PATRON TIER LIST TNG S5E26
Added 2025-02-07 14:11:42 +0000 UTCWhat tier do you rate Star Trek TNG S5E26?
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Comments
Help out a 49er and give this a B!
Tony Salazar
2025-03-30 17:21:38 +0000 UTCOne of my favorite episodes… it’s an S for me.
Jay D
2025-03-28 12:35:25 +0000 UTCThe Mark Twain dialogue pushes this down to a B for me personally, otherwise an A- episode.
Marius
2025-03-13 13:42:07 +0000 UTCThis is a tough one for me. I never really cared for the aliens feeding on human souls plot at all, but the way it adds to the Picard/Guinan relationship is interesting. I wasn't really impacted by the discovery of Data's head either.
Sherpa Jones
2025-03-01 04:03:48 +0000 UTCI really like this episode. I’d give it an S if it wasn’t for some elements like some of the dialogue for instance, from the Mark Twain character. Some of his dialogue feels forced and put in just to invoke some type of response from the audience which felt unnatural for me. It felt like some of his dialogue wasn’t something that Mark Twain would actually say in real life. Also the thing about data’s head didn’t sit well with me. When you see it laying on the ground when first discovered it looks like you can see some deterioration and rightfully so because it’s been sitting there for hundreds of years but then it magically looks like new when they put it on his body. The fact that data’s head is now hundreds of years older than the rest of his body doesn’t make any difference? But I love the backstory between Guinan and Picard and just the adventure of the episode. Always fun to see the characters out of their element.. An A tier for me. Could have been an S.
Steve777
2025-02-12 17:31:29 +0000 UTCMy bad. I was thinking of a different episode...😬
Nicholas Jennings
2025-02-09 23:36:59 +0000 UTCWhat police officer...? There are no police officers on the Enterprise, or the alien planet. And since Riker is only seen on those two in this episodes...
Andy Frankham-Allen
2025-02-09 23:18:59 +0000 UTCDid anyone else (I didn't read all of the comments) hope Josh and Alex would watch Part 2 along with Part 1 like they did with Unification? Here's hoping the find a good reason to do just that.
Rhett Coates
2025-02-09 18:08:05 +0000 UTCNot a spoiler. Clemens IS Twain. A real world historical FACT.
T’Pynyn of Vulcan
2025-02-09 05:16:46 +0000 UTCData has come a long way with his poker skills since his days of being totally baffled by Riker's bluff. I like the Jack London character. He's very resourceful and helpful to Data. Guinan is awesome as always. Welcome back Mark Alaimo. He's great! It's a bit odd how the guy in the cave is so nonchalant about showing Data his severed head. Overall, a very memorable and fun episode.
T’Pynyn of Vulcan
2025-02-09 04:59:31 +0000 UTCIt could have been a great episode. It could have been an S tier easily, but they had to include Mark fucking Twain. The story didn't need that bs. A police officer or someone who has a legitimate reason to be suspicious of Data should have been the nosy guy that gets in the way. It would have made more sense, but the moment you use someone famous from history, it gets stupid. I still give it a B because everything else about the episode is awesome. *edited because I got 2 episodes crossed in my original comment.
Nicholas Jennings
2025-02-09 04:50:01 +0000 UTCI love this episode, Data so quickly finds his footing in the 19th century. Brent Spiner is amazing in this as per usual.
Wade MacKinnon
2025-02-09 04:35:36 +0000 UTCThe will certainly feel good about the engineer.
Sam Langanke
2025-02-08 15:14:24 +0000 UTCI so love this episode ! I know it’s only a part one, but, I just love that it’s here when we care about Data so much and it shows how much they care about him, add the Guinen element to it? Oh yeah! I know S is for episodes that more than good are favorites, and I LOVE this episode ! S!
Sixto
2025-02-08 14:05:11 +0000 UTCI want that drink!
Paul Hess
2025-02-08 13:29:34 +0000 UTCAfter TNG season 6 episode 11.
Sam Langanke
2025-02-08 12:21:59 +0000 UTCThis was solid. It had a whiff of "City On The Edge..." , made use of Guinan in the story, had a bit of mystery, and you felt for once there were actual stakes. Mark Twain was annoying, but nobody's perfect I guess. A, and I immediately turned on Part 2, which I guess is the highest compliment one could pay this episode.
