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Zephyr707
Reviews
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Symbiosis (1988)
yes this episode has its problems and holes...
... but so do most of the first season episodes. I feel like a lot of the first few seasons' episodes are bridging between TOS and slowly coming into its own. I love the prime directive episodes, because it usually deals with some pretty difficult decisions based on a fairly elastic set rules that require mediation and judgement on the part of Picard and the Enterprise crew.
I do feel like the precedent set on Angel One with the Prime Directive not applying to non-starfleet folks sets up some big holes in the Universe. What would stop a separate "non-affiliated" propaganda wing from interfering with any civilization without violating the Prime Directive? Starfleet or a secret organization within could secretly supply this wing with objectives that they could not act on due to the prime directive, or a vigilante organization could act on its own. Does the Federation and Starfleet have an obligation to interfere if a non-starfleet/non-federation party such as the Ferengi decide to enter the felicium trade and takeover the market?
I first watched TNG as an adolescent and I feel like a lot of folks who can't stand Wesley don't realize that he is the character that a lot of younger viewers will identify with the most. Indeed he is almost admired and his position even envied by younger viewers. I believe there is even a POV shot of his first tour of the bridge and that really felt like being granted access as a viewer, too. So moments where dialogue is dumbed down and can seem a bit preachy like the drug talk with Wes in this episode are likely for the younger crowd. Coming of age has a few moments like that as well with some somewhat clichéd advice for Wes, but for the target it is well suited.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Justice (1987)
prime directive
If you can ignore the fact that the prime directive would likely have prevented the enterprise from making first contact with such a civilization in the first place then the episode isn't too horrible and explores some interesting moral dilemmas and has some decent character development moments. the relationship of the edo to starfleet and starfleet to the edo god vessel set up an interesting hierarchy and dynamic
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Valiant (1998)
Starship Troopers without Verhoeven's satire
This episode is pretty awful, like a Tommy Wiseau directed Ender's Game adaptation. The plot is pretty thin, but not the worst. It suffers from poor acting and taking itself way too seriously. Starship Troopers worked because of the heavy satire, but this episode falls on its face and is an endless cringe-fest.
Red Squad, who didn't learn from their earlier blind faith in a changeling, are at it again exuding tinges of a hitler-youth group. The "Red Squad! Red Squad!" moment after a motivational speech from their stimulant addled captain comes across as a "U-S-A! U-S-A!" chant at an international sporting event.
I'm not sure what the viewer is supposed to be left with at the end of the episode, but I kept checking the playtime to see when it was going to be over. The first third has a decent setup, but starts to decline rapidly. A very skippable episode as far as the series goes.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Reckoning (1998)
Abraham and the binding of Isaac
Some of the Bajoran religion episodes in DS9 aren't bad even though faith vs science usually isn't handled all too well. This episode wasn't great, but had its moments. Louise Fletcher's performance as Kai Winn is always great to watch and if the plot did take a cue from the binding of Isaac and Sisko willing to sacrifice his son, Jake, for his faith then she would be the angel, which is an interesting twist. Louise Fletcher does a really good job of creating a more complex character rather than an easy outright villain.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: His Way (1998)
über cringe for most of the episode
Most of this episode is one long cringe and a bit creepy at times, but the ending dialogue/moment saves it with some fun. The Vic character is pretty interesting in that he has more personality as a hologram than other characters do in real life. You feel almost sad at his plea to leave him running for a bit longer at the end of the show.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Waltz (1998)
simplifies Dukat a bit too much
Enjoyable episode. Dukat is always a great addition to any episode and is one of my favorite characters due to his complexity and backstory. Making him go crazy and turn pure evil simplifies his character a bit too much for me and makes him a one dimensional villain. You could argue that his madness drove him to insanity, but this episode makes it clear that at his core he is just a purely evil man and sets the stage for a good vs evil campaign. This seems a bit boring in my view, but as the show closed out it makes sense to close arcs. A shame as Gil Dukat must be one of the best characters on the show and the actor really has presence during his scenes.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Rocks and Shoals (1997)
what happened to the stun setting?
