Episode Review – Drone (Voyager, Season 5)

 For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Overview – An away team is studying a proto-nebula when the shuttle is caught in a gravimetric sheer. As the transporter beams the team to Voyager, there is an accidental merging of the Doctor’s mobile emitter with some of Seven of Nine’s Borg nanoprobes. The result is an advanced Borg drone that is largely made up of assimilated 29^th Century technology. The drone, who adopts the designation of “One”, learns about his origins and surroundings from Seven. Together, One begins to assimilate to life onboard Voyager while he eventually learns about the true nature of the Borg. When the Borg become aware of One’s existence, they send a sphere vessel to assimilate Voyager. It soon becomes apparent that only One can save the crew from assimilation.

 

Score: 9/10 – Imagine Seven of Nine as an unexpected adoptive mother, and that is the basic theme of this episode. It is a touching and heart-felt tale of an unusual character that sadly only appears once in this episode. When re-watching it to write this review, I was impressed with a lot of the attention to even small details that was given to this excellent character story. Of course, as was the case in many of these season 4-5 episodes, it focuses mostly on Seven of Nine, although the Doctor is prominently featured. I particularly liked how the episode began and ended with the same shot of Seven examining herself in a mirror. At the start, she is practicing her smile, while at the end it looks as if she is trying to pick up where she left off but finds that she cannot after the loss of One. One himself is an interesting character, one that develops quickly. I would say that the only thing that I would have done differently would have been to spread this out over more than one episode. The movement from his adjusting to life on Voyager to the point where he sacrifices himself for the crew seems a bit rushed at the end. One is such a cool character that his untimely demise could have been even more powerful if he had been around for at least another episode. Despite that, this is a very enjoyable episode and should warrant a few viewings in one’s lifetime.

Relevance - 2 points. At the start of the shuttle mission the away team experiences some turbulence. This leads to some criticism of the type II shuttle they are using, to which Seven suggests that Paris designs and builds a bigger and more efficient type of shuttle. In the next episode, “Extreme Risk”, Tom has indeed designed a new shuttle, which became the Delta Flyer. I am also scoring a point for Seven's motherly instincts that will be very evident later in this series with Icheb, and carries over into Star Trek: Picard. 

 

Continuity – 3 points. One of the nice features of this episode can be addressed in discussing its story continuity. When you watch this episode, pay attention to the number of security guards that are assigned to escort One. At the beginning there are at least three, all heavily armed. As One’s character grows and becomes more accepted, the number of guards and their armaments decreases. It’s those types of little details that strengthen the story. Character continuity is also solid here. The Doctor is naturally distraught over losing his mobile emitter, Neelix is used perfectly as one of One’s early guides/friends. B’Elanna shows typical annoyance at having another Borg on the ship. Seven is acts as we would expect a former drone to act in an unexpected parental role (which adds a fair bit of humor to the story). Janeway’s use is particularly noteworthy here. She mentions that she would rather try to help the drone become an individual as a means of protecting themselves from the Borg. She mentions that she would rather not have to kill the drone, although she makes it clear that she will do it if necessary. This reminded me of her choice to sacrifice Tuvix to restore Tuvok and Neelix. Her statements here fit her character perfectly. As for universe continuity, that also gets its point. 

Character Development – 3 points. Of course, there is a lot of development for Seven in this episode. She goes through many stages of parenting in a short amount of time, from infant to child to adolescent. We also see in the opening shot that she is trying to improve her interpersonal skills by practicing a smile. I also found that the Doctor was given some important development here. For almost two years he had enjoyed the freedom that a mobile emitter gave him. It was nice to see him faced with the possibility of losing that freedom. When One mentions that the emitter is a part of his central nervous system, the Doctor’s expressions accurately depicts the sting he still feels at his re-imposed limitations. That is partially due to Robert Picardo’s excellent acting in this episode.

 

Social Commentary – 3 points. Dealing with becoming a parent and the loss of someone you care for are just two themes rolled into one in this story. Seeing the drone follow Seven like a little child, trying to be like his “mother”, is cute and relatable. Seeing how Seven has to learn patience with the emotionally juvenile Borg causes many parents to nod in appreciation for what she is going through. As I mentioned earlier, Seven had been practicing her smile. At the end of the episode, she turns back to her mirror in an apparent attempt to return to her earlier endeavors. After suffering the loss of One, she just cannot find it in herself to go back to her old routine just yet. That is something that almost all of us who have lost someone important to us can relate to.

