The Worst Ten Episodes Of The Original Star Trek!

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The Basics: Just because a show is considered classic does not mean all of the episodes are gems; here are the episodes of classic Star Trek that may safely be avoided.


A few days ago, I weighed in with my Top Ten episodes of the classic Star Trek series (available here!) and I found myself contemplating what the bottom of the original Star Trek barrel would be.

The thing is, Star Trek is a generally wonderful television series and it offers an optimistic view of the future that is very promising and enlightened. It is hard to complain with that. But at the same time, the series had episodes that were troublingly dated and that go beyond campy to just plain hokey. Because Star Trek is so available in syndication and in various media, it can be most useful to know not just which episodes to watch, but which episodes one may safely avoid. These are the worst ten episodes that Star Trek produced and if given the opportunity to watch them, you might want to strongly consider watching something . . . anything . . . else.

Without further ado:

10. "The Omega Glory" - reviewed here! - At the end of a long series of Prime Directive violation episodes came this installment which put the most obscure metaphor into play. Not-so-cunningly veiled were the Yangs and the Kohms (Yankees and Communists) and while the idea of a disease that crystallizes its victims is intriguing, the rest of the episode is a complete wash. Moreover, the sudden understanding by Kirk of the Pledge Of Allegiance backwards has to be one of the most ridiculous escapes a writer ever used,

9. "The Squire Of Gothos" - reviewed here! - Whenever anyone talks about the heroism and greatness of Captain James T. Kirk, I just say, yeah, but he was defeated by a man in an ascot and ruffles! This is that episode. It's one thing to get your butt kicked by superhumans and aliens who can make your crew into little geometric blocks, but to be menaced by a bad parody of Oscar Wilde and be defeated by that being . . . that's just wrong,

8. 'The Apple" - reviewed here! - Say what you will about the special effects on the original Star Trek, but I think having a paper mache lizard is actually a pretty cool villain. No, the real problem with this episode - in addition to the sudden addition of capitalism in Kirk firing and rehiring Scotty - is a group of nitwits who don't have any clue what sex is. This is just a ridiculous make-out episode of Star Trek and it reinforces the idea that the security officers aboard the Enterprise all had the worst training in the galaxy as they get taken out by poisonous flowers, exploding rocks and idiots with big clubs,

7. "The Changeling" - reviewed here! - Gene Roddenberry ought to have figured that if this episode was so bad on the small screen it wouldn't be much better on the big screen, but he used this as the template for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In addition to the preposterous idea of wiping Uhura's memory and leaving her learning to read at the end of the episode and killing Scotty, "The Changeling" is plagued by the idea that a real smart computer would mix up something like a name and that would be enough to confound it long enough to destroy it,

6. "The Way To Eden" - reviewed here! - Getting into the classically bad episodes (my list omits, for example, the delightfully campy "Spock's Brain") this is best known as the space hippie episode. What makes the idea of hippies in space so bad? Well, they are able to take over the Enterprise and convert some of the crew to their cause and Spock is pretty sympathetic to them. So, other than abandoning the basic principles of StarFleet officers being disciplined or principled, nothing! An easy one to pass on,

5. "Who Mourns For Adonais?" - reviewed here! - The Greek god Apollo shows up. Seriously. Do I need to say more? Okay, what makes this so bad is the idea that every woman aboard the Enterprise will find any godlike man (or actual god) worth running off with and this episode reuses pretty much the same ploys Kirk used against Khan in the vastly superior "Space Seed." And all of the humor in this one falls flat,

4."I, Mudd" - reviewed here! - In Star Trek, computers are portrayed as either all-powerful and oppressive or completely idiotic. "I, Mudd" combines that idea with idiotic androids who are poised to take over the galaxy. And in the original Star Trek, there is (sadly) only one villain who recurs and that is Harcourt Fenton Mudd and this is the episode he returns in. Even so, there is no good reason to watch it as the androids and Mudd take over the Enterprise,

3. "Elaan Of Troyius" - reviewed here! - From this episode, the viewer learns: women are spoiled crybabies and Captain Kirk, who will sleep with anything that moves, can have sex, but still be devoted in as emotionally powerful a way to his starship. Wow, it's bad! This is one of the episodes where the acting is so poor, it is surprising anyone from the show had any form of a career afterward,

2. "Catspaw" - reviewed here! - The Halloween episode of Star Trek is a dismal starting place for the second season. In addition to campy special effects - wonderful costumes! - this episode is plagued by two villains who wield incredible technological power but once again seem to be utter morons. It is unfortunate that the story is so bad and the character portrayals are so ridiculous because . . . no, this was pretty much a bad idea gone bad in the execution. It is not scary (as the teaser sets it up to be), it is not clever and it is ultimately only laughable,

and . . .

1. "And The Children Shall Lead" - reviewed here! - Sometimes an episode is campy, sometimes it is just hokey, sometimes it is bad start to finish. Star Trek never, arguably, got worse than this. It is a shaky premise: a colony of adults have been killed while the children who survive are protected and plagued upon by the villainous spectral Gorgon. This episode is plagued by child actors, unspeakably bad special effects (Sulu menaced by the knives on the viewscreen is so ridiculous it is painful to watch) and not one of the main cast gives a performance worth watching. With a terrible story, poor performances and ridiculous uses of decent characters, this is the worst they could - and did - do!

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page where the reviews are organized from best episode to worst across the entire franchise!

©2012, 2009  W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: A More Balanced View!

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The Basics: Just because a television show is called a classic does not mean some episodes are not better than the others and for Star Trek, these are the best ten!


I have eagerly reviewed all of the episodes of Star Trek franchise video products. I have reviewed every episode available of Star Trek, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and am almost through Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In addition, I've reviewed all of the Star Trek films and I even wrote an attempt at the next Star Trek film (check out the proposal here!). Yes, I may be a Beta in many other ways, but I am a proud Alpha Geek.

So, it seemed about time I present a list of the Top Ten episodes of the original Star Trek. Like many of my "best of" lists, I tend to diverge from my colleagues some and as a result, this is very truly, my list of the best ten episodes of Star Trek.

