Captain’s log: stardate 47025.4

Rene Echevarria pens the final season’s opener that first aired on 20 September, 1993.

Brent Spiner pulls double duty as both Data and Lore, as Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), Geordi (LeVar Burton) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) try to escape from the Brothers Soong who have assumed control of a cadre of Borg, influenced by the infected borg, Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco).

Seeing the way he treats his friends, especially Geordi is very revealing of how much the android commander has changed. They soon learn that Data is experiencing negative emotions thanks to Lore manipulating him, but will the Starfleet crew be able to rescue their friend and deal with this new individualistic version of the Borg?

It’s fun to see Crusher (Gates McFadden) in command on the bridge, it’s long overdue, and she does it easily, and comfortably, a little foreshadowing of future events. It’s also nice when the series gets to shoot on locations as we follow the Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Worf (Micheal Dorn) as they move to rescue Picard and the rest. This leads all the characters in new directions, and gives us some nice revelation,

This is a big season opener with lots going on and it also starts the process of tying together all manner of story threads as we head into the last season.

Captain’s log: stardate unknown

Written by Jeanne Carrigan Fauci and Lisa Rich from a story by Roger Eschbacher and Jaq Greenspon this episode debuted on 27 September, 1993.

Picard, Worf, Riker and Troi are assigned liaison duty with a race known as the Iyaarans. Picard is travelling via shuttle to their homeworld, when he is forced down on a remote planet, and meets a young woman, Anna (Barbara Williams) who has been stranded their for several years.

Each of the ambassadors left on the Enterprise seems to have adapted to each of their liaisons, and there is definitely something decidedly odd going on with them. In fact they and Anna may not be all they appear to be.

Picard seems to be stuck in a bit of a Misery situation, while the crew on the Enterprise are struggling with their assignments, and the interactions with the Iyaarans.

But the truth will out in the end, and everyone will understand, finally, what is going on.

It’s not the best episode to follow on the heels of such a strong season opener, but it’s still a solid Trek adventure, and the balance between the planet-bound story and the starship tale does prove to be pretty entertaining.

The Human Adventure continues Thursday when I begin Season Two of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.