbulent planet is attacked, the Enterprise is called on to escort him. Once on the ship, the randy ambassador starts hitting on Counselor Troi, despite the protests of what looks to be his jealous mother.

As it turns out, the reason he's such an effective negotiator is because he channels all of his negative, unproductive emotions into his partner, which causes her to age quickly and become cantankerous. When his "mother" dies, Troi becomes his next partner, but she starts aging really quickly, and gets really cantankerous in the process. Though his negotiations have been wildly successful, Picard and company decide Troi is more important than the shaky truce on the war-torn planet; so they cut him off from his repository of negative emotions, planet be damned! Though the arguments of the individual versus the masses are interesting, even more interesting is seeing Troi fully indulging in her id. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Once again, Deanna Troi falls for the wrong man...
The Enterprise rescues a freighter that was attacked by one of the warring factions of the planet Rekag-Sironi and beams aboard the Lumerian ambassador Ramid Ves Alkar and his mother Maylor. Picard will give the ambassador safe passage to the planet, where he will try to mediate the war. Alkar asks Counselor Troi to help him with the negotiations, at which point Maylor becomes very upset and dies. Alkar will not allow an autopsy to be performed, but does ask Troi to join him in the Lumerian funeral meditation. After the ceremony, Troi deteriorates physically and mentally. When a jealous Troi attacks Alcar as he prepares to beam down to Rekag-Sironi, Picard and Crusher finally make the connection. An autopsy reveals that Alcar's "mother" is only thirty years old. Picard beams down and demands an explanation from Alcar, who calmly reveals that he uses individuals such as Maylor and Troi as receptacles for his negative emotions until he uses them up and they die. When Alcar refuses to release Troi, Picard and Crusher have to come up with a way to save the Counselor.

If it were not for bad love, Deanna Troi would have no love at all. Being only half-Betazed must have some serious limitations because time after time, Troi ends up with men with major problems. Come to think of it, so does Beverly Crusher, but since the good Doctor is a mother and therefore no competition for Deanna, it is the Ship's Counselor who gets to suffer time and time again. "Man Of The People" is an average STNG episode, where once again the Federation has allowed a person who is not nice to rise to a position of power and prominence. Besides, getting to see Marina Sirtis made up to look twice as old as Lwaxana is no one's idea of fun. The comeuppance for Alcar is a retread solution from the original Star Trek, but is still a halfway decent resolution to the episode.

This One Rocks!
Fans of Peter David's "Imzadi" will LOVE this episode. There's a ton of Riker/Troi interaction. A visiting "diplomat" preys on women and uses them as receptacles for his negative emotions-so that he doesn't have to carry them to peace talks. The slimebag makes a beeline for Deanna. She eventually goes psychotic and starts to age rapidly. Riker's concern for her distress is very sweet. The final scene is worth the price of admission. Watch it and work on mentally blocking the Worf/Deanna debacle forever. Love it!

It was romantic and good at the same time. it was AWESOME!!
I was really pleased with this episode, because Troi gets to do only counselor stuff not any real things, but she got a WONDERFUL part in the episode. I really liked the Riker-Troi parts because he REALLY cares about her and he always protects her from danger. I give the episode 10 stars,because I think Riker is HOT!!!! I have seen EVERY episode in the " Next Generation" series, I'm a really big fan!!! ... Read more

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"Blood Oath" features another Dax-centered plot, this one trading on the way time plays tricks on those who befriend the symbiote and its host. This time, Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) encounters a trio of aging Klingons that the symbiote had befriended when it was in its previous host, Curzon Dax. Curzon had sworn a blood oath with the three Klingon generals that he would help them avenge a grievous loss; an enemy known as the Albino had killed the generals' families during a war decades before, then disappeared. But when the Klingons locate the Albino and come to DS9 looking for Dax, they are surprised to find a woman in Curzon's place--and it takes time for Jadzia to convince them that she should be allowed to fulfill Curzon's oath. She also must wrestle with the idea of hunting down and killing a man outside the arena of battle, which makes it a little too close to murder. Some enjoyable Klingon interplay and a nice Wild Bunch sort of ending, as the Klingons take on their final battle. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (9)

You can go home again!
Three veterans from the original Trek return in older versions of their earlier selves and a new part entirely. John Colicos and Michael Ansara reprise their roles as Klingon warriors and William Campbell, memorable in the classic "Squire of Gothos" episode, also dons the garb of a member of the warrior race.