Ken R
2025-02-08 10:25:25 +0000 UTCI’m in s3 too. Getting good!
Shanelle
2025-02-08 05:07:52 +0000 UTCCan’t imagine WHY anyone would FIND Jerry Hardin’s PORTRAYAL of SAMUEL Clemens/Mark TWAIN to be even REMOTELY annoying! His character is FUN, but after a short WHILE, I was READY to gouge my EARDRUMS with SPOONS! By the way, this is the same Jerry Hardin who played Radue in one of Josh and Alex’s favorite first season episodes, “When the Bough Breaks”! 😆 A fun episode in all…time travel and fish out of water stories are always a good time! It was also good to have an origin story of sorts for Picard and Guinan! A-Tier for me!
Raphael Gaytan
2025-02-08 05:04:48 +0000 UTCIt'll certainly help during some TNG S7 rough stretches, even if DS9 S1-S2 has some rough moments itself.
captveg
2025-02-08 04:56:32 +0000 UTCI can’t wait! While DS9 also takes a few seasons to hit its stride, it’s my favorite post TOS trek. I’m looking forward to the reactions. I realize they may not like it, but I sure do.
Crankygrandma
2025-02-08 04:51:36 +0000 UTCI loved this one. I suppose it depends if you are a fan of literary figures of this time period. I like Twain (the real one) and enjoyed seeing a fictional Twain here. I liked the humor in the episode; I liked seeing a young Guinan, pre-borg. Whoopie Goldberg was very good here. I believed she was a few hundred years younger! I also liked the mystery of the aliens. This is an A for me. I’m not sure how you will rate it, but as it has guinan backstory and good use of the ensemble I’d guess an A or B.
Crankygrandma
2025-02-08 04:37:47 +0000 UTCThe rare non-Troi episode where her powers are plot relevant. That, along with the Data elevator scene and Marc Alaimo are enough to bump it up to B
Matthew McKinnon-Gray
2025-02-08 03:24:52 +0000 UTCI'm currently on the third season of my re-watch. Hyped for them to start a new series. I especially want to see how they feel about the differences between the two shows. Especially how heavily DS9 utilizes recurring characters and serialized storytelling.
Spencer Loften
2025-02-08 03:14:13 +0000 UTCThis one reminds me of star trek 4 in that casual ST fans seem to like it better than the more hardcore ones. There's some hokey stuff in it, especially with the Twain character. Maybe not cringe level, but certainly cheesy and eye rolling. But the aliens are definitely creepy, and seeing Guinan get a full role, and a really fun performance of Data all bring it up for me. Personally, I give it a high B+, with Twain being the reason it's not an A.
Boggle
2025-02-08 03:10:10 +0000 UTCThis episode is so bad it is... bad.
Paul Sage
2025-02-08 02:55:34 +0000 UTCI am a sucker for anything to do with time travel, so it's no surprise that I love this episode. Data doing his best to adapt to 19th century Earth is great, and you also get Guinan and Mark Twain for good measure! And the creepiness of that ending scene has been burned into my brain since I was a kid; it was so hard back then to wait all summer for part two. S.
Ryan Caulfield
2025-02-08 02:34:44 +0000 UTCLegend has it the writers did not want to do another cliffhanger but were pressured into it to reassure the audience the show was not coming to an end because of Deep Space Nine. It shows.
Loot Narsbaar
2025-02-08 02:31:36 +0000 UTCReally? Cool. I’ve already started rewatching it. My way of keeping myself from going too far ahead of the guys with tng.
Shanelle
2025-02-08 02:05:51 +0000 UTCCrazy to me that DS9 reactions are just a dozen episodes away after this.
captveg
2025-02-08 00:34:55 +0000 UTCa lot of strong fan favorite episodes in the home stretch of this season. It'll be interesting to see if you guys feel the same.
penoyer79
2025-02-08 00:31:58 +0000 UTCIt's common knowledge that Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Clemens. Also, it was a literary reception.
