Star Trek TNG: Season 5
For the last entry of the year, it would seem fitting to have my review of Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I've noticed that the main Star Trek: The Next Generation title was "upgraded" to make it look something out of the past Superman movies of the 70s and 80s. Strangely, the first episode of Season 6, "Time's Arrow: Part II" gets rid of this effect and goes back to what was from Seasons 1 to 4. Weird... do any of you know why they changed it back? Ah well. I noticed a number of rehashing in this season and the writing was a little weak compared to past seasons. While still entertaining, I felt they were going back to topics from before, through with variations.
"Ensign Ro": This is the episode that introduces a new crew Enterprise member - Ensign Ro Laren, a Bajoran. She's not a bad character though before seeing this episode and hardly knowing her, I originally thought she was Romulan and that the series had their very first Romulan crew member! Turns out I was so wrong LOL!
"Silicon Avatar": The Crystalline Entity from the Season 1 episode "Datalore" returns. At the beginning of the episode it ravages the colony of Melona Four, leaving it barren and kills two people. The Enterprise brings in Doctor Kila Marr, a xenobiologist who is has studied the Entity for a long time. At first she is distrusting and bigoted toward Data, thinking that he is like his brother Lore who assisted the Entity in the past. She confides in Data the reason for her distrust: her 16 year-old son, Renny was killed by the Entity on Omicron Theta, the same homeworld as Data. It's not long that she trusts Data and sees that he is not the same android as Lore. It is found that photon torpedoes programmed in a certain way can kill the creature but Picard refuses to use them and would want to try and communicate with the Entity first. Wanting to exact revenge on the creature that killed her son, Marr is skeptical but agrees to work with Data on a way to communicate. In private, she asks Data if he has the memories of Renny in his databanks and he replies that he does, mainly of letters that he wrote. He relays her son's past thoughts and experiences to her, even in his voice. It turns out Renny was proud of his mother pursuing her career as a scientist though Marr admits to Data that she felt guilty leaving him on Omicron Theta and kept wanting to visit him. With what Data has revealed, Marr feels like her son is alive again. The Enterprise then makes contact with the Crystalline Entity and they manage communication through the use of gravitation impulses. All of a sudden, Marr programs the impulse to increase in it's frequency, hurting the Entity. Picard orders her to stop but she ignores him and says to Data as if talking to her son, "I'm doing this for you". With no way to bypass the lockout she programmed in time, the impulse shatters the Crystalline Entity and it dies. Picard is angry at Marr's act of revenge and orders she be escorted back to her quarters. Data volunteers as Marr is near collapse from the experience. Back in her quarters, she asks Data what Renny would feel given the memories he has. Sadly, Data answers that because she has now destroyed her career as a scientist, "Your son would have been very sad now". The reality of that revelation sinks into her. The last 5 minutes of this episode almost reduced me to tears!
"Disaster": Not a noteworthy episode but the scene in which Worf handles delivering Keiko's baby was hilarious! "Congratulations. You are fully dilated to ten centimeters. You may now give birth." "I will smack the child to induce breathing". LOL!
"The Game": Wesley Crusher visits the Enterprise since he left for Starfleet after the episode "Final Mission" from last season.
