Engage!
- Junior officers get the spotlight in "Lower Decks". Four crewmen--Bajoran Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill), Vulcan Taurik (Alexander Enberg), human Lavelle (Dan Gauthier), and existing character Nurse Ogawa (Patti Yasutake) are going through simulations on the ship. Ogawa gets relationship advice from Crusher (possibly the worst choice ever), and Lavelle does a lousy job trying to bond with Riker. There's a mysterious survivor from Cardassian space beamed aboard. Picard dresses down Jaxa--she was in the group that covered up the accident at Starfleet Academy in an earlier episode. Taurik tries to figure out why LaForge is making him shoot as a shuttlecraft, and Ogawa assists Crusher in surgery--with a Cardassian. There's cuts between two poker games with the junior and senior officers, and a sensei/student moment between Jaxa and Worf. She then goes to Picard and tells him off--her reward is a secret mission with a Cardassian spy for the Federation. She acts as his prisoner on a shuttle--and is killed in the attempt. A lot of storyline for a single episode.
- Oh Data! In "Thine Own Self", he's off picking up a missing probe on a pre-industrial planet. Unfortunately, he's damaged, loses his memory, and runs into prerequisite little girl Gia (Kimberly Cullum). Meanwhile--Crusher's running the ship? She volunteered--she talks to Troi about being a full commander, and how doing jobs like this allows her to stretch. Troi decides to do the same--remember when she had to run the ship during a disaster?--probably a good idea. Back on the planet--Gia's father Garvin (Michael Rothhaar) tries to figure out what Data is, then takes her to the local healer Talur (Ronnie Claire Edwards). She calls him an "ice man" from the arctic wastes. Now called Jaden, Data saves a villager from an anvil, freaking everyone out. Back on the ship, Troi goes through holodeck simulation tests and doesn't do well at emergency engineering. Troi realizes the only way to pass the test is to order LaForge to die in the simulation in order to save the ship, and is made a full Commander. Jaden/Data starts questioning the villages' science. Garvin gets sick--he was inadvertently exposed to radiation from the probe. The villagers turn on Jaden as they get sick as well. Data starts an investigation and figures out that the "radioactive" metal from the probe is to blame. The villagers attack and Data is literally exposed as an android. Just in time, he comes up with a cure, but is "killed" for his efforts. The Enterprise comes in and exhumes him--thank goodness they had time to give Troi those tests. Picard shows up at the end--it seems he's getting little screen time lately...
- Brent Spiner gets a chance to be an ACTOR in "Masks". There's a rogue comet which deposits statuary in Troi's quarters. Of course, it's not immediately investigated--when will they learn? Data makes a clay mask in pottery class (don't these people have work to do?), and the ship's computer is taken over with unknown symbols. They blast the comet to see what's in the core--it's an ancient spaceship! Statuary starts showing up all over the ship. Data's mind and body is taken over by what sounds like Gollum. He's got an android version of multiple personalities. Picard talks with each of them, finding out that they are in danger. The ship is being transformed into an ancient society with swamps, aqueducts, etc. Picard plays archeologist, reading the symbols. Data puts on his clay mask and goes to the "temple" generated by LaForge. Picard, Troi, and Worf continue to decode the symbols. Picard puts on another mask and plays the role of another alien being to get them to leave. It's truly a silly scene--even the cast said they laughed at each other throughout the production.
- After the histrionics of the last few episodes, we get a more low-key episode in "Eye of the Beholder". A crewman commits suicide by jumping into a technobabble energy stream. This is a rare event in the 24th century, to the point that Picard has never had to deal with it before. Worf and Troi are assigned to investigate what happened. At the same time, Worf is trying to begin a relationship with Troi, at one point trying to talk to Riker, in order to get his permission. Troi's getting weird visions about Utopia Planitia (where the Enterprise was built)--people laughing at her. Out of nowhere, Worf goes to kiss Troi in her quarters, and for no apparent reason, she's happy to reciprocate. We cut to the next morning, and Worf's making breakfast. They both get called for different duties. A body is found in the bulkhead--it's the woman Troi saw in her visions. A crewman that worked at the shipyards is now suspected. Suddenly, Worf is making time with another crewman, and Troi shoots him. She goes to kill herself, and Worf stops her--it was all a vision caused by the crewman. A quick technobabble session later, all is resolved--no actual dalliance between our heroes--yet.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available on Netflix--more to come!