Season 4 contains the 80th episode of The Next Generation, at which point it surpassed the output of the Original Series. A number of extended themes played out during this season delving into both the political backdrop and the personal lives of the crew. These continuing storylines proved extremely popular, however they did not detract from the use of Science Fiction to tell interesting stories. Senior Trekker continues to score every episode with a 5.
Well, every one's getting to meet up with previously unseen family members this season so why not Will Riker?
He wakes up in sickbay from an apparent injury to be told he has lost 16 years of memory. The passage of time is subtly indicated by the crew's slightly grey-tinted hair and new style com-badges. All, that is, except Admiral Picard, who seems to have grown considerably more hair in the interim. Hilarious. Of course, it's all an illusion, which Riker discovers when he sees a picture of his dead wife, Min, who turns out to be Minuet, a holo-character from Season 1.
The story of the lonely alien manipulating a human's psyche in a desperate attempt to find companionship is not a bad one and the boy who plays the part, experienced child actor Chris Demetral, is appropriately spooky. It's great to see Carolyn McCormick back, however briefly and we also get to meet the charming Patti Yasutake for the first time.
Nonetheless, whoever decided to have the final reveal show an big-eyed Area 51 style alien, looking like nothing so much as a cheap trick-or-treat costume, deserves to never work in the business again. For the longest time, the Andorians were kept off of our screens because the producers thought that antennae looked hokey. They should all have been forced to put a poster of the Barash alien on their office walls.
Well, every one's getting to meet up with previously unseen family members this season so why not Will Riker?
He wakes up in sickbay from an apparent injury to be told he has lost 16 years of memory. The passage of time is subtly indicated by the crew's slightly grey-tinted hair and new style com-badges. All, that is, except Admiral Picard, who seems to have grown considerably more hair in the interim. Hilarious. Of course, it's all an illusion, which Riker discovers when he sees a picture of his dead wife, Min, who turns out to be Minuet, a holo-character from Season 1.
The story of the lonely alien manipulating a human's psyche in a desperate attempt to find companionship is not a bad one and the boy who plays the part, experienced child actor Chris Demetral, is appropriately spooky. It's great to see Carolyn McCormick back, however briefly and we also get to meet the charming Patti Yasutake for the first time.
Nonetheless, whoever decided to have the final reveal show an big-eyed Area 51 style alien, looking like nothing so much as a cheap trick-or-treat costume, deserves to never work in the business again. For the longest time, the Andorians were kept off of our screens because the producers thought that antennae looked hokey. They should all have been forced to put a poster of the Barash alien on their office walls.