Customer Reviews

Star Trek The Next Generation: Season 6

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The sixth season of this marvelous series in my opinion is the best overall, well rounded season of the entire seven year run. It is loaded with exceptional, thought provoking and heart warming episodes that resound of exceptional script writing and superb performances by the primary and guest actors. From the season opener to the closer, few episodes fall out of the "superb" category! This season is another marvelous example of Gene Roddenberry's vision.

A brief synopsis of the "stand out" episodes of this particularly great season:

Relics - This superb episode is one of the most treasured episodes of the season as Scotty makes an appearance in the twenty fourth century and is befriended by the crew of the current Enterprise.

True Q - This is another great Q episode where John de Lancie makes his first of two sixth season appearances as Q. Amanda Rogers, a young honor student is aboard the Enterprise and she is beginning to display some "Q" powers.

Rascals - This is another one of the exceptional episodes of the season where a transporter accident turns Picard, Guinan, Ro Laren and Keiko O'Brien into children. Not longer after this "accident," Ferengi end up in control of the ship. Picard and the other "rascals" must find a way to regain control of the Enterprise.

A Fistful of Datas - Star Trek meets the old west in a hilarious and quite memorable episode. Alexander convinces his father to join him on the holodeck in an "ancient" western. Unfortunately the holodeck safeties become defective when Data performs an experiment that goes awry and he becomes integrated with the holodeck, putting Worf, Troi and Alexander in danger.

Chain of Command, Parts I & II - In this exceptional two part episode Starfleet Command has a new mission for Picard and part of that plan is replacing him with the irascible Captain Edward Jellico in command of the Enterprise. While Jellico is dealing with the Cardassians, Picard's team sets off on their mission but is captured. We meet Gul Madred who is played superbly by David Warner. In some of the most heart wrenching scenes of Trek ever, we're forced to watch as Gul Madred tortures Picard.

Ship in a Bottle - In this particularly great episode, the producers bring closure to the second season episode that introduced Professor James Moriarty and his being put in computer memory.

Face of the Enemy - This episode is probably one of the best Troi episodes of the entire seven year run. She awakens and looks in the mirror only to find she looks like a Romulan. Troi finds that she must act out the role of a Tal Shiar agent and help the Romulan "unificationists" in order to hopefully get away from the Romulans.

Tapestry - In a rare second "Q" episode in one season, Q returns when Picard is injured and his artificial heart is damage beyond repair. Q begins to explore the "tapestry" of Picard's life. Q takes Picard all the way back to when a Nausicaan ran him through with a sword, causing him to get the artificial heart. Tapestry in my opinion is probably the best Q/Picard episode of the series.

Birthright Parts I & II We are treated to an excellent episode as the Enterprise is docked at Deep Space Nine and Worf is approached by a Yridian named Shrek who wishes to sell him some information about his father. Worf agrees to purchase the information as long as Shrek takes him to where his father is supposed to be alive. What followed was one of the best "Klingon" episodes ever done in Star Trek.

Lessons - For the first time in his career, Picard meets a fellow officer under his command who he becomes attracted to. This is a beautifully well written episode as we see Picard falling in love with Commander Darren and then go through gut wrenching anguish as he fears his orders may have caused her death.

The Chase - In another excellent episode, we meet Professor Galen who was one of Picard's professors at the Academy. He offers Picard the opportunity of a lifetime for an archaeologist by joining him for an extended period of time. Unfortunately he must refuse as he cannot leave the Enterprise. Not long after Professor Galen departs, he is killed and Picard embarks on a mission of the utmost importance to find what Galen was looking for. They make an astonishing discovery in the end that falls on end. Of particular note is the "humanoid" at the end of the show played by Salome Jens whose later performances on DS9 as the leader of the Changelings are spectacular.

Rightful Heir - In another one of the most outstanding "Klingon" episodes, Worf seems to have lost his faith and requests leave to go to Boreth and seek Kahless, his people's mythic spiritual leader. One can only imagine his surprise as while he's seeking Kahless, Kahless appears before him in flesh and blood.

Timescape - This is one of the more intriguing episodes as it begins with Picard, Troi, Data and LaForge returning from a conference in a runabout. While on approach to the Enterprise's position, they begin to experience some temporal pockets. They then discover the Enterprise and a Romulan Warbird frozen in the middle of what "appears" to be a battle. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

Mission Overview: Year Six
Special Crew Profile: Lt. Commander Data
Bold New Directions
Departmental Briefing: Year Six - Production & Dan Curry Profile
Bonus Trailers: Star Trek Nemesis & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on DVD

Episode list:

Time's Arrow, Part II
Realm of Fear
Man of the People
Relics
Schisms
True Q
Rascals
A Fistful of Datas
The Quality of Life
Chain of Command, Part I
Chain of Command, Part II
Ship in a Bottle
Aquiel
Face of the Enemy
Tapestry
Birthright, Part I
Birthright, Part II
Starship Mine
Lessons
The Chase
Frame of Mind
Suspicions
Rightful Heir
Second Chances
Timescape
Descent, Part I

The sixth season showed TNG was winding down. The episodes, by and large, are not as powerful nor as deep as Seasons 3,4,5 and but there remain some diamonds in the rough. Chain of Command, for example, features Picard being captured by Cardassians and Riker going head-to-head with his replacement aboard the Enterprise, on the backdrop of an emerging Cardassia/Federation war. Birthright is another strong Worf episode, where he discovers a Romulan camp for Klingons on a remote planet where his father might be, but the camp isn't what it appears to be. True-Q, Tapestry, A Fistful of Datas and Rascals are also great episodes. Season 6 even features an appearance by Scotty from TOS in Relics.

