Game The Most Disliked Fifth Season Episode, 2025 Edition

[Qonundrum]

So many I want to rip into while saving, mostly because the others remaining are far worse, but:

VOY: "Equinox, Part I"

Returns to Voyager's beginnings and does something modestly interesting with it all. Caretaker had snared another Federation ship, whose adventures weren't as shiny happy.

a bit more "playing it safe" with the usual moral lesson of the week, it's still an easy pick for Voyager as its 2-part execution was solid, giving everything enough time to breathe. Still, it played it safe with the tropes (only DS9 could really bring up the juicy stuff.)

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(Good moral argument aside, I'd never noticed the mount of blue alien snot on the plate in front of Janeway before either...)


Speaking of shiny happy, here's the reference, since the level of corn in it also matches "Caretaker"'s:

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A reminder of Caretaker Corn:

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(Yeehaw! Here's the corny toe-tappin', nose-pickin' good times! And corn!!)

What's left:
TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Thirty Days"
VOY: "Counterpoint"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "11:59"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
DIS: "Lagrange Point"
DIS: "Life, Itself"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"
LD: "Starbase 80?!"
LD: "Upper Decks"

 

[Qonundrum]

Saving "Cause and Effect" next. Despite its repetitive nature, Jonathan Frakes manages to keep each iteration interesting. And Data's final message was just obscure enough to slip by... though it also accentuates that he didn't have (and deserved) 3 pips.

A novel take on using a time loop as a plot device, but the story doesn't hold up on repeat viewings as a result. Even on initial viewing, it ended itself at just the right time as it was already starting to get too repetitive. I seriously considered this one, but on rewatchability it's a hard sell.

If nothing else,

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Note the name "Fletcher". Back in the early 1990s, the zeitgeist wasn't all about TNG, but also people poking fun at this advert:

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(Move the slider to time index 0:31)

I fail to recognize the humor people found in it at the time, unless it's involving the notoriously bad acting throughout. But the advert was ubiquitous at the time, as was the bad acting, and even finding a way to get "Fletcher" into a TNG episode as a loose nudge/wink gag. But when you're a teen working at fast food slop with some others who also dug the show and saw that advert...

15 TV Commercials That Defined the 1980s

wiseoldowl.net

(One of many articles that definitely highlighted the ubiquity and iconic nature of that advert at the time...)

 

[Sakonna]

Do I love the guest spot from Nicole Byer in "Starbase 80?!"

TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Thirty Days"
VOY: "Counterpoint"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "11:59"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
DIS: "Lagrange Point"
DIS: "Life, Itself"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"
LD: "Upper Decks"

 

[Brennyren]

Saving LD: "Upper Decks." After four-and-a-half seasons with our beloved Lower Deckers, I enjoyed getting some time with the senior officers. Ransom's storyline (this guy started out super annoying in Season One, but managed a decent character arc in LD's background) was a particular treat. I knew it all along, Jack!

TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Thirty Days"
VOY: "Counterpoint"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "11:59"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
DIS: "Lagrange Point"
DIS: "Life, Itself"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Going for Life Itself. While there are many masterpieces on this list still to go. A slight anti-Discovery bias has me a little worried this beautiful episode might face a harsh undeserved judgement so to avoid that happening it is safe. Now am I safe from crying when I rewatch it? Unlikely.

TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Thirty Days"
VOY: "Counterpoint"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "11:59"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
DIS: "Lagrange Point"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[JLA]

DIS: "Lagrange Point" I'm a long time DSC fan and this episode is one of the best of season five. It's the one where Book distracts the Breen officer by flirting with him.


TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Thirty Days"
VOY: "Counterpoint"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "11:59"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "COUNTERPOINT'.

Kate Mulgrew and Mark Harelik had excellent chemistry, with both their perfornances elevating what could easily be a forgettable episode. (It was still good, but the concept was so easy to ruin.)

Thus is a true case of execution perfecting a premise.



TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Thirty Days"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "11:59"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Qonundrum]

Don't tell Harry,

VOY: "Thirty Days"

that Paris gets promoted back in the future.

See, it's Locarno Paris who pulls a Kirk Picard and risks all to take things in his own hands to save a friend a species from the evil admiral of the week trope. It's not got any big new ideas, just shifting a trope from a lead to an underling, and letting the underling not save the day as such. Plus, unlike Worf, has repercussions. I almost want to rate this one higher because of that, except "Sin" dares to be big whereas 30D really doesn't and is trying to coast for the drama instead. If only we could have the best of both these episodes and keep planet snu-snu minimal...


