Archive for April, 2012

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Skin of Evil”

– April 26, 2012 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Skin of Evil”
Written by Joseph Stefano and Hannah Louise Shearer
Directed by Joseph L. Scanlan

Season 1, Episode 23
Original air date: April 25, 1988
Star date: 41601.3

Mission summary

Since not much is going on, Chief-Engineer-of-the-Week Leland T. Lynch decides to polish the Enterprise’s dilithium crystals; fortunately, chugging along at impulse just means it will take that much longer to pick up shuttlecraft 13, in which Counselor Troi is returning from a conference on “How to Succeed in Starfleet Without Really Trying.” Then sensors read an emergency on the shuttle, interrupting Worf and Tasha’s long-overdue bonding moment—she’s really looking forward to a martial arts competition in a few days, and Worf’s betting on her, even though they don’t have any money in the future. (Or maybe because they don’t have any money in the future.)

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Tags: emotional women, everyone loves riker, evil incarnate, godlike powers, immortality sucks, loneliness, overdue for an oil change, pedantic psychobabble, Picard beams into certain danger, sappy holographic recording, senseless death, weak villains

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Symbiosis”

Torie Atkinson

– April 19, 2012 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Symbiosis”
Story by Robert Lewin
Teleplay by Robert Lewin, Richard Manning, and Hans Beimler
Directed by Win Phelps

Season 1, Episode 22
Original air date: April 18, 1988
Star date: Unknown

Mission summary

This week, on a Very Special Episode of ST: TNG…

The Enterprise is investigating some unusual solar flare activity in the Delos system when they receive a distress call from an Ornaran freighter. The freighter turns out to be the galactic equivalent of a Volkswagen minibus and the occupants onboard seem awfully mellow for people whose lives are in danger. The Enterprise‘s bridge crew is dumbfounded by the Ornarans’ lack of initiative to solve their crisis or expertise about the basic ship repairs necessary to save their vessel. The freighter is going to be destroyed as a result of sheer incompetence. The Enterprise beams them over to save their lives, but the Ornarans beam over their cargo first. By the time Yar can lock onto the passengers, only four of the six made it: two died because their cargo got priority. Harsh, dude.

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Tags: drugs are bad, incoherent morality play, just say no, picard moralizing, prime directive, science!, very special episode, wesley needs to get out more, winners don't use drugs, yar moralizing

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “The Arsenal of Freedom”

Eugene Myers

– April 12, 2012 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“The Arsenal of Freedom”
Written by Richard Manning and Hans Beimler
Story by Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin
Directed by Les Landau

Season 1, Episode 21
Original air date: April 11, 1988
Star date: 41798.2

Mission summary

Enterprise reaches the Lorenze Cluster in search of the U.S.S. Drake, which vanished while investigating the sudden disappearance of all intelligent life on Minos, a planet of arms merchants. As soon as they arrive, Enterprise is hailed with a targeted advertisement from the self-proclaimed “Arsenal of Freedom.” Annoyed that he had to sit through a commercial, Picard sends a small away team to shut everything down.

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Tags: automatic systems, cloaking devices, computers, everyone loves riker, fancy weapons, handwaving mumblemumble, holograms, illusions, mysteries, saucer separation, self-annihilation, stock footage, tactical combat

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Heart of Glory”

Torie Atkinson

– April 5, 2012 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Heart of Glory”
Teleplay by Maurice Hurley
Story by Maurice Hurley and Herbert Wright & D.C. Fontana
Directed by Rob Bowman

Season 1, Episode 20
Original air date: March 21, 1988
Star date: 41503.7

Mission summary

The Enterprise is called out to the Neutral Zone to investigate a recent battle involving a Talarian freighter. Some life signs are aboard, so Riker, Data, and Geordi beam over to the ship, with Geordi transmitting VISOR-cam back to the Enterprise. The away team pokes through the damaged vessel until eventually they stumble upon the survivors, but they’re not Talarian or Romulan: they’re Klingon.

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