Review of Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 5 (7 Disc Boxset)

Introduction

Once again I renew my love hate relationship with the Star Trek franchise. The way that the recent incarnations have been going certainly doesn`t do anything to enthuse me, but there are always the classics to fall back on. I had considered gradually going through the Next Generation boxsets as and when the mood took me, but a chance e-mail from Paramount, who were busy doing their market research hastened my TNG timetable. A few months ago, I, as an avid Trekkie, was asked the question "Do you mind if we delete all the Next Generation boxsets at the end of 2004 and replace them with single disc releases in Amaray cases?" As I was halfway through buying the sets, I was less than pleased. I waited just until the next sale and completed my collection with the final three Seasons. Your guess is as good as mine if the boxsets actually will be deleted, but Paramount`s policies regarding DVD releases and Star Trek have always been mystifying. You can imagine that when I began watching this Season 5 boxset of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I was feeling less than charitable.

With the cast and the format very much in place, Season 5 began with only a few minor tweaks. The most noticeable change was the addition of a new Bridge Officer, Ensign Ro Laren. A rather argumentative Bajoran, she was the first seed that would grow into the Deep Space 9 spin-off. Other changes included a minor wardrobe tweak for Captain Picard (new jacket), but more significantly and tragically, this was the year the Star Trek`s creator Gene Roddenberry passed away.

This year`s episodes would chart both new and familiar ground, as The Next Generation began to test the boundaries of its format. The biggest moment of the season would be the Unification double episode, which would truly signal the passing of the flame from the original show to the new, with the memorable guest appearance of Leonard Nimoy as Spock. There would be the quintessential Trek episodes like Darmok, The Masterpiece Society, I, Borg and Inner Light, while others including Inner Light, Cause and Effect, and The Next Phase would challenge the 45 minute sci-fi paradigm with new ways of telling stories. Finally there would be a chance for Trek to just put down the phasers and play in other genres, with entertaining shows like Disaster. Unfortunately Season 5 isn`t spared from the occasional stinker, although this time it`s down to personal preference rather than just poorly produced episodes.

Anyway, this years 26 episodes are summarised below, and still marked out of 10.

Disc 1

1. Redemption Part II
When Season 4 finished, the Klingon Empire had fallen into a civil war fomented by the Romulans, and Worf had left the Enterprise to fight with his Klingon brothers and regain his family honour. The start of the fifth season sees Picard propose a plan to expose Romulan involvement in the war, incidentally helping Gowron defeat the Duras family. Geordi has a plan to defeat the Romulan cloaking device using a fleet of ships, and Data has a chance to exercise his command skill against some considerable prejudice. But confrontation with the Romulans reveals a familiar face, and Worf begins to be disillusioned with Klingon politics. After the promise of last year`s cliffhanger, the second part of Redemption is a little disappointing. It opens with an exciting space battle, but the majority of the Klingon scenes seem a little pedestrian, and the standoff between the Romulans and the Federation lacks teeth. However Worf`s character deepens, as he realises that the Klingon Empire isn`t all it`s cracked up to be. 7/10

2. Darmok
An encounter with the enigmatic Tamarians turns ominous when the Captain is kidnapped. While two powerful starships face off in planetary orbit, Captain Picard is faced with his opposite number on the planet`s surface, and the Tamarian speaks a language that the translator fails to render. Ask a Trekkie what Star Trek means, and you`ll hear a sermon on tolerance, hope, and a future that shows that the human race can better itself. That`s pretty odd when you consider how many stories end up with people shooting at each other. It becomes difficult to find the drama in a Utopian vision of the future, but ask a Trekkie, which episode epitomises the ideals of Trek, and the answer will most probably be Darmok. An episode based on two species` inability to communicate may sound a little thin, but Darmok is structured in a way that the story is compelling and exciting. The two Captains on the surface bond, while the starships up above drift towards conflict. For a change, it`s the aliens with the higher principles, the aliens who are willing to make sacrifices in order to establish communications and tackle a barrier that the Federation find too daunting. An excellent performance from Paul Winfield gives the alien language some verisimilitude, and blink and you`ll miss Ashley Judd (don`t worry she`ll be back). 8/10

