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Re: DS9 S1: Emissary

The pilot episode of the Series and I think the first thing to say is that you can tell the Producers had taken on board some of the lessons of TNG, which would be a recurring feature of the First season of DS9, and ironically one of the things that would sink Voyager, comIng in its wake.

The plot I won't reiterate here, as anyone watching the series I'd hope finds it easy to follow. It's a sequel (of sorts) to the episodes, 'The Wounded' and 'Ensign Ro' which first introduced the Cardassians and the Bajorans.

As to the episode itself, I'd have to agree with some of Elliott's feedback - the plot seems stretched out to fill the 90 minutes in some ways. I liked the fact that the underrated Colm Meaney s being moved up to a higher billing, and for me the part that works best is the initial first twenty minutes of the episode, from the recreation of Wolf 359 through to the initial tour of the devastated station. Arguably the sole false note is the scene between Kira and Sisko, which seems somewhat forced, and it would seem difficult to believe that a government which has 'requested aid' would send such a fiery person to liaise with the Federation!

The remainder of the episode is a mixed bag. The scenes first on the beach where Brooks re-enacts meeting his wife ( Felecia Bell is awful - I think that needs to be said) and then when meeting the 'Wormhole aliens' now just drag on a little. Where the episode is much better is when the Cardassians are 'back' using the station's recreational facilities, and when they're on the scene, the episode is much stronger.

It's a mixed bag, as I said- with good and bad aspects but it does tell a more compelling story than 'Encounter', with the promise of an intriguing world at a new 'Final Frontier' Early impressions of the cast. The obvious stronger links are Rene Auberjonois and Armin Shimmerman, whilst the weaker links (again) are the two female leads (at least for now) Overall, I'd give this 2.5 stars I think. The expository dialogue regarding the Orbs and the Prophets hasn't aged well, and the episode could probably have Los 15 minutes and added more focus to merit a higher rating.

Re: DS9 S1: Captive Pursuit

Another classic concept -'Aliens arrive and aren't what they appear to be, and then a crew member befriends one of them and goes against his creates to save them' - been a staple of drama and SF in particular for years.- Again the startling difference between TNG season 1 and this is once more execution. Scott Macdonald had appeared in TNG ( 'Face of the Enemy') and would go on to appear in Voyager and Enterprise also. He's good here as the Alien whose interesting ability (self-camouflage) hides his true nature, effectively a beast bred to be hunted. There's great rapport between him and the excellent (again) Colm Meaney who follows up his hitherto strong performances in the Pilot and 'Babel' with another competent display here.

What lets the episode down, for me, is the villains of the piece (ostensibly), The Hunters - Gerrit Graham's an underrated actor, but their dialogue makes them one-dimensional - also, given Sisko's flagrant defiance of them, there seems no repercussions in later episodes (although I grant that's most likely due to the fact this is designed as a standalone premise)

That said, this is another commendable effort - The sisko/O'Brien scene at the end is powerful, and the concept,although not exactly earth -shattering plays out well. Another good effort, meriting 3 stars....

Re: TNG S1: Lonely Among Us

A somewhat strange episode, 'Lonely Among Us' is somewhat typical First season fare - Not execrable exactly but with serious flaws. In the middle of transporting two mutually loathing races to a Neutral planet for peace negotiations, the Ship takes on a nonCorporeal entity which begins affecting the crew and it's operations. It's the premise of 'The Naked Now' only this time the Offender is an energy cloud rather than a virus.

The twin Alien Species, although badly written at least looked genuinely alien, rather than merely humans with facial prosthetics, but the idea that races this backward (even without hindsight of watching later episodes) would have been considered as membership candidates is absurd.

The scenes with Crusher being possessed drag on interminably and again the acting of Sirtis and Crosby are arguably the 'weak links' in the cast. As Jammer points out, the idea the Captain can be transferred into an energy field and survive seems highly unlikely but then I guess, this is Star Trek -perhaps the writers were trying to go for another high concept?

