Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) The Next Phase (1992) User Reviews

Don't think too much about the detail and it's great

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 17 October 2021]

A transporter incident results in Ensign Ro and Commander La Forge being invisible and presumed dead by the Enterprise crew.

This is an enjoyable episode with an entertaining concept and decent character moments.

The plot works in as much as you do not question the scientific basis of the main concept. Much like the movie Ghost, it is cool to see characters involved in scenes where others cannot see them and more fun is that it is a sci-fi context. It all builds to pretty strong resolution in Ten Forward that applies a fairly light hearted tone to the suspense, considering it involves their presumed deaths.

The paring of Ro and Geordie is great. Especially as they are written with two distinct outlooks on the situation. Geordie's arc drives the episode towards a resolution, whilst Ro is more reflective and together they balance the story nicely between plot and characterisation. Michelle Forbes gives another charismatic performance and combined with the writing, she helps develop the character beyond the hard-headed maverick previously depicted. She shows some decent moves in one cool fight scene and Forbes generally stands out, as she does in most episodes.

Other characters have decent moments, such as Riker (who gets his trombone out), Data, Worf, and Picard. All actors are in good form.

Visually it works brilliantly, showcasing a great use of bluescreen effects that make the key scenes work so well. You could question why they never fall through the floor, but when you have Ro Laren on screen for a large part of an episode, who cares?

I almost forgot to mention the Romulan aspect of the story, which is fairly good, but makes you question some of the actions of the Enterprise crew in not treating them with a bit more cynicism.

One of my personal favourites.

[joshi_3592 · 9/10 · 6 February 2010]

One of my personal favourites. You may think why, well I just think there's something special bout it. I mean sure the technical stuff hardly make any sense, but who cares. Also it brings us slighter into the mind of Ro Laren, a character we don't see to much of. Also it's funny what a good duo her and Geordi can be, since he most of the time is in "Data episodes".

The special effects also impressed me much the first time I saw this episode. I mean Star Ttrek have tried something similar before, but it has never looked so good. It looks incredibly real, and except for one slip off, the episodes effects are almost flawless, and pretty good even by todays standards.

I love the tension that is build up in this episode. With the Romilans plans, and the "you know who" guy ( I don't like to spoil thing) just makes this and incredible exiting episode. And since Tasha dies, we all feel that main characters dying aren't that unfeasible, so were always slightly worried about what will happen next.

It is just an exiting episode, with a great ending (I don't get Geordi's joke though)and great special effects. This is what Star Trek is for me, good character relations, and a weird problem to be solved within a time limit. It's just plane fun to watch. I give this episode a 9/10.

Are Ro and Geordi really dead?

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 18 July 2015]

After responding to a distress call an away team beams over to a Romulan ship and set about helping them fix their engines. One part can't be fixed so Geordi and Ro are ordered to take it back to the enterprise for replication. Something goes wrong with the teleportation process and they fail to materialise; shortly afterwards they are declared dead. We then see that they are indeed aboard the Enterprise but nobody can see them and they can even walk through walls and people… are they ghosts or is there a scientific reason? Ro believes the former even though she didn't previously believe in an afterlife but Geordi believes differently and thinks they should set about investigating. Not surprisingly the latter proves to be true and they learn that they have become cloaked due to an experimental Romulan device… they also learn that the Romulans have sabotaged the Enterprise so that it will explode if it goes to warp so they will have to find out how to warm the others quickly. If that wasn't enough there is also a cloaked Romulan and he can see them. While this is going on the rest of the crew are making preparations for Ro and Geordi's funeral.

This is one of my favourite episodes of TNG; we get good villains in the form of Romulans who are pretending to be friendly, a technological malfunction that has put two crew members in an unusual situation and some enjoyable conversations as people dwell on beliefs concerning death. It was nice to see Ro (a personal favourite) and Geordi take centre stage; both Michelle Forbes and LeVar Burton are on great form here. The story provides multiple threats which are nicely resolved… I especially liked how the cloaked Romulan meets his end. Surprisingly it is never mentioned that Geordi and Ro face starvation if they don't find a way to decloak; the creators clearly hadn't forgotten the possibility though as the prologue features Geordi eating a lot and commenting that he hadn't eaten for two days. Overall a top quality episode.

