5:4 Silicon Avatar – The “crystalline entity” that destroyed Data’s home colony, and which hasn’t been seen since the first season, comes back; it’s basically Galactus, if Galactus were an aluminum Christmas tree. The Federation’s foremost “crystalline entity hunter,” a female Captain Ahab whose family was killed in that colony destruction, works with Data to track it and learn about it.
New info out of the blue: Data has the documentary information (journals, etc.) of ALL THE COLONISTS in his head, and in a meant-to-be-touching-but-really-it’s-creepy moment, Data recites from the scientist’s son’s journal, IN THE SON’S VOICE. Data’s obviously got a freaking lot of extra storage space; I think I can see the info he’d want to offload if he needs to free up some exabytes.
5:5 Disaster – New info: Deanna’s actually got a rank! And it comes into play when an arbitrary disaster shuts down a bunch of ship’s systems, leaving the bridge isolated from the rest of the ship, with Deanna the ranking officer on the bridge. Plus, Story B, Captain Picard gets trapped in a disabled turbolift with a broken ankle and three children (this season, we’re going to see a lot of reasons that Having children on the Enterprise is a frickin’ bad idea), in Story C, Worf has to deliver Keiko O’Brien’s baby in Ten Forward (the development of the O’Brien family is another part of the setup for DS9).
Michael Dorn is really an underappreciated comic actor; this episode is one of the few times he’s given to shine.
5:6 The Game – Wesley’s back, just in time to save the Enterprise from the scourge of videogames! The brainwashing of the crew through a dopamine-reward system (or, let’s be honest, everyone walking around exhibiting their “O-face”) seems so simple that I’m a little surprised that something like that hasn’t been deployed before and safeguards already put in place, but hey. It gives Wesley (and a young, pre-nasty Ashley Judd) a chance to play the heroes in an Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenario.
Of course, this episode was broadcast long before the invention of smartphones; we’re now used to seeing people walking around in a technologically mediated haze.
(My best joke during viewing: “Gee, when Riker goes on shore leave to Risa, all he usually brings back is a social disease!”)
Thanks. I’m a shutin these days and take entertainment where I can.
“and a young, pre-nasty Ashley Judd”
In reference to her politics or her morals?
In reference to her poetry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8IApUwjHU8
I’ve always wondered how they managed to get Worf hooked on The Game.
“It’s like prune juice for your eyes!”