C6 | TNG Season 3

Dr. Stubbs watching as the microscopic life forms use Data as a conduit for communication

3x01	Original Air Date 25 Sep 1989	Series Episode 48	Franchise Episode 149
Evolution
When Dr. Paul Stubbs comes on board to complete a once-in-a-lifetime scientific study, the Enterprise starts to suffer mysterious malfunctions. B-plot: Dr. Crusher begins to worry that her son Wesley is working too hard and not enjoying his youth.

⬆	Level-Up: La Forge promoted to Lt. Commander; Worf promoted to Lieutenant (both off-screen)

	Watch Recommendation: We'll never hear of Paul Stubbs, his experiment, nor the planet where they dropped off the nanites again. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.5
SF Debris rating:	4
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Picard and Troi standing before the Sheliak representative

3x02	Original Air Date 2 Oct 1989	Series Episode 49	Franchise Episode 150
The Ensigns of Command
When the Sheliak demand that a human colony be removed from one of their worlds, Data must improvise to convince them to leave, while Picard must navigate delicate negotiations over an extremely complicated treaty.

🎶	Classical Music Selection: The string quartet plays Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K.525, I. Allegro. At the end of the episode, Picard listens to a recording of the second movement, II. Romance: Adante.
🔫	Along with their new uniforms, the crew now have newly-designed handheld phasers. The previous version, referred to jokingly by fans as the “dustbusters”, will not be seen again except for scenes set in the past.
“	That was the stun setting. This is not. — Data, just before destroying the settlement's aqueduct.
“	Then I hereby declare this treaty in abeyance. — Picard, in a most satisfying moment of malicious diplomacy.

	Thoughts: Some might find the tedium of combing through legal jargon to be, well, tedious... but that was kind of the point, here. There is something very satisfying about Picard finally using the treaty against the Sheliak. Gosheven was annoying, mostly because he didn't have one bit of logic to stand on, only emotion... and his lines were all re-dubbed for some reason (there are several theories on the internet, but I can't find anything definitive). But between Data's storyline and Picard's interaction with the Sheliak, this ends up being one of my favorite episodes.

	Watch Recommendation: This is one of my favorites, but considering that it's another one-off episode with a story we'll never speak of again, I can't think of a reason to recommend it.

My rating:	★★★ ★☆ ☆ ♥︎ Personal Favorite		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 5.5
SF Debris rating:	4
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	4
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.1	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Rishon Uxbridge excitedly welcoming guests while Kevin Uxbridge holds them at gunpoint

3x03	Original Air Date 9 Oct 1989	Series Episode 50	Franchise Episode 151
The Survivors
After responding to a distress call from a colony devastated by an unknown attacker, the Enterprise finds only two survivors on an otherwise obliterated world.


	Thoughts: There is an ice cream truck that comes by my neighborhood every week in the summer, and I swear it only has 15 seconds of the same music playing over and over again on a loop. It always makes me think of this episode, and I like to play out Troi's scenes melodramatically until the truck leaves. “It's so loud! It's getting louder! Please, I can't stand it! Make it stop!” Anyway, the mystery in this episode is sort of interesting, but the pace just feels so slow to me. It's just a weird little one-off story with some strange choices in it. After the big reveal at the end, I have several questions. Spoiler » Why does Kevin Uxbridge, a being with immense power, bother with the pretense of having a non-functioning weapon and an absolutely silly trap in his lawn, other than for the spectacle? How does this pacifist justify torturing Troi? And, ultimately, how does he not come up with a more plausible story than, “I dunno why we were spared, just leave us alone”?

	Watch Recommendation: We will never hear of Kevin Uxbridge or the Douwd again. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.2
SF Debris rating:	6
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	2
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.5	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Liko lowering his bow and arrow as Picard and Nuria arrive

3x04	Original Air Date 16 Oct 1989	Series Episode 51	Franchise Episode 152
Who Watches the Watchers
When a bronze-age society is accidentally exposed to the Enterprise crew and their technology, Picard must convince the inhabitants that he is not a god.

