Facts of the Case
Presented across seven discs in order of their airing (which is almost
identical to the production order), the episodes of Season Three are listed
below with brief comments and a quick letter grade. If you desire more extensive
summaries (beware of spoilers!), as well as trailers and clips from each
episode, look here.
• "Evolution"
When former wünderkind Dr.
Paul Stubbs finds that his life's work has been endangered by microscopic
computers escaped from a laboratory thanks to Wesley Crusher's negligence, he
misses a grand opportunity to please millions of viewers by phasering Wesley.
Picard is sadly even more understanding about Wesley nearly causing the
destruction of the Enterprise. A pity. Grade: A-
• "The Ensigns of Command"
Human colonists live
on Tau Cygna V, which is actually owned by the Sheliak. They are a race of
highly advanced rock creatures whose idea of interspecies relations is a treaty
that would make the U.S. tax code look like a haiku and whose idea of fun is
squishing lower life forms…like ill-equipped humans living on Tau Cygna V.
Watch Data take nearly a whole episode to convince the colonists that being
alive somewhere else is preferable to being dead on Tau Cygna V. Grade:
C+
• "The Survivors"
When an implacable alien race
annihilates the Federation colony on Rana IV, leaving only a postage stamp of
green and a blithely unconcerned elderly couple, the Enterprise crew is
intrigued and decides to find the reason for this puzzle. Shortly after the crew
starts poking around, Troi is driven into a coma by overwhelming psychic music
(not necessarily a bad thing!), but since the crew likes her, they are concerned
at this new mystery. You get a cookie if you can guess whether they are related.
Grade: B
• "Who Watches the Watchers"
When team of
Federation scientists observing a race of Bronze-age proto-Vulcans on Mintaka
III suffers a catastrophic mishap, Picard & Co. charge to the rescue. When
Dr. Crusher invokes Reason #5,604 to violate the Prime Directive, she
unwittingly sets in motion a course of events that leads the Mintakans to think
of Picard as a god-like being and to worship him accordingly. Captain
Cheese-eating Surrender Monkey is aghast, and spends the remainder of the
episode to making sure the natives understand their error. Grade: C
• "The Bonding"
When Jeremy Aster loses his
archaeologist mother to an ancient bomb, Worf, who led the away team, feels
responsible for the new orphan. However, Aster's mother soon reappears aboard
the Enterprise. She'd dead. Isn't she? If she is, who is this impostor,
and better yet, why has she appeared? Apparently, she came back just so we can
have this heavy-handed treatment of death and mourning. Grade: D+
• "Booby Trap"
An ancient battleship seems quite
the find, delighting the Enterprise crew with their historical treasure.
Pleasure turns to horror when the realize that they have walked into a cunning
trap, where the harder they try to run, the worse their predicament. This is a
fine puzzle story, as long as you ignore the lovelorn Geordi sub-plot.
Grade: A-
• "The Enemy"
Plenty of Cold War jousting between
Picard and Romulan Commander Tomalok over a Romulan ship crashing well inside
Federation borders, missing Romulan crew, and a missing Geordi LaForge. A
mixture of cloak and dagger and rescue stories, the star of this show is
well-matched scenery chewing and speeches by Patrick Stewart and guest Andreas
Katsulas. Grade: A
• "The Price"
A potentially interesting story
about competition among the Federation and alien races for rights to a wormhole.
Were it not for the presence of Ferengi buffonery and a distracting episode of
"Sex and the Enterprise" starring Troi and a secretly
part-Betazoid negotiator, this might have risen above the ho-hum. Grade:
C+
• "The Vengeance Factor"
After many years, and
after much vigorous debate, the anarchy loving Gatherers seem ready, albeit
reluctantly, to rejoin their civilized Acamarian brethren. Crashing the party is
a beautiful Acamarian assassin, who seems intent on killing certain Gatherers
with a very specific and deadly bioweapon. Riker, of course, does his duty to
please that booty. Aside from a wrong-footed ending, it's a fairly good yarn.
