The Best of Both Worlds

The starship Enterprise engages the Borg.

This is an exciting episode with strong character moments.

Part 1 of 'The Best Of Both Worlds' has one of the best character driven plots and probably the most memorable ending of TNG.

The majority of the focus is on a wonderfully tense dynamic between Riker and the ambitious Commander Shelby. These scenes help develop an excellent arc for Riker that builds towards a huge decision in the episode's final scene.

At the same time there is a lot of Borg exposition that sets the scene well and establishes them as plausible threat.

It is also a memorable episode for Captain Picard as it kicks off one of his most famous arcs that follows him through the series, plus a movie and the recent Star Trek: Picard show.

The visuals at the time were fantastic and still hold up to today's standard. The Borg effects, makeup and costumes are some of the most memorable of the franchise. The opening opening matte backdrop and reveal are also very good. All this is enhanced by a very dramatic and effective soundtrack.

All performances are excellent with all characters having moments to contribute. Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Elizabeth Dennehy standout.

This is often mentioned as the greatest TNG episode. It certainly is one of the strongest and on first viewing it works fantastically well, particularly when it was first broadcast. However, I find that it's key moments do not have the same clout on a repeat viewing.

The away team beams down--only to discover that the city they went to see is gone! And, by gone, I mean that there is a giant crater where the place USED to be...! The Federation thinks this is the work of the Borg--as who else could do this?!

Soon, the ship is visited by a high muckity muck from the Federation as well as a young hot-shot, Commander Shelby--who is being assigned as #3 on the Enterprise. Well, she'll be needed, as when the Borg attack, they take Picard and now Riker is in charge. Can they reclaim the Captain and how will Shelby deal with the Borg when she and an away team beam aboard their vessel? Unfortunately, it looks like getting Picard back isn't gonna happen, as when they see him, he's all covered in mechanical crap, as he's been altered and is now one of the Borg.

This is the first part (and a season cliffhanger) of a wonderful and incredibly exciting two-part series on the Borg. This is a sure sign that the series has FINALLY hit its stride and its a sign of better and better shows starting with season four. A must-see.

The Borg are such a juggernaut. When one fights an enemy in war, one generally has an adversary that may be irrational, but that plays by some kind of rules. The Borg is a bee colony and it's a self sustaining entity. The entire colony has one purpose: to absorb everything in its path and make itself stronger. Intellect is of no use unless it helps the collective learn something. All sentient life is meaningless. They are the dead look in the shark's eye. As we will see later, they do speak and threaten. "Resistance is useless" is the response to all. In this episode we realize that the Federation has been anticipation this threat for a long time and decides to send its full arsenal at the Borg. The results of that and the future of Picard are the issues in the first half of this episode. At this point, the show kicked into a different gear, putting great stresses on all involved and confronting an entity that would haunt, not just the people in this series, but the Voyager crew as well.

Now that is how you do a To Be Continued! Wow! This is an amazing cliff hanger, even though I have already seen it, it still hits hard. This episode is kind of a slow build, most of the first half is about setting the stage, but things really get exciting in the second half, and by the climax I was on the edge of my seat. All of the characters are great in this, but, I think I'd say Riker is the MVP. When the pressure is on he shows that he would make a great Captain in his own right. They don't make tv shows like this any more. The Borg are terrifying villains. I love it.

The shock to the images of kidnapped Picard and his birth as Locutus were a shock at that time. The episode remains, in my case, exemplary portrait of dictatorship. And a great exercise of build of tension. After decades, I feel the cold metal and the blank terror and the asimmilation of a great character in an universe in which the individuality is lost. So, a special episode.