Spiner's scenes in the holodeck as Sherlock Holmes (foreshadowing later, much more worthy outings ) are probably the highlight, but that isn't enough to sustain what is a fairly undistinguished hour. This is no 'Code of Honour' but it isn't much cop either, 1.5 stars for me

Re: DS9 S1: Babel

An intriguing twist on an old premise, that of the incurable, unknown disease that appears from nowhere. Whilst fixing one of the many mechanical problems bedevilling the wrecked station, O'Brien inadvertently triggers a virus leftover from the early days of the Cardassian occupation.

The first half of the episode is very strong - Colm Meaney is excellent as the 'Everyman' fixer frustrated that hs crew mates seem to expect instant results with no understanding of the myriad problems he is facing. Having had to undertake similar roles at points in my own working life, I can really relate to it! I also like the aphasia virus :

'Oh, Major, Lar's true pepper'

Being one of my favourite lines from the series! What lets it down really is the ending which seems forced. Kira beams the architect of the virus' assistant to a runabout and all's back to normal -one of the most egregious uses of the 'reset' button I have seen in Trek. It's a real shame because the performances of Meaney, Auberjonois (again) and Shimmerman (Why couldn't they keep him in this mode?) are all excellent. Certainly the cast, possibly Terry Farrell apart, seems much stronger and the characters much better defined than at the equivalent point in TNG's cycle. The ending however, does make it for me slightly weaker than ''A Man Alone' but still, 2.5 stars and shows a heartening degree of consistency so early in the series run.

Re: TNG S1: Where No One Has Gone Before

The series goes in for a high concept, and initially it comes off quite well. The Kosinski character seemed to foreshadow the proliferation of ubiquitous 'Management consultants' by about a decade and Guest actor Stanley Kamel really nails the part -also worth mentioning Chief Engineer Argyle, who I thought could have been a worthy recurring character.

As Jammer says, episode is really a tale of two halves - although the pre-CGI graphics for the 'end of the universe' look dated now, the Eric Menyuk character was genuinely intriguing, and even probably halfway in I thought, maybe this was an 'undiscovered gem', but the dimension 'where thoughts become reality' concept's execution lets it down. Also, making Wesley a prodigy in the wake of 'The Naked Now' seems ridiculous, although to be fair to Wheaton, I don't think his performances are that bad, given the scripts.

It's getting a little predictable but once more I'd echo the rating- 2.5 stars, an intriguing concept again betrayed by flawed execution.

Re: TNG S1: The Last Outpost

So, the oft- hinted at Ferengi finally make an appearance, and considering where the franchise would go with them (remember 'False Profits', 'Profit and Lace' or 'Acquisition' - or on second thoughts, don't) this episode has some curiosity value. It's also interesting to read the Production notes from Larry Nemecek's guide to the show for the backstory here. Obviously designed to replace the Klingons as a 'clear and present danger', they sadly end up sinking the episode.

It's a shame, as the concept is not without merit -I liked the genuinely Alien feel of the 'Portal' character, but have to agree with Rikko. The end of the episode felt like the writers, having wasted so much time with the Ferengi scenes, realised "hey guys, we only have ten minutes left - we need to wrap it up, " so the conclusion is wholly unsatisfactory. The early part of the episode is actually reasonable and the Ferengi commander's scenes across the view screen, although over acted are alright. The scenes on planet with the Ferengi are pour rire, unfortunately, leaving me agreeing with Jammer's 2 star rating as on the money....

Re: DS9 S1: Past Prologue

Surprisingly impressive for the second episode although it was a little unfortunate they had to rope in some TNG characters in the shape of the Duras sisters (Arguably the main positive aspect of Star Trek: Generations was their demise) Nevertheless, A well- told story.I don't think the tension between Kira and Sisko was 'kept up' (At least not until the season finale) but those scenes were well- done.

The actor playing Tahna is sometimes slightly off- kilter, but the plot moves quickly, and the early promise shown by Rene Auberjonois in the pilot is confirmed here. His no- nonsense portrayal of a job- obsessed man with nothing else in his life really hits home. The scene where He advocates the immediate detention of the Duras sisters is excellent.

