Reviews (11)

Worf has a REALLY nasty bad day
Parallels is arguably the most enjoyable "alternate reality" episode of all time. From its inception, one of the underlying messages of TNG is "anything and everything is possible." Parallels takes this to the extreme. I really enjoyed the way the normally unflappable Worf becomes increasingly baffled when confronted by weird gifts, ever-changing realities and the truly awesome (frightening?) discovery that he's suddenly married to Deanna Troi -- a fact he doesn't remember and probably never even consciously considered. The storyline shifts very quickly between realities and is downright surreal. I loved every minute of it. Non-TNG viewers might find Parallels confusing, but fans will definitely appreciate it. A lot.

A great "what if?" episode!
Two things make "Parallels" great:

1. It's a Worf episode. You can't go wrong there.

2. It features parallel (or alternate) realities. Trek has almost always been successful with this type of episode. Remember classic Trek's "Mirror, Mirror"? Or TNG's "Yesterday's Enterprise"? You get the idea.

It's fun to see our favorite characters in new roles. As Worf bounces around from reality to reality (he hit one of those time warp/quantum flux space anomalies that seem so common in Trek), we see an Enterprise where Captain Picard was lost to the Borg, Riker is now the Captain and Worf is Riker's first officer. We see a reality where Wesley Crusher is the chief security/tactical officer. Another reality has a Cardassian flight control officer and the Federation is at war with the Bajorans! And in yet another reality, Worf is married to Troi! Fun all around!

Usually, this type of episode would feature Riker or Picard or Data as the central character bouncing through parallel universe to parallel universe. But this time it is Worf. It isn't that Worf doesn't get his own stories (only Picard and Data had more in TNG's seven year run), it's just that Worf stories are generally tied into Klingon politics or raising his son Alexander. It's nice that we get to see Worf as the central character in an episode dealing with time and space rather than the interworkings of Klingon politics.

Strong episode and one of TNG's best. It is a darn, fun episode, too. Worf as first officer...what could have been...

interesting
the fact its changing from one alternate realty to another is an interesting plot in itself. It's an episode you can watch over and over.

Great episode!
The ... Voyager equivalent to this episode is "Non Sequitor". This episode, unlike "Non Sequitor", is excellent. Through this episode we get to see how life could have been different for Worf, with many different possibilities. Looking back now, I don't know why the Worf-Troi romance ever went on -- I think Troi and Riker are meant for each other, but that doesn't wreck this excellent episode at all!

The only TNG episode worth buying.
I'm not a THG fan, but this episode is as good as best from any of the shows. Worf keeps shifting from parallel universe to universe. The differences are at first subtle, then more and more pronounced. The only way it could have been better is if Worf had stayed in a universe where Riker was captain. ... Read more

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When the Enterprise detects a foreign object floating in space, a relatively primitive probe of some sort, the crew members are surprised when abeam of energy is able to penetrate their shields. Before they know it (andbefore the credits), Captain Picard is knocked down and psychically linked tothe probe through the beam. In Picard's head, he is on a desert planet where everybody thinks he is Kamin, a man recovering from a fever, even his wife. He quickly ascertains that he is not in a holodeck program, that he's not a prisoner, that there is no way to find--much less contact--the Enterprise, and that everybody thinks he is nuts for believing he is astarship captain. On the bridge, Dr. Crusher and company are trying tounderstand the beam's effect on Picard, while on the desert planet entire yearsare passing. Kamin gives up on ever finding the Enterprise. Over theyears he falls in love with his wife and starts a family. Though previousepisodes have explored the fact that Picard has foregone personal relationshipsin favor of his career, here he is forced to live a stable family life and, inso doing, finds out that not only is he good at it, but he likes it. When thebeam turns itself off 20 minutes later, Picard emerges changed, having been given the chance to live the life he never thought he wanted. Excellent acting supports a strong and thoughtful script. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (18)

One of the most amazing hours of television ever....
"The Inner Light" is one of the most amazing hours of television that I've ever seen, and quite possibly the greatest Star Trek (original, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager) episode of all. And the thing is, it's not even really science fiction per se..."just" a great story filled with excellent acting, directing, ideas, and emotion! Not much!! :)

Where do I even begin to praise "The Inner Light?" Well, for one thing, Patrick Stewart is amazing as Kamin, a married man (to a beautiful woman named Eline) living in the community of Ressic on the planet Kataan, which is in the midst of what people think is just a very bad, extended drought. What really is happening is that the planet is dying, and there's nothing the inhabitants can do except to save a piece of their world in the form of a probe whose purpose is to find "someone who could be a teacher, someone who could tell the others about us." A thousand years later the probe finds that "someone" - Picard - who it locks onto in order to allow him to live most of a lifetime in only 20 or 25 minutes!! What this does is allow Picard to experience everything he never could as a Starship captain - a wife, children, rootedness in a community, and much more. This episode is worth watching for that alone, but there's so much more!

Besides Patrick Stewart as Kamin, let me just list a few other great things about this episode (in no particular order): 1) Patrick Stewart's real-life son Daniel does a fine job as Kamin's son Batai (named after Kamin's late best friend); 2) Kamin's passionate -- and classic -- advice (knowing that the planet is dying) to his daughter, Meribor on whether she should marry her boyfriend Danek "sooner rather than later" is powerful: "Seize the day, Meribor. Live now! Make NOW always the most precious time! Now will never come again" (Meribor's response: "I love you father"); 3) the oily 'Administrator,' who condescendingly assures Kamin that his idea for atmospheric condensers will be considered (Kamin, of course, knows that "there will be no condensers"); 4) the beautiful, haunting music, especially of the flute that Kamin plays; 5) the end of the show, when Riker hands Picard the same flute and leaves Picard to hug the flute to his body as he tries to hold on to what he has just experienced, the woman he loved, the children and grandchild he had, etc.; 6) the friendship between Picard and Council Member Batai; 7) the love that grows between Kamin and his wife, Eline, and in particular the scene where Kamin says he wants to build something but needs her permission first, and the look on Eline's face when he says "a nursery," and much more.

What's amazing about "The Inner Light" is that, although not a phaser is fired, and although 95% of the show takes place off the Enterprise, this is still a great Star Trek episode - maybe the best ever (ranking up there with "City on the Edge of Forever" and "Yesterday's Enterprise"). Poignant, thought-provoking, dramatic, mind-boggling - these are just some of the adjectives that come to mind with "The Inner Light." In sum, this is one of the most amazing hours of television ever. Buy it now; watch it now!

Bittersweet
Anyone who says television is a barren wasteland has never sat and watched "Star Trek:TNG". "The Inner Light" has to be one of, if not the best, moments in TV history! This episode will make you smile, bring a tear to your eye, and perhaps win you over to the "world" of Star Trek(if you are not already there!). Watch as Picard "lives" an entire lifespan, a brief moment in "real-time", as a mysterious probe imparts the final chapter of a long-dead civilization into his mind, and leaves a parting gift, a simple flute(seen again in later episodes), as a "Thank You" and tender reminder of his "experience". It don't get no better than this!

