Primer To Star Trek Voyager, Part 2: "The Maquis, Part 2"

The Good: Conclusion, Acting, Characters
The Bad: Nothing major.
The Basics: Part of the essential Star Trek Deep Space Nine and easily accessible to the non-fan, "The Maquis, Part 2" attempts to resolve the matter of rogue colonists starting a frontier war.


The episode is "The Maquis, Part II" and it opens at the very place "The Maquis, Part I" left off. This episode is useful to fans of Star Trek Voyager for seeing where the real root of the conflict in that show comes.

"The Maquis, Part 2" opens with the identity of the Maquis leaders being revealed. They are a splinter group of Federation colonists who have declared a border war on the Cardassians due to their discontent with a treaty that gave their land away without their consent (see my review on "The Maquis, Part I" here!). The conflict between the Maquis and the Federation causes a personal division between Sisko and longtime friend, Cal Hudson. Sisko implores Hudson to stay on the right side of the law, especially when he learns the Cardassian Central Command WAS supplying weapons to its colonists.

As Quark, recently arrested for his part in the Maquis, observes, peace is easily obtainable, but the Maquis are filled with anger, not sense. Sisko, thus, embarks on a mission to rescue this Cardassian counterpart, Gul Dukat from the Maquis. The remainder of the episode is a strange teaming up of Sisko and the usually villainous Gul Dukat. Together, they work to keep the Demilitarized Zone free of weapons and conflict.

The nice thing about the episode is that it fails to solve the essential conflict. Whereas the Star Trek The Next Generation episode "Journey's End" (reviewed here!) tried to wrap the conflict up by the end of the episode, all that is resolved here is the personal conflict between two old friends. The larger political ramifications remain and legitimately so. The conflict is a significant one; there's no reason it ought to have been tied up by the end of the episode. That works.

Also notably absent from "The Maquis, Part II" is the canned character conflict between Sisko and Kira. Instead, they have a nice moment acknowledging some of the strengths and weaknesses of humanity in the 24th Century (Or in our times if you want to be allegorical). Bernie Casey's acting is less stiff. In fact, while "Part I" was more of an investigation, "Part II" is a rapid series of realizations and conflicts. After watching "The Maquis, Part I," it's almost impossible to not want to watch "Part II." And not just for the Trek fan, but for the person watching for good television.

Marc Alaimo, who plays Gul Dukat, steals this episode. Alaimo has a way of projecting his voice to convey great emotions through his heavy prosthetics. In "The Maquis, Part II," Alaimo goes from rage to a quiet sense of loss within lines and his performance is worth the price of admission alone!

So what keeps "The Maquis, Part II" from being an excellent episode? Not much. It's all minutiae: the obvious question of why the smuggler's acknowledge Gul Dukat if he's fallen so out of favor is the only one that comes immediately to mind. In short, "The Maquis, Part II" is an easily accessible conclusion to the investigation into the destruction of the Bok'Nor and the outbreak of hostilities between the Cardassian and Federation colonists in the Demilitarized Zone.

This is a fitting piece of the Cardassian plot of Star Trek Deep Space Nine and thus part of the essential Star Trek Deep Space Nine. This also marks the spawning of the Maquis subplot that will run through early in Season six. While this episode amply sets up Voyager, Star Trek Voyager failed to use the conflict that is very real here at the beginning. It's a shame; the studio said they didn't want another Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Too bad; had they kept the tension as real as in this episode, I might have stuck with Star Trek Voyager!

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

8.5/10

For other Star Trek episode, movie or DVD set reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

A Lack Of "Paradise" In The Rejection Of Technology

The Good: Acting, Overriding themes
The Bad: Plot, Characters
The Basics: A disappointing morality play about the benefits of technology and enlightenment, "Paradise" finds an overly reactionary character sinking this Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode.


There's a fairly good reason why the episode "Paradise" doesn't appear on any Trek Top Ten Lists; it's not a terribly good episode. It's weak, backwards, predictable, and obvious. Still, it's not the worst episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, so it's not all bad and it's still better than most television out there.