3. Ensign Ro
Bajoran terrorists attack a Federation colony to draw attention to their own fight for freedom against the Cardassians. Picard is given the mission to hunt down the terrorists and persuade them to lay down their arms and return to the refugee camps. To aid him the Enterprise is assigned a new officer, the criminal Ro Laren. The Next Generation was going to get a baby brother next year, Deep Space 9 was a glint in the producers` eyes, and they wanted an opportunity to tell a little backstory. Ensign Ro is almost a mini-prequel, setting up the Bajorans and their conflict with the Cardassians. This was a thread that would be revisited from time to time in the rest of The Next Generation episodes as well as become the basis of Deep Space 9, so it`s good that they managed to do it well. It was also an opportunity after the departure of Wesley Crusher, to introduce a new character to the Enterprise crew, the Bajoran Ensign Ro played by Michelle Forbes. She was certainly an interesting character, abrasive and out of place, and constantly kicking the rather sanctimonious Starfleet crew in their collective complacency with her occasionally brutal reminder of the `real` world. Unfortunately her appearances would be few and far between, leaving the character somewhat wasted. The story is enjoyable with Starfleet shown as not quite the benevolent organisation it pretends to be. 8/10

4. Silicon Avatar
A familiar adversary destroys a new colony. The Crystalline Entity that destroyed Data`s homeworld returns with a vengeance. Picard decides to pursue and if possible communicate with the Entity. Dr Kyla Marr, the Federation`s expert on the lifeform, joins the Enterprise, but her son died on Omicron Theta, and she has other plans for the creature. She also holds Data responsible if only because he survived when no one else did. The Silicon Entity was a rather effective Deus Ex Machina in the First Season episode Datalore, but here the sequel doesn`t have Data`s malevolent brother to hold the interest. Instead it`s a rather half-baked tragedy as poor Dr Marr works through her grief. 5/10

Disc 2

5. Disaster
The ship is stricken by one of those pesky cosmic anomalies while everyone is relaxing. Soon everyone is stranded in various sections of the ship, communications are down and time is ticking away until total catastrophe. The crew must work to save the ship and their lives, taking on unusual roles. Picard is trapped in a lift with a bunch of kids, Riker has to get Data`s head to engineering, Geordi and Dr Crusher have to put out a fire in a cargo bay, and Deanna of all people is in command. Oh, and Worf is a midwife. This is an excellent take on the disaster genre, and a fine departure from the usual Treks. It really is a chance for the characters to develop further, given both chances to relax and to shine against adversity. 9/10

6. The Game
Riker returns from shore leave on Risa with a highly addictive game that proves popular with the crew. This coincides with Wesley`s visit on sabbatical from the Academy. At first Wesley is distracted by a relationship with engineer Robin Lefler, but when the crew starts behaving strangely, and Data malfunctions, even Wesley must notice. Guess who saves the ship again? I told you Ashley Judd would be back. She plays Wesley`s love interest Robin Lefler, but unfortunately she gets a rather annoying character to play. It`s an ironic twist, with adults addicted to computer games while the kids keep their heads, but the story is pretty mundane and once again the incongruity of a teenager receiving a better reception from a starship crew than most visiting dignitaries begins to grate. 7/10

7. Unification: Part I
Has Spock defected? An intelligence report places him on Romulus and Picard is ordered to get to the bottom of it. He starts by going to Vulcan to ask an ailing Sarek about his son`s loyalties. There is no choice but for Picard and Data to don the pointed ears and travel in disguise to Romulus, to learn the truth first hand. Meanwhile the Enterprise investigates the smuggling of Vulcan ship components at the Qualor II surplus depot and discovers the threads to a nefarious plot. A nice bit of intrigue and suspense in a jam-packed episode. 9/10

8. Unification: Part II
On Romulus, Picard learns that Spock is working with an underground movement to re-unite Vulcan and Romulus. The Enterprise however is following threads that link three missing Vulcan starships to a insidious plot that has its roots on Romulus, a plot shaped by a familiar face and that has Spock and Picard destined to be pawns. The Unification story ties in well with the Star Trek VI movie, following similar political themes. It`s absolutely magic to see Leonard Nimoy in the Star Trek universe again; he brings a gravitas and an intelligence that is lacking in the usual Next Gen scripts, and the regular cast have to lift their game to keep up. The story is certainly interesting, but most of the excitement is to be had in the suspenseful Part I, and part II seems almost an anticlimax in comparison. 8/10

