Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Legacy (1990) User Reviews

Energise

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 9 July 2021]

Enterprise visits Turkana IV and the crew meet Tasha Yar's sister Ishara.

This is a mostly good episode with some great character moments, particularly involving Lieutenant Data.

The story is okay but fairly uninspired, predictable and culminates in Captain Picard addressing the crew with something like South Park used to parody in their "I think we've all learned something here today" speeches. However, the tribal mentality of gang culture is highlighted effectively when it compares Ishara Yar's choices in life to that of Tasha.

What works very well are the character moments between Data and Ishara, particularly towards the end. It would not be a spoiler to say that we see Data learning about some important aspects of humanity such as trust and betrayal. Showing it from his perspective I found to be very poignant.

Ishara is a memorable guest character not just for being Tasha's sister, but for giving more context behind Tasha and Turkana IV. The contrast between Data and the Enterprise crew's feelings towards Ishara and Tasha is very well done.

Visually I think it is strong, particularly the action scenes on Turkana IV.

Performances from all are great, especially Brent Spiner who captivates in some of those touching moments of human discovery. Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart and Michael Dorn are also good.

Beth Toussaint is perfectly cast as Ishara. She gives a solid, natural performance, and has such a striking screen presence it almost distracts you from what her character is doing on board Enterprise. By the end of a very obvious and frustrating story, you almost forgive the crew for falling under her spell.

Tasha's Sister

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 29 May 2020]

This episode takes us to the home planet of the late Tasha Yar. It's the anarchic planet she describes ruled by gangs. Two members of a shuttlecraft crew are crashed there and one of the gangs is holding them.

Another has Beth Toussaint who is Tasha's sister. They offer to help, but they and Toissaint have thie own agenda.

Beth Toussaint does well and she really does convince that she could have been Tasha's sister. She shines in this story.

Is There a Greater Good?

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 22 August 2014]

In an effort to save a couple crewmen from a fellow Starfleet ship that has become involved in a civil war on a planet that turns out to be the birthplace of Tasha Yar. The civil war has led to great violence, including the slaughter of trespassers. One group, the Alliance,has held the other at bay. It turns out that Tasha Yar's sister is an insurgent rebel. She is brought on board the Enterprise and joins them in rescue efforts to save the two men trapped below the planet. The leaders of the alliance give an ultimatum and the Enterprise must act. Ishara Yar masterfully gains the trust of the crew and is given great latitude in the rescue operation. During this time she is very critical of her sister. Data informs her of Tasha's great character and bravery. It seems the war on the planet excludes any sisterly affection and Ishara felt that Tasha took off rather than fight. I really believe that the show went for more believable encounters and actions. This is one of those that shows us that the writers were really gaining steam.

A milestone.

[russem31 · 21 April 2006]

ST:TNG:80 - "Legacy" (Stardate: 44215.2) - this is the 6th episode of the 4th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 80th episode to air overall. It is a historic episode because it surpasses the Original Series' 79 episodes length. In fact, there is an homage at the beginning of the episode with Picard saying in the captain's log that they "bypassed Camus II" to go to their emergency mission on Turkana IV. Camus II was featured in the last (79th) episode of the Original Series - "Turnabout Intruder".

Also, this episode delves more into Tasha Yar's past, since Turkana IV is the planet she grew up on. We meet her sister, Ishara Yar, who isn't what she seems.

Trivia note: you see the poker game again. Also, Data recalls the events to Ishara of the 1st season episode "Skin Of Evil" of how Tasha Yar was killed.

The writers treat the audience like imbeciles.

[wwcanoer-tech · 7/10 · 19 January 2022]

Typical Star Trek, giving away the plot twist long before it happens.

Why do the writers explicitly show us her conversation with her leader and saying "everything's going as planned." This is a huge giveaway that she is misleading the crew. It was completely unnecessary. They could provide more subtle hints.

The point of this story was the danger of trusting people but to have the crew oblivious to the possibility that she is misleading them, except for a momentary discussion with Troi, is ridiculous. In one episode the crew is cunning and outsmarts their enemy and the next episode they are portrayed as gullible.

A huge hole is that the crew doesn't even discuss the implications of removing her implant, how it would affect the balance of power if one person could run around undetected. It would be far better if they stated that they tried to find other ways to shield the implant but nothing works, so they have no option but to remove it but surely that would mean that she must leave the planet.