Nerd's Gold
2025-02-08 00:29:43 +0000 UTCEh, maybe it's my Canadian-ness. Usually assumptions involving 'everybody' or 'nobody' are doomed to incorrectness. Humanity is too varied for that kind of cohesivness.
Nolan
2025-02-08 00:23:15 +0000 UTCPoker isn't about playing your cards, it's about playing the person across from you.
Nerd's Gold
2025-02-08 00:22:20 +0000 UTCIsn't this a spoiler from part 2?
Nerd's Gold
2025-02-08 00:20:43 +0000 UTCWe have one of my favorite guest stars and supporting characters here. Jerry Hardin and the writers do an amazing job of bringing Samuel Clemens to Star Trek. The rest of the episode is (as has been commented about other episodes before) almost all set up, with a couple of clever reveals along the way.
Nerd's Gold
2025-02-08 00:19:33 +0000 UTCLonely among us and the neutral zone
tyranusfan
2025-02-08 00:05:38 +0000 UTCAlso could someone check to make sure Clemens is revealed to be Mark Twain during part 1? If not then we've all just given away a pretty significant spoiler.
Evan Guthrie
2025-02-07 23:45:40 +0000 UTCI appreciate the boldness with which you express your opinion.
Evan Guthrie
2025-02-07 23:43:27 +0000 UTCas far as Season finales go, this didn't really grab me, even though it was a fun episode. I think Best Of Both Worlds spoiled season finales for me, as I now expect a cliffhanger!
Ee'char
2025-02-07 23:38:23 +0000 UTCI thought everyone understood his pen name.
Jovet
2025-02-07 23:37:29 +0000 UTCNot much of a cliffhanger to me, but I love all the mechanizations and going ons!
Jovet
2025-02-07 23:35:12 +0000 UTCClassic Doctor Who is still my favorite television series of all time.
Jovet
2025-02-07 23:27:55 +0000 UTCI think he's great! The Jack London shoe-in is a bit hammy, but I like the actor.
Jovet
2025-02-07 23:27:25 +0000 UTCI love this episode! Any time that time travel is involved, I’m hooked. Especially since it’s not just them going to what would have been the present time of the early 1990s. Instead they went back another 100 or so years. A time travel episode around Data and a pre-Enterprise Guinan? Hell yes. They even meet Mark Twain/Samuel Clemons? Hell yes. A two parter that made my imagination go crazy for a whole summer while I waited for part two? Hell yes. While many fans find Twain annoying, I really liked him and he seems like what I picture as the stereotypical southern gentleman back in the day.
Brian Moore
2025-02-07 23:20:48 +0000 UTCI like the Mark Twain character.
Greg Quinn
2025-02-07 23:20:11 +0000 UTCI always really liked time travel media (although never got into Dr Who). So I'm probably biased. But I really like this. Also...here we see Data playing poker on his "extreme expert level" where he number crunches probabilities beyond human conception. I still maintain Riker only wins at Poker because Data sets himself to "level dumb".
Greg Quinn
2025-02-07 23:19:23 +0000 UTCOK It is silly I am here for it
harrypothead42024
2025-02-07 23:08:26 +0000 UTCI've got a special place in my heart for this one. I hated Star Trek when I was growing up. As a kid, I avoided it altogether. I was a nerd – I loved Star Wars, Marvel comics, video games. But Star Trek seemed just a bit too nerdy for me. Maybe I’d watched an old TOS episode as a child and found it boring, but my justification for never watching Star Trek until I was nearly 13 years old was because it would make me TOO MUCH of a nerd. On August 28, 1995, “Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction” aired on Fox for the first time. It was hosted by none other than Jonathan Frakes. Being a nerd, I actually was into space and sci-fi and the possibility of real aliens, so I eagerly watched “Alien Autopsy.” And it creeped me the hell out. It ended at 9:00 pm CT, and I was just a little too creeped out to go right to bed, so I kept sitting in front of the TV, hoping for a distraction that took my mind off of the [in retrospect, incredibly fake-looking] alien body being dissected. Immediately following Alien Autopsy was Star Trek: The Next Generation. I figured, “Hey, I’m in kind of a space mood, I might as well stay up and watch this.” It may have been a one-and-done experience had it not been for “Time’s Arrow.” This was the very first episode I ever watched. TNG had been off the air for over a year by that point, but this was entirely new to me. What an interesting hook! And this show … it has space, it has starships, it has androids, it has time travel, it has creepy murderous aliens … why did I wait so long to watch this!? And then, “To Be Continued …” I had to tune in the next night to see the conclusion. After that, I was hooked. I consumed every bit of Star Trek media and entertainment I could find and quickly caught up on TNG since reruns aired every night at that time. What a great time to become a fan. Deep Space Nine was just entering its fourth season. Voyager’s second season started the very same day I watched my first episode of TNG. I had seven released movies to watch and fall in love with. There was an entire universe to explore. Thus began my love of Star Trek, all thanks to Alien Autopsy. “Time’s Arrow” isn’t the greatest season finale, and I can understand the criticism some have for this two-parter. But it had everything necessary to hook 12-year-old me, keep me entertained for the next 30 years (and counting!), and give me a spectacular franchise and worlds and characters that I’ve loved since that day and will love for the rest of my life.
