| Review : |
Quite simply the best that TNG ever produced. The Borg are coming, then they're here, then they're going for Earth. We don't even see them for half-an-hour, which helps build up the tension very well. There's something unworldly about the Borg: they don't threaten, they just announce their intentions; they don't shoot, they just grab; they don't kill, they assimilate. Lt-Cdr Shelby is a very good introduction. I'm not sure if the writers did this as a double-bluff or not. Is she here to replace Riker? Is Riker leaving to take up a new command? Then when Picard disappears, that adds a series of new questions. Can they save him? Is Riker going to be the new captain? Is Shelby the new XO? It's only a sub-plot, but it adds a lot to the main one. You can tell it's all winding up to something big. The main plot runs faster and faster, with the first clash half-way through, depth-charging the nebula, kidnapping Picard and the sequence inside the cube itself (always very a disturbing sight). As for the end, the assimilated Picard standing there, announcing the Borg's intentions, perfect. Then there is the best cliffhanger I have ever seen. "Mister Worf, fire..." |
