PATRON TIER LIST - Star Trek TNG S4E6

When this first came out I was about 13-14 years old and confused the actress playing Ishara for Linda Hamilton. This was aired not too far before T2, but still. And I had a huge crush on Ishara, her looks, her costume, her late 80s early 90s hair (which ironically I think still holds up really well today). I don’t remember seeing her in much anything else, sadly but I liked the interactions with Ishara and Data and Ishara and the rest of the TNG command crew.

reading all the comments i agree with most of them - but for me the betrayal makes is a tier, but a- i think

B, but really close to A. This one's underrated imo

I moved it from c to b for providing backstory

This is a tough one to rate, because I really like the character interactions between Data and Ishara, but the plot is really meh, and perhaps even predictable towards the end. I feel like this is one of those episodes that is not bad by any means, but just doesn't live up to its full potential. B.

I always loved this one. It shows that the wounds Tasha's death left are still there. Great character stuff all around, especially for Data. Spiner was really able to convey the pain Data was feeling while not going beyond the limits the character places on him. S-tier all the way, and anyone who disagrees can fight me.

Maybe the writing team looked back at 'The Vengeance Factor' and thought they could make the basic elements work better. It's another infiltrator who forms a relationship with an Enterprise crew member leading to a similar betrayal of trust.

I generously gave it a C Tier. A wonderful lesson for Data and the crew that you never can really know someone. The only saving grace for me was gorgeous Ishara.

B or C tier, and I'm feeling generous. Rating these, especially this season can be tough. Everything in TNG is tough for me to rate because I'm still slightly biased. When I saw this season as a kid, I was already mesmerized by the experience, and I was too young to look at things like story and character development, and what I didn't understand was just dismissed. Then looking at it as an adult, I find myself also easily brushing things aside. 'Ah well, it was still fun as a kid' or 'yeah I'm an adult now and still don't get it, but oh well, just move to the next one.' That being said, this is one where it didn't really change for me over the years. Yes there are parts that are well done, but it's a Meh episode overall.

This episode probably gets bonus points because of its connection to Tasha and Data is always good, but without that this one is so mediocre

Carried by the expansion of backstory for a character that is not present to reflect on it, if you strip it of that nostalgic element the plot is just the Enterprise getting tricked and wrangled into conflict then washing their hands of it and leaving the world to its shitty fate again. Coulda shoulda woulda been a proper 'Prime Directive' episode if the writers had balls. Is it right to leave these folk to suffer? Should it have been that Tasha grew up in this, or should the Federation instead have intervened and fixed this mess long ago? Does the prime directive apply to a 'prewarp' human colony that is fully aware of the galaxy and their place in it but simply lost the tech because of civil distress? There's not need for the crew to conclude they need to intervene, but it is a missed opportunity to leave that element unexplored. B-

Grading this 1 is tough for me. I think the scenes between Ishara and Data are good, and I thought Beth Toussaint did a pretty decent job as Ishara. Always tough for an actor as a guest to fill in as a character that has some tie to another character. The betrayal was a nice touch. I give it a B, maybe B+.

I always thought Ishara Yar was a hottie. Interesting details about Yar's homeworld. Great Spiner performance. Not the highlight of the season. I give it a B.

This one could have been great, but fell short. It's an episode I usually skip when watching Season 4. It's not bad, just "meh." C-tier.

I used to really not care about this one. But after recently having to deal with manipulative people like this myself I can appreciate it a lot more. So my previous D is more like a B or a C now. Still lots of room for improvement though.

Bleah... not a fan of this one. Maybe it's her hairstyle that's completely rooted in the '80s...that alone drops it to a D.

C Tier, there's a demographic who shall appreciate this, but I am not among them.

Ugh

A Data episode that doesn’t really land. Not helped by having two great episodes surrounding it. I’d rate this as D tier I think.

I gave it a low B. It's a D tier episode with huge bonus points for the final scene with Data beaming Ishara down and then contemplating her crystal with ambiguity about his thoughts, and a few more bonus points for the catsuit.

Almost forgettable, except for hurting Data's feelings. Brent sells the episode at the end with that meaningful gesture.

C+ to B-

D tier, one of the worst of the season - thankfully those are over with pretty early on and there’s lots more S, A and B coming up!