Quite Possibly The Bottom of The Next Generation Barrel: Why "Force Of Nature" Blows!

The Good: The actors try hard to take it seriously
The Bad: Pointless Beginning, Horrible and Obvious Environmental Lecturing, Pointless Thesis, Lack of Character
The Basics: When the Enterprise crew encounters aliens who insist that warp travel is destroying the fabric of space, the viewers disbelieve and never rewatch.


If you ever want to watch a good fight, walk into a Star Trek convention and ask a few people what the worst episode of any of the specific Star Trek series' was. For Star Trek The Next Generation, you could get some geeks seriously duking it out over the pointless differences between the few real duds the series had. Often, the much-maligned, philosophical first season episodes of the series suffer or the poorly-written second season writer's strike episodes. However, despite how bad "The Royale" (reviewed here!) from that second season was, the argument could be made that the worst possible Star Trek The Next Generation episode was from the series' final season. I argue, for I am a geek, that "Force Of Nature" is the worst episode that Star Trek The Next Generation ever produced.

The Enterprise is zipping through space, looking for a lost starship, when it discovers a Ferengi vessel in the area. Concluding that the Ferengi are responsible for the loss of the Federation ship, the Enterprise pursues and eventually learns the Ferengi are victims of some sort of damage to their ship and not responsible for the disappearance of the Federation starship. The Enterprise resumes its search and ends up being boarded by Rabal and Serova, two scientific terrorists who believe that warp fields are damaging the fabric of space irrevocably. Serova sacrifices herself to create a warp rift in space to prove her point, revealing that warp fields may be tearing apart space as we know it.

This dimwitted episode has so much wrong with it that it seems just to start with what it does right. The actors seem to take it seriously. That's about all. None of the main cast give enthusiastic performances and Brent Spiner seems unusually bland as Data, while LeVar Burton tries to make Geordi somewhat tormented at the idea of warp fields being destructive and instead, he comes across as confused. The guest actors are Margaret Reed and Michael Corbett, who play Serova and Rabal respectively, are uninspired, lack any real vocal inflections to convince us they are passionate, and are otherwise insipid. Even Patrick Stewart, who seems to be making an effort to be a considerate, somewhat cautious Picard, fails to sell us on his mourning the damage to the galaxy his exploration might have done.

The real problem with "Force Of Nature" is it's a disgustingly obvious message trying to be cleverly disguised as something new and different. It fails. The whole idea of warp field pollution damaging the fabric of space is a thinly veiled metaphor for the burning of fossil fuels damaging the Earth's atmosphere. The problem is, they are disanalogous problems. In an effort to make an environmental issue episode, the writers picked a terrible execution. It makes no sense that warp travel would damage space; the principles established in Star Trek are too well-conceived to have such a flimsy argument made against it. The writers are fishing for an environmental issue and this one comes across as just plain silly. If warp fields were truly as dangerous as the alien scientists in "Force Of Nature" argued they were, visible damage would already have occurred in a dozen locations within the Federation alone. Moreover, the cautious nature of the Federation and its origins by the super-intelligent and logical Vulcans would seem to preclude the possibility of using a propulsion method that had even the potential of being destructive. As I said before, it's fairly ridiculous.

The other huge problem with the episode is that it takes a long time to get going. The whole Ferengi chase aspect is a drawn out sequence clearly designed to kill time. The theory of the alien scientists is not enough to hold down an entire episode and as a result, they do not even appear for over twenty minutes of the episode. Until they do, the dimwitted pursuit of the Ferengi vessel is the plot and it is boring.

"The Royale" has a redeeming feature; it's good for a single laugh as Picard and Troi sit down to read the novel on which the pocket universe is based; "Force Of Nature" lacks even that moment of enjoyment. Instead, it is thematically heavy, with a noble goal, but the worst execution of any idea Star Trek The Next Generation ever tried. And that's saying a lot. You don't have to be the Alpha Geek to see that. Were it possible, this lame episode would rate a zero.

[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!]

0/10

For other Star Trek episode, film and DVD set reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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When the Borg Return, Picard's Character Grows In "I, Borg!"

The Good: Acting, Character, Intriguing plot
The Bad: Nothing tangible, Actually
The Basics: When the Enterprise finds a wounded Borg, Picard must put morality ahead of his own personal vengeance.