This particular episode follows Sisko and O'Brien on a mission to a nearby planet where they are surprised to find a human colony. Unfortunately, the colony's leader Alixus, isn't terribly thrilled to see outsiders and Sisko and O'Brien feel very out of place. The colony is an agricultural colony and it lacks technology of any kind. Sisko and O'Brien offer to provide them with some, they refuse. So, the pair prepares to leave.

Unfortunately for our heroes, there's no way to get back to their Runabout. None of their technology works and there is no way to call for help. Forced thus to integrate, they are conscripted to help out with the colony. Unfortunately, the little community is run like a cult with an anti-technological bent. The colonists follow Alixus with great devotion and, frankly, she's messed up.

Her insistence that technology is evil and that the human condition may only be expanded through hard work is put to the test as she forces Sisko and O'Brien to work. That's not such a big deal, save that they don't want to be there. Whenever they attempt to leave the colony, they are thwarted and punished. Moreover, her insistence that technology is evil leads to the death of one colonist from a disease that could have been treated.

The episode is extraordinarily heavy-handed. The characters all seem to fit profiles: Alixus is dictatorial and dogmatic, Sisko is defiant and correct and most of the other colonists are simply sheep. There's, of course, a weak link in the colonists and O'Brien exploits him to try to save the day. The characters fit fairly formulaic roles.

The thing is, the actors all rise to the occasion more than adequately filling the flat roles. Avery Brooks is surprisingly good in his obstinate determination to resist Alixus. Alixus is masterfully played by Gail Strickland. Not only are her angular features perfect for the character, but she matches them with a firm voice, strict demeanor and, in short, a precise affect that she utilizes perfectly in the role. It's very easy to buy her character by the way she is presented.

Overall, "Paradise" isn't. It's too formulaic, it's too predictable. Our heroes win in the end, of course, not a single expectation of ours was disappointed or even challenged. If you're not a fan of the series, this episode doesn't have anything to recommend it outside an acting class.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

4.5/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, please visit my index page here!

© 2011, 2007, 2001 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

"The Circle" Comes Around On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!

The Good: Interesting Characters, Good plot continuity
The Bad: Unsurprising (predictable plot)
The Basics: Part of the essential Star Trek Deep Space Nine, this is pretty much the ultimate in setups - a clear transitional episode, a firm middle act.


With Major Kira removed as Deep Space Nine's liaison officer by Minister Jaro, the station is in an awkward transition time. In easily one of the top five funniest Star Trek Deep Space Nine scenes, Kira cleans out her quarters while her friends try to convince her otherwise, sort of, and the enigmatic Vedek Bareil returns to offer her refuge in the monastery. It's a wonderful scene that one must watch a few times to actually hear everything that is being said.

Picking up where "The Homecoming" (reviewed here!) left off, "The Circle" continues by illustrating all sides of the current political conflict: Sisko appeals to the Bajoran military which is strangely complacent about the terrorist attacks, Minister Jaro attempts to persuade Vedek Winn to preach that the Prophets support him, Vedek Bareil and Kira learn more about each other at the monastery, Odo uncovers evidence - via Quark - of Cardassian involvement in The Circle and the new first officer attempts to get used to the position.

It's an excellent use of the ensemble cast, the plot is pretty tight. More than that, the characters are drawn out quite a bit in this episode. Sisko seems more alive and less bland, especially when compared to the sedate Vedek Bareil. The nice thing about this episode is that we learn things that come up throughout the rest of the series. One detail, for instance, is Kira's lack of imagination.

This is also one of those episodes that uses the full ensemble cast rather well. With Kira gone from the station, the other characters fill in more and some of the characters who almost never get airtime, like Dr. Bashir, get some choice scenes and see some action.

In "The Circle," we also come to learn who the leader of the terrorist organization is and it leaves us remarkably unsurprised, though it does set up the final episode of the arc well. This is an episode that has strong use of secondary characters, like Vedek Bareil and Vedek Winn, which makes it a little confusing for those not familiar with the cast of characters. That's alleviated quite a bit when one watches the first of the three parts to this set.

"The Circle" works best when viewed with "The Homecoming" and then "The Siege" and being the middle act is rather bound to the other two parts. Part of the essential Star Trek Deep Space Nine but pleasant to view - with the other two - by anyone.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

7.5/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2011, 2007, 2001 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

"Captive Pursuit:" A More Or Less Captivating Episode Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!

