An entertaining but unthreatening returning villain introduces us to a villain with threat to spare.
THE PLOT
Q has been ejected from the Q Continuum, and would like to make Enterprise his new home. To that end, he offers his services. When Picard rejects his offer, Q stresses that humanity is not ready for what it will soon encounter. Picard insists that they will adapt... and Q decides to put that to the test.
With a snap of Q's fingers, the Enterprise is hurled into deep space. At maximum warp, it would take more than 2 years for them to get back home. But that's not the worst of it. Q has brought them into a region of space that has been devastated by the Borg, a relentless force that uses both living beings and technology as fodder for its collective consciousness. When the Borg detects Enterprise, it sees it as fuel for itself - leaving Picard in a desperate struggle for his ship's very survival!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: He does find Q's proposal intriguing, stating that learning more about Q would be fascinating. But he insists that humanity is ready for whatever awaits them, and does everything in his power to prove that diagnosis accurate. He actually deals fairly well with the Borg. His responses are appropriate to each situation, and only at the very end is it clear that Picard truly cannot win in this confrontation. When it does become clear that his ship is doomed if he continues on his present course, he gives in and asks Q for help. Patrick Stewart's performance is outstanding, particularly when he admits that he and his ship are "inadequate" in this situation. His facial expression when he says "inadequate" is just a terrific bit of nonverbal acting.
Riker: When Picard and a shuttle vanish from the ship, he initiates a methodical search of the sector. When Picard abruptly reappears in Ten-Forward, Riker's slight smile indicates that he already knows who is responsible. When Q dubs Riker's reactions as smug, he isn't wrong. But it's the last chance Riker gets to be smug in this episode. He does his job as First Officer throughout, offering Picard the alternatives as he sees them and eagerly volunteering to transport to the Borg cube to see what this new life-form is like.
Guinan: It is here that we learn that there is far more to her than appears to be the case. She and Q are old adversaries. When they first see each other, both go into immediate combat postures, and only Picard's intervention prevents hostilities. That she could be Q's enemy and survive indicates some abilities on her part. She is also aware of the Borg. She identifies them for Picard, and confirms that they are a genuine threat, one that all but destroyed her people.
Hot Space Babe of the Week: Lycia Naff is Ensign Sonya Gomez, a recent graduate of Starfleet Academy who has just been assigned to Enterprise. We are told that she is a very skilled young engineer. We see a young woman who is constantly flustered at her new assignment. Geordi takes her under his wing and tries to get her to slow down and calm down.
Q: When Picard finally admits that he is incapable of dealing with the Borg, Q is surprisingly gracious. He does bridle a bit when Picard protests that the lesson could have been learned without the need for crew deaths, with a pretty good speech about how the universe is a place of wonders, but the one thing it will never be is "safe." John deLancie's performance has been dialed way back from his first two appearances. Even when Q is being impish, it's more a lazy and laconic commentary than the hyperkinetic, multi-costumed camp of his early shows. His final conversation with Picard is direct and unblinking, displaying a maturity that one would have thought impossible in the character. Of the Q episodes I have thus far reviewed, this is by far John deLancie's best performance and by far the strongest characterization of the role.
The Borg: Introducing... the Borg! They are introduced as an ultimate threat. A faceless enemy, simply because there is no one face that represents them. They consume whatever they come into contact with, using it to advance themselves. When the Enterprise succeeds in doing significant damage to them, they put their collective consciousness to work repairing the damage. In one shot, we can see a close-up of the cube literally coming back together. They quickly adapt to anything that damages them. Worf destroys one Borg with phaser fire. Another appears, and Worf fires again - this time with no effect. The Enterprise's torpedoes damage the Borg. After the Borg repairs itself, Picard orders the use of more torpedoes - this time with no effect. The Borg is relentless, and Picard's crew simply lacks the technology necessary to either stop them or escape.
THOUGHTS
One of the things that makes this genuinely big, important episode work so well is that it doesn't start out feeling like a big, important episode. We get a comedy teaser, with Picard getting splashed with hot chocolate before he runs into Q. Going into the credits, most contemporary viewers were probably expecting a semi-comedic retread of the previous Q episodes. There's little in the episode's first act to indicate otherwise. Only when Guinan pops her head up above the level of the bar and she and Q recognize each other, does it become clear that this is more than just another Q episode.
In fact, it's barely a Q episode at all. Q is merely the instrument that brings Enterprise into contact with the Borg. He appears at the beginning, to set up the danger to come. He returns at the end, to rescue the Enterprise. In between, he largely just comments on the action as Picard and his crew attempt to deal with this situation themselves.
THE PLOT
Q has been ejected from the Q Continuum, and would like to make Enterprise his new home. To that end, he offers his services. When Picard rejects his offer, Q stresses that humanity is not ready for what it will soon encounter. Picard insists that they will adapt... and Q decides to put that to the test.
With a snap of Q's fingers, the Enterprise is hurled into deep space. At maximum warp, it would take more than 2 years for them to get back home. But that's not the worst of it. Q has brought them into a region of space that has been devastated by the Borg, a relentless force that uses both living beings and technology as fodder for its collective consciousness. When the Borg detects Enterprise, it sees it as fuel for itself - leaving Picard in a desperate struggle for his ship's very survival!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: He does find Q's proposal intriguing, stating that learning more about Q would be fascinating. But he insists that humanity is ready for whatever awaits them, and does everything in his power to prove that diagnosis accurate. He actually deals fairly well with the Borg. His responses are appropriate to each situation, and only at the very end is it clear that Picard truly cannot win in this confrontation. When it does become clear that his ship is doomed if he continues on his present course, he gives in and asks Q for help. Patrick Stewart's performance is outstanding, particularly when he admits that he and his ship are "inadequate" in this situation. His facial expression when he says "inadequate" is just a terrific bit of nonverbal acting.