Grade: B+
• "The Defector"
An enthralling cloak and dagger
drama, where Picard plays cat and mouse with a curious Romulan defector who
warns of Romulan preparations for war. Wary of his sudden guest, Picard knows
the Romulan is untrustworthy but also that if his warning is true, the
Federation is in grave danger. Adding spice is the reappearance of Andreas
Katsulas as Tomalak, the Romulan we love to hate. Rock solid! Grade:
A
• "The Hunted"
A technologically advanced,
refined, peaceful civilization? Check.
Application for membership in the
Federation? Check
Dirty little secret that threatens the application?
Check
Predictable and likely to cause severe head trauma? Check.
Grade: D
• "The High Ground"
A tale of Rutian terrorists,
led by Finn, their charismatic leader, and the Rutian police, led by the
hard-headed Alexana Devos. When the innocent delivery of medical supplies draws
the Enterprise into the Rutian terrorist war, both Picard and Dr. Crusher
are directly affected. Finn is determined to advance his cause by even the most
vile of means, Devos is equally determined to fight the terrorists, and the
Federation crew must decide who to help. Grade: B+
• "Deja Q"
Even without his immortality and
omnipotent powers, Q (John DeLancie) still can annoy Captain Picard and even use
his meager I.Q. of 2000 to help solve a problem that threatens to destroy a
planet. However, when some of Q's enemies come looking to open a can of whoopass
on him and thereby put the Enterprise at risk, things start to get very
sticky. Funny and even touching at times. Grade: A
• "A Matter of Perspective"
Stolid Commander
Riker is accused of murdering Starfleet researcher Dr. Apgar by the local
constabulary of Tanuga IV. Conveniently, this jurisdiction requires the accused
to prove his innocence, so The Bearded One becomes nervous, much like any woman
within his visual range. With a clever dash of Rashomon, sensor readings and witness testimony
are used in the holodeck to simulate different scenarios. Just when things start
to look grim, Geordi and The Wonder Ensign start to make some sense of the
mystery. Grade: A-
• "Yesterday's Enterprise"
Moments after the
Enterprise finds a rift in space, history is dramatically altered. Now a
ship of war battling the Klingon Empire and with a very alive Lt. Tasha Yar
(Denise Crosby) on the bridge, the Enterprise (NCC 1701-D) finds its
predecessor Enterprise (NCC 1701-C) coming through the rift. Badly
damaged trying to save a Klingon outpost from Romulan attack, the
Enterprise-C is unexpectedly catapulted into the future of the
Enterprise-D. The struggle for Picard is to decide whether to enlist the
Enterprise-C against the Klingons, or return them to a certain death but
with a chance to restore history. Strong performances all around, and Denise
Crosby looks far better an actress than she did in Season 1. Grade:
A+
• "The Offspring"
Data manufactures a daughter in
his own image, worrying both Picard and Starfleet Command. As his daughter
develops, choosing the name Lal and deciding to work in Ten Forward with Guinan,
Admiral Haftel arrives from Starfleet to observe what Data hath wrought. When
Admiral Plot-Device tries to separate the android family, Picard defies his
instructions (surprise! surprise!) and a multi-pronged three-hanky crisis
ensues. Grade: B-
• "Sins of the Father"
Worf suddenly finds his
father (and therefore his whole family) accused of treason by Duras, a member of
the Klingon High Council. With Picard's assistance, and with Kern, the brother
he didn't know he had at his side, Worf confronts the High Council, determined
to prove his father's innocence. Unbeknownst to Worf, devious political forces
behind the shadows are determined to stop him from succeeding and want nothing
better than to see him dead. Grade: A
• "Allegiance"
In the blink of an eye, Captain
Picard finds himself imprisoned in a cell with three other aliens and no clear
reason for their common predicament. Meanwhile, a false Picard has assumed his
position aboard the Enterprise, though his unexpected behavior begins to
arouse suspicions. While Picard fights to escape, he begins to wonder if perhaps
one of his fellow prisoners is actually his captor, observing their struggles
for reasons unknown. His escape, and the fate of the Enterprise under its
ominous doppelganger Captain, hangs in the balance. Grade: B
• "Captain's Holiday"
Dreadful, positively
dreadful. This episode is no more than a weak excuse to get Picard into poolside
wear and hang out with a lovely thief, Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), and for us to
tolerate a witless Ferengi. Limp humor, forced romance, and a listless plot make
you wish for a vacation from this vacation. Grade: D-
• "Tin Man"
Betazoid prodigy Tam Elbrun (Harry
Groener) comes aboard the Enterprise with secret orders to race towards a
first contact with what appears to be a living spaceship orbiting a distant star
in Romulan-claimed space. Heedless of his erratic behavior and the crew's
suspicions of his controversial past, Tam desperately wants to make contact with
the so-called "Tin Man" ship for his own very personal reasons.
