Monday 20 October 2008

Star Trek: TNG 2.6 - The Schizoid Man

Review 116 - Episode 112 (Jan 23rd 1989)

The One where Data goes evil

Brent Spiner episode this one, as his mind is slowly taken over by Ira Graves, his "Grandfather"

I'm not sure I like Data episodes where he malfunctions or is possessed. It reminds me of when Spock used to start showing emotions when he was infected with a virus or something. The novelty and shock value decreases every time and as you know it's going to default anyway to his normal state, it just seems pointless. Of course, Spiner is such a good actor that he makes it watchable and believable, but the storyline is simply a non starter for me.

I suppose back when it was first broadcast, it was a novelty, but with all my memories of Data going weird episodes, they're a bit tiresome.

Also of note this episode is Dr Selar, the hot Vulcan doctor. This is her only appearance in TNG, but she's constantly name checked and would pop up in various other media. She's really cool and a Vulcan doctor is an interesting concept as they're all normally passionate or grumpy. Much better than Pulaski anyway.

f you're a big Data fan, it's worth a watch, but I was struggling with this.

3/5

Overall Star Trek Franchise Rating so far: 332/585

Dr Selar Appreciation Corner (we'll give Bev a rest this episode):


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