The differences, though, come down to the standards. For years, many people have looked at the "Top Ten" Best episodes of Star Trek as a sacrosanct list; whenever leading publications like StarLog did the lists, there was seldom any movement even decade to decade. This, I find, is folly. My Top Ten Star Trek episodes have two things in common: first, they look at what makes Star Trek truly great, which is Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future for one important thing and two they replay better than most episodes.

As a result, there are two omissions that most people are likely to gripe about that did not make my cut: "The City On The Edge Of Forever" and "The Trouble With Tribbles." The first is a much-beloved time-travel episode and one that usually tops lists like this one (take THAT convention!), but viewed objectively, it is exceptionally plot heavy, the dialogue is dragged down with so much exposition and the "love" story is so forced that it almost is tacked on as an afterthought. Similarly, "The Trouble With Tribbles" may be beloved and the conspiracy aspect of it is genuinely clever, but the humor holds up poorly as the one "furballs are cute" joke gets beaten into the ground pretty quickly.

So, with that in mind . . . I present, the Top Ten Star Trek episodes:

10. "The Cage" - reviewed here! - Each and every one of my listing reviews like this has a cheat and here I get it out of the way at number 10. In this case, in my individual reviews of episodes, there were about seven episodes that scored at or higher than "The Cage" in my objective standards (including "The City On The Edge Of Forever"). I bumped it up onto this list because it is essential Star Trek: it is cerebral, thought-provoking and illustrates a community filled with diversity. Yes, it has "pilot" errors and the acting is not up to the standards of other episodes, but this is the pilot that started it all and Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike makes for a couple of great hours of television that deserve to be seen and understood to fully fathom what Star Trek is intended to be,

9. "Requiem For Methuselah" - reviewed here! - Arguably the most controversial episode on this list (it has never, to my knowledge, ever made anyone else's Top Ten list for Star Trek episodes) this episode tells the story of Kirk, Spock and McCoy stranded on an alien planet. Far from Earth, they are there to get a medicine for the ship before crewmembers start dying and there they discover a treasure trove of artistic works. There, Kirk falls in love with a young woman named Rayna . . . with disastrous results. The idea of Flint is far more original than that of the Nazis winning World War II and the love story between Kirk and Rayna is actually developed better than the one Kirk had with Edith Keeler. And in this episode, Spock's passion for science and the arts has a real sense of importance and consequence,

8. "The Enterprise Incident" - reviewed here! - A political thriller, this episode has some of William Shatner's best and most appropriate over-the-top acting. Kirk, crazed, sends the ship into the Romulan Neutral Zone, where Spock assumes command, begins consorting with the Romulan Commander and inadvertently kills Captain Kirk! This could be a ridiculously plot-heavy episode, but it becomes both a great acting exercise and the characters move it beautifully,

7. "Obsession" - reviewed here! - Sometimes, there is an episode that it so universal, it hardly needs to be set in a fictional universe. "Obsession" would be a great episode of television even if it weren't on Star Trek, the themes are so universal and so well-executed. When the Enterprise encounters a vampiric cloud, Kirk's sense of guilt over an incident he was involved with as a junior officer resurfaces. Feeling the death of one of his previous crews on his hands, he becomes obsessed with killing the cloud entity before it can hurt anyone else. Tense and compelling, "Obsession" explores that basic human emotion perfectly and in a way that still makes the viewer able to watch and respect Captain Kirk afterwards,

6. "The Devil In The Dark" - reviewed here! - Arguably the best performance William Shatner ever gave as Captain James T. Kirk, I defy anyone to find the moments performed before versus after the actor found out his father had died. The consistency and professionalism of Shatner are absolutely incredible. And this episode is an emotionally tough one to wrestle with, regardless of the personal issues. Deep beneath the surface of a planet, Kirk and Spock attempt to track down an entity that has been killing miners so that the Federation's supply of pergium can continue. As Spock argues for the sanctity of life, Kirk finds he must prepare to kill whatever they find and as both officers put their life on the lines, they truly encounter a new life unlike any they had imagined,

5. "The Doomsday Machine" - reviewed here! - Star Trek's best episodes, it seems, were often thrillers and in the second season, they hit a real stride. Despite the original special effects, what makes "The Doomsday Machine" so great is the acting. Commodore Matt Decker, sole survivor of an encounter with a device that destroys entire planets, snaps, stranding Kirk and Scotty on his abandoned ship. Aboard the Enterprise, he pulls rank, assumes command and while McCoy fights him verbally for command of the ship, Decker attempts to destroy the massive killing machine. The thing is, Decker actually did virtually everything right; trying to safeguard his crew and save lives. The problem is, he did it poorly and his decisions cost a ton of people their lives. "The Doomsday Machine" is a riveting drama that creates an intriguing character that illustrates the consequences of one of our heroes making a wrong step. Moreover, it is about loyalty and it is entertaining and strong, a great combination,

4. "Balance Of Terror" - reviewed here! - In a deeply suspenseful episode, Star Trek dared to take us away from the Enterprise for a serious amount of time. Aboard a Romulan ship, a military commander attempts to return to his side of the border after a series of daring raids on the Federation. Kirk and company pursue and aboard the ship, there is tension when Spock manages to get a relay from the Romulan ship that illustrates that Romulans and Vulcans share a common physiology. As a result, racial tensions leap up and Kirk finds himself fighting a battle inside and outside. Relevant today (still), "Balance Of Terror" manages to be a tense submarine-style thriller as Kirk and the Enterprise play cat and mouse with the equally well-trained Romulan ship,

3. "Mirror, Mirror" - reviewed here! - A classic science fiction episode, Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura find themselves in a brutal mirror universe where history turned out very different. In this dark reality, they must survive assassination attempts, new love interests and the truth from being exposed. As Kirk and his crewmates work to return to our universe, he tries to argue the value of freedom over oppression with the alternate Spock. The premise is clever, the episode replays remarkably well and it was so successful it was eventually followed up on in multiple books, comics and on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine! And yes, there is the cheap thrill factor of seeing the twists in the regular crew members, but . . . it's fun to see the good go so bad,

2. "Amok Time" - reviewed here! - Spock in heat, it's a great premise for an episode and this is Leonard Nimoy's acting tour de force! Arguably, too much of Spock's character is defined by what people say he usually acts like (something like every third episode has Spock acting uncharacteristic) but in this one, there is a great sensibility to it. Watching the logic get stripped from the venerable Spock is a real treat and the friendship between Spock, McCoy and Kirk is perhaps best exemplified by this episode,

and . . .

