Lonely Among Us

Indubitably...

This is actually a rather interesting episode although from the way we know that the transporter "technology" developed, The solution to this conundrum was probably not viable...

What makes this episode of note is that it is Mr. Data's discovery of Sherlock Holmes, The beginning of his lifelong interest in the character.

Plus he was actually, literally, smoking a pipe...

I thought the Anticans and Selay we're pretty interesting and funny with the Anticans preferred live game targets. Also, we have Miles Edward O'Brien walking the corridor is wearing a gold shirt, he started off wearing a red shirt.

After season one we never saw aliens of this type much, they pretty much stuck to humanoids with weird noses or foreheads, etc. I thought the Anticans rather hilarious, being totally disgusted with replicated meat- "Barbaric" as they called it...

Mr. Data used Holmesian detective techniques to figure out what was happening, and who/what was responsible.

If they had given just a little bit more details about the energy conundrum, it could have been a very interesting episode.

As it stands it is simply amusing, worth watching a few times.

Picard and the crew are overseeing the negotiations between to embittered rivals. There seems little chance that anything is going to get done. During this time a cloud is entered which alters the resolve of many significant crew members. Each of the principles seems to have a go at a new existence, acting strangely or putting forth dangerous actions and ideas. Somehow this cloud is responsible for this alteration. It is fortunate that there are those on the crew that are able to interpret things properly. Commander Data must act because for all his good intentions, Picard fall victim to the forces of the cloud. This type of dangerous entity is ongoing in many episodes. Also, it is up to someone other than Picard to come forth and deal with the issues. This is seldom done in these efforts. Good episode but somewhat derivative.

Later on we learn that the Enterprise while passing an energy cloud has taken on a being that exists as pure energy. It goes from being to being in the ship's crew and eventually it's Captain Picard on whom it settles as the host, obviously sensing this is the guy in charge.

As if this wasn't enough problems two delegations of aliens are on board who hate each other are being transported to Federation HQ to apply for membership. They are Commander Riker's responsibility if he can prevent them from killing each other.

The climax of course is separating Patrick Stewart with what is inhabiting his body. It's a close run thing.

This episode also introduces Data to whom he adopts as a human role model, Sherlock Holmes, pipe and all.

The magnificent death of Mr. Singh... He gets shocked from the warp station at engineering and flies like a butterfly just close to the warp core and while facing downwards, spotted by Worf and declared dead.

I hope I'm not wrong, but this is the very first time we see on a TNG episode the rule "Appeared too much, lived too much".

I mean when an "appearance with a dialogue" playing actor that we see for the first time and doesn't have a relation with the story of that episode, eventually dies before the end of that episode :)

...and the last scene with the delegate BBQ is probably the funniest cultural conflict i have ever heard of.

An energy life form stows away in the bodies of various crew members until merging with Picard and beaming out into space. Sherlock Data is on the case though so there isn't anything to worry about. Crusher wears an iHat to help with her medical diagnosis and Wesley gets too much screen time yet again. The writers even manage to throw in more Ferengi fear mongering.

We are six episodes in and we've already met three separate chief engineers. No telling what happened to McDoogle or the other guy, but Mr. Sing gets BTFO'd by the stowaway energy. After the stowaway beams Picard out into space, Picard manages to return to corporeal form via the Enterprise computer. The transporter is a truly remarkable piece of plot contrivance I mean technology.

On an unrelated note, some bipedal wolf-cat people are on board with their arch enemies the bipedal snake-man people. The only real take away from this subplot is that the federation is Vegan and that neither Riker nor Picard can be bothered with trivialities like diplomats cooking and eating one another. In their defense, Selay steaks are godd*mn delicious.

This episode is one of several reasons why Season 1 has the reputation that it does. The writers don't know what they want the show to be. The A plot is supposedly drama, and the B plot is supposedly comedy. But the A plot isn't tense, and the B plot isn't funny.

Verdict: Swing and a miss.

Fun Facts:

Chief Obrien is now in a gold uniform and he's lost his rank.

Heading 925 mark 37 instructs the helms men to complete two full circles before plotting his course. The format for heading is (Horizontal rotation) mark (vertical rotation). Its in the technical manual but you can google it.

P is for Picard.