Geordi and Ro become ghosts!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 25 November 2014]

When this episode begins, the Enterprise is doing something VERY unusual--it's providing assistance to a damaged Romulan ship! The crew seem grateful but soon a serious problem becomes apparent when the transporter malfunctions--making several folks disappear. They are assumed to be dead but Ro and Geordi are actually 'out of phase'. In other words, they are alive and no one can see them. Well, the crew starts mourning for their lost comrades...during which time Ro and Geordi can walk through walls and see and hear everyone. Surprisingly, they learn that the Romulans have tampered with the Enterprise's engines--and it will blow up when they engage the warp drive! Can they possibly warn their crewmates and also return to normal?

The best thing about this episode are the cool special effects. Seeing folks running through things is pretty nifty and the story is exciting and weird (in a good way). Well worth seeing.

An All Time Great

[Samuel-Shovel · 10/10 · 19 May 2020]

In "The Next Phase" the Enterprise answers a Romulan distress call from a ship with an experimental new engine. The new tech mistakenly makes the Enterprise crew believe that Ro and Geordi have been killed in a transporter accident. In actuality, the two have been interphase cloaked and must figure out how to return to normal while the Romulans try to sabotage the Enterprise.

I straight up loved this episode. One of my favorites of the series so far. There are so many fun narrative levels built into this script. Are they actually dead? The fun twist with the cloaked Romulan, the chase scene, the solution, the Romulan getting tossed out into space. It's all built up and meshes so well. One of the more enjoyable hours of television I've seen in a while.

Is there life after death?

[russem31 · 28 April 2006]

ST:TNG:124 - "The Next Phase" (Stardate: 45854.2) - this is the 24th episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This episode is one of my very favorites of the entire TNG run, and of all Star Trek itself. It deals with the issue of "is there life after death?", "what is death?", "what does death really mean?" - and in my opinion, in a very scientifically plausible way.

After the Enterprise responds to a Romulan distress signal, Geordi and Ro Laren (another appearance by Michelle Forbes) are pronounced dead when they try to transport back to the ship but don't re-materialize (though they actually do).

When Geordi and Ro re-materialize on the Enterprise and realize no one can see/hear them, and they can go even through walls, they assume they are dead. But soon, they get hints - including slight changes to the "real" environment "alerting" others to their presence (as a "ghost" might do). And not only this, they soon realize that there's a "dead" Romulan among them too!

But are they really dead? If not, what happened to them and can they change back in time? Watch this exciting episode to see!

The visual effects in this episode are exemplary, especially during the chase "through" the Enterprise!

Trivia note: the Bajoran Death Chant is over 2 hours long. And we see Riker playing his trombone again.

Also, this episode stars Susanna Thompson as Inmate Jaya (she will later have a claim to fame as one of the Borg Queens in Star Trek: Voyager).

Star Trek Rockstar combo of LaForge and Laren.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 12 April 2021]

Any episode that stars my girl Ro Laren is getting a solid 8 out of 10.

This is another episode that scratches my 'creative idea' itch. Sure, the logic is inconsistent buy if the episode succeeds in it's storytelling I can brush that aside and it does not impact my enjoyment of the episode.

It's a great blend of mystery, drama and action and it has a wonderful pace that never causes the episode to drag.

When it's my time to check out of life ---- I'd want people to hire a great catering company and have a great meal and time on me. That's the way to do it for me.

There's no real message or meaning in this episode beyond appreciating the value of a person once they are gone. It's a fun science fiction episode and it stars that Ro the Rockstar and I really dig the chemistry between Ro and Geordi throughout this episode.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 9/10 · 20 September 2022]

Time, Mr Data? The Romulan's are having trouble transmitting. Let's beam on over to their ship. What could go wrong? Brossmer's having trouble energizing.

But what happened to Geordi and Ro?

It's a 'I'm here but I'm not here' story. Good start. "I've never been dead before." This can either go in two directions:- a) following the ghostly movements of Geordi and Ro as they try to make contact with the crew, or b) down a rabbit hole of cloying sentimentality as 'living' crew members try to find something nice to say about 'dead' ones. I just get the feeling they are trying too hard to make Ro likeable?

Fortunately, it didn't disappear down a corny rabbit-hole. The pay-off was a little bit predictable but a very good story nonetheless. As far as my review goes, I have given this episode extra points for the fact that a Romulan got ejected into space. I wonder if they went and got him back?

As far as best episodes go, it didn't quite have enough to include it in the top four episodes of season five as far as I am concerned, but it wasn't too far adrift.

I don't recall anyone else ever being sent tumbling through space before throughout the entire history of Star Trek.

Moral of the story, never trust a Romulan.

This Episodes Clue: Jeff, Marty and Jeannie.

2023

[swiitchpst · 8/10 · 10 March 2023]

Here we are in 2023 and I gotta say shows from the 80s and 90s are still my favorite. I've lost count how many times I've watched all forms of Star Trek and this episode makes my top 10 list when it comes to TNG.

