The Royale

Investigating suspicious debris found orbiting a distant planet, the Enterprise is astonished to find what appears to be remnants of an ancient Earth vessel bearing the NASA logo. On the hostile planet below is a mysterious structure that may contain the answers so Riker, Worf and Data beam down and find themselves in the oddest of locations imaginable.

A fun episode that doesn't have too much to offer besides a poorly written mystery that pokes fun at the likes of '2001: A Space Odyssey' and Spiner having fun as Data discovers the joys of gambling. It's a bit too meta for my tastes but the cheesy setting and supporting characters such as Willingham's sleazy Texan hustler are fun and while it's not an essential episode by any stretch, fans of the show will probably enjoy it regardless.

The Enterprise arrives at planet Theta 8 in order to pick up some space debris that the Klingons found. Oddly, it's from an old Nasa craft--so what's it doing in this part of space?! The away team decide to land on the planet but what they find makes no sense at all--it's am Earth casino called 'The Royale'! At first, the trio are amused at what they find but soon it becomes apparent that they cannot leave--and things become a bit tense. What plays out inside the casino, much of the time, plays out like a holodeck program--and that's NOT good, as the holodeck episodes were usually among the worst in the series. Fortunately, the answer to this conundrum isn't that bad and actually does eventually make some sense. A very strange change of pace episode for the show, that's for sure. But, worth seeing.

The Royale is one of the best episodes from season 2.I actually watched it on sky one way back on the 5th of June 2005 and I'm only getting round to writing my review now.

Upon discovering debris from a 21st century NASA spaceship near a strange planet.Entering the planet Data,Riker and Worf come across a hotel style casino from the 1980's.Investigating further they find a book written by a NASA astronaut called Hotel Royale.It then dawns on them they are in a living version of the book.Having seen out the conclusion of the book the officers are able to return to the enterprise.

This episode stands out as it was refreshing to see a realistic version of Earth and the plot involving the characters living out the novel was pretty creative on the part of the writing team.Also the supporting cast have a sizeable part and played it well.

Enterprise investigates a planet where a segment of NASA spacecraft was discovered in the upper atmosphere.

This is a disappointing episode that has a strong concept but is presented in a series of uninteresting scenes and relatively flat storytelling.

The plot is based on a great idea and there would have been a number of ways for it to play out, but it feels like an uninspired holodeck program. There is initially a sense of mystery to what is happening, but once certain facts are revealed it kills the intrigue and what's left is fairly monotonous.

What makes things worse is reading that the original draft of the script included much more humour and surrealism akin to the original series episode 'A Piece Of The Action' prior to it being re-written out of fear of being too similar. Personally I think it could have done with a large dose of the above to bring it to life. However, I appreciate humour is very subjective and others may find what happens entertaining.

The visuals are decent, with a convincing casino set and atmospheric reveal of what's going on when the focus moves to a hotel bedroom.

Performances by all serve the purpose of the story, but nothing is particularly memorable. I did not find anybody to be annoying so I guess that is a plus point.

I am a Star Wars fan trying to become a Trek fan. I am slowly watching TNG one episode at a time. This episode was my favorite to date. Season 2 has really picked up steam as far as story lines go. The acting is getting better too. Season 1 was entertaining, but a little corny. Season 2 has been a real treat. This particular episode is entertaining. Great story line that ties in to today's world. A true science fiction plot with a Twilight Zone twist.