Star Trek: TNG Season 1 - Conspiracy

Link to StarTrek.com episode guide

As we progressed through season 1, we realized that a couple of our least favourite episodes come at the very end. So, it's been a bit difficult motivating ourselves to watch them again. However, martinis and a new laptop lightened my mood enough so that I could sit through them again.

This episode is mostly somber in tone as it deals with a subtle and wide-spread conspiracy within the ranks of Star Fleet. Thankfully, it starts with a bit of humour to help give a little bit of levity to the situation. We do get a glimpse of the background of Picard and Dr. Crusher, which helps give each of those characters a bit of depth.

I've had a really hard time figuring out what it is about this episode that embodies the Star Trek universe that I love so much. I guess it really just shows how even an insidious force like the one unleashed in this episode can't manage to take down Star Fleet. Even though they manage to infiltrate the highest ranks of the organization, they can't outsmart or over manipulate the crew of the Enterprise.

However, on the flip side, I didn't think they treated the subject in the balanced way that they come to in future episodes. The symbiotic aliens are completely flat with almost no other motivations aside from taking over. Then the episode just kind of ends with the only lasting message being that the aliens managed to send out some sort of homing beacon message. Since I've seen the rest of the series, at least I know that the message seems to have gotten lost along the way or the rest of them changed their minds about invading.

Cool Science/Tech:

• There were a few potential areas that they could have thrown in some shiny tech goodness, but nothing really stood out.

Fun Stuff:

• Riker getting his ass kicked by an old man was kind of amusing. When the old guy takes on Worf, we begin to know that something is REALLY amiss here. I mean, Worf is absolutely awesome and this is an old man. It was a good thing Dr. Crusher knows how to fire a phaser!