We're getting near the end of Season 2 of TNG.
- When I was watching "The Icarus Factor", I kept thinking a soap opera writer was involved--people talking at each other. It seemed more like a Love Boat episode.
- It's one step forward for Wesley (who commands a research mission) and two steps back for Data (who breaks the Prime Directive multiple times) in "Pen Pals",
- "Q Who" introduces the main villain of the 24th century--The Borg. Q brings them to a distant sector to teach Picard a lesson, and he definitely gets one. The Borg changes the whole chemistry of the show over time--less philosophy, more action.
- In "Samaritan Snare", Riker ignores warnings from Worf (understandable) and Troi (why?), leaving LaForge in danger on an enemy ship. Meanwhile, it's a long car (shuttlecraft) ride for Picard and Wesley.
- The Enterprise must evacuate the cast of Brigadoon--sorry, a group of colonists--in "Up the Long Ladder". There's a second story about cloning, which is quite jarring against the Darby O'Gill story.
- Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett) is on the prowl, so Picard hides out in the Holodeck in "Manhunt". This is a particularly wacky episode. Of course, Majel Barrett needs no introduction to Trek fans--Number One, Nurse Chapel, and the voice of the ship's computer throughout all the series. Speaking of the latter, we get one scene with Lwaxana talking to herself (the ship's computer). We also get a cameo from Mick Fleetwood as a fish-like alien--a closet Trekkie, I guess.
- K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson) makes her first appearance in "The Emissary".. Plakson has the distinction of playing four different aliens in the Trek universe--a Vulcan doctor and this role of a Klingon on TNG, a female Q on ST: Voyager, and an Andorian on ST: Enterprise.
That's plenty for now--we'll finish out Season 2 and move onto Season 3 next time. Star Trek: The Next Generation is available on Netflix--more to come!