For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here
Overview – Picard and Riker continue their subterfuge aboard the
mercenary ship as they try to determine what Baran is looking for. One of the
mercenaries, Tallera, becomes suspicious of them. Eventually, she reveals her
own identity as a Vulcan intelligence officer named T’Paal. Together, they
learn that Baran is looking for the fragments of the Stone of Gol, an ancient
and powerful Vulcan weapon. Meanwhile, on the Enterprise, Data assumes command
and continues to search for his missing commanding officers.
Score: 8/10 – I found that this episode was a bit
better than Part I, which itself was a solid episode. The story flowed a bit
more smoothly. We get to see more depth to Tallera/T’Paal, played by Robin
Curtis (the second actress to play Saavik). In addition to some good action and
mystery, we have some history of one of Star Trek’s most popular alien species,
the Vulcans. We get some great humorous moments as well. In particular, the
closing scene with Riker and Picard, back on the Enterprise, telling Data
reasons as to why he should remain in command. There is also the tallest
Klingon ever seen (played by former NBA star James Worthy), and his scenes are
also quite entertaining. The Stone of Gol is an intriguing weapon with a neat
twist, one that fits perfectly with Vulcan mythos. I also liked how it worked,
amplifying negative emotions. It was perfect in providing a method for
explaining why Vulcans rid themselves of their emotions.
Relevance – 1 point. A point is scored here for the
history given about Vulcan. It is in this episode that Vulcan is established as
one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets. The story of
the Stone of Gol gives us a great insight into Vulcan’s history.
Continuity – 3 points. I believe that all three
categories of continuity are maintained here. The characters are acting the way
that they should. I totally get how Worf would initially act the way he did
with Data. I also liked the ending, when Data was escorting Riker to the brig.
We, as the audience, didn’t quite know if Data was being serious, or if he was
finally starting to understand humor. Story wise, the tale is well told.
Finally, universe wise, everything lines up. The idea of an extreme sect in
Vulcan society that is xenophobic that it would have gone to these measures to
acquire a deadly weapon.
Character Development – 3 points. In addition to Riker and Picard
continuing their development from the last episode, Data and Worf get thrown
into the mix. Data is now the acting captain, and Worf is acting as the first
officer. Data’s decisions irritate the Klingon, and this causes some friction
between the two of them. They are able to hash things out, and in a way that
was a little more civil than what we saw in Redemption Part II when Data
commanded the Sutherland. It was interesting to see Data put his proverbial
foot down with Worf, and Worf was quite humbled by the experience. I did find
the whole “sorry for risking our friendship” to be a bit simple but given how
much was going on it can be easily overlooked.
Social Commentary – 1 point. The power of emotions is the
final lesson in this episode. We learn that negative emotions can only be
defeated by feelings of peace and compassion. Positive is the best way to
combat negative. Yeah, that lesson is a little on the weak side. Like part 1,
the action in the story takes away from potential social commentary, so whatever
lessons we do learn is highly watered down.
Cool Stuff – 2 points. Scoring a point for Koral, a
Klingon that even stood above Worf. I am also scoring a point for the Stone of
Gol. It was a great artifact that gives us an important insight in Vulcan
history and culture. I loved how the trick to defeating the stone was simple
and fit perfectly with Vulcan philosophy.
Rank – Captain (18 points). Much like I said for Part I, this was a
good two-part episode, but there are far better examples to enjoy. When this
episode first aired, we were in the seventh and final season. Fatigue had set
in, and while there is nothing really wrong with this episode, it didn’t quite
live up to the previous bar that had been set. Still, a really strong episode
with a good mix of humor, action, and revealed history. I definitely recommend
it.
If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.
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