Star Trek: The Next Generation | Season 5, Episodes 19–21

We're continuing my first-time watch of Star Trek in release order! This week, we're tackling moral obligations, questionable parenting, and the Enterprise's seemingly nonexistent security protocols. From Wesley Crusher's difficult choices at Starfleet Academy to Lwaxana Troi's unconventional approach to life, there's plenty to unpack—and not all of it is good.

This week, we get:

• The moral, ethical, and legal codes

• Chaotic benevolence

• Enterprise security is awful and leads to some mediocre stories

We covered:

• The First Duty

• Cost of Living

• The Perfect Mate

The First Duty

Wesley Crusher finds himself caught between loyalty to his friends and his moral obligations following a tragic accident at Starfleet Academy. We discuss the differences between legal and ethical responsibilities, lies of omission, and whether Wesley is obligated to provide self-incriminating evidence. It's an interesting character study that challenges how we feel about Wesley—and leaves us hoping this isn't his final appearance in TNG.

Cost of Living

Lwaxana Troi returns, bringing her particular brand of chaotic benevolence to the Enterprise. We discuss the episode's collection of loosely connected stories, Lwaxana's surprisingly effective parenting compared to Worf, and whether any of these little vignettes deserved an entire episode. Plus, mud baths, NewsRadio, and the realization that Lwaxana might actually be growing on us.

The Perfect Mate

Enterprise security takes center stage again, and not in a good way. We discuss how easily visitors seem to cause trouble aboard the flagship, why this episode failed to capture our interest, and the many tangents that proved more entertaining than the story itself. From Jean Grey saying "mutant" to dolphins aboard the Enterprise, we find plenty to talk about—even if we'd rather be talking about something else.

Final Thoughts

Three very different episodes, with varying degrees of success. The First Duty gives us a compelling exploration of truth and responsibility, Cost of Living provides another dose of Lwaxana's peculiar wisdom, and The Perfect Mate leaves us questioning Starfleet's security standards yet again.

Join us as we continue watching Star Trek for the first time, one episode at a time.

Never give up. Never surrender.

We're continuing our first-time watch of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and this week Aaron and Nate are discussing Season 5, Episodes 16–18: Ethics, The Outcast, and Cause and Effect.

This week, we get:

• Worf confronting his honor, his mortality, and his responsibilities as a father

• A time loop, a poker game, and a familiar face from '90s television

We covered:

Ethics

Worf suffers a devastating injury, leaving him to wrestle with his understanding of Klingon honor and what it means to be a father to Alexander. We discuss euthanasia, experimental medicine, informed consent, and why the episode's handling of these interesting questions ultimately didn't work for us.

Naturally, we also find time to discuss Geordi's poker skills and take a surprisingly deep dive into Gargoyles.

The Outcast

We continue our journey through Season 5 with The Outcast.

Cause and Effect

Now this is how you do a Star Trek episode! The Enterprise finds itself trapped in a repeating time loop, and we're along for the ride. We discuss déjà vu, poker, clever storytelling, and the fantastic execution of an episode that became one of our favorites.

And with Kelsey Grammer making an appearance, we couldn't resist a detour through early '90s television. We also discuss Memento, time-loop movies, Babylon 5, and the unlikely Star Trek/X-Men crossover.

Next time: The First Duty, Cost of Living, and The Perfect Mate.

Join us as we continue our first-time, release-order journey through Star Trek!

Never give up! Never surrender!

Aaron and Nate continue their first-time watch of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Season 5, Episodes 13-15: The Masterpiece Society, Conundrum, and Power Play.

This week, we get:

• A genetically engineered “perfect” society

• An Enterprise crew with no memories

• Some very off-brand versions of characters we know and love

• Another hostage situation

We covered:

• The Masterpiece Society

• Conundrum

• Power Play

The Masterpiece Society

A “masterpiece” this was not.

There is an interesting thought experiment buried in The Masterpiece Society, but the episode never quite gets where we wanted it to go. We talk about the fragility of genetic “perfection,” antifragility, and whether removing adversity might also remove some of the things that allow a society to adapt and improve.

There is also plenty to unpack around productivity, optimization, and the tradeoffs that come with maximizing one thing at the expense of everything else.

And, naturally, we have another Prime Directive conversation. Does it apply? Does it not? Did it apply and then stop applying? What exactly is the answer here?

Conundrum

This one was just fun.

Conundrum gives us a well-executed slow burn as the Enterprise crew loses its memories and attempts to figure out who they are, what their mission is, and whether the information they are being given can actually be trusted.

Even when we started seeing where the episode was heading, it didn’t really matter. Sometimes it is enough to spend time with characters you love in a story that works.

We also get some wonderfully off-brand character moments, some mistakes are made, and an important question arises: how far does a phaser shot actually go?

Power Play

For the second episode in a row, we get to see familiar characters behaving very differently than usual.

Power Play turns into a hostage story aboard the Enterprise, with Troi, Data, and O’Brien under the control of mysterious entities with their own agenda.

It may not be the greatest Troi episode, but it gives Marina Sirtis an opportunity to do something very different with the character.

We also learn that Keiko must really like the wings.

Next time, we continue Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 with Ethics, The Outcast, and Cause and Effect.

Never give up. Never surrender.