Star Trek The Next Generation - Season 6 (Slimline Edition) [DVD]

 

 

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1992/1993's Series 6 of Star Trek `The Next Generation' is jam-packed with quality episodes. In fact, it would be fair to say that by this point in the series' development, the general level of output is consistently higher than in previous outings. Familiar faces are all here in the 42 minute outings including Klingons, Romulans, Ferengi and the Borg. However, the Cardassians now assume a more prominent role. The key characters - Picard, Riker, Worf, Crusher, Troi and La Forge - once again have their personal tales in specialised episodes.

Extras include Mission Overview (17 minutes), Bold New Directions (17 minutes), Departmental Briefing: Production (15 minutes), Departmental Briefing: Dan Curry Profile (19 minutes), Lt. Commander Data Profile (18 minutes), Select Historical Data (17 minutes) and Inside the Starfleet Archives: Sets and props (12 minutes).

The following is a brief synopsis of each episode and a list of how I personally rated them:

*Episode 15: Tapestry (Picard lies close to death in sickbay after an attack on an away mission. Q meets him in his dreamlike state and offers him the chance to return to his youth and live his life again differently. He does so, but this results in Picard becoming a non-risk taking junior officer later on in life. This is a thought-provoking episode with a message about how we become the product of our life choices)

*Episode 26: Descent Part 1 (The final episode of Series 6 sees the return of the Borg. Once again they are leaving a trail of destruction in their wake; however on this occasion they appear to have a degree of individuality including personal names. Data, meanwhile, experiences emotion for the first time and his pursuit of this personal breakthrough has major consequences for the Enterprise. A special guest star is Professor Stephen Hawking - as himself)

*Episode 19: Lessons (A romance develops between Picard and the new head of Stellar Cartography, Lt Commander Daren. This is initially based around their music lessons together, with Picard on flute and Daren on piano. A firestorm then erupts on a Federation planet and the Captain has the personal moral dilemma of putting his new love in potential mortal danger)

*Episode 5: Schisms (An intriguing tale about a simple engineering experiment that triggers a number of freak incidents aboard the Enterprise including sleeplessness, missing time, disappearing crew members, irregular readings and strange memories. Clues to the source of the problems appear to be in tachyon emissions in a cargo bay and interfering entities from a parallel universe)

*Episodes 10 & 11: Chain of Command Parts 1 & 2 (Picard, Worf and Troi are sent on a mission to investigate spy intelligence that the Cardassians are developing illegal metagenic weapons. In Picard's absence, Captain Jellico takes over the Enterprise - much to the chagrin of the crew, especially Will Riker. Picard, meanwhile, is captured and subjected to physical and psychological torture. The Cardassians make for an interesting foe and this is their first return since their original appearance in Episode 12 of Series 4)

*Episode 14: Face of the Enemy (Troi is kidnapped at a conference and wakes up to find herself to be a Romulan secret police officer on a warbird. The plot is an elaborate ruse to get high-ranking Romulan dissidents safely into Federation hands - all partly orchestrated by Spock - who doesn't appear. A useful drama located, for the most part, on a Romulan warbird)

*Episode 22: Suspicions (Dr. Beverly Crusher's career is threatened as she gets caught up in a Ferengi's botched science experiment that becomes a murder mystery on board the Enterprise)

*Episode 20: The Chase (Picard's former archaeology professor, Galen, comes aboard the Enterprise and invites him to join him on a cryptic quest for a discovery of galactic significance. The captain refuses to leave his starship but when Galen is killed the Enterprise joins in a chase involving Cardassians, Klingons and Romulans to piece together the Professor's evidence. The plot plays on the idea held by some scientists that planets like Earth were seeded by alien species)

*Episode 23: Rightful Heir (This is really the third part of Episodes 16 & 17. Worf undergoes a spiritual crisis and Picard agrees that he can take some leave on the planet Boreth, where Klingons believe that their greatest ever warrior, Kahless, will return after 15 centuries. Kahless is successfully summoned again into physical form, throwing Gowron and the Klingon leadership into disarray. But is it really the mighty Kahless?)

*Episode 4: Relics (Scotty from the Original Series is discovered alive and preserved in a transport beam after 75 years and has only degraded by 0.003%. He buddies up with Geordi La Forge and, after being an on-board pest and living up to the caricature of the hard-drinking Scotsman in Ten Forward, he manages to contribute some of his old engineering magic to a rather tricky situation. A bit of a nostalgia trip for the fans)

*Episode 6: True Q (A young intern, Amanda (played by Olivia d'Abo), is placed on the Enterprise to gain more practical experience however it turns out that she is actually an unwitting member of the Q Continuum and has the associated superhuman powers. Her choice is whether or not to join up with the other super entities or to remain in human form. As always when Picard and Q lock horns, there is a debate around morality)

*Episode 16 & 17: Birthright Parts 1 & 2 (The Enterprise docks at Deep Space Nine to help the Bajorans. While there, Worf hears that his father may not have been killed at Khitomer after all and has instead spent 25 years in a Romulan prison camp. Data, meanwhile, is caught up in an experiment with a device from the gamma quadrant and discovers that he has the cognitive ability to dream. A very useful opening episode but then a bit of a slow burn in part 2)

*Episode 12: Ship in a Bottle (This is really the continuation of Episode 3 from Series 2. Professor Moriarty from the holodeck is brought back again by Lieutenant Barclay when he is undertaking maintenance on the system. The hologram then tries to gain control of the Enterprise at an inopportune time - while it is monitoring two planets colliding. This is a plot that plays around on the concept of reality and stars Stephanie Beacham as Moriarty's love interest)

