User Reviews

Dreadful. This self aware nonsense of the ship's computer and it developing a life form which it sends out into space is a typical Brannon Braga scripted episode. The story is one that you are left thinking WHAT was all that about??? This is worse than some of the Second Season writers strike plagued episodes. How this ever got from paper to screen is beyond me. Such a shame to see Ronald D. Moore's hallowed name in there too! The script has no real redeeming qualities either. A lot of viewers would do well to fast forward past half of this, with only one or two brief moments worth a look. A lot of standing around talking in almost every scene leaves you probably getting up for a cup of tea!

ST:TNG:175 - "Emergence" (Stardate: 47869.2) - this is the 23rd episode of the 7th and last season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

After a series of malfunctions onboard the Enterprise, including the Orient Express train (from Dr. Crusher's program) interrupting Data's rendition of Prospero's Island for Captain Picard, the captain orders an emergency core shutdown. However, the ship computer takes control of the Enterprise, averting it from disaster, then trying to reach a destination at it seems to be developing a neural network (like Data's positronic brain).

But for what purpose did the Enterprise take over? Where is it headed? And why is it running 7 distinct programs at once in the Holodeck? Find out in another intriguing episode that deals with the issue of sentience.

If nothing else, this episode takes the use of techno-babble to an entirely new level as the Enterprise crew attempts to regain control of the ship after it's taken over by an emerging intelligence that seems to have its own agenda. A lot of the story's action takes place on the holodeck, where disparate characters from seven different programs appear as passengers on a steam locomotive reminiscent of the Orient Express. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) board the train in order to determine what might be happening, as the transporter and replicator systems of the Enterprise begin merging following an instance in which the ship engaged warp power without a verbal command. To give you an idea how far the scientific gobbledy-gook was taken, just know that the officer crew torpedoed a white dwarf star to create a beam of vertion particles that the intelligence on the ship used to create an entirely new structure that when it was completed, simply took off from the Enterprise, presumably satisfied that whatever had taken control was pleased with its completed task. It felt like the creative team that came up with this story was grasping for ideas and used whatever stuck to the wall when the session was over.

One of the most worthless episodes ever done. Feel free to skip it. You will miss nothing.

Technically, the story is in keeping with Star Trek. Everything is explained in the traditional techno-lingo we know, but the whole episode comes across as senseless, and attempting to make sense of it is futile.

Go try to push a rope uphill, or some endeavor equally worthless, rather than watch this.

B. Bragga at his worse. Exploring some concept of his, that makes no sense to anyone else, and has no place in Star Trek. Basically a "Alice in Wonderland" episode, with all the nonsensical trappings and confusing references normally associated with such.

I grew up with TNG, it had a huge impact on me. I loved how it challenged me to think about situations, whilst being a very entertaining sci-fi. It co-formed my ideals and perspective on things.

I have watched the whole series again, with the purpose of letting the show tell me things about myself, of course to find out if it still holds up, and challenge me with concepts I've might not understood when I was young. It was triggered by an essay on TNG.

I watched this episode last night, and it just hit me when I was taking a walk this morning. Because I couldn't understand why they would let go, not even track, a new and unique life form, which is in a spur of emergent consciousness of artificial intelligence freaking created by their own ship, It's sole purpose no less, and then it mysteriously dies. Deal with it audience.

So you might have added 1+1 already, or come to the same conclusion that Star Trek TNG is some kind of education. The creators hope one day humans will have outgrown our current selves. Not only is it a vehicle of hope, it puts the work in, and it trusts that if you put in the work you might get there as well.

So it's almost the last episode, time to wrap things up, and this is what they do as an exploration vessel? Illogical, the object might even be dangerous Data adds. Then Picard speaks with this conclusion:

"Now, if our experiences with the Enterprise have been honorable, can't we trust that the sum of those experiences will be the same?"

It's you, you're the intelligence formed from the experiences of the Enterprise.

Sadly.it seems this message flew right over the reviewers heads. I guess that's the problem with art, or hope in general. Still for that this episode is worth watching. If I did spoil something, I guess you wanted it to because you read till the end :)

As I am in the process of completing a review of the entire TNG run of 176 episodes, I did set about this task with the intention of setting out the wheat from the chaff. There have been some exceptional episodes during the run to-date, but there have also been some turkeys. I also wanted to identify any of those episodes that could be said to form an arc. These could either be Borg arc, Data-Lore Arc, Klingon arc, or even DS9 arc.

Another episode that begins with Data doing Shakespeare in the holosuit. So, we have a database retrieval malfunction. Are we going to take a trip on the Orient Express with Picard and Crusher?

We are in the process of surveying new Federation colony sites having weathered an unexpected magnascopic storm in the Makorda sector. Strange things are happening, we have suddenly gone into warp and lost primary helm control on the bridge. I would wager that the magnascopic storm has something to do with things. Or should we expect Q to pop-up anytime soon?

