We begin with a follow up to last week's episode with more research into why Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar) left. Because I am not buying the party line here, and find out the departure of this nepo-baby was not quite as the PR made it out to be. Things were not adding up last week and I get some much needed closure. Thank you to Den of Geek for providing insight!

Check out their awesome article here: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/star-trek-the-next-generation-tasha-yar-death/ 

Speaking of closure, it seems like literally no one else on the Enterprise remembers her existence, which is just like ice cold. Damn y’all, get some grief counselors on board. Or develop feelings, maybe wear a grief poncho? 

Anyway, in this episode a further dive into Picard’s taste in women is divulged as we meet one of his exes, who is like a walking narcissism machine in parachute pants. That’s right, Crusher has a romantic rival for Picard’s not affections, and perhaps in my own grief over Tar I find myself rooting for…Crusher? That can’t be right.

So basically they’re supposed to go on leave (HA!) when they get a distress call from this planet that has two people left, and Picard is acting really weird and is literally spanking a towel to the point of viewer discomfort because one of those two folks is some chick he stood up at a bar in Paris like several decades ago. 

Also there’s a casual time loop that’s like the secondary plot. Like time is randomly looping and people are way too calm about it. Turns out Parachute Pants’s husband is doing temporal experiments and just blew up a lab full of Lt. Singhs and Yars, because he does not care. But don’t worry guys, this 1% er and his wife were in a fancy reinforced second lab so they lived. His only problem is he’s having a tiiiiiiiiime seiiiiiizure! Crusher for once is right in saying “whoa, I don’t know what’s going on here” and Parachute Pants promptly starts setting up her “Plan B,” which is Picard. Ignoring her husband’s terminal illness, she instead flirts with Picard and it’s all just terrible.

In summation, Data saves everyone (again), fixes time, they get the buddy and her time breaking husband off the ship and they all can go back to their regular Yar-less lives. Data gets confronted by multiple Datas from different timelines during this episode and is so chill that I think the writers forgot about Lore. Or all of the Datas are experiencing PTSD at the same time? But no one cares about Data. :( Oh and it’s supposed to be like Casablanca.

Featuring: No mention of Yar, you disloyal losers/former coworkers. Picard dodging a bullet with this Parachute Pants science-digger (science is the new NFL in the future you guys)! To quote succinctly: “You don't mess with time! You don't f__k with time, m_____________r! “ - Rick and Morty. Picard punishing a very bad towel! Girl talk, Troi and Crusher dishing on their crushes while Crusher’s patient is dying behind her! No one getting leave! Maybe a fabricated STD test? 

Well guys, to paraphrase a famous line from Casablanca, “We”ll always have Yar, (even if y’all promptly forgot.)”

Check us out at www.start-trek.com, and if you like us, please subscribe!
We have another podcast called Anecdotes for Awkward Folks if you like bizarre historical stories, so give it a listen if that sounds appealing! Thanks for listening!

You guys, TASHA YAR DIES IN THIS ONE. Like game over, no resurrection, straight up dead. I was not prepared for this, I knew the character was being taken out of the series but I assumed her character was getting transferred to like the more competent ship that Starfleet doesn't have a camera crew on! NOT COOL, TNG.

Oh, and making her death even worse is that Crusher basically tries to use a defibrillator ON TASHA'S BRAIN when trying to revive her. And literally no one steps in, so shame on everyone in that room, because I read an article about a kindergartner who saved his grandfather at an airport after he had a heart attack by using an AED by following the picture directions, so what the damn hell.

So I really don't care about the rest of the plot of this episode because I am legit angry since Tasha is my favorite character and she legit got an ignoble death. But basically, Troi crashes on this planet with a sentient BP Oil Slick who was abandoned by his fellow folks and is immortal and bored, so it likes to torture humans to force interaction. It's holding Troi hostage, who was on a shuttle coming back from a poncho convention before it crashed on this thing's planet. I think this creature can be rehabilitated, but Dave disagrees #spacism. If this evil oil slick has only had interactions with other organisms based off of injury than how does it know that friendliness might invoke the same amusement? Jeez, everyone is so judgmental. Plus, let's be honest, a giant oil blob monster would look awesome on a Starfleet Recruitment Brochure. 

Alas, everyone is just interested in being rude to the hapless oil blob monster and once again Picard is all about the Prime Selective Directive. 

Featuring: Riker getting hurt again (haha)! Tasha predicting a swift death for herself accurately because Crusher was around! Spaaaaace goooo! Data not understanding sand is very bothersome for human eyeballs! Biffles Worf and Tasha  bro-ing down for the last time! Anger throwing ice cubes because of senseless favorite character death (that's more a me thing)! Everyone being a jerk to this orphaned oil slick sentient being! Troi basically exchanging Tasha's life for a bunch of ponchos! Literally all of the leadership leaving the bridge! And so much more.

Check us out at www.start-trek.com, and if you like us, please subscribe!
We have another podcast called Anecdotes for Awkward Folks if you like bizarre historical stories, so give it a listen if that sounds appealing! Thanks for listening!

Ok guys, you're in for a treat, Dave did this week's episode description as he doesn't remember this one that well:

This week the Prime Directive is suddenly a thing again as the Enterprise sets out to study a super cool star with a weirdly changing magnetic whatevers. The ship gets all friggin' bluey on them because no one thought powerful magnetic fields could harm computers and electrical systems. We then meet some other space freighter crew who actually make the Enterprise crew look real competent by comparison.

But it turns out the other space freighter crew were actually doing a drug deal! And this was a deal between the good farming people of Pawnee and the nicely dressed but evil people Eagleton! The planet names are different but this is basically the situation. Also, these people (spoiler) happen to be kind of like electric eels. Which is way cool! But we only get to see it briefly. Like twice.

There’s a lot in this one! While Riker is barely in this one, he does manage to get his left nipple electrocuted. Tasha, as always, is kicking ass and waiting for everyone to catch up. Picard decides this is one of the weeks where he will follow the Prime (Selective) Directive. Wes gets told that “Drugs are bad…m’kay”. And Crusher, in her first real act of medicining, is able to distinguish a plague from people high on narcotics (tepid applause).  

Check us out at www.start-trek.com, and if you like us, please subscribe!
We have another podcast called Anecdotes for Awkward Folks if you like bizarre historical stories, so give it a listen if that sounds appealing! Thanks for listening!