The One Where I’ve Finished TNG Season 5 and I Look At What Makes An Episode A Ten.

Around the time I was finishing season 4, I got to talking to one of my Trekkie friends, Matt. I gave Matt an update on my Prolific Trek progress, and he firmly declared, “Season 5 is the best season.” I was a little skeptical. Seasons 3 and 4 were absolutely fantastic, and I know that the latter seasons of TNG do ultimatley diminish in quality from the strong ones in the middle. Thus, it seemed only reasonable to assume that Season 5 simply couldn’t live up to its predecessors.

Boy, was I wrong.

When I started keeping track of my episode rankings for The Progress, I had no idea what most episodes would be rated or what would constitute a particular rating, but I did have one very clear focus in mind. I wasn’t going to give away a “10” rating lightly. I love Star Trek, and if I threw out a “10” every time I had an episode that left me going “wow, I loved that episode,” every fourth or fifth episode would get a “10.” I wanted a 10 to be a special score.

Measure of a Man got a 10, and that score was well deserved. If Measure of a Man is a 10, that means that any episode that seeks to garner such high praise is going to have to live up to that reputation. So, an episode that garners a 10 needs to be special. It needs to be quintessential Star Trek, it needs to be memorable, and it needs to pass the threshold from “good” to “great.”

With all that said, Season 5 managed to have two episodes that warranted the coveted “10” ranking, and they each manage to capture, in different ways, what it is that I love about Star Trek.

Darmok kicks Season 5 off with an episode that is, indisputably, one of Star Trek’s most memorable. Star Trek has always been about expanding horizons and thought processes, and it has always been about exploring new cultures.

Darmok addresses the issues of language and communication in a thought provoking fashion. When Captain Picard is beamed against his will to a desolate planet by an alien race that speaks only in mysterious metaphors, what is the crew supposed to do? Watching Picard and Dathon work together to learn the meanings of phrases like “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” and “Shaka when the walls fell” never ceases to amaze and entertain me.

There are certainly some logical flaws in the development of the language that is at the center of Darmok, but like any good piece of entertainment, the storytelling and development of the episode hide those flaws expertly. I will never get over seeing Picard declare “Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel.” There’s a reason Darmok made it on my Top 10 list.

The other episode that garnered a 10 was a bit more surprising. I, Borg has always been an episode that I consider quite fondly. Going into my Prolific Trek, I knew both The Measure of a Man and Darmok would almost certainly be rated a 10, but I had not really considered that I, Borg might earn such an honor.

It was, however, well deserved.

It’s pretty clear by now that I love the morality plays that Star Trek puts on regularly. Looking at a world that has moved to such an advanced place but still realizing that they struggle with the same basic questions of humanity and what is “right” is fascinating for me, and I, Borg presents such a struggle expertly.

I’m not going to do an entire review of the episode here, but it is a wonderful episode. And I simply love the conversation that the senior staff has regarding the ethics of using Hugh to implant a virus that would wipe out the entire Borg collective:

Doctor Crusher: I just think we should be clear about that. We’re talking about annihilating an entire race.

Picard: Which under most circumstances would be unconscionable. But as I see it, the Borg leave us with little choice.

Riker: I agree. We’re at war.

Dr. Crusher: There’s been no formal declaration of war.

Troi: Not from us, but certainly from them. They’ve attacked us in every encounter.

Picard: They’ve declared war on our way of life. We are to be assimilated.

Dr. Crusher: But even in war there are rules. You don’t kill civilians indiscriminately.

Riker: There are no civilians among the Borg.

Picard: Think of them as a single, collective being. There’s no one Borg who is more an individual than your arm or your leg.

Dr. Crusher: How convenient.

Picard: Your point, Doctor?

Dr. Crusher: When I look at my patient, I don’t see a collective consciousness. I don’t see a hive. I see a living, breathing boy who’s been hurt and who needs our help. And we’re talking about sending him back to his people as an instrument of destruction.

—I, Borg

The question of when it’s okay to commit such an act of destruction will come up again later in DS9, but it is handled so perfectly here. The Borg are the ultimate evil to the Federation, but there has to be a limit. And when the crew begins to realize that “Hugh” is an individual, their entire mindset changes.

All in all, it is a wonderful character exploration and a morality play, and it earned its 10.

So, what else is there to say about a season that earned two 10s along the way?

Well…

The Good:

• Darmok
• Disaster
• Power Play
• The Outcast
• Cause and Effect
• I, Borg
• The Inner Light

The Bad:

• The Cost of Living
• Imaginary Friend

The Characters:

Five seasons in and Star Trek really knows it’s characters at this point. It has been fun watching them develop over the course of several seasons, and now their characterizations really seem to have hit home and established themselves as the characters I recognize.

Picard is, of course, the center point of Season 5, and the season allows us to see many facets of his personality. The diplomat and story teller in Darmok is one of my favorite facets. His devotion to the truth and his duty in The First Duty is similarly iconic. That said, I think the biggest misstep with his character comes in Season 5. The “romance” or whatever it is that he has in The Perfect Mate falls flat, and there is something a little squicky about that relationship. I don’t want to go too far with it, but there seems to be a question of whether consent is even possible in a situation like that.

Riker also gets a chance to shine in a few episodes. His inner playboy really is on display in Conundrum. I adore the implications for his relationship with Troi that come in that episode. There’s something comforting about the fact that, even when they’re lacking their memories, those two always have a deeper connection (even if Riker does manage to screw it up pretty royally). As much as his caddish nature is on display in Conundrum, a much deeper and more evolved Riker shows up in The Outcast. Riker’s evolved opinions of gender and relationships are pretty impressive, and given the current political climate relating to transgenderism and other LGBT issues, I was absolutely floored at how far ahead of its time this episode was.

Wesley Crusher came back in two episodes, and I really didn’t hate him in either. Of course, Ensign Ro Laren has now shown up, and she’s kind of replaced Wesley as the subject of my annoyance. Michelle Forbes does a wonderful job portraying the character, but she always feels really superfluous. However, her character does make me anxious to get to DS9 where I can see a strong Bajoran character in Commander Kira.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t know that I have many final thoughts to say about Season 5 as I’ve addressed my love for the season above. Season 5 ended up being ranked a 7.0. This is the highest I’ve ranked any season, and I’m guessing it’s the highest any season will rank from here on out. So, I guess what I’m saying is: if you’re only going to watch one season (which, why would you do that?) make it Season 5.

#LLAP