Jesse Manning
2025-02-07 23:02:39 +0000 UTCThe actor playing Mark Twain in this has always annoyed me, but there's still some good stuff in here. I loved how everyone on the Enterprise is freaking out about finding Data's head but he actually finds it reassuring because it means he can now see himself as mortal, which is what he's always wanted. Interesting perspective on mortality. It's not often you find a character who is comforted by the knowledge that they're going to die.
Elizabeth N
2025-02-07 22:25:07 +0000 UTCMy least favorite of the cross-season 2-parters. I found myself being bored and disinterested through most of it. For some reason, I know this isn't right, but I think of Pulaski being in this episode. Can't give it more than a B-.
Collin Freeman
2025-02-07 21:39:03 +0000 UTCFourth? Remind me of his other appearances besides The Wounded.
Shanelle
2025-02-07 21:35:17 +0000 UTCI find Mark Twain really annoying. And his introductory monologue is way too long. What is it, 5 minutes?
Shanelle
2025-02-07 21:32:09 +0000 UTC😂 you’re funny
Shanelle
2025-02-07 21:29:49 +0000 UTCWell, thanks for informing me. I didn’t understand the two name thing.
Shanelle
2025-02-07 21:29:18 +0000 UTCI love Sam Clemens! I often do his accent and mannerisms to my partner in just about any discussion. The amount of times ive initiated a confession with “blahblah is by no means a proper activity for a gentlemen…” 😎
Connor Fallon
2025-02-07 21:16:00 +0000 UTCThis is one that I liked a lot more the first time I saw it. It doesn't hold up as well on re-watch IMO. The guy who plays Mark Twain really started to get on my nerves after awhile. It isn't a "bad" episode but it's not one I go back to very often. I think B is a fair grade.
Spencer Loften
2025-02-07 20:27:57 +0000 UTCBack when Adam 12 episodes were syndicated all over the dial we would would see guest actor William Boyett daily. Jerry Hardin was so taken with the Twain character that he continued to do a one man stage play about him. I hope TA will recognize him on the X-files one day.
Alan Thompson
2025-02-07 20:16:45 +0000 UTCI do declare... it's a solid B+ for me, mainly for the mystery aspect of Data and the concept of the villain, and Twain is fantastic. Cliffhanger is a little weaker than BoBW or Redemption, but solid enough to stand in its own right.
The Ninth Doctor
2025-02-07 18:48:05 +0000 UTCAnnoying overacting bellhop aside, definitely A-tier. I don't want to accidentally reveal something from part 2 so I'll just say this: "Could you help out a 49'er? Fell down a shaft. I require large amounts of whiskey as a liniment"
Chris Mickelson
2025-02-07 18:21:00 +0000 UTCThis Episode is a victim of how good the cliff hanger of "Best of Both World's" was. 'It worked to well then, let's end every season this way,' seemed to be the mentality. "Redemption's" still worked because of the build up and execution... But this one seemed like they just wanted to add as much random stuff to it, and it almost fell flat as a cliffhanger. Episode itself up until the cliffhanger was okay... I always love Brent Spiner; and the cast reacting to Data's impending death/mortality had some good scenes.