What's left:
TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "11:59"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Hear me out on this one: 11:59 is great. It doesn't try too hard to force drama and glides by on Kate Mulgrew's raw talent alone. Plus there's something so cosy and 90s about it I'm transported back to the safety of my childhood.

What's left:
TNG: "Redemption II"
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I'm going to save the first one in the list, TNG's "Redemption II", for being a surprise Captain Data story. You'd think a story about the Klingon Civil War would be Worf's time to shine, but Data's storyline is the one I remember.

TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Disaster"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Qonundrum]

It was its title, but I have a soft spot for some of it:

TNG: "Disaster"

The idea of breaking up the crew through the ship and having to improvise is pretty worthy for the halcyon era of the show, though I wish it were done in season 4.

As usual for season 5, both thoughtful handling of treknobabble and applicable use of real science were both thrown out of the airlock, especially when season 1 had both done those things right, far better, and more consistently. Season 5 TNG just drops the ball and dribbles it far more than the NCAA tournament would with all the basketballs, to the point that it becomes a different NCAA (No Class At All).

Ditto for forgetting about the very same VISOR that would be the focal point (with audience reminded of its functionality!!) of an episode a few weeks later* (ugh), and a slew of other things. But I'm trying to remember how this one isn't as rancid as the rest on the list so I'm not going to switch gears and, bleeccch yucky icky cooties, going to be positive:

The real dilemma and real episode that save it from being a total clunker involve Troi having to be thrown into a stressful situation due solely by rank and lucky happenstance to be thrown into the role, despite the less senior/more knowledgeable underlings stuck right next to her being better suited for the task, since they have to tell Troi what to go on and if it's okay to do so while she sits there waffling over all the options -- oh, kudos to INS when Geordi takes initiative and ejects the warp core before being told to do so, what with it about to go boom and all.

Plus, Troi knew Ro had a point and even acknowledges it, even if the script goes out of its way to prop up Troi's position (another season 5 failing, natural flowing narrative superseded by making those whose names appear in the opening credits always being 100% right all the time no matter what, often as hollow as possible. Blech... )

* with audience reminded of its functionality in said episode, though most of them already knew at the time and were yelling at the 19" CRT in front of their faces over how horrid this episode was in conveniently sidelining both Geordi's VISOR and how he of all people should understand the difference between blow vs suck of objects from a higher pressure zone to a lower one, never mind Beverly's "take a deep breath" nonsense, this episode is mindbogglingly awful, and I do wonder if newbies who say "Disaster" remembered it, for when a few weeks later they get the history lesson on the eyewear, and then went "Oi, if only they had that in place a few weeks earlier" all while, being new, were blissfully unaware of seasons 1-4 having used its features more often as well, sigh...

What's left:
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Man, you must really hate the rest of these episodes!

 

[Frontis]

Saving DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
Very funny and entertaining episode. Actually I love it every time when Zek appears. Also love Quark's mom.
What's left:
TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "Ethics"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Qonundrum]

Saving DS9: "Ferengi Love Songs"
Very funny and entertaining episode. Actually I love it every time when Zek appears. Also love Quark's mom.

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That's rather better than a ton of TNG season 5 for sure. Better than a fair amount of VOY season 5 as well.


Also, the title reminds me of a really good song with a similar title,

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Fits in rather well, I'd hope?

Man, you must really hate the rest of these episodes!

There's a lot that's forgettable, or to actively dislike, especially in TNG's 5th season. The spinoffs too were starting to flail as well and I see a couple in VOY and TNG that, even despite trying to address an issue that's outside the comfy zone, mishandled it all so badly that I hope there's at least a four-way tie.

I also saw one episode I had overlooked before, but it's contentious enough in its own ways and if I do get to it before someone else, I'll explain my warped nuance...

 

[Oddish]

DS9: "Let He Who Is Without Sin..."

Damn, I was thinking Let He Who is Without Sin... might win this, but I guess not!

Yeah... that one's a reliable winner or at least podium finisher. But in this game, you only need one fan.

Going to save "Ethics" next. It's not perfect, but it gives Beverly something to do, inclusing a great monologue about the duty of a doctor to her patients. Good scenes with Will and Worf, too.

TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Saving DS9: "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places". Another great cultural misunderstanding episode. Terry Farrel is great. Grilka is great. Worf doing what we all want to do, blasting tunes on the bridge, is great. Quark is great. Oh, love hurts.


TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Relativity"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Detached Nacelle]

The tough calls continue. Relativity is safe. A fun time travel romp. Lovely to see Utopia Planetia and the eponymous ship and uniforms of that era are gorgeous.

TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Qonundrum]

Trying to add a little more positivity instead of just eviscerating the dislikable bits that drag the episodes down and to me that's too easy to do at times, part of me likes this because it's returning to one of TNG's oft-unused roots,

TNG: "Imaginary Friend"

And does so better than another kid episode from earlier in this season, so to me this would have been saved long before "Hero Worship".

Keeping in mind that kid-centered stories often remained unused because they were either poorly written, left out adults, weren't written in ways that could appeal to adults along with the kids (which can be okay), were uninspired, sledgehammery, and/or other issues, which is why I rarely return to those stories. So it's a double whammy that this one is preferred over so many, but this one does take itself seriously as opposed to being comedy or slapstick at its core.

It does get good when the kid shtick turns into a horror film as Isabella starts to meddle, but prior to that it's definitely a "for the kids" piece. Which isn't bad per se, it just lacks rewatchability as the crux of it involves kids. Actually, I've found "When the Bough Breaks" to be more watchable, partly because I don't recall it being as patronizing. But YMMV.

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This is when the episode becomes watchable, IMHO. Prior to this, it feels like kid fantasy - so if I were 9 or 10 when this first aired, I'd probably be glued to the set.

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Beverly's explanation for the energy being pulled from her body sweetens the pot for the horror aspect.

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Definitely for the kids. Not terrible, is well-written at times, but while TNG did vary episode types and target audiences as part of its charter, this one is just too child-centric where growing up with it is easier said than done. Other episodes that are kid-friendly still feel "accessible" to older audiences.

What's left:

TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Under The Twin Moons"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"

 

[Qonundrum]

Yeah... that one's a reliable winner or at least podium finisher. But in this game, you only need one fan.

Going to save "Ethics" next. It's not perfect, but it gives Beverly something to do, inclusing a great monologue about the duty of a doctor to her patients. Good scenes with Will and Worf, too.

It gives Beverly something to do, but the level of up-nose and haughtiness is just as galling as the "evil guest doc of the week", scripted increasingly risible, to that of cartoonish villainy levels as a lame prop. The usual season 5isms I'd mentioned earlier definitely apply (technobabble, main credits cast is 100% correct or more, always), and Worf's redundant brain stems has a level of risibility of its own. The idea of a Beverly-centric episode should have been a lot better. Even "Sin" and a lot of clunkers just aren't anywhere as appalling.

Indeed, it's a far better Worf story as the assisted suicide argument is far stronger, doesn't have as preachy a soapbox as the dialogue and drama feel natural as his shipmates try to get him to think outside his box - while they mostly don't consider his, forgetting that he's not on a Klingon ship and it's not about Klingon rules and we already had "A Matter of Honor" giving us a taste of that. That, and DS9 had so many better Worf-centric stories than TNG as well. Even the worst DS9 Worf story is miles better than TNG's. IMHO, YMMV, of course.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I will save Discovery's "Under The Twin Moons" for being a proper Burnham and Saru away team adventure on a strange new world. Plus it let us keep Rayner as an XO, which I appreciated.

TNG: "Silicon Avatar"
TNG: "Unification II"
TNG: "New Ground"
TNG: "Violations"
TNG: "The Masterpiece Society"
TNG: "The Outcast"
TNG: "Cost Of Living"
TNG: "The Perfect Mate"
DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
DS9: "Empok Nor"
VOY: "Extreme Risk"
VOY: "In The Flesh"
VOY: "Nothing Human"
VOY: "Latent Image"
VOY: "The Disease"
VOY: "The Fight"
VOY: "Think Tank"
VOY: "Someone To Watch Over Me"
VOY: "Warhead"
DIS: "Red Directive"
DIS: "Jinaal"
DIS: "Mirrors"
DIS: "Whistlespeak"
DIS: "Labyrinths"
LD: "Dos Cerritos"
LD: "Shades Of Green"
LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel"