Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.21

The Perfect Mate

The Enterprise transports Ambassador Briam of Krios to a ceremony between the Valtese and the Briosians. Two Ferengi are taken on board during the trip when their ship reaches a critical state. The Ferengi interfere with a gift from the Kriosians to the Valtese. The gift was Kamala, an empathic metamorph who was in stasis until one of the Ferengi interfered with the stasis field.

Kamala is to be the mate of Alrik of Valt. Her physiognomy makes her extremely attractive to men with whom she comes in contact. Ambassador Briam insists that she stay in her quarters. Captain Picard, prodded by Doctor Crusher, allows her out of her quarters but then has to rescind that order when she proves to be too distracting for any man with whom she comes in contact.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.17

The Outcast

The crew of the Enterprise assists the J'Naii in locating a shuttlecraft that seems to have vanished. Commander Riker works closely with Soren a J'Naii scientist. The J'Naii are an androgynous, humanoid race. Soren has lots of questions for Riker about human sexuality, while they are working on locating the missing shuttlecraft. They discover that it is trapped within a null space. Together, in one of the Enterprise's shuttlecraft, Riker and Soren chart what can be perceived of the dimensions of the null space.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.19

The First Duty

The Enterprise travels to Earth so Captain Picard can give the commencement address at Starfleet Academy. Word comes in as the Enterprise is approaching Earth that there has been an accident involving Wesley's squadron. Joshua Albert, one member of the squadron, was killed but Wesley and the other three survived.

An inquiry into the incident occurs. Nick Locarno, the leader of Nova Squadron, encourages the other three members of the team (Wesley, Sito Jaxa, and Jean Hajar) that they are a team and that they need to stick together during the inquiry. Wesley is uneasy but agrees to go along with the plan.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.01

Redemption - Part Two

The Enterprise goes to Starbase 234. Captain Picard talks Starfleet into putting him in charge of a task force that will keep the Romulans from interfering in the Klingon Civil War. Commander Riker is temporarily reassigned as captain of one of the ships in the fleet. Lieutenant Commander Data is put in charge of the Sutherland, another ship.

Data takes commend of the Sutherland. Lieutenant Commander Hobson, the Sutherland's executive officer, doesn't like Data. Hobson tries to get himself reassigned but Data declines to let him do that.

Worf serves on Kurn's ship, he quickly clashes with his brother. He is eventually captured by Lursa and B'Etor. They suggest that he should join forces with them, marry B'Etor, and help to teach Toral, the son of Duras. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.08

Unification - Part Two

Commander Riker and the crew of the Enterprise continue with their investigation. It leads them to a Ferengi who reluctantly reveals that he has stolen Vulcan ships and handed them off to someone in the vicinity of the Neutral Zone.

Captain Picard and Ambassador Spock meet with Neral, proconsul of the Romulan Senate. Neral expresses an interest in pursuing reunification with the Vulcans but once they have left his office he contacts some of his allies who feel otherwise.

Commander Data and Ambassador Spock work together to break the Romulan transmission codes. They compare notes, while they are working, about the use of becoming more human.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.07

Unification - Part 1

Captain Picard receives word from Starfleet that Ambassador Spock has been sighted on the Romulan home world. It is suspected that he might have defected. Starfleet wants Captain Picard to figure out what Spock is up to and, if possible, retrieve him.

Picard visits Sarek, Spock's father, who is gravely ill. Picard hopes that Sarek might have some insight as to why his son is on the Romulan home world. Sarek suggests that Spock might be there to see Pardek, a Romulan senator with whom he has maintained a friendly relationship.

Captain Picard and Commander Data get a ride from a Klingon warship to the Romulan home world. The trip is arranged thanks to the leader of the Klingon high council.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.03

Ensign Ro

Captain Picard is saddled with a new crew member, Ensign Ro Laren, by Admiral Kennelly after a Starfleet outpost is attacked by Bajoran terrorists. Ensign Ro was serving time in a Starfleet prison prior to the assignment. Captain Picard is given the task of finding the Bajoran terrorists who attacked the outpost and bringing them to justice.

Ensign Ro, who is also Bajoran, helps Captain Picard to contact the terrorists. All is not as it seems. Ensign Ro finally comes clean and tells the Captain about how Admiral Kennelly has stayed in contact with her. Captain Picard doesn't care for the Admiral's interference. He does what he can to interfere with the Admiral's plans with some help from Ensign Ro.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.26

Time's Arrow

The Enterprise is recalled to Earth. Captain Picard and Lieutenant Commander Data are shown some artifacts that date back to the 19th century and were found beneath San Francisco including Data's severed head. Everyone except Data seems very disturbed by the discovery. He is at peace with it and explains why on more than one occasion.

After analyzing the artifacts they find traces of a micro-organism which is traced to the planet Devidia II. After arriving at the planet an away team is sent down. Picard doesn't let Data go with the team initially. Counselor Troi detects sentient life forms on the planet but they can't find them or contact them despite the fact that Troi asserts that she senses them nearby. Picard reluctantly allows Data to join the team on the planet to assist them in contacting the inhabitants of the planet.

