How do I begin to sum up 'The Visitor'? It's not only one of the finest episodes in all of Star Trek, it's one of the best pieces of television ever made. Every time I see it, I end up in tears. But it's not an overly sentimental tearjerker, it's subtle and honest in its storytelling. It's delightfully simple and self-contained, making it something that you can watch even if you've never seen any of DS9 before.
I think what clicks for me always is the performances. Everything that makes Avery Brooks my favourite Star Trek captain is displayed here, not only because of his performance but because of what he allowed Captain Sisko to be. He's a family man and a father before he is a Starfleet officer, and he's never afraid to show his vulnerable and caring side. Duty is important to him, but it's with the simple things in life that his heart really lies.
To complement that, Cirroc Lofton as Jake is probably the best he's ever been so far. The moment where his father first comes back and asks how he's doing, and instead of being able to reply he just starts to cry sums up so much of their close father/son relationship. Jake really needs his dad, even relies on him and there's a really deep love between them, undoubtedly solidified more since he lost his mother. We can see that without his dad, Jake turns completely away from the life he could have and shuts the doors to so many other people and paths. My favourite moment is actually the last time Sisko appears and he just watches old Jake sleeping with such a lovely expression on his face.
Then there's Tony Todd playing the older Jake who also is magnificent. While the old-age makeup effects still look kind of terrible (always a problem, they looked terrible back in the 1990s too), the performances are fortunately able to come through. He also has a great chemistry with the young lady playing Melanie.
Maybe there's a bit too much technobabble at moments, butI love this episode and it will make you want to go and see your dad.
That was 45 minutes of pure Star Wars joy. I can't fault a single thing about it. Excellent character work, deep lore exploration and stunning visuals. Glorious.
Among the purest representations of what Star Trek is all about, 'Darmok' is near enough a masterpiece. It's a beautiful look at the language barrier between two people when you don't understand how the other person communicates. It's exciting, at times bewildering and ultimately sad.
Of course, it's got issues. The concept of the language based around metaphors seems inherently flawed (how do you have a normal conversation with someone? How do you order a meal off a menu? How do you potty train your child? How do you teach your children the stories in the first place?) but it also works because the point is we find it incomprehensible. It's alien. There are ways to answer my questions (maybe the aliens have some telepathic abilities, or pass down genetic memories) that really don't matter in the grand scheme.
Patrick Stewart is on top form as always, but he's given a run for his money with guest star Paul Winfield as the alien captain. There's also a brief glimpse of a very young Ashley Judd in what looks to be her first ever on-screen acting job, and she will return in the future.
It's a compelling mystery episode with tension and excitement. The crew of the Enterprise all have great scenes trying to solve the problem while Picard struggles to understand his companion and how to stay alive. Also, I really love the uniform jacket that Picard wears here for the first time.
Absolutely beautiful. At the time, Trek was able to do stories that other shows couldn't (in today's TV landscape that's far less true) and this is a prime example. It works so well because Hallie Todd's adorable child-like performance, and Brent Spiner being able to play off that so well. Picard gets a great scene standing up to the Admiral, too.
Certainly made me cry, and laugh a lot at Riker's brief scene.
IT'S A FAAAAAAAKE!
Can you believe that THIS is the episode I somehow managed to miss when first broadcast? I had to wait quite some time before I got to see it.
Often touted as the best Star Trek episode ever, I'm not sure I quite agree with that but it's definitely in the top 10. This is daring and goes completely against everything that the franchise has been about. It's not quite the shocking tale some promote it as, but still. The main character, our hero, manages to lie and cheat, and eventually be an accessory to murder all in the name of the greater good (the greater good).
It's quite a sedate ride, but it all comes together so well at the end. This is about the intrigue and mystery of what's going on, and the anticipation of the reveal. It's exquisitely put together and the acting from both Avery Brooks and Andrew Robinson is wonderful.
The closing moments are a real high point. Sisko tries to convince himself that he can live with his choices, but it becomes more of a statement of hope rather than fact. The Captain may have to continue lying, if only to himself.