💎	Picard Artifact Obtained: Mintakan tapestry – this tapestry will be seen draped over the back of Picard's chair in his quarters all through the rest of this series, into the TNG films, and even in Star Trek: Picard.
“	I cannot, I will not, impose a set of commandments on these people. To do so violates the very essence of the Prime Directive. — Picard
	Vice-Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole.
🗝️	When Mary Warren dies in sickbay, Picard says, “We can cure many diseases and we can repair injuries, we can even extend life. But for all our knowledge, all our advances, we are just as mortal as you are. We're just as powerless to prevent the inevitable.”. Star Trek: Picard Season 2 sheds a new light on what Picard may have been thinking about in that moment, using the same word, “powerless” to describe death: “And for all I've lived, all I've seen and done, I suppose this is the moment I've kept myself from remembering, this moment I am so powerless to reverse.”

	Thoughts: This is an archetypal Trek episode about the consequences of interfering with and contaminating a less-advanced culture. What makes this episode special is the interaction between Patrick Stewart (Picard) and Kathryn Leigh Scott as Nuria.

	Watch Recommendation: This is a “Prime Directive” episode done correctly. It's quite good, so I'm marking it as “Highly Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★★ ★☆ ♥︎ Personal Favorite		Watch Recommendation ✔︎+ Highly Recommended	FINAL SCORE 8.0
SF Debris rating:	8
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	7
Normalized IMDb rating:	7.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Jeremy Astor holding his cat while Deanna Troi and an apparition of his deceased mother look on

3x05	Original Air Date 23 Oct 1989	Series Episode 52	Franchise Episode 153
The Bonding
After an accident leaves a young boy without his parents, a strange being re-creates his home and mother on the Enterprise.


	Nitpickery: So, everyone just leaves the orphaned 12-year-old alone in his quarters, mere hours after his mother died? “Checking in on him now and then” seems like sufficient caregiving? K.

	Watch Recommendation: Despite the gravity of the episode and Jeremy Astor's connection to Worf, we'll never hear from Jeremy nor speak of this incident again. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 3.6
SF Debris rating:	5
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	2
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Geordi La Forge and a holographic Leah Brahms discussing strategy over schematics of the Enterprise

3x06	Original Air Date 30 Oct 1989	Series Episode 53	Franchise Episode 154
Booby Trap
When the Enterprise gets stuck in an energy-draining trap, La Forge goes back to the drawing board by re-creating the original design schematics on the holodeck, along with one of the original designers.

🎶	Classical Music Selection: Geordi's holographic violinist plays Brahms' Hungarian Dance No.5.
🔗	Guinan says that she's attracted to bald men, possibly because a bald man was kind to her once when she was hurting. This would seem to be foreshadowing for TNG 5x26 & 6x01: Time's Arrow, but since that episode is considerably far away, it seems unlikely that this reference was intentional.
🔗	Picard speaks of ships in bottles, saying that he built them as a boy, and that he may have even had a Promellian battle cruiser. Indeed, many years later, we will catch a glimpse of a Promellian battle cruiser model in a bottle in Picard's study in PIC 2x01: The Star Gazer.
🔗	Dr. Leah Brahms will appear once more in TNG 4x16: Galaxy's Child.

	Watch Recommendation: Geordi's cringe-worthy opening scene aside, this is a pretty good episode, and there will be a follow-up in a future episode, so I'm marking this one “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★★☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 6.9
SF Debris rating:	5
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	8
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.1	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

A Romulan holding La Forget at gunpoint in a dark, dusty cave

3x07	Original Air Date 6 Nov 1989	Series Episode 54	Franchise Episode 155
The Enemy
Geordi La Forge becomes trapped on an inhospitable planet while investigating a crashed Romulan ship. Picard must navigate careful diplomacy with the Romulans, and Worf must weigh the prospect of providing his life-saving blood for a transfusion for an injured Romulan against his strong personal objections.

🙋‍♂️	First of four appearances of Commander Tomalak

	Thoughts: There are a few different threads in this episode that all play together pretty well. Although we've technically seen the Romulans in two prior episodes, this is the first time we actually learn a little bit more about them.

