DS9 - Necessary Evil

This is an excellent episode. It combines the humor of a Ferengi episode, with the seriousness of almost any other type of DS9 episode. It is very interesting to watch Odo investigate his first murder case, five years before the time the second season of Deep Space Nine takes place, and even more interesting to find out who actually committed the murder. In this episode we first see how the station looked during the Cardassian occupation. Necessary Evil also makes an interesting comment on the nature of objectivity, as Odo believes that it is possible for him to not take sides between the Cardassians or Bajorans. However, he is unable to do so, although which side he is biased towards depends on one’s viewpoint. This mystery episode is one of best episodes of Deep Space Nine’s second season.

ENT - The Crossing

The Crossing can be described as mediocre at best. It is a rather boring and predictable episode, not necessarily bad, but not very good either. The wisps are basically groups of coalescent energy that travels through subspace and can seemingly be in more than one place at a time, yet they require a ship to survive. This is completely absurd. These beings can travel through subspace of their own accord, so they definitely don’t need it for transportation, and since they are comprised solely of energy they don’t require a ship in order to stay alive. They are even seen through the windows of the ship multiple times in the episode. So, therefore, the whole premise of the episode seems to be flawed. Other than that, the episode was very slow and predictable. I could tell that the wisps were lying to Enterprise crew by about the sixth minute into the episode. And Phlox must have had his brain turned off, to risk going down to Hoshi’s quarters, when “Hoshi” claimed that her leg was broken, you could tell that she was trying to lay a trap right after she called up to the cat walk. This episode proceeded from a false premise, and was incredibly predictable, slow moving, and boring; definitely not one of Enterprise’s better achievements.

DS9 - In THe Hands of The Prophets

In this episode we see the first appearance of Winn Adami, in which she establishes her character as the power hungry bitch that she is throughout the rest of the series. Although the appearance of Vedek Winn makes for a very good episode, what makes this episode is that it serves as a look back on the first year of Federation presence on DS9. The combination of these two elements makes for a rather enjoyable episode. Kira also makes a very good point regarding the teaching of science vs. philosophy in school, when she says that some may argue that teaching science with no philosophy is, in and of itself a philosophy. In the Hands of the Prophets is an interesting epode, and one that is rather enjoyable to watch

VOY - Year of Hell

Year of Hell, parts one and two are, quite possibly, the two best episodes of Voyager. Together, these episodes form a sweeping epic filled with action, emotion, poignant dialogue, and powerful scenes. The different aspects of this episode are the very example of what makes any Star Trek episode great. The tragedy and degradation of Voyager is both shocking and riveting; it is incredibly rare that we get to see the main characters and their ship slowly destroyed in such a manner. Seeing how the crew copes with the dire circumstances is absolutely riveting, and practically makes the episode. Of particular note it is a scene towards the end of part two, in which Janeway and Tuvok discuss their journey and bond with Voyager, and say farewell. In its simplicity, it is utterly mesmerizing. This episode does a rather good job interconnecting with the previous Voyager episode before and after, despite the absence of Kes. Year of Hell contains all of the aspects of Star Trek episodes, rolled into one epic story, and each aspect is done to perfection, making these tragic episodes the best and most powerful episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.

TOS - The Omega Glory

The Omega Glory is my personal favorite episode of the original series. The only thing is, I have no idea why. If you look at it form an analytic point of view it is actually an incredibly crappy episode! In fact, the Omega Glory seems to set new records for bad acting and dialogue including lame puns, such as Yangs for Yankees, and Coms for Communists. The ending is ridiculously impossible. Yet, for reasons I cannot determine, I love this episode, mostly because of its far-fetched resolution. The scene where the identity of the Yangs as Americans is unveiled by the entrance of the American flag is one of my personal favorite Trek moments, but I really can offer no explanation as to why, it just is simply an amazing patriotic moment, which in reality is actually very cheesy. An interesting facet of this episode is the chronology mentioned in it. Captain Tracy mentions that some of the Coms live to be “well over a thousand” years old. This would imply that the inhabitants of Omega had their cold war, and subsequent nuclear war, well over a thousand years before the cold war on this planet. From an analytic point of view the Omega glory should be one of Star Trek’s worst. However, I find this episode to be incredibly good; the Original Series’ best. Yes, I like this episode even more than Tribbles, so go figure, I just wish I knew why I like it so much.

Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek Insurrection is a very interesting movie, very different from most all of the other Star Trek movies. Insurrection revolves around which group of people has the rights to a certain planet, instead of revolving around destructive space phenomena, or malevolent, mysterious space entities who attempt to destroy earth, as do many of the other Star Trek films. Insurrection revolves around the crew of the Enterprise working to allow the Ba’ku to remain in possession of their planet. And even takes place mostly on that planet. This radically different plot line sets it apart from all other Star Trek movies. This movie is set just after the end of the Dominion War. This means that it is set just after the ending of Deep Space Nine. If this is the case, then the presence of Worf on the Enterprise is inexplicable, as he is supposed to be the Federation ambassador to Qo’noS at that time (maybe he was on vacation). The Visual Effects in this movie are substandard for Star Trek (excluding the original series) as most of them appear to be blatantly faked and/or computer generated, detracting from one’s enjoyment of the movie. Insurrection makes a very good point about forced relocation/eminent domain. Whether applied to a single person or many people, their property is their property. Since the Federation seems to understand this, I find it odd that the Federation would associate itself with the removal of the Ba’ku from their planet. Star Trek Insurrection is unique as far as Star Trek movies go. Some of these differences are good, and others are not. The differences make Star Trek Insurrection rather average.