Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 74: The Best Of Both Worlds, Part I [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Now how to explain the greatness of this episode without ruining the suspense for those who haven't seen it. Let's say this much - the borg are in it, which makes it good there. Now if you've seen episodes of Voyager or First Contact, these borg don't seem as rough looking or dangerous, but it's the same guys. This episode is filled with suspense and you'll love the ending. You'll want to see part 2 for sure and I'm not saying that just because it's only natural to watch a part 2.

Unfortunately I only became a Next Generation fan around the time the series was about to go off of the air. So I can't even imagine the suspense that the truly faithful had when this episode aired with a whole summer remaining before the answer would be revealed. I was edgy just to see the next episode even though I only had to wait a day.

What I can say is that this episode is one of the best written and produced television events i've ever seen. The sets, as always, were awesome. The Borg ship is ominous and eerie. The action and surprise is palpable. And the plot is just outstanding. I don't wanna give ANY of it away but just suffice it to say that an almost perfect quandry is presented to the crew of the Enterprise.

The Borg has to be the most ominous concept perhaps ever created for television. Picture this... a big metal cube that flies through space without any apparent leader. And wherever it goes it's sole purpose is to anihilate the planets and vessels it encounters. Or it seeks to assimilate the inhabitants into its' 'collective'. Once assimilated the beings lose all sense of self and become motivated only by the desire to serve the collective. It's kinda like Night of the Living Dead in space. You can't outrun em and if you kill em more just keep comin'. Frightening.

I used to have many discussions about what the Borg was meant to represent. I always believed that the Borg was meant to represent Communism but I was intrigued by the many different interpretations that I was exposed to.

In short, you don't have to be a Next Generation fan to appreciate this single episode. It stands on its' own merit. When you watch Next Generation in general it's hard to imagine how anyone ever even liked the original series with James T. Kirk. This episode is just beyond fantastic.

Next Generation has to be one of my five favorite television series ever and this is the crown jewel of Next Generation.

"The Best Of Both Worlds" is the true inspiration of the Borg. Never-ending and teriffic action, the special effects (which you'll mostly see on part 2) and the plot gets you off your seat! You truly can't miss this one!

Plot: The Enterprise responds to a distress call from a colony. They arrive there and find nothing but a large crater. The Starfleet, suspecting it's the expected Borg attack, send Lt. Cmdr. Shelby to investigate. In not too much time, Shelby confirms that the Borg indeed have destroyed the colony and are in the area. Well, the Enterprise goes and finally encounters the Borg vessal and fights it off in a pitched battle, quickly being forced to retreat into a nebula. Well, while that's happening, Lt. Cmdr. Shelby is starting to really get on some people's nerves, particularily Riker's. The main plot awesome and this in the definite top ten of TNG episodes (along with part 2). It beats say, Insurrection and defintely is awesome to actually see Starfleet be forced into combat for once (instead of there over-used, and somewhat naive-thinking, peace-at-all-costs-even-to-placate-evil-jerk-people). The only troublesome part is Shelby. She is so ambitious, that she actually says to Cmdr. Riker that he is in her way for a promotion (I mean, this assuming that the Borg doesn't blow them to bits or assimilates them. I would be far more worried about the Borg than a stupid promotion, especially when battle may be imminent.) Despite that flaw, which is solved nicely in part 2, the episode is one of (if not the) top 10 TNG episodes. The cliffhanger must have been murder for those who had to watch this on TV during the third season. I give this a 7 out of 5 stars.