	Watch Recommendation: This episode, and also “The Defector” three episodes from now, both give some much-needed insight into how the Romulans operate. For that reason, I'm marking both episodes as “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★ ★☆ ☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 6.6
SF Debris rating:	6
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	7
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.9	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Dr. Crusher and Deanna Troi doing calisthenics

3x08	Original Air Date 13 Nov 1989	Series Episode 55	Franchise Episode 156
The Price
During negotiations for control of the Barzan Wormhole, Troi finds herself swept up by one of the negotiators.

🙅‍♀️	Troi sexually assaulted
🔗	So, what ever happened to those Ferengi? Their story is continued in VOY 3x05: False Profits.

	Thoughts: The scenes between Troi and Devinoni Ral are so entirely uncomfortable that I refuse to rate this episode based on any other point. This episode not only fails the Bechdel test, it smacks the test on the ass and tells it that it should smile more. And it wasn't even the Ferengi in this episode being the lecherous ones! I'd be happy to never watch this episode again.

	Watch Recommendation: I need a shower. No recommendation.

My rating:	★☆☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 3.2
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	7
Normalized IMDb rating:	3.9	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Picard and a delegation from the Enterprise mediating peace talks between the Acamarians and the Gatherers

3x09	Original Air Date 20 Nov 1989	Series Episode 56	Franchise Episode 157
The Vengeance Factor
When Picard seeks to mediate a peace between the Acamarians and their estranged kin, the “Gatherers”, they find that their clan wars may not be a thing of the past.


	Thoughts: This episode sticks out in my mind, for some reason. I just think it's a good story that shows off Picard's diplomatic skills while tying in a satisfying-enough mystery. I rather like it.

	Watch Recommendation: We won't see the Acamarians or the Gatherers in any serious sense again. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.6
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

3x10	Original Air Date 1 Jan 1990	Series Episode 57	Franchise Episode 158
The Defector
A defector warns the Enterprise about a buildup of Romulan forces in the Neutral Zone, but Picard is suspicious.

👨🏻‍🤝‍👨🏻	In the opening teaser, Data acts out a scene from Shakespeare's Henry V as Picard (Patrick Stewart) observes. The part of Michael Williams in this scene is also played by Patrick Stewart, making for a humorous moment where Stewart holds himself at bay with a polearm.
💁‍♂️	The Romulan is played by James Sloyan, who also plays 3 other characters in only 4 more appearances across TNG, DS9, and VOY, but I still somehow can't help notice every time it's him.
🔗	Crusher mentions her recent experience with Romulan medicine. She is referring of course to TNG 3x07: The Enemy. She even shoots Worf a glare when she says it – clearly she is still a little miffed about his refusal to cooperate in that episode.
🖌️	The Romulan ominously tells Data that he knows “a host of Romulan cyberneticists that would love to be this close to [him]”. This is an especially grim threat considering what we learned about the Romulans' attitude toward artificial intelligence in Star Trek: Picard Season 1.

	Thoughts: Happy new year! It's the 90s, baby!

	Watch Recommendation: Just like the last Romulan episode, this gives us some good insight into the species. This episode is “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★★☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 7.7
SF Debris rating:	8
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	7
Normalized IMDb rating:	8.0	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Soldiers holding a room of people at gunpoint, including Picard

3x11	Original Air Date 8 Jan 1990	Series Episode 58	Franchise Episode 159
The Hunted
When visiting a world petitioning for Federation membership, the Enterprise gets caught up in assisting in the capture of an escaped prisoner who turns out to be more than meets the eye.

	Thoughts: What a weird title... Danar and the others aren't “hunted,” they've been exiled to a moon, that's all. I'm really not sure what the title is referencing. Well, anyway, the action is dialed up to 11 in this one – at least, for 90s standards. Some of it is showing its age a bit, but I think it still keeps you right there with our heroes trying to anticipate Danar's moves. I'm giving it an extra half-star for keeping me engaged.

	Watch Recommendation: Since we won't be revisiting this world, no recommendation here.

My rating:	★★★ ★☆ ☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 5.7
SF Debris rating:	4
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	5
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Dr. Crusher speaking with Finn in his underground base of operations

3x12	Original Air Date 29 Jan 1990	Series Episode 59	Franchise Episode 160
The High Ground
Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by a group labeled as terrorists on Rutia IV. They need a doctor to help treat a sickness caused by their unorthodox method of transport.


