Search - Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Fifth Season on DVD

A Very Good Season

R. Allen | sacramento, ca USA | 06/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Redemption, Part II -- Believing the Romulans are behind a Klingon civil war, Picard involves Starfleet in the conflict. (Return of Denise Crosby as Sela formerly Tasha Yar) Darmok -- Picard is forced into a dangerous encounter with the captain of an alien starship. (Stars Paul Winfield from Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan, The Terminator, and Cliffhanger. Also stars Ashley Judd from Heat, and High Crimes)Ensign Ro -- The Enterprise crew becomes an unwitting pawn in a deadly conspiracy masterminded by a Starfleet admiral. Silicon Avatar -- The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise risks all in an attempt to communicate with a destructive force known as the Crystalline Entity before a visiting scientist can destroy it.Disaster -- Troi holds the lives of the crew in her hands when she is forced to act as captain after the Enterprise is seriously damaged by a rare, natural phenomenon.The Game -- The fate of the Federation is in Wesley Crusher's hands when he returns to the Enterprise to find the rest of the crew addicted to a dangerous new game. (Stars Ashley Judd from Heat, and High Crimes)Unification, Part I -- Picard and Data travel to Romulus to investigate an unauthorized mission undertaken by the Federation's legendary Mr. Spock. (Stars Mark Lenard from Star Trek movies, and Planet of the Apes. Also stars Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek movies, voice in Transformers: The Movie and Atlantis: The Lost Empire)Unification, Part II -- Picard learns Spock's mission to Romulus involves a plan to reunify its people with the Vulcans. (Stars Denise Crosby as Sela formerly Tasha Yar. Also stars Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek movies, voice in Transformers: The Movie and Atlantis: The Lost Empire) A Matter of Time -- The U.S.S. Enterprise plays host to a mysterious visitor who claims to be from the future. (Stars Matt Frewer from Max Headroom, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and TV's The Stand)New Ground -- While the U.S.S. Enterprise heads for Bilana III to participate in the testing of a new propulsion method called the Soliton Wave, Worf receives an unexpected visit from his mother Helena and his son Alexander.Hero Worship -- A troubled young boy starts to emulate Data.Violations -- Troi, Riker and Dr. Crusher fall into unexplained comas while the Enterprise plays host to an alien race.The Masterpiece Society -- Picard's efforts to save a genetically engineered society from a natural disaster threaten to destroy it.Conundrum -- While suffering an unexplained case of amnesia, the crew finds themselves fighting a war they do not remember or understand.Power Play -- Picard is shocked when Troi, Data and Chief O'Brien engineer an unexplained overthrow of the Bridge.Ethics -- The crew is torn when an injured Worf, paralyzed after an accident, opts to follow Klingon custom and commit suicide.The Outcast -- Riker's romance with a member of an androgynous race causes conflict and complications for all concerned.Cause and Effect -- Trapped in a time warp that forces the crew to endlessly repeat the same experiences, the U.S.S. Enterprise is doomed to destruction. (Stars Kelsey Grammer of TV's Fraiser)The First Duty -- Wesley Crusher, involved in a cover-up of a devastating accident at Starfleet Academy, learns a painful lesson in honesty. (Stars Ray Walston from The Sting, Popeye, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Of Mice and Men, TV's The Stand, Addams Family Reunion, and My Favorite Martian. Also stars Robert Duncan McNeill from the Star Trek: Voyager TV)Cost of Living -- Troi's freewheeling mother Lwaxana upsets Deanna and Worf when she introduces Worf's son to her rather hedonistic lifestyle.The Perfect Mate -- Picard falls in love with a beautiful woman who is to be given as a peace offering to end a centuries-long war. (Stars Famke Janssen from Goldeneye, Rounders, House on Haunted Hill and X-men)Imaginary Friend -- A little girl's imaginary friend becomes a frightening reality for the crew when she threatens to destroy the U.S.S. Enterprise.I, Borg -- Picard and the crew suffer from conflicting emotions when the U.S.S. Enterprise rescues a critically injured Borg.The Next Phase -- Geordi and Ro are pronounced dead after a transporting maneuver from a distressed Romulan ship goes awry.The Inner Light -- After a mysterious accident, Picard wakes up living the life of another person on a faraway planet. (Star Richard Riehle from Glory, Mercury Rising, Desperate Measures, Office Space, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, and Bandits. Also stars Daniel Stewart, Patrick Stewart's son.)Time's Arrow, Part I -- After Data learns of his own death in late 19th-century San Francisco, a freak accident transports him back to that period."

