Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5

Season 5 of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" contains many predictable elements. Big surprise, the Enterprise encounters new aliens that test the crew's versatility and quick thinking as well as meeting old foes, like the Crystalline Entity and the Borg, who make them debate good and evil, right and wrong. Season 5 includes time travel, body possession, and transporter malfunctions. For a little titillation, the audience can count on Cmdr. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) seducing any pretty young thing in sight.So why aren't we bored? How does "STNG" still manage to fire up our imaginations? Season 5 captivates its audience with a foolproof formula: It introduces a neophyte who, because of limited experience, thinks like the audience who are just as ignorant. Situations and veteran characters then guide the neophyte to understand issues and responsibilities in fuller, deeper ways, schooling us in the process.The first four seasons, we had young Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) as our stand-in. For Season 5, the writers introduce Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), a Bajoran with Starfleet experience but no familiarity with the professionalism and community that characterize the Enterprise. Ensign Ro does more than give the audience a new neophyte to learn from; she appeals to a different variety of geek.Geeks fall somewhere on this continuum: At one extreme point are the folks who desire idealized social conformity. They yearn to participate in a cool group--just not the imperfect cliques at school or work. They want a community without pettiness, bullying, and other human flaws. Folks at this extreme want to be members of the near-utopian Enterprise, and they identify with Wesley because they would love the opportunity to come up in the culture as he has. At the other extreme of the geek continuum are the rebels. They ridicule Wesley for his desire to please and hope to identify with the misunderstood aliens the Enterprise is bound to meet. These folks embrace Ensign Ro, whom Big Daddy Picard (Patrick Stewart) rewards with attention despite her being standoffish, disobedient, and untamable.To explain her atypical behavior, the writers give Ensign Ro this back story: She and her race lost their home planet to the Cardassians. Orphaned and living in refugee camps, Ro grew up feeling discarded and so is herself quick to reject. She abandons her own people to join Starfleet but then disobeys orders with disastrous results, including the forfeit of her commission and personal freedom. Ro boards the Enterprise with a sullen attitude and non-regulation Bajoran earring, happy to throw away a good first impression on Cmdr. Riker. When in 10-Forward Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) ask if she would mind their company at her table, she answers simply, "Yes," dismissing their offer of friendship.Forbes does an excellent job communicating the coltish energy of an exasperated teenager. Although her character never utters the word, we hear a "Whatever!" in the way she throws her body around. We soon forget that Ensign Ro is a Starfleet officer as Forbes has Ro assume sloppy, defensive posture, barely able to contain her contempt for the old farts who just can't appreciate her radical ideas and maverick methods. Whenever Ro knits her brow, either to signify anger or perplexity, those signature eyebrows emphasize the emotion.Ensign Ro obviously has lessons to learn, and since we have all had occasion to feel that we will never fit in or do things right, we get schooled along with her. In "Disaster," for example, Counselor Troi finds herself in charge of a ship about to explode. Ro recommends abandoning the drive section despite the survivors it might contain. Troi refuses to separate the saucer, a successful maneuver that teaches Ro that an officer should not so callously abandon her crew.In "Power Play," however, Capt. Picard demonstrates when an officer must sacrifice life. The Enterprise encounters penal colony escapees who board the ship in the bodies of Counselor Troi, Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney), and Lt. Cmdr. Data (Brent Spiner). Picard tricks them into a cargo bay where he can blow the hatch, sacrificing himself and the other officers but taking the prisoners with him and thus saving everyone else on the ship.In "The Next Phase," Ensign Ro awakens on the Enterprise after a transporter accident. Since no one can see her, she believes she is dead, a suspicion confirmed when she discovers Dr. Crusher filling out her death certificate. Lt. Cmdr. La Forge (LeVar Burton), cloaked in the same manner, convinces her not to abandon her place among the living so quickly, that another explanation besides death might account for their predicament. Working together, they find a solution to their invisibility rather than haunt the ship as ghosts.What Season 5 needed was one more episode to show whether Ensign Ro grew as a result of her experiences on the Enterprise. The writers should have put her in a situation similar to the disastrous away mission from the Wellington when her disobeying orders caused the deaths of eight crew members. With flashbacks or another storytelling device, the writers could have given the audience the opportunity to learn the events of that day and make up its own mind whether Ro behaved poorly or not. The Enterprise crew knows the story; it's unfair that we don't. Was her decision a calculated loss of life? Would by-the-book have definitely failed? Was the captain of the Wellington an ineffectual leader prone to giving bad orders? A drunk? The paralleling new situation would have allowed us to observe what Ro had since learned.If the Enterprise resembles a plastic surgeon's office with its calm pastels, uncluttered surfaces, and recessed lighting, the characters often seem victims of the doctor's knife, sliced a little too tight, as with Ensign Ro. Or perhaps the real characters of the series are the controversial issues each episode addresses, the crew just flat pieces, like plastic checkers, pushed around as the two sides face off.

