Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Lonely Among Us (1987) User Reviews

One of first season's best!

[robert_s01 · 7/10 · 16 September 2008]

"Lonely among us" definitely is one of the best first season episodes. The storyline, although somewhat confusing, creates a lot of suspense, supported by the creepy synthesizer-driven soundtrack. This is a typically "alien body invasion" scenario but finally turning out to no evil purpose (the death of assistant chief engineer Singh to me was an accident). The two delegate species deliver an entertaining frame (best make-up so far) finally adding a little black humor to the series (the final scene). Patrick Stewart obviously enjoys stepping out a bit of his Picard character and exploring some new terrain as does Data by posing as Sherlock Holmes (another all time classic). The special effects are also convincing and director Cliff Bole did his job well. He is the first one trying to compensate Trois lack in acting ability by improving her looks. She does look beautiful in some scenes and the neck of her dress improves her appearance a lot. Picard's "lightning-scene" on the bridge gives him a slight air of the emperor of Star Wars "Return of the Jedi" (which is a personal impression but made me smile).

There's also some playing with the lighting of the corridors (simulating night aboard) and the first moving camera, pulling back from Picard when he's entering the transporter room to beam into the cloud... Nice work. The clever cutting, creating continuing dialog through different scenes (Troi's hypnosis report) rounds up the impression of a really well crafted TNG episode. The first one, where even Wesley Crusher seemed almost tolerable...

The ending however is a bit confusing, just as if the producers were running out of time. "P for Picard" is a little far fetched and his return far too easy but that can be left aside regarding the many strong moments this episode has to offer...

Anticans and Selay

[gritfrombray-1 · 7/10 · 27 June 2007]

The USS Enterprise is escorting two rival factions called the Anticans and the Selay to a peace conference when an energy life form inhabiting a gas cloud accidentally enters the ship. Worf and Geordi are working in Engineering and interestingly Worf states his reason for being in Engineering is, the Captain wants his junior Officers to learn, learn, learn! The life form enters Worf and travels from host to host ending up in the Captain and he beams himself out into the gas cloud. We get to see Data's interest in Sherlock Holmes for the first time here. They eventually find a way to get him back through a pattern in the energy, Picard, with a puzzled face steps off the transporter, asks what's going on? Troi announces this pattern was formed before the Captain was inhabited! The Enterprise warps off for Pacifica. Trivia fans should know Chief Engineer Singh had the dubious distinction of being the first person to die in this show....

While passing a cloud

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 17 September 2018]

Later on we learn that the Enterprise while passing an energy cloud has taken on a being that exists as pure energy. It goes from being to being in the ship's crew and eventually it's Captain Picard on whom it settles as the host, obviously sensing this is the guy in charge.

As if this wasn't enough problems two delegations of aliens are on board who hate each other are being transported to Federation HQ to apply for membership. They are Commander Riker's responsibility if he can prevent them from killing each other.

The climax of course is separating Patrick Stewart with what is inhabiting his body. It's a close run thing.

This episode also introduces Data to whom he adopts as a human role model, Sherlock Holmes, pipe and all.

Yes, It's a Very Yummy Peace Process

[Rizar · 12 September 2009]

"Lonely Among Us" (Episode 6, Season 1, Air Date 11/02/87, Star-date 41249.3) has an outlandish body invader theme, and toys with an idea of an intelligent energy being. It informs us about a Star Trek value: humans don't eat meat, just inorganic replicas of meat. Riker emphasizes this by saying 'we don't enslave animals for purposes of eating'. But a race on-board, the Anticans, insist on eating real meat and butchering the animals themselves!

The Enterprise crew investigates an energy cloud on their way to a peace conference. They must transport representatives from the Antica and Selay races, who are prospective candidates for the Federation. The two races abhor each other and Picard and his officers learn the tireless difficulties of mediating peace negotiations between two sides that agree on very little (a recurring theme). The tasty ending might indicate that the races are not ready to be part of the Federation.

The ship starts having technical difficulties after encountering an energy cloud and unknowingly taking on an energy being from the cloud. The energy being passes around the crew and ship computer, desperately trying to study navigation and find a way to get back to its cloud. It can somehow coexist inside people and computers.