STNG Season Five - On cruise control!

K. Wyatt | St. Louis, MO United States | 03/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Season five in so many ways, is just an absolutely incredible season that is packed with stunning, thought provoking episodes. As one watched these shows aired for the first time or is working their way through the DVD's, the quality of the writing and the actors comfort with their characters just becomes better and better by the episode. The shows popularity is at an all time high during this season. This is evidenced by the high quality of the scripts and shows that deal with so many issues brilliantly. The one true oddity about the season is the lack of a "Q" episode due to the lack of a good script for the character. Of key interest is the fact that more and more of Hollywood's big names were inquiring about and or getting spots on the show. In my opinion, many of the series best episodes of its seven year run came from this season.The following is a list with a synopsis of episodes that stand out among all of the great episodes of the season: Redemption part II - The outstanding conclusion to season fours season ending cliffhanger. Introducing the return of Denise Crosby in the role of Commander Sela, Tasha Yar's daughter; this brings us back to the events of "Yesterdays Enterprise." Here we are treated to some of the best Klingon scenes of the entire series.Darmok - Paul Winfield, better known in the Star Trek universe from Star Trek II, makes a guest appearance. This episode is quite intriguing in how Captain Picard and crew have to come up with a way to communicate with the Children of Tama, whose language is indecipherable, hopefully before Captain Picard gets killed.Ensign Ro - The introduction of Michelle Forbes in the role of Ensign Ro Laren and the Bajoran people which will become quite prominent in Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Her addition to the cast at least in a part time status, is an outstanding addition, even for a show that really didn't need it.Disaster - A great episode in which we get to see Counselor Troi in charge and Worf assist in the birth of Chief O'Brien's and Keiko's daughter, which is extremely humorous.The Game - This is an interesting episode about Riker meeting a woman who introduces him to an "addictive" game. This episode also marks the first appearance of Ashley Judd as Ensign Robin Lefler.Unification parts I & II - In no uncertain terms, this episode is among the tops in the series whole seven year run. Leonard Nimoy's appearance as Ambassador Spock and the intrigue involved is gripping to say the least. The conversation between Spock and Data is highly enlightening into both characters.Ethics - This episode stands out because of its Klingon mythology aspect, bringing even further along in how the Klingon culture deals with issues, such as this one, suicide due to injury.Cause and Effect - I just thoroughly enjoy how this episode was done. The Enterprise is caught in a causality loop. This causes them to repeat several days, over and over again, always ending in disaster until they figure out a way to stop it. Kelsey Grammer makes a brief but endearing guest appearance.The First Duty - The Enterprise is home at earth, with Captain Picard planning on giving the commencement speech for Starfleet Academy. Wesley Crusher makes an appearance and he's part of Nova Squadron which is an Academy flying team. They've had an accident and there is an investigation. This episode has some of the best conflict between the characters out of the entire series. In this episode, we also finally get to see what the Academy looks like and meet Boothby, played by Ray Walston.The Perfect Mate - This episode truly stands out among the shows of the entire series. Newcomer Famke Janssen appears a Kamala. She is a Metamorph, a woman who is empathic and in the final stages of her "maturing" process bonds perfectly with the man she meets when she comes out of stasis. Hers and Patrick Stewart's performance are exceptional!The Next Phase - This is a great Ro Laren and LaForge episode that deals with what is initially thought of as their deaths. This show is very ingeniously written!The Inner Light - This episode is by far the best of the season and among the top five of the entire series! Patrick Stewart's performance is heartfelt and touching and should've won him many awards! The Enterprise encounters an alien probe which "attaches" itself to him and he then lives a lifetime in the span of twenty five minutes. This is a beautiful episode which bears many viewings!Time's Arrow part I - The season ending cliffhanger. While not being one of the best cliffhangers of the series, this one is still quite interesting as the crew deals with time travel and Guinan takes a prominent position in the script. Jerry Hardin's performance as Samuel Clemens is marvelous!Special Features:Mission Overview: Year Five
Departmental Briefing: Year Five, Production & Visual Effects
Memorable Missions: Year Five
A Tribute to Gene Roddenberry - This special feature above all others, offsets the costs of the DVD sets as it is priceless, especially the surprise ending!Also included:A separate mini-CD containing some great Star Trek Nemesis wallpapers, screensavers and a theatrical trailer.A Season Five Bonus Featurette containing a great "Intergalactic Guest Stars" clip that is enlightening! Also included is "Alien Speak" which is a wonderful clip about how some of the alien writings and speech came about! {ssintrepid}Entire episode list:Redemption Part II
Darmok
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The Game
Unification Part I
Unification Part II
A Matter of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause and Effect
The First Duty
Cost of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I, Borg
The Next Phase
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow Part I"