What I liked most about this series is its use of skilled character actors and this episode is no exception. The three thespians relish their roles and play them with much gusto. The storyline allows each to bring his distinctive interpretation of a Klingon officer. They balance perfectly and play well with the younger Terry Ferrell in the role of the popular "Dax".

This is indeed one of the best in Trek history.

For Dax and a trio of Klingons, it is a good day to die
Three of the fiercest Klingon warriors from the original classic Star Trek show up at Deep Space Nine: Kor (John Colicos), Koloth (William Campbell) and Kand (Michael Ansara). The trio have shown up looking for Curzon Dax, with whom they made a blood oath to slay their greatest adversary, the Albino. When they discover Jadzia Dax instead they refuse to let her come along, so she gets a bat'leth and kicks their butts around for a while. However, while they are on their way to confront the Albino, Dax figures out there is something wrong with their mission. "Blood Oath" is not a great episode, but it is certainly well above average. Getting to see this trio madeup as the new improved Klingons is certainly a blast, but not as much fun as watching the three veteran actors ham it up with each other throughout the episode. Finally, there is Jadzia as a fierce Klingon warrior; no wonder Worf is going to fall for her when he shows up on the series. "Blood Oath" is a fun episode and one of the best Klingon episodes of Star Trek.

Classic Trek Klingons Visit DS9!
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's second season, we see this wonderful series really begin to grow and mature. This is exemplified by the episode "Blood Oath".

Three Klingons, each of whom first appeared in The Original Series, return to Star Trek! Kor (from the TOS episode "Errand of Mercy"), Koloth (from "The Trouble with Tribbles") and Kang ("Day of the Dove") all meet up with Dax on DS9 to fulfill a Blood Oath the four of them took over 80 years ago. It seems a renegade Klingon swore revenge on Kor, Koloth and Kang and succeeded in fulfilling that promise by killing each of the threesome's eldest sons. Curzon Dax, who was negotiating peace treaties with the Klingon Empire at the time and had become close to Kang, took a Blood Oath with Kang and company to one day find the renegade and kill him. Only problem is that the Oath was made with Dax's previous host, Curzon and not Jadzia, Dax's current incarnation (you're familiar with the Trill, right?). Kor doesn't have a problem with this but Kang and Koloth only see a young woman with little experience and their mission of vengeance seems ill-suited for her. Eventually, Dax convinces them to let her come along, not fully realizing how violent it will be and what it means to take a life.

This is a powerful episode and the violence that marks Jadzia's coming of age is not glorified: It is violent, bloody and tragic. Jadzia grows here but it is a maturation process that she could have done without. Klingons claim that killing in a just cause is glorious but all we see is death and destruction. A coming of age indeed but one that Jadzia realizes she could have skipped.

This is the best episode of DS9's first two seasons. It is a good Klingon episode and, perhaps, the best Dax episode.

A Tribute to Three of the Greatest Klingons of ALL TIME
Three of the Greatest Klingons since Kahless himself reprise their roles from the original series. Kang (Michael Ansara), Koloth (William Campbell) and Kor (John Colicus) reunite with their old frind Dax to forfil there Bload Oath of 84 years to take vengence for the murders of their first born sons.

A trully great episode... I would have given it 5 stars, but I did not like the fact that they did not give Kang and Koloth a chance to come back in further episodes. But still it was great none the less.

Please read
This is not a review. I just did not know where to write to.

The Start Trek video information is very, very poor. I really did not expect this from Amazon. There are more than one video manufacturer and episodes numbers vary. How can we choose something without a summary of the story ?????? Also the "quotes&trivia" session's text is the same for all episodes. For trivia info, fine, but quotes !!! The headline says quotes from episode XXX and they are all the same - a shame, really. ... Read more