Here are a few notable things that short plot summaries would tend to miss:

(1) I love it when Star Trek characters are given thoughtful lines. Picard comments on a long history of hostility between civilizations: they often feel hatred over different 'customs, God concepts, and even (strangely enough) economic systems'. It is difficult for people in the Star Trek world to see how people would fight over economic systems and money -- they don't work for money at all now and only work to better themselves.

(2) The energy cloud travels at warp speed, but this doesn't seem to bother anyone or make them overly suspicious of it. This would have been a good spot for witty comments about human arrogance, anthropomorphizing, and disregard for different kinds of lifeforms, which would explain how the characters never seem to consider the energy cloud as the cause of all their problems.

(3) Star Fleet officers must learn about the jobs of others, for we see Worf studying engineering.

(4) Wesley utters the universal truism that we learn best on the job and not in the classroom. He studies a theory on dilithium crystals and warp speed, apparently Dr. Channing has an idea that the crystals would be more useful if matter and anitmatter could be aligned better.

(5) Data learns about Sherlock Holmes and starts using the Holmes inductive/deductive method to solve the mysterious ship malfunctions. But he doesn't get to solve the case or successfully use his reasoning since the plot goes other places. He ends up just mimicking Holmes in superficial ways, with key phrases and a pipe. But Holmes will be back in later episodes!

(6) Deanna uses hypnosis. I have actually heard that only about 1 in 10 people are susceptible to hypnosis.

(7) Deanna comments about the duality in all people as they argue inside themselves, so she fails to notice that the energy being coexists in any of the crew.

(8) Picard becomes an energy being! The energy being enters him and beams it-and-Picard into the cloud to try to create a unified energy being. Somehow this doesn't erase anything important about Picard. Obviously this accepts some sort of belief in an informational component of human identity, so that we exist as 'soul' or 'form' more so than as matter, or perhaps the energy contained enough energy in it to keep Picard's matter information available for re-materialization. Very weird!

I didn't like the idea of the Captain turning into an energy being without complications to his identity. I thought additional explanation was needed, and if this was more like the excellent 'Where No One Has Gone Before' episode such an explanation would have been given (even if I would have thought it crazy!). It also seems strange for the energy being to coexist inside people and pass between them. This seems rather magical and more like a typical 'soul transfer' episode in a bad Season 3 episode of The Original Series of Star Trek or an episode out of 'Smallville'.

I love the ending, though, in which the Anticans might be trying to eat a missing Selay delegate! (The film 'A Boy and His Dog' has a similar idea in it.) Yes, it's a very yummy peace process!

ST TNG: Lonely Among Us; Indubitably

[WhiteFerrari · 6/10 · 25 August 2020]

'Lonely Among Us' had the most entertaining arc yet, that of Data's first appearing interest in Sherlock Holmes. This is a wonderful bit of characterisation aptly built off Data's problem-solving programming. He also has some stellar lines outside of this, such as "I believe I said that."

This episode also simultaneously introduces Picard's interest in 'Private Eye' work, as well as allowing him to chew some scenery with exuberant vocal delivery.

On a final note of positives, I would describe the general tone of both A and B plots as cute and neat. The Selay and Anticans are well designed and enjoyable to watch.

The detriments start most prominently with the obliviousness of the crew, who should be far more perceptible of the changes in their co-workers and friends than they are. It becomes a laundry list of frustrations, with choices that attempt to excuse poor writing. Picard and the entity should not have been able to return to the energy cloud with such minor interference.

Both plots are arguably uneventful, although I sympathise with the reading that the entity is without warning taken from its home by the ship's surface/electronics and simply wants to return home. Unfortunately, the various effects that the entity has on others such as knocking out Worf and later killing Mr. Singh feels random and undermining (in the latter case).

On the other hand, it is difficult to sympathise with the B plot especially since the comedic tone did not resonate with me. It is clearly trying to be lighthearted, especially with it's final reveal but it left little impact on me. Part of the reason is that some of the cultural differences between the species and the Federation (voiced by Yar) convey Roddenberry's preachiness/Federation's grandstanding.

Final note: The special effects sequences and likely green screening are unconvincing, making the acting look goofy.

Wait, so the transporter can create people?

[anarchistica · 6/10 · 17 March 2020]

This is the first TNG episode in which people get possessed, which i remember happened a bunch of times. It's also already the second to show the Enterprise-D engaging in a diplomatic mission, another TNG staple. And just like in the previous episode an alien force takes control of the ship. Yeah, Star Trek can be a bit repetitive at times. But this is a cute self-contained episode with a nice main story and a silly but funny B-plot. It also features both Colm Meaney and Mark Alaimo, who would appear on DS9 together until twelve years (!!) later.