Disc 3

9. A Matter Of Time
The Enterprise is responding to an ecological emergency, when a visitor from the future disrupts its mission. Berlingoff Rasmussen, a historian from the 26th Century wishes to study the mission to fill in some missing gaps. Rasmussen defies questioning by quoting his own version of the Prime Directive, but when things go wrong, Picard finds temptation too strong. Rasmussen is an attempt to create a colourful character, reminiscent of Harry Mudd from the original series, and Matt Frewer, better known as Max Headroom, certainly succeeds in that. The story isn`t too bad either. 7/10

10. New Ground
A new propulsion technology, The Soliton Wave is being tested, and the Enterprise is called on to observe. At the same time, Worf is reunited with his wayward son Alexander, who has proven to be too much of a handful for his grandparents. Worf isn`t impressed when he learns that his son is far from a model Klingon, but the ship is soon in danger when the test goes wrong. It`s one of those soap opera episodes that make you question if you`re watching sci-fi. We get 45 minutes of Worf working through his feelings with his son, and in the background the interesting stuff just fades away. 5/10

11. Hero Worship
Searching for the research ship Vico, the Enterprise finds the smaller ship stricken in the Black Cluster gravitational anomaly. The only survivor, a boy named Timothy is rescued by Data, and consequently fixates on the android, even imitating him in an attempt to hide from the ordeal. But when the Enterprise faces the same phenomenon that destroyed the Vico, Data and Deanna must work with Timothy to unlock the secret of the ship`s survival, locked away in his traumatised mind. This is a decent, more integrated story than the previous episode, which makes good use of the characters, especially Deanna who finally gets to do some counselling. There are some sickeningly sweet moments though. 7/10

12. Violations
A group of Telepathic Ullians are hitching a ride home on the Enterprise, and their ability to recover buried memories is of interest to the crew. But when members of the crew are attacked and fall into deep comas, suspicion falls on the telepaths. It`s a pretty standard mystery episode, with an interesting enough premise, but is bogged down with an interminably slow pace. 6/10

Disc 4

13. The Masterpiece Society
A stellar core fragment is about to devastate a colony of genetically engineered humans. They aren`t eager to interact with outsiders in case their ideal society is disrupted. However the Enterprise crew`s offer to help is irresistible in the face of certain doom. However this interaction may prove just as fatal to the society. Another tirade against genetic engineering from Star Trek has a pretty good technical story, but once again a relationship written for Deanna turns out to be lifeless. For a futuristic sci-fi, Star Trek can be pretty Luddite at times. 7/10

14. Conundrum
On a survey mission, the Enterprise encounters a strange ship. An intense pulse of light hits the ship, erasing the memories of all on board. Fortunately the computer manages to fill in some of the missing gaps. The computer also explains the ships current status, embroiled in a bitter war, and on a critical mission. The Captain is reluctant, but his First Officer, Keiran MacDuff is adamant that the mission must succeed. A brilliant premise executed admirably well. It`s fun seeing the crew trying to fit into their roles without their memories, it also makes a difference to know the twist and punch line before the characters do. 9/10

15. Power Play
The Enterprise responds to a 200 year old distress call and finds the remains of the starship Essex on a barren moon. When a shuttle is sent down to investigate, the turbulent atmosphere causes it to crash on the surface. When the survivors return to the ship, something comes back with them, or rather in them. Aliens possess the crew and try to take over the ship, a story that gets wheeled out every once in a while. Here Data, Troi and O`Brien are the unwitting hosts to beings who among others terrorise Keiko, O`Brien`s wife. (When the story gets wheeled out for DS9 in a few years, it`ll be Keiko who gets possessed and O`Brien who gets terrorised.) Still, it`s fun seeing the familiar characters being subverted, and the story works due to some good writing and some decent performances. 8/10

16. Ethics
An accident leaves Worf paralysed, and Federation medicine is unable to treat him. Worf is determined to the Klingon thing, but Alexander isn`t keen on losing another parent. Dr Toby Russell arrives though with a revolutionary treatment that may just heal Worf. Her new colleague initially awes Dr Crusher, but Dr Russell`s methods leave much to be desired. A regular character is put in jeopardy merely to advance a pro-life agenda. Star Trek is at it`s weakest when it becomes political, and this episode is risible. Medical research is demonised and a patient`s right to choose questioned. Yet the story`s hypocrisy is boundless where after an interminable lecture against medical research, (not helped by portraying Russell as a rule breaking maverick) the fruits of that research are used to heal Worf anyway. 4/10