The Good: Important plot, Good character, Some cool effects
The Bad: Predictable ethical dilemma
The Basics: Part of the essential DS9 story, "Captive Pursuit" is entertaining for action film fans and is not the most cerebral episode.


In the continuing storyline of Deep Space Nine, certain things were bound to happen following the pilot: the crew of the station was bound to explore the Gamma Quadrant - which has been occurring off-screen for the most part at this point - and inevitably, something was bound to come through from the other side. It's refreshing here that the characters make a sufficiently big deal of the historical event as they do.

The first visitor from the other side of the galaxy is an alien named Tosk and it's Chief O'Brien's (Colm Meany) first chance to do something other than complain about how the station is falling apart or speak in tongues. It's a good thing, too, as Meany is one of the acting strengths of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Station life is progressing fairly normally on Deep Space Nine when a damaged ship comes through the wormhole and docks with the station. When O'Brien arrives at the ship, he find the inhabitant, a lizard alien called Tosk, has the ability to cloak himself. While the ship cools down and O'Brien works on repairing the vessel, Tosk reveals himself to be a very simple creature, who claims to be living a great adventure.

That adventure soon finds the inhabitants of Deep Space Nine when hunters of Tosk arrive and begin a bloodthirsty hunt on the Promenade. Sisko must negotiate between the alien factions and determine if Tosk returns home as the prize of the hunters or is given asylum he has not exactly asked for.

Plotwise, outside of being a historically important event in the bigger picture of the fictional realm of Deep Space Nine, it's pretty much your typical chase story: hunters are going after the hunted. The more compelling aspect is the realm of character as O'Brien has befriended Tosk by the time he arrives. We might not care what happens to Tosk, but we care about O'Brien and when he is hunted along with Tosk, it adds an immediacy to the episode it might otherwise lack.

There are some campy scenes; near the end there is a lame attempt at humor involving scanner when Tosk and O'Brien are in some conduits. This is actually the first - and only, that comes to mind - O'Brien episode where he is not being psychologically scarred or manipulated in some way.

Basically, "Captive Pursuit" is a fast paced episode that takes care of a necessary plot event and it does it with style and some very cool effects.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the first season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

8/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, please check out my index page!

© 2011, 2007, 2001 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

And Where Have You Gone, Wesley Crusher? "Journey's End"

The Good: Excellent character development, Nice acting, Good story, Nice consequences
The Bad: Special effects look campy now
The Basics: When Wesley Crusher returns to the Enterprise, he takes a moral stand in defiance of StarFleet and achieves his potential in the process.


In my quest to write reviews for all of the episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space Nine, I tried to look at each season and evaluate who the important characters of the series was. This comes very much to light in my DVD reviews of the season boxed sets. One of the conclusions I make on the early seasons of Star Trek The Next Generation is that it is a show dominated mostly by Captain Picard and Wesley Crusher.

That Wesley Crusher had such an important role in establishing Star Trek The Next Generation, set up an interesting dichotomy within the series. Instead of being simply about the Captain and leader, the show was balanced with the perspective of the civilian and prodigy. It was a shame to lose that depth on the series and when Wesley Crusher left the show in the fourth season, the tenor of the show did change. Fortunately for all concerned, Wil Wheaton - who played Wesley - opted to return to give Wesley a proper send off from the series in "Journey's End."

Wesley Crusher returns to the Enterprise while the Enterprise is on a mission in the borderlands separating Cardassian and Federation space. On a small planet that is populated by Native American Indians who colonized the planet decades ago, Picard finds himself caught in a moral dilemma. StarFleet has turned the planet over to the Cardassians and when Picard is unable to convince them to go with words, he is drawn to the reluctant conclusion that forcing the colonists to leave may be necessary. Wesley Crusher, seeing what he feels is a grave injustice, renounces StarFleet and accomplishes something that sends him down the road of meeting his true potential.

