This. Star. Base. Is. Awesome.
Que the sci- fi sound effects at -45:03 and again at -44:32 Netflix standard time and we are off to meet the Binares. Observe the subtle smiles of the one on the left (no, stage left) as they make their way to engineering.
The Bynars are an interesting race and I wish we would have seen more of them throughout TNG's run though they are, to my knowledge, a one off. Turns out its another Riker episode with Picard as second fiddle. We saw the beginning of diplomat Picard in Code of Honor but we haven't seen much else of interest since then. He's largely relegated to explaining things for the audience and badly timed and largely unnecessary words of encouragement to his crew. The most memorable character from the show isn't all that interesting yet.
We do see the crew start to function as a team here but its frustrating how underdeveloped the main cast still is. The Data/Geordi bromance is well underway though Levar Burton is still over acting: "REALLY!" The set up for something fun with Worf and Tasha is there but the writers fail to pay it off. And while Wesley is less irksome than he used to be he still has too much screen time. Troi is absent but you will hardly notice. We also get some foreshadowing of Crusher's exit from the show. Her excitement about "cybernetics and regeneration" is noteworthy given the upcoming introduction of the Borg.
As a side note, the Bynar and the Borg seem to have a lot in common which makes their absence from future episodes feel like a real missed opportunity. Computer/human hybrids were clearly on the writer's minds as they imagined the TNG universe.
The episode falls apart at the end but only if you think about it which is completely optional. How did the Bynars get the data from their planetary computer to the Star Base to begin with? Where did they store it while waiting for the Enterprise? Or did their star go super nova after they took control of the Enterprise but before Picard and Riker left the holodeck? And how does a star the in the Bynar system go nova without wiping out everything else within the solar system.
The writers don't know as much about science as we've been led to believe, but at least there are always chairs on the bridge when you need them despite the fact that they were clearly missing in the previous scene and no one else is onboard the ship.
Que the sci-fi sound effects at -3:03 and were out.
All things considered this episode is pretty easy to watch and even somewhat memorable, but the show still feels lopsided. Tasha and Worf remain underdeveloped while Data and Wesley get too much screen time. Riker is the only character that seems to have come into his own.
Verdict: Pretty good for season 1
Fun Facts:
1) In 41 seconds, two people came make their way from the bridge to a transporter room, beam out, hold a conversation, and still have time to watch their ship leave space dock and go to warp before exploding.
2) It only takes two presses of a button on the transporter pad to beam two people to separate location on the bridge on a ten second delay.
3) There are twenty transporter rooms onboard the enterprise, not counting the cargo bays.
Que the sci- fi sound effects at -45:03 and again at -44:32 Netflix standard time and we are off to meet the Binares. Observe the subtle smiles of the one on the left (no, stage left) as they make their way to engineering.
The Bynars are an interesting race and I wish we would have seen more of them throughout TNG's run though they are, to my knowledge, a one off. Turns out its another Riker episode with Picard as second fiddle. We saw the beginning of diplomat Picard in Code of Honor but we haven't seen much else of interest since then. He's largely relegated to explaining things for the audience and badly timed and largely unnecessary words of encouragement to his crew. The most memorable character from the show isn't all that interesting yet.
We do see the crew start to function as a team here but its frustrating how underdeveloped the main cast still is. The Data/Geordi bromance is well underway though Levar Burton is still over acting: "REALLY!" The set up for something fun with Worf and Tasha is there but the writers fail to pay it off. And while Wesley is less irksome than he used to be he still has too much screen time. Troi is absent but you will hardly notice. We also get some foreshadowing of Crusher's exit from the show. Her excitement about "cybernetics and regeneration" is noteworthy given the upcoming introduction of the Borg.
As a side note, the Bynar and the Borg seem to have a lot in common which makes their absence from future episodes feel like a real missed opportunity. Computer/human hybrids were clearly on the writer's minds as they imagined the TNG universe.
The episode falls apart at the end but only if you think about it which is completely optional. How did the Bynars get the data from their planetary computer to the Star Base to begin with? Where did they store it while waiting for the Enterprise? Or did their star go super nova after they took control of the Enterprise but before Picard and Riker left the holodeck? And how does a star the in the Bynar system go nova without wiping out everything else within the solar system.
The writers don't know as much about science as we've been led to believe, but at least there are always chairs on the bridge when you need them despite the fact that they were clearly missing in the previous scene and no one else is onboard the ship.
Que the sci-fi sound effects at -3:03 and were out.
All things considered this episode is pretty easy to watch and even somewhat memorable, but the show still feels lopsided. Tasha and Worf remain underdeveloped while Data and Wesley get too much screen time. Riker is the only character that seems to have come into his own.
Verdict: Pretty good for season 1
Fun Facts:
1) In 41 seconds, two people came make their way from the bridge to a transporter room, beam out, hold a conversation, and still have time to watch their ship leave space dock and go to warp before exploding.
2) It only takes two presses of a button on the transporter pad to beam two people to separate location on the bridge on a ten second delay.
3) There are twenty transporter rooms onboard the enterprise, not counting the cargo bays.