Though I am a huge fan of the Star Trek: TNG series, Season Seven has many episodes in it which I disliked. Perhaps it was the feeling that everything had been done before. By the end of the sixth season, it was clear that the characters had become stuck in their roles, and there would be no further changes to them. In order to spice things up a bit, the writers decided to add in previously unknown family members - Worf's half brother, Data's mother, and Picard's "son" are all examples of this. But the whole family issue had been dealt with back in season four, and it seemed like that TNG was just recycling old material.

The beginning of the season had the ending to the cliffhanger "Descent", in which Lore had teamed up with the Borg in an attempt to conquer the human race. Unfortunately, this entire two-parter was more like a soap-opera than anything else, the basic plot was that an evil twin brother returns from the dead (we hadn't seen him since season four) and takes over the Borg by becoming their leader, while basically manipulating Data by "mind control". Not only that, but this is the last time we see the Borg in the regular series, and it greatly takes away from their impact as villians.

This is not to say that all episodes in this season fall into that trap. There are well written episodes that avoid stagnation, such as "Attached" and "Force of Nature". Lwaxana Troi has a dark, disturbing experience in "Dark Page" as opposed to the usual eccentric attitude we are accustomed to. Picard and Riker get to play the role of mercenaries in "Gambit" while Data controls the ship. "The Pegasus" gave us a chance to see why Starfleet never developed cloak, and also provided insight to Riker's past, something we know little about. Finally, "Lower Decks" gives us the chance to view the Enterprise and its crew from the eyes of ensigns looking for promotions.

Still, there are other soap opera episodes, such as when Beverly confronts the "ghost" that has been controlling her family for generations ("Sub Rosa"). There are other repeat episodes, as well. "Thine Own Self", while not being a bad episode, has been done before - a member of the Enterprise accidently is exposed to a pre-warp culture.

Of course, the final episode, "All Good Things..." nearly makes up for all of this, ending the series with a bang. After all, any episode with Q and time travel just has to be interesting, right? Though season seven had its share of good episodes, it had its share of bad ones, too. Thankfully, "All Good Things..." acted as it's saving grace and the series was able to step down gracefully instead of just fall flat.

When "Nemesis" came out, I went to see it on the opening day, expecting nothing less than greatness. After all, the last film had left me somewhat unimpressed, and it seemed as though "Insurrection" was a movie that, honestly, could have just been a two part regular episode. The franchise realized this too, and they decided that Nemesis was going to have to be much more of an action movie - a movie with a villain we can all hate.

Well, Shinzon plays that role quite well, although the fact that he is the clone of Picard is a bit ludicrious. Plot holes aside, Shinzon fills in the gap that had been missing from Insurrection. He brings a certain aura of darkness into the film, from his looks to his voice and actions. His people, the Remans, also look magnificently dark. His intent is to destroy Earth to cripple the Federation, and the Enterprise (specifically, Picard), has to stop him before he gets there.

Patrick Stewart must have been bored with all of the speeches that he usually gives, because there are a couple of moments in the film when Picard is out of character (riding around in a dune buggy, anyone?) Even so, his acting talents are still up to par and he adds the life needed to keep this movie interesting. While there are scenes in which he will stop to take a philisophical standpoint, most of the movie is him making gutsy decisions that seem a bit out of place.

Aside from the great Picard/Shinzon rivalry, however, the only other character with real time in the movie is Brent Spiner, aka Data. This movie seems to have forgotten that he does now have an emotion chip, but that's forgivable, as the ending seems more touching when he is shown as making an ethical, noble decision in his quest to become more human.

But here the problems start to set in. Every other character from cast and crew is probably around for only 10 minutes, max. Fans of Micheal Dorn or Jonathan Frakes, or Marina Sirtis or Gates McFadden, will be sorely disappointed that their favorite characters did not get more screen time. After all, if this is "a generation's final journey", you would expect to see more of the generation included. This wasn't a large problem for me as I am a fan of Stewart, and there is plenty of him in the movie. But for those looking for Worf to get into a hand to hand fight, be warned. Even Riker's fight scene is short, confusing, and ultimately forgetable as the audience becomes more interested in the fight between Shinzon and Picard than anything else.

In a way, this movie does draw some aspects of the Next Generation to a close - Riker and Troi are finally going to tie the knot (although we never see it) and Riker is becoming captain of his own vessel. Data leaves, but in his place is the B4, so there's still something that could be developed there. The long standing rivalry between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire may finally be coming to an end, although it really does seem to be wishful thinking.