Fans of Star Trek The Next Generation anticipated, in the wake of the events in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" (reviewed here!) that when the Borg returned, it would be a very Picard-centered event. After all, being assimilated by the cybernetic creatures and forced to kill thousands of humans was a rather traumatic event for the Captain and it's hard to heal that in a single episode. Strangely, when the Borg did return, it ended up being a remarkable ensemble piece, as opposed to just a story about Captain Picard.

When the Enterprise responds to a distress call, they find a damaged Borg ship and a severely wounded Borg youth. Dr. Crusher insists on saving the Borg's life and when Picard sees it, he decides to use the opportunity to learn all he can about the Borg through Third of Five. Ad Geordi and Dr. Crusher study the boy, they name him "Hugh" and he exhibits signs of individuality. When Data designs a way to use Hugh as a weapon against all of the Borg, Picard is faced with an ethical dilemma: destroy an enemy or do right by Hugh?

"I, Borg" is a great example of Star Trek The Next Generation doing what it does best without seeming boring. Here we have a rather tight ethical dilemma to explore and the person most trusted in the series is compromised. The tension between Picard and Geordi in this episode works very well at establishing a mood that keeps the pace surprisingly tight for an episode that is essentially a morality play.

And the morality play comes across best through Picard's character. Of anyone on the ship, Picard has the most reason to hate the Borg. Essentially, he was raped by the Borg and here the story becomes, what justice exists in revenge? This is an episode that highlights what might be the best in human ethics. Given the opportunity to destroy those who wronged him, Picard may take the high road and his journey to that point is compelling and - when viewed from a psychological perspective - terrifying. In particular, one of the later scenes in the episode where Hugh and Picard speak and Picard assumes his Borg identity is rather disturbing from a psychological/character perspective.

It's also an opportunity for Patrick Stewart to do some great acting. Here, he makes Picard angry and compassionate, splitting the character into both a cold warrior and a victim. Stewart plays it perfectly, negotiating the strange dichotomy with a completely altered physical presence depending on the scene. His eyes become steely in the scenes where he is fighting against Hugh and sad and lighter when he comes around. It's a magnificent performance by the accomplished actor.

Yet, as I mentioned, this is an ensemble piece and the acting and character beyond Patrick Stewart as Picard is extraordinary. Whoopi Goldberg gives a very convincing performance as Guinan, expressing anger for the first time in that role. Goldberg uses her facial expressions and tones of voice to realistically portray Guinan opening up to Hugh. Similarly, Gates McFadden earns her keep in "I, Borg" by infusing her character with a rebellious spirit. At every step of the way, Dr. Crusher opposes using Hugh as a weapon and McFadden manages to make her character's objections sound reasonable and dignified as opposed to whiny and annoying.

The standout character of "I, Borg" is Hugh. Hugh puts a face and name to a villain that has been menacing and cruel and senselessly conquering in the Star Trek universe. Hugh embodies a freedom that the Borg have never had and he makes for a compelling character. Jonathan Del Arco, who played Hugh, makes his mark with wonderful facial control that bleeds away during the episode. As his character becomes more human, Del Arco masterfully infuses more facial and vocal expression into his performance, illustrating the change well beyond the lines.

Rounding out the performances is Levar Burton as Geordi La Forge. Burton gives a wonderful performance beyond what he has done on this series since "The Mind's Eye" (reviewed here!). Here, he is not being tormented physically or psychologically, but as he becomes the person who is expected to carry out the captain's orders to use Hugh as a weapon, it becomes obvious he is morally tortured and that works well. It's a different angle for him to explore and here he makes Geordi interesting. As a side note, I find it mildly amusing that the writers of Star Trek The Next Generation lifted Geordi's relationship with a Borg separated from the Collective from a novel entitled Vendetta (reviewed here!) but failed to make the necessary connection that author Peter David did; a Borg would naturally interface with Geordi because of his cybernetic VISOR!

There is a lot to enjoy about "I, Borg," but it is not perfect. The performances are all great and as a result the piece has the feeling of being polished so close to perfection, but it's closer to a 9 in my book. It's just something intangible that keeps it from being the very best television can be. But, it ought to be more than enough for anyone who likes a good debate on the ethics of war. It's also an excellent study of healing and getting to a point beyond vengeance for being wronged. And that's something everyone might enjoy.

[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!]

9/10

For other Star Trek episode or DVD set reviews, please click here to visit my index page!

© 2011, 2008, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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