[TNG] The Arsenal of Freedom

TNG Season 1, Episode 21 (Netflix: S1 E22): The Arsenal of Freedom

Rating: 3

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The plot strains through the motions of getting the characters into a dangerous situation on the surface of a planet, but once they get there it’s pretty entertaining. The separate threads of narrative are all fun to watch and provide a lot of good character moments, particularly for Geordi and Picard.

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Read more at Memory Alpha

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Notes:

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We learn for the first time that Riker is passing up opportunities to command his own ship

The premise and the possible message of this episode aren’t that interesting

Riker’s old pal shows up. When Riker learns he isn’t real, Riker just decides to screw with him

What most people remember from this episode is this robot flying around a bad set

Riker gets stuck

This makes Picard want to go down there. He puts Geordi in command!

Troi doesn’t understand why Picard is going down there. Neither do I. Seems awfully risky with no foreseeable benefit. He’ll probably just fall into a hole or something.

Then Picard and Crusher fall into a hole

Chief Engineer Logan shows up to give Georgi guff. That really is the character’s only purpose. When Geordi wants to stay in orbit, Logan thinks they should leave. When Geordi decides it’s too dangerous and they need to leave orbit, Logan thinks they need to stay.