Star Trek: The Next Generation | Season 5, Episodes 22–24 We're continuing my first-time watch of Star Trek in release order with three more episodes of The Next Generation! This week, we go from a mysterious imaginary friend, to one of the more difficult moral dilemmas we've encountered in Star Trek, to an episode that delivers almost everything we could want from the series. Along the way, we discuss childhood, empathy, the Borg, the multiverse, and some very questionable physics. This week, we get: Something gets through the hull and wreaks havoc on the ship Suicidal empathy Almost everything we could want in a Star Trek episode We covered: Imaginary Friend I, Borg The Next Phase Imaginary Friend A young girl's imaginary friend turns out to be something considerably more real - and more dangerous - than anyone aboard the Enterprise realizes. We discuss kids doing dumb things, adults telling kids they're being dumb, and the uncomfortable feeling that runs throughout the episode. There's some effective, subtle worldbuilding here, even if the episode doesn't hold up quite as well on reflection as it did during our initial watch. We also get into pattern recognition, randomness, bunny rabbits, modern imaginary friends, and why Troi couldn't sense what was actually happening. Sometimes there are things children simply cannot...or should not...be expected to understand. I, Borg This is a tough episode to digest, and that's exactly why it works. When the Enterprise discovers an injured Borg drone, Picard faces an opportunity to strike a devastating blow against the Collective. But what initially seems like an obvious decision becomes considerably more complicated as the crew begins to see the individual behind the enemy. We discuss the contagion of suicidal empathy, Picard's changing perspective, whether he should have consulted Starfleet before making his decision, and why the episode is so effective precisely because it refuses to provide a clean answer. This is the kind of moral exploration that helps us understand why people love Star Trek. The Next Phase Geordi and Ro are apparently killed in a transporter accident, but things aren't quite what they seem. What follows is an excellent science-fiction adventure that gives us just about everything we could want from an episode of The Next Generation. Of course, we have some questions. If Geordi and Ro can pass through walls, doors, and the hull of the Enterprise, why don't they fall through the floors? And what exactly does "up" mean in space? We discuss Ronald D. Moore, the multiverse, ideas from The Beginning of Infinity, and why sometimes the best approach to questionable science is simply not to care. Final Thoughts Three very different episodes, and some of the strongest reasons we've encountered for continuing this journey through Star Trek. Imaginary Friend gives us an interesting premise with some uncomfortable implications. I, Borg challenges us with difficult moral questions that don't have easy answers. And The Next Phase reminds us just how much fun a good science-fiction adventure can be. Join us as we continue watching Star Trek for the first time, one episode at a time. Never give up. Never surrender.
