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Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Fifth Season

Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Fifth Season

List Price: $139.99
Your Price: $125.99
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A lot of sit-and-talk episodes/some unsound Picard episodes
Review: Season 5 is good, and sit-and-talk episodes are good too if handled properly. But there seems to be something missing from season 5; it's been leveled out, if you will. Besides "The Next Phase" and maybe "Times Arrow, Part I" nothing even out of the ordinary happens. Too many episodes deal with ambassadors, the "moral thing," and time travel. I think the phrase "missed opportunities" is right. The baseball equivalent would be bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, game tied 1-1, and your slugger grounds out. The game goes into the tenth inning where the same thing happens. That's what "Times Arrow" is like and much of the season.

The missed opportunites revolve around Picard and Ensign Ro. Picard has several chances to evolve into a character more realistic and easier to relate to, but instead reverts back to some very unsound reasoning and takes wild gambles that result in some exceedingly engineered conclusions. I like to think that any rational person (Riker) would have destroyed the crystalline entity, and even more so the Borg. Picard's grounds for allowing the crystalline entity to keep killing is that, "it may not know it is killing." So how do we react to that? That seems nutty. His grounds for allowing Hugh to teturn to the Borg and not for using him to wipe them out is that maybe the Borg will evolve. Sort of a head-scratcher. Perhaps in the future this will provide a nice opportunity for Janeway to grab Picard and fire him up against the wall! (Of course, I know the Borg couldn't be destroyed that simply, but the episode is still off the wall). The other wasted opportunity was with Ro. I mentioned sit-and-talk episodes? "Enisgn Ro" is a waste of time. Why didn't they just go ahead and make her a loose cannon? Don't worry about her history, a Cardassian war, a Federation conspiracy, the Bajorans, anti-imperialism, philosophy, inclusion, and terrorism ALL in ONE 45 minute episode. That would have re-wired a lot of the problems with her character, right in the beginning, and made everything easier to handle. A simple story, and reveal her character through some string of events. Having her sitting and telling sad stories for the first half of the show against this mosaic of things was a bad idea. I mean, come on, and Riker's treatment of her? The sight of her makes him sick, Guinan says something to the effect of, "I think you should listen to her," and she's everybody's best pal. The blindingly obvious thing then is why not make this the two-parter? The two-parter is "Time's Arrow," a show that is fairly empty and becomes vapid after one viewing.

The best of the season is perhaps "Darmok," and it's accompanied by "Cause and Effect," "Power Play," "Unification," and "Conundrum" as the better episodes in the season. Someone else mentioned the proliferation of "society" episodes, and most of them are pretty good in that they allow you to interpret them in a variety of ways. "Violations" is pretty interesting and introduces the possibility of someone using empathic powers in a malevolent way; equally weird is "Imaginary Friend," which should please fans of Voyageresque material.

Overall, season 5 is a fairly flattened out season; don't expect any surprises if you haven't seen these episodes. I suspect this is a season, like 7, to which fans have varied repsonses. Some will like episodes and dislike episodes for different reasons, but overall it's pretty good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Season Five, a mixed season.
Review: Season 5 was a mixed season, with a few episodes shining as gems and others easily forgotten. The opening episodes, which include "Redemption Part II, Darmok, and Ensign Ro" are examples of truly magnificant episodes which define Trek. Darmok, which inolves communication with an alien race, stands out as one of the best episodes of the season.

Two big episodes were "I, Borg" and "The Inner Light". "I, Borg" has been critized because it injects humanity into Trek's coldest villains. The message in this episode is what stands out, however, as both Guinan and Picard have to deal with their feelings towards the Borg, and it conveys a powerful message about prejeduce. "The Inner Light" is an incredible episode in which Picard wakes up in another life and experiences things that he could never have aboard the Enterprise, including a family.

However, there are episodes which take away from this season. Two episodes, "The Cost of Living" and "Imaginary Friend" are examples of such. Nothing gets accomplished and the only feeling received after viewing these episodes is something akin to relief that you can move on to a better one. Finally, Season 5 is the only season which does not feature an episode with Q, everyone's favorite God. Still, anyone who enjoys Trek will be able to see past minor flaws and take comfort in watching some brilliant episodes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: STNG Season Five - On cruise control!
Review: Season five in so many ways, is just an absolutely incredible season that is packed with stunning, thought provoking episodes. As one watched these shows aired for the first time or is working their way through the DVD's, the quality of the writing and the actors comfort with their characters just becomes better and better by the episode. The shows popularity is at an all time high during this season. This is evidenced by the high quality of the scripts and shows that deal with so many issues brilliantly. The one true oddity about the season is the lack of a "Q" episode due to the lack of a good script for the character. Of key interest is the fact that more and more of Hollywood's big names were inquiring about and or getting spots on the show. In my opinion, many of the series best episodes of its seven year run came from this season.

