An amazingly well constructed episode that deals with alternate timelines but manages to be a wonderful character piece. The return of Denise Crosby as Tasha is central to this, and I wish I could experience the original shock of seeing her that must have occurred back in 1990.
The episode manages to bring meaning to her senseless season 1 death, and her scenes with both Guinan and Picard are very layered and powerful. Additionally, the episode has a vividly different look from standard TNG; dramatic lighting and longer focal depth really stand out, giving the episode its own identity. I get a small thrill with the return of the original-era movie uniforms and even set design.
It's also nice the way that the main cast change their performances in only subtle ways. Mainly we see that Picard and Riker have a harder edge, they seem more battle weary and forceful in their decisions. But the old captain is still in there as we see in his discussions with Guinan. This is yet another demonstration of what an important addition Whoopi Goldberg was to the cast.
As for minor criticism, I find the last 5 minutes of the episode a little dull. The battle with the Klingons just isn't particularly exciting. It's also convenient that the Enterprise-C crew were so willing to go back to their time without much argument.
At this point, my main feelings are that I'm grateful that I never had to go to an American high school.
This is gripping and quite uncomfortable to watch.
What a great way to end the season. From the moment we saw that maroon movie-era uniform I had a feeling that we were in for something special. This weaved itself in with an alternate take on a classic TOS episode with great skill, as well as throwing in some fun stuff.
I particularly loved the way that they altered the lighting here to match the TOS style, with actor's eyes/faces smoothly lit up in highlights.
Was it a little too on the nose in it's tribute at points? Maybe. But I'm okay with it, and it had enough of a twist on things to make it work. Introducing Kirk this way was a deft, sneaky move and I liked it. And a cliff hanger ending! SNW, you have my attention and my heart.
During Master Piel's "funeral", I half expected one of the clone troopers to turn to they other and say, "they never bother to do this for us."
I was really into this until the last 10 minutes or so when it went off the rails. It doesn't help that this has come so close on the heels of Netflix's* Nightflyers which is an extremely similar concept, but straight away the characters and storytelling here are better (but that's not a high bar to beat). This obviously doesn't have much of a budget, but the writing is fun enough to not make that a big issue.
Right now it's just a bit bizarre. That final moment was nonsense. Just as with Nightflyers, why send a crew of clearly emotionally unstable people on such an important mission? Staging a mutiny on the first day? Beyond ridiculous.
Honestly, I'm finding it all a bit dull. There's intrigue but I don't care about any of the characters.
The guy in the hotel is adult Mikkel, right?
What a bizarre way to bring Kes back, and ultimately send her off again. Nothing about it rings true or follows naturally from the last time we saw her, and it left me both confused and mostly annoyed at the lack of care that went into it all. Still, the time travel aspect allows for a bit of fun by transplanting us back to season 1 Voyager, and the battle with the Vidiians has some cool stuff.
This episode feels like a missed opportunity in so many ways. It could have finally resolved the Neelix/Kes relationship which was sort of handled off-screen previously. It could have been a positive story that gave the crew new hope and let them reconnect with an old friend as well as being able to say goodbye properly (this is especially true for the Doctor). Instead it's unnecessarily bitter.
Chakotay: I need to go on a vision quest.
Me: -turns off episode-
I hate the way that whenever Voyager needs to show weird aliens trying to communicate, they just copy DS9's Prophet visions.
It was nice that the actor playing Chakotay's grandfather was the same actor from the TNG episode 'Journey's End'.
I often see this derided as one of the worst DS9 episodes, and while it's definitely not going to win any awards I found myself seeing the good in it. It's certainly got a lot of issues and major story problems, but the episode has a heart and emotional punch which affected me. It also manages to be a very generic and unambitious Trek story.
Yeah, big parts of this don't make sense. Once Molly comes back as an 18 year old, the possibility is discussed of trying again to grab her through the time portal and bring her back as an 8 year old instead. This entire idea is dismissed by both the O'Briens and Dr. Bashir immediately. Why? Because they don't want to deny her the years she's had on the planet. Completely alone, separated from her parents, forced to learn to survive, scared out of her mind. OF COURSE YOU SHOULD TRY TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING. So, that's moronic.
Once back on the station, no real attempt is made to rehabilitate Molly. There are no child psychiatrists or doctors (bar Julian, who doesn't do all that much) assigned to help her. Miles and Keiko attempt to do everything alone, and it's insane how little patience they have. Miles is getting annoyed when Molly won't pass the ball back to him - based on the amount of balls she collects, they've been trying for all of 5 minutes. They put her in situations among crowds and seem surprised that she lashes out; why didn't they just beam to and from the holosuite to avoid problems?