When I read a lot of reviews, people seem to want more wars, more explosions etc etc, but to that I say "yawn". This is SCIENCE fiction and the episodes that revolve around a scientific premise interest me more than another battle with the Romulans or something, though Romulans are heavily involved and as per their usual ways, try to kill the people that helped them. Nice people..

Like others, I'll ignore the plot holes by pointing out that they don't fall through the floors. Although it's been established that starships, instead of rotating to generate artificial gravity, have "gravimetric plating", would still not prevent them from falling through. From what I know of "phasing", much like how The Flash can run through walls, all matter vibrates at the same frequency (including air) and for this instance, Ro and La Forge are vibrating at a different frequency so technically would have fell through the floor and suffocated instantly since air would pass through them as well. We did see one instance where an ensign fell through then got stuck halfway in the floor in a similar phasing situation but I guess they forgot about that.

But we don't care!! That's where the FICTION part comes into play! This was a fun episode and honestly it was kind of funny to see Geordie eating his words. I distinctively remember a conversation between him, O'Brian and Barkley about how safe transporters are and here he is involved in a transporter accident!

I still want to know what Riker was going to say about Ro! But I have a feeling it would have been something to do with how hard of a time he's been giving her. That phaser-shot to the head was well deserved!! You go, Ro! Also one of the funnier moments.

One other highlight for me was Data. I've always enjoyed the friendship between Geordie and Data, and it was a nice touch for Geordie to hear Data's thoughts when asking Worf's opinion for their memorial.

One of the better episodes of S5! (But not better than 'The Inner Light'!!)

My favorite Episode thus far

[romeroposadadaniel · 9/10 · 29 April 2021]

This is EXACTLY what I wanted out of a Star Trek Episode. A fun concept that had me on the edge of my seat for a solid 30 min. Geordi and Ro mesh so well in this episode and Ro herself is at her best here (she's also my favorite character on the show thus far).

I can't overhype this episode, it is just that good. Watch it for yourself, you won't regret it.

The only issue is of course, the 'evil Romulan' thing that's going on here. I feel it would have been a much more cathartic episode if the Romulans had done something on accident to mess with the Enterprise's controls and only Geordi had noticed it. Because of this I'm 'only' giving it 9 stars.

Offbeat, but it works

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 22 May 2017]

'The Next Phase' is a solid ghost story; except Geordi and Ro aren't dead, they're just de-phased. And how would that happen? A transporter malfunction! That well-worn trope used to kill, clone or just scramble someone's particles. How well the science holds here is anyone's guess (certainly not mine), but it's a fun episode and these characters make for an unlikely pairing. And the philosophical questions about death and what people will say about afterward are a nice touch.

7/10.

Please Keep the Theological Stuff Out of This. They Weren't Dead!

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 5 September 2014]

This is a very good episode. It has those nasty Romulans who can't back off, even when kindness is given to them. Their ship has been severely damaged and the Enterprise comes to the rescue. They rebuild their engine and get their ship up and going. In the process, Ro and LaForge are beamed back to the ship with an engine part, but in the process they are shoved into some sort of netherworld, able to move around the ship but unseen by the crew. After a period of time with no trace of them, the crew jumps to the conclusion that they are dead. This is really fast, considering the thoroughness that they usually take. By the way, they are not dead! This is not a religious experience! It's a transporter malfunction, brought on by the Romulans who are experimenting with another of their evil devices. After the Enterprise has done everything to show good faith, the scientists on board have planted something in the Enterprise that will destroy it when it goes to warp drive. Data is the key because of his tireless analysis of the ship. Geordi and Ro are really cute as sort of combatants and friends as they try to figure a way to be seen on board the ship. The crew deals with the "deaths" of the two which is touching and shows another side of them. Ro and Riker don't really get along and there is a overt tension throughout. It's a really good episode.

Geordi and Ro, we hardly knew ye

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 28 October 2019]

While aiding a Romulan in distress and then transporting back to the Enterprise LeVar Burton and Michelle Forbes are left in some kind of nether world suspension where they can see and hear all, but no one can see them.

No good deed goes unpunished either as the Romulans put a booby trap that will blow up the Enterprise if it goes to warp, but only Geordi and Ro know of it.

This is similar to an episode on Star Trek prime story where Captain Kirk is living at accelerated speed and has to find a way of communicating with his crew just as Ro and Geordi are trying to do.

Crew reactions to their 'passing' vary. And Riker has a most appropriate farewell planned for them.