The following is a list with a synopsis of episodes that stand out among all of the great episodes of the season:

Redemption part II - The outstanding conclusion to season fours season ending cliffhanger. Introducing the return of Denise Crosby in the role of Commander Sela, Tasha Yar's daughter; this brings us back to the events of "Yesterdays Enterprise." Here we are treated to some of the best Klingon scenes of the entire series.

Darmok - Paul Winfield, better known in the Star Trek universe from Star Trek II, makes a guest appearance. This episode is quite intriguing in how Captain Picard and crew have to come up with a way to communicate with the Children of Tama, whose language is indecipherable, hopefully before Captain Picard gets killed.

Ensign Ro - The introduction of Michelle Forbes in the role of Ensign Ro Laren and the Bajoran people which will become quite prominent in Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Her addition to the cast at least in a part time status, is an outstanding addition, even for a show that really didn't need it.

Disaster - A great episode in which we get to see Counselor Troi in charge and Worf assist in the birth of Chief O'Brien's and Keiko's daughter, which is extremely humorous.

The Game - This is an interesting episode about Riker meeting a woman who introduces him to an "addictive" game. This episode also marks the first appearance of Ashley Judd as Ensign Robin Lefler.

Unification parts I & II - In no uncertain terms, this episode is among the tops in the series whole seven year run. Leonard Nimoy's appearance as Ambassador Spock and the intrigue involved is gripping to say the least. The conversation between Spock and Data is highly enlightening into both characters.

Ethics - This episode stands out because of its Klingon mythology aspect, bringing even further along in how the Klingon culture deals with issues, such as this one, suicide due to injury.

Cause and Effect - I just thoroughly enjoy how this episode was done. The Enterprise is caught in a causality loop. This causes them to repeat several days, over and over again, always ending in disaster until they figure out a way to stop it. Kelsey Grammer makes a brief but endearing guest appearance.

The First Duty - The Enterprise is home at earth, with Captain Picard planning on giving the commencement speech for Starfleet Academy. Wesley Crusher makes an appearance and he's part of Nova Squadron which is an Academy flying team. They've had an accident and there is an investigation. This episode has some of the best conflict between the characters out of the entire series. In this episode, we also finally get to see what the Academy looks like and meet Boothby, played by Ray Walston.

The Perfect Mate - This episode truly stands out among the shows of the entire series. Newcomer Famke Janssen appears a Kamala. She is a Metamorph, a woman who is empathic and in the final stages of her "maturing" process bonds perfectly with the man she meets when she comes out of stasis. Hers and Patrick Stewart's performance are exceptional!

The Next Phase - This is a great Ro Laren and LaForge episode that deals with what is initially thought of as their deaths. This show is very ingeniously written!

The Inner Light - This episode is by far the best of the season and among the top five of the entire series! Patrick Stewart's performance is heartfelt and touching and should've won him many awards! The Enterprise encounters an alien probe which "attaches" itself to him and he then lives a lifetime in the span of twenty five minutes. This is a beautiful episode which bears many viewings!

Time's Arrow part I - The season ending cliffhanger. While not being one of the best cliffhangers of the series, this one is still quite interesting as the crew deals with time travel and Guinan takes a prominent position in the script. Jerry Hardin's performance as Samuel Clemens is marvelous!

Special Features:

Mission Overview: Year Five
Departmental Briefing: Year Five, Production & Visual Effects
Memorable Missions: Year Five
A Tribute to Gene Roddenberry - This special feature above all others, offsets the costs of the DVD sets as it is priceless, especially the surprise ending!

Also included:

A separate mini-CD containing some great Star Trek Nemesis wallpapers, screensavers and a theatrical trailer.

