Archive for August, 2013

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “The Best of Both Worlds”

– August 29, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“The Best of Both Worlds”
Written by Michael Piller
Directed by Cliff Bole

Season 3, Episode 26
Original air date: June 18, 1990
Star date: 43989.1

Mission summary

The Enterprise investigates a distress signal from Jouret IV, with whom they lost contact 12 hours earlier. When they arrive, not only are there no life signs of the 900 inhabitants, but there are no signs life was ever there at all. What’s left of New Providence, the settlement, is a giant crater. Picard is joined by an Admiral Hanson and young Commander Shelby, who believe that this is an attack by the Borg… an attack that has caught the Federation completely unprepared.

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Tags: borg, bureaucracy, handwaving mumblemumble, locutus, picard gets an upgrade, Starfleet is stupid, technobabble, troi earns her paycheck

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

Eugene Myers

– August 22, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Transfigurations”
Written by René Echevarria
Directed by Tom Benko

Season 3, Episode 25
Original air date: June 4, 1990
Star date: 43957.2

Mission summary

Worf encourages La Forge to hit on a woman in Ten Forward, in the only way a Klingon can, but the awkward engineer crashes and burns. And he’s not the only one: In the course of a routine charting assignment, Enterprise has detected a crashed vessel on a planet. They investigate and discover a lone survivor in the wreckage of an escape pod. He’s in pretty bad shape, too unstable to transport, so Dr. Crusher whips out a thingey that links La Forge’s nervous system to help regulate the patient’s heart. The interface delivers a weird little shock to La Forge, but he seems fine, and it works. They bring the injured man aboard.

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Tags: amnesia, dating advice, diplomacy, dr. crusher has a crush, energy beings, evolution, geordi's a dork, godlike powers, handwaving mumblemumble, mysteries, science!, technobabble, the prime directive is really more of a guideline

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “Ménage à Troi”

Torie Atkinson

– August 15, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

Menage a Troi “Ménage à Troi”
Written by Fred Bronson & Susan Sackett
Directed by Robert Legato

Season 3, Episode 24
Original air date: May 28, 1990
Star date: 43930.7

Mission summary

The Enterprise is hosting a trade agreement conference while in orbit around Betazed, which means it’s time for another installment of How I Studiously Avoided Meeting Your Mother starring Lwaxana Troi. Lwaxana seems happy at the chance to further berate her daughter for choosing a career over babies on Betazed, but gets derailed when a Ferengi named DaiMon Tog hits on her in the middle of the reception. For some reason “I would pay handsomely for you” doesn’t work on her, and she spurns him in front of the delegation before storming off. But Tog isn’t superficial–he wants her mind, too. To give him an edge on negotiations.

Riker gets assigned shore leave, so he and Deanna go for a walk down Memory Lane–and also the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens–on Betazed. But their little date is spoiled when Lwaxana and Mr. Homn arrive, and start Meddling. Mr. Homn goes off to pick some berries while Riker, Deanna, and Lwaxana get more and more irritated with one another. Just then, DaiMon Tog beams down! He still has the hots for Mama Troi, and won’t take no for an answer–beaming them all back to his ship.

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Tags: ferengis, Lwaxana Troi Daughter of the Fifth House Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed, Picard acts weird, sexism, shakespeare, troi is useless, wesley and picard are BFFs, wesley saves the day

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

Eugene Myers

– August 8, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“Sarek”
Written by Peter S. Beagle
Story by Mark Cushman and Jake Jacobs
Directed by Les Landau

Season 3, Episode 23
Original air date: May 14, 1990
Star date: 43917.4

Mission summary

Picard and Riker are giddy to be hosting a very special guest: Ambassador Sarek from Vulcan, who will be presiding over the first meeting and negotiations between the Federation and a race called the Legarans. Word is, the 202-year-old Vulcan will be retiring soon after, leaving this as the crowning achievement to an illustrious career.

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Tags: bar brawl, data plays violin, diplomacy, emotion, getting old sucks, logic, loyalty, mind meld, patrick stewart is awesome, sarek, wesley has a crush

Star Trek: The Next Generation Re-Watch: “The Most Toys”

Torie Atkinson

– August 1, 2013 8:00 amPosted in: TNG Re-Watch

“The Most Toys”
Written by Shari Goodhartz
Directed by Timothy Bond

Season 3, Episode 22
Original air date: May 7, 1990
Star date: 43872.2

Mission summary

There’s a tricyanate contamination on Beta Agni II, and the only cure is ~~more cowbell~~ hytritium, a rare and volatile element that only one man in the universe seems to have: Kivas Fajo, a space trader. On the last transport to the Enterprise, Data uses his thumbprint to confirm the transaction and the datapad zaps him. Fajo’s men (and woman) plant fake Data elements on the transport, launch it out of the shuttle bay, and blow it up. Stunned, the Enterprise crew believe that Data’s been destroyed, but have to high-tail it to Beta Agni II if they want to decontaminate that water supply in time to save the planet.

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