"Unification I": I've been waiting for this two-parter! The episode begins with a small tribute t Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry who passed away shorty before this episode aired. Picard discovers a high-ranking Federation representative is missing and possibly defected to a group with political interests inconsistent with the Federation's. Picard finds out through a video recording that it is Ambassador Spock! Wanting to locate him, Picard goes to Vulcan believing that Ambassador Sarek, Spock's father would know where his son is. Perrin, Sarek's second wife, knows of the close bond that Picard and Sarek have (because of the mind-meld) and allows Picard to see her husband. Sarek is in ill health and is experiencing emotions. He manages to tell Picard of Spock's friendship with Pardek, a Romulan Senator. Picard leaves after they give each other the Vulcan salute. Back onboard the Enterprise, Picard decides that he has to go into Romulan space but they need access to a cloaked ship. Chancellor Gowron ignores Picard's hails and denies the request but after some persuasion to a representative of Gowron's, he quickly relents and grants Picard's request. Meanwhile, Riker and Geordi are investigating some debris they found of a Vulcan ship, T'Pau. The trouble is, the ship was supposedly decommissioned and sent to a Federation surplus depot at Qualor Two. When they arrive a heavily armed ship also arrives. Riker hails the vessel, but it attacks. The Enterprise responds with a warning shot, but the shot causes a dangerous reaction and the hostile ship explodes. On the Klingon ship, Data and Picard muse about the quarters they are given and talk about the mission. The pair are interrupted by news that Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan is dead (sniff... it's the last we see of Sarek in the entire series - not including the 2009 movie, as actor Mark Lenard died in 1996). Picard and Data, through costumes and makeup, transform into Romulans which amuses the Klingon crew. But Picard realizes that he has another tough task ahead of him - he must inform Spock that his father has died. On Planet Romulus, Senator Pardek is meeting with Romulan Proconsul Neral. They are aware that Picard is on the planet. Picard and Data make their way to the location in the video recording from earlier in the episode. The pair visit a food vendor, order soup, but get lightly interrogated by the hostess who then thinks are undercover security agents and gives them their soup for free. They both notice some soldiers near them and at the same moment, Pardek enters the establishment. As the pair move towards the senator, the soldiers block them and have their disruptors drawn. Picard and Data are led to an underground chamber at gunpoint. Pardek joins them moments later, welcoming them to Romulus. Picard tells Pardek that he is on an important mission from the Federation and that he is looking for Ambassador Spock. An undeniable figure emerges from the shadows, replying, "Indeed, you have found him, Captain Picard."
"Unification II": Picard confronts Ambassador Spock demanding an explanation for his actions, pointing out the security risk, and "cowboy diplomacy". Then he informs the Ambassador of Sarek's demise. Spock speaks to the Captain about his relationship with Sarek and Picard attempts to convey the feelings of Sarek for his son. Changing the subject, Spock reminds the Captain of his role with with the Klingons (in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). He felt personally responsible for the predicament that Captain James T. Kirk and his crew encountered, and was determined not to risk anyone other than himself. Spock reveals that he is working toward a "reunification" of the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. Picard is skeptical of the government suddenly becoming willing to embrace a peace movement while Spock is presenting it more as a grassroots campaign which includes some powerful members. Pardek introduces Spock to Neral, who greets Spock in the traditional Vulcan salute. Neral puts a proposition to Spock and to Spock's surprise, the Romulan leadership are ready to publicly embrace reunification. Spock cautions that the Vulcans would have to overcome generations of distrust. On the Enterprise, Riker has decided to track down the widow of the destroyed ship's captain. Riker finds a stocky Ferengi and.after a little man-handling, the Ferengi reveals that he had transported the T'Pau components to Galorndon Core, a sector near the Federation-Romulan Neutral Zone. Riker and Picard discuss the developing details over a signal that Data and Spock have modified. It is apparent that a Vulcan ship has been stolen at approximately the same time as the Romulans developed a desire to reunify with their cousins. Data meanwhile, was able to detect a Romulan Intelligence signal which was transmitted from a position near Galorndon Core. It contained only four digits "1-4-0-0". The Enterprise arrives at Galorndon Core and receive a text message to remain, apparently from Picard. In the caves on the surface, Picard and Data, now out of costume, fill Pardek and Spock in on the message they intercepted. 