Star Trek: The Next Generation

“Birthright, Part I”

3 stars.

Air date: 2/22/1993
Written by Brannon Braga
Directed by Winrich Kolbe

Review Text

The Enterprise docks at Deep Space Nine to assist with Bajoran equipment repairs. While there, a Yridian who traffics in information (James Cromwell, nearly unrecognizable) approaches Worf and says that his father Mogh did not die at Khitomer 25 years ago but instead was taken prisoner and is still alive in a Romulan POW camp. Meanwhile, DS9's Doctor Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) comes aboard the Enterprise to run an experiment and becomes fascinated with Data. (Bashir is mostly interested in Data's human personality traits as programmed by his creator Soong; this plays into the story's theme about fathers and sons.)

"Birthright, Part I" is TNG's only explicit DS9 crossover episode. Looking back ex post facto, it's interesting, almost funny, to revisit this version of Julian Bashir, so greenly wide-eyed and enthusiastic, knowing how much more serious and grown-up he will become. That's really neither here nor there as far as this episode is concerned, but it was something that caught my attention.

What's of more relevance is when Data gets zapped by an energy beam and is knocked unconscious for about 45 seconds, during which he has an intriguing vision that includes his father. He spends much of the rest of the episode trying to reconcile the meaning of the imagery. He creates dozens of paintings of what he saw in the vision and ultimately decides to recreate the circumstances of his unconsciousness. While Data's subsequent exploration of this dream realm gets a little heavy on arty, new-agey mumbo jumbo and imagery, there's a resonance in the message Soong has for him that feels like a rare moment of actual growth for the character. By the end, Data realizes that he should shut down every night and try dreaming, to see where it might take him.

Meanwhile, Worf struggles with the idea that his father might be a live prisoner rather than having died at Khitomer (which, of course, would be a grave dishonor; what isn't a dishonor for Klingons?). This is mostly setup for the second part, but what we have here is reasonable table setting, as Worf travels with the Yridian to the Romulan prison camp and discovers that although his father did in fact die at Khitomer, there's an entire colony of Klingons that survived. Before this final revelation, however (which kind of feels like a bait-and-switch), "Birthright" is about two orphaned sons who are confronted with new things about their fathers that could significantly alter their own self-identities.

Previous episode: Tapestry
Next episode: Birthright, Part II

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50 comments on this post

    Found this one rather dull, and kept busying myself with other things.

    3 stars???? Sorry More like 2 or 2.5 stars. Bashir and DS9 were totally gratuitous and a waste, Bashir was annoying. The episode was plodding. And you could tell TNG was getting long in the tooth when they thought a show like this needed to be 2 parts--I mean really! By this point in the show the Klingon stories were yawn-inducing and the only interesting part was the possibility of Mogh was still alive except that never materialized.

    Also Data's new age soul searching wasn't any more involving.

    I agree this was a moment of true growth and progressio for Data. I loved the idea of him dreaming {and I really liked the follow-up in "Phantoms"}. Great visuals. I liked the ds9 element too, the whole episode had a large scale/scope to it really. And I always appreciate the crossover stuff, it reinforces how big and connected the whole universe of star trek is.
    Good worf-data connectio. Unfortuately part 2 was REALLY boring, dull and slow.
    I give part one 3.5 stars.

    I think 3 stars is a fair review. This didn't need to be a two parter, but I still think the final dream sequence is one of the best dream sequences in the entire series. It was just a beautiful atmospheric scene with a beautiful score.

    This is one of those episode's where the Berman-era musical directives really take their toll. The dream sequence was visually sufficient for the time, but the music is saccarine and minimal, totally sabotaging the moment. I giggle every time I see it.

    I found the Bashir scenes redundant and ponderous. I like talky, I enjoy patiently-paced dialogue scenes, but I need the characters to SAY something of interest. I think Data's general "who the fuck are you?" expression is very telling about how poorly the actors and director understood the scenes: ironic that the executors of an episode about identity crises seem not to understand what this show is about.

    Data's growth is a joke in the final seasons of TNG. With the exception of "All Good Things..." and ST: VIII, nothing after "Time's Arrow" feels genuine for the character. A shame really as he was given so much attention and was, by that point, such a strong and defining character in his own right.