Disc 5

17. The Outcast
Helping the androgynous J`Nai search for a missing shuttle, Riker gets to know Soren, a J`Nai pilot. The asexual J`Nai do not form gender-based relationships, but the occasional renegade does go against cultural dictates. When Riker and Soren enter into a relationship, it is actually a crime in J`Nai society, a crime with the harshest punishment. Star Trek has pushed many boundaries, explored many frontiers, but when it comes to same-sex relationships, it has been positively archaic. There have only been a few half-hearted attempts to broach the subject, and some sort of justification in the storyline, body swaps or the like has crippled them all. This weak first attempt was actually made in 1992, but feels twenty years older. It tries to use metaphor to illustrate a point, but actually feels like a ham-fisted analogy to homophobia, and the end of the story is borderline offensive. 3/10

18. Cause And Effect
Star Trek gets back to doing what it does best, with the Enterprise destroyed before the credits have even started rolling. The story begins when the ship enters the Typhon Expanse. The crew begins to experience déjà vu, Dr Crusher is hearing voices and Geordi`s VISOR is malfunctioning. The ship is on course for destruction, and then it starts all over again. It`s Groundhog Day on the Enterprise as the same events start repeating. It`s an exciting story that allows the special effects guys to repeatedly destroy the ship. Frasier`s Kelsey Grammer has the briefest of cameos as Captain Bateson, but his ship, the Bozeman will get regular name-checks on the show from now on. His 30-second screen appearance was enough to inspire an entire novel based around the character. An excellent episode that actually predates the Bill Murray movie. 10/10

19. The First Duty
The ship is returning to Earth when they learn of an accident at Starfleet Academy involving Wesley Crusher. Nova Squadron was practising for a graduation ceremony when their ships collided, with the loss of Cadet Joshua Albert. The inquiry throws some doubt on the survivors` testimonies, and it appears that Wesley may not have been altogether truthful about the accident. Wesley Crusher got precious few decent storylines when the character was a regular. However this episode is exceptional in that Wesley is written as a fallible and impressionable character, in other words a typical teenager. It also introduces a hint of darkness into the typically bright Star Trek universe, things do go wrong for the `perfect` characters and they do have to deal with consequences. This is also the first appearance of the much-mentioned Boothby, played by everyone`s favourite Martian, Ray Walston. Nick Locarno is played by Robert Duncan MacNeill, who would go on to play Tom Paris, an all but identical character in Voyager. 8/10

20. Cost Of Living
Deanna`s mother is back, and she`s getting married. Of course she hasn`t met the man yet, so she co-opts the Enterprise as a venue for her nuptials. Meanwhile she`s causing havoc meddling between Worf and his son Alexander as well as disrupting Deanna`s counselling technique. Some asteroid or other is interfering with the ship. Lwaxana Troi is one of the more colourful characters to inhabit the Next Generation and her appearances are always a treat. This is an entertaining light episode that is refreshingly pointless. 7/10

Disc 6

21. The Perfect Mate
A marriage has been arranged to heal the rift between two warring worlds. The bride is a special being who will become perfectly attuned to her intended. When two Ferengi interrupt her stasis prematurely, her presence on the Enterprise begins to wreak havoc on the male population, not least on Captain Picard. Now the challenge is to keep her emotionally chaste until she has a chance to bond with her husband-to-be. An early appearance for X-Men co-star Famke Janssen is slightly disappointing. It`s an interesting enough story, but since Picard was rarely written as the leading man, so the episode doesn`t quite come off. 6/10

22. Imaginary Friend
Ensign Sutter is concerned that his daughter Clara spends too much time with an imaginary friend. Deanna tries to reassure the worried father, but when the Enterprise investigates a nebula and Isabella becomes corporeal, it`s time for Red Alert. If you`ve seen the Second Season episode, The Child, you can give this one a miss, as it is to all intents and purposes, the same story. Isabella is one creepy kid though. 5/10

