Yesterday's Enterprise

Star Trek is no stranger to time travel stories (and I have to confess to a certain weariness towards the gimmick, at this point), but with 'Yesterday's Enterprise', they really hit on something special. The technical side of it involves a temporal rift, a Galaxy-class starship from the past, and an alternate universe (not to mention a more battle-oriented Enterprise-D, for which the color blue is very flattering); but it's the human drama that lends this episode its real emotional weight. Should Picard send the travelers back to their own time (and certain death) or keep them alive and hope the war with the Klingons will finally go their way? Mixed up in all of this is Tasha Yar - and I have to say, her presence isn't just a plot device, but an organic way for the writers to make up for her senseless exit in the first season. It just works, and it's really something to see it pulled off so well.

This is classic TNG all the way; big ethical issues, well-drawn characters and powerful storytelling; even Shooter McGavin gets to play a pretty solid character. And for me, one of the series' greatest moments is Picard's utterance of this line:

"Let's make sure history never forgets... the name... Enterprise."

10/10

Enterprise encounters a time rift from which another starship emerges.

This is a classic episode that packs a lot of entertainment into a clever 45 minutes.

Like most time travel stories it has questionable plot elements but it is a highly enjoyable concept that hits you with something cool in the opening act and carries you through to the end.

Time travel adventures have been done to death over the years but when this was written it was a relatively fresh concept for television, albeit with a few recycled themes from the original Star Trek series. For me the concept of the past ship affecting the timeline is a great central plot and a past character returning within the altered timeline is a quite brilliant way of redoing something that was done exceptionally badly in a previous episode.

It's this guest character arc and a number of other moments for other characters that provide the best parts of the episode. Picard is put in a dilemma where he must make a difficult decision and has a number of excellent scenes in command. Guinan's role, although a bit contrived to make the plot function, does give her an air of wisdom and makes her an important member of the Enterprise crew. Geordie is in the thick of the action during the most intense scenes. Data has one quite subtlety good scene in the turbo-lift which I found quite memorable.

Visually it is one of the best Star Trek episodes with some excellent cinematography, editing, production design and sound effects. The look of the Enterprise is superb and this is further distinguished by the lighting. There is a very suspenseful action sequence towards the end which is one of the highlights of the franchise.

All performances are strong with Patrick Stewart excellent as ever. Others who stand out are Caryn Johnson (as Guinan), Denise Crosby, Tricia O'Neil, Christopher McDonald and LeVar Burton.

For me it's a 9.5/10 but I round upwards.

Good story holds together well. The story is good. The acting's great. The characters are excellent and this episode and have a lot of clever dialogue. Worf discovering a new drink is an excellent scene. The environmental changes to adapt to the timeline are excellent and appropriately disturbing.

This is what Star Trek is meant to be. The interaction between Stewart and Goldberg is dynamic. It feels like a culmination on their relationship. It's also a pleasant welcome back for LT Yar. It presents a well-told story of mystery, friendship, loyalty and duty.

I never saw the first few seasons of TNG as I would have been 3yo in 1987, TNG was my first introduction to Star Trek. I remember watching sporadically latet season episodes. Now it is on Netflix I have been watching these early episodes for the first time. I didn't particularly like Tasha Yar, I never knew she existed till recently and am only a casual fan. Her death in series 1 didn't bother me. Just watched 'Yesterdays Enterprise'. Jesus it hit me right in the feels. Not ashamed to say I was on the verge of tears when Yar requested a transfer from Picard and for the rest of the episode. This episode was fantastic story telling. Highly recommended for any viewer not just Trekkies.