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PATRON TIER LIST TNG S5E14

What tier do you rate Star Trek TNG S5E14?

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This poll will remain open, so feel free to revisit this once you watch our UNCUT reaction, YouTube edited reaction, or at any point throughout the season before our recap!

Comments

Seems to me here Ro is really the one with the rizz. She initiates everything.

Joe Concepts

Weirdly that's how real memory loss often works. People forget their own identity but can still drive a car, for example.

captveg

He was probably the highest rank he could be considering he really didn't have any technical knowledge of how to run the ship. Picard knows how to say things like "Set heading 2.6 mark 8 warp factor 5, redirect power from the nacelles, etc". This guy probably would be like "um, make the ship go to where it needs to go, move forward, fully speediness." Plus an alternate version of the episode with him in charge just ends in a mutiny and I think is probably less compelling. Getting a competent crew with a powerful ship to do your bidding through manipulation isn't a bad strategy. Would've worked if it was Captain Worf, heck might have even worked if it were Captain Kirk.

Mr Moxie

S. Great episode. We get to see how various characters would handle this strange scenario and it's all very believable. Picard is not the type to insist on his authority, he has it because of competence not personality. This episode has a lot of great moments in directing and acting, like the shakey cam right after the mind wipe or how very early on where Riker gives Worf this "I feel like I should treat you normally, but you intimidate or worry me" look.

Mr Moxie

I had a complete memory loss about this episode. I had to go back and look it up again. It was fun. Not stellar but enjoyable. I very much like the roles characters assumed when they didn’t know their rank. I’d give it a B to C+. It wasn’t good enough for me to remember it offhand, but it was fun.

Crankygrandma

B, solid episode, good mystery, and Worf just taking command is the best.

JoeCensored

Love it, the way Duffman appears and you spend the episode going, who is this dude, where did he come from. All the time Worf is like, I have a big sash I’m in charge! S

ByRikersBeard

Not the best episode but a step up from the last few.

Matthew McKinnon-Gray

This should be the wiki summary for this ep. 🖖

The Ninth Doctor

"Clues 2: Conundrum". A fair few major logic jumps and plot holes, but a more enjoyable romp than the last few. Not much mystery though, as you know MacDuff is an op from the start. Come for the plot, but stay for Cmdr Rizzker. B for "Banger" indeed... 😏

The Ninth Doctor

So the aliens could insert one of their own into the crew and alter the ship's records and the crew's memories very precisely but they didn't put him in command? Still a fun episode but this always stood out as a flaw to me. B-

Phillip Grischa

Another mediocre episode in a run of them. But eh, it was fun enough seeing Worf and Ro do what they did. And they didn't try to preach like last episode, so I guess 'B'.

Boggle

Fun episode, but why doesn't McDuff just make himself an Admiral? Redeemed by Captain Worf blasting phasers away into space for the sheer love of the game.

Loot Narsbaar

I saw a Youtube comment that just for this episode, to really mess with the audience they should have added "Erich Anderson - Commander McDuff" alongside Jonathan Frakes in the opening credits.

Ian Westcott

You're so used to seeing random ensigns on the bridge that you assume this guy is too. Though having three pips on the collar was an early giveaway.

Ian Westcott

I love this episode, S for me. The crew remains faithful to their moral principles even after having their memories wiped. I put this in my top ten for the whole series.

PFCoffey

The crew all have amnesia and it’s up to Riker to pork as many of his colleagues as possible before their memories come back. Will he be able to have his way with both Troi and Ro? Also, some alien dude tries to take over the ship and wipe out another race. Solid S tier

Worf and Riker Ride Again

This is the REAL story!

Worf and Riker Ride Again

I like your head canon and it is now mine as well. He could also be choosing to run his own version of 'drawback chess' for an increased creative challenge.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

LOVE IT! Best cold opening if you're at all awake. And a great chance to explore the hearts of each character, divorced from their histories, pre-existing responsibilities, and prejudices.

#MaxwellDidNothingWrong

B-Tier... because a lot of fun stuff happens in it. Stupid, but fun. That being said... meh... any degree of mystery or clever misdirection is utterly obliterated by the presence of MacDuff from the beginning. Kinda makes the whole episode feels like a waste. But hey! At least we get a return appearance of GOD from Season One, Episode Eight! ....meh

Shortskirtsandexplosions

This was interesting and shows why you will always need a hard copy. I don't recall them explaining how that guy did it, but I guess he did it the way he was accusing them of doing it. You would think that if we can reset a TV to factory settings, they'd have had a way to reset Data

Ken R

MacGuffin

Jovet

I imagine if the memories came back a little at a time the "XO" would be excused because everyone just doesn't remember him yet.