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Dwight Schultz's shaky engineer Reg Barclay has only appeared in a handful of episodes as Lieutenant La Forge's stuttering assistant, but he remains one of the most memorable recurring characters and even earned a scene in the feature-film spinoff Star Trek: First Contact. In this appearance, he lets slip a secret: he's deathly afraid of the transporter. It turns out to be a fairly common malady of the future (who wants to be disassembled?), if understandably rare in Starfleet, so Barclay vows to beat it. Then he starts seeing monsters during his transports. He's convinced that he's going mad until one of the wormlike creatures bites him, leaving him with a microbial infection that may hold the key to a mysteriously abandoned Starfleet vessel nearby. Schultz has nicely transformed Barclay, in a few episodes, from a fumbling social misfit (he was nicknamed "Broccoli" in his first appearance) to a nervous but brainy junior officer with a gift for understatement. He finally gets to play the hero, fighting his fears and facing his demons with a dash of comic flair. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Oh oh; Reg Barclay sees giant worms in the transporter beam
The Enterprise discovers the USS Yosemite, deserted and damaged near a high-energy plasma stream. The away team finds the fragments of a smashed container, but as they beam back Lt. Barclay sees a wormlike creature swimming in the transporter's matter stream. The creature appears to bite his arm and when he returns to the Enterprise his arm has a blue glow and hurts. Data and La Forge try to reconstruct what happened aboard the Yosemite, while Barclay worries that he has "transporter psychosis" while Dr. Crusher and Counselor Troi try to deal with this fragile body and mind.

It is always nice to see Dwight Schultz as Reg Barclay trying to do his best under the trying circumstances that always afflict the character. However, the wiggly things in the transporter beam are a bit bizarre, especially when the truth about them is revealed. I do not know a lot about science, let alone how it functions in the Star Trek universe, but this is one of those episodes that certainly seem to be a bit of a reach for me. That downside sort of balances out the plus side of having Barclay back again, so this ends up being an average STNG episode.

Realm of Fear
If you ever have any reason to think that there is no way you could get past some of your worst fears, watch this episode, because you never know what you're capable of until you're scared to death badly enough, or if lives are at stake and you hold the only key to saving theirs as well as your own. Barclay's over exaggerated fear of transporters is put to the test when a transporter malfunction is causing a mystery as to the whereabouts of the crew of an abandoned ship. In his investigation, his growing malady from the first trip through the transporter takes a different turn when it causes physical side efects, therefore bringing further strain to his already taxed nervous system, and in trying to find an answer, everyone thinks he's going nuts. But when it all comes together as to where everyone is, his illnes turns out to be the best clue to the transporter malfunction. When its all over, Barclay's the hero and his fears (at least ONEof them) are laid to rest, until he meets an old friend of Chief O' Brien's. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Data's turn to function as a father-figure for a young boy
The Enterprise is investigating the disappearance of the research vessel Vico during its survey of a Black Cluster, which is a nice little area of space packed with collapsed protostars and therefore subject to intense gravitational forces. The Vico is located outside the cluster with everybody on board ripped to shreds except for a young boy named Timothy, who tells how they were attacked by an alien ship. Traumatized by the death of his parents, Timothy forms an attachment to Data and when Counselor Troi suggests the android can help the boy get through this horrible experience, the two spend time together. Meanwhile, Picard takes the Enterprise into the Black Cluster and quickly discovers that Timothy is not telling the truth. Of course, if he does not find out what really happened, the Enterprise crew will suffer the same fate as that of the Vico.

This series has dealt several times with children aboard the Enterprise turning to one of the crew members to help get through the death of a parent. "Hero Worship" is a fairly routine example of such a story line, which was covered better in "The Bonding" (Episode 53) where a young boy turns to Worf after the death of his mother. The two episodes are certainly comparable in that both have the boy trying to be more like the adult, in this case the unemotional Data rather than the stoic Worf. In both episodes Troi supports these efforts, which might be dramatically interesting since Data and Worf are not exactly paragons of emotional support, but which makes no sense from a Counseling standpoint. Troi should know better. Based on his performance as a "father" in "Future Imperfect" (Episode 82), she should have asked Riker. Come to think of it, La Forge might be the only member of the bridge crew who does not get a chance to function as a parental figure for some traumatized kid. But since Data had already tried to have a girlfriend ("In Theory," Episode 99), he might as well try being a father figure. It is a common theme in the Star Trek universe, the best example of which is long-term bonding between Seven of Nine and Naomi Wildmon on Voyager. ... Read more

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Continuing the story line begun in episode 65, "Sins of the Father," "Reunion" treats us to more of the machinations of Klingon politics. Klingon ambassador K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson) boards the Enterprise to meet with Captain Picard and inform him that he is to meet with the Klingon high council leader K'Mpec. K'Mpec is dying, having been poisoned by one of the two rivals for his place, Duras and Gowron, and appoints Picard to oversee the succession once K'Mpec has died. Picard's main task is to discover K'Mpec's murderer and make sure that the murderer doesn't assume power. Meanwhile, K'Ehleyr turns out to be Worf's mate and has brought along their young son, which invokes Worf's dishonor from the earlier episode in which he is basically shunned by the High Council for his father's supposed collaboration with the Romulans. As we know (if we've been following along), it is Duras whose father was the traitor. And Duras is one of the contenders for leadership. Hmmm, which one is the murderer of K'Mpec, Duras or Gowron?

