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Star Trek The Next Generation: The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1

"Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service ours."

Star Trek: The Next Generation's first and best cliffhanger.

This, for me, is the only episode that can give 'Yesterday's Enterprise' a run for its money in the competition for the accolade of Best Episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Ever.

What makes it so good? Well, the Borg, for one thing. OK, Doctor Who's Cybermen may have got there first, but both the concept and execution of the Borg are so well done on The Next Generation that hardly matters. The idea of beings with a hive mind who don't care at all what happens to them personally, letting themselves be mown down for the greater good and allowing those behind to adapt, mixed with the body horror of their appearance, dark metallic appliances sticking out of humanoid skin, is as chilling as it was in their first appearance, in 'Q Who?' Here, they are more threatening than ever, and we see their mythology start to develop as their later trademark "Resistance is futile" appears, along with, crucially, the promise that they will "add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own."

This is the introduction of the idea that the Borg assimilate other lifeforms, as well as or instead of reproducing themselves (in 'Q Who?' there were nurseries aboard their ships), and this idea will change everything and dominate their later appearances. I first saw this episode when I was young, and I remember being completely and utterly shocked when Picard turned to face the camera, Borg parts all over him, and when he announced later that he was "Locutus of Borg". To me back then, the idea of the Captain being turned against the crew was thrilling, intriguing, exciting, and the perfect hook for me to want to watch what happened next. Now, being older and wiser, I'd be a lot less surprised, but at the time it really made an impression, and it's a fantastic cliffhanger. Picard is so much the heart and soul of The Next Generation, partly thanks to Patrick Stewart's captivating performance, partly thanks to the calm and power of the character, that this cliffhanger is truly spine-tingling.

Adding to the power of that ending is Riker's dilemma over whether to stay in career stasis on the Enterprise or accept a promotion to another ship, and his inner conflict over having to rise to the position of Captain in such circumstances. Between Picard and Guinan's conversation about the loss of captains in battle and the repeated references to the fact it's past time Riker moved on to take that position, it's really possible to believe that Picard might be lost and his seat left to Riker. And, of course, it's leading up to the truly chilling moment when Riker looks at his captain and friend on the viewscreen and gives the order, "Fire!"

Oh, and the Borg are a practically unstoppable force out the destroy the Federation too. There's also that minor issue. Phew! So much drama.

The cliffhanger to this episode is so good it's inevitably its major talking point, but the rest of the episode is equally well done. I've always liked the character of Shelby a lot - not in the sense that I'd ever particularly like to meet her in person, but in the sense that I like the idea of the character and the way she shakes things up a bit. She's also one of very few beautiful women on the show that Riker never flirts with, and she has an entire plot revolving around her relationship with him that has nothing to do with sexuality - you could replace her with an ambitious male officer and the plot would still work. This is really refreshing and one of the reasons I really like seeing her onscreen.

Perhaps 'Yesterday's Enterprise' just has the edge for me still, but it's a close-run thing - this is among the very best The Next Generation has to offer. It's also the episode that really got me into Star Trek on television in general, and The Next Generation in particular (my first love was always the movies, especially The Wrath of Khan). And for that, I will always be deeply grateful.

Bits and pieces

 - I thought it was a nice touch that it was Dr Crusher who first saw Picard-as-Locutus on the Borg cube. All the crew are shocked and horrified, of course, but she is the closest to him (as well as Guinan, perhaps) and the most personally hurt by the whole thing.

 - One of my favourite things about Borg episodes are those scenes of the crew walking around a Borg cube and all the Borg completely ignoring them because they don't perceive them as a threat. The sets are brilliantly creepy anyway, and the whole idea that these aliens simply don't care enough to take you on until you actively start killing them just makes them all the more terrifying in their power and complacency.

Quotes

Data: Early bird? I believe Commander Shelby erred. There is no evidence of avifaunal or crawling vermicular lifeforms on Jouret IV.

Picard: It's something of a tradition, Guinan - the Captain touring the ship before a battle.
Guinan: Before a hopeless battle, if I remember the tradition correctly.
Picard: Not necessarily. Nelson toured the HMS Victory before Trafalgar.
Guinan: Yes, but Nelson never returned from Trafalgar, did he?
Picard: No, but the battle was won.

Picard: I wonder if the Emperor Honorius, watching the Visigoths coming over the hill, truly realised that the Roman Empire was about to fall.

Picard-as-Locutus: I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life, as it has been, is over. From this time forward, you will service us.

Gives me shivers down my spine every time I watch it. Four out of four doomed captains.

Juliette Harrisson is a freelance writer, classicist and ancient historian who blogs about Greek and Roman Things in Stuff at Pop Classics.

2 comments:

  1. Possibly my favorite cliffhanger, *ever*. That was a long summer we waited through. I remember hearing at the time that Patrick Stewart missed the stage and was thinking of leaving the show, which made it even more harrowing.

    There are so many great elements to this story: the utter creepiness of the Borg themselves, the fact that they are so technologically superior and unbeatable, that they want to wipe out your personality and use your body... it was a horrifying bit of science fiction. It gets even scarier when Guinan talks about how her people were destroyed and scattered throughout the galaxy. I can remember at the time that I had absolutely no idea how they could possibly beat this particular foe. It was such a new thing for Star Trek, where the good guys always win.

    And I've always liked what they did with Shelby. As you said, Juliette, she could have been played by a man with practically no changes to the script (except for that commodore perving on her) and her combative relationship with Riker is a strong one, with no sexual tension at all. Riker dealing with his stalled career works, too. It's perfect set-up for him being forced to unexpectedly take command and actually have to fight his own captain.

    Wonderful review, Juliette. And congratulations to us! We finished season three!

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  2. I remember seeing Picard converted to a Borg and our whole group of friends that watched in college were in awe of this. This is brilliant and disturbing stuff, the idea of the Borg has always been the destruction of the individual as they are absorbed into the hive mind, but seeing it happen to one of your favorite characters right in front of your face really brings that home.

    The Shelby and Riker situation worked, and looking back, I feel it was better than I gave it credit for all those years ago. When I was a kid/teenager/early 20s I never liked characters that dissed my favorites like that, but in my 50s, I can see it's well written and interesting, with a great dynamic.

    What a grand end to season 3!

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