TNG S02E11

In this installment:
(also viewed Sunday, June 2nd)

Star Trek:  The Next Generation, S02E11 - "Contagion"

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"Contagion"

• This is the second time we see the USS Yamato, although this is the first time we're seeing the real ship (the first time was an illusion created by the entity Nagilum in the episode "Where Silence Has Lease").  The only other Galaxy-class starship that we see in TNG, she is the sisters ship of the Enterprise-D and is named after the WW2-era Japanese battleship (not the battleship of the space variety). 
• This is also the first mention of the Iconians, a previously-mythical ancient race that controlled a vast interstellar empire several hundred thousand years prior to the events of the episode.  Said to be "demons of air and darkness" (or something like that), they traveled the galaxy via teleportation rather than in starships.  They will be referenced again in an episode of DS9, and briefly in an episode of VOY.
• This is our second look at the Romulan D'deridex-class warbird, which has always been one of my favorite designs.  Although by the end of the TNG/DS9/VOY-era, it was widely accepted that Romulans of the 23rd Century primarily used plasma torpedoes as their shipborne weapons and 24th Century Romulan vessels were mainly armed with disruptors (much like most Klingon ships), early appearances of Romulan ships in TNG reference them as being armed with phasers and photon torpedoes, just like Federation starships (although several races, including Klingons and Cardassians, also made extensive use of photon torpedoes).
• When talking with Wesley about ancient Iconian technology, Captain Picard paraphrases the third of the so-called "Clarke's Laws":
  
  "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
• This episode is also the first time we're exposed to Picard's passion for archeology, which will be a significant part of his character's personality for the remainder of the series.
• As we're reminded by Lt. La Forge's unfortunate turoblift accident (i.e. getting tossed about like a ragdoll), turbolifts traverse the ship both vertically and horizontally.
• Speaking of funny ways in which Geordi gets hurt, when he's shocked by the computer panel and Data throws him across the room to "save" him?  Yeah, I nearly peed a little.  The "Whoops!" look i Data's face is priceless.  I tried to get a good screenshot of it for the image on this post, but the above was the best I could do.
  
  "Data?"
  
  "Yes?"
  
  "What happened?"
  
  "Any answer would be mere speculation.  This is yet another example of how our actions have random results."
  
  "Thanks, Data.  I noticed."
• When the malfunctioning systems aboard the Romulan ship spare the Enterprise, Riker gives a classic Trek line:  "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships named 'Enterprise'."
• Ultimately, this lesson teaches us that even in the 24th Century you have to be careful what you download.  Otherwise, you might have to reformat your computer starship.