Wow...the quality of the graphics and costumes sure would get better than this.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 10 November 2014]

When I watched "Lonely Among Us" again, I was surprised at how crappy the look was of the show. The graphics for the planet looked poor and the costumes of the snake-like and mouse-like aliens were very poor (stiff and with unmoving mouths). This is NOT to say the show was awful--but through the course of the series, they sure got better!! Think about how the Andorians looked in the final series, "Enterprise"--they were BRILLIANTLY made and seemed like real aliens. So much we have come to expect with costumes is the result of earlier efforts like "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

The Enterprise is escorting two really annoying and aggressive enemies to a conference--no easy feat. However, when they come near a giant cloud in space, a new and far more serious problem develops. Soon, an electric shock attacks Worf and it passes to various crew members--and even kills Mr. Singh*! What's worse is that eventually the electric shot hits the Captain and he begins giving seemingly irrational orders.

This is a pretty decent episode--even with primitive costumes and graphics. I could easily looked past this. However, I could not look past a portent of dumb things to come-having Data acting like Sherlock Holmes. This plot is just awful and would lead to one of the worst episodes of the series--the one where Moriarty takes over the ship. So, we have an interesting plot, a dumb subplot and some odd graphics compared to later ones. A mixed bag, but worth seeing if you are a fan of the series. If not, I say try another episode instead.

*This is VERY sad. This was a great opportunity to FINALLY include an Indian crew member and they kill him off!! The show tried VERY hard to be ultra-politically correct yet they somehow killed the guy. Sad, but at least they'd EVENTUALLY bring on crew members like Dr. Bashir in "Deep Space 9".

"It's elementary, my dear Riker."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 22 August 2023]

While rival, enemy races vie for membership in the Federation, the crew of the Enterprise-D falls victim to a strange energy cloud that infects various of its members one by one. At the same time, areas of the ship malfunction, seemingly affected in a similar manner as the crew. I groaned a little when Lieutenant Commander Data took on the guise of Sherlock Holmes in an attempt to understand the situation. Can you imagine Spock resorting to such silliness during the original series? The danger to the Enterprise reaches its zenith when Captain Picard becomes affected by the weird electrical pulse that previously impaired Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden). Reversing the ship's course to study the energy cloud, Picard finds himself bonding with it and almost succumbing to its hypnotic power, as he beams himself into potential oblivion. Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) makes the save in this episode, having the Captain beamed back aboard, and for his effort, is rewarded with the unenviable task of dealing with the furry Anticans, who are preparing for dinner by way of their reptilian enemies, the Selays.

The Anticans did nothing wrong

[snarky-trek-reviews · 3/10 · 7 February 2021]

An energy life form stows away in the bodies of various crew members until merging with Picard and beaming out into space. Sherlock Data is on the case though so there isn't anything to worry about. Crusher wears an iHat to help with her medical diagnosis and Wesley gets too much screen time yet again. The writers even manage to throw in more Ferengi fear mongering.

We are six episodes in and we've already met three separate chief engineers. No telling what happened to McDoogle or the other guy, but Mr. Sing gets BTFO'd by the stowaway energy. After the stowaway beams Picard out into space, Picard manages to return to corporeal form via the Enterprise computer. The transporter is a truly remarkable piece of plot contrivance I mean technology.

On an unrelated note, some bipedal wolf-cat people are on board with their arch enemies the bipedal snake-man people. The only real take away from this subplot is that the federation is Vegan and that neither Riker nor Picard can be bothered with trivialities like diplomats cooking and eating one another. In their defense, Selay steaks are godd*mn delicious.

This episode is one of several reasons why Season 1 has the reputation that it does. The writers don't know what they want the show to be. The A plot is supposedly drama, and the B plot is supposedly comedy. But the A plot isn't tense, and the B plot isn't funny.

Verdict: Swing and a miss.

Fun Facts:

Chief Obrien is now in a gold uniform and he's lost his rank.

Heading 925 mark 37 instructs the helms men to complete two full circles before plotting his course. The format for heading is (Horizontal rotation) mark (vertical rotation). Its in the technical manual but you can google it.

P is for Picard.

Hey, You, Get Offa My Cloud!