Nathan Walker
2025-02-07 18:16:57 +0000 UTC"A Decepticon in King Arthur's Court" was a good parody, though. :D
tyranusfan
2025-02-07 17:50:02 +0000 UTCIf I remember correctly, he started a one-man Twain play on stage after his role in this episode.
tyranusfan
2025-02-07 17:48:53 +0000 UTCThe most "meh" cliffhanger yet. It's not so much a dramatic hook to pull you into the story as it is "well, here's the act break for the story, tune in next summer." Still, one my earliest eps of TNG that caught my attention with the juxtaposition of futuristic sci-fi that I was still gaining familiarity with and the 19th century that had been interesting my young mind in "The Call of the Wild," "Tom Sawyer" and "Sherlock Holmes." (I did not and would not know about Doctor Who for a long while). Also, be nice if at any point for the episode actually SAID Mark Twain was Samuel Clement's psuedonynm for writing. Didn't find THAT out for years growing up.
Nolan
2025-02-07 17:31:55 +0000 UTCJosh, Alex, I appreciate the healthy debate around various episodes. I enjoy the perspective you present no matter whether we agree or disagree on any given episode of Star Trek. It is best to remember… As I experience certain sensory input patterns, my mental pathways become accustomed to them, Their inputs eventually become anticipated and even missed when absent This perspective rings true of the entire Target Audience
Thicketdweller
2025-02-07 17:21:34 +0000 UTCThere’s one I’d also give a D, one where I like half, one that is underrated and one that’s an all-time classic. I think those are all probably pretty clear. :)
John M.
2025-02-07 17:09:48 +0000 UTCFar, far better than what's to come.
Jovet
2025-02-07 17:04:35 +0000 UTCQuite a few WRONG Takes for this one, I see...
Jovet
2025-02-07 17:03:34 +0000 UTC"I like bald men. "
Jovet
2025-02-07 16:52:36 +0000 UTC#getculture
Jovet
2025-02-07 16:49:15 +0000 UTCI thought Jerry Hardin as Samuel Clemons was fantastic!! It's very difficult to capture the charisma of the character ("he's such a character!") that Mark Twain was, but he did it.
Jovet
2025-02-07 16:48:32 +0000 UTCI love this episode. The "minute displacement" bullshit is weak, but the time travel elements win a rare approval from me. I really expected the guys to do S5E25, S5E26, and S6E01 together as a group!
Jovet
2025-02-07 16:46:39 +0000 UTCThis two-parter is so different from BOBW and Redemption that I really consider it on its own merits. It’s a great episode and lots of fun. Mark Twain is a bit annoying but Data really shines in this one.
Ron Hubbard Jr
2025-02-07 16:27:54 +0000 UTC“Poker?”
Ron Hubbard Jr
2025-02-07 16:25:04 +0000 UTCBoy, this seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of episode, judging by the comments. When I was a kid, I bought part one on VHS but never bought part two. When I finally watched part two later, it felt like a brand-new episode :-). For me, this hovers between A and B. I picked B here. It's a solid setup with dark overtones, and I am a sucker for time travel, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not an episode I long to rewatch over and over.
Justin B
2025-02-07 16:18:41 +0000 UTCShout out to the reappearance of guest actor Marc Alaimo, who we last saw playing the Cardassian leader Gul Macet in The Wounded. There are elements I like here, but this episode just never did much for me. The Data's head mystery is a good hook, and Mark Twain is a wild addition to the mix, but overall... meh? Once we're off and running, I felt like I was just waiting for them to get Data back so we can move on and get back to the usual Trek stuff. C
Forbidden Donut
2025-02-07 16:16:12 +0000 UTCI like this episode is good for its time travel arch. People don't like Twain but he didn't bother me much .. I assume everyone in the past talked like that. The twists and turns of this episode make it an instant classic. Fun Fact I like Star Trek.
Lt Dan I scream
2025-02-07 16:09:59 +0000 UTCI think this guy is worse haha
David Wayne Fox
2025-02-07 16:07:48 +0000 UTCMy least favourite TNG two-parter. D.
John M.