I was amazed that they let her go back to the planet without the explosive tracker.

(Plot hole: If the government implanted people 15 years ago then everyone under 15 would not have an implant and be recruited as spies and saboteurs.)

Also, Picard makes zero attempts at negotiation with the other faction, believing everything that Yar's faction says. That is highly unusual because a negotiated solution is always preferable. We only get one very brief communication. If they really wanted compensation then there would be more talks and Picard would need to lead them on while planning the rescue.

There's only so much that can be done in 45 minutes but I believe that the episode could be greatly improved with more thought.

Note: If the tracker explodes when exposed to air, why can they handle it immediately after the operation and carry it as a souvenir? Rather than a force field Geordie could have said that a careful exposure to radiation can force the chemical to slowly decay and become inert, then it would make sense. Otherwise, they need a line to state that it will be safe once removed even though removing the detonation circuit for an explosive doesn't make it safe. They just need some explanation.

Fun

[dellamorte-44869 · 6/10 · 15 September 2018]

This would be a higher ranked episode if it had fleshed out the story more. Predictable to a LARGE degree

You're no good, you're no good, baby you're no good.

[thevacinstaller · 6/10 · 22 March 2021]

I've noticed a lack of honesty in reviews for this one.

The best part of this episode is Beth Toussaint is a form fitting onesie. I like the punk hair, I like the skin tone, the white teeth, the full lips, the voice.

This episode is essentially about Data getting conned and used as an unwillingly ally to Ishara plan to kill her enemies via self sacrifice suicide. Way to go Ishara ---- You made Data android cry with your dishonesty. It's moments like this that will lead to a synthetic uprising --- Geez.

What's the message here? Sometimes you get kicked in the face if you put trust in people? Hot babes have an incalculable ability to manipulate people and androids by wearing form fitting onesie? Don't get involved with crazy factions embroiled in a turf war? Living in a constant state of violence makes people crazy? The yars have awsome genetics for hair styles?

I did feel bad for Data but I needed more out of this one. I suppose it is realistic for Ishara to still be a jerk at the end of the episode but it would have given me the warm fuzzies if Data managed to truly break down her walls. You know --- Maybe Ishara actually goes to starfleet and gets assigned to Voyager and ends up having hot steamy bisexual sex with 7 of.... Oh forget it... Moving right along...

I'm giving it a 6 because Beth is an absolute stunner in this one.

Terminator in Space

[GoldenGooner04 · 7/10 · 24 January 2022]

So Tasha Yar's sister, looks just like Sarah Connor, gets close to Data, talks about Cybernetics, in a decent episode. But for me was def a rip-off of the Terminator. Or maybe I just have the hots for the Sarah Connor look from Terminator :-)

Not great writing but a solid premise

[beanslegit · 7/10 · 23 February 2023]

So here we have the crew responding to a distress call from Tasha Yar's home planet. The one that has fallen into anarchy and the federation was like "meh screw em" or something.

Now lets be straight up here, the actual direction and pacing are a bit dodge. Also the crew reacts somewhat uncharacteristically at times... But!

What makes this episode not worth skipping for me is the actress that plays Tasha Yar's sister Ishara. Beth Toussaint is drop dead hot first of all, but gives a good performance. Like I've read in many other reviews, I wish they'd have taken her on as permanent crew member. She's more exiting to watch and quite likely a better actor than the established female cast, whom we all know don't really get a fair shake as goes writing.

That said this isn't the strongest episode, but it does give some back story to Tasha Yar and her planet. Also hot.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 7/10 · 4 September 2022]

It all starts out with a distress call which begs the question, does the Enterprise ever make it to any of its archaeological surveys? This time it is Camus II which is being left in our wake as we answer a distress call from a Federation freighter Arcos which has assumed an emergency orbit around Turkana IV. Turkana IV also happens to be the birthplace of our late comrade Tasha Yar.

It happens to be the case that the colonists on Turkana IV severed relations with the Federation 15 years before. The Colonists have a violent reputation, but the Enterprise away-team need to find the two Federation crewman who were forced to land on the planet surface in an escape pod when the Arcos freighter mysteriously exploded.