I'm now reading the novel 'Hollow Men' which is a direct sequel to this episode and deals with the aftermath.
Nothing else in season 1 quite prepares you for this. An absolute tour-de-force of writing and acting produces not only the best episode of the season, not only one of the best episodes of DS9, but one of the best of the entire Star Trek franchise. Screw it, it's among the best hours of television ever made.
The atrocities of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor are brought into the light and we get our first real understanding of what went on. The fierce and judgemental nature of Kira makes a lot more sense after seeing this, and the first season of the show turns out to be very much about shaping her character going forward. She's full of hate, and as the season has progressed we've seen her discover more and more that it's something she needs to let go of. It also goes a long way towards finally humanising (for lack of a better word) Cardassians.
It plays to the strengths of the show at this point in time: it's a small scale story completely focused on character. The various dialogues between Major Kira and her Cardassian prisoner are the high points in that they overshadow everything else. Fortunately, there's no B-story here in the background to take away from it. Nana Visitor pulls out a very strong and nuanced performance, but it's really guest star Harris Yulin as Marritza/Dar'heel who grabs your attention. He manages to give us something that we just can't take our eyes away from, and his voice is mesmerising. There are lines here which have been stuck rattling around in my head for 20 years.
Surprisingly, this is the first appearance of Gul Dukat since the pilot episode. I'd forgotten how little he appears early on. But his part in this is great as ever, and his reminiscence of playing games with Odo is quite fun.
The ending might be a bit groan-inducing but that somehow doesn't take away from it's power at all, and I particularly like the surprise on Kira's own face when she says, "no, it's not." An essential piece of viewing and a clear indication of how powerful this show is going to become..
One of my favourite episodes of the entire series. Even the kind of cheesy b-story doesn't take away from how involved I always get in this gorgeous piece of storytelling. It's a wonderful examination of Odo's past and the reason he has the personality he does. He gets to work out the issues he's always had with the man who raised him and experiences a new kind of love and affection for a helpless being.
The arguments between him and Dr. Mora are really wonderfully written. And Quark gets nothing but fantastic moments, too. In regards to the return of Odo's shape shifting abilities, I think it was probably a done a bit too early but that doesn't detract from what a wonderful sequence it is. I don't feel like Odo really had the time to learn much from being a solid.
Kira finally gives birth, and it's played for laughs. I'm okay with that, I love that this show focuses on characters. The Kira/Miles/Keiko triangle has been a lot of fun to watch, and it comes to a bittersweet end. It's just a bit of a missed opportunity that Worf wasn't involved in the birth somehow.
While I can't say for sure, 'Cause and Effect' has the distinction of being my earliest memory of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. And what an introduction, this remains one of the most fun, exciting and well put together episodes of the series. Pre-dating Groundhog Day by a couple of years, it's an incredibly daring and inventive episode about being caught in a time loop. Nothing like it had been done before, certainly not on television, and it's creative use of narrative structure was utterly new. And how often do we get to see the Enterprise destroyed?
I like the fact that every scene was filmed multiple times instead of just reusing the footage. I also think that Gates McFadden is able to carry the episode very well, much like she did in 'Remember Me'. Seeing Kelsey Grammar pop up at the end is a joy, I'd love it if we'd had a follow up episode letting us know what became of him and his crew.
It's hard to reconcile in my head the fact that one of my favourite episodes ever was written by one of my most hated writers and one of the people I hold responsible for driving the franchise into the ground.
I love that this episode doesn't even attempt to hide the fact that it's based on Groundhog Day by just having Jack name drop it towards the end. Really hilarious and a joy to watch every time. And then it hits you with surprisingly strong emotional beats!
The only thing that stands out as odd to me was that they seem to make Jack more stupid than usual, notably with him trying to tape record the events of a previous loop and thinking that would work.
Wow. Talk about sticking the landing. There's a lot to process for me here, but this was so emotionally powerful, epic and thematically beautiful. I am so excited to be a Star Trek fan right now with the thought of everything that may lie ahead.