	Thoughts: I was surprised to find that this was a Season 3 episode, because it feels like something that comes later in the series. I like this episode, for the most part... aside from the 80s men's feathered hair.

	Watch Recommendation: We won't see the Rutians again, which is a shame, because I like their police uniforms. The impact of this episode is also pretty minimal, so I have no recommendation here.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.8
SF Debris rating:	6
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	2
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.9	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Guinan standing over a frightened-looking Q

3x13	Original Air Date 5 Feb 1990	Series Episode 60	Franchise Episode 161
Deja Q
When trying to save a planet from their moon's decaying orbit, the Enterprise is suddenly visited by Q, who claims that he has lost his powers.

Q	Q episode
🤦‍♂️	This episode is the origin of the Picard Facepalm meme.
“	Die. — Worf, in response to Q's query about what he must do to convince them that he is mortal.

	Thoughts: I've only rated this episode as average, because despite it being a Q episode, it's really only just “okay” in my view. And something about no one questioning those ten chocolate sundaes annoys me.
	Nitpickery: It really irks me that the guard in the brig sits with his back to the holding cell. It also annoys me that it seems like La Forge interrupts and effectively ends Data's laugh by asking an idiotic question.

	Watch Recommendation: Though not my favorite, it is a Q episode, and it shows an interesting rivalry between him and Guinan, making it at least worth a “Recommended” label.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 6.6
SF Debris rating:	8
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	6
Normalized IMDb rating:	8.2	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Riker and Picard observing a holographic re-creation of a conversation in the Krieger wave lab

3x14	Original Air Date 12 Feb 1990	Series Episode 61	Franchise Episode 162
A Matter of Perspective
Picard must hold an extradition hearing when Riker is accused of killing scientist Dr. Nel Apgar and destroying his Krieger wave converter.

⚖️	Courtroom episode
🤦‍♂️	This episode is the origin of the Riker Facepalm meme.

	Thoughts: I like this episode. It's amusing to watch the re-creations of the same events colored by each person's different perspective, and there's an interesting mystery that comes to an explosive conclusion.

	Watch Recommendation: While I like the episode, it's just another one-off. We'll never visit this planet again, nor will we ever speak again of this new Krieger wave technology, so I'm not giving it a recommendation.

My rating:	★★★★☆ ♥︎ Personal Favorite		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 7.1
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	8
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Riker and Crusher attending to an injured Captain Garrett

3x15	Original Air Date 19 Feb 1990	Series Episode 62	Franchise Episode 163
Yesterday's Enterprise
When the USS Enterprise NCC‑1701‑C mysteriously appears through a fracture in time, the Federation's history is rewritten.

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Iconic episode

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Alternate Reality episode

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2364	Star Trek: The Next Generation ⬇︎	\|
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2366		Displaced in time, the Enterprise‑C appears
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Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole.

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Worf gets his first taste of prune juice at the start of this episode. He'll continue to enjoy it – and it will continue to be a running gag – throughout TNG, DS9, and even Picard.

Thoughts: This is a great episode, but I must concede that the space battle scenes were very slow, even for its time, but especially by today's standards. If this episode were made today, those scenes would be a CGI firestorm of lasers and fireballs and so much motion blur that it would be impossible to discern everything that was happening. I'm going to take a moment to lament the fact that we can't find some sort of happy medium. Anyway, this is the only time that we get to see the Enterprise‑C in the entire franchise, we get a cameo from a well-liked character, and it's fascinating to watch this darker version of events. This third-season episode is very impressive, considering how mediocre the first two seasons of this series were.

Watch Recommendation: This episode is a quintessential example of Star Trek, and not just this series. This is absolutely a “Must Watch” and it's the third on the “Bare Minimum” list.

My rating:	★★★★★ 🥇 1st place episode of the series		Watch Recommendation 🕶︎ ‼︎ Must Watch Bare Minimum	FINAL SCORE 9.7
SF Debris rating:	10
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	9
Normalized IMDb rating:	9.6	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Data and Troi smiling at Data's new android daughter

3x16	Original Air Date 12 Mar 1990	Series Episode 63	Franchise Episode 164
The Offspring
Data creates an android daughter named Lal.