Jovet

But Worf does have the cool stash.

Greg Quinn

I get this, clues, and one other episode confused.

Greg Quinn

That's as good a explanation as anything... But if their memories start returning it could just return that his position is BS as well. But...hey it's needed for the episode.

Greg Quinn

Second shorter comment: I love this episode. S for me. I do love fish outta water episodes. I am pretty confident both Alex and Josh will give this a A or S. If I'm wrong I'll give up trying to predict what they like.

Greg Quinn

So yes Troi beating Data at chess is silly. Stockfish running on your standard $70 "android" (wink wink) can beat the best grandmasters in the world. But...my head cannon theory that I tell myself is Data turns himself "down" in matches like these to make it more competitive and "fun" for everyone. That is also my theory on Poker (although Poker has a psychological "reading people" component that does matter).

Greg Quinn

Not the first time the entire crew loses their memories. It's funny when Worf assumes that he's the one in charge, and he's definitely embarrassed when he finds out he isn't. Riker sleeps with another member of the crew...again. We'll see if that goes anywhere or not. Not exactly one of my favorites. I have it ranked as “Time Filler With Good Moments”.

KatWithAttitude

I can't beleive Troi would beat Data over a game of chess. And the four pins of Picard obviously means is on top of the chain. Still an A for me. 🖖

Dan Here

You wanted more Ro! Is this what you had in mind?

T’Pynyn of Vulcan

Not a single E rating because we NEED that in the continuity.

Pokeysaurus

This is a wild one to evaluate. Due to the audience being outrageously ahead of the crew, the A plot in itself is kind of a drag - it would probably have made a better movie or miniseries - but it is also completely necessary for the AMAZING interpersonal scenes we get out of it. Triple-A side stories bring this B- up to an A.

Pokeysaurus

LOL! I've never thought about that before.

Jovet

I can believe/understand them erasing the particular memories of the crew... except Data.

Jovet

I mix them up too! LOL!

Jovet

I disagree. I can see it as each society just has different strengths. What bakes my noodle is it would just be simpler to get better arms from aliens and use them, versus this contrived plot.

Jovet

He's there to manipulate the crew and sell what happened to them, and starts his pitch immediately.

Jovet

No you won't, you'll forget all about it.

Jovet

I had put Riker for some reason it autocorrected to Riley, lol

Troy

Riker and Troi's relationship is long iced... but will they ever pork again after this??

Jovet

Who DOESN'T Riker have the hots for??

Jovet

"Clues" had high stakes—risk of total destruction of the ship!

Jovet

Riley? The TOS navigator?

Jovet

I always took it that each society has different strengths. One may be very good at curing diseases but be terrible with weather engineering. One may be excellent at understanding psychology (or exopsychology) but be terribly unimaginative when it comes to making big weapons.

Jovet

Yep! The sudden new character drop isn't as drastic as "Yesterday's Enterprise" but I have a lot of respect for the approach.

Jovet

What a “conundrum” to have….. thank you I’ll get my coat 🧥

LonghillAndy

Bro but the Riker Rizz! 🤣🤣🤣 no memories, Rizz at 100🤣🤣🤣🤣 Still an A for everything else for me !

Sixto

I always get this episode confused with "Clues"

Jovet

Too risky—if people's memories started returning, it would quickly seem odd to them that Picard wasn't the captain. So a new command-level position was invented for him.

Jovet

I’m here for Captain Worf and the Ro Riker hookup. S

John Pierce

Worf is Captain because he wears the most bullshit on his face and costume.

Juan Tutrífor

A lot of fun moments in this one, an enjoyable watch, but I can't get past the logic flaw at the core of the story...why wouldn't MacDuff just make himself the captain instead of XO? Makes no sense.

Martin S

Okay, this is more like it, after the last five "not terrible, but pretty bland" episodes. I do have to suspend my disbelief, but once I do that, it's pretty fun, and I liked having Ro and Riker get some chemistry. How do you think this will change the way they see each other moving forward?