A Season Five Bonus Featurette containing a great "Intergalactic Guest Stars" clip that is enlightening! Also included is "Alien Speak" which is a wonderful clip about how some of the alien writings and speech came about! {ssintrepid}

Entire episode list:

Redemption Part II
Darmok
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The Game
Unification Part I
Unification Part II
A Matter of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause and Effect
The First Duty
Cost of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I, Borg
The Next Phase
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow Part I

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Getting Ripe
Review: Season FIVE of the beloved Star Trek NG was incredible because of the ongoing character development. ALL of the major characters, of which there are many, are maturing and incredibly distinct from one another. From acting, writing and plot development - Season Five was incredible year for the NG team. The show is just now getting ripe and boy, oh boy, does it taste good! ;)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TNG at its best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: So you like Trek, but you don't want to be lumped with the people who are obsessed with it? I'm your man. I know how you feel. And I'm prepared to evaluate Season Five from a relatively neutral perspective. I don't want to meet the actors at some sci-fi convention. The things that interest me about Trek are well-written scripts and the philosophical and political implications of Sci-Fi. When Star Trek becomes a space opera, I snooze.

With that, I present you with a full-scale review of all the episodes in this season. Evaluations range from 0 to 5 stars (*). Hope this helps.

Redemption, Part II (**) - The Enterprise tries to stop the Romulans from interfering in the Klingon Civil War. This is meandering and horribly written. The plot point about Tasha Yar's kid being a Romulan was never explained fully, leaving someone who wouldn't know better totally confused.

Darmok (*****) - Picard struggles with an alien, who seems to communicate in gibberish. Patrick Stewart is featured extensively, which is always a good thing. His scene where he explains the Gilgamesh story is priceless. Even better, this episode actually deals with metaphor and language in a fairly intelligent way. Well acted and well written. This season's gem.

Ensign Ro (***) - Introduces the character of Ensign Ro Laren, who tries to help the Enterprise with a dispute over the treatment of an oppressed people and their possible terrorist operations. There's probably a hidden message about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Decent political drama, but uneventful.

Silicon Avatar (**) - A scientist and the Enterprise try to thwart a large, deadly silicon being. Some pretty horrible special effects (which is atypical), plus the guest star can't act. Somewhere in here, there's a debate about science and ethics. But it's not worth bothering over.

Disaster (****) - The Enterprise is nearly destroyed, leaving the scattered crew to try and recover the ship. It's clichèd, but fairly entertaining as a disaster movie homage. Data's head comes off, Worf delivers a baby, and Picard sings Frère Jacques.

The Game (****) - Wesley Crusher and Ashley Judd attempt to save the crew from an addictive game. Plenty of action and effects, this episode ponders addiction, technology, and the combination thereof. Next time you're at a family gathering, see if your family's blank stare at the TV screen doesn't resemble Will Riker's anathetized look as he drools over The Game.

Unification, Parts I and II (**) - Something about Romulans and Vulcans. Spock shows up. Nothing outstanding as far as the show goes, although some people will go nuts over Leonard Nimoy's appearance.

A Matter of Time (***) - A historian from the future visits the Enterprise to do research, while Picard and crew are caught in an ethical dilemma. Not a horrible idea, and Picard solilquizes about ethical choices, but the denouement doesn't fit with the opening explanation. Further, it's obvious that the writers avoided any kind of questions about time-travel logic. Matt Frewer tries to be silly, which is always annoying.

New Ground (0 stars) - Worf gets a son. I'll pass.

Hero Worship (*) - A traumatized little boy is saved by Data, and then begins to imitate the android. The kid actor mimics Data fairly well, but other than that, this episode is pure space opera.

Violations (**) - Troi goes into a coma, while Geordi and Data play detective. A few annoying Nightmare on Elm Street sequences, and no good ideas.

The Masterpiece Society (***) - An isolated, genetically engineered society of humans is threatened with extinction. Star Trek tries to moralize about selective breeding and genetics. Picard utters several platitudes about "free-will" and "human rights." Thanks, Jean Luc, but you're an amateur philosopher, and the Federation is a socialistic, fascistic nightmare of a space government. Let these people live in peace, for God's sake.

Conundrum (****) - The crew loses their memories and are consequently suckered into believing that they are at war. Certainly watchable, though the guest star (yet again!) can't act. The premise is solid -- the characters have to figure out who they are, and this changes their relationships -- but the Riker love scenes are incredibly annoying and pointless.

Power Play (****) - Troi, Data, and O'Brien take over 10-Forward, holding hostages and shooting at anything that moves. This has a life-after-death theme. Entertaining, and probably the most action packed episode of the season. It's good to see Data sneer.

Ethics (*) - Worf breaks his back and then ponders suicide. This episode tries to be your Philosophy 101 class, but it's really just boring, textbookish space opera. Worf shoulda done it and ended my misery.

