A boring Sunday review for Star Trek TNG, season 3:

[Deja Q]

Season 2 clearly got things on the right feet, but season 3 polishes what's sterling and, by and large, turns iron pyrite into real gold.

Dr Pulaski is shipped to Starfleet Medical, and Dr Crusher returns.

So, how does this season stack?

Evolution -- Wesley, trying to get an A in an experiment, pulls an all nighter, falls asleep, and his experiment escapes into the ship's machinery. Playing with nanobots, not a smart thing to do. The interplay between him and Dr Crusher is tedious, but the rest of the story makes up for it. 7/10

The Ensigns of Command -- Picard has to mediate between a colony that pitched on a planet, and the legal owners of the planet. Only Data can visit the planet, due to a type of radiation that the colonists adapted to, but something Crusher cannot compensate for. Now this one has a great subplot with the alien Sheliak, and the Troi/Picard scene on the study of language is a highlight, as is Data's attempts to convince the colonists to rebuild. (later seasons' stories, such as "The Masterpiece Society", play out the inverse scenario and asking if a colony would rather uproot itself and struggle, or die in a catastrophe). A thought provoking and intelligent script, well acted. 8.5/10.

The Survivors -- a creepy tale about an unusual man, his wife, and Troi becoming ill. The feel of this story is impeccably done, as are this couple and their origins, and why Troi was made to suffer; the drama being top notch. 8.5/10

Who Watches The Watchers? -- Hmmm. Seems a bit one-sided, the story of building a shrouded duck blind to observe a society, the blind failing and can be seen by all, with Picard seen as a god by the inhabitants. It's bold, it's daring, and it's also patronizing -- whether or not the religion of trek supersedes every other religion ever devised. It does at least try to be consistent, and Picard gets shot with an arrow and proving that when you make a mistake and let everyone know you exist, don't be coy. 6/10

The Bonding -- Ah, yes. The kid won a candy bar commercial and here he is. A technician gets blown up and the bridge crew have to figure out what to go do with the orphaned son. The difference is, an alien assumes the shape of mommy and makes Troi and the gang look stupid. 4/10

Booby Trap -- Feels almost like a leftover from season 2, but the concepts involved and its production are immaculate. The Enterprise stumbles on a 1000 year old ship, investigates, and discovers why the ship was stranded; the previous commander fell into a booby trap and so has the Enterprise. Geordi burns the midnight oil to figure out a solution before everyone dies of radiation poisoning. A classic! 9/10

The Enemy -- A Romulan and Geordi are trapped on an inhospitable planet and have to work together to survive. Amazing they had, but it starts a minor multi-season story arc with the Romulans, of which we should all be grateful were allowed to return to Trek lore!! 8.5/10

The Price -- there's a stable wormhole and a bunch of people want to buy exclusive access. Meanwhile, some ferengi want in and there's a swindler who goes at any length (including getting Troi in the sack) to win. Gobble gobble, this one's a turkey. But having said that, the Ferengis' fate is pretty creepy and the episode is worth watching for that alone. 5/10

The Vengeance Factor -- two warring clans and Riker gets involved. 5/10

The Defector -- a Romulan defects, or does he? A spy-genre worthy thriller, not to be missed. 9/10

The Hunted -- The Enterprise is called upon to keep a violent criminal at bay. There's a twist; he's a soldier abandoned. Obviously an allegory to Vietnam, albeit not completely. But it's a far better episode than season 5's "Ethics" in terms of discussing ethical situations. 7/10

The High Ground -- Crusher is kidnapped by terrorists. Good in 1990; impossible to watch now. The whole thing feels forced. 4/10

Deja Q -- Made human as punishment, Q returns at the most inopportune time: When the Enterprise is working on resolving a potentially planetary catastrophe. 10/10

A Matter of Perspective -- this was garbage at the time and hasn't gotten any better. 3 viewpoints toward one incident; given Riker is the one in the hotseat, doing a parody of "Three's Company" and making the episode more light-hearted may have done it a service. Gobble gobble, complete with beaks and claws. This one's a thxgiving turkey, past due. 1/10

Yesterday's Enterprise -- W00T!! A wormhole opens and the USS Enterprise, NCC1701-C appears. Tasha Yar returns. This is a great action/dramatic plotline, with Picard making not one but two critical decisions: The first being, does he trust Guinan's words and authorize the ship's return? The second being, should Tasha go with her new love interest? (She does, and nobody thinks anything of it at the time...) 10/10

The Offspring -- maybe a rewrite of "Measure of a Man" as Data builds an offspring. Everyone is an uproar at this massive undertaking, repercussions and all. Don't worry, Lal's head goes *boom* at the end and nobody thinks of her ever again. 6/10

Sins of the Father -- the Klingon multi-season arc continues, and escalates. Picard has to meddle in Klingon affairs and Worf stars a journey that actually has repercussions in later years' episodes. 8.5/10

Allegiance -- Picard is kidnapped, replaced with a double, and there's a spy in his jail cell too... An interesting tale, the fact the spy is in the guise of a Starfleet cadet was well handled. 7.5/10

Captain's Holiday -- Picard goes to pleasure planet Riza and meets swindlers and vermin of all sorts, what fun. The ferengi return too, and as usual are stereotyped corporate executives in mentality. 5/10

Tin Man -- Romulans and Federation are vying for a unique life form, the 'tin man'. A fellow betazoid with a unique talent is brought on board. A great piece for Troi, a great piece of sci-fi, another season 3 classic. 9/10

Hollow Pursuits -- A shy neurotic guy is noticed by senior officers. What was rumored to be an attack on fans really is not, and is an underrated piece. 8.5/10

The Most Toys -- Data is kidnapped by the ultimate nerdy collector of unique or rare items. Another great episode. The crew's figuring out of Data's fate was nothing short of cool as well. 8.5/10

Sarek -- at the time, we thought it was bridging into the original series; something we'd have expected in seasons 1 or 2, not 3. But the weight of the plot helps to ensure not only a story that stands on its own, but adds more for upcoming episodes when the show HAS to rely on original series cast members to keep people tuned in (seasons 5, 6 anyone?) 7/10

Ménage à Troi -- the ferengi kidnap Troi and her mom for their telepathic abilities, but also for some naughty gratification too. Not the best of episodes, even in the revamped format. 3/10

Transfigurations -- Crusher is attracted to an alien that can't remember who he is, but surely does have some neat powers. It's a bit wet, this episode. Not the caliber we've come to expect, but maybe it's deliberate given the quality of episode that follows... 4/10

The Best of Both Worlds, Part I -- Wow. Well paced drama, action, infighting, and threat make this a standout episode. Yeah, we all knew Picard was going to be borgified the moment he was taken, but we were all creeped out anyway. This episode has it all, and does NOT double as a porn title. To be continued! 10/10

Season 3 sets the standard for TNG, and is its best. Season 4 continues the trend, but once their main composer, Ron Jones, is fired, it's the first sign that things are about to go awry... but that's down the road...

A must have!

[Alexander]

1. Season 3 is excellent. My favorites are Deja Q, Yesterday's Enterprise and Best Of Both Worlds.