If this is any real mystery to anyone, there are numerous clues thrown in your way to implicate the real culprit, and no expectation goes thwarted. While this is a major flaw for admirers of suspense, there is plenty of the Klingons' native ferocity in evidence to supply excitement, especially in the splendidly fierce visage of Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) and the sultry voice of Suzie Plakson as K'Ehleyr. We also move one step closer to Worf's vindication, continued in the future two-part episode "Redemption." --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (3)

guess who's coming to dinner?
Half-human, half-Klingon ambassador, K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson) is back as her ship rendevous unexpectedly with the Enterprise. Leader of the Klingon High Council, K'Mpec is dying - a slow death by murder - someone has poisoned him. The two men up for succession as Leader are Gowron and Duras, and K'Mpec suspects that one of them is behind this cowardly act. K'Mpec pleads with Picard to find out who his murderer is so that a coward does not become the ruler of the Klingon Empire.

When K'Ehleyr beams on board, Worf is sent (reluctantly) to receive her in the transporter room. He is shocked to see a young (about 3 years old) boy beam aboard with her. Who is the father? Is it Worf? It has been almost 3 years since Worf & K'Ehleyr had their intimate moments on the Holodeck and later parted awkwardly.

It becomes clear that this young boy, Alexander, is indeed Worf's son. He is torn. Not only does he not feel like he is father material, he cannot claim the boy as his own, since Alexander will inherit his dishonor due to Worf's discommendation.

A suicide bomber of sorts, interrupts a meeting between Picard, Gowron & Duras. As it turns out, one of Duras's men had a Romulan-made detonator implanted in his body. As Picard's team continues the murder investigation, K'Ehleyr advises Picard on how to draw out the rite of succession as slowly as possible to avoid having a Romulan collaborator in leadership of the Klingon homeworld.

Duras, who is clearly behind a number of cowardly acts that are shameful to the Empire, is feeling the heat and seeks revenge by killing K'Ehleyr and Worf seeks revenge as is his rite within Klingon law.

Will he kill Duras? Will he raise Alexander? Who will lead the high council? The plot thickens and no one is really sure until the very end.

Worf has a hand in the question of the Klingon succession
"Reunion" brings together virtually every Klingon related plot-line on Star Trek: The Next Generation. A Klingon battle cruiser suddenly shows up with K'Mpec, the leader of the Klingon High Council and Worf's paramour, Ambassador K'Ehleyr. K'Mpec has been poisoned and wants Picard to be arbiter of the Klingon succession between the two aspiring leaders, Duras and Gowron, and find out which one of them killed the Chancellor. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, K'Ehlyer presents Worf with their son, Alexander, a by-product of their passionate encounter during "The Emissary" (Episode 46). K'Ehlyer presses for marriage, but Worf refuses because of his Discommendation ("Sins of the Father," Episode 65), although, of course, he will not tell her why he did what he did. K'Ehleyr undertakes her own investigation and learns the truth: that it was the father of Duras and not Worf's who was the traitor and Duras who poisoned K'Mpec. When an outraged K'Ehleyr confronts Duras, he kills her.

The producers might not have intended to have all these threads come together in this one episode, but "Reunion" certainly does a masterful job of bringing everything to a head. Few episodes in the history of the show have as many shocks as this one, combinging to bring Worf to the most pivotal moment in his life. With this episode the characterization of Worf becomes complete, giving actor Michael Dorn his greatest moments. From this point on you can never consider the Klingons to be the somewhat cartoonish enemies they were on the original series and the ramifications of what happenes in "Reunion" will last until the end of the series. A very impressive and important episode.

The Return of K'Ehlyr and Klingon Politics
In season two's "The Emissary", we are introduced to Ambassador K'Ehlyr, a half-Klingon, half-human Federation diplomat and former friend and lover of Lt. Worf. In season three's "Sins of the Father", we are introduced to Klingon politics and subterfuge and Worf is dishonored because of a crime his father supposedly committed. With season four, both plotlines come together in the intense and wonderfully constucted episode "Reunion".