1400 hours was to be the time that the Proconsul would deliver the public announcement regarding reunification. Linking this with the knowledge of the stolen Vulcan ships, Spock deduces that he is being deceived by Neral. Without warning, Sela (once again played by Denise Crosby) and an armed guard appear. Spock concludes that his old friend, Pardek had betrayed the group for political gain. Sela promises that reunification will continue...in the form of the Romulan conquest of Vulcan. She reveals that the T'Pau was actually only one of three ships that the Romulans had captured. With it, they plan to fly into Vulcan space under the banner of peace, and land an occupation force before anyone else had time to react. A diversion has also been arranged to keep the Enterprise busy. Reading the speech Sela has prepared, Spock flatly refuses to read the statement in public, to which Sela responds with threatening their lives. With typical Vulcan detachment, Spock concludes that since it is logical that they would be killed in any event, he chooses not to cooperate. Prepared for this contingency, Sela orders the computer to run a simulation of Ambassador Spock. While Spock, Picard and Data are left unguarded in the room, Data manages to hack into the Romulan computer. The computer is used to generate holograms to trick Sela and her guards when they return, allowing Picard and Spock to overpower the guards. Data manages to use the Vulcan nerve pinch on Sela and the trio escape. At Galorndon Core, the Enterprise begins to track the Vulcan ships on a direct course to Vulcan. Despite the captain's orders, Riker orders an intercept course. The ship is just about to alter course, when Spock transmits a warning about the incoming invasion fleet. The Vulcan ships attempt to withdraw, but the Vulcan Defense Forces and the Enterprise cut them off. As soon as it seems that they are caught, a Romulan Warbird decloaks and completely annihilates the small Vulcan ships, killing 2,000 of their own Romulan troops. Back on Romulus, Data and Picard bid farewell to Spock. The Ambassador is intent upon his goal, realizing that it cannot be achieved through diplomacy or politics. Picard offers Spock a chance to touch what Sarek shared with him and, as the two mind-meld, Ambassador Spock softly cries. In the end, this was an awesome two-parter. Having Spock deal with Picard and Data was very interesting. I also liked the scene with Spock and Data on the Klingon warship, as Spock wants to be more Vulcan and less human whereas Data wants to more human and less android.
"The Masterpiece Society": Another great "Prime Directive" episode (but only mentioned near the end). The humans on the planet Moab IV are genetically altered and are led by their leader Aaron Conor. He explains to the Enterprise crew who visit that his people have been genetically engineered with selective breeding over seven generations in the pursuit of perfection. The founders of the colony intended to create people without flaws who would live in a "Masterpiece Society." Conor’s people, including Martin Benbeck, believe that their colony is so perfectly balanced and tuned that all the accomplishments resulting from following the guiding principles they have lived by for over 200 years would be jeopardized if they anyone left the planet. In the end, the main scientist, Hannah Bates that works with La Forge throughout the episode decides to leave the planet and 22 others and board the Enterprise. This episode kind of reminds me of Season 4's "First Contact" episode.
"Ethics": Not particularly a badly written episode. A chemical barrell accidentally falls on Worf that crushes his spine. He is left a parapalegic and as a Klingon, this is considered a great shame. Dr. Crusher consults Klingon medical records but nothing is of help so she enlists the help of Dr. Russell, who specializes in mobility. She suggests to Crusher that an experimental, possibly life-threatening procedure may allow Worf to regain all of his mobility. It will, essentially, clone his spine by extracting the original and replace it with the new one. However Dr. Crusher does not think the risk is worth it and would try implants instead which would regain Worf's mobility by 60%. Worf tries the implants but in front of his son Alexander, falls to the floor and loses more of his dignity. In all this, Worf wants someone to perform a Klingon ritual suicide, particularly Riker and using their status as "friends" as coercion. Riker refuses and returns the burden: young Alexander has to be the one to perform the ritual, placing Worf in a very uncomfortable position. He decides to go through Dr. Russell's procedure, against Crusher's warnings. Crusher is obviously cautious as she saw Russell's "ethics" earlier in treating a patient with an experimental drug that left him dead. The procedure goes through and while it starts successful, Worf goes into cardiac arrest and dies from brain death. While informing Troi and Alexander and having them see Worf's body, his life readings come back on due to a "backup" function in his body. The procedure is a success. Before leaving, Dr. Russell visits Dr. Crusher and asks her if she will ever admit that it was the procedure that saved Worf's life. Crusher admits that she is relieved that Worf will live and that through Russell's gamble, he won - but not all her patients were so lucky. She continues: "You scare me doctor. You risk your patients lives and justify it in the name of research. Genuine research... takes time. Sometimes a lifetime of painstaking, detailed work in order to get any results. Not for you. You take shortcuts - right through living tissue. You put your research ahead of your patients lives and as far as I'm concerned that's a violation of our most sacred trust. I'm sure your work will be hailed as a stunning breakthrough. Enjoy your laurels doctor... I'm not sure I could." I love that speech! At the end, Alexander helps Worf to walk again. It's nice to see them bonding more.