🎤	Patented Picard Speech: “There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders. You acknowledge their sentience, but you ignore their personal liberties and freedom. Order a man to hand his child over to the state? Not while I am his captain.”
🎬	In the opening Captain's log, Picard notes that Riker is on “personal leave”, and Riker does only appear in one short scene. This was done to free up Jonathan Frakes for his directorial debut in this episode. Frakes would go on to have extensive directorial credits in the Star Trek franchise across several different series and two films.

	Thoughts: It seems that the question of android rights has arisen again, just like it did back in TNG 2x09: The Measure of a Man. This could have been a very interesting, logical follow-up to that episode, this time asking the question, “When does an android switch from being ‘scientific research’ to being a life? At what point does an android gain sentience, and at what point to we assign it individual rights?” Unfortunately, the episode does not raise those questions. Instead, it somewhat obtusely falls back on Starfleet believing that androids are its property and that no further consideration need be made. Overall, it's a good episode, but I had to knock off half a star for missing opportunities for better storytelling.

	Watch Recommendation: This episode could have been better, and despite how annoyingly bullheaded the admiral is, it's still an episode you should definitely watch. I'm marking this as “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★ ★☆ ☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 6.9
SF Debris rating:	8
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	5
Normalized IMDb rating:	8.2	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Worf and Picard addressing the Klingon High Council

3x17	Original Air Date 19 Mar 1990	Series Episode 64	Franchise Episode 165
Sins of the Father
Worf returns to the Klingon homeworld when his father is accused of treason.

🤸‍♂️	Riker Maneuver: at about 5 minutes in, when Riker joins Wesley in Ten Forward.
🔗	In the opening Captain's log, Picard speaks about receiving a Klingon officer as part of an exchange program, after Riker served on the Klingon cruiser Pagh in TNG 2x08: A Matter of Honor.

	Thoughts: To be completely honest, when I first watched this series in the 90s, I wasn't particularly interested in the “Klingon Episodes”, but I have grown to appreciate them along with the complexity of the Federation's relationship with the Empire, and Worf's struggle to bridge both worlds.

	Watch Recommendation: This is the beginning of a very important storyline for Worf, so I'm marking this one as a “Must Watch”.

My rating:	★★★★☆		Watch Recommendation 🕶︎ Must Watch	FINAL SCORE 7.8
SF Debris rating:	8
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	8
Normalized IMDb rating:	7.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Picard speaking with three aliens in their shared holding cell

3x18	Original Air Date 26 Mar 1990	Series Episode 65	Franchise Episode 166
Allegiance
Picard is taken prisoner with three other seemingly-random victims from other worlds. Meanwhile, a replica of Picard continues to command the Enterprise.

🔗	In the opening Captain's log, Picard says that they were successful in “eradicating the Phyrox plague on Cor Caroli V”. This mission, only mentioned here in dialogue, earned Dr. Crusher and her away team honorary citizenship of the planet. Crusher keeps a plaque commemorating this achievement, and that plaque can be seen in PRO 2x20: Ouroboros, Part II and PIC 3x01: The Next Generation.

	Watch Recommendation: Not a bad episode, but we'll never see the alien species responsible for these abductions again, so I'm not giving it a recommendation.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.8
SF Debris rating:	4
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.1	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Vash embracing Picard while looking deep into his eyes

3x19	Original Air Date 2 Apr 1990	Series Episode 66	Franchise Episode 167
Captain's Holiday
While vacationing on Risa, Picard gets entangled by an intriguing woman named Vash.

💁‍♂️	The Ferengi in this episode is played by Max Grodénchik, who will later become more well-known for his role as Rom in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

	Thoughts: I once read something that pointed out that the Tox Uthat is just a hunk of acrylic with holes drilled into it, and now I can't unsee that. Anyway, I think this is a fairly average episode with a MacGuffin crystal, intrigue, romance, time-traveling aliens... you know, all the staples of a good story. (Heh.) Vash's interaction with Picard is certainly memorable, and we will see her in one more episode of TNG as well as an early episode of DS9. While it's mostly tossed aside here, the story of the Tox Uthat and the Vorgons from the 27th century is something that I hope Star Trek will pick up on again in the future.