A life-changing episode (for me as well as for Picard)
Twelve years ago (it's now May 2004), my husband and I, who were/are big Star Trek-TNG fans, saw this episode when it first aired in spring 1992. We had been trying to decide whether to have children--a scary decision since we knew it would change our lives drastically, and the world isn't always a safe place. Captain Picard's words (in his other life) halfway through the episode, when he was watching his children, hit us like a ton of bricks: "I never used to think I needed children to complete my life; but now, I can't imagine my life without them." (That's probably a pretty close quote considering I haven't watched this episode in years!) The story, the change in Picard, and the music that accompanied it worked together to change us. Four months later, I was pregnant; that baby, Brian Geordi (guess where his middle name "Geordi" came from?) just turned 11 years old last month. He celebrated his birthday with us and his 7-year-old brother, Daniel. Funny--our Brian Geordi seems destined to be a talented engineer just like his namesake; he can do advanced math (high school level) in his head in seconds and has an amazing understanding of physics and astronomy--he can keep up with many of the theories Stephen Hawking explains in his books and can manipulate abstract ideas in "3-D" in his mind. The kid builds with anything he can get his hands on, and he draws (in great detail) what he doesn't have the materials to build. He's enthusiastically trying to come up with a design for the first warp engine; the kid just might get us there someday. His little brother makes just about every moment a delight--finds fun, humor, and joy in almost everything and uses this talent to great advantage with us and his teachers when he's in trouble.

We've been watching our "Star Trek-TNG" first season DVD set with the boys during the past year, so they're now familiar with the story and the characters. They love just about all the Star Trek movies (Kirk's and Picard's crews), and they're starting to be able to pick up on our allusions to characters and quotes--"You will be assimilated"; Worf's "Assimilate THIS!"; getting caught in a temporal loop (believe me, this happens with kids!); Data's comment on the pronunciation of his name: "One is my name; the other is not"; etc. Now, it's time for these two boys to see the Star Trek episode that helped get them here.

Picard was right; I can't imagine my life without my boys; how empty it would have been compared to my "other" life . . . and how lucky I am that I didn't miss it. It's changed me and taught me more than I can imagine, and I discovered that love is so much more than I ever knew (both harder and better). Now, I can say that I have truly LIVED. Sorry for the mushy review--but as you read the comments of the other reviewers, you'll see that this episode touched many, many people. (God sends His messages and wisdom in many forms . . . and it's come to me through Star Trek more than once. I am eternally grateful to both.)

The Only Episode of This I've Ever Voluntarily Watched..
I can't help it, as ridiculous as this feels I'm not mearly inclined, but propelled to review this; the only episode of any Star Trek thing I've ever taken upon myself to watch. I have to fall to my knees and praise Margot, almost like an unrepented love of this reclusive, secondary veteran actress that I grew up with. Margot; age, biography and possibly real name which were never known to anyone but the casting directors who have chosen her, gives her most shining and thankful performance of her now 20 year career as Captain Picard's wife in what people say was the most wonderful episode of this show. In a plausibly poetic tale, Picard is struck unconscious on board by an invisible force, and lives a lifetime as another man in his dream. As his crew struggles to wake him, we see him lost in a small, futuristic-ancient community where everyone knows who he is but him. He soon adapts to his life, and begins to accept it as normalcy being the husband of a sweet, motherly woman (Margot Rose) and educated scientist who works feverishly to save this dying civilization. He fathers two children who he fears will live only to see the end of this world, and painfully loses a close friend (Richard Reihl) who stood at Picard's side as confidant and teacher. All while Picard leaves shards of memory of the Enterprise further and further in the past, and conforms to this dying community that we learn had searched for a teacher in the future to tell of itself. I loved Margot in '48 HRS.' as prostitute Casey, the short-lived sitcom 'Report To Murphy' as Baker along side Michael Keaton and all of the short, sometimes mearly seconds-long roles she has had in dozens of movies and television shows..And that was a treat for me to see her in a strong and important role like this one...I wish there was more to read about this mysterious 'part-time' actress...

The most poignant thing I have ever seen on television...
There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said by the other reviewers but I had to add to the tribute - this is, by far, the most amazing episode of any television show I have ever seen. Never have I been so moved by a tv show. I have been a lifelong Trekkie, but never has Star Trek shined this brightly.

I have seen it at many times, but I never fail to be moved by its delicacy, emotion and absolutely in-depth exploration of Jean-Luc Picard, as opposed to Captain Picard. Later episodes that feature the flute always left me with a lump in my throat as I relived the emotion of this episode. Superbly done, no praise is enough. If you never buy any other episode - at least buy this one. You won't be sorry. ... Read more

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The return of Scotty! When the Enterprise spots a Federation transport ship that had disappeared 75 years earlier, they encounter a massive gravitation field where no star is apparent. The ship had crashed on a Dyson Sphere, a massive structure the size of a planetary orbit built around a star, which allows the people living within it to harness unlimited energy. Investigating the wreckage of the ship, Chief Engineer Geordi discovers the transporter is locked in a weird mode, and when he unlocks it out pops Captain Montgomery Scott, a.k.a. Scotty (James Doohan), from the original Star Trek series. Though the plot involves Geordi and Scotty teaming up to save the Enterprise after it gets trapped inside the sphere, the heart of the episode revolves around dealing with the elderly. Throughout, Scotty tells stories of the good old days to a younger generation that doesn't really care, specifically Geordi. Picard recognizes the importance of generations who came before, so he forces past and present chief engineers to work together and learn from each other--which they do. In that sense, "Relics" is a sweet tribute to the original show, and what it has to teach. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Most Overrated TNG Episode of All
Every time this appears on "all-time best" Star Trek lists, I cringe. Trekkers (myself among them) tend to suffer from over-sentimentality about their beloved heroes, and I believe this sentimentality excuses the obvious tone of this episode. If the old Enterprise bridge was not a setpiece in this particular trek, I don't think fans would have thought much of it. The Dyson Sphere plotline is as lame as the cotnrived manner in which Scotty survives the crash of the Jenolin is convenient. Not to mention Scotty's musing that Jim Kirk must've dragged the Enterprise out of mothballs to rescue him, despite the fact that Scotty watched him "die" at the beginning of Generations. [Don't remind me; I know the movie came after this episode. But it remains a continuity problem.]

However, for its strong character development, this episode merits three stars. But it surely isn't "Unification."

Star Trek Crossovers do not work.
That's the feeling one gets when we see Scotty revived by being suspented in transporter matrix for 75 years and then we have a large continunity error when Scotty remarks "I knew Jim Kirk would bring the Enterprise out of moth balls and come look for me." Despite the events that we saw in Star Trek; Generations. Bottom line, don't see this episode or that movie, It's an insult to all the fans of the original Star Trek series.

The return of the original Star Trek Miracle Worker
The Enterprise follows as very old distress call and discovers the USS Jenolan, crashed on the surface of a Dyson's sphere, a two-hundred million kilometers in diameter surrounding a sun (and one of the great theoretical scientific pipe dreams around). The away team discovers a jury-rigged transporter still working and even after 75 years there is a pattern still caught in the machine. La Forge pushes the magic button and Captain Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) of the original Star Trek. This surprising development results in two major problems: the first is that Scotty is now half-a-century behind the engineering of the day instead of a quarter-of-a-century ahead. You know he wants to mess around in the Engine room, which certainly drives La Forge crazy. The second problem is that the Dyson's sphere threatens to trap the Enterprise the same way it did the Jenolan. What Picard needs to save the day is some sort of engineering miracle worker...