I don't remember if back in the days when Star Trek The Next Generation first aired I was a fan of Wesley Crusher or not, but upon reviewing the series now (some fifteen years later), I am impressed by the character of Wesley and the acting of young Wil Wheaton. So, knowing that I am a fan of him, it may seem strange that every time I watch this episode (and I find lately that is not an uncommon occurrence), I am disappointed yet again by Wheaton's brief cameo as Wesley in Star Trek Nemesis (reviewed here!). "Journey's End" sends Wesley off with such magnificent, sensible resolve, that his return to StarFleet (as he is seen in the movie in a StarFleet uniform) seems both unlikely and unfortunate.

While much of the episode is involved with Picard facing his own demons, as he learns that his family's history involves a violent incident of Indian displacement, this is very much Wesley's story. Wesley moves along the action of this episode and actually forces Picard's hand. Despite all of Picard's moralizing, it is Wesley's ability to stand outside the StarFleet viewpoint and push an ethical view that makes "Journey's End" come together.

Furthermore, fans of the Star Trek franchise will enjoy "Journey's End" because it becomes integral in the future of the Star Trek storylines. Due to the resolution of "Journey's End," the Star Trek Deep Space Nine storyline that begins with "The Maquis" is developed and as a result of that, half the characters on Star Trek Voyager are created.

For those who are not fans of Star Trek The Next Generation, "Journey's End" tells a compelling story of the importance of individuality and the limitless nature of the human potential. Think of it as The Matrix without the Matrix. More than that, it is a haunting reminder of how even those who study history, people of conscience, may be drawn into repeating history's crimes. Unlike some episodes that follow a modern day parallel theme, "Journey's End" does not seem overly heavy-handed. It seems necessary and important to remember the sovereign rights of other peoples.

What binds "Journey's End" together is quality acting. It seems that everyone here is playing their a-game. Patrick Stewart manages to play Picard as considerate, thoughtful and somewhat powerless, a position he is not often in throughout the seven years of Star Trek The Next Generation. The reluctance Stewart toys with is far more compelling than playing him as angry (after all one of the last times he encountered the Cardassians, he was tortured nearly to death). Gates McFadden does an excellent portrayal of Dr. Crusher as a mother, focusing her energies there with great realism.

The piece is held together by Wil Wheaton, who gives the performance of his life. "Journey's End" illustrates how talent may flourish when it is properly nurtured. While Wheaton had been away from Star Trek The Next Generation for years, he makes his return seem effortless and presents his character with a level of growth that implies quite well that Wesley has been becoming a man in his absence from the screen. That's not an easy thing to do, but Wheaton makes it appear effortless.

"Journey's End" is one character's bow out of Star Trek The Next Generation done properly and will be most appreciated by those who are fans of the series. Those who are not will enjoy the story of the importance of infusing imperialism with humanity.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Seventh Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the final season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

9/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008, 2004 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

Wesley Crusher Returns To Save The Enterprise In "The Game!"

The Good: Acting, Character, Special effects
The Bad: Plot and believability
The Basics: Pretty much the ultimate average episode of the series, “The Game” puts Wesley Crusher back on the Enterprise to save the ship from an alien game.


Many people who were fans of Star Trek The Next Generation begrudge Wesley Crusher his place in the pantheon. I think many were wrong to loathe the youth, especially seeing the early seasons of the series in retrospect. Wesley Crusher represented much of what humanity could be and actor Wil Wheaton accurately captures the energy and enthusiasm of youth. He's a nice contrast to Captain Picard's curmudgeon role, to boot. When Wil Wheaton left Star Trek The Next Generation in the fourth season, he took with him an important element of the cast. Fortunately, it was not his last appearance.

"The Game" finds Riker on Risa meeting an alien female who convinces Riker to try a video game. While on leave from StarFleet Academy, Wesley Crusher arrives on the Enterprise. Drawn to a young officer named Robin Lefler, Crusher avoids his friends for the most part to pursue the engineer. Shortly after Riker returns from leave, Data is incapacitated and the members of the Enterprise crew become addicted to playing the strange alien game. As one of the few to not try the game, Wesley Crusher becomes the last chance for the Enterprise crew to resist an alien invasion.