	Watch Recommendation: Missing this story certainly isn't going to leave you in the dark for any reason, since the story revolves around a crystal that we'll never talk about again, but I am marking this one “Optional” since Vash is an interesting-enough character that we will be seeing again.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ♦︎ Optional Picard meets Vash	FINAL SCORE 4.7
SF Debris rating:	3
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	4
Normalized IMDb rating:	5.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Data and Tam Elbrun investigating the interior of the unknown ship

3x20	Original Air Date 23 Apr 1990	Series Episode 67	Franchise Episode 168
Tin Man
Starfleet sends an eccentric specialist with the Enterprise to make first contact with a strange space-borne creature they've nicknamed “Tin Man”.


	Thoughts: I don't know if I can put my finger on it, but I just don't care for this story or this character of Tam Elbrun. I mean, besides the fact that Elbrun is rude, condescending, and irritable.
	Nitpickery: If “Tin Man” has parked itself next to a star that's about to go supernova because it wants to die, why did it bother defending itself from the Romulan warbird?

	Watch Recommendation: This story has no impact on the rest of the series – no recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.0
SF Debris rating:	5
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	5.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Barclay fencing with a holodeck character

3x21	Original Air Date 30 Apr 1990	Series Episode 68	Franchise Episode 169
Hollow Pursuits
While small malfunctions are plaguing the ship, Geordi tries to encourage one of his nervous engineers.

🥦	The first episode featuring Reginald Barclay
“	I am the goddess of Empathy. Cast off your inhibitions and embrace love, truth, joy. — a holographic Deanna Troi

	Nitpickery: Surely there is some etiquette around not just walking into someone else's holodeck programs, right? Also, there is a distinct lack of urgency that does not match up with the severity of the situation... “Geordi, the ship is going to blow up and we're all literally going to die in five minutes.” “Yes sir, we are walking slightly faster than normal to the cargo bay now! Once there, we will very slowly, very carefully open one of the containers and perform a full scan, even though we know that our tricorders can't detect invidium! Then we'll stop working so that we can give the computer our full attention when it announces that we have 3 minutes and 30 seconds left to live! Finally, we'll perform the actual test, and we should still have a few seconds left to debate the merits of our only viable option with you!”

	Watch Recommendation: This episode is silly, at best, but it does introduce Reginald Barclay for the first time. Since we'll see him in four more TNG episodes, a movie, and six Voyager episodes, I'm marking his introduction here as “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 5.0
SF Debris rating:	5
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	7
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Kivas Fajo speaking with Data in his gallery of rarities

3x22	Original Air Date 7 May 1990	Series Episode 69	Franchise Episode 170
The Most Toys
The Enterprise crew is led to believe that Data has been killed in a shuttle accident, when in fact he has been kidnapped by a collector of rare items.


	Thoughts: “Perhaps something occurred during transport” gives us a nice little unsolved mystery and makes us contemplate Data's programming and what he might be capable of. Other than that, the rest of the episode is mostly average.

	Watch Recommendation: It's a one-off story with a character we'll never see again. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 6.3
SF Debris rating:	7
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	7
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.5	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Sarek becoming emotional while watching a string quartet

3x23	Original Air Date 14 May 1990	Series Episode 70	Franchise Episode 171
Sarek
Concerns arise when the Enterprise hosts diplomatic negotiations led by the Vulcan Ambassador Sarek, and frayed nerves seem to be leading to acts of hostility on the ship.

🔗	Sarek, played by actor Mark Lenard, is Spock's father. He previously appeared in TOS 2x15: Journey to Babel, TAS 1x02: Yesteryear, and Star Trek films III and IV. He will make two more appearances in TNG 5x07: Unification I and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The same character, played by actor James Frain, also appears in nine episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.
🎶	Classical Music Selection: The string quartet starts the concert with Mozart's String Quartet No. 19, K. 465, I. Adagio – Allegro. The piece that elicits an emotional response from Sarek is Brahms' String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18, II. Andante. (Incidentally, the second piece – as the name suggests – requires six instruments, not the four that we see. It's also not written by Mozart, which makes it a bit out of place for a “Mozart recital”.)
	Vice-Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole.

