Enterprise encounters the Ferengi and Picard's previous ship the Stargazer.
This is an interesting insight into Picard's past and has some decent character moments from Riker and Wesley, but generally the story isn't hugely compelling.
It has another slowly unfolding problem for the crew to resolve and is littered with exposition dumps about Picard's history on the Stargazer. I think these glimpses into the captain's previous command are more interesting than what's going on in the current story.
The Ferengi are far less annoying than their introduction during The Last Outpost, but as villains they are nowhere near as credible some of those established in the original series and the likes of what is to come in TNG.
Picard is portrayed as a bit more vulnerable and it gives Riker some strong moments in command. Wesley is in full teacher's pet mode and looking thoroughly pleased with himself after figuring out something important to the plot. This likely annoys people who dislike the character, I just find it quite comical thinking about the portrayal of Starfleet crews of elite service personnel having this character get them out of trouble. Bok does a fun bit of villain monologging.
Visuals of Picard reliving the past are very good, particularly the ghostly crew members and pyrotechnics. However the spheres look a bit naff and not particularly threatening.
Performances are mostly solid, with Jonathan Frakes on decent form and Patrick Stewart great as always. Will Wheaton's acting is fine, he just does that smug smile as always that grates on viewers. Gates McFadden is a mixed bag as ever. Marina Sirtis has an incredibly striking physical presence but much like the previous episodes her character does not have that much to contribute.
This is an interesting insight into Picard's past and has some decent character moments from Riker and Wesley, but generally the story isn't hugely compelling.
It has another slowly unfolding problem for the crew to resolve and is littered with exposition dumps about Picard's history on the Stargazer. I think these glimpses into the captain's previous command are more interesting than what's going on in the current story.
The Ferengi are far less annoying than their introduction during The Last Outpost, but as villains they are nowhere near as credible some of those established in the original series and the likes of what is to come in TNG.
Picard is portrayed as a bit more vulnerable and it gives Riker some strong moments in command. Wesley is in full teacher's pet mode and looking thoroughly pleased with himself after figuring out something important to the plot. This likely annoys people who dislike the character, I just find it quite comical thinking about the portrayal of Starfleet crews of elite service personnel having this character get them out of trouble. Bok does a fun bit of villain monologging.
Visuals of Picard reliving the past are very good, particularly the ghostly crew members and pyrotechnics. However the spheres look a bit naff and not particularly threatening.
Performances are mostly solid, with Jonathan Frakes on decent form and Patrick Stewart great as always. Will Wheaton's acting is fine, he just does that smug smile as always that grates on viewers. Gates McFadden is a mixed bag as ever. Marina Sirtis has an incredibly striking physical presence but much like the previous episodes her character does not have that much to contribute.