. . . .drumroll please . . .


1. "A Piece Of The Action" - reviewed here! - Yes, it is a comedic episode that works best for Star Trek! Star Trek touts a Prime Directive, a "do no harm" for space explorers and "A Piece Of The Action" illustrates perfectly why such a level of ethical development is essential before humanity becomes a spacefaring people. Kirk and crew encounter a planet that has modeled their entire civilization after the book Chicago Mobs Of The 1920s when a prior vessel simply left that book behind. Funny, filled with an actual compelling social issue, great acting, great costumes and character moments that fit all of the principle and secondary characters perfectly, this has a great, enduring concept that does what all of the best television ought to do: it tells us something about ourselves, more than just something about other people. A true television gem!

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my Star Trek review page for an organized listing of all the Star Trek franchise reviews I have written!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Star Trek's Lame First Cousin: Star Trek: The Animated Series Arrives On DVD!

The Good: One or two vaguely interesting stories
The Bad: Terrible stories, Disappointing animation, "Cartoonish" characters, Unimpressive voice-overs, DVD Bonuses
The Basics: When Star Trek is resurrected on DVD in the form of the '70's Star Trek: The Animated Series, fans are more liable to be disappointed than thrilled.


So, those who read my reviews might note pretty quickly that I am a fan of the Star Trek franchise. Sure, I took some real delight in panning Star Trek: Enterprise and I had some grave doubts about J.J. Abrams cinematic opus Star Trek (reviewed here!) (not the least of which was because in all of the casting announcements, there was no mention of Gary Mitchell being cast!), but I have a great love of the franchise and love it when the franchise gets things right. I mean, if they ever came out with a new boxed set of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (reviewed here!) that had commentaries on the episodes, I'd be right there ready to purchase it, even though I hate when fans like me get screwed by having to double-buy! I love the Star Trek franchise and still I cringe whenever anyone mentions Star Trek: The Animated Series.

Now on DVD to be preserved for all posterity, Paramount and Filmation's Star Trek: The Animated Series The Complete Series preserves all 22 half-hour episodes of the saddest attempt to revive Star Trek ever. In the period before Star Trek: The Motion Picture (reviewed here!) was released and interest in Star Trek continued to grow and grow, fans were clamoring for anything and they ate up the "Animated Series" like termites through driftwood.

Following the continuing adventures of the starship Enterprise on its five-year mission, Captain Kirk and his crew journey to new worlds and new realities that it did not quite make it to during the live action series. As a result, the show journeys to Vulcan for a time-travel adventure where Spock mentors his younger self, encounters Harry Mudd who is peddling a love potion, ends up in an alternate universe "Bermuda Triangle" type place, and revisits the classics by bring back the tribbles. As well, there's an alien whose notable character trait is that his body may separate at the waist and the legs can walk around independent of the trunk and head, the notable appearance of pilgrims, and a very very large Mr. Spock.

And if it sounds more like a children's cartoon than Star Trek, you're at the crux of my problem with this series. There is something vaguely ridiculous about animated tribbles and that type of episode clearly appeals to kids and allows parents to trot out one of the most kid-friendly episodes of Star Trek, "The Trouble With Tribbles."

There is a lot of debate among the fans of Star Trek as to whether or not The Animated Series is considered "cannon" or not; I shall avoid that whole can of worms and just say that it's not terribly thrilling television. I mean, sure, there's the fanfic lust moment of Kirk and Spock getting fresh (I kid you not, it's in here!) that no doubt will thrill some, but for the most part, this series is remarkably child-oriented. It's written by the adults who brought us Star Trek and some of the episodes have deeper social messages - "More Troubles, More Tribbles," for example makes some wonderful points about genetic engineering and the need to keep an environment in balance - but the dialogue is seriously dumbed down for children.

Indeed, much of the episodes has the characters providing straight-out exposition to explain to younger audiences what may be clearly seen on screen by any adult. As a result, it is very hard to take the characters seriously. Instead of being vibrant active characters, often Kirk and Spock narrate the story so the viewer gets what is going on. And, sadly, Star Trek: The Animated Series relies on a number of kid-friendly standards that are liable to bore the more mature Star Trek audience, especially now. There's the "girls vs. boys" storyline of "The Lorelei Signal," wherein the men are all entrapped and aged by women and the women of the Enterprise must rise up to save them. There's a pirate story (yea, space pirates! Though it is nice to see Orions, which were alluded to in the first pilot to Star Trek), a condition that causes everyone to de-age, and a mysterious stranger who is not all he appears to be. In other words, most of the plots have been done before or are simply twists on plots Star Trek did in its live action series - like how "The Counter-Clock Incident" is just a reversal of "The Deadly Years!"

Star Trek: The Animated Series is credited with preserving most of the original Star Trek cast and admittedly, the series uses much more of an ensemble cast than Star Trek did. supporting characters like Scotty, Sulu, and Uhura all get decent airtime, especially considering how truly neglected they were in Star Trek. While money couldn't be dug up to pay Walter Koenig to voice Chekov in the series (apparently Leonard Nimoy personally leveraged his participation to have George Takei and Nichelle Nichols included), Nurse Chapel appears and the bridge is occupied by new characters Lt. Arex and (occasionally) Lt. M'Ress.

To better understand the tenor of this series, here are the principle characters and some of their notable traits in Star Trek: The Animated Series:

Captain James T. Kirk - Commander of the starship Enterprise, he is an explorer who would prefer to use his brains rather than force, though he does shoot off the phasers several times in this series. Of note, he provides his middle name as Tiberius and appears as generally an expert on everything (including every other officer's duties),

Commander Spock - First officer and science officer of the Enterprise, he explains most of the scientific phenomenon that the ship encounters and helps Kirk devise a way to overcome their obstacles. He uses the Guardian of Forever to revisit his childhood,

Dr. Leonard McCoy - Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise, he explains all things medical to Captain Kirk. He rescues the ship with his medical knowledge a few times over the course of the series,

Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott - "Scotty," the Chief Engineer of the Enterprise, he is responsible for keeping the ship up and running and letting the captain know just how much the ship is straining,

Lt. Sulu - Chief Helmsman of the Enterprise, he flies the ship and follows orders,

Lt. Uhura - Chief Communications Officer of the Enterprise, she opens the hailing frequencies and rescues the men when gender-biased enemies attack! As well, she goes on more missions to planets,

Nurse Chapel - Chief Nurse and assistant to Dr. McCoy, she does her medical thing when McCoy isn't available and helps Uhura against nasty siren-like women. Still pines for Spock,

Lt. Arex - The three-armed, three-legged navigator of the Enterprise, he flies the ship and looks cool,

and Lt. M'Ress - the Catian relief communication's officer, she takes over the communications station when Uhura is off doing other things.