The Outcast (0 stars) - Riker falls in love with an androgyne. Boring, disgusting, a lot of pontificating about gender roles and society. Still, you'll get a few laughs out of lines like "The null space must be negating the anular confinement beam."

Cause and Effect (****) - The Enterprise gets stuck in a time loop, which ends with the ship blowing up four times. Another episode with a technobabble ending, but it's a good mystery, and the director gets to be intriguingly cute for a TV show (watch those changing camera angles each time the story repeats).

The First Duty (*) - Boring twaddle about Wesley Crusher's accident at Starfleet Academy. A throwaway episode, for sure, pretentious in its presentation of moral dilemmas. Plus, there are several guest stars who can't act (I'm sensing a theme).

Cost of Living (0 stars) - Troi's mom comes aboard the ship. I hit the fast-forward button.

The Perfect Mate (****) - A beautiful woman seduces Picard and crew. One of the few space-opera episodes that has a convincing pathos, particularly because Patrick Stewart does such a great job. It plays with the ideas of woman-as-sex-object and woman-as-seductress, and handles them well. Pretty good sci-fi drama.

Imaginary Friend (**) - A little girl's imaginary friend becomes all too real and threatens the Enterprise. Other reviewers seem to think this one is terrible. It's not that bad, but won't be in your top ten for this season.

I, Borg (***) - The Enterprise rescues a member of the Borg. Good pathos - the individual borg begins to show signs of a personality - but please, would his life be any better in Starfleet? He'd be going from one type of humanistic socialism to another. Repeat after me: they all think alike in the Federation. No religion, no yearning for independent state- or planethood, a desire to expand the empire, plenty of assimilated ethnic groups. Sounds like the Borg to me.

The Next Phase (***) - Geordi and Ro Laren "die" in a transporter accident, only to awaken on the Enterprise where they can't be seen or heard. This is the second episode of this season to flirt with life-after-death themes. However, this one relies heavily on its techno-babble solution.

The Inner Light (*****) - The Enterprise encounters a strange vessel, and Picard lives a second life. Probably the best Trek episode I've seen. While I can't stand the space opera aspect of the show, in this episode it works extremely well. Picard's experience always strikes me as analogous to what happens when we read books. Excellent writing, and, of course by featuring Patrick Stewart, excellent acting. I want a pennywhistle.

Time's Arrow, Part I (0 stars) - Data's head appears underneath San Francisco, so the crew ends up traveling back in time. Putting this episode in this DVD collection is entirely useless, since there's no Part II to watch. And Paramount expects me to fork over $120 just to see the second part? No thanks. But if you send me a copy, I'll review it, and the rest of Season 6, for free.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Advice from a Non-Trekkie
Review: So you like Trek, but you don't want to be lumped with the people who are obsessed with it? I'm your man. I know how you feel. And I'm prepared to evaluate Season Five from a relatively neutral perspective. I don't want to meet the actors at some sci-fi convention. The things that interest me about Trek are well-written scripts and the philosophical and political implications of Sci-Fi. When Star Trek becomes a space opera, I snooze.

With that, I present you with a full-scale review of all the episodes in this season. Evaluations range from 0 to 5 stars (*). Hope this helps.

Redemption, Part II (**) - The Enterprise tries to stop the Romulans from interfering in the Klingon Civil War. This is meandering and horribly written. The plot point about Tasha Yar's kid being a Romulan was never explained fully, leaving someone who wouldn't know better totally confused.

Darmok (*****) - Picard struggles with an alien, who seems to communicate in gibberish. Patrick Stewart is featured extensively, which is always a good thing. His scene where he explains the Gilgamesh story is priceless. Even better, this episode actually deals with metaphor and language in a fairly intelligent way. Well acted and well written. This season's gem.

Ensign Ro (***) - Introduces the character of Ensign Ro Laren, who tries to help the Enterprise with a dispute over the treatment of an oppressed people and their possible terrorist operations. There's probably a hidden message about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Decent political drama, but uneventful.

Silicon Avatar (**) - A scientist and the Enterprise try to thwart a large, deadly silicon being. Some pretty horrible special effects (which is atypical), plus the guest star can't act. Somewhere in here, there's a debate about science and ethics. But it's not worth bothering over.

Disaster (****) - The Enterprise is nearly destroyed, leaving the scattered crew to try and recover the ship. It's clichèd, but fairly entertaining as a disaster movie homage. Data's head comes off, Worf delivers a baby, and Picard sings Frère Jacques.

