Next Generation, season 3

FOUR-STAR EPISODES: 4
AVERAGE EPISODE RATING: 2.9
-Evolution **
Taking an eminent scientist to a stellar explosion on which he's been waiting his whole life to run an experiment, Enterprise encounters mysterious malfunctions, which are ultimately traceable to a school project in which nanites accidentally achieve sentience. Beverly returns after a year away, and wonders whether wesley still needs her. An embarrassingly cliched ending.
-The Ensigns of Command ***
Data is left alone on a settlement which must be relocated before being exterminated by a race which has treaty rights to their planet, and view humans as semi-intelligent vermin. Why, in seven seasons of DS9, do we never see o'brien playing a cello? The colonists refuse data's counsel, and he is befriended by only one person (eileen seeley - BATMAN FOREVER, JACK FROST 2). When they part, she asks whether he has feelings for her. A beautiful, landmark episode in the evolution of data's character.
-The Survivors **
Responding to a distress call, Enterprise finds a ravaged planet with one untouched house, and a couple (john anderson - PSYCHO, MACGYVER, and anne haney - THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, PSYCHO) who don't want them there. Troi is driven to the brink of insanity by music in her head. They finally discover a pacifist alien who refused to kill, lost those he loved, and eradicated an entire species in retribution. With an ending worthy of cheap film noir, profound potential is wasted on a mundane script.
-Who Watches the Watchers ***
A lethal disaster at an archaeological outpost observing a bronze age vulcan society creates a prime directive disaster in which the non-superstitious locals come to believe picard is a god. He brings their leader (kathryn leigh scott - DARK SHADOWS, THE GREAT GATSBY) aboard Enterprise, to convince her of his mortality. On the surface, a camouflaged troi faces sacrifice. Exquisite...and a candidate for the worst-directed Trek ever (kudos, robert weimer), as these bronze age people are directed to act like wide-eyed mental defectives. Starring ray wise (ROBOCOP, TWIN PEAKS).
-The Bonding **
A crew member dies on an away mission. Her young son sees an alien-created apparition claiming to be his mother, who wants to take him away so he's unhappy nevermore. Wesley brings up the emotions he felt losing his father, and worf wants to make the child a part of his family. A well-meaning slice of flaccidity with faults on every level, to say nothing of an isolated nuclear-family focus which will be inappropriate to the 24th century.
-Booby Trap ***
A battle cruiser from an extinct race is found in an asteroid field, much to the excitement of history buff (and model enthusiast) picard. The Enterprise begins to lose power, falling prey to a thousand year-old trap. The first episode to feature geordi as the central character, as he tries to keep the ship alive. He interfaces with a holographic simulation of ship designer leah brahms (susan gibney - THE WATERDANCE, CROSSING JORDAN), has a lovely guinan scene, and a failed holodeck date (julie warner - DOC HOLLYWOOD, MR. SATURDAY NIGHT). Levar is lovely, and the episode a gem.
-The Enemy ***
In Federation space, geordi is stranded on an uninhabited, hostile planet with a lone romulan (john snyder - CROCODILE DUNDEE, SID AND NANCY). Radiation makes him lose his sight, the romulan cannot walk, and they must work together to survive. Enterprise faces off against an incoming warbird. The first of four impeccable appearances by andreas katsulas (BLAME IT ON THE BELLBOY, HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX) as commander tomalak.
-The Price ***
A surprisingly sexual treatment of a relationship between troi and a negotiator (matt mccoy - L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, POLICE ACADEMY 5-6) who reveals betazoid lineage which he surreptitiously uses to his clients' advantage. When she questions his ethics, he says that his empathy never results in death, whereas her skills are often employed in military situations. It's a fair point, up to a point. When ral tries to use troi to get under riker's skin, will isn't rattled and shows that he cares about her in an evolved, non-possessive way. A nice VOYAGER episode is set up, as the negotiations are over an apparently stable wormhole, and a ferengi shuttle gets trapped in the delta quadrant.
-The Vengeance Factor **
Enterprise tries to mediate between a friendly race and an offshoot group of raiding wanderers. Riker romances the wrong woman, as ancient blood feuds refuse to die...
-The Defector ***
A romulan defector (james sloyan - THE STING, XANADU) warns of a coming invasion, and picard must gauge his credibility. After deceptions are revealed, another neutral zone standoff with tomalak ensues. Some friendly klingons save the day. Many nice touches, but it never quite pops. A lovely teaser in which data practices shakespearean acting (with a holo-character who rather resembles a former member of the RSC).
