Descent, Part II

Predictable and unimaginative. The writers drew water from this well one too many times.

There are two issues at work here. The future of the Borg (disconnected) and the futures of Data and Lore. Data has been neutralized and a chip producing negative emotions installed. He has hooked up with Dr. Soon's miscreant throwaway child, Lore, who has become a threat to the Universe by engaging independent Borg (the product of Hugh's leaving the hive). This is mostly about Data and his ability to function (not unlike the Borg with his analytical side butting up against the good side). The problem for Lore is that he is unprincipled and evil and has no redeeming qualities. He destroys everything in his path for power, and because he is so transparent, he alienates those he must enlist in his schemes. Data begins to see the illogic of these actions, and while he longs to experience emotions again and to advance his humanity, there are things within him that block the pathways. Simply stated, he is only partially sure of things and that becomes a dilemma for him. This is a neat episode, even if one is concerned only with the fate of the crew members and Captain PIcard.

TNG's last season opened with Data defecting to the Borg expatriates who are headed by his evil twin Lore. They've taken Picard, Troi, and LaForge prisoners.

Brent Spiner playing Lore looked like he was enjoying himself going a bit overboard in one of those mad scientist type roles as he fiendishly experiments with LeVar Burton.

Dr. Crusher is left running the Enterprise as she eludes the Borg and has some effective scenes. And Patrick Stewart finds he's made a good friend in a previous story.

This is the second part of a two-part series--ending season six and beginning season seven.

In the first part, the Borg attack the Enterprise. But it's not THE Borg but an odd offshoot. Oddly, at the end of this episode, they learn that Lore, Data's evil twin, is behind it all--and he takes several of the crew prisoner.

This second part has two main plots. With lots of the crew on the planet looking for Lore and the Borg, Dr. Crusher is in command and must contend with the Borg and rescuing the crew--no small feat. The main plot involves Data, who is under some sort of mind control by Lore. Can Geordi and the other prisoners manage to break through Data's new programming to get him to refuse to do Lore's evil bidding?

All in all, this is a very exciting finale--and I almost always love these two-parters because there's so much action and mayhem! Well worth seeing--especially since Lore is so wonderfully bad!

Enterprise ground crew searches for Captain Picard, Geordie and Counsellor Troi.

This episode is not as bad as it's made out, but it is an underwhelming finish to the first episode set up.

The show runners admit it didn't turn out as they wanted due to the multitude of themes they included. None of the scenes are particularly bad for me, there just isn't anything particularly interesting happening.

It flits between three plot threads and gives the most promising aspects of the story little screen time. Hugh appears and they do very little with the character.

The scenes with Data are not very inspired. It is a technobabble concept with a technobabble solution and the logic of how he turns evil and back to normal is dubious. However, it ends well with the strong exchanges he has with both Lore and Geordie. I like the idea the writers had relating to cults, leadership and the exploitation of the emotionally vulnerable, but I'm not sure the concept of Lore controlling Data's network lends itself to those themes.

The scenes with Dr Crusher are contrived but well done nonetheless. Gates McFadden acts the part of a temporary commander well.

Brent Spiner makes the best of the material he has, likewise Patrick Stewart and the others.