    On the other hand, Worf's story (in this part of the 2-parter, anyway) is pretty strong. I didn't need it explained to me about Klingon suicide and honour and so forth; Mogh's death at the hands of the Romulans is such a key element of Worf's personality--his hesitation to get close to people, his lack of imagination and his commitment to duty--that to have this idea shattered was very involving. I recognised Cromwell the moment he spoke in that signature rasp of his, and boy does he sell the oily Yridian perfectly. It's also a shame then that part 2 was so terrible.

    Overall, this is a 2.5*

    Did anyone else notice how bad the makeup was? To me, Worf, the Yridian, and Data's makeup jobs were extremely artificial and plastic-y. Spiner's closeups really show his age lines and Data's color seems to change several times between scenes. Even some of the human characters seemed worn or overdone.
    I'm usually not picky about these sorts of things, but the crappy makeup on this episode really ruined it for me.

    I think the mystery should have been kept a bit more with the dream, it was quite intriguing before Noonian explained it to death.. Agree that we should have met Mogh, and that Bashir was gratuitous in this episode. Was surprised that they didn't throw Quark in.

    Doing these two stories together hurt both of them. Also I think it was dumb for Data to stand in front of a machine that they were working on. That to me is like working on an eletrical appliance with the plug in and the power on.

    DS9 tie-in was underwhelming and didn't realize potential. Data dream sequence had potential...but never "took off" IMO. Just seemed like simple pycho-babble + data's background. No sense of mystery for which dreams should have. The original concept from Ron Moore and Braga was more of an NDE...THAT would have been interesting! Can you imagine data being programmed with a "NDE" program for Data to experience when he was about to die? Would have been "meatier" than the dream sequence which was weak.

    I just saw this, and all of Bashir's dialogue would have made more sense coming from Geordi. It's nice to see Bashir, but they were shoehorning the role in an artificial way. Like making rebel Chekov into the idea lapdog in "The Way to Eden" (TOS)

    Having said that, Data's story is magnificent and the music almost has a Ron Jones style to it...

    While Part 2 is a major snooze, the first part definitely resonates with me. The A and B stories (really, the two A stories) compliment and echo each other in surprising ways: I liked how both Data and Worf's father issues and struggling to exist in a alien (human) society seemed to dovetail each other. I thought the dream program storyline is just fantastic- I knew they'd never give us a emotional Data (at least until the films) but it was nice to see him evolve. Continuity on TNG! ;)

    The dream sequences were wonderfully directed (although who was that person sitting in the corridor during the "crow's eye view"?) I don't know how they got the crow to respond to direction like that, but for once having an animal in an episode didn't seem gimmicky. (Note: Spot the Cat is immune from criticism.)

    And Bashir's appearance is actually a nice touch- it's nice to see the Enterprise actually go to a Starbase and see crews interact. Other than the Bynar episode, Starfleet mostly seemed to be made up of Excelsior class starships we never get to explore, Admirals on subspace, and Starfleet HQ in San Francisco.

    I also have to agree with "dpc"- for a later season episode, this really does have some effective music. The DS9 theme NEVER sounded better than here. (I just Googled it and the composer was Jay Chattaway. I'm sure the producers chastised him for writing it and they were wrong. It was nice to hear some REAL melody actually enhancing the drama.)

    Much better than I remembered it being. This is easily a 3-star episode.

    PS- Part 2 should have been about Data. Bo-ring!

    The big question for "Birthright, Part I" (I think we all know what the big question for Part II is) is "why was this story the one chosen for the DS9 crossover onto TNG?". The DS9 elements add virtually nothing to the show. This could literally have been done without any involvement from Bashir and without having the Enterprise even docked at the station. The closest DS9 comes to relevance here is that they needed some way for Worf to meet the Yridian. That obviously couldn't happen on the ship; they needed a setting like an open port-of-call like a space station. But, that could have been anywhere. It's a complete waste of the new show to have it used in so trivial a fashion.