This show has such a good ensemble cast too, I'm completely in love with these characters.
The theme of this season has been there in the title sequence from the first episode: Picard, a broken man, needing to heal and be put back together. His guilt over the death of Data needed closure, his emotional resistance to needing others needed to be addressed. He's been missing a family and he needed to forge a new one. He needed purpose. It managed to fulfil this wonderfully.
My main criticism is what a ridiculous character Commodore Oh was. She kept preparing to cleanse the planet without actually doing it. It was like watching a children's cartoon whenever she was on, the only thing missing was her twirling a moustache and saying "mwah ha ha haa!"
This episode is a work of art.
I'm trying to find an emoji that represents my facial expression during THAT Kira/Damar scene. "Yeah, Damar. What kind of people?"
No luck so far.
If I ever have another pet I'm naming it Nerys. Or maybe my next guitar.
Garak was gold during this whole thing. And then, after a quite excellent scene with Ezri dropping some political wisdom, we get killing a character we've been watching since TNG. Wow. My only complaint is that the fight is over a bit too quickly.
Julian and Miles' plan to lure a Section 31 agent to the station doesn't sound as smart to me as the two of them seem to think.
This episode is genius. It's a labour of love from all involved and just worked out perfectly. The producers made a great choice by selecting 'The Trouble with Tribbles' as the episode that DS9 would revisit, as it's one of the best of the original series and allows for all the comedy that follows.
What struck me watching it now is that the special effects from this episode, made in 1996, still stand up. The integration of the DS9 cast into the 1960s episode is nearly (not quite, but nearly) flawless. The attention to detail on the set design is great, and the cinematography matches The Original Series exactly.
On top of all that, the script is fantastic. Sisko, Dax, Bashir, Odo, Worf and O'Brien all get to have a lot of fun while remaining beautifully in character. The episode certainly isn't anything more than a fun deviation and has no bearing on the continuing plot of DS9, but it's a wonderful tribute made for the 30th anniversary of the franchise, and absolutely essential viewing.
Plus, it introduced the quite hilarious concept of the Department of Temporal Investigations. While we unfortunately won't see them again in the shows, they'll get a bunch of novels written about them.
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. A good doc should be detailed and engaging, but it should also tell a story. This does that effortlessly and there wasn't one moment across the 6 hours of it where I wasn't mesmerised.
I can't say I was even particularly interested in the behind-the-scenes world of the Disney theme parks, but this revealed things I had never even considered. The people ("imagineers") involved in making these things are so creative and talented, and the level of detail and craftsmanship they put into their work is incredible.
The last time I went to a Disney park was in 1997 on a family trip to Florida. We did Disney World, Epcot and MGM Studios. I also went to Disneyland Paris (then called Euro Disney) at some point in the early/mid '90s. They were all fantastic experiences, but I was really curious to see how the parks must have been updated in the time since then. They are all constantly changing and it's quite amazing to see how the creators keep them relevant.
I liked that this wasn't shy about exploring the things that didn't work and the mistakes made along the way. It was great to see them realise that they needed to understand and respect other cultures before they could slap an American theme park in different country.
The music in this one increased the anxiety and emotion to a huge degree. It was like a Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross Star Wars score at times! Honestly, it was making my heart thump.
I knew Order 66 from the perspective of this show was going to pack a punch, and it was as powerful as expected. Did Rex shed a tear as he tried to resist? Ahsoka's escape was maybe all a bit contrived but was also true to her creative nature. Mace Windu pointedly addressing her as a "citizen" was really cold.
I did love the way she subverted expectations upon rescuing Maul, and then telling him no they were not going to work together - you're just my diversion.
The show just keeps stepping it up. This was a joyous adventure full of fun and making full use of the characters. Ethan Peck is bringing so many good things to his portrayal of Spock. Pike's pirate excursion was delightful and I'm becoming genuinely heartbroken for how Chapel's feelings are being thrown around.
