“Descent” (6×26 & 7×01)
This two-parter, which closed out Season 6 and kicked off Season 7, is ambitious to a fault. There’s a lot that doesn’t work, but there’s...
“Ship In A Bottle” (6×12)
An absolute banger of an episode, with a premise that has troubling implications. My one regret is that I didn’t start with “Elementary, Dear Data”...
“Peak Performance” (2×21)
This is a fun one. I always enjoy when Trek shows visit starships from other eras, and I always enjoy rooting for the underdog. Lots...
“The Most Toys” (3×22)
I didn’t care much for this one. The story, about an interstellar traveler collecting trophies through illicit means, is a well-worn science fiction trope. The...
“The Mind’s Eye” (4×24)
This was another episode with a meaty storyline with larger implications that the show’s format isn’t equipped to handle. Telling a Manchurian Candidate story with...
“Home Soil” (1×18)
This episode reminded me a lot of the movie Arrival, in that it involved two forms of life that are completely alien to one another...
“Force of Nature” (7×09)
This should have been a game changer: Warp travel is inherently destructive, with the effects accumulating over time. The Federation is so shaken by this...
“Time Squared” (2×13)
This is one I sort of half remembered from repeats in the early nineties. There have been plenty of time travel stories in Trek, and...
“Pen Pals” (2×15)
While exploring the Selcundi Drema sector, a region of space with unique geology that has resulted in cataclysmic destruction in system after system, Data develops...
“Violations” (5×12)
This is an icky storyline, basically Star Trek: SVU. The investigation subplot, with Georgi and Data combing through evidence to eliminate possibilities and ultimately zero...