    Then there's the DS9 component of Data's plot-line. What was the point of this?! Was it to showcase the new show and maybe draw some TNG viewers over to it (that's usually what crossover episodes are intended to do)? If so, then it was a complete and total failure! The only character we even meet from the DS9 crew is Bashir. (Well, okay, I guess Morn does make a cameo appearance.) And it's first season Bashir, no less! I've heard that it was originally intended for Dax to be the crossover character here, not Bashir. Well, that wouldn't have been much better. Season One Dax is just about as insufferable as Season One Bashir. These early DS9-TNG crossovers were all subject to the exact same problem - they all dull as fucking dishwater! Even Q's appearance over on DS9's first season was dull, bland and uneventful. This really doesn't do a service to DS9. All it does is make it look unappealing. And, it does a disservice to TNG as well by bogging it down with this boring crap! But beyond even that, what did Bashir even add to the mix here? He's barely in the episode to begin with. When he is around all he does is stare in dewy-eyed amazement at Data. That is, of course, when he isn't making himself look like a complete dipshit - "Oh hey, I have a mysterious piece of Gamma Quadrant alien technology. I think it's a medical scanner but I really don't know. I think I'll just go hook it up to the main computer of the fleet's flagship without any authorization or warning. I'm sure that won't go wrong!" Yeah, dipshit! This was supposed to be the introduction to DS9 for people who hadn't signed up yet? Good grief, at least VOY got it right and had Quark as its crossover character - he at least brings something enjoyable to the table. I mean, we don't even find out what the device from the Gamma Quadrant actually was! It's nothing more than a McGuffin to fuel Data's dreaming. In other words, DS9 wasn't needed for it! Oh, and by the way, Worf straight up assaults, blackmails and threatens to murder the Yridian on the Promenade in full view of passersby and Odo is nowhere to be seen (and neither are any of his deputies)? That must be the first and only time something like that happens!

    But enough about the complete and utter waste of a DS9 crossover. Let's focus on Data learning to dream. This is actually a pretty intriguing concept and could have been a worthwhile episode in its own right. Maybe we could have gotten something like Data exploring all those "religious/philosophical/cultural symbols and interpretations" he mentions to Picard on the holodeck or something along those lines. But, sadly, it's so woefully underdeveloped. If it hadn't been paired with the Bashir appearances or with Worf's plot-line, it could have possibly been developed into a nice look at dreams and what they mean for people, as well as some nice character growth for Data. But, instead, we get a bunch of new-age, hippy claptrap. It has the feeling of (put on your best hippy voice here) - "Yeah, man, it's like the wings and the birds, man. And your dad is the blacksmith hammering your soul. Wow, man, that's deep! And then you're the bird and stuff and.... duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude, I saw the center of the Earth, man!" Seriously? This is where they wanted to go with this idea? Talk about another failure. The use of Data's dreaming was better used in "Phastasms" and that's no masterpiece of an episode either.

    Then Worf, after doing some truly unnecessary soul-searching, decides to go look for his father. This the only passable section of the episode. But even it has its problems. Namely, like Jammer said, it's nothing but window dressing for Part II; and it's not particularly interesting window dressing either. Most of it could have (and should have) been cut and that time spent on Data's story. Most of Worf's soul-searching, his threatening of the Yridian and most of their banter in the Yridian's ship spring immediately to mind as things that could have easily been excised. It's not bad, but it's not good either - it's mostly just padding. But more on that when I get to Part II.

    And, finally, all the talk about this being about orphans and their fathers really rings hollow for me. Now, again, I'm not saying that an A/B structured episode has to have the two plots inter-relate with each other. One of my favorite episodes of DS9 has two plotlines that never actually connect with each other in a narrative fashion. But these two - why jam them together? They don't even relate thematically. Data's story is about him learning to dream and, oh yeah, his dad just happens to be involved. Worf's story is about a son setting out to find, and possibly rescue, his father and Mogh is absolutely, 100% essential.

    So, "Birthright, Part I" is... well, I suppose it's not as bad as it could have been. There's nothing downright offensive or simply unwatchable about it. It's certainly nowhere near a zero rating or as bad as "Man of the People" or "Aquiel." But, still, given what it sets out to do, it's quite a dud.

    3/10

    Has there been a less compelling two parter intro than this? It takes a long time to get where it's going and the two main themes are simply not carried over in an interesting way. Data's visions are a bit too spacey, and Worf's story has some interesting elements (his desire to find his father, even if that results in dishonour for him and his heirs), it's not truly explored.

