Picard orders Yellow Alert, and then later in that scene Riker orders the shields up. Yellow Alert implies the shields being raised.
Offenhouse making it to the Bridge presents several problems. One, it should not be possible for an unauthorized person (who is not even wearing a commbadge) to order a turbolift to the Bridge. I would say perhaps that kind of access restriction wasn't yet implemented, but in "11001001" a turbolift panel announces "Bridge Access Denied" when Picard and Riker try to get there. (It did so before they told the computer where they were trying to go, but still.) Then we have to address the security personnel apparently giving up on removing the man, presumably because they're distracted by the Romulan ship decloaking on the viewscreen. Who knew all it took to stop a Starfleet security officer from moving you was planting your feet and shrugging off their hold on your arm?
And finally: Initial scans of the derelict ship should have shown life signs of some kind on board. Data and Worf discovering the cryogenic pods shouldn't have been a surprise.
This episode feels pretty weak for a season finale. Captain Picard's final line ("There's still much to do. Still so much to learn. Mister La Forge, engage.") reads like the end of a series pilot or season premiere. And it wasn't preceded by much substance.
Sure, it's fun to have the present-day humans on board. They're fun, in the same way "The 37's" are fun, because we get to see people out of time come to understand what has changed in the intervening years. But based on the title, they're supposed to be the "B" plot.
Meanwhile, in the actual Neutral Zone plot (which, based on the title, is the "A" story), not much happens. Most of the action is centered on the "B" plot characters, and we actually see surprisingly little of the events leading up to the Romulan encounter.
From my research into "Conspiracy", I can surmise that the destroyed outposts have been captured by the Borg, and this episode is supposed to be a kind of cliffhanger leading into their introduction at the start of season three. Of course, the writers' strike was still ongoing at this time, and the Borg story arc was postponed due to that, so this episode doesn't really have a story to tell any more. (I also found a quote from the director, James Conway, who recalled this script was shot as a first draft—rewrites being impossible due to the ongoing writers' strike. That's probably the main reason it's such a weak episode.)
Review by dgwVIP 10BlockedParent2018-11-28T07:28:44Z
Picard orders Yellow Alert, and then later in that scene Riker orders the shields up. Yellow Alert implies the shields being raised.
Offenhouse making it to the Bridge presents several problems. One, it should not be possible for an unauthorized person (who is not even wearing a commbadge) to order a turbolift to the Bridge. I would say perhaps that kind of access restriction wasn't yet implemented, but in "11001001" a turbolift panel announces "Bridge Access Denied" when Picard and Riker try to get there. (It did so before they told the computer where they were trying to go, but still.) Then we have to address the security personnel apparently giving up on removing the man, presumably because they're distracted by the Romulan ship decloaking on the viewscreen. Who knew all it took to stop a Starfleet security officer from moving you was planting your feet and shrugging off their hold on your arm?
And finally: Initial scans of the derelict ship should have shown life signs of some kind on board. Data and Worf discovering the cryogenic pods shouldn't have been a surprise.
This episode feels pretty weak for a season finale. Captain Picard's final line ("There's still much to do. Still so much to learn. Mister La Forge, engage.") reads like the end of a series pilot or season premiere. And it wasn't preceded by much substance.
Sure, it's fun to have the present-day humans on board. They're fun, in the same way "The 37's" are fun, because we get to see people out of time come to understand what has changed in the intervening years. But based on the title, they're supposed to be the "B" plot.
Meanwhile, in the actual Neutral Zone plot (which, based on the title, is the "A" story), not much happens. Most of the action is centered on the "B" plot characters, and we actually see surprisingly little of the events leading up to the Romulan encounter.
From my research into "Conspiracy", I can surmise that the destroyed outposts have been captured by the Borg, and this episode is supposed to be a kind of cliffhanger leading into their introduction at the start of season three. Of course, the writers' strike was still ongoing at this time, and the Borg story arc was postponed due to that, so this episode doesn't really have a story to tell any more. (I also found a quote from the director, James Conway, who recalled this script was shot as a first draft—rewrites being impossible due to the ongoing writers' strike. That's probably the main reason it's such a weak episode.)