23. I, Borg
The Enterprise goes to the rescue of a crashed ship but instead finds the wreckage of a Borg scoutship. The landing party retrieve a damaged drone and return to the ship. Picard has to face demons he had thought laid to rest, in order to exploit an opportunity to defeat the Federation`s greatest foe. But as the drone is repaired, it begins to develop a personality, and even a fledgling individuality. Soon Picard`s hatred for the Borg comes into conflict with his ethics. An excellent episode that espouses the best in Trek, that principles aren`t to be sacrificed when they become inconvenient, and must be applied equally at all times. Unfortunately this episode did set a precedent in giving the Borg a human face. 9/10

24. The Next Phase
A stricken Romulan ship requires the aid of the Enterprise. The boarding party are met by the Romulans without incident, but a transporter accident results in the loss of Geordi and Ro when they try to return. As the crew mourn their friends, repair efforts continue on the Romulan ship. Meanwhile Ro and Geordi wake on the Enterprise, disoriented and unnoticed by the crew. They are shocked to find that they are incorporeal, passing through objects like, well ghosts. A story that is based on an indecent amount of technobabble, but it`s thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. It`s a nice little mystery, and it`s interesting to see how the two officers react to their predicament. There`s also a nice twist that is very effective. 10/10

Disc 7

25. The Inner Light
Investigating an alien probe, a flash of light renders Picard unconscious. When he wakes, he finds that he is a different man, on an alien planet living another life on a doomed world. One of Trek`s more memorable episodes as Picard experiences the life that he could have had, were he not a starship Captain. The story effectively condenses several decades into 45 minutes. One of the more imaginative tales. 9/10

26. Time`s Arrow: Part I
The Enterprise returns to Earth when evidence is uncovered of extra-terrestrial visitations to San Francisco in the 19th Century. Of particular interest is one item, a five hundred year old android`s head, Data`s head. A microscopic fossil points the way to a distant planet and Data`s destiny. Investigating a group of malevolent life forms, out of temporal phase on the surface of Devidia II, an accident sends Data back in time where he encounters a rather inquisitive writer and a very familiar face. Time travel episodes are a staple of Trek, and when done well are often the most entertaining. They also are a nitpickers paradise when it comes to continuity. A myriad of plot contrivances conspire to send the Enterprise crew back to 1893, but it`s really only when Data makes his presence felt in the past that the episode picks up. 8/10

Video

The picture is your standard 4:3 regular ratio familiar from countless American television series. The transfer is perfectly adequate, matching the programme as I remember it first broadcast. In other words, low resolution and quite grainy from time to time. American television of the period was hardly pin-sharp, and as the years pass, I begin to wonder what The Next Generation would have looked like were it produced in hi-definition widescreen. I guess we`ll never know.

Audio

The Sound is once again available in 5 different flavours English DD 5.1 and DD mono in French, German, Italian and Spanish. It`s still wonderful to hear Star Trek in its surround sound glory and the benchmark set in previous releases is adhered to by Paramount. One of the notable talking points for Trekkies this year was the haunting tune played on the flute in The Inner Light.

Features

The packaging is identical to the other Seasons, making for a nice collection on your DVD shelf. A digipack houses the seven discs, with graphics of cutaway sections of the ship lovingly rendered on the discs and the cardboard. This all slips neatly into a rugged plastic case, identical to the ones used for previous and subsequent seasons. Also in the box, you will find the obligatory booklet, detailing the 26 episodes. This set of discs has menus based on the Enterprise holodeck, but the layout has pretty much the same LCARS look. The extras are once again quite substantial in amount.

Mission Overview (18 minutes) looks at the memorable episodes from this year, with careful attention paid to the Leonard Nimoy highlight, Unification, although the actor himself doesn`t deign to comment. Also mentioned are Darmok, The Inner Light and I, Borg.

Departmental Briefing has two entries this year, Production (16 minutes) looks at the creators talking about their particular episodes, most notably Inner Light, Cause and Effect and The First Duty, although there is input from cast and crew regarding other aspects of production. Visual Effects (18 minutes) is a look at how The Next Generation heralded a new era in effects technology for television productions, with substantial input from Visual Effects Supervisors Rob Legato and Dan Curry.

Memorable Missions (18 minutes) looks again at selected episodes, but this documentary is more for the trivia buff, with the minutiae of episodes examined, like Data`s paintings, musical instruments, stunts catastrophes and the like.

Intergalactic Guest Stars (15 minutes) recognises some of the luminaries who have passed through the transporter over the years, with special attention paid to this years guest stars like Ashley Judd, Kelsey Grammer, Paul Winfield as well as President Ronald Reagan, who paid a behind the scenes visit.

