Recently I learned news of a celebrity death and my immediate reaction was, “Ah, shit!” I was surprised by this reaction because normally the most I can muster when I hear similar news is curiosity. I have rarely felt any emotional attachment to someone I’ve never met, and when I feel something when a celebrity dies, it’s generally because I’m going to miss whatever form of entertainment they were providing. The next two weeks we’ll look at the ten that provoked the most reaction out of me.
To be clear, the list will just be entertainers. I could provide a laundry list of people that were really important to society that I’m pissed died young (e.g. Alan Turing), but I don’t feel like being angry for two weeks. So, fluff it is!
After not hearing from the Borg for almost two full seasons, this was the perfect reintroduction. And this is the perfect scene, challenging Picard’s personal feelings about a race that nearly destroyed him.
A great follow-up to The First Duty, Sito Jaxa gets on the Enterprise because Picard requests her, trying to test her resolve after her being knocked down a couple pegs after the disciplinary action. She dies on an extremely important mission, and then Picard has to announce her death.
The creepiest part of this episode where Beverly is caught inside the warp bubble is that the computer is completely oblivious to all of the changes going on. Majel Barrett’s best episode on the show.
While this far from a bone-chilling moment, it’s incredibly satisfying watching the brilliantly diplomatic Picard learn the basics of a new language under extreme duress.
This episode was probably the best in the series for the development of Riker’s character, which is a shame, since it was all the way back in season two. He does a brilliant job as first officer aboard the Klingon vessel. He researched the hell out of the position and put aside all of his humility to own it. My favorite part is mealtime, where he manages to impress the hell out of everyone in the room, both in humor and philosophy.
One reason I enjoy the second half of this episode is that despite everyone knowing that the Borg wasn’t going to take over the entire federation, the writers didn’t limit the damage to just a few deaths. For the Borg to remain a formidable enemy, they needed to cause some massive destruction. And they do. And it’s all shown with very little dialogue. Dropping the name of the ship that Riker turned down was a nice touch.
This whole episode is filled with little great moments as Worf jumps from one reality to another. My favorite moment, though, has to be when they encounter a reality where things are going so badly for the Federation, that Riker himself has lost all his values and is willing to more or less destroy the universe to escape death. Plus, the beard!
After getting kidnapped to be a trophy, Data utilizes passive resistance to try to foil his captor. But things change when his captor murders one of his associates in cold blood. Data then has to decide whether or not ending his captor’s life (who is not threatening his life in any way) would fit into his programming. More great character development for him.
Death By Troggles 
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