The real star here turned out to be Jesse James Keitel who absolutely slayed it, creating a character that I am super eager to see return. Slightly less impressive was the pirate Remy who felt like he was there only for joke purposes. Still fun though, especially as we got to see Pike in armoured apron.
And wow, that ending twist! I didn't even realise how much I wanted that until it happened.
Keep doing what you're doing, Strange New Worlds. This is so much fun. I just wish we were getting more Hemmer.
This was glorious. The stunning stylised 3D art reminded me of the sort of thing seen in Telltale games (and, oddly enough, old LucasArts adventures like Full Throttle), but obviously much more detailed. And so colourful! Visually this just ticked all the right boxes for me. The story itself was exciting and felt pretty unique (farmers with mechs battling giant insect aliens) and allowed for defined characters to come through despite the short run time.
Not quite the "feminist Western" which Netflix seemed to promote it as, but that's fine because it didn't need to be. Godless is a lush and rich Western miniseries which somehow feels fresh while still embodying many tropes of the genre. We have a tired sheriff with an overeager deputy, a band of outlaws seeking revenge and a mysterious stranger on the run. All this happens in and around a town populated almost entirely by (badass) women.
It's to the shows credit that it makes each of these clichés feel unique and interesting. The sheriff is losing his eyesight and is regarded as a coward by the women he's charged with protecting, while simultaneously struggling with feelings of resentment to his own little daughter. The evil outlaw (played superbly by Jeff Daniels) is actually a man capable of incredible compassion and acts of love alongside his brutality. And Whitey, the overeager deputy, turns out to be one of the most enjoyable and unpredictable characters in the whole thing.
But it's the girls of La Belle who do manage to steal a good portion of the show. Maggie is tough as nails and doesn't back down an inch when confronted with male posturing, as well as being engaged in a very natural relationship with Callie. Meanwhile, Alice lives her life exactly on her own terms as she raises her son along with her (awesome) Native American mother-in-law.
Godless is not an action-fest, although when things go down it's extremely satisfying. This is more of a measured story which lets things breathe. The cinematography is absolutely glorious and my jaw dropped at the staging of several scenes. I found it to the show's benefit that we spent so much time just taking things in as my attachment to the characters grew more and more. To give a specific example there's an episode in which a lot of time is spent with horses, and while it doesn't further the plot significantly, it pays off down the line and only allowed me to enjoy the experience all the more.
The cast are uniformly excellent, and it's easy to forget that three of the main characters are Brits. The writing is also of a high quality, and while this is not in the same league as the poetry and magnificence of Deadwood, it's very much going for a different vibe and doing its own thing. This feels more like an epic Western whereas the HBO show had a tighter focus on the comings and goings of the town it was set in.
That's not to say the show is perfect. I'm definitely not the first to notice, but there are a number of plot threads which are introduced but go absolutely nowhere. We meet characters like John Doe who have a mystery set up and then no more is given to us. We don't really get any huge revelations into Bill's past with his wife or situation, and what the Indian and his dog were all about. The (fantastic) German character Martha is only introduced at the very end. And we don't even get a proper explanation as to why Roy betrayed Frank in the first place. It definitely feels to me like there is plenty of room for a continuation, but this appears to be a one-off.
But I absolutely loved Godless. It manages to be incredibly satisfying despite its flaws, is one of the best looking shows you can watch right now and when it kicks off the thrills are absolutely glorious.
An absolutely wonderful beginning. All the spirit of classic Trek, characters that are vibrant, a sense of fun and adventure, and it brings up relevant modern issues like Trek always has. I can't wait to see where we go from here. Anson Mount and Ethan Peck are just brilliant in their roles as we already knew, but the new cast seem to fit immediately too. Celia Rose Gooding in particular captured the vibe of Uhura very well, even though we saw so little of her. And that was a nice little surprise with the Lieutenant at the end.
Incredibly compelling stuff that forced me to question a lot. Started off fun with Holden attempting to teach children, and ended with a pretty bad taste in my mouth. A lot of resentment going round here. Also, damn you Patrick and Debbie.