Arex and M'Ress are voiced by James Doohan and Majel Barrett (Scotty and Chapel) and neither one is particularly divergent with the voice acting to make the characters terribly distinctive. It ought to be noted that Doohan provides many of the male voices for aliens and guest shots in the series, though it doesn't take much of an ear to tell that it's Doohan doing the voices. This is not particularly problematic, but a number of the characters end up sounding alike, which is somewhat dulling to the senses when one sits and watches these episodes back to back.

The problem - for fans of Star Trek - is that Star Trek: The Animated Series is a cartoon. The difference, of course, is the difference between Spawn and SuperFriends; the intended audience. Star Trek was a groundbreaking adult drama, Star Trek: The Animated Series is a family-friendly cartoon. The dialogue is generally simple (some of the titles have more sophisticated diction than the actual episodes, with words like "Jihad" and "Ambergris") and everything is neatly explained so that children will understand it. Sadly, I've sat down and watched some of these episodes when children were around and they did not seem terribly interested in it!

Star Trek: The Animated Series looks as good as it can on DVD. With the recent refurbishing of effects, this would have been a far better series to completely overhaul, with it's campy '70s animation and generally poor lip synching. On DVD there are featurettes, text commentaries and even audio commentaries on some of the episodes. I'm baffled by how they could afford audio commentaries for this series, but not any of the other series's in the franchise (to be fair Enterprise has one!).

But ultimately, this is a kid's show and it doesn't seem to interest children any more than it captured me. The series is a collection of mediocre stories, generally geared toward a young audience, with almost no real character development. And I have nothing against animation in general, I just want it to have some standards of quality and this series seriously falls short.

For more details on the specific episodes in this set, please check out my reviews of the episodes at:
More Troubles, More Tribbles / The Infinite Vulcan
Yesteryear / Beyond The Farthest Star
The Survivor / The Lorelei Signal
One Of Our Planets Is Missing / Mudd's Passion
The Magicks Of Megas-Tu / The Time Trap
The Slaver Weapon / The Ambergris Element
The Jihad / The Terratin Incident
The Eye of the Beholder / Once Upon A Planet
Bem / Albatross
The Pirates Of Orion / The Practical Joker
How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth / The Counter-Clock Incident

2/10

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

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

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A Season Of Stride: Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Five Is Wonderful!

The Good: High amount of continuity and good episodes, Excellent acting, Decent special effects, Good character development
The Bad: Mostly just "Hero Worship."
The Basics: A strong season of Star Trek The Next Generation give the whole cast more of a crew feeling while still focusing strongly on their best individual assets.

Most television shows take a while to hit their stride, but when they do . . . they just sprint for as long as they can before falling completely to pieces. Some series' get into the right rhythm and then manage to do an endurance run to keep running. Star Trek The Next Generation is an example of the latter type of series.

In the fifth season of Star Trek The Next Generation, there are twenty-six episodes and most all of them are at least good and the vast majority are worth recommending. In fact, the series' best episode, "The Inner Light" appears in the fifth season. There's a lot to celebrate in the fifth season.

The first and only major change to Star Trek The Next Generation is that a new character is introduced. In the third episode of the season, a Bajoran character named Ro Laren comes aboard the Enterprise and mixes some conflict in with the rather bland and stable crew. Ensign Ro appears in five other episodes of the season and plays as a foil to the sometimes out of touch enlightened crew. That is, Ro provides an anchor for the viewer, someone we may readily identify with. After four years of seeing the philosopher Picard, the gallant Riker, the super-intelligent Data and the inhuman Worf, it's nice to see someone who is a little off balance, someone with a temper and who has had difficulties.

But the fifth season uses Ro as a foil in only some of the episodes while maintaining and expanding the fine qualities of the crew in the other episodes. The fifth season has more of a sense of serialization than any of the previous seasons and it works to foreshadow Star Trek Deep Space Nine. So, what is the fifth season all about?

In the fifth season of Star Trek The Next Generation, the Klingon Civil War ends with the exposure of the Romulan connection ("Redemption, Part 2"), the Bajoran situation is introduced ("Ensign Ro"), and the Crystalline Entity returns ("Silicon Avatar"). The Enterprise gets nearly destroyed ("Disaster"), Spock returns ("Unification Part 1 and 2"), and some of the characters are possessed ("Power Play"). But the season continues strong with Worf being injured ("Ethics"), Picard raising a family on an alien planet ("The Inner Light") and Data being found dead in San Francisco ("Time's Arrow").

But more important than what the season is about is what happens to the characters. Picard makes the most significant leaps forward in character in the continued trend to humanize the distant philosopher. Finally, Picard opens up to children in "Disaster" and falls in love in a compelling way ("The Perfect Mate") and gets a family ("The Inner Light"). Picard continues a great tradition of meaningful first contacts ("Darmok," "The Masterpiece Society" and "Imaginary Friend").

Picard is not the only one who undergoes character growth. As has been happening, Data and Worf continue to follow Picard in the number of episodes focused on them. Data experiences more bemusal and personal horror ("Silicon Avatar"), command ("Redemption, Part 2"), an undercover mission ("Unification"), a taste of parenthood (the below-average "Hero Worship") and even death in the season finale ("Time's Arrow"). Worf opens the season with an exploration of his Klingon heritage ("Redemption, Part 2) and he continues to grow through emergency medical experience ("Disaster"), the return of his son ("New Ground") and his growth as a parent ("Cost of Living"), being violently overpowered ("Power Play") and critically wounded ("Ethics").

More than anything, the fifth season of Star Trek The Next Generation embraces the idea of the Enterprise as a functional crew and its cast as an ensemble. As a result, there are fewer episodes that focus on a single character. Out of twenty-six episodes, only thirteen focus primarily on a single character. Indeed, even the season finale which is motivated by Data becomes more of a complete cast finish.