Still very good, but some wasted opportunities

Colin Neal | Reading, Berkshire. England United Kingdom | 03/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is full of "society episodes" for example, Violations, the Masterpiece Society, the Outcast and the Cost of Living. They're all actually very good, it's the other episodes that the writers can't seem to get right this season. For a start the 2 part special "Unification" featuring Spock is long, drawn out and only has the last 5 minutes with any action. It's still good as a thriller but nothing really happens. Jonathan Frakes continues his directing with "Cause and Effect" - the Enterprise caught in a temporal loop, leading to it's continual destruction each time. Frakes manages to film each of the 5 or 6 times it happens from a different perspective stopping it from grating. "I Borg" features the return of the Borg with the twist - a faction of them are individuals now. We didn't expect another Borg episode to take such a different stance, that's why it works. "Power Play" and "Disaster" are action packed - Die Hard - type episodes, and this is where Star Trek tends to lose out over Babylon 5, is that everything goes back to normal the following week. Any trauma these characters might have experienced or any changes in their character aren't continued throughout the rest of the series. "The Inner Light" is often sited as one of the finest episodes, where Picard lives the rest of his natural life (or believes he does) and has to deal with returning to the Enterprise after having come to terms with his new "life." It's very well made and Stewart shines as always. The season finale "Time's Arrow" is an enjoyable romp but a bit pointless, it feels more like Doctor Who than Star Trek. Still, there are some good episodes here and this box set is well worth having.Episode List;

Redemption, Part II
Darmok
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The Game
Unification, Part I
Unification, Part II
A Matter of Time
New Ground
Hero Worship
Violations
The Masterpiece Society
Conundrum
Power Play
Ethics
The Outcast
Cause and Effect
The First Duty
Cost of Living
The Perfect Mate
Imaginary Friend
I, Borg
The Next Phase
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow, Part I"

The Best Season Hands Down

Shawn Cunningham | Las Vegas, Nevada United States | 09/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the only season I really want, as it is by far the best. Seasons 3 and 4 were good, but without the polishing and wonderful dialogue & writing of the fifth year. After the peak of the fifth year, things went downhill, with the two-parter-saturated sixth and seventh years, where technobabble soared and real storytelling declined. The fifth year can boast two of Star Trek's best episodes: "Darmok", a truly Star Trek episode, one where you actually think there are real aliens that don't look and talk like your next door neighbor; "The Inner Light", which, along with DS9's "The Visitor" are the only two Trek episodes I ever actually teared up at - is truly outstanding. I thought "Unification" was okay, but I think Spock probably deserved a less political and more sci-fi storyline, "The Game" was fun (just love to see chases through the Enterprise), I thought Ro Laren ("Ensign Ro", "The Next Phase"), etc." was a great secondary character I wished we'd seen more of; I just liked that there was someone who didn't just fall into the stuffy chain of command. Overall a solid season with outstanding episode after episode. Other goodies include "Disaster", "A Matter of Time", "Conundrum", "Power Play", "Ethics", "Cause and Effect", "I, Borg" & "Time's Arrow"."