11001001

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.

The Enterprise has arrived at a starbase for some R&R as well as to have upgrades made to the systems. However, instead of human techs, the freaky little Binar race scurries about the ship--chirping their strange language and acting a bit cagey as the work. Still, no one seems to really notice and most everyone has left the ship. As for Riker, he decides to stay on the new and enhanced holodeck where he meets a super-hot babe (Carolyn McCormick--who later played the psychologist on "Law & Order"). When Jean-Luc arrives at the simulation, this perfect woman seems to do her darnedest to keep the men there and entertains them wonderfully. Why? Because the freaky Binars are going to steal the ship---and they don't want to have anyone around who can stop them. Will the two command officers stop lusting after this holowoman long enough to realize what's happened to their beloved Enterprise?

Despite this being a holodreck episode (yes, I know how to spell holodeck), this is a very good one. Well written and intelligent-- something you can RARELY say about any holo episode!! But it unfortunately would lead to MORE holodeck episodes---too many.

All Star Trek (up through ENT) has great episodes and terrible ones. 11001001 is good example of an interesting concept (which is why we love Star Trek) which is poorly written (which is why some people dislike Star Trek). Overly simplified, ignorant of science, shallow in character, it's so caught up in the gosh-wow of its own concepts that it disregards much of the show's own premise. If this were the only/first Star Trek you ever saw, you would conclude that: 1. The Enterprise pretty much drives itself 2. Supernovas are akin to earthquakes, and happen only for short periods of time -- days, or even minutes -- and then life goes on as before 3. Combadges are powerful enough to talk from one star system to another instantly 4. A pretty face is all it takes to sidetrack a (male) officer from duty.

You might also reasonably wonder how crew members are tracked by their combadges in other episodes when they don't here, and what kind of vetting Star Fleet does for aliens working on their top-of-the-line starships.

Abounding also are the usual TNG weaknesses: the first guess anyone comes up with in a crisis proves to be exactly the right answer; the overweening social psychobabble (even when they're correct, it's superficially so); the characters explaining to each other what they should already know.

The good news is Carolyn McCormick's portrayal of Minuet is nuanced, if necessarily flawed by the script she was given. The Bynar actors are occasionally pretty good -- again, within the script they were given.

There was a lot of idea/concept shoveled in here, mostly haphazardly and incompletely -- and honestly, that is something to be excited about. The actual episode, though, suffers from ham-fisted assertions and flat-out ignorant science. Which is sometimes necessary for the structure of TV drama, but even that is mushy here.

So: is it good? No. Should you still watch it? Why yes, of course. Just know you're going to have a lot of "What the --?" moments.

This marvelous episode had me hooked from the appearance of Starbase 74, the docking of the Enterprise and the appearance of the Bynars. The character of Minuet is played to perfection by the exquisitely beautiful & sultry Caroline McCormack. All in all this episode left me wanting to know more about the Bynars and their homework of Binus.

Enterprise docks at a Starbase for a computer upgrade from the Bynars.

This is a solid episode that is a little slow to get going, but once it kicks into life, it's very entertaining and has some good character moments.

The plot is simple but effective and I won't mention any specifics not to spoil. It is safe to say that once we find out what's going on it puts a more interesting spin on what's been happening in the first part of the episode. It has an interesting concept when we consider how much society relies on computers.

I like how a number of different characters provide good contributions to what happens. Picard, Riker, Data and Wesley (ish) all get their share of cool moments. Worf briefly provides a moment of humour with his fiercely competitive Klingon nature on display.

Visuals and sound effects are excellent. I love the design of the Bynars which is similar to the Talosians. Their manner of communication and backstory is also interesting. This includes great visuals of Starbase 74 as the Enterprise docs and undocks.

All performances are solid, especially Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn.

For me this is a 7.5/10 but I like to round upwards.