Ian Westcott

Not as good as clues, but still loved this episode almost as much as clues, the Mcduff reveal who the f is this guy? Captain worf, temporarily getting to deny Picard I think is hilarious for all the times he gets denied, time for pay back. Riker banging Ro after all the previous hostility towards her, Bartender data all good quirks to the episode. Plot wise fairly middle of the road so B for me

LonghillAndy

Oh yeah. Is that in this episode? Almost worth losing a letter grade or two just for that! But it's too fun of an ep to do that. But seriously.. Data wanted to decommission himself because he couldn't beat a grandmaster at strategema. But no problem getting casually beat at chess from someone who can't tell a cosmic string from a quantum filament?

FreshBread

Love this one. Perfect example of the weird and unique situations I love to see the crew dropped into. Love the mystery and the way they just plop McDuff in there for the audience to wrestle with. You DO have to suspend disbelief a little that a society that is so far behind the federation tech-wise would have such a powerful and oddly specificly-working weapon, but the episode is so fun that I don't mind. I give it one of my rare S's.

FreshBread

I like the mystery aspect of the episode. As ever, that bumps it up a little higher for me, so I'm calling it an A.

John

I kind of like this episode except for 1 major flaw in my mind: how can a society that is so advanced that it can selectively erase humanoid and computer memories not be advanced enough to invent some weapons that can take out their enemy that they need the Enterprise to do it for them? Doesn't make sense to me.

Collin Freeman

This episode is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. What happens when you remove the memories of our beloved characters? The Actors and writing really show where everyone's priorities lie, whether it be obvious or not. It still gives me a chuckle to this day.

Nathan Walker

Pretty cool idea to explore the characters' personalities without their memories and seeing how they play off of one another. I don't remember this episode being outstanding, but interesting and entertaining enough to give it a B prior to rewatching.

Forbidden Donut

I love the interplay between Riker and Ro. Even though normally they hate each other… you never know with memory loss whom you hate and why.

Troy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qHg8rOMTMo When I grow up, I'm going to have so much amnesia!

Paul Sage

A great concept for this episode, and also pretty well executed. I like that they just put MacDuff in there without comment, trusting that the audience knows he's not supposed to be part of the crew. If this were season 1, there'd be a scene at the end of act 1 where MacDuff puts in a call to his superiors and with an evil grin says, "It's going exactly as planned."

Steven Linden

Top comment. When all memory fails, Cmdr Rizzker will never forget he is a hound....

The Ninth Doctor

For most, this episode is the end of a string of mediocre episodes. Alex has probably thought the dream of Trek was dead after such a stretch. I think though, because the audience is ahead of the characters in this one, Alex might still be waiting for a return to form. A for me. Who knows for you guys?

Nolan

Finally the run of mediocrity is over. B.

John M.

A rehash of “Clues” from last season but with higher stakes and an enemy actively thwarting their efforts. A

Phil Ken Sebben

Nice action story. The Riker-Ro-Troi triangle was fun. The big space station is a re-use of the model of the Edo “god” in season one’s Justice. It was mostly seen in shadow back then.

tyranusfan

An interesting take on a stereotypical 80s trope: amnesia! It is fun seeing the characters switch roles, even if only temporarily. Riker and Ro having the hots for one another is fun to see. The plot about the war is meh and I’m not convinced that Picard would charge into battle in this situation. B for “bangin-2-chicks Riker”

Column Meanie

There's a meme that replaces the drones with Tie Fighters, and the Enterprise blasting them into pieces. Federation over the Galactic Empire any day.

Christopher Dorn

Funny part is Riker walks into Ten Forward and sees Ro and Troi talking. The dread in his face speaks volumes.

Christopher Dorn

Even a 21st century chess computer is a billion moves ahead of any human player, but Troi knows a move that's never been heard of before?

Alan Thompson

I enjoyed seeing the crew act without knowing their own histories. This is a great episode to discuss nature versus nurture. For example, Worf is very Klingon and militaristic e.g. nature. Ro, without her backstory, is much less aggressive e.g. nurture. My favorite scene as at the very end of the episode with Riker, Ro, and Troi talking in 10 Forward. You know Ro and Troi were comparing notes about Riker's performance in bed and Troi's facial expression and the line "If you're still confused you know where my office is." speaks volumes about how mad she is, but she knows she shouldn't be.