I certainly enjoyed "Relics" a lot more than I thought I would have, mainly because the episode treats the character of Scotty with such respect. There is a marvelous scene where Scott grabs a bottle and calls up the bridge of the old Enterprise-A, bemoaning the sad fate that has brought him far into the future (where they insist on having synthetic alcohol and other horrors). Having Scotty around causes problems for Picard and his crew for most of the episode, which also rings true to me. Certainly Doohan is given a lot more to do in this episode than any two you can name from the original series. A very rewarding episode for fans of both series.

The Most Successful of the Crossover Shows
James Doohan reprises his "Scotty" role in this truly satisfying entry in the later Trek series. He provides a "bridge" between the old and the new as an "Old World" man transported to a time where he surely does not belong. The scene on the holodeck-simulated Enterprise is touching and beautifully acted by Doohan.

Special effects are found throughout, but they do not overshadow the on-screen actors. Of the cast, Levar Burton shines as Geordi who is in awe of "the engineer above all engineers."

A history meeting and an enjoyable hour.

Star Trek: The Next Generation "Relics"
Touching story of a Starfleet Officer who is rescued from his ship's transporter beam after being trapped there for 75 years. I like this episode because it features Scotty, from the original Star Trek, and when he notices all the advancements that have been made in 75 years aboard the Enterprise-D, he starts to feel antiquated and useless. But when the Enterprise-D faces danger, Scotty and Chief Engineer LaForge are called upon to use Scotty's old ship to save the Enterprise, making Scott feel useful again. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Joel Grey thinks that Captain Janeway is his daughter
In the never ending quest for power Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) leads an away team to an Alsaurian city occupied by the Mokra in Episode 28, "Resistance" (Story by Michael Jan Friedman and Kevin J. Ryan, Teleplay by Lisa Klink, Aired November 27, 1995). However, Mokra soldiers quickly capture Tuvok and Torres, and while Neelix beams back to "Voyager," Janeway is given sanctuary by Caylem (Joel Grey), an old man who believes she is his long lost daughter. The subplot of "Resistance" are the efforts by Chakotay (Robert Beltran) to get back the captured crewmembers, but all of the good scenes are between Mulgrew and Grey as the captain tries to balance the reality of her situation with the old man's fantasies while trying to rescue her officers and escape the Mokra soldiers looking for her everywhere. As an added bonus there is a scene where Janeway has to use her sex appeal to get out of one of several sticky situations, but it is the touching scenes between Caylem and the woman he believes is his daughter that are touching especially the final one that make this a great stand alone episode of "Voyager."

Star Trek - Voyager, Episode 28: Resistance
If you are a Kate Mulgrew fan, don't miss this episode. Janeway is at her best. Stuck on a hostile planet, JANEWAY is befriended by a man who believes she is he deceased daughter. Very touching all around, and although Mulgrew steals the show, Tuvok and Torres are also great in the smaller parts they play in this episode. A must see for any Mulgrew fans..and in general if you are a true Voyager fan.

vOYAGER AT IT'S BEST
A FAST PACED, TENSE STORYLINE WITH HUMAN DRAMA. TORRES LEARNS, TUVOK SUFFERS, AND JANEWAY IS ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO A MAN, UPON HIS DEATH, HIS WHOLE LIFE.

Resistance is futile!
If you like Kate Mulgrew, then you'll love this episode! It's a very touching episode and her performance with actor Joel Gray is wonderful. It reveals a very human part of Kathryn Janeway and while she is ever the captain, this episode portrays her emotional side a little. You'll really like it!

You'll fall in love...
This episode is one of Voyager's best & certainly one of Kate Mulgrew's most touching performances. If Janeway is your favorite Voyager character, picking up this episode on video is a MUST! ... Read more

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This ingenious and highly entertaining episode finds Worf (Michael Dorn) joining his son, Alexander (Brian Bonsall), and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) in a 19th-century, Wild West playground on the Enterprise's holodeck suite. The simple computer program, featuring six-shooters, saloons, and heroes and villains, however, gets far more complicated when an experiment conducted by Geordi (LeVar Burton) and Data (Brent Spiner) inadvertently turns the entertainment into a dangerous trap.

Suddenly, every bad guy is an evil version of Data, whose advanced android abilities quickly escalate the gun-totin' mayhem. While this story sounds similar to the science fiction film Westworld, the episode is largely played for laughs and whimsy. Spiner, a consummate character actor, gets a rare opportunity to play a variety of personalities, and Sirtis throws herself into good-natured, Western genre clichés. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Worf takes on Data in a Spaghetti Western on the holodeck
La Forge is trying to hook Data up to the main computer at the same time that Worf, Alexander and Troi are on the holodeck for an adventure in the Wild Wild West. When there is a sudden surge in Data's positronic brain during the process there is a bizarre tradeoff between these two events: Data begins speaking like he is from the Old West and the villain in the hologram program not only looks like Data now, he also has the androids abilities. Oh, and just to make things really interesting, the holodeck's safeguards are now off. What started out as a pleasant outing for Worf, filled with violence and confrontations of honor, quickly turns into an exercise in keeping the trio alive long enough for somebody to figure out what is going on and save them.

As the previous reviewer so aptly indicated, this is yet ANOTHER episode of STNG where something goes wrong with the holodeck (starting with Episode 13 "The Big Good-Bye" and reaching its heights with the Professor Moriarity episodes #29 "Elementary, My Dear Data" and #138 "Ship in a Bottle"). Even by that standard "A Fistful of Datas" is a below average episode of the series, although admittedly they probably had a blast filming this one, Brent Spiner in particular. Note: One of the nicest touches in this episode is that Captain Picard is still practicing on his Kitaan flute from "The Inner Light" (Episode 125), which will be important in the upcoming episode "Lessons" (Episode 145). I appreciate this attention to detail and character development much more than the holodeck nonsense in this episode.

The holodeck malfunctions...once again
Alexander drags Worf to the holodeck to the Wild West and Troi shows up as the "mysterious stranger" (I'm really not into the whole Worf/Troi thing). At the same time, Geordi is running a scan on Data and the two merge- resulting in Wild Westerisms in Data and too many Datas in the holodeck. Several cute and funny lines and good sets, but overall not one of my favorites. ... Read more

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Arguably the best episode from Voyager's first season, "The Cloud" is so full of jaunty energy that one could swear somebody on the show had just seen a couple of Howard Hawks comedies. The story hook is OK: Voyager enters a gaseous nebula only to discover it isn't a nebula at all but a life form. What's more, the ship has injured the creature and Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) must heal it before leaving. While the special-effects budget is drained by expensive opticals for all this, however, a viewer could be forgiven for caring much more about the script's substantial interest in character and relationship development.

While Janeway ponders the morale of her crew in their difficult circumstances, we see satisfying developments in the relationships between Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), Kes (Jennifer Lien) and the holographic doctor (Robert Picardo), and Janeway and Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran). What really makes the episode, however, are writer Michael Piller's crackling scenes and the actors' obvious glee at broadening a bit. Janeway's spirited banter with Neelix (Ethan Phillips) about morning coffee, with Chakotay about spirit guides, and with Paris about his French bistro holo-suite program are priceless. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A nebula is not just a nebula in the Delta Quadrant
In "The Cloud," Episode 6 of "Star Trek: Voyager," Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) decides to investigate a nebula that has a high level of omicron particles, which could supplement the ship's energy reserves. However, something in the nebula starts draining the ship's energy. Apparently turn about is fair play, even in the Delta Quadrant. "Voyager" manages to escape and Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) decides that he and Harry Kim (Garret Wang) should visit a holodeck recreation of a French bar from his days at the Academy. I understand that recreation is important, especially when you are 70 light years from home, but given that they are short of energy and just had a nebula draining off power wasting what they had on the holodeck seems rather reckless. Fortunately this is just a subplot, because what makes this one of the better first season episodes is the main plotline.