Ominously, the Romulans seem to be equally determined to reach "Tin
Man" first—at all costs. Mystery, tense drama, emotional complexity,
and stand out performances make this a not-to-be-missed episode. Grade:
A+
• "Hollow Pursuits"
Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight
Schultz) is a brilliant engineer whose abilities are overshadowed by his painful
shyness and crippling lack of self-confidence. Unable to win the respect of his
crewmates or vent his frustrations, Barclay retreats into holodeck fantasy where
he is king. Geordi wants to be rid of his problem, but Picard insists that he
try and solve the Barclay problem and not simply pass the buck. Meanwhile,
mysterious and increasingly severe malfunctions threaten to destroy the
Enterprise. You get a special hug if you guess who masters his fears and
helps solve the puzzle. Barclay is a wonderfully human character amidst all
these Starfleet superheroes. If you like rooting for this underdog, check out my
favorite TNG episode, "The Nth Degree," in Season Four. Grade:
A
• "The Most Toys"
Trader Kivas Fajo (Saul
Rubinek) is a fanatic collector of rarities. By sleight of hand, he kidnaps Data
and convinces the Enterprise crew that Data died in a shuttle explosion
during a routine exchange of cargo. While Geordi LaForge despondently tries to
find answers, Data uses every bit of his programming to resist his captor's
demands and find a way to escape. Grade: B+
• "Sarek"
Particularly poignant for any fan of
the original series, Sarek marks the return of Spock's father, Sarek
(Mark Lenard), on another highly sensitive diplomatic mission aboard the
Enterprise. However, Picard soon deduces that Sarek is not at all the
masterful diplomat he has been, endangering the delicate negotiations with the
Lagaran delegation. To protect the mission, and Sarek's dignity, Picard must put
his own mind at risk. Every moment that Picard and Sarek appear together on
screen is a treasure. Grade: A+
• "Ménage a Troi"
See the Rebuttal section
below. Avoid at all costs! Grade: F
• "Transfigurations"
After rescuing a badly
injured alien from the wreckage of an escape pod, Doctor Crusher is surprised on
many fronts. Not only does "John Doe" (Mark La Mura) have astonishing
recuperative powers, but he is undergoing an unexplained mutation of his entire
body and he suffers from total amnesia. In refreshingly leisurely fashion, the
Enterprise crew tries to solve the mystery of "John
Doe"—where he comes from, why he was injured, and what he is
becoming. Grade: A
• "The Best of Both Worlds Part 1"
The Borg are
back, and they want Picard. Introducing The Next Generation to the
cliffhanger season-ending, this is some of the best drama in the entire series.