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 26 July 2014]

Picard and the crew are overseeing the negotiations between to embittered rivals. There seems little chance that anything is going to get done. During this time a cloud is entered which alters the resolve of many significant crew members. Each of the principles seems to have a go at a new existence, acting strangely or putting forth dangerous actions and ideas. Somehow this cloud is responsible for this alteration. It is fortunate that there are those on the crew that are able to interpret things properly. Commander Data must act because for all his good intentions, Picard fall victim to the forces of the cloud. This type of dangerous entity is ongoing in many episodes. Also, it is up to someone other than Picard to come forth and deal with the issues. This is seldom done in these efforts. Good episode but somewhat derivative.

A Strange Episode to Say the Least

[Samuel-Shovel · 4/10 · 11 June 2019]

In "Lonely Among Us" the Enterprise is transporting two dueling alien races both applying for entry into the Federation to a neutral site to hear their cases for Federation entry and to come to some sort of leave agreement. En route to their destination, the Enterprise passes by some fast-moving energy cloud. Shortly afterwards, Worf is zapped by an electrical panel in engineering and knocked unconscious. It soon becomes apparent to the viewer and the crew that some kind of energy being is using different crew members and computer intelligence to move about the ship for some unknown purpose.

One of the engineers is killed by this being and soon the energy has transferred its way to the captain. Unsure of how to proceed, the senior officers follow Picard's orders to return to the site of the energy cloud. They have no evidence to relieve him from duty and can't stop him when he beams himself as pure energy back into the cloud to return to his/its home. Data hypothesises that they can get their captain back if they drive through the edge of the cloud again and Energy Picard knows how to transfer himself into the transporter module. Apparently Picard is thinking the same thing because it works and the captain has returned, not remembering anything that has recently occurred. Meanwhile one of the alien races is accusing the other of eating one of their delegates and Picard makes Riker deal with it.

I find this episode interesting (for several reasons) but not very good. This is the first time we see Sherlock Data on the case (which I can't help but always find amusing for some reason). We also get to see a few new alien life types here in the form of the Anticans and Selay who will pop back up as background elements moving forward.

This is also the most we've gotten to see of Worf thus far. He gets a few nice little scenes as the energy being's conduit. His role will expand more as the show goes along but for now, we have to be content seeing him pop up here and there.

Declaring humans as a now vegetarian race is an interesting little tidbit we get here. With all the scientifically engineered food in development today hopefully we're not too far off from the diet explained by the crew here.

It's interesting that the Federation would even consider membership from either of these races. Both seem set on a genocide of the other if they get the proper technology to try it (which Federation membership would invariably lead to). For now they try to capture each other with dogcatcher lassos. I laughed out loud when Riker gets inexplicably caught by one. Regardless, both sides seem like terrible candidates. I see an analog in today's society and countries currently vying to enter the EU who don't have the best track records.

Anyways, like a lot of these early episodes, the plot really falls apart in the last 15 minutes or so. It's like the writers wrote too much at the beginning and try to jam everything in at the last minute. We get no real explanation of the energy being or his relationship to Picard or why they beam out together or how Picard gets back. It's all a bit too convenient for me. Everything gets real messy towards the end and then we just end up with a joke about one delegate eating another and Picard acting like it's no big deal. This would be a major incident, not a slapstick moment! I wonder what Selays taste like though?

Average but some highlights

[russem31 · 8 April 2006]

ST:TNG:08 - "Lonely Among Us" (Stardate: 41249.3) - this is the 8th episode to go into production but the 7th to actually air on TV. This episode marks Colm Meaney's second appearance as Miles O'Brien (he first guest-starred as Conn in the pilot episode Encounter At Farpoint). Also the makeup effects for the two alien species is pretty top-notch (the effects have definitely improved since the Original Series). Otherwise this episode is just average in my opinion, with a storyline that is somewhat confusing until Captain Picard has to explain it to us (via the speech he gives on the bridge) near the end. Oh, for trivia fans, look out for an Original Series runabout shuttle model, can be seen behind Troi as she talks with the other senior personnel!

