S1E20 Heart of Glory

Season 1 Episode 20: Heart of Glory

Watchability: Extra Credit
Short Answer: Definitely worth watching to see a little more about Worf's character.
Quotations: "That is not our way. Cowards take hostages."

I enjoyed this episode because it featured a number of new topics for the series. It is the first time we see a story centered around Worf. It's nice to see that he gets a moment to shine this early in the series, because he has a much bigger role later. It is also the first episode where we get a deeper look into Klingon culture.

Vaguely Spoilery...
The story is about a group of ship-wrecked Klingons. Talking to them, Worf is forced to explain to why he chose Starfleet over being a "true Klingon". As we find out more about the survivors, it becomes apparent that they are also asking the same questions about the Klingon Empire. They feel that in collaborating with the Federation, the Empire has lost it's Klingon heritage.

I like this episode a lot because of that dynamic. At the beginning of the episode, Worf is excited at the chance to see other people of his race. Instead, they question whether he is a "real" Klingon. By questioning his decisions, they make him feel like an outsider. By the end of the episode, the Klingon rebels are the outsiders because they are unwilling to accept the change that is happening in their society. Worf, as it turns out is the ideal that the Klingon Empire is building toward. I made this episode Extra Credit, but I highly recommend it.

Side Notes
(1) In the first ten minutes of the episode, we get a glimpse of what Geordi is "seeing" through his visor. It is an odd side bar, since it never comes up again in the plot of the episode. One part that stood out to me is an exchange between Picard and La Forge. Picard asks him about the aura around Data and La Forge responds that it's because Data is an android. Picard comments that Geordi talks as if everyone can see it. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but it stuck out as a hint to the bromance between Data and La Forge that persists through the show.

(2) If you are new to Star Trek, the Klingons were the enemy of the Federation (Earth and its allies) during TOS. In between the two shows, the Federation and the Klingon Empire have become allies. The Undiscovered Country, a TOS movie that came out after this episode aired, shows those events in detail. (Nested Side Note!) The actor that plays Worf has a small part in the movie where he plays Worf's grandfather.

S1E16 Too Short a Season

Season 1 Episode 16: Too Short a Season

Watchability: Extra Credit
Short Answer: Decent story. Watch if you have the time.
Notables: I'm going to have be better about these...

I remember this episode (and the next one, When the Bough Breaks) as being fan favorites. I wasn't sure what to expect, because a lot of episodes from this season have surprised me. I know I have seen them before, but I don't really remember a lot about them. It was nice to watch them without knowing how they ended.

In this episode, the Enterprise is asked to escort an aging Admiral to a planet where a number of Starfleet diplomats are being held hostage. This incident is similar to one that happened 45 years ago, where Starfleet helped defuse another hostage situation. The Admiral is the same person that negotiated the previous incident. It was the first in a series of successful negotiations that made him famous.

Of course, there is more to the story. The two incidents are related in ways that are revealed over the course of the episode. I won't go too deep into the details, in case someone wants to watch it. I will say that the story is pretty good relative to others this season.

By the end of the episode it becomes clear that the two incidents are similar because the characters can't let go of the past. In some ways it reminds me of the The Last Outpost. In that episode, Picard was forced to relive his past by a Plot Device™. In this episode, they go a bit further. Instead of it being a temporary condition, the characters are unable to move past by the mistakes they have made. And instead of hallucinating the events of the past, they recreate them. I don't know if the writers intended the comparison between the two episodes, but serve as a nice foil for Picard's character.

Definitely watch it if you have the time, but it is not essential.

S1E12 The Big Goodbye

Season 1 Episode 12: The Big Goodbye

Watchability: Extra Credit
Short Answer: More of a fun episode than anything else.
Notables: Introduction of the Holodeck episode.

This episode is the first in a long line of episodes that take place mainly on the holodeck. Picard has just acquired a holodeck program that is essentially an interactive novel of one of his favorite characters. The story follows a Private Eye, named Dixon Hill. Picard and a few of the crew participate in the program, and the episode takes place almost entirely inside the holodeck. As seems inevitable with these episodes, the "holodeck safeties" fail and what started out as a pleasant diversion, turns out to be a deadly threat to the crew (dun dun DUUUUN!).