Guest tactical expert Lt. Commander Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy) is a vivacious,
ambitious officer. Expecting to parlay her Borg expertise into Riker's slot
aboard Enterprise, she is surprised when she learns Riker is not sure
whether he will accept a promotion to his own command. Grade: A+
The Evidence
With Season Three, Star Trek: The Next Generation, cast tinkering was
finally completed. Notably, the brief flirtation with Dr. Pulaski (Diana
Muldaur) was terminated in favor of the return of Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates
McFadden). While many were happy to see the red-headed Doctor return, and both
the character and actress are fine (re)additions, the change is not without
loss. Star Trek: The Next Generation and in particular Captain Picard
have a tendency to become self-righteous and pompous, wielding a heavy
moralizing club sufficient to cause severe head trauma in the audience.
To help keep this tendency in check, there must be some character (regular
or guest-star) to rattle the Starfleet cage with skepticism, unpredictability,
sarcasm, and an independent streak. Some of the best characters (and
actors/actresses) from The Next Generation fit this category, such as Q
(John Delancie) and K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson), but having a regular fill the role
is even better. Dr. Pulaksi seemed to be destined for this sort of role. Sadly,
she was never given much of a chance to grow and become a fully integral part of
Star Trek: The Next Generation. At least Diana Muldaur was not rudely
separated from this show by having Dr. Pulaksi dropped down a turbolift
shaft!
On another character note, Season Three allowed Denise Crosby to remedy her
decision to hastily depart the series in Season One in "Yesterday's
Enterprise." Perhaps chastened by her previous error, or perhaps just with
better writers, the "new" Tasha Yar improves upon her uneven
performance in Season One. Further, her guest stint on "Yesterday's
Enterprise" leads to effective plot twists down the road and one genuine
super-sized surprise.
The cast now settled, Star Trek: The Next Generation completed the
shakedown cruise of the first two seasons and all the pieces finally clicked
into place. Michael Pillar came aboard for Season Three as Executive Producer,
inheriting a nearly all new writing staff and a dearth of completed scripts. He
controlled the chaos quite well, and apparently liked the experience well enough
to stick around past the year he had promised "Great Bird of the
Universe" Gene Roddenberry. Indeed, he went on to become
co-creator/creative consultant on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and
co-creator/executive producer of Star Trek: Voyager. However, as
punishment for staying beyond a year, he had to figure out how to resolve the
cliffhanger episode "Best of Both Worlds." After all, as he admits, he
never expected to stick around, so he figured his "unsolvable problem"
was somebody else's problem!
For a series with a legion of fans ready and able to pounce upon the
smallest error, I was quite surprised to see such an underwhelming video
presentation. Colors are richly saturated and the picture is quite clean, but
edge enhancement is pronounced on all of the episodes. The Enterprise and
most other ships, as well as starfield backgrounds, wave at you enough to be
distracting. As my wife remarked, it is much nicer than on cable TV, but lacking
enough to make you wish for an error free presentation.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 remix adds depth to the front soundstage, but
curiously avoids all but limited use of the rear surrounds. I hesitate to praise
the technical presentation of Star Trek: The Original Series, but at
least during those opening credits the Enterprise whooshes from front to
rear. With Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Three, there is not even
that modest effort. More directional effects, subwoofer punch, I want a fully
immersive Trek sound experience! Sadly, this is not such a mix, and a relative
disappointment.
As with previous season box sets, Star Trek: The Next Generation Season
Three includes several featurettes. "Mission Overview" (17
minutes) covers the changes and distinctive characteristics of the third season,
while "Selected Crew Analysis" (13 minutes) briefly covers the
development of the regular characters. "Departmental
Briefing—Production" (20 minutes) looks behind the scenes for the
production crew's take on making some of the shows a reality, and
"Departmental Briefing—Memorable Missions" (13 minutes) is a
collection of anecdotes from cast and crew about specific episodes. Not a bad
collection of extras, but these featurettes just whet your appetite and leave
you wanting more. How about deleted scenes, gag reels, selected episode
commentaries, and more input from the guest stars (some of whom are quite
notable)? More, Paramount, more!
