The Best of Both Worlds Part II

To be honest, the conclusion just fell a little short. It was good, but a bit rushed. Fellow ST Spin-off Deep Space went all in on war (with the Dominion). Too much war. In order to REALLY addict me to Next Generation, Picard would have had to remain Locutus of Borg from here on. At least for a while. Return sporadically in single episodes. Not a permanent war story ark, like in DS9. More like Sela, Tasha Yar's Romulan daughter. Picture Locutus become a foe to deal with. He changes the Borg. New strategies. Whenever you see Locutus, unexpectedly, every 10 episodes, full screen, the viewer's blood freezes. And if Locutus returns to Starfleet, then not the very next episode, but maybe 2 seasons later. Live with a Borg cube in your Federation for a while. See what it reasonably would change in Starfleet. The Federation starts cloaking all its ships (like in DS9), as one possible result. Evacuations of whole planets all the time could become the new default. And/or targeted espionage onto Borg cubes. Don't just waste an enemy that was developed so carefully. No need to follow that extended war in every episode, but some chances were missed. Have the crew's faces drop on several further Locutus appearances. That would have been the extra mile. Star Trek: Voyager later did great in catching up.

Quite simply put,stunning.still stands up nearly 30 years later and still gives me goosebumps. I remember watching part 1 and bieng so excited and frustated that i would have to wait a full 6 months before i could watch pt 2.(it was terrestial tv,kids ask your parents). The wait was a long one but boy was it worth it. Conflict ,action real emotion its all there. Impossible not to enjoy. Some say this was the best next gen ever got,well if not its pretty dam close. But what this did do was put some meat on the characters and future next gen storys. Its one of those times where everyone is top of thier game,acting ,writing,direction,effects. Sit back relax and enjoy.

Ostensibly, they didn't show the Wolf 359 battle was it would have been way too expensive. Maybe, but I think not showing it is far more effective anyway. It makes it seems far more ominous even before they reach the starship graveyard of Wolf 359. We know no more than the Enterprise does, so it really feels like we are on the ship too. And an ultimately loan ship struggling to even engage the Borg.

Apart from "The Inner Light", I think the two-part "The Best of Both Worlds" is the best that the series ever got. A fascinating plot, LOTS of action and suspense and a lot of originality make this a must-see.

In part one, the Borg decided to finally attack the Federation. In one of their first acts, they kidnapped Picard and used him and his knowledge for their upcoming attacks. Riker is faced with having to most likely die at his old friend's hand--and this is how episode one ends.

Episode two finds the Enterprise crew disheartened with the loss of Picard and death a seeming inevitability. They are not present, however, when a final Armageddon-like battle in space occurs and the Borg are barely slowed by a combined fleet of Federation and Klingon ships. So now it's up to Riker to come up with some strategy that won't be guessed by Picard/Locutus--and figure it out fast as the Borg collective is fast approaching Earth!

All I can say is watch this show. It and part one are like a movie--a darned good one at that.

The intensity level of this episode makes one feel they are watching a feature film. With Picard infested with a Borg assimilation, the Enterprise must fight the Borg in general and the Borg with Picard's personality and strategic knowledge. Riker must make decisions that are original and unpredictable to counter the intelligence and adaptability of the Borg. It stretches the entire crew because the mind of Picard is such a private thing; he is a complex being with amazing adaptability as his career with the flagship Enterprise is obvious to the world. The Borg are approaching Earth and the future of the seminal planet of the Federation is at stake. Many of the Federation ships were destroyed in the huge battle where Picard was captured (the Enterprise survived by coming late to the dance). The conclusion to this episode is excellent. It creates a set of possibilities for future conflicts with the Borg as they bully their way. We also have the unanswered questions about what will become of Picard. Set aside time to watch the two episodes together. Excellent television.