Their final solution is to just send Molly back. Alone, to remain alone for the rest of her life until she dies alone. There is no feasible way that this is a good idea. For some reason the O'Briens completely reject the notion of Molly getting professional help and being rehabilitated properly.
As for the good stuff, I thought that Keiko especially brought a lot of emotion to the episode. Seeing a child separated from distraught parents is quite upsetting to watch. It's a shame that Molly isn't really a fully formed character, despite appearing on both this show and TNG for so many years (impressively, played by the same actress all this time too!). O'Brien's family in general seem to be a background thing that he doesn't need to deal with unless the story calls for it. Something of a missed opportunity there.
The actress for 18 year old Molly was fantastic, and easily the highlight of the episode.
Now, this is classic Star Trek! Despite a few problems, this is a delight to watch from start to finish and is Discovery's first foray into the tried-and-tested 'bottle show'. These episodes often end up being my favourites, we are given a situation and really get to dive into it. They often reveal a lot about our characters and usually have fun doing it. Great examples of this include 'Civil Defense' (DS9), 'Disaster' (TNG), 'Explorers' (DS9) and of course the other classic Trek time-loop show, 'Cause and Effect' (TNG).
If I had any doubts about Rainn Wilson's portrayal of Harry Mudd, this episode easily washed them away. He's a lot of fun and full of energy, as well as managing to come off as a fairly complex person. It was interesting the way he was quite cruel to the crew of the Discovery, and then shrivels up at the sight of Stella and her father. I think there was a missed opportunity to make her a bit more like the shrew seen in The Original Series, but it's important to remember that what we saw there was Mudd's own vision of her rather than the actual person. The various deaths were quite mean spirited, despite being somewhat offset due to the fact that they weren't permanent A couple were also pretty funny, although I never quite got the impression that those little purple balls caused an "agonising" death.
Mostly, I think I enjoyed that this episode showed us the characters in more relaxed and natural states. Captain Lorca's apathy at finding a space whale is quite funny and even endearing, as he tells his crew to just get on with it (loved that he's finally sitting in the chair, too). Tilly continues to just delight me, and drunk Tilly is even better. It seems to me that she's hiding a lot of confidence under a socially awkward front. Stamets possibly emerged as the best part for me, this new happy version of him is charming and fun to spend time with (again, PLEASE let us get back to that mirror image thing from a couple of episodes ago).
The Burnham/Tyler pairing is maybe not my favourite thing. I don't feel a huge amount of chemistry between them, but then again Michael's standoffish nature means that she doesn't really have chemistry with anybody. I think it's more down to me not really clicking with the character of Tyler, as I talked about in my review for the previous episode. He feels like he's fit in too easily and his personality is a bare minimum.
Where the episode could have done a slightly better job is with the various time loop escapades. The movement through them became a bit too quick, and we are supposed to understand that Stamets explains things to Burnham who explains things to Tyler who explains things to Lorca, etc. every time, and everyone just accepts what they're being told and gets to action? That took me out of things a bit, and I would have been perfectly happy to have longer scenes that established things better. It's also hard to ignore the fact that the episode should have been all from Stamet's point-of-view, as he's the one dealing with it all.
Overall though, damn this was fantastic. The use of the introductory log and mostly self-contained nature of the episode made this feel so much like it was a part of the franchise I love. Mostly, though, it let us get a grip on these new characters and let them just get on with things as opposed to being dragged along by plot mechanics.
This flips around the usual Trek formula and gives us a story from the POV of the lowly ensigns. We see the main cast doing their thing, and then they disappear and we don't get to follow them. It was an intriguing concept and really well done here. The four low-ranking crew members (and the civilian bartender) that we follow are all interesting characters that the script allows us to become attached to. Seeing things from their perspective actually makes the senior officers feel more intimidating - Picard's dressing down of her is actually quite hard to watch.
The editing between the two poker games is excellently done.
Lovell and Ogawa are likeable, but Taurik is maybe a bit too Vulcan to really enjoy. Mostly, this is about Ensign Sito and the excellent performance behind her. It's a testament to the strength of the episode that her death seems to have far more weight than any previous one on the show.
