Transfigurations

DVD, TNG S3 (Transfigurations)

Forever destined to be known as 'the one before the Borg episode' if it's remembered at all, this has a few nice moments, but is held up by the incessant talk and verbal plotting. It's rare to see live brains on Trek (I can only think of the ones in 'The Gamesters of Triskelion'), but John Doe gets to show his off. Beverly too, gets to show off - a big medical lab that we've not been privy to before. Wesley doesn't get much to do, but he's in his new uniform and has a nice little chat with his Mum, which we don't see much of these days, and it's also interesting to see a bit more of the ship, with the area around the shuttebay explored. O'Brien even appears to show kayaking and injuring his shoulder wasn't something limited to his time on DS9!

The effects aren't bad, although John does sound like he's talking through a blanket once he's transfigured, probably because he was wearing a full body suit. I'm not sure where this Zalkonian species appears from, with their ability to use Sith-like powers of suffocation, only this time on an entire ship's complement, and with weapons and speed to match the Federation flagship, you'd think we'd have heard of them before or since. Their ship had strong similarities to the Tarellian plague ship, so perhaps they weren't really who they seemed, or maybe they all transfigured and left this TV plane of existence? Geordi's storyline of sudden onset of confidence in himself didn't go anywhere, was more filler than anything interesting, and does that mean he's got that for keeps or only while the patient was aboard? They had to do a 'small' ship-bound episode before the finale, especially as it was going to be the best season ender the series produced. Still, no one wants a forgettable episode, so this is... erm, what was I talking about?

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