Of course, there are also some stinkers in S6, like the heavy-handed preachiness of 'The Chase' or a lame Geordi love story in 'Acquiel'. Still, it is miles better than Seasons 1 and 2 and for this reason I whole-heartedly recommend it.

In the sixth season, Star Trek: The Next Generation decided to go off in some new directions and new ideas. The season opens with the conclusion of the cliffhanger Time's Arrow. The second adventure is better than the first...a great way to finish the story. We revert again back to the Original series a bit with "Relics" which contains James Doohan guest starring as "Scotty". Humor came through in "A Fistful of Datas" and we saw Patrick Stewart give arguably his best performance of the series in "Chain of Command". The sixth season contains my personal favorite sequence of the series which is Data's dream sequence in "Birthright, Part I". I think the sixth season was when Star Trek: The Next Generation was at its best. It was the climax of the entire show. It ends with Descent...probably the best cliffhanger since "The Best of Both Worlds".

Personal Favorite Episodes:

Time's Arrow: Part II, Relics, Schisms, True Q, Rascals, A Fistful of Datas, Chain of Command: Parts I and II, Face of the Enemy, Tapestry, Birthright, Part I, Starship Mine, The Chase, Frame of Mind, Timescape, and Descent: Part I

Like the previous five seasons, this one has the same physical look and layout, four episodes per disk, six disks full, and the last two episodes on the seventh, special features disk. I have to confess the purple of this box is probably my favorite colour, and it really looks nice stacked up with the other DVDs.

They changed the clip format for this box set, choosing to go with one screen showing clips of the four episodes back to back. While this allows you to focus your attention on only one screen, it can also be annoying. Season six seems to be in heavy rotation on television, and if you've seen a lot of the episodes the wait can be annoying, but it's worth it.

While many took note that DS9's premire took a little wind out of the sixth season,TNG juggled with stories that ranged from Playful(Rascals,A Fist Full Of Datas),introspective(Tapestry,Lessons),suspenseful(Face Of The Enemy) to eerie (Man Of The People,Schisms).
The highlight of the season was Relics,which James Doohan's Scotty returns after being in a transporter stream for 75 years.The best episode of the season is the two part Chain Of Command which has Picard re-assigned,then taken prisoners & tortured by the Cardassians.
The season finale Descent,returning with a new Borg threat ends on a limp note(especially after Best Of Both Worlds Pt 1),but season six was definately an interesting experience.

One of the neatest things about these DVD sets are the documentaries. I haven't mentioned them in my reviews up to this point and that is a failure on my part. I mention them now because I was somewhat disappointed in the sixth season extras as opposed to the extras on the previous five box sets. I'm only grumbling because the bonus material included a trailer for DS9, which is not my favorite Trek series. It also contained a trailer for Star Trek Nemesis. Obviously it was meant to be viewed before the movie came out, but I've already seen the movie and was angry that Paramount wasted good DVD space on a trailer for such a mediocre movie. Still, the profile on Data was great and as always, its nice to see the insights that the writers, directors and producers give us into the episodes. In one of the documentaries, someone mentioned that the sixth season of TNG was their best season ever. I disagree with this assertion. I've always championed seasons three and four as being top quality. Still, the sixth season delivered consistently superior drama and contained fewer clunkers than did the fifth season. We started out with the worst of the two-parters, "Time's Arrow," and continued with the mediocre, "Realm of Fear," but after that, the season took off with the arrival of Scotty. It was a delight to see Spock make his appearance and it was equally fun for me as an original series fan to see Scotty again in the episode, "Relics." It was also nostalgic to see the old Enterprise bridge. Q makes two appearances in this season in, "True Q," and "Tapestry." In the former, we get to see a slightly softer side of Q as he tries to mentor a young girl who discovers she has the power of the Q. "Tapestry," is one of my all-time favorite Trek episodes because we learn more of Picard's past and Q teaches him a harsh lesson about life. This is De Lancie and Stewart at their best! Worf also confronts his past in the two-part, "Birthright," when he journeys to a Romulan prison camp to find his father. Troi also sees more action when she goes undercover as a Romulan officer in, "Face of the Enemy." It is worth noting that Spock's Romulan underground movement is mentioned in this episode. Unfortunately, this would be the last time we see a major plot thread involving the Romulans. We also see the continuing plot thread involving the Klingon Empire come to an end in, "Rightful Heir," as a new leader challenges Gowron as ruler of the Klingon world. We would hear of the Klingons and Romulans again in later seasons of Deep Space Nine, but DS9 never did justice to them as TNG did. Other gems include "The Quality of Life," "The Chase," "Rascals," "Aquiel," "Frame of Mind," and "A Fist Full of Datas." The only clunkers worth noting are "Second Chances," and "Realm of Fear." Many other reviewers have mentioned, "Chain of Command," and I think this was probably the best offering of the sixth season. Watching Riker clash with a new captain of the Enterprise was classic, but the most riveting drama came as Picard was tortured by a Cardassian officer, played by Trek veteran David Warner. It was interesting to note that Patrick Stewart did research on torture before performing in this episode. Finally, unlike the previous season, the finale of "Descent," was another great cliffhanger. Its always fun when Lore appears to provide the psychotic counterpart to Data's cool presence. Throw Lore in league with a group of renegade Borg and you can't help but have suspense at its best. All and all, the sixth season of TNG is a great addition to anyone's collection. I would not recommend it to beginners, only because many plot threads are more easily understood after viewing previous seasons.