    I can't also help think that the ball was dropped in regard to the DS9 crossover. A few more cameos, apart from Bashir? Let's face it, this episode could have been set anywhere. Ah well, at least we get to see Morn.... 2 stars.

    Hello Everyone

    I rather liked the Data storyline in this one. Yes, even watching it first-run in the 90's, I instantly knew Data was going to be zapped by the machine. But I liked seeing him 'fly' around the ship, as in a dream. And I didn't notice the first time that Soong was crafting a wing for a bird, and since Data was the bird, Soong was creating Data. :)

    I never quite understood how Bashir would jump to the conclusion that the machine was medical in nature. He admitted he did not know how it worked, so that is quite a leap. I kept wondering why they didn't call Geordi in to take a look at it. He likes new, strange things, and would probably enjoy fooling around with it.

    My comments on the Romulans, Klingons and other various items are on the page for Part II.

    I do believe I'd have liked it better if Part II had been set weeks or months later though, instead of seeming like days.

    Regards... RT

    This sucked badly. The entire data string was another forced attempt to humanize data. With some random bs about crows and hey! Lets get brent spiner in here without makeup.... yahoo.
    Maybe what made it worse was that they forced the DS9 Line with worf and his own totally unrelated problems on top of it. This episode was a complete sham.
    If anyone disagrees pleas explain bashir and his contraption brought aboard unannounced to zap data into his dreams.

    I can clearly see this was a clever attempt of the of the producers to meld 1.5 episodes (birthright) to a half episode (data) all the while tying into DS9 which had just been launched.

    Great job at multi-tasking, bad execution for all stories combined.
    It would have been better if they made birthright a standalone episode and tied datas dream sequence into ds9 kickoff party somehow or just drop the latter altogether.

    OK, not a great episode, but there were a few things I liked. Bashir's interaction with Data asked questions that had occurred to me also. Does his hair grow? And what is it about that breathing I've been seeing going on for years! There were other things about Bashir I liked also, including his aversion to beets that I shared (an endearing quality if ever there was one!), but that one's confined to DS9. These are certainly not ground-breaking reveals but details that occurred in idle moments (like a majority of the show). Maybe that's a bit harsh but I didn't feel drawn in by any of the story lines.

    James Cromwell, nearly unrecognizable? LOL. Let's not insult the man and go with unrecognizable.

    If it weren't for the fact they were filming "Move Along Home" at the same time, having the entire DS9 cast cameo in it would have likely made the show better, or at least having an O'Brien-Picard meeting or even a Sisko-Picard meeting. It'd have certainly been interesting to have seen Worf meet Odo long before they would meet and work together again.

    Not sure why they did the Data subplot only to completely drop it during the second part of this "two-parter". They could have made it a character developing moment but instead it came off as "oh by the way Data can do this now too isn't that cool okay back to Worf". Do androids dream of electric sheep? Apparently not. The "dreams" were more interesting when they appeared to be some sort of near death experience, they should have gone with that and pushed it to being the main plot.

    The doctor from the other show showing up and screwing around in sickbay without authorization was stupid. If we're supposed to consider the guy competent shouldn't he be shown following the rules, or at least breaking them for a reason other than "oops I guess I forgot lol court marshals don't happen to main characters."

    Okay, it was a little funny watching the guy having a severe crush on Data, and Data's reactions to it (in some scenes he's got that insufferably smug look he sometimes gets (how did Spiner get away with that, I wonder), in others he seems severely weirded out by it). But I could've sworn in a previous episode Data stated his hair didn't grow, and given how long Lore survived in space I think he's under exaggerated how much he doesn't need to "breath". (Now that we're explicitly told he apparently has a "respiratory system" that cools internal components like the fans on a pc I imagine him periodically popping himself open and having a go at it with some canned air---too funny! No wonder he was trying to figure out how to sneeze back in season 1.)

    We never did find out what that machine actually was. A machine that makes robots dream, I guess. Looks like the doctor was way off the mark on it being a medical scanner.

    I'm getting a little bored of Worf's Klingon storylines by now. We get it, he has issues, but quit bringing them up unless you're going to show him working past them, he's getting stagnate. I'll admit, it's a little fun seeing Worf enjoying plastic pasta and roughing up some ugly alien, but once he actually found the Klingons things got pretty dull.

