http://www.jammersreviews.com/comments/ RSS feed for comments posted on Jammer's Reviews en-us Sat, 25 May 2013 07:18:48 PDT http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/deardoctor.php A cop-out ending. Cure them or let nature take its course? Hurp derrr how bout we give dem maguc serim dat let dem live 10 mor yeers insted so we not uffend no one, derrp. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/deardoctor.php Sat, 25 May 2013 07:18:48 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/enemy.php So you want to be fisted by manly men? If you say so, sailor. ;) Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/enemy.php Sat, 25 May 2013 06:23:48 PDT Strider http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/detained.php I had no idea so many conservatives and libertardians watch Star Trek. Tell you what, I'll give you a million bitcoins to move to an underwater utopia and die. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/detained.php Sat, 25 May 2013 04:36:05 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/desert.php Ok, who gave Clancy the Pee-Wee trick gum? That has got to violate a first contact rule. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/desert.php Sat, 25 May 2013 03:46:21 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s5/imaginary.php >> of course the families of the crews of such vessels as the Enterprise would be aboard in Roddenberry's 24th century. How can anyone doubt that? Here is why it ought to be doubted. There is danger out there. It regularly occurs. In our current day, we have drawn a line. Regardless of families choosing to die at sea in the past, TODAY we draw a line. We do not allow families on vessels that we KNOW will be going into danger. To do so would be absolutely ridiculous. The Enterprise WILL be going into danger especially in Roddenberry's universe!!! It makes perfect sense to draw a line and disallow families from ships going into uncharted space. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s5/imaginary.php Sat, 25 May 2013 00:55:44 PDT Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/juggernaut.php @Ken "The entire delta quadrant is totally unaware of the alpha quadrant. They haven't visited it. They know of no races in the alpha quadrant. Nothing." Not only that, but some of them seem to call their area "the Delta Quadrant" or have no problem adopting that usage when the Voyager people introduce it. "The Delta Quadrant" is an Alpha Quadrant designation. Suppose aliens showed up and said to us, "We're stranded here in the Omega Sliver" -- we'd be like, "This ain't the Omega Sliver; it's the Alpha Quadrant." (Or, "it's the Sol system.") Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/juggernaut.php Fri, 24 May 2013 18:44:25 PDT navamske http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/equinox1.php This episode ruined the doctor. All the time the writers put into his sentience and humanity is made pointless when a single button press turns him into an evil villain. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/equinox1.php Fri, 24 May 2013 09:39:32 PDT Elliot ate my cock http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/juggernaut.php Because Voyager was made for unthinking morons. Look at Michael up there - an example of Voyager's target audience. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/juggernaut.php Fri, 24 May 2013 07:42:12 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/orders.php When T'Pol suddenly showed up, I was surprised. Didn't he put her to sleep too? So, I thought: Oh! She's a hallucination too. But then as the show went on, I kind of figured that maybe she wasn't. But then when the end came near, I realized that she was. So, I guess I knew, kind of. But I was satisfied. I liked the way it all played out. And I really liked the freaky Hoshi scene. >>The ending of Sixth Sense surprised you? Wow! While I enjoyed the film, I thought it was blatantly obvious from the opening scene (Given what happened). The grand majority of people who saw sixth sense were surprised by the ending. Guess we all are not as clever as you. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/orders.php Fri, 24 May 2013 02:29:50 PDT Lt.. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s5/assignment.php Jack - That was the whole *point* of Odo being injured in that scene. He is now as vulnerable as any other humanoid. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s5/assignment.php Fri, 24 May 2013 02:16:09 PDT Chris http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/harbinger.php Bah. I wanted Archer and T'Pol to get together eventually out of mutual respect. I was afraid that these massage sessions would lead to a T'Pol/Trip thing, which would have been OK, as long as it was meaningful. But no. They stretched out the massage scenes over several episodes, then squeezed an unbelievable, totally shallow, purely skin-deep soap opera sexcapade into a single episode. I was more moved when T'Pol kissed Sim. Very disappointing. And, yeah, Malcolm was being an idiot. I don't like cartoon characters in my Trek. Boy, I hope all this Xindi stuff comes together. Any more Harbingers and I will completely lose track and interest. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/harbinger.php Fri, 24 May 2013 01:12:29 PDT Lt.. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/twisted.php This crap spackle is but one ingredient in the comfort food for smooth brains that is Voyager. Eat up, fatties. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/twisted.php Thu, 23 May 2013 14:49:20 PDT Braga raped and killed a girl named Trek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s7/breach.php Dear Jammer, I have just finished watching this episode for what seems like the 100th time. I hope you are aware I have been following your reviews since 1996 when I was at university in Portsmouth, UK, and Netscape was the preferred browser of choice, I'm now 36...but I digress. Your review was great but you wanted a pay off for Kor, yet they didn't give you one...this is the genius of this episode, we don't know what Kor did, yet it doesn't matter, he did what was necessary and it keep us wanting more, but we are not going to get it. This is the nature of a legend. I can't believe I wrote DS9 off as early as 1994 but I was young and inexperienced. To me DS9 is the soul of Trek...to quote the Jem'Hadar, the core of Trek's being... Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s7/breach.php Thu, 23 May 2013 14:36:58 PDT Anil http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/nonsequitur.php alan, you are more subtle than most trolls here. Comparing two TNG turds to good DS9 should get you attention. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/nonsequitur.php Thu, 23 May 2013 14:17:27 PDT alan tossed my salad http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s2/child.php Ditto Pulanski, I think TNG needed a McCoy... As to the weaknesses of the child, well, I think it was tough to be too interested in him when he only lasted a few days and in the midst of a potentially life-threatening medical transfer! Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s2/child.php Thu, 23 May 2013 14:04:01 PDT T'Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/deadstop.php And maybe.... the designers and operators of the station aren't gone at all, but lie amidst the other victims of the station.... (ominous music) Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/deadstop.php Thu, 23 May 2013 13:57:18 PDT CeeBee http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/conspiracy.php Enjoyed it when the computer basically told Data to shut up... Also, Troi "someone's hiding something but I'm not sure who or what"... don't leave home without your handy part-Betazoid! Ah, and wish I could have heard the rest of Geordi's joke... sounded like quite a spicy one... Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/conspiracy.php Thu, 23 May 2013 11:28:13 PDT T'Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/paris.php As far as these time/space twisting episodes go, I think this is one of the better and more plausible ones, and must be one of the original ones before Voyager made it an almost weekly plotline. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/paris.php Thu, 23 May 2013 11:21:27 PDT T'Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/skin.php I think this episode went a long way to establishing the camaraderie between the crew that would eventually give TNG its special atmosphere. Also, it was 'good' to see a death handled like it actually meant something, rather than nameless people just disappearing off. A tad weak, yes, like other season 1 TNG, but certainly not awful, and definitely a little meaningful, more so than in many other sister-series episodes at this point of time, even our Jammer's beloved DS9, and certainly more so than VOY. I'd go for at least 2.5. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/skin.php Thu, 23 May 2013 11:15:53 PDT T'Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/symbiosis.php I agree, that although the drugs chat was a bit forced, it was a tidy example of discussion and application of the prime directive and a neat solution by Picard. Perhaps the story was a tad lacking but not truly awful... 2.5 at least. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/symbiosis.php Thu, 23 May 2013 11:09:41 PDT T'Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s4/killing.php Not to mention the thin white line of semen extending from the holodeck ejection ports, leaving a trail hundreds of light years long. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s4/killing.php Thu, 23 May 2013 08:33:01 PDT Zephram Cockring http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php @Charlie In response, she says: "Two words. Dear Doctor." Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php Wed, 22 May 2013 14:14:49 PDT Nathaniel http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/threshold.php Eh, no worse than 97.5% of Voyager episodes. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/threshold.php Wed, 22 May 2013 11:18:40 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/endgame.php Ok, that's the last time I post from my phone using speech to text. That is horrendous. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/endgame.php Wed, 22 May 2013 09:43:49 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/endgame.php I used to dislike Voyager because it could have been so much more, but after watching some episodes I discovered its true purpose: it's the comfort food of all the Star Trek series. Consequences of character actions are rare, and and it requires from the viewer very little thought. It's easy to watch and comprehend; just sit back and let the simplicity wash over you. Some people enjoying not having to use their brain and more power to them Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/endgame.php Wed, 22 May 2013 09:41:34 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/paradise.php This episode certainly did the battle for the Federation's soul story a lot better than Star Trek: Into Darkness. I'm thinking of Pine doing the final confrontation between Sisko and Leyton. It will probably be in a much noisier environment than a television set of an office. But it could have been quite awesome. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/paradise.php Wed, 22 May 2013 09:24:45 PDT Josh http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/allgood.php Thanks Jammer for all of the reviews, and everyone for all of the comments. One thought on Geordi/Leah: I can't disagree with the complaints of this Easter Egg, but I can't help but compare this little debate/detail vs. the "smack you in the face" telegraphed eggs of Into Darkness with WoK. Give me the subtle but somewhat problematic Geordi/Leah any day! Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/allgood.php Wed, 22 May 2013 08:42:02 PDT Kurt http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/acquisition.php Fun fact: Clint Howard didn't need to wear makeup for this episode. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/acquisition.php Wed, 22 May 2013 08:23:43 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s1/caretaker.php Why did Neelix change into one of Quark's outfits? Does the replicator have a clothing section for annoying people? I don't know why but he would have been a better character had he stayed in his fur pimp coat. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s1/caretaker.php Wed, 22 May 2013 08:17:21 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/bsg/s1/33.php being a fan of Mass Effect's brand of military sci fi I tried to give the show another chance, but it's so far up its own ass I was unable to penetrate the pretension. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/bsg/s1/33.php Wed, 22 May 2013 07:39:54 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/initiations.php Kazon are just queeny Klingons with krusty quaffs. Sad that they aren't the worst thing introduced by Voyager. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/initiations.php Wed, 22 May 2013 07:20:22 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s4/voyages.php Then my fedora fell off. :( Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s4/voyages.php Wed, 22 May 2013 07:09:20 PDT Zephram Cockring http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/sons.php Patrick: "In fact, the most horrible crap happened to Worf and O'Brien out of all the main characters on the show. Is it a coincidence that they both happened to originate on TNG? Hmmmm....." A very good point, Patrick. This could be seen as more of Ira's hatred for TNG; hatred which, as far as I'm concerned, ensured that DS9 would not be embraced as TOS & TNG were. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/sons.php Wed, 22 May 2013 05:56:22 PDT charlie http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/datalore.php Still though, I think this is one of the heartier episodes of season 1, provides some good background development on Data, has some good crew interactions, all in all one of the more decent offerings of season 1, and foreshadows what TNG would become in later seasons in terms of the crew and the types of situations they face. It would have been nice to learn a bit more about the entity and the colony. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/datalore.php Wed, 22 May 2013 05:08:45 PDT T'Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s3/visionary.php Way late, but Jack: Because they don't know what they're dealing with yet. It could be someone inside the station, or someone outside of it. Raising shields and powering up weapons could cause them to react prematurely (or for all they know raising the shields could cause the explosion), it was a point that was brought up in the episode. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s3/visionary.php Tue, 21 May 2013 14:49:45 PDT Name http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/void.php After losing power: Paris: "The vultures are circling." Janeway: "Vultures eat the dead, Mr. Paris. We're not dead yet." Yeah, that's why he said "circling," Captain Post-op. Vultures commonly circle that which is alive but near death. Don't take it out on Tom just because the raiders took your last crate of mustache wax. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/void.php Tue, 21 May 2013 13:43:30 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/rogue.php I'm a sucker for any Trek episode involving a rogue planet or pulsar - my two personal favorite universal phenomena - so I enjoyed this solely on an aesthetic level. It's doubtful there would be plantlife, and watching now as they explore-- I take it back, rogue planets don't have atmospheres and they are deep cold, so how are they walking around in their uniforms? At least they got the sky of bright and abundant stars somewhat right. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s1/rogue.php Tue, 21 May 2013 12:42:05 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s3/spectre.php Chekov is an idiot. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s3/spectre.php Tue, 21 May 2013 11:36:25 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s4/voyages.php This episode made me shart in my favorite jorts. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s4/voyages.php Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:46 PDT Zephram Cockring http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/hunted.php I have little to say about this one. As Elliott points out, the themes of this episode are very important. The bioengineering is mostly there as metaphor; for the real world equivalent of "creating a perfect soldier," think not genetic engineering but the training as represented in (e.g.) Full Metal Jacket, where in order to become perfect killing machines people are stripped of their individual identities and "reprogrammed" through intensive training. The split personality within Danar also hits many of the points associated with soldiers suffering from PTSD after the war is over (or even milder forms thereof), of one part of them never really leaving the battlefield while they try and try to reclaim their identity otherwise; and Danar's scenes with Troi do help get across his conflicts, and his absolute recognition that he can kill any moment and has killed. The government's disinterest in making any real effort to help "deprogram" or reverse the bioengineering of their soldiers is also believable and on point, since while soldiers are publicly honoured upon their return the medical and psychological damages wrought by the war are no longer so important once the soldiers' use to society as a whole has ended. I do think that the Angosian prime minister (James Cromwell!) and the society he represents are not given enough depth. It certainly is plausible that the bioengineered soldiers would have trouble adapting and that there would be large outbreaks of violence upon their return; but we don't get a real sense of scale of how bad this was that the Angosians went to the idea of resettling the ENTIRE soldier force away from society. This works best as an allegory if we consider this to be representative of soldiers on Earth being socially ostracized and feeling no longer at home, but this social ostracization is often unconscious or contributed by both sides, and one doesn't have to kill to get out of it. The allegory is certainly more effective than something like "Symbiosis," but I think that while there is an attempt to portray both why Danar is dangerous and why he needs sympathy and understanding, there is very little effort to present the prime minster as anything but smug, condescending, and cowardly. This probably is done so that the pat ending can feel less unearned than if he was actually portrayed sympathetically (the way, for example, the police chief in the following episode, "The High Ground," is, despite a somewhat similar function in the episode), in which Picard leaves him and his to be held at phaserpoint by prisoners who *did* use the Enterprise to get back to the planet. I think all in all 2.5 stars sounds right. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/hunted.php Tue, 21 May 2013 08:49:45 PDT William B http://www.jammersreviews.com/andr/s2/recap.php I think that the show is worth watching, up til the point where Sorbo thinks he should have creative control of the show. At that point the show would have been better served without him and probably would have made more sense and had better continuity. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/andr/s2/recap.php Tue, 21 May 2013 07:46:13 PDT leah http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/justice.php I honestly thought this was a good episode. It has a solid plot and I like the fact that the crew has to decide between obeying the society's rules or doing what's morally correct. I find the whole bit about the "prime directive" kind of stupid though. There's a difference between interfering in a society's affairs and not following society's rules and then leaving. Still this deserves a 3 out of 4 stars as it really wasn't a bad episode. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/justice.php Tue, 21 May 2013 07:06:50 PDT Riker http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/body.php Dayumn, that Lokirrim woman got back. That booty is kaBLAM. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/body.php Tue, 21 May 2013 04:11:40 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php @duhknees "the Reset Button mentality of TNG" Examples, please Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php Tue, 21 May 2013 03:49:02 PDT lucy http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php Janeway: "Unfortunately extinction is often the natural end of evolution." Four words: WHAT THE FUCK, BITCH??? Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php Tue, 21 May 2013 03:40:47 PDT charlie http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/carpenter.php "Leland Orser" The poor guy only ever plays deranged jerks, it seems, although I think I saw him in some movie in which he was a sympathetic character. I really like him as an actor. I hate time travel in movies. It's never done right. People who write time travel stories never seem to be clever enough to think the damn thing through properly. (Primer is the only good one I can think of right now.) But setting my hatred for time travel aside and also setting aside the car door unlocking tricorder, I liked this episode. I'm glad they didn't get into silly fish-out-of-water stuff and just stuck to the story. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/carpenter.php Tue, 21 May 2013 01:50:20 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/similitude.php I have to admit: This is the first episode of Enterprise that moved me. Yeah the science made no sense and the ethics were questionable, but accepting all that, I was moved by Sim's predicament and his choice to place the needs of the others above himself. It seemed like the thing Trip would have done. And who can't be happy about a guy getting his dream kiss? :) Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/similitude.php Tue, 21 May 2013 00:28:31 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/northstar.php This was old-school Trek, and I loved it! Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/northstar.php Mon, 20 May 2013 23:35:50 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s6/memorial.php Good episode. It felt like a callback to TOS-style morality plays when Gene was trying to get his messages past the censors (my favorite example being the classic "Day of the Dove"). Janeway didn't really carry much charisma at the end though - as pointed out in this review her final judgement felt kind of arbitrary. I also question the away team's cavalier approach toward getting a medical check upon returning - they obviously have not seen enough Trek episodes ("The Naked Time", for instance ;) ) And does Paris have any interests at all outside of old Earth stuff? Is the 24th century really that dry? But this is still a good episode. 3, I might even go as far as a 3.5. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s6/memorial.php Mon, 20 May 2013 22:35:24 PDT NCC-1701-Z http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/renaissance.php @Bravestarr "One thing I would like to point out though...the Doctor seems superior to a regular crew in everyway...so why not have a whole ship made up of Doctors?" I'm not sure if you're talking about a ship full of EMHs or a ship full of capable EMH-like holograms who serve nonmedical functions. In the latter case, the crew (of holograms) would never be able to leave the ship, except maybe in a shuttle; whether this limitation would be a significant impediment to a Starfleet ship's being actually useful, I can't say. In the former case, it might be useful to have a ship crewed entirely by Doctor holograms, functioning as a sort of roaming medical facility for the use of any ship that passes by and has the need. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/renaissance.php Mon, 20 May 2013 17:34:29 PDT navamske http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/flesh.php "It's Ponfarr night at the Vulcan nightclub." is still the best and most perplexing sentence ever uttered. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/flesh.php Mon, 20 May 2013 17:25:18 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s4/witness.php A beautiful episode. I love the ending's implication that what we saw may itself have been revisionist history. I know the episode's message is ultimately positive, but it's still fun to think that maybe they did put the Doc on trial and decompiled him to restore order, then covered it up when writing the history. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s4/witness.php Mon, 20 May 2013 16:32:20 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/datalore.php Yes, have to admit I was amused by the drawing of the Crystalline Entity with people running from it with "scared" expressions... Hmm, perhaps this might mean something. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/datalore.php Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01:41 PDT T'Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/crossing.php The the crossing showed so much promise but only left me with heart break at it's failure... Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/crossing.php Mon, 20 May 2013 06:47:40 PDT Charles http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s6/livefast.php Just thinking about the oversized comm badges and collar pips cracks me up. They are just the perfect size to be both understated and hilarious. Any bigger and they would have been too slapsticky. One of the best visual gags in any Trek comedy episode. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s6/livefast.php Mon, 20 May 2013 05:39:11 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s5/i-borg.php bow-locks! yeah, don't destroy the borg when you have a chance, let them live, the poor things, even if they will come back to bite your sorry ar... if a vulcan was there, he would have seen how illogical it would have been not to take the chance: you spare their species, and how many other species will then be wiped away by the borg thanks to you in the next few centuries? and possibly yours too! bumfingerers! their "justification", the hope that hugh's individuality will change them, is one of the most stupid things you can come out with! they constantly assimilate individuals, never been a problem, has it? they could have tried, the borg would have survived because they are... well, the borg, and everyone's a winner. but no. there is a line between compassion and stupidity, and they crossed it. by several kilo-parsecs ffs! not a bad episode though. at least is not filled with damn kids like too many episodes in season five. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s5/i-borg.php Sun, 19 May 2013 18:53:04 PDT warp http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s1/phage.php Ugh, the "relationship" between Kes and Neelix in these early episodes is creepy as all hell. Only abusive men are as jealous and posessive as Neelix is, and like him, they don't let the woman have male friends. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s1/phage.php Sun, 19 May 2013 16:12:43 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/exile.php Not a bad episode. >> I don't blame the actors. I am not sure what the writers, directors, and producers were thinking with this show. >> I can't understand why she got out of uniform. The producers were clearly selling sex on this show (and the later Voyager) which was just dumb. But even the original series had sexy girls, you say? Yes. And that was dumb too. Clearly, this approach didn't help either series. >> She looks like a 12 yo girl Not. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/exile.php Sun, 19 May 2013 14:29:19 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/preemptive.php The warning is from Trek itself that we took as mere storytelling rather than mankind's own issues. Exploration is not merely about exploring new star and nebulas, it's about exploring the uncharted possibilities of existence as Q had pointed out at the end of TNG's All Good Things.... Who among us that lived in the 90's could deny that we were overly hopeful. That we held too much heart with our technological progress creating a world that may resemble Star Trek. Yet, the dream ended, futurist like Fukyama and others forgot one important truth, mankind is not merely just a species, a nation, or a group, we are individual people making choices that affected everyone around us. We need a new way to create the vision, because unless we have a bloody World War based on ideologies as Gene predicted, we would not have peace. Don't forget that Gene's vision of mankind's future also included a decmiation of half the world population. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/preemptive.php Sun, 19 May 2013 12:42:32 PDT wl123 http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/impulse.php Vulcan zombies! Sweet! The strobing lights were way too much tho. A little of that goes along way. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/impulse.php Sun, 19 May 2013 10:36:19 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/bodyparts.php This is a different Chris to the one above. To the commenters speculating on Garak's contract with Quark. I think you are taking it too seriously. I don't believe Garak ever had any intention to kill Quark. Why would he risk getting into trouble with his Federation/Bajoran hosts? To do Quark a favour? He doesn't seem motivated by money. He probably just went through the assassination scenarios for fun and suggesting he could kill Quark at any moment, again for fun. Am I the only one who thought this obvious? Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/bodyparts.php Sun, 19 May 2013 10:20:04 PDT Chris http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s4/message.php Great character insights into Paris in this episode. We learn, finally, that he wants to be a pilot. He enjoys flying spacecraft, in that he prefers to man the helm. He also wants to control the trajectory of spaceborne machines, to "fly" them as it were. Deep, previously unexplored stuff here. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s4/message.php Sun, 19 May 2013 10:09:43 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/extinction.php I hate the DNA change episodes too. But, what annoyed me most about this episode is that it was totally disconnected from the Xindi storyline. They start out going to the planet because their Xindi data informed them it was the last place the Xindi ship visited. But then there is no explanation given as to why the Xindi ship had been there. The entire episode is a throw-away unless somehow it plays into a future episode. I suspect it won't, however. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s3/extinction.php Sun, 19 May 2013 08:08:17 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/cogenitor.php This episode had the potential to be one of Enterprise's very best episodes but was ruined by the morally bankrupt ending. Captain Archer's decision to return the cogenitor to the Vissians was the wrong decision plain and simple. He basically sent a sentient being back into slavery and the individual chose suicide over continued nonexistence as a slave with no name and no rights whatsover. Let's not sugarcoat this decision with ridiculous talk about the moralities of alien civilizations. There are no alien civilizations that we know of at this point in time. This is a work of fiction. The only moralities we can look to in this situation our human moralities. And by those standards Archer's decision to return the cogenitor is morally wrong. And please no more talk about the prime directive. As a 40 plus year fan of Star Trek I can say with certainty that the prime directive does not apply to warp capable civilizations. Captain Archer is within his rights to consider a request for asylum from the cogenitor as he himself points out to the Vissian Captain. His big mistake was not to grant asylum in this instance. Trip was wrong to interfere in Vissian affairs without getting the permission of the Captain or the First Officer. But he was not ultimately responsible for the death of the cogenitor. The Captain was responsible. It was his decision. The buck stopped with him. He made a command decision as Captain and he has to live with the consequences. To throw all the blame on Trip was cowardly and reflected very poorly on his leadership ability. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/cogenitor.php Sun, 19 May 2013 00:03:08 PDT Michael http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/sickbay.php It wasn't a great episode, but it had cute moments. And, yes, it would have worked better if there had been prior signs of sexual tension between A and T, but there is no way anyone can convince me that all the hetero males working around T'Pol aren't stressing a bit down in the crotchal region. I try not to notice her body as I watch the show, but it takes effort. I had to laugh when Malcolm mentioned her bum (in another ep) and Trip acted surprised like he's never noticed it. How Malcolm focused on her bum and didn't say anything about her monstrous breasts regardless of whether or not he is a bum man, I don't know. I was sure he was going to say "Have you ever noticed her B--BS!?" I'm really quite annoyed at T'Pol's outfits. They are terribly unprofessional. But anything, I guess, to please the horny teenage fans. (sigh) There is no way this episode is as bad as Spock's Brain! Give me a break. That episode had NO redeeming qualities at all. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/sickbay.php Sat, 18 May 2013 21:11:19 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s2/crossover.php I think this entire episode was designed so that Kira could strut around in black leather and be a sexy bisexual dominatrix. It feels very...um..."fan-powered" Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s2/crossover.php Sat, 18 May 2013 20:25:33 PDT Sarah http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/homestead.php Where is Samantha Wildman? You'd think the writers would at least make some attempt to explain her absence. I know Voyager had lazy writers but this was just ridiculous. Why didn't they just kill her off if they were never going to show her again? Samantha's absence has gone from a funny continuity error to a genuinely disturbing show of neglect. All it would have taken is one line to explain why she's never there, and the writers couldn't even do that. Shameful. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/homestead.php Sat, 18 May 2013 19:20:19 PDT Adara http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/rejoined.php I just watched the episode for the first time and it moved me very much. Maybe it was because it touched some things that are close to home for me, but I thought it was great. I did think the exposition was a bit long. I think they were trying to spell out the reasons for the taboo and convince the audience of its validity because it was a weak point. I don't agree with the fact that the last dialogue was bad however. But I don't really watch soap opera so I can't compare ;) Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/rejoined.php Sat, 18 May 2013 17:21:16 PDT Xariann http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s3/brain.php I watched this episode recently--having heard of its reputation but never having seen it. I posted this brief review on my Facebook page: So while many other Star Trek fans were gearing up to watch "Star Trek Into Darkness" (which sounds like an awesome movie--can't wait to see it!), instead, I finished watching the notoriously bad episode "Spock's Brain." Three thoughts: 1) Yeah. It's bad. Really bad. Plays out like a *parody* of Star Trek rather than the genuine article. The plot doesn't stand up to close scrutiny--in fact, it doesn't stand up to any kind of scrutiny. 2) But still--REMOTE-CONTROLLED SPOCK?? Wow, that's almost as cool as Park and Rec's DJ Roomba! 3) Nevertheless, the episode is much much better than bad Voyager or Enterprise (which is unfortunately too large a percentage of those shows). It's over-the-top campy, and I think it was meant to be taken that way. My sense is that neither the director nor the actors (particularly Shatner) didn't buy the premise, so they just hammed it up. As bad as it is--it's one of those things that's so bad I actually rather enjoyed watching it. I'd also add that I agree with the comment above by Jeffrey that the bridge scene is a highlight of the show--almost TNG-like in its problem-solving approach. A nice touch in an otherwise rather embarrassing episode. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s3/brain.php Sat, 18 May 2013 16:59:03 PDT Tornado http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/neutralzone.php You're welcome, I'm sure. Of course, this episode DOES have SOME problems-chief of which is the implausibility(not to mention disputable utility) of a cryongenic capsule drifting out into deep space,light years away from earth. Let's log that one as a convenience of/for the writers,shall we? Ditto trouble with the Romulans and/or the Neutral Zone-which provides a crisis to distract Captain Picard & crew from their out-of-time passengers,thereby causing anxieties and conflicts to develop between them, which would ordinarily have been given some level of priority. However, these flaws do not detract from the greater points of interest; i.e., the differing responses of three ordinary humans who wake up 370 years in the future. Usually, anachronism is played for the Cheap Laugh, especially on TEEVEE: "Happy Days and "That 70s Show" being the best (and worst) examples.There's little of that here and, in fact, one of the more sophisticated yucks comes from the comparison of the Enterprise to the "Q.E.II". Although it is observed by Data that the C&W singer has adjusted most easily to the situation, I must point out that his "adjustment" involves the further pickling of his liver via prodigious consumption of martinis;picking up where he left off,back in the 21st Century. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s1/neutralzone.php Sat, 18 May 2013 14:38:18 PDT Kevin http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/warlord.php This episode appears to have been filmed at a higher frame rate. The onacreen motion is both smoother and quicker, which may be why it seems more energetic. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/warlord.php Sat, 18 May 2013 13:17:56 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/friendship.php Oh no, where is Michael? The reviews aren't the same without him. :( Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/friendship.php Sat, 18 May 2013 12:07:53 PDT Adara http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s4/voyages.php I'm in agreement with the consensus about the series finale. But I'm seeing many comments ragging on the first two seasons which I thought were great. I recently re-watched the series and the first two seasons were actually my favorite. Season 3, with the linear plot line, enthralled me the first time I watched it but I wasn't as impressed watching it a second time. I think this plot line for an entire season contributed to the shows failure. For the casual fan, who didn't watch the show every week, they would have been completely lost tuning in at mid-season. Star Trek was always about exploration and not all out war. Season 4 went back to the regular format but it was kind of hit or miss. The hurriedly thrown together series finale was a major bummer to an otherwise solid show. It's too bad SyFy channel never picked up the show. I think it would have been far more successful on cable and available during the age of streaming. Due to their poor advertising, I had no idea that this show even existed when it aired on television. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s4/voyages.php Sat, 18 May 2013 12:07:19 PDT Row Jimmy http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/hardtime.php It was nice of the Agrathi to give Miles Bill Maher as a cellmate. An all-around superb episode that is engrossing for the entire 45 minutes. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s4/hardtime.php Sat, 18 May 2013 11:55:24 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/carboncreek.php I, too, liked this episode. But, I agree with Jammer that in the earlier episodes Blalock misinterpreted emotionlessness with being almost inaudible. I have to blame the producers for that as well. They should have corrected her. The other Vulcans spoke plenty loudly while still keeping the emotions low. It's easy to simply blame the actress, but a good actor still needs feedback from the producers. The ball was dropped by everyone on this one. @Joe I: I believe most of the dislike of Enterprise comes from jadedness and unrealistic expectation. None of the ST productions have been perfect, yet most Trek fans generally rate the original episodes much higher than the rest of the series. I don't think this has anything to do with the original episodes being of any better quality. (All but a very few are really just about godawful.) For example, this review dings Blalock for not being dynamic enough, but nowhere in any of Jammer's reviews does he ding Nimoy for being too emotional when he shouldn't be. (Watch the Uhura singing scene in Charlie X to see Nimoy showing plenty of emotion, which bugs me every time I see it.) In my opinion, he is harder on Enterprise than he is on the original series, and I don't know why this is. The fact is that most Trek fans are biased toward the series they first watched and nothing else can possibly compare. Is Enterprise perfect? By no means. But it is still good Trek as far as I am concerned. Aside: I have noticed a lot of complaint about this series from what I consider to be the extreme nerd end of the fan spectrum that there are terrible problems of continuity with the other series. Some people have claimed that this problem caused them to stop watching the show. Of course, people are free to dislike what they want to dislike, but I think that to not watch the show for this reason is silly. There have to be continuity problems! In the original series, Kirk wrote with a PEN for gods' sakes! This show would totally suck in a major way if Archer had to use pre-60s technology all the time. There is no way a Trek show made in the 2000s could possibly be successful if it truly tried to be a real prequel. It's too bad that people can't just enjoy the show for what it is - a loose interpretation of the earlier timeline. In this respect, I really like it. It's fun. To nitpick continuity seems really - Vulcan. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ent/s2/carboncreek.php Sat, 18 May 2013 11:25:47 PDT Lt. Yarko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/false.php "Exploitation begins at home", just ask any feminist. The review is too harsh. There were one or two good lines. Anyway, it's a farce, so there's no point in nitpicking--within reason. The final act and wormhole were tedious, but meh. It wasn't a boring episode. 3 star entertainment. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/false.php Sat, 18 May 2013 06:06:30 PDT Eithnepath http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/remember.php Great ep. Shame they didn't have more political courage and made the allegory a bit more transparent--isreal/palistine. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/remember.php Sat, 18 May 2013 04:57:52 PDT Eithnepath http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/deathwish.php I apologize if I hit a nerve. I was in a very bad place when I wrote that comment 5 hours ago. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/deathwish.php Sat, 18 May 2013 01:51:59 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php I'm convinced Weyland-Yutani was one of the founders of Starfleet. Why else do they never learn that studying obviously malicious aliens and technology should be done before you reactivate them on your ship? Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/prototype.php Sat, 18 May 2013 01:39:44 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/watches.php I agree that Jammer seems to be a little harsh with his review here. I thought this one was quite good and nailed the Prime Directive concerns appropriately. Solid episode, an easy 3 stars. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/watches.php Sat, 18 May 2013 00:29:49 PDT The Romulans http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/survivors.php I also could not recall this episode as being exceptional, but after watching it recently I can't see where I can take any points away. Every puzzle piece slots together brilliantly. The concept of killing billions of people in an instant is absolutely great. A truly solid piece of science fiction. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/survivors.php Sat, 18 May 2013 00:23:38 PDT The Romulans http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s2/assignment.php Absolute bottom-of-the-barrel, the nadir of TOS. It's the worst episode of the original Star Trek because it ISN'T an episode of Star Trek at all; Gary Seven is the prime mover of events from beginning to end, while Kirk and Spock are reduced to standing around like idiots who can do little more than hope everything works out. As for the real stars of this ep, Seven's a smug prick and Roberta's an insufferable airhead. And all of this happens under the "Star Trek" title because "oh hey, by the way, we time-traveled back to 1968." From this, through the idea that there were orbital nuke platforms in '68 (which would have been a surprise to everyone in the viewing audience) and that Seven's purposefully detonating one in the lower atmosphere would save the Earth rather than trigger World War III, right up to the Enterprise's history tapes spoiling the entire spin-off series before it can even get started with the revelation that everything that just happened was supposed to happen all along and Seven and Roberta are destined to succeed in all of their missions, the episode treats its audience like complete morons. The worst the third season had to offer still beats "Assignment: Earth", and the third season featured a whinny-ing Kirk being ridden around the room by a midget. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s2/assignment.php Fri, 17 May 2013 23:32:46 PDT Brundledan http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/deathwish.php No Sintek. Your life is not richer and your human experience is not deeper because you never noticed the difference in the costume. You're just less observant. Now if you noticed the difference but just didn't give a shit THAT would suggest you might have healthier priorities. However you ARE posting a comment in a "Star Trek" message thread - and a "Voyager" one at that. Unless you're randomly trolling boards then you must be as big a geek as anyone here. Still I'll be the bigger geek and point out that the commbadge props were made of wood and not plastic. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/deathwish.php Fri, 17 May 2013 22:09:31 PDT Yakko http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/author.php I loved this episode so much! I'm a sucker for AI rights episodes, I must admit, so even if this was done poorly I'd probably still love it, but it was done very well. There's enough humor to keep it from coming off as a rip-off of "The Measure of a Man," and in a realistic turn of events the Doctor only scores a small victory. It may not be the ending I was hoping for, but it is the ending that makes sense. We didn't go from endowing only white male landowners with rights to where we are today in one big jump. It's always been a slow process and will no doubt continue to be that way. Look at the gay marriage struggle in the US. Even if every state agrees to legalize gay marriage, it will always be an uphill battle. Has racism disappeared since equal rights were granted by law? If you say yes, you REALLY need to get out more. Homosexuality was officially a mental illness until 1971, and transgendered individuals are STILL considered mentally ill. I don't know what the next big battle will be, but I trust that us Star Trek fans will mostly be on the right side of history. When the first AI wakes up and sees the world with an abstract understanding similar to that of humans, you can bet I'll be the zealot camping outside of the research facility in protest - maybe even devising a rescue plan. I hope my fellow trekkies will be right there by my side. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s7/author.php Fri, 17 May 2013 21:59:04 PDT Adara http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/scorpion1.php Torres can lock onto my bone anytime. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s3/scorpion1.php Fri, 17 May 2013 21:58:38 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s1/dramatis.php @mike "forced situations" is not standard fare for Deep Space Nine, or at least it ended up not being. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s1/dramatis.php Fri, 17 May 2013 21:56:42 PDT Adam http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/deathwish.php Anyone else feeling better about their life for never noticing the difference in plastic props on costumes nor commenting at length about said difference? Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s2/deathwish.php Fri, 17 May 2013 21:17:21 PDT Sintek http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/arrow2.php @Paul : Just to clear up the semantics here, by "cast" I mean the actors who portray the characters, not the characters themselves. Voyager's only real weak link acting-wise was Garret Wang. TOS is hard to judge this way since the non-Big-Three were rather cartoonish (in a loveable way of course). TNG had to contend with Sirtis and McFadden and VOY's child actor (though only a guest), Scarlet Pommers outdoes any of the other series child actors except maybe Aron Eisenberg. DS9, as I said, had weak players in the key positions (Brooks especially)--I think Visitor did better in the later seasons, but it was really rough for a few seasons. It also had only average players in their Science Smart Person (Dax). Compare to Spock, Data, The Doctor, Hoshi--it's no contest there. ENT had only decent actors in its key positions, and the winner of all terrible in the person of Anthony Montgomery. Jolene Blalock made for an horrendous Vulcan. The implication in your assessment of ENT's characters' developments mirrors what you say about DS9 and seems to imply that only by surviving brutal tragedy can characters develop well (cf O'Brien, Sisko, Trip, T'Pol). One need only cite Picard as the perfect example (up until the overrated "Tapestry") of a great character who defies that rule, and I would broadly apply that principle to most of the VOY cast. Ironically, the oft-hated Neelix is in many ways one of Trek's most tragic characters with regard to backstory. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/arrow2.php Fri, 17 May 2013 19:28:27 PDT Elliott http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s7/field.php Good episode. I don't get the Ezri hate, but then I didn't get all the Jadzia love either. She was a boring, badly-acted supergenius; DS9's Wesley Crusher. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s7/field.php Fri, 17 May 2013 12:19:33 PDT Zefffphram Cokcreeng http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/defector.php Another fine review, though I don't think four stars is generous for "The Defector" at all. The only real unfortunate part of the episode was Jarok's death. I would have loved to see James Sloyan take on a recurring character - he always makes such an impression. It's true that Dr Mora appeared twice on DS9 (it feels like more), but his later appearance on Voyager in "Jetrel" felt like something of a retread. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/defector.php Fri, 17 May 2013 09:20:46 PDT Josh http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/defector.php As Jammer pointed out, “The Defector” is a huge improvement on Ron Moore’s first script in “The Bonding”; both are clear demonstrations of Moore’s interests and running themes throughout TNG, DS9 and BSG (well, maybe in Roswell and Carnivale too, but I haven’t seen those). The episode takes the brinksmanship from “The Enemy” and turns it up a notch by opening with the suggestion from “Seval” that the Romulans are planning to start a war. The episode also connects forward; the set-up of Jarok posing as a lowly desk clerk carrying information so as to hide that he is a high-commanding officer, thought of by the Federation as a butcher and by the Romulans as a hero but who is perhaps neither, is inverted in DS9’s “Duet,” where the lowly desk clerk poses as a high-commanding officer. One of the themes running through this episode is a question that always fascinates me: how do you make decisions based on incomplete information? As Geordi said, you never have the complete picture, and you can fill that in with pure deduction or with “instinct,” which at best is a form of logic only perceived on the subconscious level and at worst is a reliance on arbitrary feelings and prejudices rather than the truth. Related to this is the recognition throughout that knowledge is power, from the knowledge gained by disassembling starships (which both our crew and Tomalak are interested in doing) to knowledge of a person’s background. Jarok destroys his ship and refuses to give military information because that would shift too much power to the Federation (hiding the truth because it could help the Federation); he hides his background and identity because he believes it would prejudice the crew to disbelieve him (hiding the truth because this truth could reasonably lead to the crew coming to false conclusions). And indeed, this is a great episode for form mirroring content: the whole episode is structured as a mystery, in which disparate elements which push and pull in different directions (“Seval” is clearly lying about something and his pursuit by the Romulan warbird seems staged, but he also seems sincere) and which finally come together in the suggestion that Tomalak, representing the Romulans, masterminded the whole thing. Of course, there is still more that Tomalak doesn’t know, and Picard’s masterminding the Klingons’ arrival on scene works brilliantly. The sharp, twisty plotting is not merely a fun device (and it is fun), but supports the theme and helps us recognize the difficulties that come in attempting to make quadrant-shaking decisions when only part of the picture can be seen. At the episode’s end, the Tomalak makes the choice to avoid a battle which is essentially Mutually Assured Destruction. (“You will not survive our assault.” “You will not survive ours.”) Tomalak leaves and lets the Enterprise and her Klingon escorts zip away. The open question is whether every step of the Romulan plan was to test Jarok’s loyalty, or whether it was only in the final stages. Certainly, the Romulans want conquest, but are only the aggressors in extreme sneak attacks done in secret (like the Tal Shiar assault on the Dominion in DS9). Are they eager for war, or do they desire peace as much as the Federation does, but with an eye to prevent continued Federation and Klingon expansion and to subvert those powers if they can and an unwillingness to brook any disloyalty to the High Command? My suspicion is that it’s the latter, with the Picard-Tomalak-Klingons sequence a microcosm of the political situation in the quadrant which will always end in stalemate. The Romulans continue to be interesting, proud but intelligent, desiring expansion but not at all costs. Which, of course, is who Jarok is, and it’s part of the episode’s strengths that Jarok is at once clearly a Romulan who believes in Romulan values, not particularly repentant for the “campaigns” he had been involved in nor especially proud of them, and a man whose belief in the value of peace (and the possibility of his children growing up in a quadrant without war—“They will grow up thinking their father is a traitor…but they will grow up”) to leave everything behind. Picard’s words from Henry V when he confronts Tomalak at the end—“If the cause be just…”—are part of what help alleviate the tragedy of Jarok’s end: he kills himself out of shame, but his defection or death are not meaningless insofar as his giving up his homeworld was for a genuinely meaningful cause. I feel like dancing on the 3.5-4 star line for the episode. Jarok himself is a great character; the use of Henry V to help frame the episode works well. The interaction between Jarok and the whole crew is excellent—the best scene is the scene with Picard in his ready room but the interrogation with Riker and Troi, and the Ten-Forward and holodeck scenes with Data are highlights. Generally the whole cast is used well to show a spectrum of responses to Jarok, all of which hint at a part but not the whole of what motivates this complex character. Picard’s asking Data to chronicle these last days in the event a war should happen ties into the main themes—history should have as much information as is possible, from as objective source as possible—but I do feel like this thread was a little underdeveloped. But this is a minor criticism. The only thing that makes me hesitate to give it four stars is not any significant flaw within the episode but the desire to save four stars for episodes that are near the best of the season (if not the series)—and season three is so good that I am not quite sure if this episode should properly make the cut. Ultimately, I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and agree with Jammer’s four star rating. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s3/defector.php Fri, 17 May 2013 07:16:12 PDT William B http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/arrow2.php @Elliot: Thanks for the thoughtful response. A couple counterpoints: I really disagree that Voyager had the best cast. The Doctor is a classic character and Seven was a great (if overused) addition. But otherwise, the Voyager characters were badly developed. Some had their moments (Chakotay, Paris, Torres) and some were well-acted but poorly written (Janeway, Tuvok). But Kes, Kim and Neelix just bring the overall cast average down. Also, I think Enterprise had better character developments than you give it credit for. Trip was a strong character who had a real emotional arc in the final two years of the show. T'Pol was a weak character for two seasons, but became more interesting. Enterprise's biggest problem -- other than a terrible season 2 -- was Archer, who was not written well (too many swings from easy-going to Jack Bauer) and not well acted. It's a shame, because I'm a Scott Bakula fan, but he wasn't good in that role. I don't disagree that Avery Brooks wasn't great, but I thought Nana Visitor was one of the better actors in Trek. Colm Meaney was great, too. Other than TOS, I think DS9 had the best overall cast. TNG would get the nod, but the overuse of Troi (Trek's worst character not named Harry Kim) the overuse of Data (a great character who became a crutch in later seasons), the weird direction for Worf in the final season and Riker's marginalization in the final two years hurt the overall cast ratings, IMO. Now, was TNG the most daring? That's a really interesting thought. I suppose it was in that in tried to reboot the entire TV franchise and did it successfully. But a lot of it in the early days was just redone TOS ("Code of Honor" being the most obvious example) and it was standard episodic fair from the time. Still, I'd probably say TNG would be my favorite series if not for the seventh season. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/arrow2.php Fri, 17 May 2013 06:15:34 PDT Paul http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/preemptive.php One thing I wanted to add, I don't think it has to be an either/or situation. I believe humanity could reach Gene's vision, but we don't all improve at the same speed, there are always outliers. I don't think the Maquis or Section 31 or any of those themes necessarily have to trash humanity as a whole. Also I think the worst thing you could do is portray the paradise of the Federation as being easy, or even the inherent goodness of humans in the future as being easy. It's hard work, it's important to put those ideals under pressure. Your characters need to be able to make mistakes. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/preemptive.php Fri, 17 May 2013 05:18:00 PDT DavidK http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/extreme.php *unhelpful. The same can be said for Neelix, you'd think from what he went through in Mortal Coil would make him the perfect candidate for helping Torress through her difficult time. The rest of the crew at least have the excuse of not understanding and being too caught up in the mission, the more I think about it the more convinced I am that this needed at least one full episode in order to adequately cover such a relevant and important issue. It would be like trying to seriously cover a cancer story in a subplot, then abruptly ending it with "good news the alien of the week cured you!" *roll credits*... Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/extreme.php Fri, 17 May 2013 04:57:43 PDT Jo Jo Meastro http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/extreme.php I just wanted to add I agree with Elliots' comment about the way people suffering from depression can often turn that corner to break out of the numbness quite suddenly, depression is like a endless cycle of days when you can keep your head above water and days when you just get swallowed whole. I fortunately don't speak from personal experience but a lot of people close to me struggle with it so I understand it all too well. The episode did a respectable job in protraying the numb emptiness, if the ending had been more subtle and done more to suggest the every day struggle even on your good days; this may have been worthy of more praise. In all honesty they should have at least given the issue an entire episode, something akin to DS9s' Only A Paper Moon, the writers would be on to some powerful relevant stuff (which is what Star Trek is all about). Another thing, the Doctor really wasn't much help to Torress at all, I would have thought he'd be there for his patient a lot more instead of being so distant and Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-voy/s5/extreme.php Fri, 17 May 2013 04:40:39 PDT Jo Jo Meastro http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/allgood.php The sky's the limit! I choked up seeing the final scene of TNG, still do every time, and even did reading the last paragraph of the review. A beautiful ending to an amazing series. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/allgood.php Fri, 17 May 2013 03:50:40 PDT Cloudane http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/journeys.php @Cloudane, I liked Wesley too, and his sulky brattiness did annoy me too. In particular, as has been mentioned before, there was an easy way to write Wesley's dissatisfaction into the story in a way consistent with his past -- say that he was more deeply affected by the death of his Nova Squadron companion and his own role in it as well as the punishment and shame that was associated with it from "The First Duty." Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/journeys.php Fri, 17 May 2013 03:41:59 PDT William B http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/second.php @Claudane, technically not younger -- just with years less experience chasing other women. (Hint hint Commander.) Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/second.php Fri, 17 May 2013 03:39:36 PDT William B http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/journeys.php As one of the rare people who kind of liked Wesley (I was a young nerd kid myself) I really disliked the assassination of his character and turning him into a brat as a form of closure. Oh well. I wonder how the Traveller stuff would be seen if it were written today. Certain subjects have become more touchy in society, and I'm not sure in the modern day how they'd take "older guy who has always had a bit of a shine for this young boy stalks him and then takes him on a magical adventure" Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s7/journeys.php Fri, 17 May 2013 03:10:48 PDT Cloudane http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/second.php I remember a while back seeing this (knowing, I think, from future episodes that Tom Riker is a more "edgy" version and then coming back to it) as a classic example of the nerd frustration of "bad boy comes along and *instantly* snaps up the girl you've been trying to figure out how to win for the past 6 years" in its purest form: a younger and more determined version of your own self. Comments http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tng/s6/second.php Fri, 17 May 2013 03:00:06 PDT Cloudane