Riker: When Picard and a shuttle vanish from the ship, he initiates a methodical search of the sector. When Picard abruptly reappears in Ten-Forward, Riker's slight smile indicates that he already knows who is responsible. When Q dubs Riker's reactions as smug, he isn't wrong. But it's the last chance Riker gets to be smug in this episode. He does his job as First Officer throughout, offering Picard the alternatives as he sees them and eagerly volunteering to transport to the Borg cube to see what this new life-form is like.
Guinan: It is here that we learn that there is far more to her than appears to be the case. She and Q are old adversaries. When they first see each other, both go into immediate combat postures, and only Picard's intervention prevents hostilities. That she could be Q's enemy and survive indicates some abilities on her part. She is also aware of the Borg. She identifies them for Picard, and confirms that they are a genuine threat, one that all but destroyed her people.
Hot Space Babe of the Week: Lycia Naff is Ensign Sonya Gomez, a recent graduate of Starfleet Academy who has just been assigned to Enterprise. We are told that she is a very skilled young engineer. We see a young woman who is constantly flustered at her new assignment. Geordi takes her under his wing and tries to get her to slow down and calm down.
Q: When Picard finally admits that he is incapable of dealing with the Borg, Q is surprisingly gracious. He does bridle a bit when Picard protests that the lesson could have been learned without the need for crew deaths, with a pretty good speech about how the universe is a place of wonders, but the one thing it will never be is "safe." John deLancie's performance has been dialed way back from his first two appearances. Even when Q is being impish, it's more a lazy and laconic commentary than the hyperkinetic, multi-costumed camp of his early shows. His final conversation with Picard is direct and unblinking, displaying a maturity that one would have thought impossible in the character. Of the Q episodes I have thus far reviewed, this is by far John deLancie's best performance and by far the strongest characterization of the role.
The Borg: Introducing... the Borg! They are introduced as an ultimate threat. A faceless enemy, simply because there is no one face that represents them. They consume whatever they come into contact with, using it to advance themselves. When the Enterprise succeeds in doing significant damage to them, they put their collective consciousness to work repairing the damage. In one shot, we can see a close-up of the cube literally coming back together. They quickly adapt to anything that damages them. Worf destroys one Borg with phaser fire. Another appears, and Worf fires again - this time with no effect. The Enterprise's torpedoes damage the Borg. After the Borg repairs itself, Picard orders the use of more torpedoes - this time with no effect. The Borg is relentless, and Picard's crew simply lacks the technology necessary to either stop them or escape.
THOUGHTS
One of the things that makes this genuinely big, important episode work so well is that it doesn't start out feeling like a big, important episode. We get a comedy teaser, with Picard getting splashed with hot chocolate before he runs into Q. Going into the credits, most contemporary viewers were probably expecting a semi-comedic retread of the previous Q episodes. There's little in the episode's first act to indicate otherwise. Only when Guinan pops her head up above the level of the bar and she and Q recognize each other, does it become clear that this is more than just another Q episode.
In fact, it's barely a Q episode at all. Q is merely the instrument that brings Enterprise into contact with the Borg. He appears at the beginning, to set up the danger to come. He returns at the end, to rescue the Enterprise. In between, he largely just comments on the action as Picard and his crew attempt to deal with this situation themselves.
The Borg scenes, particularly the scenes inside the Borg cube, are superbly directed by Rob Bowman. The pull-back from the one row of Borg to reveal row after row of Borg going up and down and opposite Riker's Away Team is, given the technical limitations of the day, quite a strong piece of filmmaking.
I also appreciate this episode tying in with the mysterious enemy that destroyed the outposts in The Neutral Zone. I had forgotten that detail, and had honestly assumed that the hints in The Neutral Zone ended up disappearing into the same plot alcove as the aliens in Conspiracy. By tying the Borg to the destruction of the neutral zone outposts, we are finally provided some payoff to the earlier episode.
Overall, this is one of the very best episodes to date. From the moment Q whisks them off into deep space, the pace doesn't let up. The sense of threat is maintained throughout, with a nicely ominous note in the tag scene. We have seen that Starfleet's flagship is virtually helpless in the face of the Borg, and we know that the Borg are coming. What might that mean for the future...?
Rating: 10/10.
I also appreciate this episode tying in with the mysterious enemy that destroyed the outposts in The Neutral Zone. I had forgotten that detail, and had honestly assumed that the hints in The Neutral Zone ended up disappearing into the same plot alcove as the aliens in Conspiracy. By tying the Borg to the destruction of the neutral zone outposts, we are finally provided some payoff to the earlier episode.
Overall, this is one of the very best episodes to date. From the moment Q whisks them off into deep space, the pace doesn't let up. The sense of threat is maintained throughout, with a nicely ominous note in the tag scene. We have seen that Starfleet's flagship is virtually helpless in the face of the Borg, and we know that the Borg are coming. What might that mean for the future...?
Rating: 10/10.
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