We work further into Season 3 of Next Gen...
- The producers must have decided to amp up Troi's sex appeal--she's now wearing a light blue gown that's rather revealing.
- In "The Survivors", an elderly couple are the only remaining citizens of a planet that was attacked by mysterious aliens. Marina Sirtis performs some truly Shatnerian overacting during a telepathic attack.
- To hell with the Prime Directive! The Enterprise comes to the aid of scientists studying Bronze-Age humanoids, and end up creating a religion around Picard in "Who Watches the Watchers". Ray Wise is the prophet of the group--he's hardly recognizable here. You normally see him as a mob guy in an expensive suit.
- It's another touchy-feely episode when an officer is killed in an away mission, leaving behind a 12 year old orphan. There's a lot of people sitting around talking and lots of drama in "The Bonding".
- LaForge needs to save the ship from an ancient snare, so he does the obvious thing--he whips up a holographic scientist to be his girlfriend in "Booby Trap". She's one of the main designers of the ship's engine. Susan Gibney plays the girlfriend--this was one of her early TV roles. She later had a role on ST: DS9, tried out for the roles of Janeway and Seven of Nine from ST: Voyager, then went on to CSI, Crossing Jordan, and Lost.
- LeVar Burton gets another chance to shine in "The Enemy". Geordi is left injured on a planet during an away mission, so he works together with a Romulan to save themselves. Also, Picard gives a big military speech--which he's good at.
- Troi falls in love with a man negotiating for a "stable" wormhole in "The Price". It turns out he's part -Betazoid, and uses that to manipulate his competitors--and Troi. Matt McCoy plays the negotiator--he has roles going back to the early 80's, was on Seinfeld, The West Wing, and Carnivale, and was just on the new series Touch.
Season 3 continues next time. Star Trek: The Next Generation is available on Netflix--more to come!