Absolutely excellent, probably the best episode of the season so far. Some real edge-of-your-seat enjoyment with stunning visuals.
I get emotional every time. Deep Space Nine ends with a beautiful farewell that manages to cover a lot of bases. It wraps up the Dominion War and gives - mostly - satisfying farewells for these characters. This show had by far the characters with the most depth and development in the franchise. There is no room for arguing that fact at all. They felt real. They had faults and they had arcs and evolved throughout the show.
So, it's a real shame that this is the final on-screen appearance for all of them bar Worf. If there was any Trek show that deserved a continuation in film format it was this one. The stories developed here were so rich, and even though this episode wraps things up it still leaves enough open questions and paths for exploration (with one MASSIVE cliffhanger in particular).
This episode itself is strong though certainly not without problems. The pacing is mostly good, but every time we cut to Kai Winn and Dukat on their pah-wraith search it really spoils the momentum. I've now learned (thanks to online forums that didn't exist for me back in the day) that a lot of people were not fans of any of this storyline. I can kind of understand why, even though it never bothered me too much. I really like the mythos that was slowly built up around the Bajoran religion, and certainly when I was younger I couldn't see the way elements became shoehorned in. The pah-wraiths amount to little more than hand-waving magic when you really look at them and they had the effect of turning both Winn and Dukat into pantomime villains.
I don't really accept the way that Winn changed her entire religious beliefs so readily, even though she tries to justify it. I also don't quite understand most of Dukat's motivations after he loses his daughter in season 6. If we are supposed to believe that he's just gone a bit insane then it could have been portrayed better. The whole showdown is over and done with far too quickly and it all gets a bit Star Wars (which I adore, but Star Wars is fantasy-based whereas Star Trek is science fiction/technology based). It doesn't fit. And we get a fast wrap up where Sisko and Dukat just fall into the fire which is... silly, to be polite.
The rest of the episode makes up for this, though. The final battle of the Dominion War is a visual feast and a gripping rollercoaster. The space battle is a tremendous accomplishment for 1990s television standards, but the best part is the Kira/Garak/Damar resistance storyline. Those three characters have such rich histories of conflict to mine that putting them together leads to nothing but joy on screen. The death of Damar does feel like a gut punch even though we've spent so much time hating him for his actions over the course of the past few seasons. It's a shame that his murder of Ziyal is never directly addressed by Kira or Garak. The love-to-hate-him character Weyoun gets a satisfying send off, and the war is ended with a moment of compassion and understanding when Odo offers to give himself up to save everyone.
The individual character bookends are also greatly satisfying, and often bittersweet. Odo leaves, O'Brien leaves, Worf leaves. Odo's decision feel natural even though he leaves hurt people in his wake, but Miles' is much more unexpected and actually the more emotional for me. The O'Brien/Bashir bromance was among my favourite parts of this show, so the video collage of their past moments is heartbreaking for me. Worf's departure is a bit stranger, since we will see him again in Star Trek: Nemesis and it doesn't acknowledge his decisions here at all. Additionally, I will be forever disappointed that there are no flashback to Jadzia due to licensing reasons.
In happier endings, Julian and Ezri are finally together and I like it. It was all a bit forced but I'm just happy at the thought of them together. Nog gets promoted to Lieutenant (take that, Harry Kim), Kira is in charge of the station and Quark gets to keep running the bar while Rom has become Grand Nagus!
That leaves the saddest ending of all: the Siskos. In particular, I think Jake gets the short straw. His dad is gone but just within reach. Benjamin has not only left his son behind, but his pregnant wife. It's a bold ending that leaves you wanting to know more, and extremely bittersweet. Ben and Jake were the heart and soul of this show from the very beginning and I think it's appropriate that it finishes on a shot of Jake thinking about his dad while being comforted.