"The First Duty": One of the more tense episodes, the Enterprise returns to Earth as Starfleet is about to have a hearing on the suspicious death of a cadet. Wesley Crusher has to choose loyalty to his friends and loyalty to Starfleet ideals. Watching Wil Wheaton, he does a good job when he is lying and his reaction of getting caught in it. Notice his breathing and swallowing and trying to keep a straight face. I pretty much relate to that in situations in the past when I had to majorly lie to someone and they try to break you. I know this will be one of the last times that Wesley will be on the show.
"Cost of Living": Another hilarious episode with Lwaxana Troi! She about to get married to a man she hasn't yet met and has to break with Betazoid traditions for the ceremony to be successful. Worf and Alexander are not getting along again as Alexander won't fulfill his duties and obligations. Lwaxana takes Alexander under her wing and shows him a different world while visiting the holodeck called the Parallax colony. Very whimsical, Lwaxana teaches Alexander to be a free spirit - much to Deanna and Worf's disapproval. Her fiancee Campio arrives, played by the late Tony Jay (who did the voice of Megabyte in the Vancouver-produced CGI series, Reboot and generally plays villains roles due to his sexy voice!) though he seems not to be what she wants. At the ceremony, she decides to go with Betazoid tradition and come naked, much to the relief of Deanna but much to the horror of Campio! LOL! At the end of the episode Lwaxana, Deanna, Worf, and Alexander enjoy a mudbath in the Parallax colony with Worf impatiently asking, "You're just supposed to sit here?".
"I, Borg": This wasn't too bad an episode. The Enterprise crew find a young, injured Borg that crashed landed with his crew on a nearby planet. He is the only survivour while the rest are dead. Crusher wants to help him despite Picard's reluctance. He is teleported on the Enterprise and examined by Geordi. The Borg is designated "Third of Five" but Geordi refers to him as "Hugh". "Hugh" accepts the name and listens to Geordi and even Guinan and in effect, starts to become more like an individual. Hugh explains that the Borg wish to learn about other cultures and cannot understand why Geordi does not want to be assimilated. The engineer explains individuality, continuing onto the subject of friendship. This has an effect on Hugh and begins to see things through his human captor's point of view. This changes the crew's original plan to introduce a kind of virus through Hugh that would be transfered among the Borg when he is rescued. The virus would completely wipe out the Borg. Before Picard commits to it, he meets Hugh face-to-face. Hugh recognizes Picard as "Locustus" and the Captain plays along. He orders Hugh to assimilate the crew of the Enterprise, including Geordi. Hugh resists the idea, claiming that Geordi is his friend, that the crew do not wish to be assimilated and will resist. Picard pushes him but Hugh states "I will not assist you". Picard is surprised that Hugh uses the first person singular "I" instead of "We". Picard reconsiders the original idea and allows Hugh the option of asylum. Hugh is tempted but knowing the Borg, they would keep pursuing the Enterprise to locate him so to save Geordi and the crew this fate, he opts to return back to the crash site and allow the nearby Borg rescuers to re-assimilate him. Picard complies, hoping that when the Borg re-assimilate Hugh that the knowledge of individualism will spread amongst the Collective. Geordi teleports down with Hugh and sure enough, a couple of Borg appear and re-assimilate Hugh. Geordi is ignored when the Borg teleport the dead Borg back to the Collective. Before they leave, Hugh looks at Geordi with a parting glance.