-The Hunted ***
Visiting a seemingly ideal Federation applicant, Enterprise cannot corral one of their escaped prisoners, a former super-soldier (jeff mccarthy - ROBOCOP 2, CLIFFHANGER) whose brainwashing and genetic manipulation has made him (and others like him) "unfit" for society. He's caught, then breaks out of ship's detention. James cromwell (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, FIRST CONTACT) is a prime minister trying to sweep his troubles under the table.
-The High Ground ***
Crusher is taken hostage by freedom fighters on a planet embroiled in civil war. Her captor (richard cox - CRUISING, A DOONESBURY SPECIAL), whose people are dying because of the unstable technology they use to gain military advantage, falls in love with her. A teeny bit overwrought, but the ethical dilemmas resonate. Gates mcfadden's finest episode.
-Deja Q ****
-written by richard danus
-directed by les landau
Q's powers are stripped by the continuum. He appears as a naked human on the Enterprise, seeking asylum from a vengeance-seeking species. Amid the crusty contentiousness caused by trying to convince everyone he's sincere, there's a touching subplot as he and data compare notes on humanity (with a biting zing on nudity taboos). Guinan stabs him with a fork. In a signature TREK cameo, corbin bernsen (MAJOR LEAGUE, L.A. LAW) plays another q! At the end, a restored q gives data the momentary ability to laugh.
-A Matter of Perspective **
A widow accuses riker of trying to seduce her, and killing her scientist husband (mark margolis - REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE), who was working aboard a space station which mysteriously exploded. Their planet has a guilty-until-proven-innocent policy, and holodeck hearings reconstruct the events that will determine will's freedom. The idea that a holo-simulation would reproduce ridiculously rare radioactive rays is a whopper of wondrous width...but the teaser in which data critiques picard's nude painting is hysterical.
-Yesterday's Enterprise ****
-written by ira steven behr, richard manning, hans beimler, ronald d. moore
-directed by david carson
The Enterprise C falls through a time rift from twenty-two years in the past, leaving a battle that might have prevented a war with the klingons. The D suddenly exists in a timeline where tasha never died, but forty billion casualties have. Guinan is the only one who perceives that something is wrong, and tries to convince picard he must send the C back. Tasha and lt. castillo (christopher mcdonald - REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, QUIZ SHOW) of the C fall in love, and when captain garrett (tricia o'neill - BABYLON 5: IN THE BEGINNING, PIRANHA PART TWO: THE SPAWNING) accidentally dies, tasha takes her place, as the C returns to certain death. The chemistry of any collective artistic endeavor is a fragile thing - it's easy to imagine this being a brilliant episode without guinan, or the return of denise crosby...but those two threads take a great premise and lift it to another orbit entirely. Whoopi and denise's finest TREKs - the guinan/picard and yar/castillo scenes are searing. I have no interest in debating which is the greatest STAR TREK episode ever...but if you think this one isn't top ten (and probably top five), we might need to step outside. No other episode of all five series screams to be included in so wide a variety of cross-TREK marathons.
-The Offspring ***
Returning from a cybernetics conference, data secretly creates a positronic child. Picard is consternated. Lal (hallie todd - BROTHERS, LIZZIE MCGUIRE) chooses a feminine identity, and while struggling to integrate into her life, develops emotional awareness. An admiral arrives, to take her to be raised at a research facility. In a startlingly moving sequence (the first time in TNG i felt teary), picard is ready to sacrifice his career to prevent the separation. The standoff is interrupted by the news that lal's adaptive brain is breaking down, irreparably.
-Sins of the Father ****
-written by ronald d. moore, w. reed moran
-directed by les landau
Klingon commander kurn (tony todd - CANDYMAN, BEASTMASTER: THE EYE OF BRAXUS) takes over the first officer position, as part of the officer exchange program. He rides the crew and baits worf before revealing that they are brothers, and that their dead father stands accused of treason. They go to Kronos to challenge the ruling. Kurn is wounded, and picard replaces him at worf's side. A plot is uncovered to hide the real traitor. To keep the Empire from fracturing, worf accepts discommendation. In the first of two appearances, chancellor k'mpec (charles cooper - THE PRACTICE, STAR TREK V) is delightful.