I said in my review of 'Emissary' that DS9 was my favourite TV show of all time. This rewatch has solidified that statement for me. The characters here are mismatched, broken people who grow and evolve into true friends and take us on that journey with them. It has also really struck me how much DS9 continues to stand up to today's modern TV landscape, while the other Trek shows feel very much liked dated products of their time. Here we have a tale of terrorism, religion, war and through all that a thread of hope and idealism.
I absolutely can't leave it here, and I'm going to be delving into the "relaunch" novels that pick up where the show ended and continue the journey. It's not official canon and could easily be overwritten at any time (especially given the announcement of all the new Trek heading our way on TV), but that doesn't take away from these new stories at all, and given the "black sheep" nature of DS9 in the franchise I have a feeling that these stories are probably the best I can hope for. There's also the upcoming documentary What We Left Behind to look forward to, and maybe one day we'll get a nice HD upgrade for the show.
See you again down the road, DS9.
In possibly my favourite entry so far, we get a far more traditional "episodic" story. A situation develops at the start, complications occur and things are happily resolved by the end (although, Harry Mudd may disagree with that assessment). Although, that final shot was a doozy!
Everything felt like it was working better here than it has previously. The Klingons have been the most difficult thing so far as they slow down the episodes so much, but here we get them speaking English and behaving a lot more like the classic Klingons that Star Trek presented us with for so many years. These guys want to fight and hurt other people, and no religious nonsense is going to get in the way.
This gave us a much more detailed look at a couple of characters. Captain Lorca reveals more and more what kind of person he is. He wants to help people, but he also recognises the sacrifices that may need to be made to do that. It's easy to disagree with his perspective when we hear about the results, and the news that he destroyed his own ship and crew is a lot to take. He's also extremely intelligent and perceptive, and he has no qualms about people paying the price for what they've done. Rainn Wilson's portrayal of Harry Mudd isn't too far removed from the Original Series character, but he also managed to put his own spin on it. Maybe it was just due to the quite horrible situation he was trapped in, but this Mudd was more serious while being no less selfish. Still, I don't know if I agree with Lorca leaving him there.
More compelling to me was the different side we see of Saru. It felt like his desire to be an effective captain (going as far as researching the traits of Starfleet legends) began to override his more natural decision making. The debate over the use of the Tardigrade was exactly the Star Trek storytelling we've been waiting for, but at the same time the context here made it kind of one-sided. Placing Saru on the side of using the creature made him seem unsympathetic and cold, and it's only when we realise that he has to make these choices because he believes that saving his captain is the highest goal that we can begin to see why he's doing that.
There was also scientific joy as Stamets uses himself with the jump drive. This is one part of the show that I wasn't quite clicking with, but the more detailed explanations here have made things clearer. As it stands, it seems to me that this method of travel isn't sustainable given the high cost on the user (is Stamets going to be willing to do that again?) and I'm really interested in where it's going to go. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear the first use of the word "fuck" in all of Star Trek. Tilly continues to be a delight.
Very disappointed to see the online homophobes and bigots crawling out of their holes all over the place.
Well, that was a ride. The episode draws from a huge amount of Trek backstory and crafts something bursting with emotion. I think that the the view of Picard's face lining up with the classic image of Locutus is one of the most arresting shots ever done in Star Trek.
Patrick Stewart is completely on form throughout, and it's hard to pick one singular moment that stood above the rest. From his anger about the Borg while speaking with Agnes, to his PTSD when first arriving on the Cube, to his genuine happiness at seeing Hugh again and all the work he's doing, this consistently feels like the Jean-Luc Picard we all knew. He's shown first hand that disconnected Borg are not the monsters he had assumed. Small bursts of moments from First Contact were used effectively, including an unexpected glimpse dof the Queen. The terror of what he experienced may never fully go away despite the strides we saw him make over the years, and it rings true.
Other random thoughts:
I remembered this as being a strong two-parter, but rewatching here I was blown away. I'm not sure if there has ever been a Trek story so blunt or that feels quite as prescient as this does by today's standards. With Trump over in America, the "sanctuary cities" debate and Brexit happening here ("Europe is falling apart") among all sorts of other issues of homelessness and unenployment, the insanely high cost of living and excessive force used by police, this is absolutely chilling to watch. Maybe over the top in some ways, but this franchise was never really about subtlety.