 

Cool Stuff –2 points. A point must be scored for One. Everything from his look to the wonderful performance by J. Paul Boehmer gives us a delightful character that we are sad to see go and makes us wish that he could have been around longer. In today’s television I suspect he would have been around for at least one, maybe two more episodes before being killed off, just to hit us even harder in our emotional core. I am also scoring a point here for the proto-nebula. They are able to get some beautiful shots of Voyager super-imposed on the nebula. It is a really good effect that adds to the already strong episode.

 

Rank – Admiral (21 points). An excellent episode that seems to truly capture Seven of Nine in an engaging way. The fine attention to detail be director Les Landau adds to the strength of a compelling story that draws you in and gives us a memorable, yet sadly one-time only, character. One of the highlights of Voyager’s fifth season.

If you would like to read other reviews from Star Trek: Voyager, click on the link here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

Episode Review – Code of Honor (Next Generation, Season 2)

 For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Overview – The Enterprise arrives at Ligon II to negotiate a treaty with the Ligonians. They hope to obtain a rare vaccine that is only found on this planet. After meeting with Lutan, the leader of this proud people, he becomes enamoured with Picard’s chief of security, Tasha Yar. Lutan abducts Yar, and makes known his intentions to marry Yar, which draws the ire of his current wife Yareena. She challenges Yar to a fight to the death.

 

Score: 1/10 – Ah, “Code of Honor”, likely one of the worst episodes of all of Star Trek. It is one of the few episodes where almost every person involved in it, including the cast, felt it was anywhere from embarrassing to sub-par to, as Johnathan Frakes so delicately put it, “a racist piece of s@#*”. The story is fairly straight forward in itself, but the way it was pulled off just does not sit well. The Ligonians were cast by entirely black actors and were made to heavily resemble the stereotypical African tribesmen. There is also a heavy dose of sexism as the women of Ligon II are treated like objects by some of the men, especially Lutan. Add to that a script that is clunky and characters that are so brand new (depending on where you were in the world, this was either the first or second episode to be released after “Encounter at Farpoint”) that the actors were largely still trying to find themselves, and you have a very awkward episode. There are some elements of the episode that were not bad (the fight sequence between Yareena and Yar was fairly intense at times) and the score is very well done, but the weaknesses of the episode were largely responsible for the collective bad taste left behind after viewing.

                      

Relevance – 1 point. Very little that is established here is actually relevant later on in the series. Data’s attempts to understand humor is brought up multiple times before and since, so his continuation of that here does not seem to be very relevant. Having said that, there is one point for relevance that I can give this episode. Wesley mans a bridge console for the first time, as he is asked by Picard to man Ops for a while, and at the end of the episode the good captain suggests that young Wesley will have other opportunities in the future.

 

Continuity - 1 point. Character continuity takes a hit. Yar accuses Troi of tricking her into admitting that she has some base attraction towards Lutan. First of all, I really find the whole sequence to be forced, and Yar describes Troi as her friend. To be honest, there is little that has been established to suggest that the two are friends. Colleagues and crewmates, yes, but friends? Not so much. I think that line could have been better written. I also found it hard to believe that Yar needed to know she had a base physical attraction. I am surprised that she found herself attracted to Lutan at all, as his sexist attitude would completely turn off a woman of Yar’s mettle. I found the story continuity a bit lacking. They talk about this vaccine that will save millions of lives with more people becoming infected as the episode progresses. So why is the Enterprise only receiving reports on the number of people contracting the Anchilles fever? Surely if the plague is as serious as it is portrayed to be they would be receiving casualty reports that include deaths. Sorry, there are too many plot holes to keep the point here. Universe continuity, on the other hand, does appear to be intact here, so not a total waste.

 

Character Development – 1 point. This is one of the very few Yar-centered episodes, and yet her character does not move along or progress here. She is the same at the end as she was at the beginning. In the previous episode “The Naked Now” we learn far more about her and see so many different sides of her. In this episode, she is a good little soldier who wins a fight while being the object of lust by a tribal lord. However, I do give a point for Wesley’s development. This ties in with the section on Relevance, but the fact that he is allowed to man a bridge station is a big step forward for him and his relationship with Picard, so that should be noted.

