Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Complete Seventh Season [DVD] [1990] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Another harbinger was the shows that sought to bring closure to the series' various open ends. The most dramatic of the seventh season's "tie-'em-up" eppies is 'Attached', where an implanted mental link forces Jean-Luc and Dr. Crusher to reveal their previously-hidden romantic feelings for each other. Will the good captain and lovely ship's physician, shall we say, consummate these mutual feelings and desires before the closing credits start rolling? You're just gonna have to find out for yourself...

A few other good seventh-season shows (and a few silly ones as well) worth taking a look at:

- 'Lower Decks': a look at the lives of a few of the Enterprise's junior officers, one of whom must overcome her disgrace in the eyes of Captain Picard.

- 'Force of Nature': the eppie that established a "speed-limit" for all warp-drive vessels in the Alpha Quadrant.

- 'Pre-emptive Strike': The return of Ro as she infiltrates a cell of Maquis freedom fighters and finds her burgeoning sympathy for their cause conflicting with her sworn duties as a Starfleet officer.

- 'Genesis': Picard and Data race against the clock to reverse the de-evolution of their crewmates. Are they not men...?

- 'Parallels': After realizing he shifting through endless parallel realities, Worf struggles to find his way back to his own reality.

- 'All Good Things...': Saving the absolute best of the final season for last, the omnipotent super-entity Q throws his ultimate challenge at Picard, with the very existence of humanity at stake! If ever there was a perfect signoff for one of pop culture's greatest hits, this double-length show comes pretty close.

But, let's not forget the klinkers that sometimes made NextGen's final year a painful one to witness. 'Sub Rosa' takes a look at Beverly's family 'curse' in a cheesy dime-store romance novel kind of way. The two-part cliffhanger 'Gambit', an attempt to make Picard into more of an action-oriented captain in the spirit of Jim Kirk, didn't exactly get my adrenalin goin'. Especially pathetic was 'Journey's End', featuring the return of Wussley-- whoops, I mean Wesley Crusher as he finally discovers his true destiny as he decides to drop out of Starfleet Academy (YAY!) and learns to harness and control his 'travelling' powers (BOO!). And if that ain't bad enough, you'll be "treated" to Wil "Wussley" Wheaton pontificating on his character's evolution in disc 7's supplemental materials. As if any self-respecting NextGen geekoid actually cares...

Speakin' of the supplemental materials: If you're itchin' to watch sappy and way-too-self-congratulatory 'love-fest'-style interviews with the cast & crew, you'll likely enjoy the Special Features that are contained on platter number seven. Y'know, I really like these actors, producers, writers, etc. and all that, but for once I'd like to hear one of 'em say something even slightly denigrating about a fellow NextGen cast-/crew-mate. Wouldn't it be great if LeVar Burton made remark about Michael Dorn's lazy eye creepin' him out? Or Brent Spiner making cracks about Jonathan Frakes' penchant for striking an overly-dramatic pose right before a station break on every other episode? Then Frakes could counter by stating his annoyance with Spiner's incessant Jimmy Stewart impressions? Now, THAT would make for some truly interesting interviews! Hey, you don't want the old-school crew to have all the fun with their mutual enmity towards William Shatner now, do ya?

As I expected, the sound quality of each episode is really good, far better than their preceding VHS presentations. The subtle background sounds are more perceptible. I found the picture quality to be very sharp most of the time, and pretty good (but not perfect) the rest of the time. There are a few parts here and there that looked a bit grainy. There are a few scenes here and there that appear somewhat grainy, but I believe this is due more to the quality of the source material rather than that of the digital transfer.

'Late