In amongst all this, Dirty Harry star Andrew Robinson makes his first (and only in Season 1) appearance. His character is justly praised, and the excellence of Robinson's performance goes some way to making this a good vehicle for fledging Actor Siddig (I know he's called something else here)

So, light years ahead of its TNG counterpart second episode- agree with the rating, and even reaching it today, it's still an excellent second episode of a series. 3 stars from me also...

Re: TNG S1: Code of Honor

Middle of October 1987, and surely for many Science Fiction fans, this was an unwelcome early taste of Turkey. Difficult to add much to Jammer's review- this was sufficiently bad that the series might well have been cancelled after the First ten episodes had it been airing today!

The scenes involving Yar are initially not as bad as the later ones. I liked the exposition on how the holodeck worked as a concept. However the scenes involving Crosby/ Sirtis when discussing Lutan's obvious attraction for Yar are beyond cringeworthy. Jesse Ferguson, memorable as the self-loathing Black Cop from 'Boyz in the Hood' (subsequent to this I think) plays the role in hammy, entirely inappropriate fashion. The guest Actors playing his henchman and wife are if anything,even worse.

Surprisingly Wil Wheaton is proving weak but far from the weakest link here. Crosby ad Sirtis are far poorer in ths episode, and to make Crosby the lead in the third episode was a 'Bridge too far'. As 'The Snob' says, there's a good scene with Data and Geordi and Patrick Stewart is pretty reliable, but overall this merits it's less than stellar reputation -1star....

Re: TNG S1: The Naked Now

I can recall, at the tender age of 15, having just begun watching TNG in earnest whilst being replayed on British terrestrial TV (First episode 'Future Imperfect') eagerly heading out to the now collapsed 'Our Price' chain and picking up the First four VHS tapes of TNg. Having watched 'Encounter' and been somewhat unimpressed by its relatively cerebral nature versus the Iriginal Trek, 'The Naked Nw' was something new for me. At the time, I would have given this about 3 stars, but with the benefit ofv20 years hindsight, how does it compare now?

I'd ave to say, the review here is on the money. The episode is of course, a blatant rip off of 'The Naked Time' but it does at least acknowledge that fact! Thus is one of the more tolerable Wesley episodes, although the assistant Chief engineer and the first Chief engineer are very badly played. The dialogue is also, at times, excruciating. However, thus us Frakes' best episode for some time (probably until 'Hide and Q', and as a while the episode is at least mildly entertaining -that said, in the current era many have pointed out, TNG would've been pulled after Season 1with current TV execs pullin the strings. Who's to say, based on this and subsequent offerings, it'd have even made it to episode 25?

A 2 star episode once again. Reasonable but too many flaws to overlook.

Re: TNG S3: Yesterday's Enterprise

Elliott

Apologies - think I'd got carried away and I should have more respect given how many reviews/comments you have put in. What I am curious about (and please indulge me on this) is to why you have such a downer on DS9 in particular but also other episodes that are considered seminal. I take your point that it's possibly somewhat out of character for Picard to make a risky decision based solely on Guinan's intuition but the episode is (primarily) set in a parallel reality-hence why it's so powerful. The change of tone, character and performances are noticeable and the guest cast is outstanding. I just don't see his thus can be anything under 4 stars on the Jammer scale.

That said, I apologise again for the flippant comment ( sadly you can't delete it once it's there) and any subsidiary comments will be in the realms of genuine questions/debates ather than cheap jibes.

Re: TNG S3: Yesterday's Enterprise

Elliott

I've endured your 'comments' on these threads long enough-for you to call this a 7/10 ( on a conventional scale) episode s really the final straw -unquestionably in the top three episodes across the board, I'd suggest you post on a 'Sesame Street' page as that seems more your style....