A joy of an episode to watch despite not really being all that special. Maybe it's just because season 7 is so uninspired that this one really manages to stand out. Interesting to note, though, that plot-wise very little actually happens here - there's no reason behind Worf's dimension-jumping other than an accident, so we don't get any alien conspiracy or vendetta against him. The solution to the problem is also incredibly straight forward and devoid of problems, and in that respect it could be seen as quite disappointing in terms of jeopardy because there really is none.
No, the fun here just comes from following Worf through the different dimensions and spotting all the differences. It's hard not to enjoy seeing Wesley back on the bridge, or more subtle things like the colour of Data's eyes. If anything, I end up wishing that they did more with it and showed us some really insane alternatives (how about one where Data is a female android? Or Dr. Crusher has cybernetic implants? Or where Worf, Alexander and K'Ehyleyr live as a happy family? What if Worf had ended up in a dimension that he DIDN'T want to leave?).
The episode also references events from several previous episodes in a nice (and rare) use of continuity. The big set up here is the pairing of Worf and Deanna, though. It's a strange one, but I have to admit to always thinking that they made a pretty good couple, and the show will run with it for a little while.
Special mention for the nightmare Enterprise that comes from the Borg dimension, Jonathon Frakes does a great job as the manic, crazy bearded Riker!
This brings back memories. Back in the '90s I used to fill up videotapes with episodes of TNG recorded off Sky 1 (a 4-hour tape using the long play setting allowed 9 or 10 episodes!). This episode was one that I remember watching a lot, and it was absolutely one of my favourites. Rewatching it now, it still is. 'Remember Me' is classic Star Trek and it's so much fun. The concept is completely daft and yet they make it work.
Beverly rarely got to have episodes focused on her, and it's a shame because Gates McFadden is completely able to carry the show. She has a number of scenes all by herself and she keeps things interesting. Her dynamic with the Captain also serves to keep things more interesting than it would be with another character, as they are always less formal around each other. Gotta love the two of them on the bridge: "you're telling me the two of us cruise around the galaxy with no crew?!" - "we've never needed one before."
In a nice bit of continuity, we also get the Traveller returning. I find him a bit creepy, to be honest. This also continues Wesley's journey to his later destiny. There's some really nice cinematography on show, notably with the silhouettes against the vortex and the transition as we discover what's happening on the "other side".
I also noticed that by this point in the show, they've really nailed the aesthetic it will come to be known for. The ship feels super cosy.
The first encounter with the Borg was probably quite creepy back in the late 1980s, but watching it today it feels a bit underwhelming. Far more interesting is the performance of Guinan, and Picard's need to become humble before Q. Lots of things here which were never followed up on, notably the concept of baby Borgs which was completely abandoned. The 18 dead crew members do lead a bad taste in your mouth, and severely alters any playful side we may have seen in Q.
They also set up a big mystery with Guinan's background, which was never mentioned or explored again. Lt. Gomez could have become an enjoyable recurring character, too.
Fantastic. The mystery for the first half, visiting Vulcan, the ridiculous ceremony and battle with THAT music. Welcome, Mr. Chekov. These characters have really come to life by this point, and Spock's reaction to finding out Kirk was alive was gold.
Nooo, no, no, this is just my least favourite kind of episode. Confusing and poorly executed, nothing really made sense here and basic storytelling was abandoned in places. Lazarus' beard was the star.
Well, that's a bit more like it. While I didn't hate seasons 1 and 2 as much as a vocal minority seem to enjoy screaming, I must admit that I was always hoping for something a bit more akin to TNG 2.0. This might be it, although at this point its too early to say with any certainty.
The characters feel more alive, more energetic. There is a powerful chemistry between Patrick Stewart and Jonathon Frakes and their happiness at working together again comes flowing out of the screen. It helps also that the words they are saying feel much more like the characters we used to know. The script reflects the friendship and bond that grew between the original cast over the course of 7 years of storytelling (plus four films), allowing for a playful tone. It's got me excited to see what's going to happen when all of the original cast are reassembled.
Speaking of which, we got some wonderful stuff from Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, who seemingly hasn't missed a beat. Her voice was there, and it was Beverly. Jeri Ryan was on fire and felt like she was channelling aspects of the Seven of old while continuing the evolution of her character. It was also remarkable at how much the Titan's new captain set me on edge, not least by essentially deadnaming Seven; he seems to have a chip of his shoulder over the Borg and I wonder if there's going to be some interesting revelations there.
But the real magic may have been the gorgeous musical score recalling older themes and styles - I can't understate what that added to the overall vibe. It was like a warm blanket of reassurance, and the way the soundtrack flowed between styles and motifs was absolutely beautiful.