It's hard to say whether this episode is an intentional commentary on video games, movies and other forms of entertainment. At the time the episode aired (1987), there were certainly games that involved interactive storytelling. Sierra, Infocom, and other companies were making the adventure games that made them famous. If nothing else, Zork had been out for over five years. Whether, intentional or not, I think this episode stands up as a being relatively prescient. At one point, Picard raves about how realistic and immersive the experience was for him. It is surprisingly similar to the way that people talk about the latest Xbox game or 3D movie.

Besides that aspect, I am not sure if there is any other serious point. There is an episode later on that explores the dangers of holodeck addiction in a much more obvious way. In large part, I think this episode is just a fun way for the writers/actors to explore the entertainment of the future. For that reason, though I like this episode a lot, I would say that it is not essential.

S1E10 Hide and Q

Season 1 Episode 10: Hide and Q

Watchability: Extra Credit
Short Answer: Q makes a second appearance. I'd recommend it on that alone, but it also shows a little more of Riker's character.
Notables: Q, 'nuff said.

This episode marks Q's second appearance and once again he is bent on testing humanity. The payoff for that comes at the end of the episode, so I am loath to spoil too much about it. If you enjoyed the quirky personality of Q, or you want to see a Shakespeare-off between Picard and Q, this episode is definitely worth watching.

I will say that unlike the previous Q episode, this episode tests Riker instead of Picard. What I really enjoyed about the episode is the trust that Picard places in Riker. Q threatens to tempt Riker with the ultimate gift. Picard's reaction is almost that of relief. His confidence in the people under his command is such a difference from a lot of SciFi. It mirrors the same same optimism that he expresses for humanity in general. In the end, Riker does grow as a character, and Picard does chastise him for some of his naiveté, but as his one-on-one conversation with Q demonstrates, he has confidence that Riker will get there.

S1E06 Where No One Has Gone Before

Season 1 Episode 6: Where No One Has Gone Before

Watchability: Extra Credit
Short Answer: This episode introduces the Traveler, who makes another notable appearance later in the series, but the episode does not have much else going for it.
Notables: Introduction of the Traveler. Classic Wesley saves the day plot.

This episode is the first one that has given me trouble on whether to recommend it or not. Truth be told it is a bit silly, but there are a couple things worth noting.

The first is the introduction of the Traveler. This alien creature is one of the many mostly-omniscient alien races created by the show. He isn't that great of a character, but he does make another appearance as a part of Wesley's "character arc", such as it is (you kind of get allusions to that if you watch the episode). I put this episode as "Extra Credit" mainly for continuity nuts, but I don't think there is anything in the episode that is critical to understanding what happens later.

The second reason to watch this episode is that it is the first of the classic "Wesley Crusher Saves the Day" plots. It's a bit of a reoccurring theme on the show. As is typical of these types of episodes, Wesley has the answer that can save the ship, but no one believes him because he is just a kid. Of course, he is right and the saves the day. It also establishes that he is pretty smart. At one point the Traveler compares Wesley to Mozart.

As a kid, I thought it was really annoying mainly because I thought Wesley was really annoying (as most boys my age did). Watching it again this time, one of the things that struck me was that Riker actually makes a point of admitting that he was wrong for not listening to Wesley. Though it comes off a bit trite, I think that highlights one of the values the show expresses, which is accountability.

S1E03 Naked Now

Season 1 Episode 3: Naked Now

Watchability: Extra Credit
Short Answer: The episode is really bad. That being said it is one of the most "talked about" episodes, so it is probably worth watching for that conversation.
Notables: Rehash of an ST: Original Series plot.

This episode is probably the best "test" of my review format. I'll say this up front: It is one of the worst TNG episodes. In a lot of ways, this is a prime example of what made the first two seasons on TNG awful.

TNG came out almost 20 years after its predecessor. With that time gap came a lot of baggage. For one, there were several scripts that were written for the Original Series (TOS) that never made it to production before it was cancelled. Some of those were revamped to work for TNG. Also, there were episodes like this one, which merely recycled plots from TOS.

That being said, this episode is probably one of the most referenced episodes of TNG, because it is that bad. Data's often paraphrased line "I am FULLY functional" comes from this episode. For that reason, I have tagged this episode with "Iconic" and "Memes". This episode is not good, but chances are, if you are going to talk about TNG with anyone who has seen the show, this episode will come up eventually.