Re: TNG S1: Encounter at Farpoint

Not that much to add here -one of the best reviews of the TNG pilot I have read. The episode is very dialogue -heavy, which as you say, need not necessarily be a negative thing, but the sheer amount of exposition can be a chore.

On the positive side, The courtroom scenes and the repartee between Picard and De Lancie show real promise - it's a shame that momentum is squandered by the 'Saucer re-integration' sequence, which seems to drag on forever. It's a little tricky to chide the Special Effects given it was made 25 years ago, but the sets ( as they do in some other season one episodes) seem to say 'cheap'.

Of the actors, Stewart, De Lancie and Spiner look, for me, the strongest part of the ensemble thus far. Mention also needs to go to Michael Dorn (who would appear in more episodes across the combined series than anyone else) - originally in as a mere 'speaking extra' to illustrate that the Klingonswere no longer the emy, his character grows to become a key part of the ensemble, and he does much better with his few lines than several higher billed actors.

The 'die was cast' in terms of 'weak links' in retrospect from ths episode. Wil Wheton is simply annoying although this episode is ar fom a Season 1 nadir for him. As Riko says, the character of Yar never really took off and Crosby's performance has to shoulder some of the blame. Marina Sirtus is also very stilted, and the lack of chemistry between her and Frakes at this point in the series makes those scenes very flat.

Probably a 2 star rating as well from me, given some leeway by it being the pilot!

Re: DS9 S1: A Man Alone

Actually, this has always for me been somewhat better than the general consensus, although I'd agree it's a step down from 'Past Prologue' -perhaps I need to stop comparing the DS9 episodes with their chronological TNG counterparts and I challenge anyone to watch 'Code of Honour' and consider it superior to this would be deluded.

There's some interesting touches -I like the continued tension between Sisko/ Kira following Zayra questioning whether it was appropriate for the prime suspect in an investigation to be the lead investigator! There's also some continuity with the dispute between Sisko and Odo over his desire to throw Ibudan off the station. I also enjoyed the dialogue with the 'mob' ringleaders and Quark, who is the sole person to come to Odo's Defense other than Kira!:

'I can't believe you're defending him, Quark, you're his worst enemy'

'Guess that's the closest thing he has to a friend'

Overall, the ending/ denouement is a little far-fetched and the mob scenes haven't aged well, but for a second episode, this fleshed out the characters reasonably well, and is well worth watching -I'd have to say 3 stars for me

Re: TNG S6: A Fistful of Datas

Jammer

The best riposte to the criticism of the rating given to this vs 'Our Man Bashir' -show me the liine to equal:

'Kiss the Girl, get the key - they didn't teach us that in the Obsidian Order!'

Counter pose any line delivered by Alexander or Spiner's horrendously hokey delivery of his lines within the holodeck simulation.

2 stars about right for this one- the crying shame is it had real potential but they bodged it by putting Troi in, and there aren't many Alexander episodes that do much for me. Arguably he highlight (other than the scenes with Data in engineering) was Worf playing the holodeck simulation and beating seven bells out of the 'Non-data' holodeck characters in the bar. Unfortunately after that, it's downhill all the way!

Re: Summer is here, so it's time for some TNG reviews

Jammer

I'll be brutally honest- if it took you twenty years to post these review. Rhey'd still be worth waiting for!

More power to your pen!

Re: TNG S6: Relics

Jammer

Have realised that I have been following your reviews (even of Andromeda) for nearly 15 years which brought me to a juddering halt and gave me an intimation of my own mortality! Delighted you're back at it and remember Handlen has to go through at least five seasons of DS9 and seven seasons of Voyager (at least) before he equals your longevity !

I'd say this is worth 3.5 stars, whilst I recognise James Doohan's performance, especially The scenes with Burton were hit and miss, it still resonates. the interaction ( or lack thereof) between Worr and Scotty and the scenes with the ensign providing Scotty with quarters are excellent, so for pure nostalgic feel, this is one of season six's better offerings

Looking forward to the remainder of the reviews, and you remain the true 'No.1' for Real Star Trek fans!