2025-02-07 16:07:17 +0000 UTCAnd the leader of Aldea in When the Bough Breaks
Timothy Nikiforovs
2025-02-07 16:01:29 +0000 UTCCould Mark Twain knock Dr. Stubbs down from the top spot for "most annoying guest appearance"?
Evan Guthrie
2025-02-07 15:56:49 +0000 UTCCould we have a new Dr Stubbs?
Evan Guthrie
2025-02-07 15:56:13 +0000 UTCThat must be some serious childhood trauma
Evan Guthrie
2025-02-07 15:54:53 +0000 UTCSorry, man. When I see Mark Twain, all I can think of is being forced to read a bunch of books I hated in freshman honors English. This Connecticut-Yankee-in-Who-Gives-A-Shit episode did nothing for me originally and does nothing for me on rewatch. Waste of a good 2-parter opportunity, IMO. Bring on the "E."
lee
2025-02-07 15:52:25 +0000 UTCSo, I'm from Portland Oregon and someone at KPDX (who ran Star Trek in our local market) had a huge boner for this episode. I swear they reran "Time's Arrow" at least once every eight weeks. I got so sick of seeing it every couple months that I grew to hate it. But now, rewatching it after so many years, I actually really like it. Probably one of the best hooks ever. I can't guess what TA will think of it, but I say it's a solid A.
Alexander McKechnie
2025-02-07 15:50:23 +0000 UTCLove this episode so much. I studied Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens and I vibe with the depiction here by Jerry Hardin. Would you believe the same actor was Deep Throat in the X Files?
Paul Rymer
2025-02-07 15:49:24 +0000 UTCData's 500 year old head being found in mine. Most ultimate hook ever. Can't wait to you're reaction to that. Cool to see Marc Alaimo playing a human in this one. Gets only an A teir rating mainly because it's a cliff hanger.
Keith S
2025-02-07 15:41:01 +0000 UTCReally like this episode good mystery and creepy alien bad guys! A Tier
General Trelane
2025-02-07 15:31:09 +0000 UTCMarc Alaimo sighting! (His fourth time on TNG.) Data being “a Frenchman” reminds of me Spock being “Chinese” in City on the Edge of Forever.
tyranusfan
2025-02-07 15:27:12 +0000 UTCSee, that's funny because I only keep it at a C- rather than a D because of the actor who plays Mark Twain.
John
2025-02-07 15:21:10 +0000 UTCTNG’s second worst two parter. I’ll elaborate no further. D
Phil Ken Sebben
2025-02-07 15:20:15 +0000 UTCIn my opinion this is easily the least of Star Trek's two parters so far. This is one (two) I tend to skip. As much fun as Jerry Hardin is as Mark Twain, and as interesting as it is to see Guinan in period costume, the episode just fails to hit on so many levels for me. I gave it a C-tier rating, and as I consider it, I'm tempted to change it to a D. There's also a phrase that bothers me, but I'm not sure if it shows up in this episode, or if it's later on, so I'll save my complaints on that count for the reaction video.
John
2025-02-07 15:19:47 +0000 UTCThe “work in historical figures” stuff is lame, especially with the Mark Twain character assassination. This is the worst 2 parter in TNG and “the mystery of Guinnen” would have been better off left as a mystery. There are some good bits in these episodes so I will go C over E, but I’m not a fan.
John Pierce
2025-02-07 15:19:02 +0000 UTCFun episode with a good mystery hook.
Mike Rogers
2025-02-07 15:15:33 +0000 UTCFun episode, with great stakes, but I knock it down to a C+ because the actor who plays Mark Twain is my least favorite guest star in the entire series and completely grates on my nerves.
David Wayne Fox
2025-02-07 15:07:57 +0000 UTCFair. I'll qualify with "Two-part finale".
EnigmaticPenguin
2025-02-07 15:07:45 +0000 UTCWhat a fun way to end a season. Glad they dismiss the idea of it being Lore right away. A charming look at Data in 19th century San Francisco, and love the callback to Data learning poker, now quite the card shark. Love the haunting, foreboding concept of futuristic alien vampires. The real star of this and the next episode is Jerry Hardin as Samuel Clemens / Mark Twain. What a delight! A for “Alaimo is so fucking suave!”