So, in the end, what does this movie really accomplish? Aside from a view little wrap-ups, nothing really seems to be resolved, and I, for one, believe there will be at least one more movie in the franchise (after all, the promo said "A generations final journey begins", not ends). If it were truly the final movie, I'd say it was a slight disappointment. If, however, it's not, then I'd say it delievers plenty of action for the audience and opens up new directions for the crew.

P.S: Should another movie be made, I suggest using Q as the villain. John De Lancie always was the best mysterious supreme being.

Many movies that promise to "keep you guessing on the very end" or "keep you on the edge of your seat" fail to deliver what they advertise. "Memento" keeps these promises.

The story is told through Leonard, a man who is looking for the killer of his wife. Not a very original story - until his condition is revealed, a condition which has robbed him of his short term memory. The man who killed his wife also stole Leonard's memory as well, and his mission is to find the man who did it. As you may well imagine, this task proves to be exceedingly difficult. But as difficult as the task is for him, the task is even more difficult for the viewer, because the sequences are played in reverse - from the ending to the beginning.

This "backtracking" is neither annoying or incredibly complicated; rather, it adds to the suspense because nothing is really as it seems. Guy Pierce does an amazing job of playing the helpless Leonard, while Carrie-Anne Moss (you may know her as Trinity from "The Matrix") plays her role well as Leonard's twisted informant and lover. Not only that, but there is a powerful message in this movie as to what motivates a man to continue living after he has lost everything.

However, the one thing that made "Memento" stand out the most was, without a doubt, its unique form of storytelling. Most movies give you a question at the beginning and an answer at the end. Memento gives you an answer at the beginning and leaves you asking questions.

By the sixth season of Star Trek: TNG, the characters had gone through many changes- and the writers, through many ideas. I thought that season six would contain the decline of the quality of the episodes, and that new, unique ideas would be thrown to the wayside as writers focused their efforts on Deep Space Nine. Instead, Star Trek: TNG managed to continue being one of the best shows on television, largely due to the excellent performances of Patrick Stewart.

"Chain of Command, Parts 1 and 2" contain what I consider to be some of the best acting from Stewart ever. Picard is tortured for days by the Cardassians, and Stewart plays the role of the victim perfectly. Not only did Part 2 contain some of his finest performances, but it actually managed to convey a message as well. It focuses mainly upon the roles of the characters. The Cardassian who tortures Picard and tries to break his will is left himself a broken man at the end of the episode, while Picard attains true victory by never giving in. An entertaining, powerful episode.

However, this was only one of the many amazing episodes that season six showcased. "Relics", which featured the return of Scotty from the original Trek, was great. "Schisms" put an eerie but interesting spin on the whole "alien invaders from another dimension" idea. "Tapestry" was another episode that made use of Stewart's amazing ability as an actor. John de Lancie guest starred as "Q" in that episode, and forced Picard to relive events in his life. "Face of the Enemy" finally gave the Romulans some action again after being shadowed by the Borg and the Cardassians. "Starship Mine" was probably the most "action-packed" episode of the season, and "Timescape" was another interesting episode involving being stuck in a moment in time. Finally, "Descent, Part 1" lacked the bang of most season finales, but wasn't all bad - after all, it did involve the Borg.

Overall, season six had episodes that really shined, despite suspicions that it might not.

Season 5 was a mixed season, with a few episodes shining as gems and others easily forgotten. The opening episodes, which include "Redemption Part II, Darmok, and Ensign Ro" are examples of truly magnificant episodes which define Trek. Darmok, which inolves communication with an alien race, stands out as one of the best episodes of the season.

Two big episodes were "I, Borg" and "The Inner Light". "I, Borg" has been critized because it injects humanity into Trek's coldest villains. The message in this episode is what stands out, however, as both Guinan and Picard have to deal with their feelings towards the Borg, and it conveys a powerful message about prejeduce. "The Inner Light" is an incredible episode in which Picard wakes up in another life and experiences things that he could never have aboard the Enterprise, including a family.

However, there are episodes which take away from this season. Two episodes, "The Cost of Living" and "Imaginary Friend" are examples of such. Nothing gets accomplished and the only feeling received after viewing these episodes is something akin to relief that you can move on to a better one. Finally, Season 5 is the only season which does not feature an episode with Q, everyone's favorite God. Still, anyone who enjoys Trek will be able to see past minor flaws and take comfort in watching some brilliant episodes.