Conspiracy

It's undoubtedly the best episode from season one and possibly the best episode of Next Generation. From the jump, it had the perfect amount of tension and believability and a great story. The only season one episodes that compare to its quality are "Datalore" and "Heart of Glory." The Federation's rules and benevolent nature are under assault by a mysterious force that might have originated from within the core leadership of its organization. Only a handful of its trustworthy senior officers seem to be aware of the problem, which is alarming in itself.

This episode's only flaws: its special effects are very dated and almost laughable by today's standards, and it relies on Jonathon Frakes's acting (groan) a bit too much.

This TNG story reminds me so much of the fabled classic The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. As it turns out some real important Star Fleet personnel are having said bodies snatched.

Patrick Stewart and the Enterprise are summoned by the captain of the Horatio about a vital matter which is a plot to internally subvert the Federation. Then the Horatio is destroyed with an explosion. Which sends the Enterprise back to earth to investigate.

There is indeed a plot and all I can say is you have to see who's doing the plotting.

A version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.

After reading HNSampat-2's review, I had to respond. Sampat writes that the episode should be disowned, but it's the 39th best rated TNG episode out of 176 on IMDb. It's the highest rated episode out of the first season. And if we consider the people who are taking the effort to rate each episode, it's obvious that it's the fans who think it deserves a 7.9.

So I put it to you Sampat - how is it not Star Trek? That's a load of rubbish. This show made Star Trek what it is today.

And this episode DOES relate to space. In fact, it's a prelude to what should have been a future space adventure episode relating to these beings. Instead they were replaced by the Borg.

The episode is very enjoyable. There's some dodgy direction in the fight scenes, but outside of that it's a joy to see the actors begin to gel with their characters. I could always remember this episode from when I was younger due to the beeping of the beacon sent out - chilling stuff.

Also, watch out for horror specialist Michael Berryman (Pluto in The Hills Have Eyes) making a guest appearance. 9/10

The plot for "Conspiracy" is pretty much taken from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", so it's hardly original. However, it's such a HUGE departure from the usually overly cerebral episodes of season one that it's a welcome breath of fresh air!

A few episodes back, an admiral and his henchman, a commander, were introduced ("Coming of Age") and at the time, why they were in the first episode seemed a bit unclear. Here, the final portion of that story is about to play out in "Conspiracy".

It seems that Starfleet has been behaving oddly and several other Federation captains have called Picard to a secret meeting to discuss this. They are not sure what is happening--but SOMETHING is afoot. They warn Picard to be on his guard. This paranoia seems well founded when shortly after the meeting adjourns, one of the captains' ships explodes! Obviously SOMETHING is happening. What? See the show.

This is good old senseless paranoia and violence--things that made the original "Star Trek" series so much fun. And this episode is indeed fun--something the series occasionally forgot to include and a welcome relief here. This is the one to see during the first season.

"Conspiracy" ranks as one of the most disgusting installments in episode television history. The story line involves an infiltration of Star Fleet by "intelligences" bent on the destruction of the Federation. A longtime friend of Beverly Crusher visits the Enterprise and brings with him a sinister secret, revealed in a stunning confrontation with Worf.

As the conspiracy widens, Capt. Picard and Ryker return to Earth and come face-to-face with the "mother" of the conspiracy, setting the stage for one of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping scenes in Trek history.

'It's too bad that the producers didn't decide to continue with a follow-up episode that would tie up some of the loose ends from this memorable show.