The understandable view that people who dislike Wesley Crusher comes at this point in the series. There's the general sensation that when Crusher returns, he will do something extraordinary. Thus, we come to expect Wesley Crusher to save the day and here is the prime example of that occurring. Instead of just having Crusher return, Crusher's return becomes the crux of resolving this episode. Somewhat essential to this episode is Wesley Crusher's new status outside the "family."

More than any problem with Wesley Crusher's character, this episode is plagued by a somewhat silly idea. While it's an intriguing idea to have a video game that interfaces directly to the central nervous system and rewards its players with an orgasm to advance each level and it's not an entirely bad idea to use such a thing for a smokescreen to an alien invasion, that the Enterprise crew so easily succumbs to it is hard to swallow. That is to say that certain members of the crew other than Data ought to have been just as immune to the effect of the game as the android. Worf comes easily to mind and the idea of Captain Picard even trying the awkward contraption is silly.

Once one suspends their disbelief to the mechanics of the plot, "The Game" works fine. This is a tense episode and it has the whole Invasion Of The Body Snatchers feel to it. While that has been done to death in science fiction, here they manage to pull it off just fine. The emotion behind the episode works.

While Picard's character does not entirely work, Wesley Crusher's works wonderfully. He has clearly developed in his time away from the Enterprise and that is immediately evident. Crusher's lack of interest and then open wariness toward the game make a great deal of sense as does the methods by which he foils the plot.

What keeps the episode flowing is the acting. Wil Wheaton steals the episode as Wesley Crusher and he returns to the series with more presence here, a confidence that translates from actor to character. One will quickly note Robin Lefler, the young officer Wesley falls for. She is played by Ashley Judd, the same Ashley Judd who is now an a-list actor. She portrays Lefler well as a young, ambitious, self-sufficient character. She uses her inner energy and charm that others would later recognize and use to cast her for parts.

"The Game" is a tough sell to those who are not fans of Star Trek The Next Generation. Anyone who likes suspense or science fiction will find something here to enjoy. The acting is good and the special effect when the game is first turned on is pretty cool. But if you don't like science fiction or suspense, this is not an episode that you're likely to want to see over and over again.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Fifth Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the fifth season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

6/10

For other Star Trek episode, DVD or film reviews, please check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

So Long, Wesley Crusher: "Final Mission" Sees The Youngest Member Of The U.S.S. Enterprise Off!

The Good: Excellent acting, Good character development, Good effects, Excellent directing.
The Bad: Low on plot, Silly b-story
The Basics: In a wonderfully directed episode, Wesley Crusher finally leaves the Enterprise for StarFleet Academy, he only has to save himself and Picard, first!


Sometimes, there's a character in a television show that has a great character arc and when the actor or actress who plays them decides to give up acting, that character simply leaves as opposed to being killed off or such. In the case of Star Trek The Next Generation, Ensign Wesley Crusher's departure was long expected, even teased; he needed to grow up and go to the Academy. In "Final Mission," the teasing is over. This is Wesley Crusher's last mission aboard the starship Enterprise.

Time once more for Crusher to leave for Earth and StarFleet Academy, Picard enlists the young man to go on one final mission, aiding a pilot and himself in getting a small craft and its cargo where it needs to go. Unfortunately, shortly after they leave, the Enterprise is called away to deal with a radioactive garbage scow that is harming a nearby planet. Picard and Crusher and the pilot crashland on a desert moon where it appears they will dehydrate and die. They make for the distant mountains and discover a bit of water. Unfortunately, it's hidden behind a forcefield and in the attempts to get at it, Picard is critically wounded and the pilot is killed. That leaves Crusher with the last chance to save the Captain's life and his own.

Right away, I would like to say that "Final Mission" has two of the best transitions between scenes ever, both involving the sun. The explosion from the crash fades into the sun and it works perfectly. It's directorial genius and it's refreshing to see someone with an eye for style directing this episode. The two transitions works magnificently and that alone is worth the price of admission on this one.

The detraction to it is the contrivance of the plot. While the initial shuttle mission may be justified, the radioactive garbage scow is just a silly waste of time. It serves the function in the episode to keep the Enterprise from rescuing Wesley and the Captain, but it has the distinct feeling of being the entire reason for that part of the episode. The purpose here feels like the purpose and that's just insulting to our intelligence. Where's a good Romulan threat to keep the Enterprise away in a reasonable fashion?