*Episode 13: Aquiel (A rather different kind of episode in that is a murder mystery. The Enterprise investigates an abandoned Federation relay station near the Klingon border. All they have to go on are some DNA patterns. Geordi, meanwhile, becomes amorously attached to one of the suspects. The unusual plot also includes a few Klingons and a large friendly dog. This story starts off slowly then becomes more interesting as it gradually progresses)

*Episode 25: Timescape (Picard, Data, La Forge and Data are returning from a conference but get caught up in a series of temporal distortions. Perhaps this is just as well as the Enterprise is about to experience a warp core breach and Romulan boarding attack while in the old timeline. An interesting concept for a plot but one that is also rather complicated at times)

*Episode 3: Man of the People (A Lumerian peace ambassador, Ves Alkar, is picked up en route to a warring planet and uses his unorthodox working methods to dump all of his negative energy onto Counsellor Troi - a tactical act of deceptive that endangers her life)

*Episode 9: The Quality of Life (A scientist on a mining station has invented new robot helpers called exocomps. However, due to their awareness of self-preservation, Data believes that they are actually new life forms. This raises philosophical and ethical issues regarding their treatment)

*Episode 8: A Fistful of Datas (While enjoying leisure time on board the Enterprise, a computer systems experiment by La Forge and Data goes awry and some of the ship's processes malfunction. As a result, Worf, his son Alexander, and Troi all find themselves caught up in a wayward holodeck programme set in the old Wild West. Directed by Patrick Stewart, some aspects of this plot are quite similar to the classic film Westworld)

*Episode 1: Time's Arrow Part 2 (An away team arrives in San Francisco in the late 19th century in order to find Data. Meanwhile, Mark Twain (Sam Clemens) interferes and gets caught up in the team's attempts to stop aliens killing local people for their energy while blaming it on a cholera epidemic)

*Episode 18: Starship Mine (While docking for a baryon ray sweep, the Enterprise is taken over by a team of criminals who are intent on stealing trilithium. By chance, Picard has to go back to collect an object, leading to a typical action movie plot and something more akin to a Steven Seagal film)

*Episode 21: Frame of Mind (Will Riker has delusional episodes that continually alternate him between being imprisoned in a mental institution during an away mission on Tilonus IV and rehearsing/performing a play on the Enterprise. This is a dark, melancholy, psychodrama that is a very unusual kind of Star Trek plot and is probably a love it or hate it kind of episode)

*Episode 24: Second Chances (A 2nd Will Riker is found on a remote planet after a transport beam mishap 8 years previously. The kindred spirits do not exactly get on - an awkward situation not helped by their common affection for Deanna Troi. Directed by Levar Burton, this is an episode with an interesting concept but, in practice, I don't think it really worked)

*Episode 7: Rascals (Picard and 3 other crew members are turned back into 12 year olds when they encounter a strange energy field in their shuttlecraft. With Riker in command, a team of renegade... Read more ›

There is nothing derogatory I can say about this series. Great acting, Great stories, great sets, This series reached the epitome of sci-fi television. Having established themselves over 5 years as a series, with the best producers and directors (and guest stars), this series is a milestone in sci-fi. Indeed, it was only until "Voyager" came along that "The New Generation" had a serious rival, in terms of story, acting and viewer involvement. Essential, not for "Trekkies", but for sci-fi fans.

There are plenty of cracking episodes on this set. The presentation is superb, with an LCARS type of menu system on the DVD (you feel like you're at an Enterprise console when choosing your episodes!), and a looped "engine sound" "docking bay" before you "engage" the episode :).

The episode that sticks in my mind most is the one entitled "Schisms". The way the sense of insecurity builds throughout the episode makes it the most scary TNG I have seen. It also brings a whole new meaning to the concept of "Alien Abduction". Another superb treat is "Tapestry", which, again, unfolds piece by piece to present a superb "tapestry" of a story, detailing the origins of all life in this galaxy. Great stuff and heartily recommended for all Trekkies, especially at this price and quality.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Just great!
I'm eager to watch this 6th season and discover the new adventures of the Enterprise's crew... and captain Picard, of course.

Published 2 months ago by Corinne

5.0 out of 5 stars great
"great". added to my collection as i did to all my stuff about star trek, and everything else that is related

Published 3 months ago by C H

5.0 out of 5 stars NEXT GENERATION DELIVERS AGAIN
The Sixth Series of Star -Trek the Next Generation maintains the uniformly excellent standards set by Series 1-5. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Maurice R. West

5.0 out of 5 stars Highlight
I go with Woopy Goldberg. She wasn't approached for a part in Star Trek, but she wanted to be a part so she asked for it. I wish they were interested in me! Read more

Published 7 months ago by tops

5.0 out of 5 stars .
I really like the slimline cases, it saves alot of space. The series are of a good quality sadly enough it doesn't inclue widescreen. Still 5 star as i love the series.

Published 10 months ago by L C de Waardt

5.0 out of 5 stars the gift that keeps on giving......
Bought this as a gift for my daughter who is a huge fan. Building up her collection and she is closing in on completion. Read more

Published 10 months ago by M. ISAACS

5.0 out of 5 stars Star Trek TNG Season 6
Brillant content. Packaging fine although some of the retaining clips on the DVD carriers are brittle and fragile. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Sybil

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid season
This penultimate season of Star Trek: The Next Generation builds on the previous great season with some nice and interesting episodes. Read more

Published on 12 Jan 2009 by T. R. Alexander

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