You see, Torres (Roxann Biggs-Dawson) has been anlayzing one of globules that the nebula attached to "Voyager" and discovers something very interesting about them that causes the Captain to rethink what just happened to them. As was the case with the previous episode, "Phage," this episode plays off Janeway's tendency to put the welfare of others above those of her own crew. This, of course, was a contributing factor in the decision Janeway made in the pilot that got her vessel stuck in the Delta Quadrant. Beyond that, "The Cloud" is an above-average problem-solving "Star Trek" episode, where the scientific ideas they are throwing around actually make sense and help develop the resolution. We also see the Doctor (Robert Picardo) show some abilities outside the realm of medicine. Then there is the episode's punch line when Janeway finds her senior bridge crew hanging out in a French bar on the holodeck. This is not a classic "Voyager" episode, but a very solid one that speaks well for the start the series got off to in Season 1. The first half-dozen episodes of "Voyager" are better than the same number from any other "Star Trek" series.

A wonderful episode
I enjoyed this episode very much. The characters are colorful and lively... the interaction between different characters is wonderful. It has a lot of humor in it. I actually liked the plot about the "cloud". This episode has something for everyone. It is easily one of Voyagers best episodes.

There's coffee in that nebula!
This episode of Voyager did a pretty good job of developing the entire ensemble cast that come to be the focus of the show, and for that reason, I highly recommend it.

A couple of memorable Voyager quotes ("There's coffee in that nebula!") come from this episode, and there is some important character development going on with regard to Janeway and Chakotay especially.

Of particular interest is the developing relaxed relationship between the Captain and the First Officer. It is a significant development that Janeway has become comfortable enough with Chakotay to ask him to help her meet her animal guide. And in return, that Chakotay appears eager to expose his mystical side to the Captain.

The scenes in the holosuite bar (Sandrines)are fun and set the stage for many scenes to come in the Voyager series. And it's good to see Janeway "let her hair down" and be one of the gang!

"That's Starfleet for 'Get out!'"
Just one of the many great lines in this very good episode. Best one was during the scene where the crew is playing pool.

Gary (to Torres): "Now me, I have a whole different approach to women: Treat a lady like a tramp and a tramp like a lady. Never fails"

Torres: "Paris, did you program this guy."

Paris: "Yeah, why?"

Torres: "He's a pig. And so are you."

I enjoy the growing interaction among the crew evident in this episode. "Voyager" did more of this in just a handful of episodes in its first season than the other "Treks" did in several years.

However, the central plot -- exploring a nebula which really turns out to be a lifeform -- is pretty much standard "Trek" stuff. A little contrived, as usual, but still good fun.

Great Episode!
This is an awesome episode, some great one liners by Janeway, and the first we really see of a Janeway/Chakotay relationship, with Janeway finding her spirit guide. Also a very entertaining scene in Sandrine's bar with playing pool. "Commander your stick please." LOL! This is a must for all J/Cers and any Voyager fan for that matter! I loved it! ... Read more

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What kind of guy is Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) exactly? Keepingin mind that his character was introduced on Voyager as a pilot thrownout of Starfleet for covering up an accident, then later jailed for his(bungled) role as a Maquis mercenary, one might say he's a heel seekingredemption at Voyager's con. But "Ex Post Facto" suggests he's still ascoundrel at heart.

When Paris and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) dine in the home of Banean scientistTolen Ren (Ray Reinhardt), Tom becomes distracted by the restless beauty of theman's wife (Robin McKee), leading to an illicit liaison that ends with themurder of Ren. Paris is accused, found guilty, and uniquely punished byexperiencing Ren's death, from the victim's point of view, every 14 hours in hismind. It's up to Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ) to get to the bottom of the mystery.

There's lots of controversy about the value of this episode. One camp believesParis is unfairly stereotyped, that the film noir elements in the script andvisual style are perfunctory, and that the story is a rehash of The NextGeneration's "A Matter of Perspective." Others, particularly writer MichaelPiller, believe it to be a blend of detective drama and The TwilightZone. In fact, all those assessments are valid: the episode is both overlypredictable and dark. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Best Of A Great Bunch!
Although I will recommend the new Voyager Complete First
Season DVD THIS is a season highlite.It presents the show in it's more cryptic pre-Seven Of Nine years in a wonderful tale
about an alien race who punish convited criminals by forcing them to relive the final moments of their victems life's.Effective alternative to capital punishment?NO-as you'll
see here it takes a Vulcan mind meld to curb the damage done to
Tom Paris after he's framed for murder.Excellent use of
dream sequences and flashbacks-reminds me of something Orson
Welle's might've done has he been a modern science fiction
television writer.

Tuvok saves the day!
Tom Paris was in a New Zealand prison when Janeway first met him. Given a chance for redemption and freedom, he accepts the position as pilot for the USS Voyager.

Now, he finds himself guilty of a murder he says he didn't commit. However, he's broken the law before, maybe things just got out of hand. Every 14 hours, Tom must witness the murder from the victim's point of view. Using a mind meld, Tuvok notes Paris height in comparison to the victim's wife and the fact that the dog wasn't afraid of whoever murdered the husband.

The wife and a friend of the victim were lovers and secret plotting against the deceased, who was a scietist on his home world.

Paris is innocent and free. The chip that made him relive the murder is taken out of his brain and Voyager continues on its quest toward home.

Tuvok has to save Tom Paris from a bum murder rap
At the start of "Ex Post Facto" (Episode 8, Story by Evan Carlos Somers, Screenplay by Somers & Michael Piller, Aired February 27, 1995) Ensign Kim (Garrett Wang) returns from the homeworld of Banean and reports that Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) has been convicted of murder. What makes this fascinating is that his punishment is to relive the crime from the perspective of his supposed victim every 14 hours. This is done through the use of memory engrams implanted by the Baneans in his rain. What had happened? On the planet Paris and Kim met a scientist, Tolen Ren (Ray Reinhardt), who needed help repairing some equipment. Paris was interested in Ren's young wife, Lidell (Robin McKee). When Ren turned up dead, Paris was the prime suspect and the damning evidence is the murder seen through the eye's of the victim.

The Baneans allow Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to evaluate Paris (after all, no matter where he goes, every 14 hours he relives the murder) and the Doctor discovers Paris is suffering brian damage from the implant. Tuvok (Tim Russ) plays detective and to gather information does a Vulcan mind meld with Paris. "Voyager" is then attacked by the Numiri, who are at war with the Baneans, and as we all know, even in the Delta Quadrant of the "Star Trek" universe there are no such things as coincidences. Besides having the interesting alien system of crime and punishment "Ex Post Facto" offers some pivotal character development for both Paris and Tuvok. Paris is the hotheaded irresponsible young pilot who needs to be better grounded, and this episode serves as something of a major reality check. Tuvok has had little to do in the series so far and this one gives him an opportunity to actually do some substantial. In the outstanding first season of "Star Trek: Voyager" this is the third first rate episode in a row.