"Time's Arrow: Part I": The Enterprise crew are called back to Earth and are shown a cavern in San Francisco near Starfleet Headquarters. It is believed to have been around since the 19th century because of some relics left behind. Shockingly, they discover the severed head of an android - which happens to be Data's! It would seem that he is somehow sent into the past and dies there. Also in the cavern is evidence of shapeshifters from the planet Devidia II. The Enterprise travels there and notice a phase disturbance. While they cannot see any lifeforms, Counselor Troi senses them and senses their suffering. Data volunteers to enter the phase disturbance despite Picard shielding him, feeling cautious given the revelation of Data's death. Given the crew are upset that Data may eventually be lost and killed, Picard reluctantly allows Data to enter the disturbance. Once in, Data describes them as these beings that absorb light from some device. He sees two of these beings go into a time portal and he is drawn in. He ends up in 19th century San Francisco, 1893 to be precise. Knowing that he is at a disadvantage, he first plays poker against card sharks and wins a lot of money. He befriends the bell hop who is the young Jack London and stays at the local hotel. Claiming to be an inventor, Data has Jack collect supplies on his behalf and compensates him. He is building a detector to help find the alien beings. Jack gives him a newspaper and inside there is a picture of Guinan! Given that the El-Aurian can live a long time, Data believes that she may also have been pulled through time too. She would be attending a reception and Data is eager to go too. She is dialouging with Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and when Data reminds her of being a crew member of the Enterprise, he finds that she has yet to meet them and thus, is not from the future. Clemens eavesdrops on their conversation, admitting to them his fascination. Back in the future, the Enterprise crew replicate the device that Data used to get into the phase disturbance. Guinan urges Picard to join the away team - because not going will mean they will have never met in the past and it could change history. Down on Devidia II Picard, Troi, Riker, Crusher, and Geordi enter the phase discriminator while Picard has Worf return to the Enterprise to keep it secure. They see the same beings as Data describe. The light that they are absorbing are the life force from humans - taken at their moment of death. The episode and season ends when the crew enter the time portal to stop these alien beings.
"Time's Arrow: Part II": The crew arrive in the 19th century and pretend they are actors in a production as they stay in a suite. Riker and Crusher visit a morgue and find that the alien beings take the life energy of those who died of disease because past medical technology cannot trace the real reason why they passed away. In this case, a cholera epidemic. They find two alien beings disguised as an aristocratic couple, at a hospital with Crusher acting as a nurse. She discretely alerts the crew as she picks up the beings patterns. They manage to get what was draining human life energy: a cane with the head of a snake (which was what Data saw before in their real form). As the crew runs out with the police chasing them, Data picks up their signal and takes them to the mine shaft that Starfleet would find 500 years later. Clemens follows them and threatens with a pistol but it isn't long when the two alien beings come to retrieve the cane. A struggle ensures and Data is pulled back into the 24th century with his head severed but his body returns to the future. Guinan is injured and Picard stays with her while the rest of the crew go back through the time portal, plus Clemens and one of the aliens joins them. Picard is told by the other alien that the reason they steal the life energy of humans is for their own survival and that they is no other alternative. If the Enterprise destroys their base back in the future on Devidia II, it will have big potential consequences for Earth in the past. Picard manages to make a binary message with the use of iron filings in Data's memory so that the crew on the Enterprise will know what to do 500 years later. Geordi manages to reattach Data's head and also get Picard's message. Meanwhile, Troi shows Clemens around the Enterprise and explain what mankind has managed to accomplish since the 19th century: no war, hunger, abuse of the poor, no poverty, etc. Finding that the cane can return one person back to the 19th century, Clemens volunteers and also gives Picard instructions on how to return home too. Clemens tends to Guinan but before Picard goes back she parts, "see you in 500 years" with Picard replying, "see you in a few minutes!". Picard then thanks Clemens and regrets not getting to know him better but Clemens points out that he will know of him just by reading his books. Picard returns back to the 24th century and destroys the alien's time portal properly.
I'll be spending the winter going through Season 6 but unknown when it will be done. Have a Happy New Year!