An alien entity comes aboard and possesses different crew members including the captain, causing havoc

[shahvidhi09 · 3/10 · 12 April 2015]

This seems the weakest episode of TNG so far. The plot is riddled with unnecessary characters and glaring holes:

a) The Enterprise is picking up delegates of two opposing species for a peace parliament. Their presence in the plot does nothing to forward the story, offering a very little comic relief at the end. They are nothing but the fillers.

b) The captain is possessed by the alien entity. The crew recognises it but is shown as helpless due to regulations. The doctor tries to order a medical examination which he refuses. Now Federation regulation clearly states that CMO has the authority to force the captain to take these exams. When the CMO fails to do it, it weakens the character and the whole episode falls.

c) Data's impersonation of Sherlock Holmes is another plot point leading upto nothing.

All in all, the whole episode is made on very flimsy material which doesn't even give the illusion of an episode.

"At least you got rid of that damn pipe!"

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 29 May 2022]

Indubitably...

This is actually a rather interesting episode although from the way we know that the transporter "technology" developed, The solution to this conundrum was probably not viable...

What makes this episode of note is that it is Mr. Data's discovery of Sherlock Holmes, The beginning of his lifelong interest in the character.

Plus he was actually, literally, smoking a pipe...

I thought the Anticans and Selay we're pretty interesting and funny with the Anticans preferred live game targets. Also, we have Miles Edward O'Brien walking the corridor is wearing a gold shirt, he started off wearing a red shirt.

After season one we never saw aliens of this type much, they pretty much stuck to humanoids with weird noses or foreheads, etc. I thought the Anticans rather hilarious, being totally disgusted with replicated meat- "Barbaric" as they called it...

Mr. Data used Holmesian detective techniques to figure out what was happening, and who/what was responsible.

If they had given just a little bit more details about the energy conundrum, it could have been a very interesting episode.

As it stands it is simply amusing, worth watching a few times.

The first substandard A/B plot episode.

[thevacinstaller · 4/10 · 1 March 2021]

Well, we have a bonafide dull as hell A and B plot episode here.

The major take-away from the plot involving the wolf/snake ambassadors is that Starfleet is not strictly vegetarian and only eat fake meat when they want to get in touch with their inner primitive primate heritage. It was pretty hilarious at the end of the episode when one of the delegates is eaten by the wolf people and the next gen crew are chill, "Oh, those wacky wolf people!". One of them did lasso Commander Riker in a case of completely understandable mistaken identity.

The cloud of energy beings are a bit salty about one of it's members being taken on a enterprise joyride and decide to captain nap Picard to experience his physical existence. Sadly, Picard has no memory of what is was like becoming pure energy but thankfully he was able to create a giant P on the computer console. We get a data sherlock holmes joke scene that I find quite interesting considering future episodes in the series.

Assorted Thoughts:

• What was the purpose of the headgear that Bev was wearing in sickbay? There is a giant vinyl symbol on the eye piece that would certainly effect her vision.
• It was laundry day in the crusher household. Wesley is wearing his awesome sweater from last episode and all that Beverly had left to wear was a sweet formal dress typically reserved for medical conferences.

I did find it creatively amusing that they brought on an Indian engineer but then gave him the Indian name that white people know ---- 'Singh' ..... Come on... There are 1 billion Indian people in the world and you give him the same last name as Khan?

There's nothing to get out of this and even Beverly Crushers hair was flat and dull ---- it's getting a 4 out of 10.

S1E6 Discussion

[iarbo · 9 April 2020]

S1E6 Lonely Among Us

Some interesting character development in this episode. I'm looking forward to these more and more every day.

Worf showed himself to be eager to learn when he was shadowing Geordi. Seems like he's ambitious. He's currently a Junior Lieutenant. We shall watch his career with great interest.

We discovered that the Enterprise crew does not eat meat! I suppose that makes sense. Where would they keep the animals? Also on the topic of food, it was interesting to hear discussion about accommodating dietary requirements for the aliens that are visiting your ship.

When the ship 'malfunctioned', Data says it's a near impossible chance of this happening (from normal wear and tear). Good to know how good Star Fleet engineering is. Systems just do not fail on their own.

As I side note I really liked the design of the Anticans. Haven't seen them before.

The discussion about private eyes and detective work was fun. Each episode of Star Trek is a mystery! That's part of why we all tune in. Also Detective Data is my favorite Data so far.

I can't believe they killed off Singh in Engineering! Farewell, our plot necessary casualty. We knew you but for a minute.

When Picard was controlled by the alien force, he said: "The search for knowledge is always our primary mission". Based on last episode where he decided to get home rather than explore, that was definitely a clue that he wasn't himself.