The plot and characters continue to grow, but more than that, the acting reaches new heights. Brent Spiner gets a chance to expand his talent by playing a violent criminal ("Power Play") and Patrick Stewart infuses Picard with compassion and love in three of the episodes. It's a welcome change on both parties and they are not exclusive; Levar Burton plays with more action in "The Next Phase" and Michael Dorn gives a truly passionate performance in "Ethics." Marina Sirtis, though, gets the greatest leaps. In season five, Sirtis has the chance to play authoritarian ("Disaster"), criminal ("Power Play") and Data ("Time's Arrow") and she plays them all expertly.

Fans of Star Trek The Next Generation know what to expect; continual character growth and great acting as a result of individual missions. Here, however, they get an added bonus, a sense of continuity and consequences: the Klingon Civil War ends and there are lasting ramifications that come back up, in "Unification" for example. "I, Borg" explores the consequences of Picard's victimization by the Borg.

Those who are not fans of Star Trek The Next Generation will discover some of the best that science fiction may produce. There are interesting characters and they grow and change over the season. There are decent special effects, especially in the area of make-up in this season and the acting is above most dramas on television. But this is also the season that Gene Roddenberry died during and as a result, there is a marked increase in phaser fights and violence. That's not a criticism, just an acknowledgment of the truth; with Roddenberry's passing, the new team that took over saw the opportunity to do more than talk their way out of situations. This makes this season of Star Trek The Next Generation far more accessible to the people who have not classically been a fan of the series.

While this is an excellent season and the DVD has some real nice behind the scenes extras (Patrick Stewart singing to Gene is precious and worth the DVD price alone), it's not perfect. Still, it's closer than most television series' ever get.

Because the boxed set DVDs assume the viewer know what is inside without providing a decent listing, here is what the fifth season of Star Trek The Next Generation consisted of:
Redemption, Part 2
Darmok
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The Game
Unification, Part 1
Unification, Part 2
A Matter Of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause And Effect
The First Duty
Cost Of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I, Borg
The Next Phase
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow

9/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

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



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Star Trek The Next Generation's Brush With A Perfect Season: Star Trek: The Next Generation The Complete Fourth Season!

The Good: Excellent acting, Good character arcs, Generally fresh stories, Improved continuity
The Bad: A hard weak link in "In Theory."
The Basics: Nearing perfection, Star Trek The Next Generation's fourth season has something for everyone.


"Perfection" is a word I tend to use very little when it comes to film or music. Far more often, I discuss why things are imperfect. So, it's a rare thing to have a show that has a perfect episode ("Duet" in Star Trek Deep Space Nine, the film Magnolia) or a compact disc that is a perfect album (like Heather Nova's Siren). Usually there is a weak spot in the episode, movie or album that prevents it from achieving perfection. It's an almost impossible thing to pull off a perfect season of television. To my mind, Sports Night Season Two and Seasons five and six of Star Trek Deep Space Nine come to mind as perfect.

Star Trek The Next Generation Season Four comes close, closer than I would personally like to admit. Why? I think season three of the show has more perfect episodes than any of the other Star Trek The Next Generation seasons, but it also has some real stinkers ("The Bonding" comes immediately to mind). Season Four of Star Trek The Next Generation, conversely has less perfect episodes and only one notable bad episode (the penultimate "In Theory" remains near the bottom of my Star Trek The Next Generation list).

What may one expect when watching the fourth season of Star Trek The Next Generation? First, there is a greater sense of continuity. Episodes seem to have more consequences here, beginning with the season opener "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II." Following Picard's horrific experience with the Borg, he needs some down time and he receives some catharsis in returning to France in "Family." It's also a relief for us, the viewer; in a series that is notorious for wrapping things up nicely by the end and never revisiting consequences, "Family" is a breath of cool air, allowing those who have watched two very tense episodes unwind and explore the human psyche better. And the Borg Incident is referred to specifically in two other episodes, reminding us that the galaxy is very much aware of how near the Federation came to falling.

But the other characters have important arcs in season four and they feel that way because we are subject to their consequences for their actions. Wesley Crusher leaves finally to go off to StarFleet Academy. Data encounters his creator quite directly, which leads him to a continued need for emotion and even more airtime than in the third season.

The most influential character this season, however, is Worf. Having suffered a serious setback in the third season's "Sins Of The Father," Worf struggles frequently in the fourth season with the consequences of his discommendation. In "Reunion," Worf must deal with other Klingons as a new head of the Klingon High Council is chosen. In "The Drumhead" and "The Mind's Eye," he encounters Klingons who would manipulate him for his lack of honor.

The season breaks down with the standard 26 episodes with the characters changing the dynamic of the show profoundly. Arguably, Picard has four episodes, the entire cast participates in the first two of the season making them true ensemble works, Data picks up the most episodes of the season at five, with Laforge getting a surprising three episodes to expand his character. Dr. Crusher, Riker, and Troi each check in at two a piece, with Lwaxana Troi, Wesley Crusher, O'Brien (who finally has a name this season!), and Barclay each picking up an episode of their own. While Worf with only two episodes exclusively Worf winds his plot thread through the season and ends up the focus of the season finale.

How it breaks down is quite significant in Season Four. Riker, who had four and a half episodes in the first season and a significant role in another five, has diminished to two episodes exclusively on him. While Worf appears to be on par with the remainder of the crew (less Picard, Data and Geordi), he has made some of the biggest gains this time out. For example, in the LaForge episode "The Mind's Eye," Worf has significant scenes, as he does in the full cast "Family" and the heavily-Picard "The Drumhead." So while Worf only has two episodes entirely focused on him, it feels like more because his presence has grown.

In actuality, Geordi LaForge has the most per capita growth this season, with "Galaxy's Child" (where he meets the actual Leah Brahms of "Booby Trap"), "Identity Crisis" (wherein he is turned into an invisible alien), and "The Mind's Eye" (where he is brainwashed) all coming late in the season to remind us that he is alive and a vital character. Well, he's actually a chew toy for the writers, but after three seasons of neglect, LaForge finally gets some time.