La Forge and Data are trying to find out what was the cause of the sudden jump into warp.

This story has similar elements to the earlier season seven episode: Phantasm and I believe I mistook that one for this one whilst I was reviewing it. This makes me wonder if the writers whilst writing the earlier episode had alternative ideas as to how it would play out, and that the basis of this story evolved out of the discarded ideas from the Phantasm story.

I like this one as it has an original series feel about it and it is interesting to watch the team trying to piece together the clues although it is pretty clear that the 'ship' doesn't want the team interfering in the weird goings-on. There has to be another way, there just has to be.

It's strange watching these latter TNG episodes without considering that the series was coming to an end. It is hard to imagine that the main cast had any real passion for the series anymore and that they weren't all just going through the motions. This is the series that would define most of them as actors for the rest of their lives, much as I appreciate that most of these actors would go onto other things, including Worf (Michael Dorn) who would soon pop-up again in DS9. But then Shatner, had other vehicles such as T. J. Hooker. Both Nimoy and Shatner appeared as villains in Columbo stories. Indeed, they had wide and varied careers after the original series ended its run, but they would always be remembered as Kirk and Spock.

A good story but nothing special.

This Episodes Clue: "Oh brave new world that has such people in it"

(Answer's to all episode clues will appear in the reviews of season seven, episode 25: All Good Things, Part One.)

Well, I enjoy the crazy premise of the enterprise birthing a form of life that is a result of holodeck experiences of the crew. In execution this episode was dreadfully dull with not nearly enough intrigue to maintain my captivation.

How about using holographic Enterprise crew members in this episode? That would provide the viewer with a personal stake in the episode.

I enjoy science fiction star trek episode but this one was attempting to tell a profound story but I most definitely did not enjoy the ride to get there.

How about the computer is using holographic bridge members on the actual enterprise? But the officers are slightly off due to misinterpretations?

I don't know ---- When I start coming up with alternative idea's to make an episode interesting, I know that the episode itself is lackluster.

Monday - ship developed true AI out of nowhere, drank tea Tuesday - ships AI took over all controls - oops, must have a word with Geordi and Data about finally putting in firewalls and a dmz between us and that damn holodeck before I forget Wednesday- ship created a baby AI which nearly killed us, then it disappeared off, lucky eh?

Thursday- drank more tea and quoted Shakespeare with the senior staff

What on Earth would star fleet think? How about: how could this happen? Why? Could it happen again? Is the new life a threat? Nope, nobody seems to have a clue! And don't get me started on another H&S near miss with barrels in the cargo bay! Did they not learn after Worf's accident?! This series really does get sillier and sillier!

As this episodes opens something goes wrong in the holodeck; a train almost hits Picard and Data as the latter works through a scene from The Tempest. It turns out the train was from another 'Orient Express' program. It is initially assumed that it is just a fault on the holodeck but it becomes obvious that something else is wrong when the Enterprise suddenly goes into warp. Nobody gave the order but the action saved the ship. Investigations lead to the discovery of an emergent intelligence in the ship's computer. The holodeck appears to be the centre of this occurrence so much of the investigation takes place there. The program running combines elements of several other programs with various characters aboard a train representing ships functions. With many systems, including life support, offline the crew will have to help get the train to its destination if they are to save the ship and its crew.

Holodeck episodes are usually weaker than average and this one was no exception… in fact it was weak even when compared to other holodeck episodes. Having various parts of the holodeck program representing parts of the ship's emerging intelligence wasn't too subtle so the characters came across as walking clichés… the story would probably have been more interesting we didn't have the metaphorical mumbo-jumbo on the holodeck and instead just had the crew on the Enterprise, outside the holodecks, working to find a solution. Overall I'd say this episode is a bit of a mess and quite a disappointment.

Good episode, I liked it however who ever wrote the script knows nothing about trains....in certain parts of the episode when they show the locomotive, the cab is totally wrong for a steam locomotive. #2 there is NO way from the passenger cars to the cab of a steam locomotive safely. you would have to climb up over the tender and no railroad company would let passengers do that. there is a reference to the train being on the wrong track, #1 that is almost impossible because the track would be preset. also there is a reference to to the train "running out of steam" at 32:40...a steam locomotive does not just lose power like that, it would take a while for the steam pressure to go down..probably the biggest thing I did not like was that I saw no one in the cab actually running the locomotive...a steam locomotive is a very sensitive locomotive that needs constant attention to run. if not and steam pressure builds to high the boiler will explode.another thing I do not like is that conductor ...adding being a Railfan, these little mistakes were annoying but still like this episode one other thing that is kinda weird is that cab of the locomotive is called a engine room. never heard anyone call the cab that