It’s been over a year since the First Contact team started watching season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Before this stage of the experiment, Alex had never seen any of this before, but what can he remember now? Pretty much nothing as it turns out but it’s good to listen to him struggle.

Listen to the previous episode ‘Shades of Gray’ here

FIRST CONTACT WILL RETURN

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During a geological Survey Riker gets struck by a thorn which releases a virus into his body. If it reaches his brain, it will kill him, so Pulaski puts him into a magical memory machine to try and stimulate his neurons. It turns out Riker may be some kind of sleeper agent as he remembers nothing prior to his adventures on the Enterprise but no one seems that bothered about it. After using various clips…I mean memories…Pulaski realises that raw emotions work best and Riker has all the feelings and virus dies. Isn’t modern medicine amazing.

During this recording, Andrew, Alex and James got somewhat distracted by some rather pressing emails but they definitely get around to reviewing ‘Shades of Gray’…eventually.

Listen to the previous episode ‘Peak Performance’ here

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FIRST CONTACT: ‘PEAK PERFORMANCE’ SEASON 2 EPISODE 21

Andrew, Alex and James get confused about whether ‘Peak Performance’ is an episode of Star Trek or a nineties ITV medical, which is pretty standard for any episode of First Contact.

Listen to the previous episode ‘The Emissary’ here

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The Enterprise is diverted on a secret mission to pick up a special Emissary, K’Ehleyr, a half Klingon who has a history with Worf. They must stop a Klingon sleeper ship who think they are still at war with the Federation and look set to destroy a number of colonies. Picard plays cupid and makes Worf work with his former lover to come up with a solution that doesn’t involve blowing up the Klingons. They fight and then do other things, and then Worf comes up with a clever resolution and K’Ehleyr escorts the Klingons back to the Empire.

Alex doesn’t really remember anything about ‘The Emissary’ so Andrew talks far too much which leads to some statements which may cause issues with Germany.

Listen to the previous episode ‘Manhunt’ here

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The Enterprise is on a mission to deliver Antedean delegates to a conference when Lwaxana Troi arrives on board ship. She’s experiencing the Betazoid version of the menopause meaning her sex drive is increased. Upon realising he’s the object of her affections, Picard decides to hide on the holodeck. Then they arrive at the conference and everyone realises that not much has happened so Lwaxana uncovers the Antedean delegates as assassins.

Andrew, Alex and James struggle to find anything meaningful to say about an episode in which virtually nothing happens…so listen, if you like that sort of thing.

Listen to the previous episode ‘Up the Long Ladder’ here

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While on the way to a mapping mission we know it will never get to, the Enterprise receives a mysterious distress call which could easily be mistaken for a game of space invaders. It turns out to be an ancient beacon from an Earth Colony long since lost. On arriving at the planet,the Enterprise crew find an inexplicably small group of comedy Irish people and their farm animals. Picard is unsure what to do until one ofthe colonists suggests looking for the other half of the colony. Turns out that it was pretty easy to find, but this technologically advanced society has resorted to cloning since they have such a small gene pool and are now dying. Could there possibly be a solution that ties it all up in a neat bow? Yes.

Alex gets distracted by the fact that one of the lead actors looks a lot like Terry Wogan and Andrew sounds as though he’s lost the will to live, while James just loves the fact that it’s quite a racist episode. It’s a turning point though, as the last great offensive episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Listen to the previous episode, ‘Samaritan Snare’ here

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Wesley prepares to go to a Starbase to take some more Starfleet exams when he’s surprise to be joined by Picard, who needs to go get some maintenance on his artificial heart, and he doesn’t want anyone in the crew to know. Meanwhile on the Enterprise, Riker proves himself to be the most inept Captain in the world when he allows Geordi to be kidnapped by some idiots despite being warned by Troi that they’re bad guys. They save him with some clever chat then rush to the starbase to save Picard whose operation has gone badly and Pulaski is the only Doctor in the quadrant who can save him.  And she does.

Andrew, Alex and James all agreed that parts of ‘Samaritan Snare’ are excellent, it’s a shame those parts comprise less than 2 per cent of the total which leads to extended conversations about Picard’s reading material and Ensign Gomez’s hot chocolate consumption.

Listen to the previous episode, ‘Q Who?’ here

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Q arrives on the Enterprise revealing he’s been ousted by the continuum and asks to join the crew. After Picard rejects his offer, Q sends the ship 7,000 light years away. There they encounter the Borg, a life form enhanced with cybernetic implants who function as a collective. The Borg fire on the Enterprise killing 18 crew members. The Enterprise attempts to outrun their ship but it seems unstoppable. Picard is forced to beg Q to end the encounter, which he does. The Enterprise returns to the alpha quadrant, shaken, humbled and in fear of a new threat to their way of life.

‘Q Who’ is a huge turning point in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but Andrew, James and Alex seem to get a little obsessed with their problems with the title as well as Ensign Gomez’s hot chocolate. Also which one is Geordi again? It’s so easy to forget.

Listen to the previous episode, ‘Pen Pals’ here

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In a metaphor for the BBC in the 1970s one of the senior crew starts using the radio to start talking to an inappropriately young girl, and forms a special bond. She asks Data for help as her world is dying but as she’s from a pre-warp planet, giving assistance will break the Prime Directive. This leads to some really important debates. Meanwhile Riker tries to teach Wesley about leadership by putting him in charge of a mineral survey team. His team seem quite helpful though so he doesn’t really learn much. There’s also a horse and a location shoot. Why is there a horse? There’s really no need for the horse.

‘Pen Pals’ actually inspires a serious discussion about the Prime Directive between Andrew, Alex and James almost as if it’s a proper episode of Star Trek. They all found this experience quite unsettling so resolved to make far more knob gags in the next episode.

Listen to the previous episode, ‘The Icarus Factor’ here

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The Icarus Factor is an ITV gameshow hosted by Gordon Burns…..wait that’s not right. It’s an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation. Those are so easy to confuse. In ‘The Icarus Factor’ Riker gets offered a promotion again, and this time it’s personal. Why is it personal? Well, because it’s his father that offers it to send him on a long and tedious voyage charting weird dust clouds in space. In a very exciting b plot Worf celebrates the anniversary of his rite of ascension by getting his friends to eat him with sticks. It’s heart warming stuff. In an even more exciting C plot, there are some anomolies in the readouts in engineering and Geordi can’t explain them. Turns out to e nothing in the end. Alex, Andrew and James all took away something special from this episode, much like the thing Riker takes away from an orgy in a disreputable establishment on Risa.

Listen to the previous episode, ‘Time Squared’ here

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