I have just recieved a letter from Towson University informing me that I have been granted readmission for the fall 2006 semester.

Jammer has started reviewing Star Trek: The Next Generation, and while I’m unwilling to review the entire series, I thought I’d brainstorm my ten favorite episodes. So, without further adieu, and in order by airdate …

“The Arsenal of Freedom”

Split into three groups, the main characters must deal with an ever increasingly dangerous situation — a highly adaptable weapon program that eliminated a planet’s population, and now threatens two landing parties on the planet, and the Enterprise in orbit. Geordi LaForge has always been my favorite character, and seeing him forced to make the tough decisions he does in this episode are great.

“Peak Performance”

War games go bad! Riker’s in command of an old starship in simulated battle drills against the Enterprise. Onboard the Enterprise, Picard has to deal with a (supposedly) Federation expert — a Zakdorn tactical genius, whose first instinct is to cut and run when a curious Ferengi mistakes the war simulation for an attempt to retrieve something valuable from Riker’s older, undergunned ship.

“Booby Trap”

I’ve mentioned I’ve always been a LaForge fan, and this is a great character episode for him. After encountering an ancient battleship adrift in an asteroid field, the Enterprise finds itself caught in an energy-dampening field — the same booby trap that doomed the battleship. Stuck for ideas on how to escape — and with time, of course, running out — LaForge uses the computer’s database on the Enterprise’s engine designer, Dr. Leah Brahms, to work out a solution on the holodeck. There’s a great throw-away conversation about building “ships in bottles” early in the episode. There’s also a sequel to the episode — the fourth season’s decent “Galaxy’s Child”.

“The Defector”

The third season’s standout episode — and that’s saying a lot for a season with such a strong showing (it took effort to limit my “top ten” list to only FOUR from the third season). War between the Federation and the Romulans seem imminent after a high-ranking defector brings word of the construction of a secret outpost in the neutral zone — a violation of treaty, and a perfect launching pad for invasion. Strong Shakespearean overtones across the episode, an excellent performance by Andreas Katsulas and Patrick Stewart in probably the most riveting dialogue ever on the show, and at the end, a brief, lasting hope for peace and prosperity. I probably consider this my favorite episode of the series.

“The High Ground”

On a humanitarian mission, Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by a terrorist cell who requires her services to heal their wounded — they’ve developed a type of transporter that is very dangerous after prolonged useage. The ballsy terrorists even attempt to destroy the Enterprise in an effort to force the Federation to mediate their conflict. Strong parallels are made between Great Britain and the IRA — which is, I presume, why the episode was banned from airing in the United Kingdon.

“The Tin Man”

This episode isn’t just on my list because when I was in elementary school, my best-friend’s father co-wrote it. The discovery of a living spaceship in disputed space sparks a race between the Federation and the Romulans to establish first contact (hah - he also co-wrote that fourth season episode). Adding gasoline to the fire is a dangerously unstable Betazoid (who was once Troi’s patient) brought aboard to help establish contact. A “neato!” moment includes meeting Riker’s previous captain, aboard the Hood.

“The Wounded”

The fourth season episode which introduced the Cardassians, it also provided the first in-depth look at Miles O’Brian, previously just the Irish guy at the transporter console. I’m a huge fan of Deep Space Nine, and this is a show that provides a lot of background information on both O’Brien and the Federation/Cardassian conflict. More than that, it’s a tale of two war veterans, both scarred by their experiences, fundementally changed by the horrors they’ve witnessed, until it overtakes the one. O’Brian’s line to a Cardassian in Ten Foreward says it all: “It’s not you I hate, Cardassian — it’s what I became, because of you.”

“Clues”

The crew — with the exception of the android Data — awakens seconds after being knocked unconcious when the ship travels through a wormhole. However, evidence begins to mount (in the form of “clues”) that they were asleep for a lot longer than thirty seconds, and that Data is lying to them — even more disturbing is who gave Data the order to lie.

“Second Chances”

There’s one particularly bad episode of the second season titled “Up The Long Ladder”, where the Enterprise encounters a civilization of clones who require fresh DNA to keep from expiring. When asked if he will allow a clone to be made of himself, Riker launches into a tirade about the uniqueness of one Will Riker, then questions, if there would be more than one — wouldn’t Will Riker lose something? So flash forward four years and learn that indeed, there does exist another William T. Riker, courtesy of a transporter accident. It’s pretty neat comparing the “seasoned” Commander Riker we’ve known for the last six years contrasted with Lieutenant Riker, who is still very much the man he was when he was first stranded eight years prior. I sometimes think the show would’ve been a lot more interesting if the producers had stuck to their guns — originally, Commander Riker was going to die, and Lt. Riker would’ve been drafted to take his place as Ops Manager. It would’ve given the character a whole new life.

“Timescape”

Returning to the Enterprise, Picard, Data, LaForge and Troi are surprised to find it stuck in time, and that while in the middle of a battle with a Romulan warship! It turns out that not everything is as it seems, but there’s a mystery to unravel from the characters’ perspective as they board both ships to determine why a Romulan officer is at the Enterprise’s helm, and if there’s anything they can do to stop Beverly Crusher from being distruptored to death by a Romulan in sickbay.

Addendum:

If I were to expand this list to my top twenty favorite episodes, here would be my favorite episodes number 11-20:

Conspiracy — Aliens attempt a takeover of Starfleet Command by crawling through officers’ ears. Creepy.

The Measure of a Man — Is Data alive, or is he the property of Starfleet? Picard and Riker face off in a court-room to make that determination, with Guinan making the chilling revelation that Riker’s success in prosecuting Starfleet’s arguement could give rise to a race of android slaves.

The Enemy — “Enemy Mine” with Geordi LaForge and a stranded Romulan. Meanwhile, the Romulans want their officer back and are willing to provoke a war to get him. This episode introduces Andreas Katsulas as the Romulan Commander Tomalak.

Yesterday’s Enterprise — An alternate view of the future, where the Federation is losing a war against the Klingons. Tasha Yar lives, but billions have died, and and instead of keeping a “Captain’s Log”, Picard keeps a “Battle Log.” Oooh.

Family — De-Borgified, Picard returns to his family home in France to recuperate and mend relations with his brother.

Drumhead — Sabotauge aboard the Enterprise leads a paranoid, conspiracy-hunting Admiral to lead a witchhunt against Capt. Picard.

Conundrum — Aliens wipe the memories of the crew in an attempt to gain access to the superior technology of the Enterprise and use it to end their long war.

Cause & Effect — Caught in a time loop, the Enterprise blows up again and again. Caught in a time loop, the Enterprise blows up again and again. Caught in a time loop, the Enterprise blows up again and again.

The Inner Light — Picard is affected by an alien probe which enables him to live a life on a doomed planet. Plus, it teaches him how to play the flute.

Tapestry — Picard meets God. God is Q. Picard is not amused.