Star Trek: The Next Generation episode review — 7.23 — Emergence

Original air date: May 9, 1994
Director: Cliff Bole
Writer: Joe Menosky (story by Brannon Braga)

Rating: 4/10

Yeah, Season 7 isn’t all that good. While it’s certainly had greater heights than anything in the first season, it’s also true that no season since then has had as many bombs. The saving grace with this episode here is that it at least doesn’t deal with the theme of family.

And it actually has a halfway decent opening scene in the holodeck, with Data attempting to play Prospero from The Tempest before Picard. But then the holodeck program is interrupted by the Orient Express, which they find is from one of Dr. Crusher’s holodeck programs.

I’ve never been a fan of these holodeck episodes, but this one at least starts somewhat promising, with the ship apparently creating intelligent life within the holodeck.

Granted, this isn’t the best episode to explore a similar concept, as “Ship in a Bottle” was far more entertaining.