The only complaint I have is the dark, dreary lighting for the Starfleet ships. But I can live with it if the story and characters deliver. I hope this is the start of a truly exceptional season. At this point I'm optimistic, but we shall see. Also, did anybody else think, "ah, so the bad guys have played Portal"?
The perspective shift here made for surprisingly compelling storytelling, I found myself totally wrapped up in this. Plus we got some welcome faces returning! It's good to see that not all clones have become brainwashed killing machines and at least one here seems to still have his personality and sense of right/wrong.
This episode was huge and felt like a turning point for me. And it really managed to give me feels!
This is setting up a strong ending for the show. What I particularly got from this one was how Star Trekky it all felt. The giant flowers in space were such an Original Series concept. From the moment our crew arrived down on the planet it immediately felt like The Next Generation, from the rocky setting to the beautiful (and chintzy) android compound. Even the tone of the dialogue between everyone. I'm was very impressed with how good Isa Briones was here in multiple roles, and actually found her super creepy.
"That's unexpected," followed by the emergence of the Cube was a genuine WOW moment.
I found the emotional scene between Picard and Raffi particularly touching, and a great demonstration of the evolution of Picard's character from the heyday of TNG. He's still awkward but so much more open to expressing and feeling emotions. And again, I have to say that I have absolutely fallen in love with the crew of the La Sirena and I want much more of them.
The surprise appearance of Brent Spiner as another Soong relative (which was spoiled for me thanks to a website publishing articles before the episode has been broadcast worldwide) felt a little too contrived and yet was very welcome.
I wasn't won over by this premiere, but neither am I writing off the show entirely. I can see potential here. Unfortunately, this pilot spends a bit too much time on characters that I don't think I liked very much. The young-adult angle means it's focused on teenage angst which isn't great, but some of the writing felt like it was designed to make people idiots. The hockey kids that Connor spoke to seemed to actually state that it was cool that he got to watch his dad murdered in front of him - surely even teenagers aren't that moronic?
On the plus side, I was entranced by Echo. What a great voice! Bode is very young so I guess he can be somewhat forgiven for falling for such an obvious trick, but his mother certainly can't be for just walking into the creepy mirror of doom. I wish TV characters would be allowed to have at least a little bit of common sense once in a while.
The ending mirror sequence did suggest that there is the potential for some crazy/spooky fun ahead. I'll keep watching for now.
I'm cautiously optimistic based on this first episode. It seems faithful to the book and I really like the cast.
I felt like maybe there was too much awkward exposition up front and yet I still feel like I would be pretty lost if I didn't already know the story.
Were there helicopters in the book? I don't remember that and it seemed out of place with the 1920s technology feel of the rest of the world. Also, it felt like only the main characters had daemons with none in the background.
But, there were also moments here where I was completely entranced by the story being told. I'm looking forward to the next episode.
[7.5/10] I think we all went into this expecting a medieval fantasy version of Futurama, but this show is something quite different (and a million miles away from The Simpsons). It's attempting to tell a big story and it seems that it's decided to do some world building before getting into things.
It's fair to say that things start out a little uneven, maybe even rough. It feels directionless and we're thrown introductions to these characters that feel a bit forced. It's hard to know what to make of Bean, Elfo and Luci to begin with. Bean is the most interesting and feels like the most fully developed: a drunken princess dissatisfied with her place in the world and feeling a lack of respect from her father. She's also determined and brave through her bad attitude, and I found it easy to like her. Elfo and Luci are more difficult, partly because their voices don't quite fit with the character designs. Luci in particular seems to feel like forced comedy most of the time, with his comments rarely raising a chuckle. Elfo does better in this respect, and as the series went on I began to warm to him a lot more (and season end spoiler: I actually really missed him later when he wasn't around.)
Background characters like King Zog, Sorcerio and Pendergast also become much more fun to watch as episodes go by.
It's only the second half of this opening season that things really begin to come together. Stronger storytelling, better jokes and much more emotional moments. It starts to almost feel like this series is leaning towards being a drama with comedic elements rather than the other way round. There are a lot of moving parts here and I get the feeling that Matt Groening and his team are attempting something pretty epic; the show may indeed be a different experience when you go back and watch it a second time and understand everything that's going on.
I love the look of the show. The backgrounds are gorgeous, and while the characters lack detail in comparison they do mesh together pretty well. The animation is of a similar style to Futurama and modern Simpsons, with a lovely mix of 2D and 3D models and what has now become the trademark Groening look.
It's not quite great yet and sometimes it's not even good, but there's enough here to keep me coming back and have me very interested in where things are going. The writing is good but the jokes need to have a bit more quality over quantity. If you gave up after only a few episodes I'd encourage you to keep watching if you have the time (episodes 8 and 9 really cemented the season for me). The show is attempting to create a fascinating world, but is just struggling to give us the best introduction to it.
Damar has made an incredible character journey though this show: background soldier, to arrogant right-hand man, to leader of Cardassia, to an alcoholic in a downward spiral and now a rebel. He's become the most compelling character now.
I can't help but think that Kira's unwillingness to work with Kai Winn and find a way to help her despite her desires was a bit shortsighted. She's only pushed her further into hate and the consequences will be bad. Winn is a tragic character but it's so easy to just despise her, further testament to what Louise Fletcher brought to the role. Still, it remains icky to see her and Dukat together.
Compelling stuff and a great showcase for Robert Picardo, who remains the best character on the show. Jeri Ryan also gets some good material. It's quite a flawed episode, though, because in so many ways none of it makes sense.
The Doctor entering some weird feedback loop because he had to choose between two patients doesn't have a satisfactory explanation. It's something that he must have already done before by this point, and I don't see why it makes him go loopy. I'm happy that the issue of whether a he is a sentient being with rights or not is addressed, but that it's only just happening in the fifth season is nuts. It should have come up much MUCH earlier, and Janeway dismissing him as being no different from a replicator is frankly obscene given what she knows about him by this point. I'm fairly sure she's defended his rights in the past. A further demonstration of her inconsistent character and general disregard for individuality among the crew.
It's also really stupid that the Ensign who died was a character that we as an audience had never seen before.
But it's an easy episode to get wrapped up in, and having the Doctor take the lead usually leads to fun. The mystery is never particularly mysterious, I can't be the only one who immediately figured out that the crew were the ones erasing his memories. It's more about the character, and there's an additional strong scene for Seven when she rightly confronts Janeway about her decision.
IT'S A FAAAAAAAKE!
Can you believe that THIS is the episode I somehow managed to miss when first broadcast? I had to wait quite some time before I got to see it.
Often touted as the best Star Trek episode ever, I'm not sure I quite agree with that but it's definitely in the top 10. This is daring and goes completely against everything that the franchise has been about. It's not quite the shocking tale some promote it as, but still. The main character, our hero, manages to lie and cheat, and eventually be an accessory to murder all in the name of the greater good (the greater good).
It's quite a sedate ride, but it all comes together so well at the end. This is about the intrigue and mystery of what's going on, and the anticipation of the reveal. It's exquisitely put together and the acting from both Avery Brooks and Andrew Robinson is wonderful.
The closing moments are a real high point. Sisko tries to convince himself that he can live with his choices, but it becomes more of a statement of hope rather than fact. The Captain may have to continue lying, if only to himself.
I'm now reading the novel 'Hollow Men' which is a direct sequel to this episode and deals with the aftermath.
Intense, thrilling, and immensely satisfying. This episode is a payoff to so many things that have been building, and lets rip by officially kicking off the Dominion War. Time is given to each main character as plans are set in motion, and there's a sense of inevitability throughout the whole thing - although, the whole way through we expect the crew to be able to defend the station; instead, they evacuate it and it ends up in Dominion/Cardassian control. A bold move.
There's time for some lighter stuff admidst everything. Rom and Leeta's wedding is short and cute, as well as the Rom/Quark brotherly love which fights its way to the surface. I'm also glad that Kira and Odo finally address the tension between them which begun back in 'Children of Time'. There's further romance in the air when Dax agrees to marry Worf and manages to take him by surprise, which is a rare sight by itself.
I also particular love Garak's view that shooting somebody in the back is "the safest way". He also has a quite magnificent talk with Ziyal.
The episode really revolves around Captain Sisko, though. He's a rock here, making firm decisions and planning things out while recognising that it's a lost battle. Speaking of the battle, it's a glorious space fight that ticks all the boxes and feels pretty epic. It allow us to also see the already broken dynamic between Cardassia and the Dominion as Dukat and Damar clash with Weyoun over their desire to subjugate Bajor again.
The mines seem like a good idea, but the method of implementation felt flawed to me. Surely there were other ships to help out?