 

Social Commentary – 0 points. I keep scratching my head here and I really cannot think of anything truly meaningful here. Maybe this is my bias against the episode talking, but what do we really learn? To fake a death to trick a misogynistic culture? Admit when you are attracted to a misogynistic tyrant? No, there is really nothing here about societal commentary that I can identify in this episode. If anything, this episode serves as a reminder that we must be diligent in not allowing crude, sexist, and racial stereotypes to be shown.

 

Cool Stuff – 0 points. Nothing stands out as “cool” in this episode. When I look at the parts that weren’t bad or offensive, such as the battle between Yar and Yareena, I must admit that not being bad isn’t enough to be considered as excellent or cool. So no points for this section either.

 

Rank – Crewman (4 points). The first season of any show is bound to have some missteps as writers, actors, and producers are all trying to find their footing. Here is a big one for TNG. I will say that there is a historical reason to watch this episode, though. Garrett Wang, who would go on to play Ensign Harry Kim in Star Trek: Voyager, has said that this was the first episode of TNG that he ever saw. He hated it so much that he chose not to watch any others. A few years later he thought he would give the show another chance and found it on TV. It was this episode again, so he wrote off the entire show. When he went to audition for Voyager, he had no real connection to Star Trek, even though he was a big sci-fi fan. It was after getting cast that he started to watch TNG and DS9 and became a fan of the shows. He has admitted that if he had been such a fan before the audition, he likely would have been really nervous and would have blown the audition. So, I guess that redeems “Code of Honor” to an extent. Right?

 

 If you would like to read other reviews from the Next Generation, click this link.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do. 

Episode Review - The Host (Next Generation, Season 4)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Episode Review – The Host (Next Generation, Season 4)

Overview – Doctor Crusher has fallen in love with Odan, a Trill ambassador who is being sent to Peliar Zel to mediate a dispute between inhabitants of two of its moons. Unbeknown to anyone on the Enterprise, Odan is a joined Trill who possesses a symbiont that makes the true character of Odan. When Odan is injured in an attack by a radical faction, the true nature of the host and symbiont is revealed. Because the host body is dying, a new host must be found. Riker volunteers to serve as the new host, and when Odan is transplanted to him, he still professes feelings for Beverly. As the negotiations continue, Riker/Odan struggles with the new arrangement and Beverly wrestles with the conflicting feelings for her lover who now inhabits the body of her friend.

Score: 7/10 – “The Host” introduces us to the Trill, a species that will become important to Deep Space Nine in a few years. The Trill are very different from what they will be when we meet Jadzia Dax, but more on that later. What this story is about is the concept of love surviving a great and significant change. Does Beverly love the soul that is Odan, or is it that which is on the outside as important as what is in the inside? It is nice to give Doctor Crusher a romance (although in the real-life story of filming of the episode, it is interesting that her first love story came when the actress was in the late stages of a real-life pregnancy), and the idea of changing the outer appearance of her partner to someone who she has a great romance with is refreshing. The ending gives us yet another twist as the new host to take on the Odan symbiont is female, which proves to be too much of a change for Beverly. The basic story is fairly routine and more character-driven than anything else. There is a little bit of action, and it is interesting to see Riker and Crusher in a romantic situation. Overall, a good, but not great, episode.

Relevance – 1 point. Pretty much the only part of this episode that is relevant to the franchise as a whole is the introduction of the Trill. As a species that is symbiotic, it is quite interesting to see its origins, even though by the time we next see them they will be very different in look and details.