The show has actually become, by this point, the "Data and Picard Show." Realizing that they have something good in Data, the plethora of Data shows begins in Season Four with "Brothers." The best episodes of the season, however, (outside the magnificent Worf story "Reunion") pair Picard and Data together. Indeed, the key to the season premiere lies in Data and Picard and the bond they have formed over the earlier seasons. "Clues" is a masterful work which, for the first time, explores the adversarial nature of the Picard/Data relationship and it does it well. Yet, their bond is powerful and explicit in "Night Terrors" as Picard loses his ability to command.

What may a viewer expect from Star Trek The Next Generation Season Four on DVD? First, all of the great character work I've mentioned above. It makes a difference. If you've never watched an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation, season four is a great time to start. Watching the season three finale preps one for pretty much all of season four. There's a flow and the feeling that there's life on the USS Enterprise outside what we see week to week comes in clearer, establishing a more universal place for new viewers.

And those new viewers are in for a treat. The season opens with an action-packed suspense episode ("The Best of Both Worlds, Part II") and following the sequel "Family," it does not let up for the season. Gone are the pedantic philosophical tirades that characterized seasons one and two. Instead, there is action with familiar foes (Lore returns in "Brothers," the Romulans pop up in a few episodes) and new adversaries (Tasha Yar's sister, for example in "Legacy" and the introduction of the magnificent Cardassians in "The Wounded"). In fact, the Cardassians represent the most profound shift in the Star Trek universe, paving the way for Star Trek Deep Space Nine.

But more than simply action-adventure stories, there are intelligent adventures, like the tension-filled, philosophy-driven "First Contact." There are romances, "In Theory" and the bizarre "The Host." And there's possibly the best mystery in the Star Trek franchise in an episode called "Clues." There's courtroom drama ("The Drumhead") and outright humor (the Robin Hood rip off "QPid").

This DVD set includes featurettes on the season and the characters, but no commentaries on any of the episodes.

In short, the DVD collection is one of the best with a diverse season of episodes that lives under the rule "if you don't like this episode, try the next one; it's something completely different." A must for any fan of Star Trek The Next Generation and a great collection for anyone who loves good television!

Because the DVDs do not tell you what episodes are in this boxed set, I have reviewed all 26 episode of the fourth season! Reviews of the episodes in this boxed set are available at:

The Best Of Both Worlds, Part II
Suddenly Human
Brothers
Family
Remember Me
Legacy
Reunion
Future Imperfect
Final Mission
The Loss
Data's Day
The Wounded
Devil's Due
Clues
First Contact
Galaxy's Child
Night Terrors
Identity Crisis
The Nth Degree
Q-Pid
The Drumhead
Half A Life
The Host
The Mind's Eye
In Theory
Redemption, Part 1

9.5/10

For other Star Trek season, episode and DVD set reviews, please visit my index page on the subject for an organized listing!

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




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The Pace Picks Up In The Final Frontier With Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Three!

The Good: Character development, acting, plots, pacing
The Bad: Some weak episodes, an occasional philosophical tirade
The Basics: A marked improvement from the second season, the third season is one of television's strongest and arguably the best season of this show.


Star Trek The Next Generation's second season was plagued by a writer's strike and one of the worst season finale's ever (Trek's only retrospective episode - "Shades Of Gray"). It seems the staff on Star Trek The Next Generation was determined not to let the same thing happen for the show's third season. Fortunately, for all of us, they succeeded.

Almost immediately, the series escapes the long speeches and philosophical diatribes that made the first two seasons inaccessible to anyone but Star Trek fans or philosophy majors. The largely philosophical season opener, "Evolution" escapes the familiar mold by throwing in a moment of menace and the threat of a Borg ship.

While the season slowly evolves from diplomatic missions ("The Ensigns Of Command") to a sociological study ("Who Watches the Watchers?") into more action-oriented fare ("The Defector" and "The Hunted"). That's not to say that the philosophy is lost. "The Hunted" is basically a futuristic exploration of Vietnam veterans on a planet that engineered a perfect soldier to win a war. There's a lot of talking in it, but there are also a lot of chases and fighting.

The season is an interesting mix of thoughtful debates and well paced adventures. The third season marks the return of Dr. Beverly Crusher. Dr. Pulaski leaves and outside a notation in "Who Watches The Watcher?" I believe we never hear of or from her again.

This season is also the important shift in the character elements of Star Trek The Next Generation. While season two has essentially the same balance as the first, season three was when the writing staff woke up and realized they were neglecting their best resources.

Season three has twenty-six episodes. While Picard still carries the bulk of the episodes (approximately 7), Data's lot in the series goes dramatically up (three episodes are inarguably Data episodes), while Riker seems to lose in the balance (he has three episodes and one of those is balanced with Troi). In fact, the supporting players who have been neglected pick up quite a few episodes. Worf gets two strong roles, Geordi takes two or three, Troi gets two as well. Dr. Crusher returns as something of a support role and Wesley Crusher suffers greatly. In fact, outside an important bit of character advancement in "Menage a Trois," Wesley Crusher loses the great amount of attention he has enjoyed up until this point. Even the recurring villain Q has more of an episode than Wesley ("Deja Q").

Season three is a treat for the fans, bringing back Lwaxana Troi, Q, and even characters from Star Trek (Sarek). In fact, one of the most fan-appreciated episodes marks the return of Tasha Yar. "Yesterday's Enterprise" seeks to fill in the gap in the Star Trek universe by marking the appearance of the current Enterprise's predecessor.

The season's finale, "The Best Of Both Worlds" is easily one of the series' strongest. Marking the return of the Borg, it is a cliffhanger episode that made the summer of 1990 an anxious one for most fans of Star Trek The Next Generation. It's also a very accessible episode for non-Trekkers.

The real gem of season three, however, is one of the more philosophical episodes. "The Survivors," the third episode on the first disc, is a wonderful exploration on the nature and consequences of pacifism. While often overlooked by fans, "The Survivors" is one of the most intriguing character and philosophy studies of the series and the resolution to the episode is one of the most telling moments of humanism ever put onto television.

The other surprise of this season is a little-noticed episode called "The Vengeance Factor." While many recall the interesting "The Offspring" and the action-filled "Yesterday's Enterprise," the wrenching character development of "The Vengeance Factor" stands as one of the series' most haunting episodes. In fact, outside one season six episode, I don't believe Riker has it as good as he does in this episode.