Re: DS9 S1: Duet

Further capsule reviews to follow but suffice it to say 'Duet' is unarguably one of the finest five episodes of Trek ever filmed. I'd probably give it 4.5 on the Jammer scale if I could. Really has to be seen to be believed. Quite extraordinary how a 'box' episode could get evrything so right. Having studied many aspects of the Holocaust, and with most of its perpetrators now dead or infirm, Sisko/Odo's comments:

'He's not on any list I've got, Commander, and I've got them all'
'So that makes him a criminal just being there?'

are still powerfully relevant today. Indeed the default assumption is that any person serving in a forced Labour camp would be guilty by his mere presence, even if he were responsible only for the procurement of Paper clips. The last scene with Visitor/Yulin nearly had me in as many tears as the Marritza character! Absolutely stunning.

Re: DS9 S5: Let He Who Is Without Sin...

@Max

I take your point, given the need probably to reconstruct the 'Risa' sets, but surely they must run the script through some kind of checking process. I can recall reading this review and watching the episode subsequently purely because it was the first episode ever given zero stars (Threshold at the time of reading had a half star and was later revised down). When the same rating was given in Season 6 to 'Profit and Lace' I refused to watch it , and it remains to this day the only DS9 episode I have not seen. I wish I had shown the same gumption when it came to this piece of garbage.

Appallingly written, badly acted and hideously misconceived on every level. Not just the 'Fullerton preaching' but every aspect of Worf's behaviour throughout the episode felt forced , unbelievable and as Jammer puts it so eloquently 'managed to insult my intelligence' - a well deserved zero stars. On subsequent viewings if anything it gets slightly worse. Easily one of the five worst episodes of any Trek incarnation, and in the context of this season such a faux pas that you are tempted to ask the question whether the staff had been on a particularly debauched holiday prior to its production.

Re: DS9 S3: The Search, Part I

Agree with the review bar the grading - for me this was 3 stars, even taking into account Part 2. One of the highlights was the Kira/Sisko interaction at the start, as well as the Kira/Odo scenes (which would be one of the lone bright spots of Part 2) - the revelation of the changelings and the line 'welcome home' were genuinely surprising when watching this for the first time.

I'd have to echo the comments of chris and Connor, what really elevated this above the relatively pedestrian was the battle scene whereby the crew get boarded and grapple with the seemingly unstoppable Jem'Hadar - excellent scenes and a significant departure from what had preceded this on , for example, 'the Maquis' or 'Armageddon Game'. However, it still feels realtively slow-paced and given some of the 3.5 star ratings given to some subsequent episodes, I'd say 3 abouts covers it. I know you're now a married man (as am I) but any chance you could at some point in the next decade revisit these episodes with some small updates. Without wishing to sound absurdly fawning, being unable to watch the episodes until I purchased the VHS in the UK, often several months after their original airdates, your reviews were a true lifesaver back in the mid nineties. Glad to see you're still doing them.

Re: VOY S2: Non Sequitur

@Carbetarian

Well said - thought I's stumbled into a Politics blog in error. It's a science fiction show for god's sake. Whilst I might have some concerns over whether the economic philosophy of the Federation is viable, this comments thread, about this specific story and the author's review of it is unarguably not the forum for it.

&Ken

Have you thought about anger management?

Re: TNG S5: Cost of Living

Having followed your site for more than 14 years, the reviews are always well worth waiting for and reading, regardless of some less charitable commentators. This episode was one of the most startlingly misconceived I have ever seen. The holodeck scenes have dated exceptionally badly and Messrs Dorn,Burton and even Stewart look simply bored. Unarguably Peter Allan Fields least impressive hour. From a writer who either scripted or wrote the teleplays for 'the Inner Light' and the DS9 episodes 'Duet' and 'In the Pale Moonlight' it is beyond my comprehension what he was thinking here. Would probably have gone for 0.5 stars. A strong contender, even taking into account the First Season, for the weakest episode ever bar 'Shades of Grey'.