On the planet's surface we learn that there are two waring factions. The Alliance and the Coalition or a bunch of 'Urban Street Thugs' as the Captain would describe it. We also meet an attractive young women who claims to be Tasha Yar's sister.

From here, the story tends to focus on Ishara Yar and the crews interaction with her. Memories, comparisons, sonomic chromosomes, everybody wants Ishara to stay.

This is not necessarily a bad episode, but its story tends to focus too much on the Yar girl and the fate of those on the planet becomes secondary to that. I think my only problem with this, is my realisation that a couple of street-punks would be no match for the much more sophisticated Enterprise or its crew. We have certainly been in much more difficult situations than this one.

Extra Point: There is something about Ishara that reminds me of the later DS9 character of Major Kira and the STV character of B'Ellana Torres.

Energize.

Manipulation.

[amusinghandle · 7/10 · 12 February 2024]

This is one of those episodes where the quality of it depends largely upon your personal life experience.

If you have ever had your trust/belief in the inherent goodness of someone taken advantage of then this episode is going to hit hard.

It really, really sucks to be manipulated by someone and everyone's favorite snow white pure android is the punching bag in this episode.

I actually admire that about this episode ---- some people are just rotten and glossing over that fact and imagining ourselves living in some world free of human failings borders on science fantasy.

Nice touch having the opening poker scene be about Riker attempting to 'put one over' on Data but getting caught but the episode revolving around Ishara working over data and the crew successfully.

The doctor learns nothing

[evilcartman01 · 5/10 · 8 August 2018]

Another hum drum unsatisfying episode with massive potential. The main thing I noticed is that Beverly Crusher's attitude about insisting on beaming down to a violent area is puzzling. She insists that she can take care of her self however she recently almost got herself and everyone else killed in a terrorist episode that recently preceded this one, the High Ground. At the end of the episode she admitted she should've listened to the captain and beamed up at the beginning. Apparently she learned no lesson that stuck.

I get in this era of longform storytelling the lack of continuity of TNG is even more frustrating than it was during its initial run.

The best part of this episode is Beth Toussaint's compelling performance and it's a shame that they had to throw her away so quickly rather than make her a recurring character .

"I don't run away when things get tough, like some people."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 17 January 2024]

The Enterprise receives a distress call from the Federation freighter Arcos, and before the two crewmen aboard can be rescued, the ship blows up as both men beam down to the planet Turkana IV. (Just as an aside, how is it that almost every planet the Enterprise comes across is the fourth one in their system? Anyone else notice that?) Attempting to retrieve both men, the Enterprise officers learn that they are being held captive by a vicious faction called the Alliance. Their liaison happens to be Ishara Yar (Beth Toussaint), sister of former Security Chief Lieutenant Natasha Yar who died in the first season episode 'Skin of Evil'. Ishara does not have fond memories of her sister, feeling that Tasha demonstrated cowardice by abandoning the planet as it fell into disarray with rival gangs competing with each other.

Nevertheless, Ishara Yar agrees to cooperate with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the Enterprise officers in helping an away team navigate the myriad of tunnels that the Alliance uses for their benefit to thwart their rivals. She even develops what might be called a friendship with Commander Data (Brent Spiner), or at least as close to a friendship one could have with an android. It's all a ruse however, as Ishara intends on gaining an advantage for her Coalition by blowing up one of their key facilities, even if it meant taking part in a suicide mission. As this would have presented a significant problem for Picard with the Federation for taking sides, Ishara's effort is terminated by Data, who stuns her with a phaser blast before she could follow through on her betrayal. In the meantime, the two crewmen from the Arcos are saved by Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and the away team.

A couple thoughts about this story. Since Data had a hologram image and message from Natasha Yar, wouldn't it have been a good idea to share it with sister Ishara to help convince her that Tasha was not a coward by any means during her service with the Enterprise? Instead that idea was conveyed solely via dialog between the characters. The other thing that consistently distracted me during the episode was Beth Toussaint's striking resemblance to actress Linda Hamilton, so much so that I thought it was actually Hamilton throughout.

Lots of World Building That's All for Naught

[Samuel-Shovel · 5/10 · 6 December 2019]

In "Legacy" the Enterprise has to rescue a pair of Federation crewman from a crash-landed shuttle. The craft has landed on Tasha Year's home planet, a failed human settlement that has been written off by the Federation long ago. The crew soon finds themselves in the middle of a gang war with Tasha's sister offering them assistance... But she may have ulterior motives.