    It was obvious from the get-go this episode was going to be a bad one when the first thing Bev Crusher wants to do on station is visit the holodeck... you can't do that on The Enterprise (?!)

    @Luke: glad someone else noticed worf's bad behaviour. He threatened to kill the Yridian if he didn't take him to the prison. Very un-starfleet.

    I watched this one right after 'Aquiel'...whoa. Talk about a contrast. This is an absorbing drama on two fronts: Worf investigating the prison camp hoping to find his father, and Data exploring a vision of his creator Dr. Soong. The backdrop of Deep Space Nine is surprisingly underutilized, as Dr. Bashir is the only character from that series to actually make an appearance (unless you count Morn), and he's as irritating as ever - although his interest in Data helps a bit. Data's story is rather murky and new-agey, but the ability to dream does add something new to his character. Worf's situation will be more complicated, as the Romulan prison(?) camp he sneaks into is obviously not what it seems. A very good setup that left me looking forward to part two.

    Just watch this one in 2017 on Blu-Ray. It was a lot better than I remember, at least Part 1 was.

    Things I liked:
    -The scene where Worf is giving Data advice about his vision. Worf talks about the importance of one's father. This is one of the most moving scenes in the series, with the way the camera pans around and the music plays.
    -Picard saying that Data is a "culture of one." I never thought about it that way.
    -The thought of Worf's father possibly being alive. It's quite a revelation.
    -The dark side of Worf emerging.
    -The elder Klingon sharing his memories of Worf as a child. It's adds another piece to Worf's background. His life before his foster parents was never discussed before, to my knowledge.

    Things I didn't like:
    -WAY too much time is spent on Data trying to find meaning from his initial dream.
    -It was never revealed what the medical device was used for.
    -The crew of the Enterprise on board Deep Space Nine acting like replicated food and holodecks are some new thing

    3 Stars

    Not a bad first parter. Data's dreams were rather trippy and mysterious. Our human dreams are very difficult to understand so it's not surprising that Data is confused.

    The Word segment was tripping because we've had multiple storylines revolving around his father. The revelation that he might still be alive was a nice twist in Words arc.

    I don't get why so many here crave an appearance from O'Brien to show up and recite a few lines. The man crush on him is baffling.

    Darned autotype. My second paragraph was supposed to read "The Worf segment was gripping because we've had multiple storylines revolving around his father."

    The sequence where Data dreams he is a bird and he flies through the ship and eventually out into space is one of the most mesmerizing, beautiful, and creative sequences in all of dramatic art. It's just so awe inspiring! It's sequences like this in TNG--sequences that are "out-there" and unique in a highly creative off the wall sort of way-- that make TNG not just a great dramatic show, but a wonderful work of cinematic art. It's stuff like this that transcend the medium and make TNG a mythology that becomes part of the collective consciousness. Totally heavenly.

    For this sequence alone, and similar sequences, this episode is worth 3 stars. Plus a pretty good story...equals 3.5 stars.

    A rather dull affair that doesn't seem to have the story to go with making use of DS9 and revisiting the Khitomer massacre of Klingons by the Romulans. The potential of adding to that historical tale is intriguing, but it's not realized here unfortunately. The dishonor thing is a strong motivator for Worf to find his father, but this A-plot was slow to get going.

    Data's quest to understand his visions did not do it for me -- what "character development" he gets out of this isn't worth the time spent on all the nebulous aspects of interpreting his visions.

    So this is an episode about the importance of the father figure -- Worf realizes he should pursue the Yridian's info to learn about his father after telling Data to learn about his own father, Soong. I found the Data/vision subplot to be particularly dull and arbitrary. So Data decides he should try dreaming -- big deal. Ultimately, this Data dreaming subplot is filler material to turn "Birthright" into a 2-parter.

    I guess the episode does a good job creating some intrigue for the 2nd part given that the Klingons make it clear that they don't want to leave / can't leave and that Worf is to be a prisoner there. Hope Data's dreaming is not part of Part II!

    A low 2 stars for "Birthright, Part I" -- just too much padding here, really don't know how Jammer rates this 3 stars. Data's quest to be more human is an often visited theme on TNG but this aspect of dreaming/visions does not lead to some specific human characteristic like love etc. What Data was going through just was not interesting. Most of the Worf subplot was just mechanical but at least it ends with leaving the viewer wondering what's up in this prison camp with Klingons apparently having freedom with Romulans about.