Continuity – 1 point. Character continuity is good here. We have never seen Beverly involved romantically before, but this one really puts her through some rigors. She is understandably conflicted when she is faced with her lover inhabiting Riker’s body. For story continuity and universe continuity, I am sadly forced to deduct their points. I get that when a show creates a new alien species, it may undergo some great changes if and when the producers decide to further develop them. If this was the only time that we see the Trill, things would have been different. However, that is not the case. For story continuity, there is the issue of nobody on the Enterprise (and presumably the Federation) knowing about the true symbiotic nature of the Trill. In DS9, however, we know that Benjamin Sisko knew about it from his association with Curzon Dax. Universe continuity takes a hit with a change in the outward appearance of the Trill, from forehead ridges to spots. I get that the species will change as the producers go from a one-and-done alien of the week to a central character, but there is little in common with the physical appearance of the host bodies. There is also the idea that the Trill is mix of the host and symbiont, being highlighted in the different personalities of Jadzia and Ezri Dax. In this episode, the symbiont seems to have full control. Riker, as the host, is still fully Odan, not a mix of Odan and Riker. I debated where to deduct this point, seeing as how in the pilot episode for DS9 is where we see the changes. I chose to deduct from this episode as it is the only time we see Trill like this, and the Trill story in DS9 as a series is consistent.

Character Development – 2 points. While Riker does get a bit of attention here, it is mostly in the fact that he volunteers to become the temporary host for Odan. Everything he does after that is Odan, not Riker. For Beverly, it is about time that she gets some romance in her life. Again, it is funny that it happens when actress Gates McFadden is feeling the absolutely least romantic with her being in the final trimester of her pregnancy. One aspect about Crusher here that has created a bit of controversy is that she rejects Odan when the symbiont is transferred to a female host. I’ll talk about that more in the Social Commentary section, but for now it suffices me to say that she shows us that there is a limit as to what she can accept in the appearance of her lover. The most significant part of this revelation is that she is completely honest about it. She does not make excuses for it nor does she try to rationalize it. She simply accepts her limitations.

Social Commentary – 2 points. Many fans criticized this episode for having a homophobic theme to it. They feel that Crusher should have accepted Odan in her female host, and the fact that she couldn’t shows intolerance and homophobia. I would disagree with that opinion. This is not homophobia, but it should be seen as being true to oneself. Let me take the criticism from a different perspective. According to the detractors Beverly should have been willing to develop romantic feelings with Odan regardless of Odan’s outward appearance. By that logic, everyone should be pansexual, falling in love with the soul regardless of the gender of the love interest. Should a person who is homosexual be expected to be attracted to someone of the opposite gender if they are attracted to the soul of the person? Some would say that in doing so it denies who they are. So why would the same not be true of those with a heterosexual orientation? Beverly Crusher is heterosexual. She admits that maybe at some time in the future people will not have those limitations, but I think that for the time being, we have to accept that for most of us there is no denying that the outward appearance does play a part in our romantic attractions. Perhaps the most important aspect of this lesson is that we should be honest with our feelings. It’s not a perfect commentary, but our world is not perfect. Facing those imperfections is the first step in overcoming them.

Cool Stuff – 1 point. A point scored for the concept of a symbiotic sentient species. The Trill is a great addition to the Star Trek pantheon. The look of the symbiont, which was one aspect that did not change too much, is quite different and at the time was quite cool.

Rank – Lieutenant (14 points). “The Host” is a good showcase of Beverly Crusher that introduces a soon to be significant alien species in the franchise. Having said that, DS9 develops the Trill far more than this episode does, and in doing so makes some significant changes that were established in this episode. Doctor Crusher fans will not want to miss this episode, while those who find canon discrepancies to be infuriating may want to avoid it. If you do miss this episode, you will miss out on an above-average episode, which might be OK. I enjoyed it, but I get how others might take issue with the abrupt changes between now and DS9.

If you would like to read other reviews from the Next Generation, click this link.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do. 

Episode Review - The Masterpiece Society (Next Generation, Season 5)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Overview – The Enterprise is observing a stellar core fragment and discover that it is about to collide with an inhabited planet populated with genetically-engineered humans. As Picard and his crew discuss ways to save the colony, Deanna Troi forms a romantic relationship with one of their leaders, Aaron Connor. When the crisis is averted, the crew learn that their presence has caused unintentionally another problem among this “perfect” society.

