Star Trek: The Next Generation 4.01

The Best of Both Worlds, Part II

The Enterprise tries using the weapon that Geordi developed but it proves to be useless. Locutus explains that the Borg now have all the knowledge that Picard had.

The senior bridge staff have a conference call with Admiral Hansen. Riker is given a field promotion to the rank of captain and given command of the Enterprise. Repairs begins right away on the Enterprise. The Federation plans to make a stand near Wolf 359.

Captain Riker holds a staff meeting. He announces that Commander Shelby will be the Enterprise’s first officer. He tries to come up with a motivational speech but nothing comes to mind. Riker retires to the captain’s ready room. Guinan comes to have a chat with him. She encourages him to move forward and stop acting as if Picard is still captain. The Enterprise arrives at Wolf 359 and but the assemblage of ships that Starfleet assembled there has been already been destroyed.

The Enterprise locates the Borg cube. Commander Riker move to the battle bridge. The saucer section with Shelby, Wesley , and a few others aboard separates from the rest of the Enterprise. Both sections of the Enterprise attack the Borg Cube.

Data and Worf get close enough to the Borg cube in a shuttlecraft to beam aboard the enemy vessel. They locate and bring back Locutus / Picard, thanks in large part to the upgraded phasers that they take with them.

Doctor Crusher examines Locutus and makes an assessment as to how she can reverse what the Borg have done to Picard. The Borg cube departs and resumes heading for Earth. The saucer section is reunited with the rest of the Enterprise. Data comes up with a plan to tap into the communication link between Locutus and the rest of the Borg.

Data, with some help from Chief O’Brien, connects into the subspace link between Locutus and the rest of the Borg. He learns enough to realize that he could direct a command to the entire Borg  consciousness. Taking a suggestion from Picard, who is fighting back against control from the Borg, he puts the Borg to sleep. The battle stops but then the command that Data implanted somehow leads the Borg cube to self destruct.

Thoughts

It has been about a dozen years since I last watched this two-part story. I think I enjoyed it more this time around. Part two, in particular, was better than I remembered it to be but it still felt kind of rushed. My biggest qualm with this episode is the command to sleep leading the Borg to self destruct. That was kind of silly.