Column Meanie
2025-02-07 15:07:41 +0000 UTCWeaker than "Shades of Gray"?
KevinH
2025-02-07 15:06:25 +0000 UTCB tier. A good two-part episode but this was the weakest season finale to date. I think there's a lot of fun character stuff here you'll chew on.
EnigmaticPenguin
2025-02-07 15:02:38 +0000 UTCHell of a way to start a mystery, Data’s head in a cave, and possible answers to Guinan’s history…
Gregory
2025-02-07 14:59:00 +0000 UTCFun episode :)
Nina
2025-02-07 14:58:19 +0000 UTCThe poker player who speaks french to Data is played by Marc Alaimo, who also played one of the Romulans at the end of "Neutral Zone" and Gul Macet in "The Wounded".
Regan
2025-02-07 14:52:44 +0000 UTCA-tier for me. I'm a sucker for time travel. I would probably give this a higher ranking if the actor who played Mark Twain didn't have a voice that makes me want to stick an ice pick through my ears. I like Part 2 better but ... I wont' say why until that one is up for patron takes. ;-) Brent Spiner really has a good time with this one and I love me a Data-focused episode.
Mark Moran
2025-02-07 14:44:58 +0000 UTCGreat part 1
Prof Moff
2025-02-07 14:44:41 +0000 UTCBottom tier of season finales from when they actually tried to make us care about season finales
Jeffrey
2025-02-07 14:44:26 +0000 UTCI mean, it's good, B- for me, but a bit disappointing for a season finale, having been spoiled with such excellent ones the two previous seasons. It's great to get some Guinan backstory tho.
JHVJ
2025-02-07 14:39:58 +0000 UTC"Relatively fun" is always a good thing.
Regan
2025-02-07 14:39:30 +0000 UTCData getting head, alien opium den in the tenth dimension, Mark Twain smoking a stoag while cracking wise, Guinan in a big ass dress, and we even get a nod to City on the Edge of Forever with the future machine being built in Data's hotel room. It's got everything.
tkitez (take it easy)
2025-02-07 14:39:13 +0000 UTCGuinan to Riker in BoBW: Did Picard ever tell you why we are so close? Let’s just say it’s beyond friendship, beyond family. (May have slightly got the wording wrong) IMO this is the moment she meant in that comment it’s a bond that goes across time itself! That’s my cannon S tier for story and Lore building
LonghillAndy
2025-02-07 14:33:05 +0000 UTCData loses his head for the second time this season. We finally learn how Guinan and Picard meet and begin their close friendship. Also possibly the first time in the series multiple characters are people who really existed, although you won't know who one of them is until Part II. Not quite as good as the last two season-ending cliffhangers but fun nonetheless, especially seeing Data adapt to San Francisco of the past and him using his poker skills. I rank it as “Excellent”.
KatWithAttitude
2025-02-07 14:32:54 +0000 UTCThis is a fun episode. But for a cliffhanger it’s TNG’s least exciting one, because it has the kind of tension of just a middle of the season two-parter.
Joe Concepts
2025-02-07 14:32:37 +0000 UTCThe mystery element of how Data died, I think you'll both enjoy it a lot because of that. Not as "punchy" as Best of Both Worlds, but extremely enjoyable season finale nevertheless.
Paul
2025-02-07 14:30:40 +0000 UTCI agree fully, it’s enjoyable for me even if there’s not as much meat on the bone as a couple other 2 parters
Anthony Picard
2025-02-07 14:27:50 +0000 UTCTypically regarded as one of Trek’s more mediocre two-part season finales, but I still love it (time travel is always fun). More Guinan LORE is always a treat.
Evan Guthrie
2025-02-07 14:24:49 +0000 UTCTime's Arrow is in my opinion the middle of the road of TNG finales. I wouldn't put it on the same level as BOBW or Redemption, but I'd certainly place it above Shades of Grey or The Neutral Zone. Finding Data's head in a cave on Earth is certainly an effective hook. You'll have to judge for yourself once you see the conclusion, but personally I always found this episode to be competent and relatively fun, even if it's not TNG's best work.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2025-02-07 14:18:17 +0000 UTC
