An annoying new ensign in engineering dumps her drink all over the captain. He handles it less than well. I mean, it was an accident, Jean-Luc. Geordi takes responsibility, which is fine, but it seems like Picard really kind of makes him grovel unnecessarily for forgiveness. As the captain makes his exit to change his uniform, he suddenly finds himself aboard a shuttle, with Q as the pilot. Oh man, I hate Q.
Guinan walks around with an ominous look on her face, and even calls the bridge to check in, an event that is both out of the ordinary and frankly out of line. After her call though, they realize that a shuttle is missing, as is the captain. Meanwhile on the shuttle, Q is making a case for Picard that even though he said he would no longer mess with the Enterprise, he should be allowed on board to discuss an urgent matter. They eventually come back, and Guinan freaks out at the sight of Q, and vice-versa. They comically both put up their hands, as if to put a hex on one another. Q says that Guinan is not as she appears, and that the two have had dealings centuries ago. Guinan says that not all the Q are as horrible as this Q. Anyway, the point of the visit is that Q has been asked to leave the Continuum, and wishes to join the crew of the Enterprise. He says that his guidance would be invaluable as they travel into sectors of space that they know nothing about. To prove it, he hurls the ship 7000 light years into deep space.
Guinan plays a key role in this episode, and yet it only raises questions about her, and answers none. We learn that she is very old, that she is a life form not as she appears, is from very far away, and that she has dealt with such species as the Q and the Borg before. Oh and she has gut feelings when things are really bad. Come to think of it, she is a much more useful both as an empath and a counselor than Troi. But that's about all we know, and unfortunately none of this is cleared up in this episode or even later in the series. Guinan sits on a lot of knowledge that she never reveals. There is a mystery about her, and it's not presented in a fun way. If you're thinking along the way, "Oh boy, I can't wait until this all unravels and is explained," you will be disappointed. I like the character, but there is certainly a depth there that is never explored.
Anyway, they find a nearby planet that is stripped of all its life and machinery. Large sections have been scooped out of the surface, and someone remarks that it looks a lot like what recently happened near the neutral zone. Next they stumble across a giant floating cube. It has some characteristics of a ship, but is completely bizarre and shows no signs of life. It is ominous, and weird, and dark, and perfectly out of place and creepy. Then a being beams aboard and starts poking around in engineering. When it tries to interface with the computer, Worf shoots it. But it is instantly replaced with another one, that continues the work and is now impervious to phaser fire.
This is the very first episode that features the Borg. Going back and re-watching it with the knowledge that we now have of the Borg is a bit awkward, because they don't behave according to the rules that were fine-tuned later. For instance, the Borg hail the Enterprise and instruct them to cooperate or be punished. Huh? What punishment could there be? The Borg do not need cooperation from anyone. Then when they visit the cube, there is a nursery with drawers of Borg babies, but we know that the Borg do not procreate, they assimilate. But I try when watching this episode to view it with the eyes of someone watching it for the first time, and not let the inconsistencies with later canon spoil it for me. Through that lens, I have to say that the effect of all this mystery and strangeness is amazing. The way they walk around completely oblivious to the crew. The way that the cube repairs itself like it's alive. The Borg are terrifying. They can't be hurt, can't be reasoned with, and they just continue to pursue. The Enterprise is completely out-matched.
The Borg cut a perfect cylindrical section of the saucer section out, and take it off to be examined like a specimen to be put under a microscope. This little maneuver kills 18 crewman. The new ensign in engineering has a hard time working while thinking about the recent deaths. Later on, while Geordi is working away, we see her wandering around in the background looking lost. I'm not sure why they spent so much time focusing on this undeveloped character whom we'll never see again. I guess they wanted us to see things from the perspective of someone that is not as seasoned as the others, so that we can appreciate the weight of what is happening. But it really doesn't work, she just is an irritating distraction to an otherwise great show.
All the while Q is gloating about how much he's needed, and finally Picard gives in and begs for his help. Immediately, the ship is hurled back to the starting position. But make no mistake, this is not a reset. The crew that died are still dead. Most importantly, the exchange with the Borg still happened, and now that the collective knows of the existence of the Federation, they will be coming. We know that it is about a two year journey from where they were to the furthest outpost, so they have only a little time to prepare.
The introduction of the Borg was probably the most important moment of TNG. It was a true paradigm shift that changed everything. Foreshadowing what was to come by this little teaser was just brilliant. But the show isn't without its flaws. For instance, after they are returned to Federation space, Q just disappears. I thought he wanted to be one of the crew? Also, while equating the damage to the planet to what was recently seen near the neutral zone is a useful callback to previous events, it actually makes no sense. The entire point of this episode is that they are being exposed to aliens that are currently out of reach. They are only protected from the Borg by distance, and this encounter is the actual event that leads them to have an interest in Federation space. So if the Borg are responsible for what happened near the neutral zone, they were already a threat and all of this episode's events were meaningless. Despite all that, there is a lot here that works really well, and all in all this is Fantastic Trek. It is a very important moment for the entire franchise, and may just be my favorite episode of TNG, despite being a Q episode.
Published May 4, 2017
This is the very first episode that features the Borg. Going back and re-watching it with the knowledge that we now have of the Borg is a bit awkward, because they don't behave according to the rules that were fine-tuned later. For instance, the Borg hail the Enterprise and instruct them to cooperate or be punished. Huh? What punishment could there be? The Borg do not need cooperation from anyone. Then when they visit the cube, there is a nursery with drawers of Borg babies, but we know that the Borg do not procreate, they assimilate. But I try when watching this episode to view it with the eyes of someone watching it for the first time, and not let the inconsistencies with later canon spoil it for me. Through that lens, I have to say that the effect of all this mystery and strangeness is amazing. The way they walk around completely oblivious to the crew. The way that the cube repairs itself like it's alive. The Borg are terrifying. They can't be hurt, can't be reasoned with, and they just continue to pursue. The Enterprise is completely out-matched.
All the while Q is gloating about how much he's needed, and finally Picard gives in and begs for his help. Immediately, the ship is hurled back to the starting position. But make no mistake, this is not a reset. The crew that died are still dead. Most importantly, the exchange with the Borg still happened, and now that the collective knows of the existence of the Federation, they will be coming. We know that it is about a two year journey from where they were to the furthest outpost, so they have only a little time to prepare.
The introduction of the Borg was probably the most important moment of TNG. It was a true paradigm shift that changed everything. Foreshadowing what was to come by this little teaser was just brilliant. But the show isn't without its flaws. For instance, after they are returned to Federation space, Q just disappears. I thought he wanted to be one of the crew? Also, while equating the damage to the planet to what was recently seen near the neutral zone is a useful callback to previous events, it actually makes no sense. The entire point of this episode is that they are being exposed to aliens that are currently out of reach. They are only protected from the Borg by distance, and this encounter is the actual event that leads them to have an interest in Federation space. So if the Borg are responsible for what happened near the neutral zone, they were already a threat and all of this episode's events were meaningless. Despite all that, there is a lot here that works really well, and all in all this is Fantastic Trek. It is a very important moment for the entire franchise, and may just be my favorite episode of TNG, despite being a Q episode.
Published May 4, 2017
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