Alien Speak (12 minutes) is a look at the Alien languages encountered on Trek. The first half looks at the visual alphabets used by different species, and the documentary rounds off with input from Marc Okrand, the linguist who created and expanded much of the Klingon language, after James Doohan`s Klingon words, first spoken in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Finally there is a 29-minute tribute to Star Trek`s creator Gene Roddenberry who passed away in 1991, when this season was in production. It`s an opportunity for the cast and crew to share their memories and relate a few anecdotes. It`s a worthy addition to the extras that helps bring into focus what Star Trek truly aspired to. Also while Star Trek bloopers, outtakes and general goofing around are difficult to find, there`s something special at the end of this tribute.

The format of the extras is identical to the previous boxsets, but there is a tad more material here, which is certainly welcome. All the extras are subtitled and presented in a 4:3 regular ratio with DD 2.0 English surround sound.

Conclusion

Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation is something of an enigma. It`s almost as if the show split in two this year, with one incarnation successful, innovative and groundbreaking. On the other hand, there are moments where I felt that the show was having an identity crisis, and on the verge of foundering. This is most obvious in the episodes this year. Shows like Cause and Effect, Inner Light, Disaster and Conundrum managed to expand the format, or told compelling stories, or were just tightly paced and well-plotted pieces of television. These were shows that departed from the norm and improved on what had come before. Yet on occasion certain themes were revisited, as in Imaginary Friend, which was a remake of an earlier show, or the show tried to take a moralistic stand as in The Outcast, and Ethics, and looking on these shows with the benefit of 10 years of hindsight, they feel remarkably dated and staid.

This is a rather strange thing to say about Star Trek, but it is a very conservative franchise. This is something that is certainly evident in the current incarnation, which is at best a retread of earlier themes. But even in the Next Generation, there was a freedom to explore the boundaries of science in science fiction, but a reluctance to engage in certain other issues, hence the rather cack-handed treatment of homophobia in The Outcast. There is also an almost implicit dislike of anything to do with genetic engineering; something that you would imagine would feature strongly in an imagined future. (Remember that this show was made long before the issue of Genetic Engineering became a real one in society) Drama and sci-fi television from the United States has certainly spoiled us for choice, with a greater desire to innovate and challenge. In that light, Star Trek`s rather repetitive formula begins to look old-fashioned. Watching The Next Generation dispassionately, you begin to see certain trends, which I initially accepted as mere character traits, but seem to have set precedents for subsequent series. The tendency for Picard to convene a `board meeting` whenever a decision had to be made, Worf`s habit of taking any mundane activity, giving it a Klingon name and turning it into a ritual just to appear alien, "Ah yes, we call this GR`LLB`RAAK`T, the cleaning of windscreens, let me get my bucket", the occupation of the moral high ground and the lack of interpersonal conflict all imposed limits on the dramatic licence that The Next Generation enjoyed. Today, when every second Enterprise episode seems to involve time travel, it`s a surprise to see how sparingly they were used in TNG, but when used, the time travel episodes follow a tried and trusted format. Then of course there is the overabundance of technobabble, which reached a new peak with Season 5, "Captain, the gribblies have leaked spongiforms into the constipated matrix, but not to worry, if I polarise the chummlies and let the fleeg oscillator marimba into the higher polyps then we`ll make flatulent velocipede." I remember Tom Baker managing to save the world weekly, reversing polarities with only a sonic screwdriver. There`s something to be said for an elegant script. But technobabble aside, I found that the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation were those that strayed from the conservative line, that managed to innovate, something that has been sorely lacking in recent year in the newer franchises.

The cast all got some decent stories this year, but the high point has to be the addition of Michelle Forbes to the cast as Ensign Ro. She got quite a few good episodes here, but her character would be wasted in the subsequent seasons. The best Wesley episode to date, The First Duty would occur after the character is no longer a regular, but this year has to belong to Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, who has come a long way from the simple emotional barometer of the first year to being one of the strongest characters in the crew and certainly the most developed. We finally get to see what her job is this year, and the actress gets to subvert her character in Power Play.

Many individual episodes certainly stand out as classics, but there are more than a few stinkers this year, and several episodes barely sneak above the average, but the extras keep getting better and better, although they remain limited. Certainly essential for Star Trek completists.