	Thoughts: Poor Data, this is the second time someone important has walked out in the middle of one of his performances.

	Watch Recommendation: This is the first of two appearances of Sarek in TNG, and it's an important continuation of the character's story from The Original Series. This is “Highly Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★★★		Watch Recommendation ✔︎+ Highly Recommended	FINAL SCORE 8.7
SF Debris rating:	9
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	7
Normalized IMDb rating:	7.5	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

An annoyed-looking Lwaxana Troi holding the hand of a lecherous Ferengi

3x24	Original Air Date 28 May 1990	Series Episode 71	Franchise Episode 172
Ménage à Troi
Will Riker, Deanna Troi, and her mother Lwaxana, are kidnapped by a Ferengi captain.

🙅‍♀️	Troi sexually assaulted
⬆	Level-Up: Spoiler » Wesley given a field commission as a full ensign.
🐱	This episode is the origin of the Annoyed Picard meme, even though the original gesture was not made out of annoyance.
🎤	Patented Picard Speech: “My love is a fever, longing still / For that which longer nurseth the disease.” (Shakespeare, Sonnet 147) “In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, / For they in thee a thousand errors see; / But ‘tis my heart that loves what they despise, / Who, in despite of view, is pleased to dote” (Shakespeare, Sonnet 141) “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate” (Shakespeare, Sonnet 18) “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments; love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds / Or bends with the remover --” (Shakespeare, Sonnet 116) “When I have plucked the rose, / I cannot give it vital growth again. / It needs must wither” (Othello, 5.2.13-16) “'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all” (Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H.)

	Watch Recommendation: Definitely a one-off story that isn't great. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 3.4
SF Debris rating:	3
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Dr. Crusher watches as a bright yellow glow emanates from her patient's chest

3x25	Original Air Date 4 Jun 1990	Series Episode 72	Franchise Episode 173
Transfigurations
Dr. Crusher helps to heal a man who was severely injured in a crash, but his identity and strange cellular mutations are a mystery, even to him.

🛶	This is the first mention of O'Brien's holodeck kayaking program, and the shoulder problems that come as a result. This will be a recurring theme for him in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

	Nitpickery: Why does Geordi bring the little blue bottle computer thingy with him to Ten Forward? It sounds like they were analyzing it, probably somewhere more appropriate like a science lab, so why would he bring it with him for a drink in the lounge?

	Watch Recommendation: It's an okay episode, but it's nothing special or terribly important to the overall series. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.8
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	5.1	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Picard being held and sedated by a Borg drone on the bridge of the Enterprise

3x26	Original Air Date 18 Jun 1990	Series Episode 73	Franchise Episode 174
The Best of Both Worlds (Part I)
Starfleet summons all its defenses when the Borg send a ship to Earth with the intention of assimilating humanity.

🌌	Iconic episode
🤖	Borg episode
🔵	Condition Blue: Ship Separation
🍿	Cliffhanger: Fans were left without a conclusion to the cliffhanger for three months between June 18 and September 24, 1990. The fate of Picard was truly unknown when this first part aired, because it wasn't certain that Patrick Stewart would remain on the show.
🔗	The Battle of Wolf 359, though not depicted on screen, would have lasting effects for some future Trek characters. Benjamin Sisko's wife Jennifer was a casualty of the battle, as told in DS9 1x01/02: Emissary, and the incident was a traumatic experience for Liam Shaw, as told in PIC 3x04: No Win Scenario.
	Admiral Pips: Pips are awarded to episodes that are the most stand-out, representative examples of the series as a whole.

	Watch Recommendation: This is absolutely essential Trek lore. It not only has lasting repercussions for Picard and the Enterprise crew, but the events of this story affect the lives of other, future characters. This is a “Must Watch”, as well as being the fourth and fifth episodes on the “Bare Minimum” list.

My rating:	★★★★★ 🥈 2nd place episode of the series	Ratings are based on both Parts I and II as a whole	Watch Recommendation 🕶︎ ‼︎ Must Watch Bare Minimum	FINAL SCORE 9.9
SF Debris rating:	10
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	10
Normalized IMDb rating:	9.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

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Full Episode ListSeason 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7

Full Episode List
Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7

Full Episode List
Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7