It's obvious from the beginning that the point of the episode is to get rid of Wesley and to do it with style and in a way that leaves the option open for him to return later on. Despite that, it seems a worthwhile outing for Picard and Wesley.

That's refreshing, because Crusher deserved a good send off. He's been an important character all along.

What makes the episode work is the acting of the two main characters. Wil Wheaton and Patrick Stewart bond onscreen amazingly as Crusher and Picard, respectively. Wheaton is emotive and passionate in his attempts to save Picard's life and his desperation "reads" as very real and very needy. Stewart, for his part, plays being near death very convincingly.

It's an irony here that Wesley's final chance at being a hero as a regular does not result in any sort of good-bye scene between Wesley and his mother. That's fine, though; Wesley and the Captain have always had a far more meaningful and profound on-screen relationship than the Crushers ever did.

But, it's hard to recommend this episode to a non-fan; much of it deals with saying good-bye to Wesley and seems like an inside joke to those who care nothing for the character. It's like expecting a teary good-bye for a family member you don't know; it's an unrealistic expectation. Moreover, in their conversations, Wesley and Picard allude to "Samaritan Snare" (reviewed here!) and those who have not seen that episode will not appreciate the depth of the conversation here.

For those who are, though, this is a nice send off. And it's a better way to leave a character than Tasha Yar, Diana Muldar, and Gates McFadden were disappeared.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the fourth season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

6.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007, 2002 W.L,. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |

Oh, Help Me! The Pedantic Antics of Colonists! "Home Soil" Flops!

The Good: Acting
The Bad: Characters, Plots, Hammy overpresentation
The Basics: "Home Soil" is terribly pretentious, reiterating a good theme to the point of ridiculous overkill. Not worth your time.


While I've long argued that the first season of Star Trek The Next Generation is just fine as "Philosopher Kings In Space," "Home Soil" is the exception to the rule. This is an episode that goes too far in attempting to make a message and it ends up being obvious and overstated and ultimately boring.

The Enterprise visits a planet where colonists are teraforming, or turning a lifeless ball of rock into a habitable world. When the Enterprise arrives, a death occurs and Picard is compelled to investigate. He is met with resistance by the colony leader, Project Director Mandl. He insists on not knowing how the colonist died and Data is almost killed while investigating the teraforming station by a malfunctioning laser drill. Data survives and discovers there's an indigenous life form on the planet. In the soil, there is a microscopic life form. Data beams a sample of the life form aboard the Enterprise and it begins to evolve at an incredible rate. In fact, it's obvious it's intelligent. The life form takes over the laboratory on the Enterprise and threatens the crew.

The strength of the episode is in the acting. That the actors are playing against some light emitting diodes with a straight face is wonderful. The underlying philosophy of the episode is likewise good; it is not humanities place to change other places and kill existing life forms. Good message.

Brent Spiner, especially deserves some credit for his role in "Home Soil." Primarily a comedic actor, Spiner as Data is relegated to a lot of very serious moments as his character is supposed to be emotionless. Here, Spiner is able to branch out a little more and give a little more depth and flavor to his performance and the audience is able to buy it solely on his strength of acting (as opposed to a logical extension of Data's character).

The problem is in how the episode is executed. The excuse is used that the colonists didn't recognize the microscopic life form as either life or intelligent. Yet, they also claim to have done extensive tests on the planet before the colonists ever arrived, before the teraforming station was ever placed on the planet. Yet as malfunctions occur and the bodies stack up, it becomes obvious that they made a huge mistake.

The problem with the episode is that the viewer figures out the mistake made long before the characters either figure it out or acknowledge it. Mandl lies to Picard and crew for some time before they disbelieve him enough to actually confront him on it. It's a huge disappointment considering how much more advanced the crew of the Enterprise is supposed to be than we are. Moreover, that such an advanced society is unable to identify the life form as life that quick is very disappointing as well.

This episode is poorly paced, thematically overbearing and almost impossible to watch more than once on account of how uninteresting it ends up being.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the debut season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

2/10

For other Star Trek episode and film reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2008, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |

A Brutally Slow Start To The Philosophy Lesson: "Encounter At Farpoint" Is An Intriguing Pilot!

