Booby Trap has an awesome score, so it's worth a save.
Ron Jones' style and contributions elevated the show when the scripts failed, generally while not usurping the show at the same time. It's a very impressive body of work.
Though I agree with the decision to replace the escape scene music - while it fits the rest of the episode's music, it is indeed one of the few times where the music is overpowering and doesn't add to the scene. Nobody's 100% perfect to begin with.
(a close approximation of the original. It's not exactly terrible, but it does feel like something's a little missing.)
(the "original", even if it's recycled from "Where Silence Has Lease")
(That is one of many
classic scenes in this episode. Well, it contains many enjoyable bits as so many characters get lovely little moments, culminated by a bat fleeing hell. Plus, that yellow alert tone and that sumptuous music
- where's the emoticon of the smiley face pleasantly melting in joy?
Looks like that's Android specific, but Data didn't answer my call... )
Booby Trap also having the computer generating a false image, complete with stated a wide margin of error for Geordi to recognize. Even Geordi says that the massage as bestowed by the computer was inappropriate and all the computer did was try to compensate for Geordi's tension due to being in an area where they'll die from radiation exposure unless they get around the problem. And, yep, Geordi was still asking excessive and inappropriate questions at the start, true, and possibly because he just got jilted by Christy (who forgot who he was by "Transfigurations" or it's the worst attempt at a mini season arc of all time), but the worst of the episode was still done by the holodeck program as Geordi never asked for someone to get jiggy with. The episode has more that's proper solid exploration Trek that gets sadly overlooked.
I know a lot of people don't like "Galaxy's Child" because what they see as Geordi's odd behaviour but there are few people who haven't found that they have made a false image for someone. The rest of the episode, saving the "child" is a classic "Star Trek" vibe.
It's a great innovation of the trope "don't meet your heroes", where dramas and sitcoms would have a character meet up with somebody they've namedropped 50 times, only to meet them and get a cold shoulder. Only this time it isn't a pop culture celebrity but in-universe character, making it that much more refreshing and original.
There is a lot of clunk in this subplot as, while Leah made a few assumptions and the ending glosses it all over, Geordi's "Is that right?" quip definitely had eerie stalker vibes. Not by intent as he's going by what the computer could tell him in the preceding episode, but creepy nonetheless.
The "critter of the week" plot is a bit formulaic and tropey and, as usual, having to ignore how it moves through the galaxy in a way practical to itself as the galaxy is big is essential. But "souring the milk" is as Trek as it gets for sure.
"The Dauphin" is a good Wesley epsiode, age- and subject-appropriate. Riker using Guinan to show Wesley how to chat up a woman is quite funny.
TNG always had this fixation of "only the leader is worthwhile" (see "Tapestry" for the most egregious example since a ship still requires everyone in it), but I[m mixing that up with "Pen Pals". A very underrated episode in a very underrated season, it's a perfect example of a "love" story and an inventive unrequired love story, which does a far better job updating and innovating the tropes of "Elaan of Troyius" than "The Perfect Mate" could ever begin to dream of. IMHO, OFC, YMMV, EIEIO, ETC.
Evolution used Guinan nicely, having her talking with Dr. Crusher and filling in any gaps regarding Wesley during her absence.
And how she got to tell Wes about Dr Frankenstein's creation. The story has a few nitpicks and they removed the right scenes to keep the story flow smooth, but it's easy to see how it was season opener as the revised tone and feel hit it out of the park, pardon the pun.
Ninja'd so I'll save "Redemption II" for Lursa and B'Etor - and because, really, I can't choose between the other two
They were good villains in the story, and Guinan getting to spill the beans on Picard is worth a save just for that as it also proves even the least-effective (aka "garbage") story can have at least one great moment within.