This season still has its weaknesses, like the frustratingly obvious "The Ensigns Of Command," but it's such a refreshing step up from season two. Star Trek The Next Generation is the first season where non-fans of the series may find enjoyment. This is a season that anyone may find much to enjoy.

The best episodes are "The Survivors" and "The Best Of Both Worlds, Part I," the low point of the season is the Dr. Crusher hostage situation "The High Ground."

Because the boxed set is ambiguous in its contents for those who do not already know the series, check out my reviews of all 26 third season episodes at:
The Ensigns Of Command
Evolution
The Survivors
Who Watches The Watchers?
The Bonding
Booby Trap
The Enemy
The Price
The Vengeance Factor
The Defector
The Hunted
The High Ground
Deja Q
A Matter Of Perspective
Yesterday's Enterprise
The Offspring
Sins Of The Father
Allegiance
Captain's Holiday
Tin Man
Hollow Pursuits
The Most Toys
Sarek
Menage A Troi
Transfigurations
The Best Of Both Worlds

9/10

For other Star Trek franchise reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

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



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Philosophy Lesson In Unexplored Territory: Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Underwhelms!

The Good: Different from most of what is and was on television, Imaginative
The Bad: Over philosophical, Pedantic, Preachy, Light on DVD bonus features.
The Basics: Only for the die hard fans of the series, the second season of Star Trek The Next Generation is a philosophy lesson in motion.


When Star Trek The Next Generation completed its first season (click here for that review!), it left quietly and while the studio never said anything, there must have been doubt as to whether it would return the next fall. At the end of season one, there was little incentive to return, save that this was Star Trek and the fan base was huge based on that alone.

When Star Trek The Next Generation returned the next season, it began with a ridiculously long entrance, as if to say "Ha! We made it back! Ye who doubted ought to take that!" This fact was rammed home to me recently as I popped the first disc of the season 2 Star Trek The Next Generation into my DVD player. The season opener, "The Child" has an incredibly long lead in, accompanied by a grand orchestral score that serves to bring the viewer back to the 24th Century, a very definite time and space.

While the first season of Star Trek The Next Generation could have been sub-titled "Philosopher Kings In Space," season two ought to have the tag "Philosophy Lesson In Unexplored Territory." Basically, the second season takes the crew into new locales while advancing philosophy.

In fact, more than the first season, Season Two delves into philosophy. If you're a fan of the Star Trek The Next Generation films, this season is not for you. There is a lack of action, the episodes are positively cerebral. There are new places, new aliens, but essentially, it's another series of philosophy lessons.

While there are twenty-two episodes this season (a writer's strike cost the show four episodes), the overwhelming concentration of philosophical debate becomes obvious and eventually overbearing.

The season opens with the introduction of two new characters, Dr. Katherine Pulaski (who replaces Dr. Crusher) and Guinan (an alien bartender). Pulaski gets right into the series with an episode ("The Child," a Troi episode) that explores the nature of experience and learning. When Troi becomes impregnated, a brief debate ensues over her right to choose whether or not to carry the baby to term. Once that occurs (on the Pro-Choice side, which is nice to see), Troi's child begins to grow at a rapid rate and its experiences are noted as being experimental, as if something is studying how to grow up.

To the detriment of the series, especially this season, one highly philosophical episode follows another, with the Enterprise then being sucked into an alien laboratory ("Where Silence Has Lease"), creating life forms ("Elementary, Dear Data") and then exploring the nature of humor ("The Outrageous Okona"). The season plods along with episode after episode simply exploring a new way of viewing a problem in a different location.

That's not to say that the season is without its charms. In fact, the best episode of the season is also one of the most philosophical ones, "The Measure Of A Man." In that episode, Data is in jeopardy of being replicated and his right for existence is literally put on trial. It's an incredible legal and moral exploration of the military-industrial complex.

This season continues the first season's tradition of non-violence, philosophical exploration and exploration. Unfortunately, it does little to advance the characters or plot much. In the first eight episodes, only one ("A Matter Of Honor") is ever alluded to again (in the third season's "Sins Of The Father"). They are largely unmemorable and unremarkable.

Following "The Measure Of A Man" (season 2's ninth episode), the episodes stagnate again as the characters become moralistic, pedantic, preachy individuals. Between "The Measure Of A Man" and the surprisingly action-packed "Q-Who?," only "Contagion" stands out as an interesting episode. The rest, such as "The Royale" are, well, boring. They tell stories or explain ideas ("Pen Pals"), but do little else.

The second season has, essentially, three good episodes that are not only excellent, but rewatchable. "The Measure Of A Man," is a great character and societal study, "Q-Who?" sees the return of the villainous Q and the introduction of the scary badasses The Borg who become a menacing villain, and "The Emissary," where Worf has his chance to explore Klingon sexuality in one of the best character development episodes of the series.

The DVD set is especially nice because the images are great, crisp, DVD quality. The bonuses are fun. We get to see props and interviews previously not visible outside the Paramount lot.

But is it worth it? Certainly not for anyone but a die hard Star Trek The Next Generation fan. This is not the collection for the person with casual interest in the series, especially for those who have become interested from the feature films. This set is a very different collection of people and events than the moviegoing fans would be used to.

Is the movie version better? Probably not, but it's definitely more watchable. There's a better rhythm, the attention is easier kept.

My review of the second season of Star Trek The Next Generation is somewhat prejudiced, as I was a HUGE fan of Star Trek The Next Generation growing up. During the writer's strike, certain episodes (i.e. "The Dauphin") were played repeatedly, each week. They were quite tired, it was a big detraction from the flow of the series. When I rewatched some of those episodes, now over a decade past, I could still quote lines. It was just plain sad. The only thing worse than the repetitive episodes was the horrible season finale clip show that did not do justice to the series.

This season lacks action, it lacks excitement and it suffers from being one long philosophy lesson. In the 22 episodes, hand phasers are almost never used, shipboard weapons also infrequently utilized. It's a pacifist show and that's refreshing. It's just not terribly interesting to watch over and over again.

Best episode is "The Measure Of A Man," the low point of the season is "The Royale."

