Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 6
Created by: Gene Roddenberry
Executive Producers & Showrunners: Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, Maurice Hurley, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor
Starring: Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker), Brent Spiner (Data), Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher), LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), Michael Dorn (Worf)
What a great show. I only wish it had far more continuity! I think it could be even greater.
I've been watching this show over the course of a very long time. (Because of my watching style; I tend to watch one season of one show and then move on to another and eventually get back to them.) So, it's been over a period of many years. But each time I get back to TNG, I'm always excited to continue it and impressed by the quality of storytelling and VFX for the late 80s/90s.
I also love how each of the main characters gets their own chance to shine in different episodes. It was great to see Picard go through intense psychological torture in "Chain of Command Pt II," Deanna is forced to take the role of a mysterious Romulan leader to transport spies across a border in "Face of the Enemy," Beverly is thrust into leadership when the main crew is on a dangerous mission and the Enterprise is attacked and Data discovers and has to process through anger in "Descent," parts I & II (technically in season 7), Will is forced to discern what is real and what is dream in "Frame of Mind."
Picard before his physical and psychological torture at the hand of a Cardassian interrogator (David Warner) in "Chain of Command, Part II"
Deanna in her involuntary espionage role as an officer of the Romulan Tal Shiar, or secret police, in "Face of the Enemy"
There was some continuity in this season, and I thought it was fantastic. It was particularly noticeable in the finale, "Descent" parts I and II, which referenced earlier episodes in season 6 and previous seasons. The whole plot, in fact, was due to a major development in the Borg race that happened in a previous season when Picard gave an individual a sense of individuality, which it then transferred to the rest of the Borg. Then toward the end, the way Beverly saved the entire Enterprise from destruction was based on a new shield technology she had helped develop earlier that season. I'm a pretty big fan of continuity and long-term stories, so these were some of my favorite aspects and it always excites me to catch on when a show references itself.
But with Star Trek, even the stand-alones are gold. There are rarely episodes that are sub-par. Some of my favorite stand-alones were "Realm of Fear" when side character Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) has to conquer his fear of transporters and discovers a mysterious alien life form inhabiting the beams, "Schisms," when several of the crew realize they're being abducted in their sleep and have to fight off the aliens in a different dimension, "Face of the Enemy," which I mentioned above, and "Suspicions," in which Beverly puts her career and life on the line to prove her confidence in a murder and sabotage investigation.
"Schisms," a number of crew trying to retrace their shared abduction experiences via holodeck recreation
My favorite thing about Star Trek and especially in this series is the combination of the realistic sci-fi element and the teamwork of the main crew. I love when the crew faces an unexpected challenge, and they have to put their minds and different expertise together to adapt technology and solve problems.
As I said above, I'm very impressed by the writing in this show. It's not always easy to develop interesting plots using the same premise, but the many episode writers (like Joe Menosky, Brannon Braga, and Ronald D. Moore (shout out to Battlestar Galactica!)) proved it's more than possible and did an excellent job every time.
Glad you are enjoying it. Season 7 should be just as good. I agree there is not much continuity but only in the sense that there are no major plot lines playing out over multiple episodes (two-parters don't count :P ). For that you will have to watch Deep Space Nine. But there is great continuity for the characters and stories grown from previous episodes and events. Since your viewing is spread over such long time, I have to wonder if you may have missed some references to previous episodes. If that is the case, it will only make re-watching it someday more interesting I suppose. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, DS9 has more continuity? So far I haven't seen that in really any Star Trek iteration, though I've only been exposed to the original, this, and Voyager. DS9 and Discovery are both on my list, as well as Lower Decks.
DeleteI did mention some continuity I remember in this blog. Especially as far as the Borg, Q, and Data's quest to be human-like. But you may be right that I may have missed some. That's just part of it, unfortunately, cause I really can't handle watching too much of one show at a time.