    What a yawn. Boring stupid episode. Everyone acts like an idiot. DS9 is pointless as a setting.

    8/10

    I enjoyed the Data story as I do most if not all Data stories. I remembered the clanking hammer from first seeing this episode so many years ago. Spiner playing both Data and Soong is a treat. I had hoped to see more of the DS9 characters to be honest.

    The Worf story is okay and continues his arc. The forested planet reminded me of Worf and Jadzia on that mission to rescue a defector.

    Does Data dream of electric crows?
    More Worf ninja stuff-always ends badly.

    Man, I liked this one -- both the Data and the Worf stories -- but yeah, they coulda done so much more with a DS9 crossover. Instead we get pointless Bashir and also the food on the Promenade sucks, what else is new.

    I realize DS9 has a wild west type atmosphere to it, but I'm still doubtful a Starfleet officer could get away with holding someone over a railing 15 feet up with half a dozen other officers watching.

    Loved the wide angle, low shot camerawork during the dream sequences.

    James Cromwell is lookin' pretty bad. Did he go to warp 10 and have lizard babies with Janeway, too? It's really more the Janeway part than the warp 10.

    Not great, and the Worf parts ultimately have terrible payoff in part 2.

    For me, the Bashir/Data parts are pretty well, probably because Julian is intentionally a Scrappy saved from the heap, as TV Tropes calls it. Bashir is silly here, but completely consistent with his contemporary DS9 character. The Data stuff isn’t bad at all, and gives some amount of character growth.

    The Worf stuff is already trite and cheesy by now. Klingons aren’t/don’t take prisoners unless we’re captured or need to or whatever. Blah. Garbage.

    Maybe Worf should've just left a box of milk tray in the camp then buggered off, considering that gear he was wearing....

    Is it just me or does a 'protein bath' sound dirty ?
    And on an ornithological note - it's a raven not a crow....unsure if this has any relevance ? Seems unlikely that Data would be channeling Norse mythology ?

    I’ll save most of my comments when I’ve rewatched Part 2 but…

    Data on LSD! Yes I remember that. Probably what I remember most about the episode, the brilliant psychedelic landscape that TNG wandered into. I’d forgotten that it was also the “TNG meets DS9” story and that Dr Bashir came on-board.

    I have always loved this one. It’s quirky and different from the normal routine. I hope Part 2 is as good, though I can’t remember right now…

    I’ll give it 4 stars, though I’m tempted to deduct 0.1 star for the producers thinking we are so stupid that we would believe that a genius like Dr Soong would gratuitously insert a panel of lazily and randomly flashing red, green, and orange LEDs into Data’s head for no good reason… (useful at Christmas perhaps, if Data could be persuaded to stand in your living room for 12 days with part of his head removed, and wearing a Santa outfit while balancing a cardboard star on his skull, a heap of wrapped presents at his feet, and singing Christmas songs from a variety of different galactic cultures).

    That is how genius Soong was. He put those LEDs in on purpose so that the primitive Humans would not be freaked out by Datas brain. He also made sure that the LEDs blink in a way that calms us down. You look at those LEDs and think:" Everything is alright up there. This android is completely harmless and certainly will not murder me and destroy the Utopia Planitia shipyards"
    https://i0.wp.com/readysteadycut.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/01/F8.jpeg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1

    @Booming

    "He also made sure that the LEDs blink in a way that calms us down"

    LOL. I think I'd be calmer watching Worf practice Tai Chi'plakk...

    @Tidd
    Ok, I hear ya but picture this. You are on an away mission. Things have gone awry as they often do and it's only you, Worf and Data and you are one spoiled food ration away from sitting down and crying for ~30 minutes. What calms you down more? Data opening his head and showing you all the little funny lights blinking away like nothing is wrong or Worf starting to practice Tai Chi'plakk? Let me tell you, if Worf starts to train murdering people I will start dictating my last will to the tricorder...

    Sigh...

    Now Data is having a near-death experience...

    And wants to engage in meditation...

    And delves into religious exegeses...

    And "visions" and "trips"...

    🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

    What on earth happened to this show...?