The leader of the Klingon Empire, Chancellor K'mpec, is dying and decides that Captain Picard, in accordance with Klingon law, will choose the next leader of the Empire. Two Klingons council members are competing for the throne, Gowron and Duras (Duras previously had dishonored Worf by laying the blame of his father on to Worf's father). One problem: K'mpec has been slowly poisoned by either Duras or Gowron and wants Picard to find out which one has, ultimately, murdered him. Picard has Worf investigate. This puts Worf in an awkward position because, not only is he an outcast in Klingon society and Duras is the one who dishonored him, but his lover, K'Ehlyr (who is assisting Picard and the Federation in this diplomatic mess) just dropped a bombshell on Worf: She has a son by Worf and Worf won't acknowledge their son because he doesn't want his dishonor passed on. Whew! Did you get all that?

This makes for a fascinating episode filled with political intrigue and family dysfunction. The ending is a shocker and is quite bold on the part of Trek's creators and I give them kudos for their guts in writing and airing the episode's finale. I won't tell you what happens (you probably already know) but it is both heart-wrenching and, oddly, satisfying.

Great episode with great characters, both villainous and noble. What a story! ... Read more

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The oft-hinted romantic spark between Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) flares a bit in this episode written by Nick Sagan, the son of the late scientist Carl Sagan. Taken hostage by a race called the Prytt--who don't want a neighboring species, the Kes, to join the Federation--Picard and Crusher eventually make a break for it but find (because of a Prytt shackling device) they are attached via their brainwaves. Subjected to uncontrollable sharing of their thoughts, the two soon discover much about each other, including an unspoken, mutual attraction. Meanwhile, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes, who also directed the episode) wrestles with the politics of the Prytt-Kes conflict while trying to rescue his missing friends. The smoldering-love angle is played largely for its added character development rather than for soapy gratification, though it is fun to see the captain and doctor play around with possibilities. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Best P/C Video Out There!
For all the people who wanted Beverly Crusher and Jean-Luc Picard to finally come together, this is the video that you've been waiting for. The story starts out as Crusher and Picard beam to the planet Kes-Prytt to negotiate with the even-tempered Kes. However, the Prytt see this act as hostile, and capture both of them. Picard and Crusher navigate out of their cell, on the run to Kes territory. They trek through the planet, and one night, by a campfire, as they are able to read each other's minds because of the devices planet on the base of their necks, Beverly senses that Picard was once in love with her. They discuss this, and Picard admits that he was in love with her, but he was guilty when her former husband, Jack, died. They forget this, and each go to sleep. The next day, Riker negotiates with the Kes and the Prytt, convincing them to let Picard and Crusher beam back without any trouble. Picard and Crusher once again arrive at the Enterprise, and have their often dinner together. Picard asks Crusher if they should move forward from being friends, but Crusher denies, and leaves his quarters.

This was a really good video from the beginning, and in the middle you would think that Crusher and Picard would really get together in view of the discussions they have, but the don't. So, I really can't criticize Paramount, but don't watch this video in high hopes of Crusher and Picard getting together. In spite of all that, "Attached" was a really wonderful video.

If only Crusher could read Picard's mind....wait a minute!
"Attached" begins as an interesting exercise in 23rd Century democracy. The Enterprise is visiting Kesprit Three, where the majority of people, the Kes, want to join the Federation, but the isolationist minority, the Prit, want nothing to do with the strange visitors from the sky. When Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher beam down to meet with the Kes, the Prit redirect the transporter beam and capture the two Federation officers. The pair are fitted with neural transceivers in their cerebral cortexes, which the Prit intend to use to interrogate them. But a Kes operative frees them and as they flee Jean-Luc and Beverly learn tha they can read each other's thoughts because of these devices. And what things they learn.

What makes this an above average episode of STNG is the scene by the campfire where Beverly learns that Picard was in love with her during her marriage to Jack Crusher. When her husband died, Picard felt guilty about having such feelings towards the wife of his best friend and never said anything. This is certainly a fascinating revelation and sets up some interesting elements in the series' finale "All Good Things." It is also a wonderful scene between Patrick Stewart and Gates McFadden. "Attached" is one of several episodes during the show's final season that really fleshed out the relationships between the characters. This is certainly a special episode for anybody who has a friend they wish was much more than a friend.

