TNG S06E16-17

In this installment:
(viewed Sunday, October 20th)

Star Trek:  The Next Generation, S06E16-17 - "Birthright" (Parts 1 & 2)

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"Birthright" (Parts One & Two)

• This episode opens with the Enterprise-D docked at one of the upper pylons of the space station Deep Space 9, a facility of Cardassian design that was recently ceded to the Bajoran government after the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor. 
  
  This episode is a reminder to me that I've reached the period of overlap between TNG and DS9.  As a matter of fact, I've been in that period for several episodes now.  The DS9 premiere episode, "Emissary", first aired on January 3rd, 1993.  This was just a couple of weeks after the airing of the second half of the TNG two-parter, "Chain of Command" (which featured Cardassian antagonists).
• I like Dr. Crusher, but after over five seasons of her the entire hyper-feminine, frilly nightgown, "Oh Jean-Luc, you have to check out this relaxation program!" routine is starting to grate on my nerves a little bit.
• Geordi mentions to Worf that an antique shop on the station's promenade supposedly has a plasma coil dating back to the 21st Century.  Assuming this means one of human design (which I guess it might not necessarily mean), then our species apparently adopted the terrifyingly stupid concept of using plasma to conduct energy far earlier than previous thought :P
• "Worf, how can you eat that?  It tastes like liquid polymer."
  
  "Delicious."
• Oh, Dr. Bashir.  A genetically-engineered* genius who doesn't know that he should ask permission before mucking around in the sickbay on a starship.
  
  (* - We don't know this yet.)
• Yridians are one of the ugliest Trek aliens, in my opinion.  And this Jaglom Shrek fellow is no exception, even if he is played by the awesome veteran Trek actor James Cromwell.
• Uh, are you telling this giant Klingon that his daddy surrendered to the Romulans at Khitomer?  That's not going to go over well.  Now he's going to take it out on poor Ensign Lopez.  And on Commander Riker a little bit, but we all know that Riker probably did something to deserve that.  And then he's going to smash his table.
• "Did the table do something wrong?"
• "Data, can I ask you a question?"
  
  "Certainly."
  
  "Does your hair...grow?"
• I completely forgot that this episode's sub-plot is Data's dream sequence involving his father.  This episode had to be a lot of fun for Brent Spiner.
• "Maybe you should approach this from a more human standpoint.  You're right that machines can't have hallucinations.  But then again, most machines can't grow hair."
• "The camp is located on the edge of Romulan space.  It is a dangerous journey."
  
  "It would be more dangerous to refuse."
• I know it's a prison camp, but it's also the 24th Century.  How is it that young women are still bathing in rivers and whatnot?
• Where do you think they put all of Data's paintings?  The Galaxy class is a pretty voluminous ship with lots of storage space, no doubt.  I imagine a cargo bay someplace that's just filled to the rafters with original Datas.
• Data's subconscious (or whatever) is kind of a freaky place.
• "Data...you are the bird!"
  
  <neo>Whoah.</neo>
• "We are not leaving here.  And neither are you."
  
  Yeah, well.  This is a two-parter.  So we'll see about all that.
• So, Worf.  The bad news is that you're a prisoner of the Romulans and these Klingons are all a bunch of whiny little petaQ.  The good news is that the hottie with the teeth seems to be into you.
• Either the Romulan guards didn't check Worf for explosives, or he MacGuyver'd the sh*t out of a Rubick's Cube.
• I may be mistaken, but I believe this is the first time that the iconic spring-loaded Klingon dagger (first seen in The Search For Spock) is identified by name--the D'k tahg.
  
  
  
• Your girlfriend's got pointed ears, yo.
• I know that Klingons and Romulans are implacable enemies--real Israeli/Palestinian-style stuff going on there.  But Worf is kind of a racist.
• It's good to know that, when not needed to slay your enemies, Klingon weapons make pretty good farming implements and toys for adolescents.  Sort of like Jarts on steroids.
• And I'm not sure why they think the little kid who barely knows he's a Klingon is going to be able to stop Worf if he decides to try and escape while they're on this hunt of theirs.  Even with a disruptor or whatever, Worf would take this kid apart.  Giving him a pointy boar-hunting spear or whatever only makes it even easier.  If Worf was prone to trickery, this would be bad news.
• Worf's commando outfit in this episode makes Michael Dorn's legs look unnaturally skinny.
• "No one survived Khitomer."
  
  "I understand."