Writing in 2021, it is great to see that I am not the only person taking a retrospective look at Star Trek, the Next Generation. When this series was first released in 1987, a little less than twenty years after the end of the Original Series, many people thought that, without Captain Kirk and his crew, it couldn't really be Star Trek. However, original creator Gene Roddenberry, was fully invested in the casting, writing and overall look of the new series, so let's see how it shaped up:
PEACE THOUGH SUPERIOR FIREPOWER. This is a well-crafted "message" episode about the destructive nature of the arms race. The story of our crew trapped on an uninhabited planet, which still functions as a weapons showroom for a now-extinct race, moves along well with most of the main cast getting something to do.
The B story where Captain Picard and the Doctor get stuck in a hole in the ground gives us a bit more background information on these characters while the C story about Geordi LaForge's leadership challenges on the bridge give actor LeVar Burton something meaningful to do at last.
It was great to see James Bond villain, Vincent Schiavelli, in a a guest spot as the holographic arms dealer. The sharp-eyed might also spot Julia Nickson on the bridge as Ensign Lian T'Su. This actor went on to appear in both Deep Space Nine and Babylon Five, making her something of a favourite with the Serious Sci Fi Set.
(Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5)