I was close to switching this one off

[snoozejonc · 2/10 · 16 May 2021]

Enterprise encounters a cloud of energy that has an unusual affect on some crew members.

This for me was a poor example of a Star Trek 'possession' story, that has a decent concept but is fairly tedious in its story telling.

First for the positives. I like how it's starts with a decent early exchange between Picard and Riker about Earth societies divided over God concepts and economic systems. The main sci-fi concept regarding the non-corporeal being is a good one. I also liked Picard being commanding and pushing his staff hard for answers. Also Data doing his Sherlock Holmes impression, although silly, is pretty funny.

What I struggled with was how slow and predictably the main plot unfolds. This is contrived storytelling at its most painful, to stretch out an episode and at the same time it makes characters look silly for failing to see what's going on.

As for the sub-plot, it again feels like padding and the terrible make-up and costumes seem worse when it is for the sake of something so uninspired.

The visuals are fairly good outside of the costumes, but the tendency to film everyone from low angles on the bridge continues to distract me.

Patrick Stewart gives a strong performance as always and Brent Spiner is great.

Average Episode

[jdcoates · 5/10 · 30 January 2020]

SJW moment - Riker explains to aliens guests who want to eat live animals that humans "No longer enslaved animals for food purposes."

all started with Mr. Singh

[ozgur-demirhan · 9 November 2009]

The magnificent death of Mr. Singh... He gets shocked from the warp station at engineering and flies like a butterfly just close to the warp core and while facing downwards, spotted by Worf and declared dead.

I hope I'm not wrong, but this is the very first time we see on a TNG episode the rule "Appeared too much, lived too much".

I mean when an "appearance with a dialogue" playing actor that we see for the first time and doesn't have a relation with the story of that episode, eventually dies before the end of that episode :)

...and the last scene with the delegate BBQ is probably the funniest cultural conflict i have ever heard of.

A Senior Trekker writes................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 19 December 2021]

Writing in 2021, it is great to see that I am not the only person taking a retrospective look at Star Trek, the Next Generation. When this series was first released in 1987, a little less than twenty years after the end of the Original Series, many people thought that, without Captain Kirk and his crew, it couldn't really be Star Trek. However, original creator Gene Roddenberry, was fully invested in the casting, writing and overall look of the new series, so let's see how it shaped up:

In this episode we see the classic "two stories in parallel" motif with (a) an alien cloud-like entity hitching a ride and getting stuck in the Enterprise computers and (b) some comical aliens intent on eating one another rather than engaging in more conventional diplomacy. The presence of Dorothy Fontana on the writing team ensured that it kept up the pace and made sense, and the prosthetic team and guest actors excelled themselves.

Senior Trekker liked the character of Assistant Chief Engineer Singh, played so sympathetically by Kavi Raz and would much prefer to have seen him stick around than be so casually killed off. Otherwise, this was a sound establishing episode much appreciated by fans and toy-makers alike.

(Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5)

What is this episode saying?

[amusinghandle · 4/10 · 24 December 2023]

If you can believe it ---- Marc Alaimo played an unnamed Antican delegate in this episode. That's so crazy --- he was clearly born to play an unnamed reptilian extra in a mediocre TNG episode.

I like it when plots have an actual resolution and purpose and the entire sub plot of the division between the snake people and the wolf people's purpose is to fill in time so that the plot about the energy being taking over the Enterprise can be told.

This episode is about an alien entity made up of energy accidentally (?) being sucked into the enterprise computer system and then taking control of various crew members. Ultimately, the alien joins with Picard and decides to take Jean Luc with them back to the energy cloud. Why? Well, guess we will just leave that to our own imagination because there is no reason provided ---- I was going to go with cultural exchange but unfortunately Jean Luc does not remember any of his experience.

A new positive for the episode is Riker's commentary on human beings previously treating Animals like slaves. I am not feeling great about contributing to our collective animal slavery trade right now.

It's nice to see some Indian representation. By the 24th century 90 percent of our population will be Chinese or Indian, so realistically Enterprise should be captained by Captain Sharma and Commander Zhao.

This episode is bad and not bad in a way that I can laugh at it/with it and enjoying it ironically.

When the ship's computer is sus 😳😳

[josethehedgehogv · 26 May 2021]

Couldn't resist, the episode is ok, they even killed the chief engineer of the starship USS Enterprise in engineering please forgive me.