The Game (****) - Wesley Crusher and Ashley Judd attempt to save the crew from an addictive game. Plenty of action and effects, this episode ponders addiction, technology, and the combination thereof. Next time you're at a family gathering, see if your family's blank stare at the TV screen doesn't resemble Will Riker's anathetized look as he drools over The Game.

Unification, Parts I and II (**) - Something about Romulans and Vulcans. Spock shows up. Nothing outstanding as far as the show goes, although some people will go nuts over Leonard Nimoy's appearance.

A Matter of Time (***) - A historian from the future visits the Enterprise to do research, while Picard and crew are caught in an ethical dilemma. Not a horrible idea, and Picard solilquizes about ethical choices, but the denouement doesn't fit with the opening explanation. Further, it's obvious that the writers avoided any kind of questions about time-travel logic. Matt Frewer tries to be silly, which is always annoying.

New Ground (0 stars) - Worf gets a son. I'll pass.

Hero Worship (*) - A traumatized little boy is saved by Data, and then begins to imitate the android. The kid actor mimics Data fairly well, but other than that, this episode is pure space opera.

Violations (**) - Troi goes into a coma, while Geordi and Data play detective. A few annoying Nightmare on Elm Street sequences, and no good ideas.

The Masterpiece Society (***) - An isolated, genetically engineered society of humans is threatened with extinction. Star Trek tries to moralize about selective breeding and genetics. Picard utters several platitudes about "free-will" and "human rights." Thanks, Jean Luc, but you're an amateur philosopher, and the Federation is a socialistic, fascistic nightmare of a space government. Let these people live in peace, for God's sake.

Conundrum (****) - The crew loses their memories and are consequently suckered into believing that they are at war. Certainly watchable, though the guest star (yet again!) can't act. The premise is solid -- the characters have to figure out who they are, and this changes their relationships -- but the Riker love scenes are incredibly annoying and pointless.

Power Play (****) - Troi, Data, and O'Brien take over 10-Forward, holding hostages and shooting at anything that moves. This has a life-after-death theme. Entertaining, and probably the most action packed episode of the season. It's good to see Data sneer.

Ethics (*) - Worf breaks his back and then ponders suicide. This episode tries to be your Philosophy 101 class, but it's really just boring, textbookish space opera. Worf shoulda done it and ended my misery.

The Outcast (0 stars) - Riker falls in love with an androgyne. Boring, disgusting, a lot of pontificating about gender roles and society. Still, you'll get a few laughs out of lines like "The null space must be negating the anular confinement beam."

Cause and Effect (****) - The Enterprise gets stuck in a time loop, which ends with the ship blowing up four times. Another episode with a technobabble ending, but it's a good mystery, and the director gets to be intriguingly cute for a TV show (watch those changing camera angles each time the story repeats).

The First Duty (*) - Boring twaddle about Wesley Crusher's accident at Starfleet Academy. A throwaway episode, for sure, pretentious in its presentation of moral dilemmas. Plus, there are several guest stars who can't act (I'm sensing a theme).

Cost of Living (0 stars) - Troi's mom comes aboard the ship. I hit the fast-forward button.

The Perfect Mate (****) - A beautiful woman seduces Picard and crew. One of the few space-opera episodes that has a convincing pathos, particularly because Patrick Stewart does such a great job. It plays with the ideas of woman-as-sex-object and woman-as-seductress, and handles them well. Pretty good sci-fi drama.

Imaginary Friend (**) - A little girl's imaginary friend becomes all too real and threatens the Enterprise. Other reviewers seem to think this one is terrible. It's not that bad, but won't be in your top ten for this season.

I, Borg (***) - The Enterprise rescues a member of the Borg. Good pathos - the individual borg begins to show signs of a personality - but please, would his life be any better in Starfleet? He'd be going from one type of humanistic socialism to another. Repeat after me: they all think alike in the Federation. No religion, no yearning for independent state- or planethood, a desire to expand the empire, plenty of assimilated ethnic groups. Sounds like the Borg to me.

The Next Phase (***) - Geordi and Ro Laren "die" in a transporter accident, only to awaken on the Enterprise where they can't be seen or heard. This is the second episode of this season to flirt with life-after-death themes. However, this one relies heavily on its techno-babble solution.

The Inner Light (*****) - The Enterprise encounters a strange vessel, and Picard lives a second life. Probably the best Trek episode I've seen. While I can't stand the space opera aspect of the show, in this episode it works extremely well. Picard's experience always strikes me as analogous to what happens when we read books. Excellent writing, and, of course by featuring Patrick Stewart, excellent acting. I want a pennywhistle.

