The reason why "Brothers" is the best episode of ST:TNG

[Orrex]

In the closing scene, we see Data, Picard, and Dr. Crusher observing two young boys playing, one of whom is quarantined because of an ailment he contracted because of the other's mischief.

Data notes that the boys "appear to have reconciled their differences."

"They're brothers," notes Dr. Crusher. "Brothers forgive."

The camera zooms in on Data as he reflects on his troubled relationship with his "brother" Lore, but that's only part of it.

Right behind him, and just outside of camera's main focus, Picard likewise ponders his troubles with his own brother, Robert.


It's a rare moment in Trek, because it's an oblique but certain nod to the events of another episode not clearly related to the current one (except by chronology). Multi-episode story arcs hadn't yet become a trend, and even two-part episodes were basically self-contained. B5 zealots often decry this per-episode isolation as a weakness of Trek, but YMMV.

Also, the fact that the primary moment is Data's, but we also see Picard's internal struggle, is a subtlety unprecedented in Trek; two characters simultaneously pondering profound but separate truths, with neither saying a word.

Stewart and Spiner nailed the moment, and it serves as the clincher in a hands-down fantastic episode.


If you disagree, you're mad, and I hate you and all that you stand for.

[DarkTirade]

1. I disagree!

Actually it's been a while and I don't remember that episode offhand.

[Orrex]

2. Yeah yeah yeah

And some knucklehead will eventually chime in with The Inner Light, because that's how discussions like this invariably go.

I have two words for The Inner Light: Bo Ring.

[DarkTirade]

4. Eh, that one was well done, but it was a bit of a ripoff...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Man_Who_Has_Everyt...
and one that your average geek woulda recognized too...

[Orrex]

5. Huh. Guess I'm not your average geek, after all.

I wasn't familiar with that one. Neat-o!

[Orsino]

6. I don't recall that one, either.

Nice.

[Kool Kitty]

3. Good call.

This is one of my fave ST:TNG episodes.

[TZ]

7. You know, I don't remember that really

Guess that shows how "big" an impression it made on me..but what the hell I know you already think I'm mad and hate all that I stand for cause I liked Indy4....

[Orrex]

9. True fact: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is an anagram of "This film sucks!"

And you can quote me on that!

[PassingFair]

8. Um...

Just kidding....

[galledgoblin]

10. dunno which is the best...

but the absolute worst in ALL of star trek has to be "Up the Long Ladder".

[Orrex]

11. Pretty bad, I agree

Season Two certainly had its share of unwatchable stinkers, even if it did crank out one or two gems.

Odd fact about Up the Long Ladder: it is, as far as I'm aware, the only fictional program ever to show multiple abortions onscreen in succession, when Riker vaporizes the numerous clones still in their "wombs."

[galledgoblin]

12. IIRC, those clones were all fully formed, complete with beards

I wouldn't compare it to abortion, since the equivalent would be the next-to-never third trimester abortions, and which NEVER happen because of the weak reasons Riker and Pulaski gave.

in DS9's "A Man Alone", Odo arrests a guy for killing his clone within an hour of it's "birth"...

on so many levels, "Up the Long Ladder" really perfectly deserves the title of WORST. EPISODE. EVER.

[Orrex]

13. Ah--a reasonable distinction

Still, it's about as close as we've ever gotten to it, I think.


More than anything else, the reason I hate Up the Long Ladder is because it's yet another example of the forcible insertion of pop-culture Irish-esque nonsense where it doesn't belong.

Also, any asshole savvy enough to whip up a cloning operation on a semi-hospitable alien world would damn sure have the wherewithal to make a complete record of the first-gen DNA sequence, against which future cloned strands could be checked (and corrected). I was about 16 when I saw this episode, and this was the first thing that occurred to me. I mean, I'm a superlative genius, of course ( ), but even a middle-of-the-road cloner should have been able to figure this one out.

[galledgoblin]

14. not to mention the solution to use women as breeders

I want to read a women's studies major's analysis of the entire episode, it's full of a bizarre form of sexism that's no longer mainstream.

[Orrex]

15. Oh yeah, that!

Riker's whole tryst with Ms. Bringloidie (sp?!?) seemed so absurdly forced that even Kirk would have rolled his eyes.