Score: 4/10 – Oh Troi, why can’t the writers find a good romance story for you? “The Masterpiece Society” does try to give our beloved counsellor some attention in the romance department, but the spark and chemistry just do not seem to work here. The character of Aaron Connor is a tad on the dull side, and other than being physically attractive, I am not sure why Troi falls for the guy. The colony of genetically-engineered humans are just a bit too perfect, and they are not very interesting. The story moves along slowly, and it is only when the core fragment issue is dealt with that the interest begins to pick up. Hannah Bates (the first of three Trek roles for actress Dey Young) is sympathetic enough, and Ron Canada (also making his first of three Trek characters) is effective as Martin Benbeck, the representative of keeping the status quo. Even though these two characters are effective, they are unable to bring a lot of interest into the colonists. There are some good points, such as Picard’s debate with Connor, but you have to slog through a lot of boredom to get there.

Relevance – 0 points. This is one of those episodes where they do refer to some things that are recurring themes in Star Trek, mainly the thoughts towards genetically engineered humans. While this is a recurring theme throughout Star Trek, the events surrounding this episode are self-contained. We hear Picard and Connor banter the concept back and forth, but no mention of specific examples are given. In essence one can skip this episode and not miss anything relevant to the overall discussion of this theme, so it adds nothing.

Continuity – 3 points. Character continuity is intact here, although I was wondering about the likelihood of Troi falling for Connor. She seems to fall for the most unlikely men as apart from being physically attractive, there doesn’t seem to be anything that gives her a reason to fall for him. When I look at her track record, however, I think it fits her pattern. I particularly enjoyed Geordi in this episode, as he gets rightfully defensive about the colony’s attitude towards people with physical imperfections. His glee at the fact that his VISOR technology provides the key to saving them is appropriate. Story continuity does make it, though again I found the relationship between Troi and Connor to be a bit forced. I will also concede a point for universe continuity.

Character Development – 2 points. Troi is the focus, but this relationship does little to advance her character. Geordi also gets some good moments, but nothing that really helps discover things that we didn’t already know. It’s enough to score a couple points here, but that is about it. Again, if you miss this episode, you do not miss much.

Social Commentary – 1 point. The quest for perfection is shown in this colony (well, at least on paper; they really didn’t come across as anything but regular humans). There is also the idea that interaction with cultures external to your own can have unexpected influences. In all there were twenty-three colonists who wanted to leave the colony, creating a large disruption among those who remained. Still, how this concept was discussed really didn’t leave much for the viewer to sink their teeth into, so only a single point can be scored here.

Cool Stuff – 0 points. A dull episode where the most interesting guest characters are foils to a very bland character. John Snyder, who plays Aaron, has a much more interesting character in his first Trek appearance as the Romulan Bochra. I don’t lay blame on the actor for this. I think the character was very one-dimensional and bland, and even the most talented actors are limited in what they can do with a role such as this.

Rank – Ensign (10 points). This is a bit of a turkey episode from TNG’s fifth season. It really does not do enough to make you care about anything until almost the end of the episode. There are some good points to it, so do not give it too much of hard time, but if you choose to skip it, I won’t judge you poorly because of it.

If you would like to read other reviews from the Next Generation, click this link.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do. 

Episode Review - Blood Oath (Deep Space Nine: Season 2)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Overview – Jadzia Dax is approached by three Klingon warriors: Kang, Koloth, and Kor. They were friends of Dax’s previous host, Curzon, and had taken a blood oath with him to find the Albino, a ruthless villain who had murdered their sons. Dax still feels an obligation to assist her friends in fulfilling their oath but is torn emotionally over the fact that she might have to take a life to do so. While Curzon had no such qualms about that possibility, Jadzia has not experienced that yet. When she discovers the truth about Kang’s mission, however, she is faced with a tough decision that could result in her own death.