Time's Arrow, Part I (0 stars) - Data's head appears underneath San Francisco, so the crew ends up traveling back in time. Putting this episode in this DVD collection is entirely useless, since there's no Part II to watch. And Paramount expects me to fork over $120 just to see the second part? No thanks. But if you send me a copy, I'll review it, and the rest of Season 6, for free.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Your DVD player will come alive with season 5
Review: Spock returns in "Unification Pt.2"...an episode dedicated to the memory of Gene Roddenberry. Other quality episodes include, Time's Arrow Pt.1, Cause & Effect, The Inner Light, & The First Duty...which is now a required training video for our armed forces!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TNG's best season...
Review: Sure, seasons 3 and 4 were great, but season 5 is where everything starts to feel comfortable. Season 4 was the setup, the ultimate test for TNG to see if it really could boldly go. Season 5 is the confirmation that it passed.

It opens with the excellent conclusion to one of the best two-parters, "Redemption." New areas are explored with the Klingons and Romulans. This is the best season premiere of the whole series, loaded with plot twists, space fights, and some more character development.

What continues in the season are the greatest episodes of the series. In "Unification pts. 1-2," the crew finally meet Spock and the "unification" between the two series is complete. Wesley the weasel gets in trouble at Starfleet in "The First Duty," proving that the little twerp really can make mistakes. But the episode is also great in that we learn more about Picard's training at the academy. Another great episode is the remarkable "Darmok," in which Picard and an alien captain are trapped on a planet with a deadly monster. The two have incredible trouble communicating, but it turns into a bonding experience for both of them, turning in one of the best "Trek" episodes ever. In another remarkable episode, "The Inner Light," Picard is zapped by an alien probe and sent into a coma. While thirty minutes go by on the ship, Picard experiences a lifetime on another world.

Season 5 of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" boldly goes where no other Trek series has gone before. It has all of the Trek elements perfectly in tact and is also one of the best years of any television show. No fan of good science fiction should be without it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I'm Looking For Ambassador Spock
Review: The 5th season of STAR TREK TNG had it share of highs and lows, in front of, and behind the camera. The season brought original series star, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, out of t.v. retirement for a two parter called "Unification". The strange thing is, while it was great to see the Vulcan interact with Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Data (Brent Spiner), the 2nd part seemed rather flat. The first half though, was a great build-up to the historic meeting, featuring the last appearance of Sarek (Mark Lenard). Returning for 2 guest shots were former series regulars Wil Wheaton and Denise Crosby (in a clever twist, since her charater died in the first season) Other notable guest stars include, Michelle Forbes makes her debut as a renegade starfleet officer Ensign Ro Majel Barret as Lwaxanna Troi, the late great Ray Walston, as Boothby in the standout episode, The First Duty, Kelsey Grammer as a Captain stuck in time, and Jerry Hardin as Mark Twain Whoppi Goldberg continued her recurring as Guinan and made Time's Arrow something special. I think by far though my favorite episode of the year had to be The Inner Light.--truly a one of kind for TNG

One can't mention the 5th year, without talking about the death of TREK Creator, Gene Roddenberry. One of the extra features in the set sort of breaks the format of the other sets. There is a 26 minute tribute to Roddenberry that is well produced and welcomed. The rest of the featurettes are laid out in much the same way, as the previous sets of the series (season recaps and such) As a bonus, some will find a bonus disc. featuing promotional material for the film, STAR TREK:NEMESIS, released late in 2002

As with any TREK season, there were a few clunkers, along the way. Fortunately though the only really bad ideas of the year were to include Worf's (Michael Dorn) son Alexander (Brian Bonsall) into too many stories (I thought he was overused), and not to have Q (John De Lancie) return for an annual visit. Fans of the seris will want to add the set to their TNG collection

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TNG at its best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: The 5th season of TNG is superb! The season contains great guest actors indcluding Kelsey Grammer (Frasier),Leonard Nimoy's(Star Trek:The Original Series) great return as Ambassdor Spock,and several episodes with Whoppi Goldberg as Guian,the 10 forward bartender. There are several episodes with Wil Weaton as Wesley Crusher. The best episodes are Unification parts I and II,The Game, Violations,and The First Duty. The worst are The Outcaste, The Perfect Mate , The Inner Light, and The Masterpiece Society. I can't wait to get season 6.


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