What can I say about a Series of boxed DVDs of "Star Trek - The Next Generation".Just this: fantastic!I used to own all the seven Seasons of PAL/VHS tapes and it was already an experience then.But now. Wow!I have bought only 6 of the 7 Seasons up to now and I bought them in NTSC format. Since I own a region free DVD player I have absolutely no problem in viewing them.Some may argue that PAL DVDs are crispier than NTSC ones. Well, uless you are a laser scientist, you may not really notice the difference, and in my own personal experience on DVD there's no difference (given that the source is a pristine one).Also, and in many cases it is true, expecially when we talk of Feature movies, the U.S. versions contain at least a second European language (either French or Spanish, sometimes both, sometimes even a German version is added and if not a dubbed version, then simply a subtilted version), which for people like me, who have guests that may not speak English is a great asset.Star Trek alas, has no such luxury, but each box contains an extra DVD section (usually on the last one, which is crammed with useful and interesting information about the entire Season and about some key episodes within it).Sharpness of the image is there (as it was for the Three Seasons of Star Trek - The Original Series). Excellent color balance and contrast information. Compare it even with PAL VHS tapes and you will see the astonishing difference.Sound on all DVDs, has truly received the royal treatment of Digital Remastering and although the first three seasons were produced in conventional Dolby Stereo (at the time of production this was still the standard), they now sound far more "rounded up" and crisp with the musical track in Surround. Starting from Season Four, you get to be treated with true 5.1 Surround.I am a fan of Star Trek, but a quiet, objective and sometimes overly criticizing one. Especially when it comes to Enterprise.But believe me when I say that they won't ever make such a Series anymore, unless tendencies will tend to sway from simple "money-grabbing-stupid-content" back to "hard-working-well-written" ones again.Even a non-Trekkie or non-Trekker will enjoy at least the first two incarnations of Star Trek.The secret being, that these are far less Science Fiction tales, but rather tales of the human adventure in a possible future.The key being very actual problems with which we are all faced in our daily lives.The Alien factor is often used as a "replacement" for the "racial" or "social" denominator, giving the author a certain freedom to tackle with many crucial and controversial social issues.The result is always a very interesting and gripping "voyage" into the unknown, space being just part of the decorum.The crews of both "Star Trek" and "Star Trek - The Next Generation" are all highly talented actors, who bring true life to their characters and to the situations they are involved in.There is also a well-balanced dose of humor in some episodes, which is always helpful in order not to fall into a gloomy pit of self-glorification.Although I haven't yet bought "Deep Space Nine" or "Voyager" I may not be able to comment on them, but in view of the fact that they too, have been produced by Paramount, as well as their Feature Movies, I can only assume that the quality may be the same as the ones I already mentioned.The boxes are rather conventional, compared with The Original Series which look like the old Medical Kit in "three flavors" (Golden Yellow, Medical Blue and Burgundy Red). The Next Generation comes in Silvery Boxes, with differently colored fonts, all coded-colors obviously. They are meant to represent the various professional specializations aboard the Enterprise-D.Once opened, tucked in an internal flip box, this time fully code-colored, are the six to seven DVDs (depending on how many episodes a Season had). Generally three on one side, and another three to four on the other. As said, the last DVD always contains the special presentations and interviews.A booklet containing a brief episode description is also "tucked in" within a special sleeve.Every DVD contains four episodes.The Menus are very intuitive and divided in theme, by Season.One represents the Command LCARS Console, Two the Engineers LCARS Console, Three the Medical LCARS Console and so forth and so on (mind you, I am citing them by memory, the actual order may elude me now).Anyway and in conclusion, this is truly a worthwile set to buy if you mean to entertain your entire family or just your friends with an intelligent, well-written and well-done bunch of TV episodes of one of the most creative minds Hollywood has ever met, (except of course, for others like Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling or Arthur C. Clarke): Gene Roddenberry.You won't regret this choice, this is for sure.

I now have a complete set of the series I lOVE!!