Worth seeing for the farewell alone.

Interesting, but ultimately disappointing

[russcampbell-1 · 5/10 · 29 October 2018]

Other people have pointed out the convenient factor that the floor can support them, but they can go through walls and equipment. That crossed my mind, but I guess I can deal with it. What seemed odd to me was the fact that they would not deal with the treachery by the Romulans that would've caused their deaths and they also did not discuss the technology that the Romulans were working on that would make people invisible and able to pass through objects. Both of these issues seem pretty damned important, but they just totally drop them at the end with no resolution whatsoever.

Very Good but also has a goof that is not explained in the others

[kbcleaner063 · 10/10 · 5 May 2010]

I loved this episode, it was very good and it also gets you thinking how crazy this could end up really being if it had happened to you...

The only thing that wasn't mentioned in the goofs that I know I heard because I have DVR and replayed it was when ensign ro was fighting the romulan in the couples room and data trys to enter the room and when the lieutenant opens the door and is surprised to see data he goes Brent... which is actually data's first name outside the show....

This would have to be the only goof that is not mentioned and it was truthfully to me the easiest one to catch and is not hard to miss when the guy says out loud BRENT! And I am surprised they did not try to fix this or correct it...

"Are you saying I'm some blind ghost with clothes?"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 10 March 2024]

Dispense with the logic here - it's sci-fi. It's one thing for Commander LaForge (LeVar Burton) and Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) to go out of phase during a transporter malfunction, but somehow a phaser that Ensign Ro hung on to managed to operate as normal. That was kind of questionable. What I did think was cool was how Geordi dispatched the Romulan caught in the same predicament by hurling him right through the Enterprise and out into cosmic space. I don't think he expected that, seeing as how it could have tragically gone the other way. One thing really bothered me about the story though. Chief Brossmer on the transporter controls didn't seem all that upset when she lost Geordi and Ro during the transporter failure. I would have expected her to become frantic trying to retrieve them but it seemed like no big deal, like they were lost and that's all there was to it. Data (Brent Spiner) to the rescue on this one, he detected chromiton fields wherever Geordi and Ro made an appearance throughout the Enterprise, piecing that information together in order to conduct an anyon sweep at high concentration to make them visible. When you listen to all the scientific jargon it begins to make sense somehow, even though the writers are making it all up. The biggest issue left remaining once the story was over was the reaction of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and crew to the fact that after all the help they gave to the distressed Romulan warbird, Romulan Commander Mirok (Thomas Kopache) was willing to repay the Enterprise by blowing it up! Not a very noble gesture there, if I were Mirok I'd be worried about a future encounter.

Too many logical failures

[bloopville · 4/10 · 15 May 2016]

I don't understand the high rating of this episode. Why do the floors support the phased/cloaked people? Why can Ro touch her control panel and not put her hand through it? Why did it take so long to figure out nobody could see her and why did she take on such a passive roll, at first? How did the Romulan become phased and cloaked? How could he have been sitting in his seat without passing through it?

Of course, the problem was solved by magic gobbledygook technology. The obligatory "5 seconds to total destruction" scenes ensue.

There are so many breakdowns in logic in the episode, so it is impossible to take the theological discussions seriously.

A senior Trekker writes...............

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 13 February 2022]

The Fifth Season of TNG contains some remarkably strong episodes while continuing to push the boundaries of what could be achieved within an episodic television format. It is notable for the tragic loss of its creator, Gene Roddenberry, who died on 24th October 1991 at the age of 70. His influence upon the positive depiction of humanity and diversity in Science Fiction endures to this day. Senior Trekker continues to score all episodes with a 5.

This is an exciting and visually interesting episode which takes the old not-dead-but-everybody-else-thinks-we-are trope and mixes it with some great Romulan intrigue. The tech doesn't make a lot of sense, so lets just enjoy Ro and Geordi walking through walls, eavesdropping on the rest of the crew and attending their own memorial as this conceit unfolds.

The special effects are superb, so much so that they serve to fully support the story and add verisimilitude rather than take centre stage. It was cutting edge for the time, especially on a television budget. That's a whole lot of money and effort expended so that something can be taken for granted; a hallmark of good film-making.

All three Romulan guest actors, Thomas Kopache, Brian Cousins and Susanna Thompson are Star Trek regulars and deserve our thanks for fitting so well into their prosthesis. Having actors who are familiar with the Star Trek universe and can adopt the mannerisms of known alien races serves as a type of shorthand for the viewers without having to slow down the plot with lengthier scenes. The long hours in the make-up chair were worth it and the sacrifice appreciated.