Data attempts something that causes him to disappear from Devidia II and reappear in 19th century earth. He sets himself up as an inventor after winning some money at cards. He meets Guinan five centuries years before she joined the Enterprise. Even in this era she is nonplussed by the notion of space travel.

In the 24th century Guinan counsels Captain Picard that he needs to join the away team. She says something cryptic about their first meeting, implying that if he doesn't join the away team on the planet they may never meet.

This episode has gone to some interesting places but it is only half the story. It doesn't work well as a season ending cliffhanger in my opinion. I'm interested to see what happens next. I wasn't on the edge of my seat when the episode ended but maybe that's just me.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.25

The Inner Light

The Enterprise encounters an alien probe which knocks Captain Picard unconscious with a beam. While he is unconscious Captain Picard dreams he is living on Kataan, the planet from which it is eventually determined the probe originated. He lives out the rest of his life, another 30+ years, on Kataan. He remembers his life before Kataan but slowly grows to accept that there is no going back. He is married, has children and grandchildren, and lives a happy life. This is of course all an illusion induced by the probe. The 30+ years transpire in just 25 minutes in the real world as Captain Picard learns once the probe releases him.

I wasn't terribly moved by this episode until the end. Up to that point I was getting a little bored with it. I didn't anticipate the reason why the probe did what it did or the heartfelt way in which it revealed it's reason to him.

The entire episode from the time Picard falls unconscious until the moment he wakes up is not just about him. There are also a number of scenes on the bridge of the Enterprise as the crew try to break the probe's hold on the captain. Each time the focus returned to Picard another 5 to 10 years seemed to passed in his life.

There was a moment towards the end of the episode where Picard reveals that he knows that Kataan is doomed. For about 30 seconds I wondered if he was going to be the Jor-El of Kataan, the scientist who knows that the planet is doomed but no one believes, but then it was revealed that the others agreed with his conclusion that the planet was doomed.

I may have seen this episode before. I'm not sure. I've certainly heard about it and it lived up to the hype. I doubt that I would call this my favorite episode but it got to me and that's definitely worth something.

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.24

The Next Phase

- The Enterprise comes to the rescue of a Romulan ship; in the process of transporting Lt Commander La Forge and Ensign Ro seem to disappear; everyone believes them to be dead but they are just out of phase with the Enterprise
- The Romulans thank the Enterprise for the assistance they receive by planting a device on board which will blow up the Enterprise once it attempts to warp away from the area; only La Forge and Ro know about it but they can't communicate with anyone other than each other even though they can see and hear everyone else
- While they attempt to find a way to communicate with the crew of the Enterprise they are attacked by a Romulan who is also out of phase with everyone else
- Ensign Ro (Michelle Forbes) is a recurring character who appeared mostly in the 5th season of the show; this is her final appearance in the 5th season; she also appeared in one episode of the 6th season and one of the 7th season; this might be the first episode with her that I have ever seen

- Pretty good, not great but fun; it was interesting to see how Geordie and Ro each responded differently to their dilemma
- As with many episodes of the series the plot was pushed a little too quickly in places; I have to question how fast the Captain Picard and the others gave up on La Forge and Ro still being alive; I thought that Geordie would find someway to intelligently communicate with Data and was a little disappointed that never happened
- I wonder how this one was shot; some of the scenes must have been shot using green screen technology but I wonder if Ro and La Forge were there in most of the scenes where they were hanging around other who were oblivious to their presence

Star Trek: The Next Generation 5.23

I, Borg

- A lone Borg survivor of a crash landing is found and brought back to the Enterprise; at first he sticks to his programming but through his interactions with members of the crew, especially Commander La Forge and Doctor Crusher, he starts to break from his programming and begins to think as an individual
- In the process of repairing Hugh, the Borg whose original designation was Third of Five, Geordi implants in him a program that contains a paradox; Captain Picard's hope is that the program will be propagated to the Borg Collective and eventually destroy them from within
- As Hugh seems more like an individual Commander La Forge and Captain Picard, among others, start to have their doubts about the ethics of returning him to the Borg Collective; Hugh seems to have bonded to some degree with Geordie and expresses a desire to stay on the Enterprise but ultimately opts to be returned to the crash site where a Borg rescue team can find him because he doesn't want harm to come to Geordie

- I love the idea of what is proposed here in terms of a solution to the problem of the Borg but I'm not sure if it ever bore fruit or was ever mentioned again
- possibly the most impressive aspect of this episode is the evolution of the opinions of the crew members (Picard, La Forge, Crusher, Guinan) who come in contact and interact with the Borg on a meaningful level; most of them start resistant to the idea that Third of Five, later Hugh, is an individual who is capable of feelings and emotions and should be being treated fairly; it isn't just their interactions with Hugh but also their interactions with one another as they consider the implications of their actions
- excellent episode although it does end on a somewhat muted tone