-Allegiance ***
Picard is kidnapped and imprisoned with mistrustful inmates (one violent nihilist, one collaborating pacifist, and one loyal cadet), while an impostor runs Enterprise. He sings songs in ten forward, romances beverly...the real jean-luc eventually realizes that they're being studied, and that an impostor is among them.
-Captain's Holiday ***
Taking a forced vacation on the pleasure planet Risa, picard becomes embroiled in an archaeological caper with a flim flam woman named vash (jennifer hetrick - L.A. LAW, UNSUB). As an angry ferengi (DS9's max grodenchik - THE ROCKETEER, APOLLO 13) and two alleged security agents from the future lurk, a surprisingly unbuttoned romance blooms. About as sexy and playfully delightful as TREK gets.
-Tin Man ***
With the aid of a paranoid betazoid (harry groener - DEAR JOHN, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER), Enterprise tries to communicate with an immensely powerful and intelligent spacefaring being, before the romulans can exploit it.
-Hollow Pursuits ***
The debut of reg barclay (dwight schulz - THE A-TEAM, HART TO HART: TILL DEATH DO US HART, who turns a one-shot gig into eleven episodes in two series, plus a feature film). Reg is a shy, stuttering misfit who drives geordi and riker to distraction. They overplay will's macho insensitivity to make a point, but it's a good point - there is something perhaps unrealistically feel-good about the Enterprise, and it's admirable that the producers are willing to show some of the stars in a less-flattering light. Another fine moment for whoopi, as the one person who stands up for reg. Thoughtful and funny...plus a fine guest turn by charley lang (THE WEST WING, DARK SKIES).
-The Most Toys ***
Data is kidnapped by a murderous collector of intergalactic rarities. With no way out except homicide, can data circumvent his programming? Saul rubinek (UNFORGIVEN, FRASIER) gives one of the most delightful TREK guest turns ever.
-Sarek ***
A touching appearance by mark lenard, reprising his role as spock's father. Sarek is being escorted to a delicate negotiation, but a hidden disease is robbing him of self-control, and adversely affecting the emotions of others. Sarek mindmelds with picard (even though there's a far better candidate at hand), and one wonders whether seeing the mental images would have been a richer choice...but it's a lovely trip down memory lane.
-Menage a Troi **
Oh come on now...you're pullin' my leg! Lordisa help us, they did it, they actually did it. They pulled off the perfect storm...an episode that could only have been conceived in an evil laboratory of jaw-dropping perversity, combining the three most flaccid elements in TREK history: Lwaxana, the ferengi, and neelix. Breaking the laws of both time and decency, they got pre-neelix ethan philips (BENSON, THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE) to play a ferengi doctor torturing lwaxana. What, you think i could make this up?? In the midst of this shatnerean tragedy, there's a thread of beauty...wesley gives up his spot at the Academy to save the day. Required to stay aboard one more year, he's field-promoted to full ensign. I raised my hand in solidarity for a whole minute - you've come a long way from the rainbow suit, wes. And to be fair, the rest of the episode isn't entirely without charm, including a picnic on Betazed and a passionate kiss between riker and deanna before they're kidnapped. But this episode also elicits a bout of bad acting from...patrick stewart. Could i make that up?
-Transfigurations ***
Rescued from a shipwreck, a lone survivor with no memory (mark la mura - THE RUSSIA HOUSE, MATTIE FRESNO AND THE HOLOFLUX UNIVERSE) exhibits miraculous healing powers. Eventually, his people come looking for him, to kill him because he represents a fearful evolutionary leap. The second episode for julie warner (DOC HOLLYWOOD, THE DICEMAN COMETH) as kristy, the object of geordi's hapless desire...but this time, thanks to an alien infusion, it ends in a laforge liplock. La mura and gates shine.
-The Best of Both Worlds, part 1 ****
-written by michael piller
-directed by cliff bole
Tight. Scathing. A borg cube enters Federation space. The Enterprise plays mouse and cat, while a fleet assembles. An admiral (george murdock - THE FINAL FRONTIER, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) brings a borg expert aboard, and lt. cmdr. shelby (elizabeth dennehy - GATTACA, CHARMED) butts heads with riker, who has been offered another command. Picard is captured and assimilated, becoming the borg "voice" in this sector. Riker orders the cube fired upon...