Yesterday's Enterprise Stardate 43625.2: A temporal rift throws the immediate predecessor to the Enterprise D, under the command of Capt. Rachel Garrett, 22 years into the future, altering history. When Picard is advised by Guinan that an egregious alteration to current events has occurred, Picard faces the unenviable decision of asking the Enterprise-C to return to their own time, and face certain destruction at the hands of the Romulans in order to repair the timeline.

This episode ranks right up there with TOS's "The Doomsday Machine" as one of my all-time favorite episodes. There are so many bold differences in the look between the Starship Enterprise D, redressed as the Battleship Enterprise-D, that it really does give one a sense of vertigo. The tension is high, and most of the characterizations are inventively altered to a very subtle degree. I found it especially interesting that, in this new version of reality, Picard and Riker have a somewhat more adversarial relationship.
It is a bit distracting that the romance between Tasha Yar and Lt. Costello seems to take such an abrupt jump to center stage. The relationship between them was a nice touch, and helped intensify the feeling of tension to a degree, but it was so heavy handed, it was almost screaming "New Upcoming Plot Twist!!!"
A few minor quibbles; The plot seems rushed throughout. I honestly think this episode may have been served better, from a dramatic standpoint, as a two-parter. Besides the obvious guilty pleasure of granting viewers the opportunity to explore more of this alternate universe, it would have made the numerous events in the episode feel less rushed and contrived.
Nevertheless, this is a beautifully executed story, both dramatically and visually!
Nitpicking: At the end of the episode, when Guinan is talking to Geordi in 10 Forward, he still has black cuffs on his sleeves, consistent with the uniforms in the alternate universe.
Remarkable ship: The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-C. I thought the design was very clever, especially seeing as how, when glimpsed briefly during the previews the week before the episode premiered, the angle shown almost made it look like the TOS Enterprise. Way to get a fan's heart racing there, guys!
Remarkable set: The Bridge of the Enterprise-D sported several exciting differences, including a single command chair, instead of a "committee" row of chairs. Also, the first (and only) appearance of addition tactical/systems bridge stations along the sides of the main bridge on the Enterprise D on the series. This expansion would be seen again in "Star Trek: Generations".
Nitpick #2: I was a little disappointed that, just for added effect, they didn't make Worf the captain of one of the Klingon BoPs. There are probably continuity reasons for this, but it still would have been a nice touch.
Rating: 10 (E. Adam Thomas)

Tin Man Stardate 43779.3: Synopsis in main TNG listing

I don't really like this episode for several reasons. First, Tam Elbrun is a very annoying guest character. Granted, his condition is far from being easy and must cause him severe stress but since negative thoughts and emotions are even more distressing for Betazoids (as we know from Deanna) why does he act in such an unpleasant manner? By that he just provokes more and more negative thoughts about him. He enjoys Data's company (for obvious reasons) but even Data cannot really figure out Tam's character. The second annoyance in this episode are the Romulans. After their impressive re-introduction in TNG: "The Neutral Zone" they are reduced to nothing more than stereotypical villains in this episode. Their whole behaviour reminded me a lot of the one-dimensional Klingons we saw so often in TOS. The third thing is Gomtun itself. Do not get me wrong, the idea of a race of living spaceships that live in symbiotic relationship with their crews is very interesting but in this episode it is entirely wasted. If the Romulans would have been absent from the script and Elbrun would have been a more likable character it might have worked but as it is this episode is way below average.
Remarkable error: Data and Elbrun are beamed over to "Tin Man" although dialogue has established that the Enterprise is 18 minutes away at full impulse. That is roughly equal to 81 million kilometres - way beyond transporter reach.
Remarkable quote: "The Romulans claim anything that is in their field of vision." (Worf)
Remarkable scene: The supernova looks the same like the one in TNG: "The Naked Now".
Remarkable ship: Gomtun aka "Tin Man". I especially liked the sounds inside the ship and its energy wave weapon.
Remarkable fact: The Romulans are monitoring the telemetry of Federation probes... what happened to encryption protocols and codes?
Rating: 3 (Timm)

The Best of Both Worlds I/II Stardate 43989.1 to 44001.4: Synopsis in main TNG listing

Probably the best in the entire TNG series except for a few others. The tension was great. I had goosebumps when the Borg abducted Picard. One of my favorites of all the episodes I have. The big explosion at the end is #4 on my Favorite Big-Ass Explosion list. Great episode.
Errors and nitpick: When the away team beams down at the beginning, they are standing around the big hole, but O'Brien says they are in the center of town when Riker asks about it. Shouldn't he say the outskirts? -- When they are blabbing in the observation lounge, look at the screen on the wall. If you notice, the little control thing keeps moving around. -- If you watch the Borg deaths carefully on the Borg ship in Part Two, they are the same as the ones in Part One.
Rating: 10 (R. Baker)

The Best of Both Worlds I/II Stardate 43989.1-44001.4: The Enterprise is sent to investigate what appear to be Borg attacks on Federation outposts. Lt. Commander Shelby joins the crew to investigate. After it is confirmed that the attacks were indeed caused by the Borg, a cube shows up and chases the Enterprise into a nebula. Around this time Picard is abducted and assimilated by the Borg. Commander LaForge then comes up with a weapon that could destroy the Borg using the main deflector dish, but the Borg cube has to be out of warp, which is difficult because the cube is on a high warp course for Earth. Shelby then leads an away team to the Borg cube which includes Data, Worf, and Crusher. The mission is to drop the cube from warp and to retrieve Picard. They are successful in stopping the cube but not rescuing Picard. The Enterprise then receives a message from Locutus, the borgified Picard. Riker decides he has to use the weapon now, so he orders Worf to fire. The weapon is ineffective and the cube continues on to Earth. The Enterprise is crippled and can't pursue. When the Enterprise resumes course for Earth, they come across the remnants of eleven wrecked starships at Wolf 359, destroyed by the Borg. The Enterprise catches up to the Borg and the crew is able to recover Picard. Using Picard's links to the collective, Data is able to order the Borg to "sleep', then the Borg cube explodes. The Enterprise saves the day, again. Crusher then returns Picard to normal.

"The Best of Both Worlds" is the best two-parter in TNG. The famous line spoken by Locutus still gives me chills. The first part was beautifully written, but part two did not live up to its hype. Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes did a spectacular acting job. I again suggest these episodes to everyone. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, you don't know what you're missing.
Quote: "I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is now over. From this time forward, you will service...us." -Locutus
Another quote: "Mister Worf...fire." -Riker
Rating: 10 (Nathaniel Scripa)

 

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