PATRON TIER LIST TNG S5E21

This episode has lots of fun moments: "Riker to Bridge, if you need me, I'll be in holodeck 4." "Thank you, Lieutenant Worf, I believe the crowd has become a little too ebullient for comfort..." "I am simply curious to know what lies beneath..." "Nothing. Nothing lies beneath." Kinda dark ending though. B+ overall.

I really like this one. I know it can be dismissed as simply a shallow male fantasy or a story promoting female slavery and servitude and those opinions are valid. However I don't particularly share them about this episode. I think this story could have gone that way very easily, but the focus on Kamala and in particular her and Picard's relationship is what makes it shine. I felt that while the feelings of lust that the other crew members had towards Kamala were superficial, Picard and Kamala's feelings for one another, whether brought on by her powers or whether they were natural, past the initial attraction, were authentic. When they were ultimately separated, we can surmise that they WERE both hurting. Kamala is the tragic hero of this story. By our standards she deserves to be free. She deserves to be happy. But as we learn time and time again in this show, there are different cultures with different customs, different beliefs, different dreams and different realities and sometimes injecting our own beliefs on another society is not the appropriate thing to do. Kamala will go on pretending for the good of her people, to avoid a war. It's a horrible price to pay.

I don't even remember enough about this episode to rate it. And whenever I try, I get this vague feeling of discomfort...

Rolled my eyes a lot during this one. "Perfect woman" who's only function is to please a man. Yeah, ok. A writer's fantasy brought to life.

Just realized the real Season 5 villain is the cargo bay barrels

Fairly average C episode, minus a point for the irritating Ferengi (who weren’t locked up immediately after breaking into the cargo bay for some reason) but balanced out by Famke Janssen

Horny Riker with a rare moment of self awareness. I feel sorry for the random Ensign that has to clean out the holodeck biowaste filters afterwards though... B for Blue Balled.

Such a mix of fun stuff and cringe. 'B-'

If you think Worf gets unfairly shut down when he suggests certain security measures, maybe look to this kind of episode. How the hell were those Ferengi just allowed the run of the ship. And the super special thing vital to the planet's future was UNGUARDED?

Famke Janssen is just... whew.

It doesn't shy away from having her adapt to please, while showing Picard struggle to choose to do "the right thing" and her eventually cementing within herself his sense of duty & honor.

Professor X and Jean Grey. I know, the X-Men comments are played out…but I still think it’s cool. I also know a little something about being in love with someone you’ll never see again. Very poignant ending, with Picard’s refusal to answer Dr. Huer. So much said with nothing said. B-Tier.

This episode feels like a throw back to season one horny Rodenberry nonsense.

Im trying to find the substance in the plot here. Theres some, but it seems diluted by the obvious sex appeal. Overlooking the sitcommy trope of "those darn Ferengi are at it again", there is some valid moral dilemma of a slave girl being sold off to marriage, brainwashed to do the bidding of whoever. But also choosing to do so, (still brainwashed decision?) for the sake of peace. Is one persons happiness worth war? How does the prime directive apply since they are not humans? Difficult to choose between B and C for me.

Is this how you write relationships and love in modern fiction? No. But thank goodness for SciFi, where we get to explore interesting 'what ifs' that are only acceptable if you get to play the 'alien race with distinct culture' card. We've all tried to become the person we think our crush wants, and this explores healthy and positive sides to that inclination without outright taking any sides.

who would have thought the Ferengi would be up to no good

I may be in the minority, but I’ve come to really love this episode. The idea of wanting to be the best version of yourself when you’re around a particular person is such a beautiful expression/metaphor of what it means to truly be in love with someone. The ending always breaks my heart a little.

I love Riker's "... I'll be in Holodeck 4" the first real acknowledgment of "yeah, people probably use the holodecks for sex all the time." It's a fun line in a 'meh' episode. MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Where was Troi?? A burgeoning empath struggling with her new powers, and she never talks to the only other empath on the ship?

They had to create a being of pure rizz to out rizz Riker ! “ I’ll be at holodeck 3 killing a holographic image !” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 oooooh maaaaaan! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I maybe think you guys are gonna love this ? And I don’t want to underline the importance of what they’re talking about cause this episode rally went up the ladder for me, but… just made it to a B

Oh no, it's the Ferengi. Pass. That actor guest star was better off staying on Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. E

Dated plot and antics to be sure, but plenty to like as well. Riker invents a new euphemism for masturbation.

Xavier meets Jean Grey for the first time… wait… Riker showing what the holodeck is “really” used for. Ferengi at their best. Back ground being a nuisance. Great performances from Picard and Kamala. A-B for me.

oh, and poor Picard.... maybe Krusher can cure his blue balls!

A good episode that i hate. I call that slavery. Interesting pov but not for me.

In the next episode they find Wolverine floating in space X-Men assemble!

Another episode that a lot of people have problems with, the same problems that Beverly has. I would probably have those same problems if Kamala was a reluctant bride, but she really isn't even after she bonds with Picard. She is willing to do her duty for the sake of her people. I like it, but not one of my favorites. I rank it as “Enjoyable”.

This one should have been terrible, but it works. And it can be troubling in the right way… a race of empaths used this way? And she chose to bond with a man of honor and duty…so she could be that kind of person. Kinda cool. But odd as well. She chose her fate but how much was Picard choosing? Odd, alien, thought provoking. Not a top tier episode but still a solid B.

One of the few episodes of the series that I can't recall beat for beat from memory, which is never a good sign. Klingon growl, fight scene, etc, are the only memorable bits before the rewatch. And after a rewatch my only thought is that it's still a safe skip if it ever comes on again. Solid D, but just because it's a forgettable outing.

This one is a banger (and no, that’s NOT what I was referring to…😏).