Score: 9/10 – One of the DS9’s many strengths is how it was able to reach back to what had come before and successfully incorporate it into its own story. “Blood Oath” is an ideal example of this. Where TNG successfully brought in beloved characters from the past (Sarek, Scotty, and Spock), DS9’s complexity allowed for some really compelling stories. Here we see three former adversaries of Kirk in the form of Kang (“Day of the Dove”), Koloth (“The Trouble with Tribbles”), and Kor (“Errand of Mercy”). Each one is portrayed by the actor who first played them over 25 years earlier (Michael Ansara, William Campbell, and John Colicos respectively), and their characters have taken on the legendary status of Dahar Masters. The story, one of honoring an old oath, gives great depth and development to Jadzia, and it has an almost Three Musketeer feel to it. While this is a story used to develop Jadzia, it is truly a nostalgia tour de force that highlights three popular Klingons from the Original series. There is so much good stuff going on in this episode, from the humor to the action to the emotional gauntlet that Jadzia runs. I liked how they went with the updated Klingon look, and though these men are much older than when they last appeared, they look magnificent and powerful. Terry Farrell does a superb job and truly breathes some life into Jadzia’s character, the results of which will be felt for several seasons to come. The action is gritty and fun, and the Albino makes a convincing villain. Some have wondered if the Albino is also a Klingon, and there are some interesting comics and novels that add to his background. It is the mystery of the Albino that is the source of what is really my only criticism of this episode. I would have liked to know a little bit more about him to help make his involvement more impactful. That is, in truth, a very minor critique, and the episode as a whole is definitely a strong one. It is one of those stories that showed viewers that even in the second season, Deep Space Nine meant serious business.

Relevance – 3 points. That you take three popular Klingon characters from the Original series, update their look, and in two of their cases give them a glorious death in battle is more than enough to score a point here. Kor, the sole survivor of the three, will go on to appear in two more episodes of DS9, so that will score a point as well. This also marks a major development in Jadzia’s character, explaining a lot of Dax’s history with Klingons which becomes integral to much of the future’s Klingon storylines in the series. Full marks for relevance with this episode.

Continuity – 3 points. Character continuity is most intriguing here. Minor details, such as Odo showing a casual attitude towards Quark’s safety, are fun. Jadzia turning to both Sisko, her mentor, and Kira, someone who has had to kill before, makes a lot of sense for her. That she does not take the killing of someone else lightly is very appropriate for Jadzia. Sisko’s and Kira’s responses are also right in line with the characters. Story continuity works well here, with the writers providing us sufficient details in the dialogue to help us understand how these three Klingon legends fit into the current Trek universe. Speaking of universe, the fact they went with the (at the time) current look for Klingons helped secure the point here. Yes, the look of the Klingons has changed since the days of Kirk and Spock, and, as Discovery has shown us, they will continue to change. They could have gone with the classic look, but that would not have fit. Good thing Enterprise would provide us the reason for the different looks.

Character Development – 2 points. As previously mentioned, this is a major turning point for Jadzia. Her closeness to Klingon culture is established here, and lots of background to her character is provided. It is in this episode that the concept of Jadzia, the warrior, is fleshed out. Her intimate knowledge and experience with Klingons will go onto playing a key role in Klingon-centered episodes like “Way of the Warrior” and “Soldiers of the Empire” and gives a lot of weight behind her romantic relationship with Worf. Having said that, much of the focus is on her Klingon friends, and the rest of the main cast are only used to further the story. In fact, three main characters (Bashir, O’Brien, and Jake) do not even appear in this episode. This means that I can only award two points in this category.

Social Commentary – 2 points. How does one prepare themselves to take the life of another? To what extent does loyalty to friends and promises made to them supersede one’s personal integrity? These are two questions that this episode asks. Jadzia has, as far as we can tell, never killed someone in close combat before. She has to come to grips with that as she also has to find it within herself to honor the blood oath her former host made. It had already been established both in this and previous episodes that the actions and responsibilities of a previous host do not carry forward, but for Jadzia this extends beyond the host and taps directly into the symbiont. Jadzia is torn between her loyalty to Starfleet and her loyalty to her friends. For many of us, we can find ourselves in similar situations (although it is unlikely to involve life-or-death outcomes). A test of such loyalty can be a defining moment for us, and often we do not escape the situation unscathed.

Cool Stuff – 2 points. Take three popular adversaries from fan-favorite episodes that aired a quarter-century ago. Have the original actors reprise those roles while adding depth and background to their stories. Update them to the current look of the species they belong to, and you get a very cool moment indeed. I am also scoring a point for the Albino. While I do think they could have added more to his character, his look and demeanor were very cool.

Rank – Admiral (21 points). DS9’s second season was markedly stronger than the first, and this is a prime reason as to why. For fans of the original series, we are given a gracious and generous dose of nostalgia. For fans of action, we are given some great hand-to-hand battles. For fans of Dax, this is a must-see episode. Add to that the return of Kor in future episodes, and you get a wonderful episode.

If you would like to read other reviews from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, please click the following link.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.