Trek noir
As with the DS9 episode "Necessary Evil," there's a good film noir feel to this story. While Tuvok doesn't really come off as a good PI figure like Odo did, there still exists the old noir trademarks like the dispassionate, chain-smoking mystery woman, marital infidelity, and a whole slew of differing flashbacks on what really happened. There's also a good space battle sequence to keep it from getting too mired in the noir genre.

Best of the Lot
To me, this episode is the best of all the Voyager episodes either before or after. The reason being the interesting method of punishing murder and the Holmesian manner of Tuvok's investigation. Tuvok has never been as good as in this episode and the intriguing cultural differences have never been as imaginative. ... Read more

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"Shades of Gray" was one of the weakest episodes of TNG's first two seasons and proved a particularly flat finale for season 2. It's hard to believe that, in only two seasons, the writers had come up so dry that they cobbled together a kind of greatest-hits show, in which much of the episode consisted of filler from earlier programs. The nominal plot involves Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), who is scratched by a thorn on an unfamiliar planet while doing a geological survey. The thorn injects him with microbes that begin to infiltrate his nervous system, and it's up to Dr. Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) to figure out how to stop the organism from killing Riker. She discovers that stimulating Riker's memory with electricity has an effect, but happy memories strengthen the invading organism--so she must find a way to provoke Riker's worst memories to negate the organism's hold.

Frakes spends much of the episode flat on his back, simulating sleep, while director Rob Bowman cuts to a collection of clips from earlier episodes. The positive memories all have to do with his prowess with women, as he cuts a swath through the known universe. The negative vibes come from clips of the death of Tasha Yar and the few episodes in which Riker was the crew member in the most jeopardy. Mostly the clips serve as a survey of the various facial-hair fashions Frakes sported in the first two seasons. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The writers are more comatose than Riker is
One thing about the next generation series that has always annoyed me is the character of the chief medical officer of the Enterprise. Whether it is Dr. Crusher or Pulaski, the most common line seems to be, "I don't know . . . " Even twenty-first century doctors don't talk like that, and they don't have the advantages of another couple of centuries of medical knowledge and intelligent diagnostic computers. In this episode, the line is repeated by Dr. Pulaski until the point of boredom is reached. Dr. McCoy of the original series sometimes said it, but not as often and always with a tone of irritability rather than bafflement.
What saves the episode is the courage shown by Commander Riker as he faces death. While on a simple survey mission, he is pricked by a thorn that injects microorganisms into his leg. They infiltrate his nervous system and rapidly migrate towards his brain. His humor and good grace as the organism invades his brain shows us all how we should face a death that we can see as it approaches. Of course, Dr. Pulaski finally wises up and determines that negative emotions will kill the bugs. By stimulating those emotions electronically, Riker is cured and awakes with a quip on his lips.
In the original series, the lines given to Dr. McCoy occasionally got predictable and routine, including the classic, "He's dead Jim." However, it never reached the point that it does in the next generation. This episode is one of the worst offenders and while watching it, I did something I rarely do when watching any Star Trek episode, entered into a bored state.

Riker's Greatest Hits!
Are you sick and tired of NextGen episodes that actually make efforts to be original, and not rely on stock footage? Are you a big fan of Commander Will Riker? If you said, "yes" to both of these questions, then "Shades of Grey: Riker's Greatest Hits" is just the thing you've been looking for! Be amazed by the desperate measures a TV/movie production studio will take to pad out the episode total of a writers'-strike-shortened season! Be relieved by the fact that this show marks Dr. Pulaski's final NextGen appearance!

A few of Number One's more memorable (so to speak) recycled moments in this eppie include:

- The exploding-head scene from 'Conspiracy'!
- The death of Tasha Yar ('Skin of Evil')!
- Getting dragged into and submerged in a nasty pool of black sludge ('Skin of Evil')!
- his first encounter with Data on the Holodeck ('Encounter at Farpoint')!
- Disciplining a Klingon subordinate ('A Matter of Honor')!
- Ordering the activation of the Enterprise's self-destruct function ('11001001')!
- Helping in the rescue of a couple of Klingon renegades ('Heart of Glory')!
- Reconciliation with his dad ('The Icarus Factor')!
- The bevy of babes he's seduced ('Angel One', 'Up The Long Ladder', etc.)!
- ...and many more amazing Riker scenes!

SPECIAL BONUS: Less than 2 minutes of Wesley Crusher footage overall! That's right- you need endure only a minute-and-a-half of NextGen's most reviled teen prodigy in this Greatest Hits collection! Or you can just fast-forward right through it to save you the pain and annoyance!

But wait, there's more! Act now, and Amazon™ will include a handsome illustrated single-ply cardboard slipcase and soft temporary lamination absolutely free of charge! What a deal!

So don't delay-- get "Shades of Grey: Riker's Greatest Hits" today! (Hey-- that last sentence kinda rhymed and stuff!)

'Late!

"Data, Something's got me!"
"Shades Of Grey" ended Star Trek: The Next Generation's troubled second season, a gift to Paramount for footing the bill on "Q Who". At least Riker's memories are interesting; "Data! Something's got me!"

Necessity is the Mother of a whole bunch of flashbacks
It is pretty ironic that the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation ends with the classic "Best of Both Worlds" cliffhanger, because the second season ends with this particular tribute to the art of montage. The show might have been a success in syndication but it was still expensive, and "Shades of Gray" is what they came up with the money for special effects ran out. The justification for the flashbacks is that Riker gets stabbed by a plant while on a survey of this week's unexplored planet. The plant infects him with microbes that will kill him once they reach his brain. Apparently the microbes are not traveling via his circulatory system, otherwise the episode would be over at this point. Dr. Pulaski, in her last episode, has fun putting long rods into Riker's head so she can stimulate Riker to have various memories of all the fun times he has had aboard the Enterprise (e.g., the death of Tasha, fighting his father, etc.). This is because "bad" memories hurt the invading microbes. Consequently, this is an atypical "flashback" episode because usually a television series celebrates the good times on the series, not the bad ones. So, if you do not like Riker, "Shades of Gray" has to be your top choice of an episode that puts him through the wringer. Fortunately, the Next Generation never comes close to ending a season on so low a note ever again.

Low-budget fiasco of necessity
This episode was the result of a very low budget and an uncertainty at the time about the future of the series. Almost half of the episode is scavenged from former episodes. The limited budget that the studio had imposed on the writers and the rather extravagent special effects used during the second series meant that the episode had to be made on a shoestring. This is a ploy used in many different TV series; Star Trek: TNG is certainly not unusual in this. However, for dedicated fans, such episodes end up in their "most disappointing" category. As far as the limitations of flashback episodes go, and considering the questionable quality of the first two seasons, this is not a bad result. However, being what it is, it is certainly one of the lower points of the series. I would, however, rank it somewhat better than such episodes as "The Last Outpost" and "Justice." ... Read more

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Q eating a chocolate sundae: what a concept. Popular with Trek fans, the godlike imp Q (John de Lancie) makes his sixth appearance on The Next Generation, but this time with a difference. Stripped of his amazing powers by the Q Continuum--his immortal overseers--the condescending space-pest becomes a mere humanoid on the Enterprise, adding an extra headache for Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), already busy trying to keep a moon from crashing into a Federation planet. Assigned to crew duty, the humbled Q is escorted everywhere by Data (Brent Spiner), who introduces the skeptical alien to such fleshly pursuits as ordering chocolate treats. When Data makes an extreme sacrifice to protect Q from an old nemesis, the narcissistic fellow is uncharacteristically moved to heroic action of his own. The episode was made strictly for fun (most Q episodes end up rather profound, but this isn't one of them), and de Lancie has great sport with his alter ego's sudden ordinariness. Corbin Bernsen (LA Law) makes a surprise appearance as Q2, Q's annoyed boss. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Sudden mortality would be very hard to take
It is easy to understand the popularity of the Q character in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series. The myths of cultures from Africa to Native Americans all contain tales of the trickster. Mythology experts Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz wrote:

