Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 2

Click here for season one.
Space – the final frontier. These are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise. It’s continuing mission: to explore strange, new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilization; to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Episode 01: The Child
Hm, for a season opener lame, but for a simple, alone standing episode it was good in some kind. I didn’t find it very believable that Deanna (Marina Sirtis) was so lovely to her son, despite she had the knowledge, that something bad can happen. It seems like she was brainwashed by her son. But the scene where she decided to have the baby and the interactions with Riker (Jonathan Frakes) were strong. On the other hand the sub story with the viruses was dumb. It wasn’t interesting, it wasn’t thrilling, it was nothing. Just the jokes at the end due to Wesley’s (Wil Wheaton) staying on the ship were hilarious (“And who will tuck him in at night?”). 6,5/10

Episode 02: Where Silence Has Lease
I don’t know… an Episode without a real plot, but with an interesting setup. Didn’t we have an alien who wants to understand human life in the last episode? Now another alien with the same intention? That was really boring. Really bad (special effects) was the face in the universe, in front of the Enterprise. I was about to laugh.
And then Worf (Michael Dorn): He behaves like a hungry dog, ready to fight and kill – where are his manners? Can’t he control himself? For one season we have the Klingon who stands there, does what the captain says and otherwise nothing. Now he wants to hit Riker in an exercise? Oh, come on, what characteristics are that? Same with Pulaski (Diana Muldaur): She is familiar with working with computers, but she has difficulties to see Data (Brent Spiner) as a living thing? What the hell??? And then the finale: WTF was that? Seriously, this was a load of shit. It was absurd. Well, at least a red shirt died. 3/10

Episode 03: Elementary, Dear Data
Another holodeck episode and i quite liked it. But it was interesting seeing the computer generating a fictional character which has the ability to learn and grow. And the authors did the mistake to show Moriarty (Daniel Davis) so not dangerous, because he just wasn’t. So, I was missing a real and worthy villain. The final dialog between Moriarty and Picard (Patrick Stewart) was very nice, but Data as Holmes was tedious after a while. 7/10

Episode 04: The Outrageous Okona
A somehow boring, but amusing episode. I liked Billy Campbell’s character (still waiting for the first season of Once & Again) and who did I see in the transporter room……. Teri Hatcher I didn’t expect her to be in the show. Okay, the main story was boring as hell and didn’t give any dangerous moments for the crew, but the conclusion was funny… somehow. The side plot with Data trying to be a comedian was okay, it didn’t blow me away. 6/10

Episode 05: Loud As A Whisper
Naah, boring; wasn’t interesting at all. A peace conference between two races – could be interesting, but wasn’t, because I didn’t see nothing of it. A deaf peace delegate, communicating with a chorus – could be interesting, but why so complicated? And there is so much story behind that concept, but nothing was used. It was just boring. And what is with the end? Even the warriors were not seen anymore after Riva (Howie Seago, he actually is deaf) was sent down.
Blah, just boring. 4/10

Episode 06: The Schizoid Man
Interesting episode. It gives Data another chance to escape the Pinocchio life and the series another episode without a real threat. The beginning is boring, but when the story of Data being “possessed” begins, it becomes more interesting. But there still is the problem of not using everything the story has to offer. And the authors seem to like Data very much; it feels like they use him for the main plot in every fourth episode. It becomes boring :/ 6/10

Episode 07: Unnatural Selection
Another disease for the main plot. Give me more diseases which kills crews of Federation ships, because they all are interesting. NOT. This episode is just plain boring, tells me nothing about the characters, except Doctor Pulaski, who is in the center of all this. But the rest… meh. But I am happy about Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) actually speaking in this episode. 3/10

Episode 08: A Matter of Honor
OMG, this was a hell of a funny episode. “If Klingon food is too strong for you, perhaps we could get one of the females to breast-feed you.” – Riker commanding as Captain of a Klingon vessel and then his “Lower your shields. Surrender.” Haha, that was really funny. The officer exchange program was a nice plot to get us Riker closer in a different way; I liked how he acted with the Klingons. Though the story on the Enterprise was boring. 7/10

Episode 09: The Measure of a Man
I don’t know about this episode. It was an interesting story about proving that Data is not just an android. But why Data again? It is the third episode in this season with him in the center. It gets boring. And maybe it would be better to tell such stories in a period of more than one episode. In here it begins and it ends. And I don’t like the Federation officers. They seem so cruel and bossy, and I don’t like such people – source for lame characters. 6/10

Episode 10: The Dauphin
Well well well, what was that…? Wesley’s own little love story – with a little help from his friends. Now I can understand why his character is so much hated by the fans, but actually he story was unintentionally funny. I just could not believe that an alien life form and Wesley, two total different persons, find each other’s love in a matter of minutes – muhaha. At least the episode was not completely crap (I think with this one I will stand against all the other TNG fans, who hate all Wesley episodes), just totally useless. 4/10

Episode 11: Contagion
What? The Romulans can’t fire, when they are cloaked? Didn’t we learn nothing from the sixth movie? Okay, The Undiscovered Land was produced after this episode, so, what the hell with this little plot hole (lol). By the way: I don’t know why the series has such ups and downs. There we have total crap episodes, one episode later we have a good one. This is one of them. Interesting story, interesting conflict (just the Romulan bride was a bit laughable – she seemed so nice, but she wanted to destroy the Enterprise) and the interesting fact that the Enterprise can shut down and function again in a matter of seconds (when my laptop would start so fast…), which was funny.
Finally an episode I liked again. 7,5/10