“Ambassador, Have a safe trip home” = “Shut up and get the fuck out” in Picard

Fun to see Jean Gray and Professor X together before they were mutants, but Ferengi episodes at this point are pretty eye-rolling.

This one is an A or B for me. It’s been a while, so I’m not super clear, but I do recall liking it and thinking it ended well and Famke gave a great performance.

Jean Grey steals the show from Jean-Luc. It's one I loved on multiple rewatches, so S for me.

Expands on Picard's personal desires in a way rarely seen, but it doesn't leave much of a lasting impression. B

Surprised at the takes here, I really liked this once. It's an interesting concept and a great one for Picard's character. Very much a "Picard is a badass" episode.

Decent performances, but overall, it's a forgettable outing. You'll watch it once and likely never again.

This is the only episode of TNG I haven't seen. I've tried to watch it two or three times but turn it off because its so painfully bad. Surprised to see so many B tier votes. Ending must be better than the beginning.

So Jean Grey is practically throwing herself at Professor Xavier here, but as soon as he winds up in a wheel chair she loses interest. Typical abelism. This episode is like a reimagined version of Elaan of Troyus, but better executed IMO. Famke and Patrick's performances elevate it a lot from what I remember. The ending is pretty sad knowing she bonded with Picard and will spend the rest of her life thinking of him, but will most likely never see him again.

oops my comment on episode 20 was supposed to be this episode - thanks guys LOVE your work

Professor X and Jean Gray: together for the first time.

B for me. Not shockingly an episode with a hot girl and Prof Moff bounces it up a letter grade.

I like Famke Jensen in this one. She makes a C story into a B.

Mostly notable for the LORE: dolphins, the holodeck as porn release (unless Riker plans to simulate a cold shower) and the Bond girl’s makeup dots are all notable bits of Trek trivia, for various reasons. The episode itself? Serviceable. C.

Got to say this one is a snooze fest and the idea of dolphins on the ship was and is still dumb af.

Gee. We've never seen this story before. How original...

After this episode, Kamala went on to have a brief political career on earth.

I don’t have much to say about this one. Compelling Picard story and a memorable performance by Fahmke Jensen but it’s not one I choose in a rewatch. B for “broken egg makes a hottie”

I like this one for messy stack of themes. Culture customs vs Sex trade, nature vs nurture, self identity vs meeting a partners needs. It dips its toe into too many things. I would expect an episode like this to fall apart, but the fact it still holds together turns this C into B for me. Perfect example of good execution helping a meh script.

I went with a B because I remember it being an interesting premise and a great guest actor in Famke Janssen, another future 'X-Men' star along with of course Patrick Stewart. However, I also don't remember much more than that and feeling sorry for Kamala and Picard at the end. Good, not great, episode.

S Picard having to deal with Kamala and resist here attraction. Then fails when she revels to him that she bonded with him anyway. Makes for truly compelling and tragic story.

Tim O’Connor (Ambassador Briam) was a sci-fi veteran. He was a regular in the 1979 Buck Rogers series and appeared in both The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone.

A few funny moments but a weak episode overall. I like how they explicitly say what the holodeck is used for. A theme that continues in Deep Space 9.

Mixed feelings about this one. This chick was actually a role model for me as a kid. But considering I have codependency issues now, I'm not sure that was a good thing.

Okay, this is a hot take, but this is a personal S-tier for me. Something about the character and acting of and between Famke Janssen and Picard is exceptional. Their interplay is so believable, and Famke Janssen is so attractive, that I effectively become enchanted during this episode all the way through.

If I could give this TWO S I would. One for each of the ones in Famke Janssen's name. This was her first role on TV and certainly her first as a sex symbol. She (allegedly) had a role in "Fathers and Sons" which I'd never heard of, but in my attempt to find her in the movie I came across the most REMARKABLE group of future famous people - the cast is OUTRAGEOUS.

FAMKE!!!

TNG does "Elaan of Troyius".

Feels like a script for the OG series to me and friends. The more OG fans like this more than the TNG fans who think this doesn't fit TNG. We can mostly agree htough that the guest star is an S tier hotty, an A tier actress but this feels like a C-Cup episode... C+ TIER! We compramise calling it C Tier.

Looks like I like this one more than most everyone else. S.

The X-Men prequel you didn't know existed. Famke Janssen playing a mutant with telepathic powers under the guidance of Patrick Stewart. Novelty of that aside, while not the best, this is also a decent episode. Lotta exploration about the push and pull of different areas in life. What is right vs what feels right. Duty vs self-interest.

I feel heartbreak for the guest star at the end - but getting there was a bit too predictable

A member of the bridge crew falls in love with a visiting alien dignitary. The biggest plot twist in this episode is that it's Picard and not Riker who is horny for the alien. C grade,

My take is more positive than some other reactions solely because of the end. (Okay, + points for Famke) A culture with arranged marriage using a servile woman as the casualty - has her commit the ultimate act of defiance. She bonds to someone else. She'll lie for the rest of her life about it, but she knows. Its actually very cool for that reason if nothing else.

Famke Janssen the perfect casting for the perfect mate. I don’t think this would be made now, kind of think she was like a Deltan in terms of the concept before the twist. It gets a B from me.

I see a few people have already beaten me to the Charles Xavier and Jean Grey jokes

This always feels like a S1/S2 episode, but well done for that low bar

Worfs growl. Hilarious.

Jean Grey tells Professor X she's a mutant!

X tier. Jean Grey tries to bone Professor Xavier. Nothing else here of note.

Riker going to the Holodeck right after his encounter with the metamorph is the Star Trek equivalent of "I'll be in my bunk."

The epitome of “contractually obliged” - definite C tier

Hey it’s Professor X and Jean Grey!!! But seriously a decent romance plot, but you can quickly see where it’s all going.