"Of all the characters in myths and legends told around the world through the centuries-courageous heroes, scary monsters, rapturous virgins-it's the Trickster who provides the real spark in the action -"

which indicates that most people are more interested and influenced by gods that are obnoxiously omnipotent rather than the detached unemotional overseer. The dialog of the Q episodes also seems to be crisper, both in content and in delivery.
This episode begins with the Enterprise desperately trying to alter the course of a moon that is about to crash into an inhabited planet. Q suddenly arrives and claims to have been stripped of his powers and turned into a human. Of course, the Enterprise crew doesn't believe him, thinking that this is just another of his charades. Although Q is portrayed as being self-centered, his actions are quite human, as suddenly he finds himself subject to pains in the stomach, back and hands. After being omnipotent and capable of moving planets, sudden mortality would be very hard to handle.
Things get worse, as a creature with a grudge against Q arrives and begins to attack him. It is able to penetrate the shields and deflects the Enterprise from their mission. Captain Picard is able to discern that Q chose to be placed on the Enterprise because he knew that they would protect him from his enemies. Since the creature is powerful enough to destroy the Enterprise, Q takes a shuttle and goes out to meet his death. At the last moment, Q recovers his powers and solves the problem.
There is a great deal of philosophy in this episode and it is unfortunate that the Enterprise crew is unable to appreciate it. Only Data seems able to understand what is happening. The conversation between Q and Picard where Q states that he wishes to die for the sole reason that it can now happen to him is a very significant event. When Q walks up to Data in sick bay and tells him that he is a better human than Q will ever be we are witnessing one of the best scenes in all of the Star Trek episodes. I found myself wishing that this had been a two-part episode where the situation was explored in greater detail.
From the first TNG episode we are exposed to the desire of Data to be human. This is a reflection of the human bias of the writers and the producers. I personally consider that to have been a mistake that the producers never had the courage to correct. In this episode, they do make a slight correction. When Q expresses disgust with being human, he is expressing the opinion that most creatures in the galaxy would have. Namely, that being turned into a human would not be considered a positive event in their lives. It is most unlikely that any android as sophisticated as Data would aspire to be human.
This is one of the top ten episodes of TNG. In it, the topic of becoming a human being considered a reason to die is explored. The conclusion and the manner in which Q repays Data for his instruction is wonderful.

He's Baaaack
This is I believe one of the funniest Q epsiodes. Q shows his sense of humor at it most hilarious. Poor q has no powers na dhas to live as a mere mortal human. Data trys to save him, despite q's past antics. Q is whining and complaining, but is too funny. Guinan gets in on the act and gives him a taste of his own medicine ouch!

Definitely can watch this one over and over!

Favorite Episode
I have, as of late, seen countless episodes of STar Trek: TNG thanks to my room-mate unfortunately coming across about 100 episodes at a clearance sale. Most of the episodes are entertatining enough and after spending time with the characters you generally do start to feel for them. However I find most episodes either too timid to celebrate their weirdness or too afraid to truly explore the philisophical undertones they present.

This episode is guilty of none of these things, this episode is merely a really good time. I don't know if the writers were having a good day or Joh de Lancie is just a brilliant improvisationalist, whichever it is, this is the only episode of Star Trek that I actually laughed out at, that is, laughed out loud at things that were supposed to be funny. (Yes the miniature model of the Exxon disaster that kills Tasha Yar is a laugh a minute but I doubt that it was intentionally so.)

I have seen about 50 episodes so far and this is by far my favorite. Yes that is fifty hours of my life riped away in the span of a month. Now that I am an official Trekkie I'll never get a date again, oh wait I never get them anyway, at least now I have an excuse.

THE Episode to see for all Star Trek Newcomers
This is one of the episodes of Star Trek:TNG with one of my favorite characters of the show: Q! This is the episode for everyone who is a newcomer to Star Trek to watch and be in awe and total amazement. After watching this episode, you will become a die-hard Star Trek fan like me and want to watch as many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and maybe even the other series) as you possibly can. This episode, I truly believe, displays Q's best acting and dialogue performance, EVER, from all of his appearances on all the series. He is incredible here in his ability to rouse the other members of the crew and in his acting and, especially, speaking, abilities. He is, dare I say, hilarious in what he says to Capt. Picard, Data, and Worf....and how he says it! But, don't forget about the storyline of the asteroidal moon falling from the sky to its respective planet, Bre'el Four. Can, or, more precisely, will, Q save the planet and restore the moon to its proper orbit? "There are millions of lives at risk. If you have the power...."

"It¿s difficult to work in a group when you're omnipotent."
"Deja Q" is an episode that you knew we would get around to seeing one day, sooner or later. The Enterprise is trying to help Bre'el IV, who's moon is about to break from orbit and destroy their world. Just to complicate matters, Q suddenly materializes. Apparently the Q Continuum has stripped Q of his powers and sent him off into the universe. However, they allowed him to pick what type of life form he would be for the rest of his natural unborn days and Q picked human. Picard, suspicious that Q is responsible for what is happening to Bre'el Four's moon, puts their strange visitor in the brig. Eventually Q is released because even if he no longer has his powers, he still has knowledge that can help them restore the moon's original orbit. Of course this is when the Calamarain, an ionized gas cloud that is just one of the many species that Q has messed around with in the past, arrives upon the scene and attacks the ship in order to get at Q. Finally, Picard knows that Q decided to become human because the one being in the entire universe who would save his sorry behind would always be Jean-Luc Picard.

This is a wonderful episode simply because we get to John De Lancie's best performance as Q. Without his powers we learn that Q would still be Q and you have to love watching De Lancie put subtle shadings on Q's roguish behavior given his new circumstances. Picard and Q would never admit what they really think of each other, mainly because that would spoil all the fun, but this is about as close as they ever get. "Deja Q" makes it clear that the reason these two play off each other so well is that they really understand each other, even with all the smoke screens and other distractions they throw in the way. There is also the additional pleasure of seeing the Enterprise crew trying to treat Q as a "normal" person and the appearance of Corbin Bernsen as Q (not our Q but a different Q, because, after all, not all Q are alike). This off beat Q adventure is one of the best. ... Read more