This is ST:TNG at its best. The uniforms are fitting and the plots involving. Every character is examined and every un-tied conclusion re-visited. If you loved the series this was the season for you [though perhaps hard to follow for those unfamiliar with it]. Whenever I need a break, I drop in a disc which reminds me why my childhood was so full of hopeful imagination. I relish in that adolescent optimism which has brought me thus far and shall hopefully continue to inspire my own adventures into the uncharted lands of contemporary American society.

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.

Well I love TNG but I won't give another list of my fav episodes. But I will tell you, the packaging of these box sets is much better in the Region 2 version. Also, the region 2 sets are a virtual Rosetta stone with audio tracks in German, English, Spanish, French, and Italian, an astonish 10 languages in subtitles: Danish, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish. Kind of like a univeral translater, you might say. And to top it all off, even with the declining dollar, the Region 2 sets are cheaper. So if you've got a region-free player, skip the us version and get the R2.

Usually most television series are on their last legs by their next to last season. This wasn't the case with TNG. In fact, the writing/producing/directing/performing team seemed to have caught their second wind by season six--certainly one of their finest offerings.

I've read lots of complains about Time's Arrow (part 2). I found it to be a refreshing episode of the series--it did recall the flavor of Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever (more than the Roddenberry-Coon-Fontana rewrite). Adding Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) to the mix was inspired.

While True Q didn't have the bite of most episodes involving Q, it still gave John De Lancie a chance to shine. It really wasn't about Q per se anyway. He was just a bystander in this case witnessing someone else's use of their Q power.

The real stand out episodes was the two part Chain of Command. The interaction between Patrick Stewart as Picard and David Warner as his torturer was riveting. One of Stewart's finest performances is featured in this great episode. In reality, it would actually have been a better season cliff hanger than Descent. I'd also like to praise Ronnie Cox and Jonathan Frakes for their performances as well; the two stories were well tailored and paralleled the changes within each character.

Quality of Life, Aquiel, Face of the Enemy, Ship in a Bottle (which resurrects Dr. Morarity from season 2), Tapestry and The Chase are all stand out episodes. Aquiel is a brilliant character study as well as a look at the effects of loss on the individual. It's a stunning episode that reaches to the heart of humanity--even in a powerful alien spieces. The Chase is particularly interesting as it looks at the road not chosen by Picard as well as providing an interesting explaination as to why there are so many humanoid species populating the universe.

The extras are very nice. There's a profile of Data as well as a preview trailer for Deep Space Nine (which is finally coming to DVD!). Deep Space Nine was the only series spin off from TNG that expanded on the storytelling arcs and scope of the original series. It's one of the finest written of the Trek series and Avery Brooks is very under rated in his role as Sisko.

The picture quality is very good to excellent on most of the discs. There are no analog artifacts although there are a few digital ones from the compression technology of DVD; for example there's one scene where the background behind Riker appears to be a projection simply because the pixels don't change at a very high rate.

The sound quality is stunning. The remix to 5.1 brings a new depth (and appreciation) to the sound effects layered on the soundtrack. It's obvious someone was thinking ahead when they added all the background sounds. The music sounds quite good--not quite to SACD or even DVD-Audio standards--but very good nonetheless. There's a bit of compression but it's hardly noticable.

The extras have been improving with each additional year of the series (likewise the picture and sound quality). The only area for improvement is in the booklet. It's less than informative with a couple of paragraphs about the season and highlighting one or two episodes. It would be helpful to have a brief synopsis of each episode as well as guest stars (if any) and writer/director credits. All we get is the episode name, when it originally aired and what disc it's featured on (and this is alphabetical vs. airdate).

The other area that could use improvement is commentary from a key cast member, director or writer for a handful of pivotal episodes. The Babylon 5 box set Signs and Portents offers three episodes with interesting and enlightening commentaries by writer/creator/producer/director J. Michael Straczinski. It would have served Paramount well to do the same thing while the actors were shooting Nemesis. It's unlikely Paramount will be able to get the cast together again for a commentary given that Nemesis is likely the last TNG feature to be produced.

On the whole, Paramount has finally done well by Star Trek. The original series never received this much TLC (and since the market is smaller for it, their probably unlikely to do so).