    If this wasn't a two-parter, I'd have moved on after 15 or so minutes but I felt guilty skipping the previous one plus these TWO episodes so I persevered. I had it mostly in the background and, even then, had to pause it every few minutes. Fast-forwarded through the Data nonsense. Still took me most of the day just to plow through this first part.

    I'm glad I stuck around because the Worf angle was more interesting although the whole "it brings dishonor to three generations" bit really had me rolling my eyes almost out of their sockets. Worf's antics, obstinacy, bigotry, parochialism, jingoism, and sheer bloody-mindedness in the second part were extremely disappointing. So, so ridiculous...

    However, it all provides a very salutary lesson about the inherent dangers of group-think and collectivism, which are very much in vogue these days, especially among the lunatic Leftists. They rightly denounce religion for its excesses and for impinging on individual freedom, yet they aim to impose a different collectivist dogma on us all (statism, socialism, politically-correct right-think, etc.). The antithesis to the Religious Right is not Socialist/Globalist Left; it is individual freedom. For the smallest and most vulnerable minority is indeed the individual.

    A bird born in a cage thinks liberty is a disease.

    The Romulan-Klingon chick is hot!

    Okay, so I was giving this Worf thing some more thought afterward (I guess it's a testament to the quality of an episode, if it or something it brings up sticks in your head afterward) and I realized that my comments above may seem contradictory. How can I be advocating for individual freedom but simultaneously reproach Worf for seeking to awaken the community portrayed here to the fact that it's living in a type of "slavery"?

    My issue is not with Worf trying to make them alive to the realities of their situation--I very much support that: Stirring the thirst for FREEDOM in a person is one of the noblest things a man can do--but the argument(s) he uses to do so. He's not focusing on every living entity's unalienable right to make his/her free choices in and about life; rather, he appeals to "tradition." He argues that the "prisoners" should seek change not for the sake of asserting personal sovereignty and gaining liberty but because they ought to feel beholden to "their" traditional codes of behavior. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Replace one form of bondage, both physical and mental, with another.

    Not Worf's finest hour, that's for damn sure.

    In one of the corridor scenes aboard the Enterprise Bashir is wearing white tennis shoes.

    @Squiggy - I noticed that too. I thought it was just my imagination, but after reading your comment I went back and double-checked: Bashir is definitely wearing white shoes!

    Reminds me of the movie Flatliners. I found it slow and plodding too, I'd give it a 2.5 ish.

    I would think that the reason the Enterprise crew would want to try food and holo-programs on DS-9 would be because DS-9 is a hub of trade.
    The Enterprise would come programmed with standard foods and holodeck programs and of course, you can make your own if you have the knowhow.
    So really, any base and especially a trade port would have access to some new and cool stuff. And if Quark was the owner, you know it would be protected from being copied (profit!)

    I loved the idea of Data being able to grow as a thinking being and learn to dream. It makes me wonder if that was something Lore was missing and it made him crazier.

    This was a decent episode, but it was a really lazy crossover with DS9. There is literally no reason why this episode had to take place on DS9. It felt like they just took a script they already had written and tweaked it so that it was on DS9 and wrote Bashir into it.

    Bashir's presence in the Data plotline contributes nothing other than a fresh voice to say "Hey, an Android. Cool!" Once we got past that, Bashir might as well be any random member of engineering. A random engineer would actually make more sense, as a medical doctor really has no place helping with an experiment on an android.

    The only benefit the Worf plot has from the DS9 setting, is its a believable place for someone to approach Worf with information on his father. But they literally could have done that just as easily at any station, planet, etc. They could have also had the person contact Worf remotely. It wouldnt be a big stretch of the imagination.

    Basically, for it to have really been a worthwhile crossover, they should have utilized more of the DS9 cast (have O'Brien say hi) and have DS9 serve a more crucial role in the story.

    Why does Worf like the pasta? Is the joke that he's gone so far beyond his Klingon tastes that he now likes *bad* human food? Shouldn't he want gaQh or bloodworms or something? On DS9, the crossroads of the galaxy, the only thing he wants to eat is bad pasta? I don't get it! And it's enthralling enough that the alien sneaks up on him, a trained and seasoned Klingon warrior and Starfleet security officer!

    Such a weird way to start off an episode.

    That food gag is basically reused from "Time Squared." I guess the joke is how alien Worf is?

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