Intimate telepathic contact between Picard and Crusher
When Picard and Crusher are captured on a diplomatic away mission, telepathic enhancing devices are implanted in them, which, given time, will send and receive psi-waves. As they escape together, their telepahic contact grows as time goes by. The episode explores what it would be like to be constantly aware of somebody elses thoughts and dreams, especially if that persons loves you deeply and has done so in a quiet way for 20 years. In this episode Jean-Luc expresses his love for Beverly at long last, because it has no use denying it. There are some very moving scenes, and also some quite hillarious ones, as they slowly learn to live with each others thoughts.

If there ever was a P/C episode, than this is it.

Finally!
I have always been a strong supporter of Picard and Crusher and this episode is the one episode you must own if you love Picard and Crusher. IT was very funny and touching I jsut wish that they had kept going with them instead of putting them on the backburner in the movies. Riker and Troi are now together maybe, finally, they will get to THe Captain and the Doctor :)

Picard and Crusher . . . will they or won't they?
For all of you TNG fans, especially the ones who have felt that Picard and Crusher should be together, you won't be disappointed. This is a poignant story - one that has made it to my "favorite TNG episodes" list. I've always been a softie for a love story. The story line regarding the Kes and the Prytt is just a little bonus. The big story is Picard and Crusher. ... Read more

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As the Enterprise docks at the new Federation outpost at Deep Space Nine, Worf is confronted with evidence that his father, believed killed at the infamous Kitamer massacre, may in fact be alive. Meanwhile, Data experiences visions after he's shocked by the sudden energy discharge from an alien artifact discovered by the space station's Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil). The first episode of a two-part adventure splits between the two stories, exploring Data's dreams and Worf's nightmare. While Data prepares to investigate if androids really dream, Worf wrestles with the conflicting emotions of shame and hope (surviving a losing battle is tantamount to disgrace), yet he cannot help but secretly pray for such an unthinkable destiny and investigates the claim. When he discovers a secret colony where bitter enemies Klingons and Romulans live together in an unthinkable, utopian peace, his sudden arrival threatens their Eden. Brent Spiner reprises his role as Data's "father," the late inventor Dr. Noonien Soong, in a cybervisit to his son, while James Cromwell slithers under lizard-skin makeup as the mercenary informant. The story concludes in episode 143. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best Star Trek subplot ever.
While Birthright Part I focuses for the most part on Worf's search for his presumably dead father, it's the fascinating subplot that stars a dreaming Data that really makes this episode soar above the norm. I watched this episode when it first came out, and I was pretty young at the time. The surreal scenes with blackbirds flying down the Enterprise corridor and a young Soong with his metalwork made a deep and long lasting impression on me. For the most part it was my first experience with surrealism, which I have gone on to appreciate in many forms. If they had made that subplot a full length episode it would have been one of the greatest-perhaps the greatest- Star Trek episodes ever.

Data and Worf deal with their absent fathers
The two-part "Birthright" story focuses on Worf and Data, each of who have to deal with their dead fathers. The Enterprise shows up at Deep Space 9 to help with the reconstruction of aqueducts on Bajor. An informant tells Worf that his father was not killed on Khitomer, but is a prisoner of the Romulans. Worf refuses to believe this story, since it would be a grave dishonor for a Klingon to be captured. But eventually the idea gnaws away at him and Worf forces the informant to take him to the site of the Romulan prison camp. Meanwhile, while helping Dr. Bashir of DS9 analyze an alien device, a plasma shock stuns Data, who has a vision of his creator Dr. Soong. Apparently the good doctor installed circuits that would allow Data to dream once he reached a certain level of cognitive development. Data begins to explore this new ability.

This episode made me realize that the crew of the Enterprise does not come from happy families. Worf is adopted, Data is an orphan, Troi cannot get along with her mother, Riker cannot stand his father, Picard quarrels with his brother, Crusher is a widow, and La Forge is a Starfleet brat with no sense of home. "Birthright" is an average STNG episode. Data's dreams are somewhat interesting but there is no real payoff to this development and you would think by now Worf has finally figured out how to reconcile his Klingon notion of honor with life in the rest of the universe. But I do appreciate the parallel look at this particular pair of "orphans" trying to deal with their absent fathers. ... Read more