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The Enterprise picks up a derelict shuttlecraft, only to find that it is an exact duplicate of an Enterprise shuttle--complete with a duplicate Picard! The shuttle has come from a few hours in the future, and the crew determines that it is a future in which the Enterprise and everyone on it are destroyed. This is a compelling episode, both for its time loop and for the dilemma that Picard faces: clearly it was his mistake that destroyed the ship. Suddenly, the normally commanding Picard finds himself second-guessing his own decisions, paralyzed with the dilemma of trying to figure out what he wouldn't do. Patrick Stewart gives a terrific, nuanced performance as Picard wrestles with self-doubt. The well-plotted episode handles the paradoxes of a time loop with ease, bringing us (and the Enterprise) to a satisfying conclusion. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Crew remains loyal even after the Enterprise is destroyed
Stories involving alterations in time are a staple in science fiction overall and the Star Trek section in particular. There is a wide variation in quality, some leave a lot to be desired and some are excellent. This one is pretty good, and involves the destruction of the Enterprise.
The Enterprise is on a routine mission when it encounters an out of control shuttlecraft that could not have reached that point under its own power. They capture it and are stunned to find another Captain Picard unconscious in the pilot's seat. It also turns out that the craft is registered to the Enterprise. After some trials where the power is incompatible with that of the Enterprise, Geordi and Data manage to download some of the log entries. They indicate that the shuttle is from a few hours in the future and clearly demonstrate that Captain Picard willingly piloted the craft from the Enterprise and watched it being destroyed.
Since the copy is from the future, his body is not properly synchronized with the time line it is in, so he cannot inform them of the reasons why he left the ship. As the time where the copy was sent back in time approaches, the copy becomes more aware of his surroundings, but remains unable to communicate with or even recognize the Enterprise crew around him. For the first time, we see Picard being indecisive, as he tries to determine what command decision led to the destruction of the Enterprise.
At the end, the true Picard gets his will to command back, which forces him to kill his double and avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the first time. As the Enterprise crew faces what seems to be certain death, we see why they are the best in Star Fleet. They know that Picard made a command decision that led to their destruction and his survival. And yet they remain loyal to him, expressing surprise at his leaving the Enterprise at such a critical time. The remaining command crew expresses no doubts about Picard, nor do they assign any blame. Their focus is on solving the problem in the few hours they have left.
At times, the best thing about Star Trek is the loyalty that the main characters show to each other. This is one of those episodes, where we see the best that the human race can deliver.

Future Picard
Meeting Yourself

Picard meets his future self six hours into the future. Originally planned as a Q episode, the Enterprise is engulfed by a vortex that takes the crew into an unknown dimension. Another version of Picard comes aboard the Enterprise to warn the Picard from the present. Of what purpose, it's never revealed. We don't find out much about the one from the future. The best scene is when Riker discovers future Picard in the shuttle. You don't know weather or not the second Picard will avert the coming disaster or cause it. Picard has a line that best describes the story. "If you travel far enough you will meet yourself." This one was what was called a "bottle show." All of the scenes take place aboard the Enterprise and no other location shooting was required.

Time Travel- you know you love it
Star Trek: TNG has, more than any other film or TV show, except perhaps the "Back to the Future" series, capitalized on terrific ideas involving time travel. In this, one of the series' best time conundrums, (I would rank it after "Cause and Effect" and "Timescape") the crew discovers a wandering shuttle that not only appears to belong to the Enterprise, but contains an exact double of Captain Picard. It is deduced that the new Picard has come from seven hours into the future, and that in his time, the enterprise was destroyed and he was the only survivor. Thus begins a gloriously suspenseful race against time (as usual) to discover what this Picard did that must be avoided. "Time Squared" is easily one of my favorite episodes, though I must admit to being thoroughly partial to the time travel ones. But even with my biases aside, this one has a terrific story and an involving mystery- the essence of any great episode.

The Enterprise finds a second Picard from a deadly future
"Time Squared" is the initial foray into time travel for the Next Generation crew. The Enterprise finds one of its shuttles drifting in space with an unconscious Picard on board. This is rather confusing since Picard is sitting on the bridge at the time. When they examine the shuttle's logs they discover it is from six hours in the future when the Enterprise was surrounded by an energy vortex. The Picard from the future is barely able to communicate anything since he is caught up in the painful throws of a time paradox. The shuttle left the Enterprise right before the starship was destroyed and apparently there is nothing they can do about the situation (going off in a completely different direction from what was indicated in the logs would be a start). To no one's surprise, six hours later the energy vortex appears. Troi tells Picard the entity is focusing on him as the ship's captain. Understanding now why he left the ship on the shuttle, Picard knows this is the one thing he cannot do if he wants to save his ship and crew.

Time paradoxes are always fun logic loops (what happens if you accidentally go back in time and kill your grandfather is one of the classics, the other being that if you go back in time to stop the Titanic from hitting the iceberg you will be the one that causes the accident because you already went back in time to have caused the accident you went back in time to prevent--but I digress) and "Time Squared" offers a simple but compelling mystery. The theoretical ramifications of it all get rather lost in the necessity of solving the mystery and avoiding the destruction of the Enterprise, but the key thing in this particular episode is the growing sense of unease. After all, there are two Picards and visual proof that the Enterprise is about to be destroyed. Like "Contagion" (Episode 37), this episode presents the crew dealing solving problems and really helps develop the idea of them as a team. Well into the second season the roles of each character are becoming well defined, which, in turn, makes it easier to write for the series, thereby setting the stage for some really good episodes in the near future. ... Read more

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Following faint energy signals like a trail of bread crumbs, the Enterprise ends up in the Epsilon Minos system. Riker is excited because this is the area where the mythical world of Aldea is located, an advanced civilization rumored to be centuries old, peaceful, self-contained, and technically sophisticated, where the inhabitants devote themselves to art. What luck, then, that they end up parked just outside of the orbit of this legendary planet and lines of communication open up. Good luck turns to bad when the Aldeans kidnap a bunch of children from the Enterprise and try to pay off the parents by giving them advanced technology. Turns out the Aldeans are impotent and dying off, and need a new generation of children to help repopulate the planet. They try to be good surrogate parents, opening up the kids to their artistic potential, but that doesn't placate the birth parents. "When the Bough Breaks" capitalizes on a natural mistrust of artist colonies, combined with a fear of forced adoption. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"Our children are not for sale, at any price."
"When The Bough Breaks" is such an inconsequential Star Trek: The Next Generation episode that it immediately fades from memory once the closing credits pop up on the screen. If there's any equivalent to newspaper or magazine filler in the television medium then this is it. Well, they can't all be winners.

The Enterprise-D discovers the planet Aldea. However, it turns out the "accidental" meeting between the ship and the planet was planned in advance. The Aldeans have lost the ability to reproduce and have lured the Enterprise-D to their homeworld in order to kidnap some of the ship's children to help them repopulate their race. The situation is eventually resolved when Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) offers the help of his ship to repair the planet's atmosphere which has been weakened by a protective shield encircling the planet.

Yes, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) was one of the children kidnapped and the mind boggles as how this television series would have turned out differently had he remained behind in captivity on Aldea. However, this was not to be as the young man was among the rescued and well, the rest is history. Star Trek: The Next Generation also once again borrows another story device from the original series by attributing the problems of a planetary society to a guardian computer. You have to wonder just how many of these computers are out there in the galaxy? Is there a 24th century IBM producing and selling these things in bulk to planets tired of looking after themselves? Can you purchase these computers with that cool dragon-head as seen in the original series episode "The Apple" (1967) or is that a custom job? So many questions . . .

The Cradle Will Fall
The Aldean Abductors

Unable to repopulate their species; the inhabitants of the planet Aldea steal some children from the Enterprise. Because of a defect in their planets' atmosphere reproduction is impossible. The short version of this one? Wesley and the kids have a hunger strike to protest their abduction. Picard refuses to exchange information for the children. The Aldean leader wanted to exchange technological information for them. It's cold and just stupid. Who in their right mind agree to those terms? It's just the bad writing in this episode.