To help you get a better idea of exactly what is included in this boxed, set, please check out my reviews on all 22 second season episodes available at:

The Child
Where Silence Has Lease
Elementary, Dear Data
The Outrageous Okona
The Schizoid Man
Loud As A Whisper
Unnatural Selection
A Matter Of Honor
The Measure Of A Man
The Dauphin
Contagion
The Royale
Time Squared
The Icarus Factor
Pen Pals
Q-Who?
Samaritan Snare
Up The Long Ladder
Manhunt
The Emissary
Peak Performance
Shades Of Gray

4.5/10

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

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



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Starting At The Beginning Of The Star Trek Novel Franchise With Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

The Good: Generally well-written, Interesting concept
The Bad: Adds little or nothing to the on-screen presentation, Fairly simple diction.
The Basics: With a main plot about as interesting as the film and bogged down with additional, irrelevant details, the novel of Star Trek: The Motion Picture flops.


When Pocket Books nabbed the license for the Star Trek franchise back in the late 1970s, they wanted to start high. There was still a lot of enthusiasm for the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture (click here for my review of the film!) and even then Star Trek was seen as a viable and profitable franchise worth exploring and exploiting. So, to stack the deck in their favor, Pocket Books began the novels with the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. To pen the novel, Gene Roddenberry was brought in to do the honors.

The novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a generally literal interpretation of the film and those who became excited a few years back over the Director's Cut of the film might want to note that when Robert Wise updated his Star Trek opus, it was mostly just for special effects. In other words, the few additional character elements that Roddenberry started with in the novel did not make it into the movie. And as a book, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a rather average book, with unimpressive narrative techniques and diction, making for a read that begs the question "What is the point?" Yes, as a writer, I ought to be thrilled whenever there is a book instead of a movie, but when something begins as a movie and much of the thrill of the film is the visual spectacle, the book needs to add something truly significant to the film or else it flops. This is essentially what happens with this book of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Admiral James T. Kirk is on vacation when he receives a message from StarFleet Command (directly to his brain). A squadron of Klingon ships has been destroyed by a mysterious cloud and the bearing of the cloud now puts it on an intercept course for Earth. Springing into action, Kirk meets with Admiral Nogura to get command of the newly refit U.S.S. Enterprise and he is successful. Despite his recommendation for the Enterprise's new captain, Kirk replaces Captain Will Decker as captain of the Enterprise and he begins to assemble his new crew, by reuniting his old crew. Unfortunately for Kirk, a transporter accident kills his new science officer and his lover and the Enterprise limps out of spacedock missing a few key officers, most notably Spock who was on Vulcan attempting purge himself of all emotions when he telepathically received Kirk's thoughts and the message about the alien cloud.

After another mishap - this time with the engines - and the arrival of a particularly reticent Spock from Vulcan, the Enterprise moves to intercept the alien cloud, which now appears to be hostile. Gambling on the abilities of the cloud, Kirk and Spock manage to broadcast a friendship message to it and prevent the Enterprise from being destroyed. Penetrating the cloud with the Enterprise, they discover a structure inside and in their efforts to learn about it, they lose a new crewmember, one who is connected to Decker and whose return as a mechanical construct leads the Enterprise crew to realize they are in a struggle for the survival of Earth itself!

Gene Roddenberry makes explicit several ideas in the novel of Star Trek: The Motion Picture that were never concretely nailed down in the film. The most notable among these is in the backstory of Willard Decker. Decker is supposed to be the son of the crazed Commodore Matt Decker from the episode "The Doomsday Machine" (click here for my review of that episode!). Roddenberry details the inner voice of Will Decker quite well, declaring that he is a man who has struggled as a result of the way his father met his end. Kirk, in the novel, is characterized almost as his patron, looking out for Decker and his career to insure he got a fair shake of things and was not judged by his father's illness. Also, Decker and the Deltan navigator Ilia are granted more backstory and as a result, Decker makes more headway with the Ilia probe after she is replaced by V'Ger.

Roddenberry also uses the opportunity to flesh out his vision of the future a little bit better by writing some future history. The problem is that his mention of historical events yet to come are all in the context of technological advancements. So, for example, Kirk's StarFleet brain implant (senceiver) is given a bit of backstory where they were only used because the ethical mind-control implications of such technology had been eliminated, due to humanity learning a thing or two from a previously unmentioned Mind Control Revolt. As well, Roddenberry pushed a smart energy agenda by positing that putting a hydroelectric dam in the Straight of Gibraltar would generate enough electricity to fuel Southern Europe and Northern Africa.

If this seems like a divergence from the story (and the review) you are correctly gathering what the crux of my problem with the novel Star Trek: The Motion Picture is. The film plodded along as a terribly boring - not nearly cerebral enough - visual effects film and when the Director's Cut came along, it just changed the visual effects. In the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Roddenberry adds more setting and a little more on the characters. But mostly, it is divergences from the main story that distract from what the book is supposed to be about.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is not about filling in the gaps between our times and the time of Star Trek, it is about learning about new life forms and preventing them from obliterating Earth. How does the history of the senceiver make that easier, more comprehensible or more relevant? It doesn't, truly. And because these technologies and concepts are not revisited outside this book, they stagnate and seem like unnecessary embellishments. This would not be the case if this had been a truly original universe the reader was being introduced to. But instead, the Star Trek universe had been pretty well established by Gene Roddenberry on television. Those picking up the novel did not need new technologies and history lessons that were included ought to have benefited the story or been used as future precepts. Instead, they were largely abandoned or neglected outside this work.

And there is nothing of significance added to the characters of Kirk and Spock which was not shown in the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Their story and the story of V'Ger's advance upon Earth are virtually identical to the movie, so there is little to entice readers into this book.

Add to that, this is not the most sophisticated read. It is written to be accessible to anyone with a middle school education and is not impressive in the prose in any way. Roddenberry has a decent ability with the dialogue, but beyond that, his descriptions are fair at best and the characters are sublimated to the story and this is not the greatest Star Trek plot ever written.

It is, however, a start and while I never thought I would do this, readers might want to save some time, pop in the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture and just start with novel #2 for some original material!

For other Star Trek franchise books, please check out my takes on:
Imzadi By Peter David
Star Trek Omnibus 1 By Marv Wolfman
I, Q By Peter David and John de Lancie

5/10

For other book reviews, be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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