STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION | SEASON 4 KEY EPISODES | FIRST TIME WATCHING 

I think Picard's brother knew exactly what to do to help him. And I think that's exactly why Picard went home. Picard lives in a world where nobody questions him or talks to him in anything except a completely respectful way, including counselor Troi. His brother is the only one who could, literally, knock some sense into him.

The words "My brother is a human after all" is the most perfect thing his brother could have possibly said. After his humanity was taken from him, to have it so clearly returned from another's perspective is powerful.

Patrick Stewart delivering a speech, especially in a court setting, is always a show highlight.

I swear Data has some of the most hilarious lines ever written. "I have good news, Keiko has made a decision designed to increase her happiness. She has cancelled the wedding." 😂😂😂😂😂

I had the honor to meet and hang around Suzie Plakson (K'Ehleyr) back in the 90s. I was her security guard at a Star Trek convention. She is one of the sweetest ladies I ever met.

Ah Drumhead. An episode that has so much relevance today!

"...I need to watch all of these..." Yes, you do 🙂 I don't think most people today comprehend what an impact and influence this show had on society at the time.

I am ALSO so very glad that "Family" won the poll because it's basically part 3 of the last two parts.

if you want to understand Chief O'Brien's backstory you need to add "The Wounded" to your Season 4 watchlist

It's funny because while Chief O'Brian seems like a side character, he's probably been in the most episodes of Star Trek across multiple shows.

"What is THAT doing here?" "He has claimed the right of vengeance." All the Klingons are like: Oh yeah, this fight is happening

24:09 - "He looks like that one muppet." 😂😂😂I knew Cassie was saying Gowron looks like 'Animal'!

I never fail to tear up after Jean-Luc breaks down after that mud fight. The mask, the defenses, the shields they all drop. And he lets it out. Robert needles him the whole time about being the perfect one. And in truth Jean-Luc knew he was the perfect one, he was the best, and he was proud of it, relied on it. But when he was assimilated...all his perfection, his lifetime of skills, and knowledge were turned against everything he loved the most. And no matter how strong he was, no matter how much he struggled....Resistance was Futile. They weaponized him against those he had spent his life protecting...and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. And he blamed himself. Who else was there to blame? They used him to murder thousands and almost destroyed his homeworld and the Federation, and all he could do was watch and feel them extract from his mind the most effective and efficient way to do it. And he can never forget.

"Is that a threat, muppet?!" That needs to be on a shirt.

"With the first link the chain is forged". I think we could all benefit by spending some time contemplating that right now.

In Star Trek canon, Romulans are an evolutionary offshoot of Vulcans. That is why they are physically so similar.

Hi, Cassie, you probably already know this from the comments, but, Gates McFadden who played Dr. Crusher is also a choreographer. She choreographed the dance sequence in the David Bowe movie "Labyrinth". For that film she was credited by her first name, Cheryl. So, In the episode Data's Day, she and Brent Spiner, who plays Data, both did their own dancing, (Spiner's background was in musical theater, so he had dance training as well.).

When Picard was mud wrestling with his brother they had to do 6 takes because the two of them kept laughing and giggling 😂😂

15:40 "If you had told me I would love Pacard..." I am a straight man in my 40's and let me tell you, I love him too.

It's been 30+ years....I'm still mad about K'Ehleyr's death. Suzie Plakson would have made a great addition to the cast as a regular guest star.

Riker didn't meet up with his family on Earth because his mother died when he was only two years old, and he was raised alone by his father deep in the woods of Alaska. His father is now a pretty famous and high-ranking civilian tactical advisor to Starfleet helping to come up with defense plans, and he is always traveling around to various Starships and Starbases across the Federation so they don't see each other very often. In fact, up until the Season 2 episode _The Icarus Factor_ they'd had a huge feud between them over his mother's death and they hadn't spoken to each other in _15 years,_ but they mostly patched things up in that episode. Geordi's didn't meet up with his parents because both of them are Starfleet officers; his father is a Commander in the Science Division who studies alien animals (he's an expert exozoologist) and he works on a Starfleet science ship that travels around to do Science stuff. And his mother is _Captain of her own Starship_ who works stationed out of several Starfleet outposts that patrol the borders of the Romulan Neutral Zone for any sings of trouble. None of them get to meet up very often because all three are serving in Starfleet on different ships, but they write and call each other all the time to stay in contact. Deanna Troi isn't from Earth; she is Half-Human/Half-Betazoid (which is why she is only empathic and can only sense emotions, instead of being fully telepathic like full-blooded Betazoids.) She was born on Tarazed to a Human Starfleet Officer father and a Betazoid noblewoman named Lwaxana Troi _(Daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed!)_ who works as a Federation Ambassador. Deanna's father died when she was only 7, but her mother shows up on the _Enterprise_ fairly often to visit her daughter and pester her about not being married and having children yet (especially with Riker.) And also to hit on Captain Picard as often as she possibly can. She shows up in quite a few episodes through the series. (Lwaxana was played by Majel Barrett, the wife of the creator of _Star Trek_ Gene Roddenberry, and she also plays the voice of the _Enterprise's_ computer.) I think that covers all the rest of the Bridge Officers/Main Cast; Data doesn't _have_ any family except for his "Evil Twin Brother" Lore, whom you've already met, and won't/can't meet up with him for obvious reasons... but _maybe_ you just might get to met some _more_ members of Data's "family" later. Maybe his "Brother" Lore will show up again? Maybe his "Father?" Maybe even his _"Mother?"_ Who knows?! Anything is possible! You'll just have to keep watching more, Cassie!

