Forgot to mention a couple of things about "The Schzoid Man"--I, too, loved the beard scene...and for once, Sirtis sells the scene, with Troi's attempt to restrain her laughter as she makes a hasty exit. Troi can be a likeable character when she's acting human.
And for K-Star or anyone else who might be interested but didn't already know--that scene was originally meant to have a companion at the end of the episode. We would have seen Picard and Riker on the Bridge discussing Data's latest attempt at a new look--one with which the Captain was clearly not amused. The camera would have panned to reveal Data with a shaved head!
"Unnatural Selection" is interesting, and has some decent Pulaski/Data interplay. The nature of the contagion is pretty clever, but the attributes of the genetically-engineered "children" are a bit overdone. Did they have to be telepathic, or was that a way of avoiding paying another speaking actor? And the nature of such a research facility would seem to conflict with how DS9 later establishes that genetic enhancement is illegal in the Federation. The effects of the contagion aren't quite as shocking as in "The Deadly Years", when here we mainly see it turning old broads into older broads. Clever use of the shuttle as a completely separate environment. The bit with destroying the contaminated ship at the end was well-played. Of course, this is the episode in which the extent to which Pulaski is a McCoy ripoff is made insultingly obvious--though her aversion to the transporter did serve the story, and was set up in a surprisingly subtle way in a couple of previous episodes.
"A Matter of Honor"--This was when we really started getting to know the Klingons...a crucial step between "Heart of Glory" and the beginning of Moore's definitive exploration of Klingon culture that starts with "Sins of the Father". It's a damn shame that Riker's experience on the Klingon ship (and Picard's clear inexperience with Klingon culture) are thrown away for the opportunity to give Picard more to do in "Sins". But Riker gets this moment. Note that the Klingon 2nd Officer's assertion that a Klingon is his job, not his family, isn't supported by the inter-clan rivalries that Moore later establishes.
"The Measure of a Man"--This one just gets better with age. Picard's defense of Data is one of my favorite moments in the series, from the revelation about Data's relationship with Tasha to "Starfleet was founded to seek out new life, well there it sits!" Notice how the episode actually plays on the relative weakness in Picard's character that was characteristic of the first two seasons--he seems somewhat flustered and lacking in confidence early in the trial. And as much as Patrick steals the show with his eventually-inspired oratory, his moment is well set up by Frakes, who turns in a fine performance as the prosecutor. (I once caught him in an '86 episode of Matlock, so he had experience in this sort of thing.)
This episode is so good that I'll even forgive how the JAG being Picard's old girlfriend makes the episode more like "Court-Martial" than it needs to be. At least this one doesn't end with Data fighting Maddox in Engineering...though come to think of it, that could have been pretty entertaining....
And for K-Star or anyone else who might be interested but didn't already know--that scene was originally meant to have a companion at the end of the episode. We would have seen Picard and Riker on the Bridge discussing Data's latest attempt at a new look--one with which the Captain was clearly not amused. The camera would have panned to reveal Data with a shaved head!
"Unnatural Selection" is interesting, and has some decent Pulaski/Data interplay. The nature of the contagion is pretty clever, but the attributes of the genetically-engineered "children" are a bit overdone. Did they have to be telepathic, or was that a way of avoiding paying another speaking actor? And the nature of such a research facility would seem to conflict with how DS9 later establishes that genetic enhancement is illegal in the Federation. The effects of the contagion aren't quite as shocking as in "The Deadly Years", when here we mainly see it turning old broads into older broads. Clever use of the shuttle as a completely separate environment. The bit with destroying the contaminated ship at the end was well-played. Of course, this is the episode in which the extent to which Pulaski is a McCoy ripoff is made insultingly obvious--though her aversion to the transporter did serve the story, and was set up in a surprisingly subtle way in a couple of previous episodes.
"A Matter of Honor"--This was when we really started getting to know the Klingons...a crucial step between "Heart of Glory" and the beginning of Moore's definitive exploration of Klingon culture that starts with "Sins of the Father". It's a damn shame that Riker's experience on the Klingon ship (and Picard's clear inexperience with Klingon culture) are thrown away for the opportunity to give Picard more to do in "Sins". But Riker gets this moment. Note that the Klingon 2nd Officer's assertion that a Klingon is his job, not his family, isn't supported by the inter-clan rivalries that Moore later establishes.
"The Measure of a Man"--This one just gets better with age. Picard's defense of Data is one of my favorite moments in the series, from the revelation about Data's relationship with Tasha to "Starfleet was founded to seek out new life, well there it sits!" Notice how the episode actually plays on the relative weakness in Picard's character that was characteristic of the first two seasons--he seems somewhat flustered and lacking in confidence early in the trial. And as much as Patrick steals the show with his eventually-inspired oratory, his moment is well set up by Frakes, who turns in a fine performance as the prosecutor. (I once caught him in an '86 episode of Matlock, so he had experience in this sort of thing.)
This episode is so good that I'll even forgive how the JAG being Picard's old girlfriend makes the episode more like "Court-Martial" than it needs to be. At least this one doesn't end with Data fighting Maddox in Engineering...though come to think of it, that could have been pretty entertaining....
) and the discussion on death at the end. They could have done so much more with Niglium though.
