The Next Generation, Season 2: The Royale

The Next Generation, Season 2

"The Royale"

Airdate: March 27, 1989

37 of 176 produced

37 of 176 aired

Introduction

Following up upon a Klingon report of strange debris in orbit around Theta VII, the Enterprise investigates. When they discover that the debris is from an old Earth vessel from the 21st century, the crew decides to investigate a strange structure on the otherwise uninhabitable planet below. To their shock and surprise, a casino hotel welcomes them, apparently populated by stereotypical casino denizens from old Earth. What the devil is going on, and will Riker and his away team every be able to escape?

It appears to be a logo from a defunct organization that lost all relevance in the year 2011...

The Next Generation, Season 2: Contagion

The Next Generation, Season 2
"Contagion"
Airdate: March 20, 1989
36 of 176 produced
36 of 176 aired


Introduction

The Enterprise is rushing to the Neutral Zone to aid their ailing sister ship, the Yamato. The Yamato's captain has risked war with the Romulans to chase down rumors of an ancient but powerful civilization, the Iconians. The Enterprise arrives just in time to watch helplessly as the ship is destroyed by the mysterious malfunctions that stranded it in the Neutral Zone. A Romulan warbird shortly appears and demands an explanation for the Federation's presence. Captain Picard must now solve the mystery of the Iconians and prevent war with the Romulans before the malfunctions that destroyed the Yamato claim the Enterprise as well.

Data would have been a big hit in Ancient Greece...

The Next Generation, Season 2: The Dauphin

The Next Generation, Season 2

"The Dauphin"

Airdate: February 20, 1989

35 of 176 produced

35 of 176 aired

Introduction

Tasked with ferrying the future leader of Daled IV from her training world to her final destination, the Enterprise will be in a position to discover whether the honor of this young female will survive the most power force in the universe... the raging hormones of a teen-aged boy.  

Now, Wes, I know you're a little creeped out by allasomorphs. But once you get to window number 4, you should feel a lot better about things...

Huzzah!

CBS.com just added The Animated Series to its online streaming videos. Now, all of you, quickly go watch them then go back and read our reviews. While we gave the series as a whole a little bit below average rating, there's still plenty there to recommend it. I particularly encourage you to watch Yesteryear. Ideally, all of Star Trek will one day be available for free to the masses on demand, like the works of Shakespeare. Until that day, here's the link.

Just ignore the pink Klingon uniforms.

The Next Generation, Season 2: The Measure of a Man

The Next Generation, Season 2
"The Measure of a Man"
Airdate: February 13, 1989
34 of 176 produced
34 of 176 aired


Introduction

Arriving at newly-built Starbase 173, Admiral Nakamura drops a bombshell on Picard and crew - Data is to be reassigned to the command of cyberneticist Bruce Maddox, in order to be disassembled and replicated. This sets of a series of events involving Data's resignation, Starfleet's refusal, and the matter being settled via jurisprudence. Is Data the property of Starfleet, or does he have a soul, a life, and the right to self-determination?

Can I get a hand, here?

The Next Generation, Season 2: A Matter of Honor

The Next Generation, Season 2

"A Matter of Honor"

Airdate: February 6, 1989

33 of 176 produced

33 of 176 aired

Introduction

Commander Riker volunteers for the officer exchange program, resulting in a posting on the Klingon battlecruiser Pagh. Little does he know that this new assignment will put him on a metaphorical collision course with his the Enterprise, when the Enterprise seems to infect the Pagh with a space-borne microorganism that threatens to tear the ship apart. To which flag will Riker maintain his loyalty - and will anyone survive?

Shoot the curl, Number one. Gleam that cube!

Top 5 Trek: Time Travel Stories

This is a list of what I (Elizabeth Calderon) consider to be the Top 5 Star Trek Time Travel stories. In compiling this list, I had to differentiate between episodes that could be considered “Anomaly Stories,” e.g. “Cause and Effect” (TNG), “Yesterday’s Enterprise” (TNG), “Time Squared” (TNG) and stories that are considered to be “Time Travel.” For instance, in “Time and Again” (VOY), Janeway and Tom Paris, through cracks in the space time continuum, are sent about twelve hours into a devastated planet’s past (before the disaster). Is this an “Anomaly Story” or a “Time Travel story?” Sometimes it’s a little difficult to make the judgment call, and ultimately it’s up to the viewer. So without further ado…

5. Trials and Tribble-ations (DS9)

“Aren’t you supposed to be an attractive young brunette?”

The Next Generation, Season 2: Unnatural Selection

The Next Generation, Season 2
"Unnatural Selection"
Airdate: Jan. 30 1989
 32 of 176 produced
 32 of 176 aired


Introduction

The Enterprise receives a distress call from the USS Lantree, a nearby supply vessel. Upon arriving at the ship, they find that its entire crew, including its 30-something captain, dead of old age. Following the Lantree's path back to its last stop, a genetic research facility, they find the scientists there suffering from the same mysterious condition. Dr. Pulaski is torn between her duty to protect the Enterprise from harm and her duty to help people in need. How far will Dr. Pulaski go to satisfy both? And does the scientist's research hold the answer to this dangerous puzzle?

I wonder if Diana Mulduar ever gets annoyed when this shows up in her Google Image results...

