Evolution

Won't try and re-state the well done reviews here.....

But I was always wondering after this episode, Could we see down the line a time where the struggle with the Borg is not going well, and then in the depth of despair, surprise step in the Nanites (maybe as Federation members or just back from outside) as a force that really have the ability to throw a wrench into the workings of the Borg.....

Yes, this being written 2023, so kind of comp to Avengers Endgame, "Cap, On your left!" or "Avengers assemble!!"

But the way Star Trek always has chances to bring things back in interesting ways, I just thought it worth mentioning...... And give Wesley some storyline, "The Creator", etc.

A brilliant researcher's life work all rests on the next few days on the Enterprise. Dr. Stubbs' viability of his theories about the lives of suns will be put to the test when a binary star explodes. However, the ship soon begins to experience all sorts of random problems and it's as if the ship has gremlins. But, it turns out everything is Wesley's fault (THANKS, WES!!), as his school project on nano-bots is the reason for the problems. It seems that he accidentally let two loose and they are replicating like crazy and eating up the circuitry of the ship! Can the Enterprise purge itself of these micro-menaces? And, will poor Dr. Stubbs' life work be in vain?

The problem with this episode (like many of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" shows) is completely stuck on the ship and is very static. Without a trip to a planet or any action, the program comes off as very dull. Not a terrible episode but clearly a sub-par one.

Many of us are drawn to Star Trek because it depicts a universe where the individual is respected for what he or she is and can contribute, very different from our world where differences from the cultural norms and the pressure for those with such differences to "fit in" can make life very difficult.

In this episode, however, Dr. Crusher is worried that Wesley isn't acting like a normal 17-year-old. Of course, like many of us Trekkers, he's a geek without a personal life. According to the usual Star Trek philosophy that should be OK, but here it's seen as a problem. This episode's message to geeky 17-year-olds who would rather do science experiments than get into trouble is exactly the same as William Shatner's on Saturday Night Live.

Granted, this isn't the only time in Star Trek where this offensive theme is found. It is also found in the Voyager episode "Good Shepherd".

Plot A involving evolving nanites (hence the title) and an obnoxious scientist isn't much better.

Over the years there have been many guest appearances on Star Trek, some better than others, but few quite as irritating as Doctor Stubbs, a self proclaimed 'wunderkind' hellbent on completing a Federation approved science experiment. In an episode where an ever evolving micro organism invades the Enterprises' computer, debilitating it in the process, Stubbs serves as little more than an extra annoyance in everybody's ear, including the audience, as the crew scrambles to find an answer. The episodes conclusion isn't particularly clever or interesting, just another data ex machina moment. The only redeeming qualities about the episode is that the visual effects have taken a notable leap from previous seasons, and it is only guilty of being incredibly mediocre, unlike the offensively bad openings of previous seasons.

The Enterprise has escorted the arrogant, single-minded scientist Paul Stubbs to a binary star system, to conduct an experiment on a massive solar explosion not due again for over a century. However, a number of unexplained technical glitches on the Enterprise threatens the viability of the experiment - much to Stubb's annoyance.

Season three begins with a fairly average episode but one that clearly has enjoyed the benefits of an increased budget. Visual and special effects are much improved over the first two seasons and we finally have the typical TNG crew with the welcome (and understated) return of Dr Crusher. Jenkins is perfectly cast as the grumpy scientist, even if he feels like a prototype Dr Kelso from 'Scrubs'. But the story is a bit of a let down and once again, has too much emphasis on Wesley.