Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 1

Conclusion the best SF episode ever made!





I will just say it again the best scenario ever written! Finally the big conflict with the Borg, and what a conflict. The entire basic of the Borg civilization are explained in these two episodes. A single Borg cube rakes havoc in the hart of the federation and the battle at Wolf 539 where the federation loses its entire fleet is incredible. Picard gets captured and turned into a drone and leads the Borg attack. These episodes are the building blocks for half of the Voyager series, many of the fallowing TNG episodes and the VIII Star trek movie. These episodes are what’s SF all a boat.

Instead of an inventive, clever resolution to the problem of the Borg threat, the Enterprise crew wimps out by putting the Borg to sleep. No explanation is ever given as to why the cube explodes when this is done. It's just another example of Roddenberry's constantly painting an overly rosy future devoid of conflict. Thank the deities that his successors didn't share that concept.

This is the conclusion to last season's closing episode. Captain Picard has been abducted and is part borg now. Knowing this, Admiral Hanson temporarily promotes Riker to Captain. The borg have knowledge of every manuever Picard knows. So, Riker has to rewrite the way things are done on the "Enterprise". He orders saucer seperation in order to beat the Borg. A away team using a shuttlecraft transporter beam aboard the borg ship and recapture picard. Now, How are they going to seperate the Borg implants from Picard? The tune in and watch this episode. I rate this one a 10.0

This was a very satisfying conclusion to "The Best of Both Worlds." I don't care what anybody says if they thought it was a letdown after the strong build-up of part one. Picard is now Locutus of Borg, a deadly pawn of the most powerful force in the universe. He's been forced to lead a deadly assault on Starfleet at Wolf 359 (which would later be shown in the Deep Space Nine pilot, Emissary). Now it's up to Captain Riker to save him from the Collective and return him to normal. The events of this two-parter would later be established in my favorite Star Trek movie, "Star Trek: First Contact."

The conclusion to one of the greatest moments in television history, not to mention the greatest moment in Star Trek history. The production quality rivals that of many big budget movies. The Borg, an enemy we are introduced to by Q in season 2, prove to be the scariest and most formidable enemy the Federation has ever faced. The Borg are so organized and sophisticated it's terrifying. Through the assimilation of Picard, we see first hand the power of the Borg. We also get to see the finest moments of Will Riker. He proves himself a brilliant captain in his own right.

The best episode of the series comes full circle in a conclusion which deliveres as well as part one did. Like part one of this episode, the writing, acting and special effects remain rock solid. What also makes this episode work is the change of pace we see aboard Enterprise with Riker as Captain. Seeing him taking the reins and fighting the Borg with his own strategies is a real treat. Whoopi Goldberg has only one scene in this episode, but it is her most memorable performace as Guinan. Almost twenty years after its premier, this episode still delivers. Fascinating!

The first 30 minutes or so of this episode continue at the extremely high quality of part 1. There are plenty of highlights to be mentioned, but I think perhaps the best is Riker's monologue in the ready room, followed by his conversation with Guinan. Very well-written.





The episode flags a little near the end. The writers had some difficulty finding a convincing way to defeat an invincible foe (Michael Piller wrote part 1 not expecting to be around to worry about the conclusion), and while this conclusion is satisfying enough, it ends up being a little thin given the buildup.





Finally, the ending with Picard staring out the window into space - trying to come to terms with what he's been through - ends the episode on a perfect not.

Part II is a somewhat character driven episode that beautifully plays off plot points set up by the prior episode (and which subtly shifts the focus from the guest stars to the regulars). With all the pieces in place, Pillar works the chess game to its conclusion move by move, setting up the end like a master player. While the end result might not be as good as the first part, the episode is a satisfying conclusion that makes the two parter as strong as any in Trek history with effects that with reverberate long into Trek's future.