The Next Generation, Season 2: The Schizoid Man

The Next Generation, Season 2

"The Schizoid Man"

Airdate: January 23, 1989

30 of 176 produced

31 of 176 aired

Introduction

Sent on a desperate mission to heal the ailing Dr. Ira Graves, the greatest living mind in the Federation, the crew of the Enterprise discovers him suffering in the final stages of Darnay's Disease, an incurable ailment. What they do not know is how close he is to achieving a breakthrough in the transfer of human consciousness into machines - and the nefarious designs he has on his unexpected guest... Data.

Dr. Selar probes Dr. Graves from behind... this must be what led to her being left out of every other TNG episode.

The Next Generation, Season 2: Loud as a Whisper

The Next Generation, Season 2
"Loud as a Whisper"
Airdate: January 9, 1989
31 of 176 aired
30 of 176 produced

Introduction

The Enterprise is tasked with ferrying a diplomat, Riva, to a war torn planet to negotiate the end of a centuries long war. Upon arriving at Riva's homeworld, they find that he is deaf and communicates via a chorus of three people with whom he shares a telepathic bond. Counselor Troi forms a bond with Riva on the way to their destination. Unfortunately, not all the attendants of the peace delegation want to see an end to the conflict, and Riva's chorus is killed before negotiations can even begin. Riva is mourning his friends and left with no way to communicate. Can the crew of the Enterpise help Riva and the peace mission?

"I am the goddess of empathy. Cast off your inhibitions, sit back, and be bored by this episode."

The Next Generation, Season 2: The Outrageous Okona

The Next Generation, Season 2

"The Outrageous Okona"

Airdate: December 12, 1988

29 of 176 produced

29 of 176 aired

While... cruising around, or something, in the territory of the Medina Coalition, the crew of the Enterprise encounters lovable rogue Thadiun Okona. It turns out, unbeknownst to them (but knownst to us), Okona is embroiled in a conflict between two factions of this coalition - accused of theft by one group and of sexual impropriety by the other. Will our crew see the resolution of this conflict through to the end, before they all lapse into fits of boredom catatonia? And will any of the female crew members escape with their space hymens intact?

The preponderance of Google Image results featuring Teri Hatcher for this episode was... outrageous.

What Would Jean-Luc Picard Do?

He would, apparently, hit the red carpet and show everyone there exactly how it's done. That's what.

There are so many things to love about the following picture. Let's explore them together.

It brings a sense of order and stability to my universe
to know that you are still a pompous ass...
and a damn sexy man.

It's Patrick Stewart and Marina Sirtis at last weekend's Screen Actors' Guild Awards. First, neither of them are hocking any new project, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they were presenting an award. What I'm getting at is there is no professional reason for them to go to this together. It's one more piece of evidence that the friendship espoused by the cast is not a studio construct. Can't you see Patrick Stewart calling Marina Sirtis and saying "Hey, I'm in L.A. I have an extra ticket for this fancy shindig. Wanna go?" And if her convention appearance is any indication, she responded with something charmingly crass, like, "You know me, Patrick. Any excuse to wear a strapless bra." And off to the awards show they went.

The other thing here is that they look fabulous. I'm a gay. When I use that word, it means something. First, men's red carpet fashion tends to be a little uniform, so I like that it's not a tux. The tie is a great color on him, and this may mean nothing to most of you, but to me, the fact that his pants are hemmed correctly is huge. Next time you're in your dentist's office and perusing the omnipresent copy of People, look at the men's pant legs. For some reason, having three inches of fabric pooling at your ankles is in now. The fashion blog I cribbed the photo has made it a bit of a crusade to stop guys doing that and I have to agree. It drives me nuts. So, in summation, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Patrick Stewart makes looking pretty damn dapper pretty damn effortless.

Turning to Deanna, she looks fantastic, better than she looked in some of the DVD interviews, and that's going on ten years ago now. The dress is fantastic and just the right amount of figure hugging. You could argue it's little on the low-cut side, but wiser philosophers than me have maintained if you got it, flaunt it. I love her hair and make up, and the earrings are the right amount of accent. I'm gushing this much because it makes me sad that she didn't look this pulled together on the show, at least until Jellico made her put pants on. In the end, floor length black gown and an up-do is a pretty standard red carpet look, but if you execute well as I believe she did, you remind everyone why it's a standard.

Thank you for letting me indulge myself here. Until they do a Star Trek-themed Project Runway episode, I will have to content myself venting my fashion opinions here.

And seriously...how much would you give to go to an awards show with these two? Fabulous clothes, celebrities, and some seriously good gossip once the champagne started pouring? That would make my life.

Top 5 Trek: Tom Paris Episodes

As my "My Favorite Character" Essay indicates, Tom Paris is my personal favorite Trek character. So, in inaugurating this new series of essays, "Top 5 Trek," I figured why not focus on Tom Paris episodes, and determine which, personally, would comprise my Top 5?

Without further ado, here we go!

5. Caretaker

"Caretaker" is a very good pilot show for just about every major Voyager character. Chakotay is never this badass again, Harry gets some great scenes on DS9, we get to see Janeway's lost romance. But Tom's story always stuck out to me personally as the most identifiable. Here we have a guy down on his luck, reputation in tatters, who is given a second chance. He doesn't trust this lucky break at first, and there are no end of authority figures ready to judge him based solely on his past. But his baseline goodness comes out when he helps Harry on DS9, and his desire to make himself a better man guides him through the rough events to come in this episode.