The Good: Moments of acting, Message, Initial characterizations, Soundtrack
The Bad: Most of the acting, Time spent establishing rather than doing, Pilot errors
The Basics: On a razor decision, the first look at the new Enterprise and crew is recommended solely to give the viewer a starting point from which the series blossoms.


At the very end of "Encounter At Farpoint," Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the 24th Century's USS Enterprise promises his first officer that most of the adventures the ship goes on will be much more interesting than the one they just experienced. Thankfully, Picard is good to his word and the series improves dramatically after the first four episodes. Originally presented - and seen on video and DVD - as a double episode rather than a two-parter, "Encounter at Farpoint" introduces the players in the new universe of Star Trek The Next Generation.

"Encounter at Farpoint" follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a philosopher king in space, from touring his new starship, the Galaxy-Class U.S.S. Enterprise to Farpoint, an outpost in a distant sector where he is supposed to pick up half of the important members of his crew, like the first officer and chief medical officer. En route to the base, the ship is waylaid by a powerful alien named Q who is omnipotent and subjects Picard and his bridge officers to physical and emotional abuse, declaring them unfit to be explorers. Picard distracts Q long enough to get the civilians aboard the ship off (he splits the ship in two, which is interesting enough, but takes a while and the drama surrounding it does not stand up over repeated viewings) and then confronts the powerful alien. Q then puts the Captain on trial for humanity being a barbarous race. Picard challenges Q insisting that humans have developed, and Q agrees to the challenge. Picard then is sent to Farpoint to determine its secret. It doesn't take long: Commander Riker, Picard's first officer, has been observing that wishes become reality at Farpoint, as far as material things are concerned, and shortly after the Enterprise arrives, so does another ship, which promptly begins bombing the surface of the planet. The end result of the various actions is that Picard and Riker put their heads together and solve the mystery of Farpoint station and prove to Q that they have evolved quite a bit.

Underneath the shallow plot is an obvious message, which is "Humans have the capacity to grow and change." This episode is packed with Gene Roddenberry's optimistic humanism and that's not a bad thing. It's a refreshing change from so much of the repetitive garbage on television these days. Here were positive role models, not for children, but for adults. It was about time.

The problem is, every other line is the explicit statement, "Humans have grown so much." It gets old quite quickly. The novelty of the "surprise" ending isn't bad and it makes the episode worth watching a few times.

The true purpose of the episode is to introduce the principle characters of Star Trek The Next Generation. The main characters are:

Captain Jean-Luc Picard - a crusty ship captain who acts more as a philosopher than a military leader (which is good because StarFleet is not supposed to be military),

Commander William Riker - The First officer who gave up a relationship with Troi sometime in his past to pursue a command of his own,

Dr. Beverly Crusher - A widow whose ties to Picard are somewhat troubling,

Counselor Deanna Troi - A half-human, half-Betazoid, which basically means she has some telepathic and empathic powers and gets to walk around in tighter uniforms than everyone else,

Lieutenant Tasha Yar - The security chief,

Lieutenant Commander Data - An android and chief science officer of the Enterprise,

Lieutenant Geordi LaForge - the ship's blind navigator who wears a device called a VISOR to see better than any human,

Wesley Crusher - The son of Dr. Crusher and a boy genius,

Lieutenant Worf - A Klingon whose purpose and function on the ship is ambiguous other than being a Klingon.

Other than introducing these characters, "Encounter at Farpoint" has little to recommend it. The story is only okay, the pacing is dreadfully slow throughout, and the photography is often downright bad in the episode. Unlike Deep Space Nine which is serialized, Star Trek The Next Generation is largely episodic, thus there is no "essential Next Generation." However, all of the bits of character details introduced in this longer episode appear in other episodes and most of them I would have less trouble recommending.

In a razor decision, I would recommend "Encounter at Farpoint" to anyone because it's not a typical story and this episode is accessible to those who are not fans of Star Trek. It was, however, the weakest Trek pilot until Enterprise's.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the debut season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

5/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2002, 2007, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |