TNG S5E5 "Disaster" Review by AnswerMan

Horrible:Meh:Adequate:Good:Fantastic

So I'm going to go ahead and admit that I enjoyed this episode. However, I know that it's a guilty pleasure. I enjoyed this show because I love these characters. Seeing Picard deal with children, Worf deliver a baby, Data use his severed head as a computer interface, and even Troi attempt to step up as a commanding officer all brings me joy because I am a Star Trek nerd. But, I realize that this episode still sucks.

A thing happens that causes everything to go wonky, including the turbolift that Picard and the three science fair-winning children are on. Picard's ankle is broken, and he must rally his young team to band together and evacuate the turbo lift before it falls. He succeeds, bonds are made, Frere Jacque is sung, and it takes the entire episode to accomplish. A couple notes on this storyline: One, the little girl has a serious camel toe wardrobe problem. It's unfortunate. Two, Patrick Stewart delivers a very British "Right!" It's just funny because it couldn't have been scripted, and is not very French.



Riker and Data are trying to reach engineering. They succeed, bonds are made, Data's head comes off, and it takes the entire episode to accomplish. A couple notes on this storyline: One, Data doesn't like it when you miss his optical node. Two: Data's body is pretty much expendable.

Keiko goes into labor in Ten Forward, and for some reason the only person willing to help is Worf. Worf is tasked with delivering the baby, which is actually something that he has a bit of Star Fleet training on. He succeeds, bonds are made, it's a girl, and it takes the entire episode to accomplish. Two things: One, Worf is pretty hilarious. Two, what the hell is everyone else doing and whose hand is that dabbing Keiko's forehead?

LaForge and Crusher are in a cargo bay. There's a plasma fire that is creating life-threatening radiation as well as about to make a bunch of space barrels of stuff explode. They must put out the fire. They succeed, bonds are made, physical labor is performed, and it takes the entire episode to accomplish. I can think of only one thing: Crusher never takes off her lab coat.

Meanwhile on the bridge, Troi reluctantly finds out that she is the ranking officer over O'Brien and Ro. The ship is about to explode thanks to some shit going down in engineering. Ro thinks they should separate the saucer section and bail, and Troi wants to exhaust every option before they resort to that. Because Riker and Data have reached engineering, she succeeds, bonds are made, a redshirt dies, and it takes the entire episode to accomplish. Two things: One, Ensign Ro, in her second appearance, is a total bitch. Two, Troi is as useless as a bridge officer as she is a counselor.

Meh. No other things to say.

Published October 7, 2018