This, my friends, is it. After just shy of two years and following five scores of comparisons we have reached the last of the Fourth Season Showdowns -- and the last showdown of all -- between Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Enterprise. From past results we know that Enterprise has won the fourth season, with at least eleven wins and two ties, but we still have one last chance to sit down, watch two episodes, and consider which you would like better if you saw both for the same time this week. The Next Generation puts forward ``Redemption'', which here means just the first hour, up to the cliffhanger ending, and not the material of fifth season premier ``Redemption, Part II'', so please do not let its conclusion affect your vote. Enterprise meanwhile puts up a rarely-discussed and somewhat obscure episode, ``These Are The Voyages ... '', which I'm eager to see get some consideration. And when I say to pick the episode you like better I do not mean the one you think is stronger, or runs faster, or can out-swim the other. I mean the one you like better.
Picard suggests Worf seek ``Redemption' for his dishonorationizationing at the upcoming inauguration of Gowron, who pops in to warn of the imminent most serious Klingon Civil War this week. Gowron, told Worf does have evidence that Duras's father was a traitor for the Romulans, is excited but blunders the chance to buy Worf's loyalty cheap. Guinan busts up Worf on phaser tag, making the security glitches aboard ship less of a surprise, and points out Klingons know how to laugh, and how is Alexander anyway? Lursa and Betor turn up Duras's son, Pitt the Even Younger, who will challenge Gowron's claim or wet himself trying. Worf is disgusted by secret brother Kurn's plans to conquer the empire, and insists they let Gowron honestly bribe them instead. Picard reprimands Worf for using Federation records to bring critical truths to public awareness. Even Picard admits that maybe they have a responsibility to the truth, though he hasn't yet figured how to make this a Prime Directive case. Lursa and Betor ply Picard with tea, head-scritching, and plain threats, but a purring Picard will only say he'll follow Klingon law. Picard concludes that Even Younger is the Wesley Crusher of the Klingon Empire, but when Younger demands support a surprising number of the council follow the Duras gang. Worf offers Gowron support, and Worf's presence on his ship proves useful when the war breaks out and it turns out Worf is the only Klingon to have a strategy other than banging his chest and yelling ``We Are Klingons!'', even if it amounts to buying time until Kurn comes in. On the third try Gowron is finally inaugurated, and he gives Worf back his family honor through the tradition of tetanus. Picard won't commit the Federation to a side in the Civil War, and Worf resigns. Picard, telling Worf of how he admires the Klingon's basic humanity, leads Worf through an honor guard of dozens of people Worf never saw before, plus the real characters in the transporter room, and is bid success and offers goodbye back. Meanwhile in a shadowy room Romulans, Lursa, Betor, and Younger cackle over Picard's nonintervention, but they are warned to not get too confident by a shadowy figure who, stepping into the light, reveals herself to be Vosk.
``These Are The Voyages ... '' opens with Riker putting his Enterprise DVD on pause. In this scenario six years after ``Terra Prime'' with the ship and crew radically changed by adding name tags, Archer is on his way to speechify at the Federation Treaty Ceremony but gets a call from supposedly-dead Shran, who needs his daughter rescued. Riker roleplays Chef, who after a decade of service finally asks the crew what they like to eat. Riker frets about the production staff, and with Troi learns how the NX-01 crew worked the chair, the science station viewer thingy, and the dog, and Troi drops spoilers all over Riker's experience. Shran plans to use a shiny doorknob to fool the jewel thieves, recover his child, and run, and on the shuttlepod ride down T'Pol and Tucker wonder why Chef is such an ardent shipper all of a sudden. In a half-dressed studio set the shootout plan works brilliantly and they escape despite Archer nearly falling off the lighting crew's catwalk, and Shran cackles how the jewel thieves can't get out of second gear. Troi, dodging Data's latest failure to understand common phrases, tells Riker he'll figure out what he did in ``The Pegasus'' about Pressman's illegal weapons research. Riker goes back to asking Reed how hot he found Tucker, getting Sato to make up stereotype hick stories about Tucker, or having Phlox reveal secrets of the Xindi Mission. While Archer and Tucker toast the next generation in deep space nine ways a voyager might enterprise in an original series of animated events, the jewel thief aliens somehow break in and catch Archer and Tucker, demanding Shran. Tucker rejects Archer's order to not lead them to Shran, and instead leads the aliens to the explosion cables, where he kills the aliens and caramelizes his lungs. T'Pol fans herself with a valentine while Riker goes back in the sim to talk with Tucker about plans for the future. Riker knows now: if the Enterprise is ever boarded by doofus aliens like the Ferengi again he'll just kill himself. In the auditorium, Mayweather, Sato, and Reed sulk about having to sit in front of the boss, and backstage Phlox and T'Pol rally Archer's spirits for his big speech. Troi wonders if any of them notice Archer and Daniels standing along the rim, and they end program. Space: the final frontier ...
There is one other open ballot, last week's, contesting ``In Theory'' and ``Terra Prime''; while it can't affect the ranking of the fourth season it can affect how close The Next Generation comes to Enterprise. Please go and vote in that thread if you have the time and have seen both episodes recently. Thank you.
As usual at the end of these seasons I've taken the time to thank you all for writing your opinions and giving me an excuse to go back and watch episodes I hadn't seen in years -- in a few cases, even episodes I had never seen before -- and I've found this a wonderful chance to rediscover some of what I love about these Modern Trek shows. It's disappointing that there isn't a natural follow-up to this project although I have to admit I'm kind of glad to not have my self-imposed deadline for watching, summarizing, and posting episodes staring grimly at me for the next week. But I did enjoy the work, I greatly enjoyed your company, and I'm thankful to all of you for your opinions and your discussions.
I don't know how I will follow up on this project -- and I'm eager to take suggestions -- but I'm sure that sooner or later something will turn up, and I thank you for being with me through this.
Live long and prosper. Promise.
Picard suggests Worf seek ``Redemption' for his dishonorationizationing at the upcoming inauguration of Gowron, who pops in to warn of the imminent most serious Klingon Civil War this week. Gowron, told Worf does have evidence that Duras's father was a traitor for the Romulans, is excited but blunders the chance to buy Worf's loyalty cheap. Guinan busts up Worf on phaser tag, making the security glitches aboard ship less of a surprise, and points out Klingons know how to laugh, and how is Alexander anyway? Lursa and Betor turn up Duras's son, Pitt the Even Younger, who will challenge Gowron's claim or wet himself trying. Worf is disgusted by secret brother Kurn's plans to conquer the empire, and insists they let Gowron honestly bribe them instead. Picard reprimands Worf for using Federation records to bring critical truths to public awareness. Even Picard admits that maybe they have a responsibility to the truth, though he hasn't yet figured how to make this a Prime Directive case. Lursa and Betor ply Picard with tea, head-scritching, and plain threats, but a purring Picard will only say he'll follow Klingon law. Picard concludes that Even Younger is the Wesley Crusher of the Klingon Empire, but when Younger demands support a surprising number of the council follow the Duras gang. Worf offers Gowron support, and Worf's presence on his ship proves useful when the war breaks out and it turns out Worf is the only Klingon to have a strategy other than banging his chest and yelling ``We Are Klingons!'', even if it amounts to buying time until Kurn comes in. On the third try Gowron is finally inaugurated, and he gives Worf back his family honor through the tradition of tetanus. Picard won't commit the Federation to a side in the Civil War, and Worf resigns. Picard, telling Worf of how he admires the Klingon's basic humanity, leads Worf through an honor guard of dozens of people Worf never saw before, plus the real characters in the transporter room, and is bid success and offers goodbye back. Meanwhile in a shadowy room Romulans, Lursa, Betor, and Younger cackle over Picard's nonintervention, but they are warned to not get too confident by a shadowy figure who, stepping into the light, reveals herself to be Vosk.
``These Are The Voyages ... '' opens with Riker putting his Enterprise DVD on pause. In this scenario six years after ``Terra Prime'' with the ship and crew radically changed by adding name tags, Archer is on his way to speechify at the Federation Treaty Ceremony but gets a call from supposedly-dead Shran, who needs his daughter rescued. Riker roleplays Chef, who after a decade of service finally asks the crew what they like to eat. Riker frets about the production staff, and with Troi learns how the NX-01 crew worked the chair, the science station viewer thingy, and the dog, and Troi drops spoilers all over Riker's experience. Shran plans to use a shiny doorknob to fool the jewel thieves, recover his child, and run, and on the shuttlepod ride down T'Pol and Tucker wonder why Chef is such an ardent shipper all of a sudden. In a half-dressed studio set the shootout plan works brilliantly and they escape despite Archer nearly falling off the lighting crew's catwalk, and Shran cackles how the jewel thieves can't get out of second gear. Troi, dodging Data's latest failure to understand common phrases, tells Riker he'll figure out what he did in ``The Pegasus'' about Pressman's illegal weapons research. Riker goes back to asking Reed how hot he found Tucker, getting Sato to make up stereotype hick stories about Tucker, or having Phlox reveal secrets of the Xindi Mission. While Archer and Tucker toast the next generation in deep space nine ways a voyager might enterprise in an original series of animated events, the jewel thief aliens somehow break in and catch Archer and Tucker, demanding Shran. Tucker rejects Archer's order to not lead them to Shran, and instead leads the aliens to the explosion cables, where he kills the aliens and caramelizes his lungs. T'Pol fans herself with a valentine while Riker goes back in the sim to talk with Tucker about plans for the future. Riker knows now: if the Enterprise is ever boarded by doofus aliens like the Ferengi again he'll just kill himself. In the auditorium, Mayweather, Sato, and Reed sulk about having to sit in front of the boss, and backstage Phlox and T'Pol rally Archer's spirits for his big speech. Troi wonders if any of them notice Archer and Daniels standing along the rim, and they end program. Space: the final frontier ...
There is one other open ballot, last week's, contesting ``In Theory'' and ``Terra Prime''; while it can't affect the ranking of the fourth season it can affect how close The Next Generation comes to Enterprise. Please go and vote in that thread if you have the time and have seen both episodes recently. Thank you.
As usual at the end of these seasons I've taken the time to thank you all for writing your opinions and giving me an excuse to go back and watch episodes I hadn't seen in years -- in a few cases, even episodes I had never seen before -- and I've found this a wonderful chance to rediscover some of what I love about these Modern Trek shows. It's disappointing that there isn't a natural follow-up to this project although I have to admit I'm kind of glad to not have my self-imposed deadline for watching, summarizing, and posting episodes staring grimly at me for the next week. But I did enjoy the work, I greatly enjoyed your company, and I'm thankful to all of you for your opinions and your discussions.
I don't know how I will follow up on this project -- and I'm eager to take suggestions -- but I'm sure that sooner or later something will turn up, and I thank you for being with me through this.
Live long and prosper. Promise.