But anyway, my favourite moment of the episode comes from Kira as she officially protests the Federations unwillingness to turn the station over to the Dominion, then reports for duty. The planned sabotage towards the end is also a fantastic twist. I know what's coming but I can't wait to watch it all again. I'm going to have to wait a little bit, though, because I'm reading Trek books alongside my rewatch and I have a couple of Dominion War novels to get through which fill in some events between this and the next season.
Suffice to say, there's a lot packed into this one, so it's interesting that it doesn't move at a breakneck pace and spends a fair bit of time on character moments. That's in stark contrast to what Star Trek: Discovery is doing, and I definitely prefer DS9's approach
After the impressive work done earlier this season introducing us to the Vidiians in 'Phage', this manages to undo all of it and turn them into pathetic villains of the week. There's no threat or menace from any of them, let alone the sympathetic factor and they've become as beige as everything else on the show.
Roxanne Dawson does make the episode watchable with a great performance as the human version of B'Elanna. It's telling that she's the most interesting she's ever been, and shows what a crap job the writers are doing with her in her regular form. Klingon B'Elanna is unfortunately very one-note and forgettable.
I think part of the problem is that we barely know normal B'Elanna at this point, and it's far too early in the series to do an episode that changes a character so much without us understanding the changes.
Durst does meet a very nasty end which is a bit shocking. I'm also impressed that the second Talaxian we meet manages to be just as annoying as Neelix.
Chakotay is as helpful as ever. His friend B'Elanna, having an emotional crisis, confides in him. Better reassure her that she can count on you for support. Yes, looks like he's got some helpful words to say... oh, no wait, he's given up and is walking away. Oh wait, he's stopped and turned around! He must have thought of something good now! ...oh, no. He's just leaving again. Bravo.
The mirror universe, established in The Original Series, is a place that really makes no sense, but I always looked forward to these crazy episodes. The cast get to play with their characters in extreme ways, sometimes being the complete opposite of what they usually are.
If you stop and think too much, then it seems ridiculous that the counterparts of all these people are in the same places doing similar things. It doesn't really make sense that any of them would have been born at all. But these episodes are meant to be fun, so just go with it.
DS9's first trip to the other side very briefly fills us in on some details. Kirk influenced Mirror Spock who eventually rose to take command of the Terran Empire and preached a message of peace. That allowed the Empire's enemies to destroy them and a Klingon-Cardassian Alliance has now enslaved humanity.
This would actually be nothing more than an okay episode if not for Nana Visitor. Her performance as the Intendent is irresistible, she dials everything up to 11 and just steals the show (her delivery of the line "QUI-ET!" to Bashir is a total joy), and the special effects in scenes with the two of her are a big step up from similar stuff seen on TNG, it's near flawless. Mirror Odo gets to be evil and happy, Sisko is a crazy but depressed pirate and O'Brien is... pretty much himself but just downtrodden.
Quark is one of the real surprises, he seems to be brave and kind of heart. The mirror universe also allows for main characters to be killed off, so he doesn't stick around too long. The opening scene seems to undo all the maturing that Doctor Bashir has done over the past season as he's arrogant and oblivious again, but it's funny.
A good return to this world, though a bit restrained and unimaginative.
It's nice to see TNG do something that is so character-based. And even with that, there are a huge amount of things getting set up here which will affect not only this show, but DS9 and Voyager. This episode establishes the Cardassian demilitarised zone and is responsible for sowing the seeds that will become the Maquis. The Native American colony is also supposed to be the home of Chakotay, so just pretend that he was in the background somewhere there.
But the heart of this episode is Wesley. Your own enjoyment is going to be completely based on whether or not you actually like his character, and I'm one of the few who does. Maybe it's because I like Wil Wheaton's geeky real life persona now, but I think ultimately that Wesley is the character I can relate to most easily. He's just a kid, surrounded by people who expected things of him and as it turns out he struggles. He had the added extra of being something of a genius, which I never will.
So, I find this a pretty great end for him. There's no denying that Wes is different here. It's strange to see him so sullen and aggressive towards others, but we can imagine that the events of 'The First Duty' really took a toll on him. I like the continuity of having the same actor reprise the role of his father, and I like that Wes is able to finally find the courage to say "no" to everyone around him and start figuring out what's best for him.
Surrounding this is a pretty decent story with the Cardassians and the Native Americans. It gets tense, and Gul Evek is a strong presence who will be used multiple times across the shows. I also found myself really loving the scene with Picard trying to make Admiral Nechayev feel welcome, and her appreciation of it. That's been a long time coming.
I still think that the Traveller is quite creepy.