This is pure Star Trek, and is overflowing with ideas and messages. From something as simple as Sisko and Bashir (two men of colour) being arrested and chucked in what is more-or-less a prison, and Jadzia (an attractive white woman) being treated like a princess who's done no wrong after being found in the exact same circumstances as them, this deals with so many issues that we have screaming in our faces today. Would Chris have been as quick to stop and help the commander and the doctor? This present a society where people don't want to deal with other people's problems and money is the more important factor, which sounds too familiar.
In fact, the most unrealistic things about this episode are the quaint 1990s style computer terminals being used and the fact that nobody seems to have mobile phones.
Side note: the first time I watched this was on the initial UK BBC2 broadcast. The channel showed it as a 90 minute movie, even though it was listed as a single episode in the Radio Times. I remember thinking "this seems long" and looking at the clock, realising over an hour had already past. Fantastic viewing experience.
I also love the way that Jadzia really quickly improvises and makes her explanations upon being found. She's got a lot of experience to draw on! PLUS, for once Star Trek did a time travel story that didn't just go back to our "contemporary" Earth, which became contrived very quickly.
Wow, it just keeps getting better. Trek has done its fair share of horror stories, some poor and some good, but this is probably most effective scare episode the franchise has done. I loved the way it riffed off moments from the core Alien trilogy and managed to do some properly unsettling things in the process. Besides from having a fantastic design, the moment the blue alien dude started having trouble breathing was a wonderfully staged sequence full of dread.
The Gorn looked great and felt vicious even as infants. I love how this series is setting them up. I also appreciate how we've come to understand La'an's character up to now and her own reactions to this situation.
The most interesting part here may have been Spock. While I'm not sure the actual execution of his emotional barriers dropping was, the effect of it on the character is certainly fascinating. Ethan Peck has been KILLING IT so far and is handling this stuff so well. It's an angle that works. I quite like that the franchise is acknowledging the more emotional Spock we saw in 'The Cage' and working to bridge things to the more stoic version we are familiar with.
And damn, the episode blindsided me with the death of Hemmer. I clocked those two new away team characters as dead from the moment we were introduced to them, but Hemmer was a real shock. Especially given that he seems to have become a fan favourite. What a way to go out too - compare it to the lacklustre death of Airiam over on Discovery, which had zero impact despite the character having been there since the start. This one hit hard, with the reactions of the rest of the crew really doing it justice too.
Of all TNG episodes, 'The Wounded' feels like the one which firmly leads to the creation of Deep Space Nine. Chief O'Brien, having been given more and more screen time over the past couple of seasons, is finally given something of a leading role and a huge amount of character development. I would think that it's this episode that brought his character over to DS9. I really love the dinner scenes with Keiko, and of course the fantastic talk in Ten-Forward.
Additionally, we get to meet the Cardassians for the first time. These guys are just incredible, and I think one of the most developed alien races in popular science fiction. A big part of their success is down to the casting here, with Marc Alaimo playing Gul Macet. It's no coincidence he was later cast as Gul Dukat throughout DS9 (and for me, by far and away the best Trek villain ever). He brings a great deal of menace and intellect to the role, but we also get depth when you look at all 3 of the Cardassian actors together as they each display very different personalities. If they hadn't all worked so well I'm not sure that the Cardassians would have become some an important part of the franchise. There are wonderful scenes on the bridge as Picard has to deal with events while Macet watches on, tense stuff.
The weaker parts of the episode for me come in the form of Captain Maddox. Maybe it's because we've gotten so used to Picard as an example of a leader, but this guy just crumbles in comparison to him. It's also odd that we never see any of Maddox's crew and have to assume that they are just blindly following his bizarre orders.
This will always remain among my favourite episodes. It's full of joy and the spirit of exploration as well as being all about the father/son relationship portrayed so well by Brooks and Lofton. It feels like it's been a while since we've spent time with Benjamin and Jake, so this makes up for it very nicely.
