As a fun diversion, this works for me. I'm fine with calling this a 7/10 'cause I was entertained.
After last episode, I don't get why this mostly light-hearted "comedy episode" is the season finale. Interactions between those fossils and modern tech and 24th century people is quite interesting. Acting is also quite good. I don't like the morale story they tell. I mean it's classic TNG with its simple message of hope: "Look how far we have come! Mankind can evolve and became better despite occasional set-backs." But here that's so much onto the nose and way too preachy. We get it alright! Capitalism and strongmen should be a thing of the past. The people they use as a contest are too much of a stereotype. It's also strange how they are treated. Picard treats them as a nuisance and wanted them to remain floating in space. Riker treats them as a curiosity. They are humans after all! Only a few of the crew seem to be interested in helping them to get accustomed to their new life.
The other aspect of the story is the possibility of successful cryonics. It's not enough to fill the full episode though. It makes you briefly contemplate the pros and cons of this idea, but ultimately I don't care. Voyager did something similar in The 37's That was another one of Voyager's early mediocre episodes. This topic isn't just interesting enough to tell a great story I suppose. TOS Space Seed uses the notion of cryonics to tell a much more exciting story (this TOS episode has other issues though).
I'm not even sure whether that's supposed to be the core of this episode. Perhaps it's really about the events in the Neutral Zone. Encountering the Romulans after decades is a big thing. Almost getting into a fight with them is exciting. Cooperating with them (for the time being) is a big deal. Discovering that someone unknown is destroying entire outposts is a big deal (and a great cliffhanger about what's to come in next seasons). But all this feels like a B-plot since it's totally overshadowed by the story of the "time travellers".
PS: another lowpoint for Deanna. While the grown-ups must navigate the pitfalls of intercultural communication between Humans and Romulans and while they negotiate a temporary alliance, Deanna has far more humble things to do: genealogy.
Review by Alexander von LimbergBlockedParent2023-03-18T12:45:38Z
As a fun diversion, this works for me. I'm fine with calling this a 7/10 'cause I was entertained.
After last episode, I don't get why this mostly light-hearted "comedy episode" is the season finale. Interactions between those fossils and modern tech and 24th century people is quite interesting. Acting is also quite good. I don't like the morale story they tell. I mean it's classic TNG with its simple message of hope: "Look how far we have come! Mankind can evolve and became better despite occasional set-backs." But here that's so much onto the nose and way too preachy. We get it alright! Capitalism and strongmen should be a thing of the past. The people they use as a contest are too much of a stereotype. It's also strange how they are treated. Picard treats them as a nuisance and wanted them to remain floating in space. Riker treats them as a curiosity. They are humans after all! Only a few of the crew seem to be interested in helping them to get accustomed to their new life.
The other aspect of the story is the possibility of successful cryonics. It's not enough to fill the full episode though. It makes you briefly contemplate the pros and cons of this idea, but ultimately I don't care. Voyager did something similar in The 37's That was another one of Voyager's early mediocre episodes. This topic isn't just interesting enough to tell a great story I suppose. TOS Space Seed uses the notion of cryonics to tell a much more exciting story (this TOS episode has other issues though).
I'm not even sure whether that's supposed to be the core of this episode. Perhaps it's really about the events in the Neutral Zone. Encountering the Romulans after decades is a big thing. Almost getting into a fight with them is exciting. Cooperating with them (for the time being) is a big deal. Discovering that someone unknown is destroying entire outposts is a big deal (and a great cliffhanger about what's to come in next seasons). But all this feels like a B-plot since it's totally overshadowed by the story of the "time travellers".
PS: another lowpoint for Deanna. While the grown-ups must navigate the pitfalls of intercultural communication between Humans and Romulans and while they negotiate a temporary alliance, Deanna has far more humble things to do: genealogy.