Good episode, especially the opening and the development of Vorta and Jem'Hadar. Not quite sure how Ensign Gordon managed to die given superior position and easy targets.
Not sure if the reason is covered in a previous episode, but I wonder why phasers couldn't be set to a high stun setting and then sedating the disabled soldiers to carry out Sisko's plan.
Also was the crew really that small on the crashed ship that the federation captured? If a lot of folks drowned it seems unusual that there was little remorse if any, and if all hands survived why was a cadet on such a crucial mission and why such a skeleton crew?
Otherwise enjoyed this episode, the protest hanging was a good moment for Kira's progression.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Rapture (1996)
nope
While the episode may be fairly well executed and somewhat enjoyable (even if it felt like Close Encounters of the Third Kind), the territory it ventures into goes against what I feel Star Trek stands for. Unless these supernatural visions have a clear explanation in future episodes this does not bode well for the series. Confronting and discussing the idea of faith is not a bad thing if handled properly as done in previous episodes (especially with Kai Winn, who embodies the power hungry organized institution surrounding faith), but this one misses the mark and also really calls into question Sisko's character. 2/10 just so it's one better than the even worse Risa episode earlier in the season, which should never have been produced in the first place.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Defiant (1994)
good buildup, poor ending
This one played out like an M. Night Shyamalan plot arc; great buildup, then disappointing finish. spoilers follow
Despite some fairly unbelievable breaches of security when Tom takes over the defiant, this episode has some exciting movement to it. My favorite parts of the episode were in the Cardassian command center and illuminating the power and structure of the Cardassian governement and Obsidian Order.
The ending was a big letdown. Felt like a cop out and was very abrupt. The showdown between the Obsidian ships and central command war ships was cool, but the Riker change of heart was not well played out and the good bye kiss and kira swoon were weak. I thought that moment took away from Kira's character, especially seeing as how she mentioned earlier in the episode that she was seeing someone.
However, the worst part was how the maquis crew responded like starfleet officers and not like rebel/terrorist members. They just take the reassignment to a bajoran militia major like it is no big deal and resign themselves to the fact that they have been captured and are going to have to face trial. Not saying that they have no honor, but they outnumber the major and are still in possession of one of the most powerful ships in the quadrant. To hand that over and surrender when there is still a chance of escape seems out of character for how the maquis have been portrayed in previous episodes.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Civil Defense (1994)
incompetencies
This episode had some good moments and humor, but I feel it makes a mockery of both the federation and cardassian empire's security protocols. spoilers below.
The federation taking over a cardassian station and not doing a thorough sweep of anti-revolt/nerve gas systems? Secret force fields and emitters left without comprehensive investigation? Direct control of the station auto-destruct sequence linked to some unnamed malicious security program that goes undiscovered? Nobody tried to initially contact Gul Dukat or cardassian central command? Gul Dukat getting trapped in his own web and willing to destroy the treaty over a space station? Granted I think it's plausible that there would still be several unknowns taking over this station (although a security program of that size interconnected with so many systems is an impossible stretch for me), combined together this was all a little too much. After building up the efficiency and ruthlessness of the Obsidian Order over the seasons, this episode made the cardassian security protocols seem comical and prone to error.
I think the replicated AI disruptor drone is probably the best example of incompetency in that it makes the federation seem sloppy for missing a replicator capable of producing energy weapons and the Cardassians inept at creating an autonomous and highly advanced targeting drone capable of distinguishing between lifeforms and then making it stationary, reducing its effectiveness and also preventing more from being replicated on the pad.
Despite the ever entertaining Dukat and Garak and a few other interactions which were enjoyable, this episode seems like a miss due to the level of suspension of disbelief. If the federation/bajorans don't do a major sweep of security/protocol after this incident then the station deserves to blow up after the next little unknown that pops up. And does Dukat get to go home on his ship like nothing happened?