This one's a bit if a let down. You'd think meeting Tasha's sister would be a monumental moment but the episode falls flat. The double cross at the end is a fun twist but I really don't understand why she did it. She says she's never had a friend and always has to look out for herself with no regard for others... So why then does she decide to blow her chance to get off the planet by sabotaging the rival gang to help hers? I don't understand it.

Her friendship with Data is kind of fun but that's really the only highlight to this one. I don't really understand the proximity implants of the world building that they jam into this episode. Since they remove it from her, it doesn't have a plot reason beyond a memento for Data. I don't get why they trust her so implicitly. There's some bad writing here that really holds this episode back from being better.

Voyage to the Planet of the Rape Gangs...

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 18 November 2014]

In this episode, the Enterprise is called to the hellish planet from which Tasha Yar was raised. Yes, it's the planet of the rape gangs-- about which we've heard so much in season one. Why go to this planet? Well, some Federation crew members crash landed here. However, when the away team lands to retrieve them, some of the folks had apparently been taken prisoner by one of the planet's crazy factions. These factions are like giant gangs--gangs which have been fighting and destroying the planet for decades. Can the Enterprise trust one of these nasty brutes (who also claims to be Tasha Yar's sister) or is she just an awful jerk like the rest of them? Regardless, it will be tough on Data, as he's grown close to her.

Whenever Tasha Yar and her rape planet are mentioned, I groan. Rape is a VERY important and sad topic but instead of getting serious discussion on this program, it became a clichéd catch-phrase. No wonder I was NOT thrilled about any episode that would visit this place and once again repeat that awful line of dialog! Below average.

A Senior Trekker writes.....................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 22 January 2022]

Season 4 contains the 80th episode of The Next Generation, at which point it surpassed the output of the Original Series. A number of extended themes played out during this season delving into both the political backdrop and the personal lives of the crew. These continuing storylines proved extremely popular, however they did not detract from the use of Science Fiction to tell interesting stories. Senior Trekker continues to score every episode with a 5.

Another family history based episode as we travel to the notoriously lawless planet of Turkana IV, where former crew member, Tasha Yar, survived a terrifying childhood. As the away mission prepares to set off in search of two captured crew members, there is some dispute over the inclusion of a woman in the team. Far from being a sign of the different attitudes of the time, this would be a legitimate operational concern on an incursion into a region where "rape gangs" held sway. Nowadays, women do indeed serve with the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (where a horrific amount of sexual violence against women has been almost unchecked for decades) but not without very careful risk assessment.

On the planet they meet Ishara Yar, Tasha's estranged sister, a guerrilla fighter with gelled blond hair, cropped white t-shirt and an broad-shouldered, designer leather jacket. In fact the whole outfit screams "eighties" nearly as loudly today as it did in the early nineties. Never mind. She convinces as a tough cookie, loyal enough to her faction to betray the Federation while being a little bit conflicted over her burgeoning friendship with Data. It wasn't actually a bad story but....... you can probably fill in the blanks.

Beth Toussaint as Ishara, who also looked fabulous in her electric blue disco* leotard, probably should have been considered for a future episode but it was not to be. She also got summarily ousted from Babylon 5 after one episode when the lead character's wife wanted her part. Shame.

* that's the 1980's disco (discotheque) look NOT the 2020's Disco (Discovery) look.

Too Much Talk

[zombiemockingbird · 4/10 · 4 April 2023]

I'm beginning to wonder if the Enterprise works for AAA; seems like a lot of the episodes begin with them answering a distress call. This confuses me, because of the "Prime Directive". They trot it out when they don't want to help people, but the rest of the time they evacuate people, help them fight, give them supplies, etc. I just honestly have no idea what the Prime Directive is; it seems utterly confusing and extremely hypocritical. And why is everyone obsessed with Tasha Yar? She died ages ago and was a boring, uninteresting character to begin with, yet they had a whole pointless episode that "brought her back" from the past, and now we're on her home planet with her sister. Most of the story is everyone sitting around talking about Yar. Boring and pointless episode, just trying to dredge up emotion over someone who is long gone.