It's not a flashy episode, it's a quiet character piece that lets itself have fun. We've had a hint of Jake's desire to write before, but this is the real beginning of his journey and it was always one of my favourite parts of DS9 (I always wanted to write when I was a teenager, so Jake was such a great character for me to watch). The relationship between the two of them feels so natural. I love the way Jake is nervous about showing his dad his story, and the way he makes a joke about joining the Maquis. There also seems to be a lot of delight in Avery Brooks' performance here.
The Bajoran sailing ship is a gorgeous creation. Sure, it stretches believablility that Benjamin managed to build it in a couple of weeks - especially with that level of detail - but we can let it slide. Don't forget, before being assigned to DS9 he was in charge of ship building at Utopia Planitia and designed the Defiant. The story of them getting all the way to Cardassia is just lovely and peaceful, and I love the welcome that Gul Dukat gives them when they arrive (which, for once, sounds pretty sincere). Ben also gets a great scene with Dax, reminiscing about their past.
The background story isn't quite as wonderful, but there's fun to be had. Julian handing Dax a padd saying "GO AWAY" never fails to make me laugh. We get to meet Leeta for the first time, who will become quite important.
Drunk Bashir and O'Brien is one of my favourite scenes in all of DS9, and they both play it really well. I love that their friendship has now reached this point, and I love that O'Brien declares "I really do... not hate you anymore!".
Also, important to note: the beard has appeared. It's funny, because it coincides with a change in the series which is going to propel it's quality up and and up. To me, this episode does represent the beginning of the real DS9, there's a change in the mood of the show and everything just feels like it's working perfectly.
An amazingly well constructed episode that deals with alternate timelines but manages to be a wonderful character piece. The return of Denise Crosby as Tasha is central to this, and I wish I could experience the original shock of seeing her that must have occurred back in 1990.
The episode manages to bring meaning to her senseless season 1 death, and her scenes with both Guinan and Picard are very layered and powerful. Additionally, the episode has a vividly different look from standard TNG; dramatic lighting and longer focal depth really stand out, giving the episode its own identity. I get a small thrill with the return of the original-era movie uniforms and even set design.
It's also nice the way that the main cast change their performances in only subtle ways. Mainly we see that Picard and Riker have a harder edge, they seem more battle weary and forceful in their decisions. But the old captain is still in there as we see in his discussions with Guinan. This is yet another demonstration of what an important addition Whoopi Goldberg was to the cast.
As for minor criticism, I find the last 5 minutes of the episode a little dull. The battle with the Klingons just isn't particularly exciting. It's also convenient that the Enterprise-C crew were so willing to go back to their time without much argument.
What a great way to end the season. From the moment we saw that maroon movie-era uniform I had a feeling that we were in for something special. This weaved itself in with an alternate take on a classic TOS episode with great skill, as well as throwing in some fun stuff.
I particularly loved the way that they altered the lighting here to match the TOS style, with actor's eyes/faces smoothly lit up in highlights.
Was it a little too on the nose in it's tribute at points? Maybe. But I'm okay with it, and it had enough of a twist on things to make it work. Introducing Kirk this way was a deft, sneaky move and I liked it. And a cliff hanger ending! SNW, you have my attention and my heart.
This flips around the usual Trek formula and gives us a story from the POV of the lowly ensigns. We see the main cast doing their thing, and then they disappear and we don't get to follow them. It was an intriguing concept and really well done here. The four low-ranking crew members (and the civilian bartender) that we follow are all interesting characters that the script allows us to become attached to. Seeing things from their perspective actually makes the senior officers feel more intimidating - Picard's dressing down of her is actually quite hard to watch.
The editing between the two poker games is excellently done.
Lovell and Ogawa are likeable, but Taurik is maybe a bit too Vulcan to really enjoy. Mostly, this is about Ensign Sito and the excellent performance behind her. It's a testament to the strength of the episode that her death seems to have far more weight than any previous one on the show.