Episode 12: The Royale
Oh my god, what was that? Completely boring, not a bit of a threat for the crew, not a bit of a conclusion and a story, which had much in it, but used nothing. And I hate, that nobody knows something about the past of the 20th or 21st century. Why don’t they know, that elevators are NOT turbo lifts? To bring humor into the story? Meh, what the hell. And why don’t they know anything about the NASA and its history?
This episode is total bullshit, because it brings absolutely nothing. Obviously we have to blame that to the writers strike. I am waiting for more dumb episodes. 2/10

Episode 13: Time Squared
An interesting episode with an interesting story and a shitty ending. Well, the authors of TNG have the problem to find a proper end for their stories. This is another one with no conclusion in it. I love time travel stories (and I knew from the beginning the shuttle came from the future, so it was not really a shocker, when the crew learned it) ad the first half was really interesting, but the second one just sucked. Such a shame, because maybe this was the interesting episode so far this season – until minute 25 or so. Picard’s actions against himself put the lid on the shitty second half, because I didn’t like his ways. 6,5/10

Episode 14: The Icarus Factor
Well, another boring episode. No danger for the crew, just the arrival of Riker’s father, which wasn’t interesting at all and him being offered a position as captain. It was clear that he will stay on the Enterprise, so nothing was surprising.
The rest was boring, nothing more to say, episode already forgotten. 3/10

Episode 15: Pen Pals
One boring episode after another, though this one was more interesting than the last one. I think, Data’s storyline with the little child on the troubled planet should bring some emotionality into his character and into the actions of Picard, but it didn’t work for me. And Wesley commanding a science team? I don’t know why nobody like his character (he isn’t that bad), but he was boring here. The ending was shitty again, because it went too fast again. 4/10

Episode 16: Q Who
So, this is probably the most important episode so far: the introduction of the Borg, the return of Q (John de Lancie) and the first sign of an on-going story in The Next Generation. But the episode wasn’t really good. There are too much secrets about the Borg and Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) being a counselor for Picard on this one was… I don’t know, kind of lame. Guinan knew a lot, but still Picard knows almost nothing about the Borg. Maybe it would be better when nobody knew about them in the first place.
The new ensign looks sexy, while I write this I am watching the next episode and I see her again, so let’s hope she is more often in the story. The Enterprise needs some sexy women. 7,5/10

Episode 17: Samaritan Snare
Hm, I don’t know about this one. Two totally separate storylines (I don’t remember if this was the case in one of the earlier episodes), one boring than the other. I don’t care about Wesley getting into the academy, I don’t care about Picard’s heart failure (or whatever). And the story of the dumb, but strong, but totally dumb aliens was just… boring.
At least we learned something about Picard’s past, other than that you can forget that episode. 4,5/10

Episode 18: Up The Long Ladder
The episode started so great and ended really boring. The farmers with their animals, especially the one guy with his bossy daughter, were really funny and had a lot of potential to bring some real funny moments into the series, but in the second half, some moral filled shit story about cloning had to come. And the conclusion wasn’t better.
So: first half was great, second half was shit (like always), I give 6/10.

Episode 19: Manhunt
Hm, let’s see: Lwaxana (Majel Barrett) back on the ship, in a sexual life stage, wants to “have” Picard. Always a funny storyline, because Deanna’s mother is a source for humorous scenes, and the first half was really good, but the second half not so. Again an episode without any danger for the Enterprise and the crew and that is always boring. So, we have an interesting character in a boring suit – forgettable after a short while. 4,5/10

Episode 20: The Emissary
“You’re not even looking at me.” – “I am familiar with your appearance.” The funniest line in this episode. So, Worf had a relationship once, very interesting and finally a character story for him. The story about the Klingons frozen for one century and thinking they are still at war wasn’t really new to me, but interesting. It would be a great plot, when the authors didn’t use it for just one single episode in just one short scene. Well, at least we saw Worf command for a few minutes.
It was a good episode, which is rare in this season. By the way: Women, who are half Klingon and half human can be really sexy… 7/10

Episode 21: Peak Performance
Yeah, the writers strike is a total pain in the ass. This was another lame episode, this time with an interesting story. A battle simulation (the first one in Federation history? I can’t believe it) and the stupid Ferengi had to stop it in their own ways. By the way: The Ferengi were in the neighborhood coincidentally? Worf could manipulate their computers? Why didn’t he do that more often in the past? And why is Riker always smiling, when Wesley has an idea or did something “good”?
Well, at least the episode was not completely crap. 4,5/10

Episode 22: Shades of Gray
So, what do we learn from this episode? Riker had the hottest women in the galaxy, he is a real charmer, almost a sexist of some sort. And the Trek fans are somehow… wrong. This was the baddest episode in TNG history? Well, in two season, I saw at least one episode, which was more worst. Nevertheless, this episode was just boring. Even the micro infection (or whatever) was boring and the little clip show brought nothing except old pictures. Damn writers strike.
For a season finale absolutely shitty (I am waiting for next season’s cliffhanger), lame story, but not the worst TNG episode ever. Because it actually had a story and the “flashbacks” were not fully random. 3/10

The season average is 5,11 and fell down in compare to the first season. Wouldn’t I be in a middle of a long-year Star Trek marathon (watching them all in chronological order), I would have stopped after this season. But I know it is getting better, so I hope the third season smashes it. I already am watching the third season, so I hope it doesn’t take too much time to get it in here.