| Review : |
Sorry everyone, this is a guilty pleasure which may be my favourite episode of TNG. Granted, the ridiculous premise channels the worst and most embarrassing elements of 1960s naffness courtesy of TOS, and Brent Spiner's nasal voice for Masaka (Moussaka?) is a joke. Hard to believe Spiner would one day be ENT's all-time best guest actor, light years away from some of his character work here. The episode is literally so embarrassing that I would be mortified if my family saw me watching it. That said, Spiner does play some of the characters well, particularly the old man and the somewhat annoying "main" bloke, the pseudo-trickster, who provides most of the useful information (again, in a silly nasal voice for some reason). The music and atmosphere for the episode elevate this beyond its silly premise. "Ethnic" Trek seems to just "work". The peril facing the ship is very real and Masaka, despite her name (which vies with Annorax for Trek's worst ever) is made to sound terrifying, being built up even more effectively than the villain in Skyfall, although Masaka is a lot more formidable than that disappointing weirdo. We also get some fantastic lines about not letting the E-D turn into an alien city and the "Do you understand pain" speech. In many ways, the buildup as Masaka's story is slowly revealed might be the best introduction to a villain in Trek. A guilty pleasure, but something I can watch time and again to relax and have fun. |