Gregory Foster

Honestly, the mystery in this episode is fairly obvious, but I still give it an A, because for me the execution just works, and the character work is fantastic. Everyone still is the same person for the most part, but don't know how they fit into the social dynamic, allowing the actors to play different versions of their character without betraying who they are at their core. A fascinating and difficult acting exercise I'd imagine. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the cast gained some interesting new insights into their characters as a result.

JHVJ

Hilarious episode. Word starts out looking like the fascist lackey as usual but eventually wises up.

Aramis Calcutt

This was a fun episode with everyone not remembering stuff and roles being mixed up. The last scene with Troi, Ro, and Riker is priceless.

Ron Hubbard Jr

B for best not think about this one too much but it has got some good in it.

Jon1701

Finally a good episode after a streak of bad ones. You guys don't usually like being ahead of the characters but I think it's well executed in this instance. A tier for me.

Spencer Loften

I love Worf in command. He is, after all, the most decorated.

Alexander McKechnie

A Tier love this episode

General Trelane

Simple, but effective. Though not on my list of favorites, I really enjoyed this one. Seeing how the crew acts without there memories is a hoot, and you have the ever present “Who the f#@k is that guy” mystery waiting to be solved.

startrekiborg

It's obvious something is going on with the new guy, but that's only because he happens to be there and we know he shouldn't be. They don't have him just acting like an outright villain from the start. The fun to me is watching him for hints of what's going on, but it takes a while to make it certain.

Joe Concepts

A for me. The whole Riker / Ro thing is of course fun, but it also doesn't seem unrealistic. Without all of Ro's baggage, she turns out to be fun. And Riker does seem to like strong women, so without any of her back story affecting things, he likes THIS version of Ro.

Joe Concepts

C at best for me - impossible to get over the question of how can the Satarrans have enough power to effectively take over the Enterprise, but not to defeat the Lysians without their “help”

Brian Dunleavy

I enjoy this one a lot. Even without his memories, Picard's moral center is still there, and I love the Riker/Ro subplot. Strong A

Jeffrey

Even though we know who the odd one out is throughout the entire episode and that the reality they’re presented with is manipulated, seeing the characters start from scratch is a really unique premise and I thoroughly enjoy this episode.

Evan Guthrie

A for me, I found it fascinating that their amnesia was selective. They had no idea of who or where they were. Yet they new how everything worked. I also liked the way Riker has to deal with Troy and Ro after everyone got their memories back.

Keith S

S tier for me but then I’m a Ro and Deanna fan, and both have a great episode here along with Riker. Michelle Forbes was a great addition to the supporting cast.

Paul Rymer

I really like this one, and for me it's a good example of the audience being ahead of the crew about something while still maintaining an element of mystery. We all know right away that McDuff is a plant, but we don't know who he is or why he's there. For me this one hits an S.

Gruzz

I tend to mix this episode up with Clues when I haven't watched the show in a while. It lacks the tension of Data working against the crew, but I think the memory loss being more extensive and affecting everyone opens the door to a more fun episode. I do like that in the end the crew's instincts still led them to do the right thing, even though they didn't remember who they were. Also the Lysian starbase is the same model used for the Edo god from Justice.

Timothy Nikiforovs

S-tier for me in showing us who these people are without their identities. Great character study. Also fun seeing the Edo's "god" from the first season episode "Justice" flipped upside down to become the Lysian space station at the end.

Darin Wagner

McDuff (really?!) wholeheartedly gives off Starfleet Admiral vibes. Authoritatively arrogant, oozes creepy vibes, clearly trying to get our most heroic crew to do the bad stuff. No wonder people like McDuff and Remmick can slip in to Starfleet's upper echelons so easily.

Ross Townsend

I forgot this episode even existed. I wish I could have that back.

Deshyr

Generally thought this episode was great quality, and no trick reveals to the audience either which was great. I suppose I could only find one negative and that would be the Guest Star - he would have been more convincing if they allowed him to downplay it more rather than hamfist his portrayal. but that could also be the directors fault.

Ben Smith

A solid outing, and nice to see the characters, well, character come through even without their memories. And nice to see that both Ro and Riker realised they're not that dissimilar after all.

Thomas Cole

This was one of the first episodes I ever saw, so I got the treat of experiencing this not knowing that McDuff wasn't one of the regular crew. It's still a good episode though even knowing that.

BN13

My favorite part of this episode is Worf assuming he's in command just because he's got a sash.

THE LORE!!!

A new Executive Officer? When did Picard put in for this McDuff guy? I don’t know if I trust him…

Gregory


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