I suppose season five (1991-92) is best known for the return of Leonard Nimoy in the two-parter ‘Unification’ (both parts one and two appear in this set). Denise Crosby appears in the second part. But, as is often the case with the two-parters, the story’s build up is met by a disappointing denouement.Season five actually opens with the second part of ‘Redemption’, which again witnesses the re-appearance of Denise Crosby – and, incidentally, sees Data get his first independent command (in another episode – ‘Disaster’ – Lieutenant Commander Troi is in charge, whilst in ‘Conundrum’ Worf is in charge and giving order to Picard.),As well as the return of Nimoy and Crosby, another returnee to the series in this season is Will Wheaton in ‘The Game’ and ‘The First Duty’. Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barratt) makes another unforgettable appearance. Meanwhile, a new member of the crew who appears in a large number of episodes is Ensign Ro (Michelle Forbes), and Brian Bonsall plays Worf’s son in more than one episode. One ‘man’ who is notable by his absence in season five is, alas, Q.Other points in this season worthy of remark is to see Picard wearing in more than one episode a blue sweater and red bomber jacket; one episode (‘Hero Worship’) is directed by Patrick Stewart; Patrick’s son Daniel appears in ‘The Inner Light’; Kelsey Grammer makes a fleeting appearance (‘Cause & Effect’); and we meet ‘Hugh’ of the Borg. The season ends with another two-parter that introduces Mark Twain (‘Time’s Arrow’).Alongside the usual sci-fi storylines, three cheers are due to the series also bravely attempting to comment on contemporaneous social issues. Interesting and contentious subjects covered in this season include addiction to computer games (in ‘The Game’); the attempted rape of Troi (‘Violations’); voluntary euthanasia (in Ethics’); and androgyny as a metaphor for homosexuality – the US TV public would only go so far! – in ‘The Outcast’.Indeed, this season is notable for some fine writing. Even ‘Imaginary Friend’, which on the face of things presents an awful scenario (a kid with an imaginary friend), is well-written and performed. ‘Inner Light’ is another favourite of mine, where Picard lives a lifetime on another planet in the matter of minutes on the Enterprise. But for me, the best episode (and arguably the best of all TNG seasons) is ‘Darmok’, a clever instalment that sees Picard embark on a virtually one-to-one relationship with an alien, with whom he can communicate only in metaphor. (Michael Piller also singled this episode out for praise.)The extras in this box set follow the same pattern as before. These largely comprise a series of twenty-minute ‘Mission Overviews’ recorded in 2002, featuring comments by a wide range of participators: actors, writers, producers, technical crew, etc. Memorable missions are revisited. But in addition season six witnessed the death of Gene Roddenberry, and the extras include a thirty-minute tribute.

This is yet another quality season from the TNG crew. The episodes look fabulous in HD, making the experience even more memorable - like watching the show all over again for the first time. It brings life into this imaginative and intelligent series, the clever stories are given more reality than ever before.This season includes a fantastic season opener, "Redemption, Part 2." Another favorite of mine is "The Game", a highly underrated episode about the crew being controlled by an addictive and dangerous game, reminded me of a brilliant TOS "possessed" episode. I have always loved "Conundrum" too, as it was the first TNG episode I had ever watched when I was a young boy with my Grandad, who introduced me to this timeless show. "Darmok" and "The Inner Light" are fan favorites. There not my absolute classics, but I still like them. "Cause and Effect" is intriguing, written by fantastic TNG writer Brannon Braga, even though it does get annoying after a while (watch the episode and see what I mean.) "The First Duty" is perhaps my favorite of the season though, a really good episode about morals and doing the right thing, love it.Season 5 is another top-notch delivery from the Enterprise: picture, packaging of the box and story power is all there - bring on season 6!

I made my purchase with Amazon, just as I always have done, but as happy as I was with owning this series I was equally disappointed with the product itself; I understood that it was pre-owned but was not expecting it to smell very highly of cigarettes and nicotine. Until I can purchase a better-quality version of this DVD set I will keep hold of it for collection sake

Similar review to Star Trek 2nd series, 5th series had some laser damage on the outer edge of all the discs, spoiling my enjoyment. If I'd have paid lot of money for them i would have sent them back.

No need to add anything regarding the show and episodes, all Trekkies being familiar with it and them, needless to say another strong season.As for the product itself, fantastic audio and video reproduction. Highly recommended for all Star Trek fans to upgrade from the DVDs, well worth the cash.Only slightly negative thoughts I can add are the lack of a booklet and episode listing/detail etc. The details being wrote on the inner side of the case covers, and bit of a pain to see them easily.