The B story in this story is .....you guessed it ..... an antiquated computer that still runs the planet is broken down! Picard tells them the Federation will come in and fix their faulty one and thus solve their atmosphere and population problem. It all gets wrapped up in one episode. The only highlight in this is when the big bad "Custodian" computer is taken off line.

Aldea, the Utopian Planet where there are no children . . .
The enterprise stumbles upon the legendary planet of Aldea, an ancient and highly advanced utopian civilization that has shielded the entire planet from the rest of the galaxy. Meeting with Picard, the Aldeans explain that their race can no longer have children and ask for the Enterprise to give them some. When Picard refuses, the Aldeans use their powers to take seven children (including Wesley Crusher) and blast the starship so far away it will take the Enterprise three days at warp 9 to get back. Meanwhile, the Aldeans are showing the children how to tap their talents in marvelous ways. As the Enterprise hurries back to the rescue, Dr. Crusher discovers the Aldeans are sterile because their shield has destroyed their ozone layer. More importantly, Data has discovered a hole in that shield.

"When the Bough Breaks" combines two of Next Generation's favorite types of stories. First, it speaks to a contemporary concern (destruction of the ozone layer and relying on computers to do our thinking). Second, no matter how advanced a race might be they are not as smart as (a) they think they are or (b) the dumb humans they have arrogantly dismissed. On the lighter side, it was clear from the start of the series that Jean-Luc Picard did not like the presence of children on his starship. This episode takes the opportunity to poke some holes in his gruff façade (as if it were the Aldean ozone layer), and the final scene when the children thank the Captain is a hoot. ... Read more

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A substandard Trek adventure that attains a bit of notoriety asthe final episode of Denise Crosby's Tasha Yar--at least until her cleverlyconceived return in the third season's "Yesterday's Enterprise." When a shuttle crash strands Counselor Troi and a (barely glimpsed) crewman on a barren planet, the away team's efforts to rescue her are frustrated by a black, viscous pool that moves to block their path. The oily goop soon identifies itself as Armus, not an alien being per se, but rather the cast-off remnants of an ancient race that had learned how to make manifest the cruel, destructive sides of their own nature and abandoned this physical embodiment of evil as a hindrance to their evolution. Armus immediately proves his own motiveless malignancy by killing Tasha with wonton dispatch. But murder proves insufficient to satisfy his cravings, and he goes on to torment and torture the remainder of the landing team through such schoolyard stratagems as playing keep away with Geordi's visor and forcing Data to hold his phaser on his comrades. A pretty regrettable episode overall, with laughable dialogue and special effects (the evil oil slick may be the lamest-lookingvillain in all of Star Trek), but in hindsight the brutal offhandednessof Tasha's death, done without preamble or any great effort on Armus's part, wasthe first healthy sign that TNG would outgrow the self-congratulatory PC smugness of its first few seasons. --Bruce Reid ... Read more

Reviews (9)

characters go through more development
Some of the plot has more than its fair share of holes in it, but you can see a substantial amount of character development between this and the first episode.

Troi is returning via shuttle from a conference, ready to rendevous with the Enterprise. The Enterprise, the flagship of the Federation fleet, only has one batch of Dilithium crystals, so when they're being aligned, it's tough cookies if you need to go to warp. No back up crystals - very interesting.

Troi's shuttle experiences a systems failure and plummets to the surface on an unihabited planet, Vagra 2. Who names these planets? Vagra is such a good name that you need a Vagra 1 AND a Vagra 2?

Once the crystals are realigned, the Enterprise goes on a rescue mission. They beam to the crash site, only to have a thick oil slick in their path. As they try to walk around it, the oil slick follows them. No readings show up on their instruments, but it's obvious that there is an intelligence there.

An ancient race of titans found a way to extract evil from their society (kinda like popping a pimple) and when all the members of the race had collected all their evil goo together, it made Armus - the oil slick... aka - the "skin of evil."

They abandoned him on the planet - a being that is immortal and cannot die, a being utterly lonely, very powerful (he is able kill with a thought, transport an object from one place to another and he is empathic like Troi), and eager to leave the loneliness of his planet.

Armus claims that his behavior is not merely evil - but that rather he IS evil - the embodiment of evil.

In an act of boredom, he kills Lt. Tasha Yar, regretting later that she did not suffer because her death did not amuse him like he thought it would. Her memorial service is sweet and touching, and elements of this scene show up in future episodes... and Tasha does make a reappearance in a future time-travelling episode.

The goal is to get Troi and her shuttle pilot off the surface, but Armus continues to envelop the shuttle and they are unable to get a lock on the occupants. What's ironic is that Armus can beam (or at least teleport) Picard in and out of the shuttle, but he apparently can't beam Troi or Ben (the injured pilot) out, nor enter it himself. Yes, there are holes-a-plenty in this episode.

Continued dialogue with Armus reveals the nature of his lonliness and desire to leave. His voice is ominous and his flippant attitude toward life is creepy.

Not a great episode by a long shot, but a pivotal one for those who watch a lot of the episodes - this one has important elements for a number of future episodes that refer back to it. Most worthy are character development leaps for Riker and Crusher.

Tasha is killed by an annoying villain...
The villain in this episode, Armus, isn't really that much of a threat. And he's really annoying too. Tasha Yar dies so quickly, we almost don't believe it happened. Counselor Troi and Expendable Crewman #28b are trapped in a shuttlecraft surrounded by a large walking chocolate syrup monster. This guy can force people to do things for his own amusement, but fails to be amused by the Enterprise crew. Picard never even breaks a sweat in defeating Armus. This is a significant episode only because of Yar's death. The rest is just the usual muck from the first season.

Death on the planet of papier mache rocks . . .
It's farewell to Tasha Yar in this episode as the Enterprise crew find two of their number held hostage by a malevolent being.
Troi and "Ben" (who is barely given any consideration) crashland on Vagra II and are captured by Armus - an evil creature looking for the amusement tormenting others brings it. It inflicts mental torture on all those it meets: Troi, Riker, Crusher, Geordi, and even Data. And it kills Yar, just because it can.
This wasn't a bad concept for an episode, but it fell rather flat. The special effects are sub par, the dialogue often clunky, and the pacing is jerky due to action on the planet being broken up by certain other events that the director felt needed lingering over.
The ending fell flat for me, too. Picard's admission that he did not know whether he, too, had found pleasure in being cruel was a bit of a cop-out. And Tasha's farewell . . . yes, it was moving. But she had appeared so little in the series, to such limited effect, that all those farewell messages held no resonance with anything that had been seen in previous episodes.
It's a fine idea to have someone die in the middle of a mission, with everyone else left behind needing to carry on. Unfortunately, "Skin of Evil" just didn't have the emotional depth and strong plot required.

Average episode at best
"Skin of Evil" is basically about a rescue attempt of two Enterprise crewmen on Vagra II (counselor troi and a mostly ignored, unimportant crewman whose name is never really mentioned) which results in a really senseless tragedy. An evil alien force named Armus kills Yar and torments the crew while they attempt to rescue Troi and the other crewman. I found the plot really average, and the special effects left a lot to be desired.

The only reason I bought this episode because my favorite character was Tasha Yar, and I collect ST:TNG episodes myself. If you are looking for a memorable, exciting episode, and you don't particularly care about Tasha Yar, then don't buy it. I don't think you'd like it.

However, the ending on this episode is its saving grace; it is really touching and great, and even I had to shed a few tears. At least they gave Tasha the proper send off! It's too bad that Yar dies senselessly in this episode and is soon forgotten b