That conversation between Jean-Luc and Robert cemented TNG and Patrick Stewart for me.

As someone who watched his mother die at a young age, "Look, and always remember." rings so true. You'll move through the trauma, your life will go on.... but a part of you is always that little child, and won't ever forget what it felt like. Worf knows this, he's gone through it at Khitomer, so I like to think he's speaking from experience here.

"Gowron looks like that one Muppet" She means Animal. Gave me a healthy Laugh.

So the Keiko/Miles thing isn't something you missed out on, this was actually her first appearance. She shows up in subsequent episodes and they are both on DS9.

I know how you feel. It's been...⌚{checks watch}...40ish years and most of us are still not over K'Ehleyr.

"Just because there was no sabotage doesn't mean there isn't a conspiracy on the ship." That pretty much sums up the investigation

The lady who played Admiral Norah Satie in _The Drumhead_ was Jean Simmons, a great actress from the 1940s onwards. For example, she played Ophelia in Laurence Olivier's _Hamlet_ (1948) and worked in Stanley Kubrik's _Spartacus_ (1960). You can feel the gravitas she brings to this TNG episode.

The actor who played Sulu in Star Trek The Original Series (George Takei) was in a U.S. Japanese internment camp when he was a child.

My rookie police year was 1982 in Texas. I retired in 2016 in Britain. Off and on during my career I worked Internal Affairs and always remembered what the lady that trained me in Internal Affairs drummed into my head. "Lieing and breaking the law in the name of justice is like f****g in the name of virginity." Never, ever did I ever lie to anybody during any investigation.......ever.

No spoilers, but Gowron turns out to be one of the most interesting recurring characters in Trek, he appears in DS9 as well as TNG.

"Poor Worf." A saying that never ends for him.

You really need to watch the entire series, Cassie, you’re missing out on so many great episodes

Also FYI, in Star Trek, Vulcans and Romulans are closely related to each other, which is why the "ambassador" was so easily able to pass for Vulcan in the third episode.

The TNG writing staff was top notch. DS9 was amazing as well.

The drumhead is an incredible episode and it's meanings are as strong now as they ever were

One of my closest friends was of Japanese descent and her parents were sent to internment camps, they got reparations as part of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 in the US, they sympathized with the US for the attack on Pearl Harbor but were bitter about being interred. Her father went on to work at a tank factory once they were released from the camp.

The Drumhead is one of the best episodes. Right up there with Inner Light.

"Family" was the first episode in Trek continuity with absolutely no scenes on the Bridge.

Picard for President! That scene is one of the greatest monologues that I think Picard ever delivered on the show. I sometimes still marvel at the writing and delivery of these speeches even after all these years.

She said "I want a fun one next" then "Next is Data's Day" Ask and you shall receive.

The lessons of Drumhead are especially relevant right now.

The is peak Star Trek, when it was Shakespeare in space. Not giant sci fi battles and explosions, but a dramatic play set aboard a fictional spaceship. The acting was top notch and the stories so powerful because they resonate and make you think and feel. This is why TNG was so beloved and held in such high regard.

I'm kicking myself right now because it took me this many years to realize that Keiko was played by the same actress who played Klinger's bride in the final episode of MASH.

I love Worf's parents

Can't wait for Cassie to find Patrick Stewart in "I, Claudius" (BBC mini-series 1976) and as a knight in "Excalibur" (1981).

Interestingly enough, the character of Hikaru Sulu played by George Takei spent part of his early childhood in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. In fact he wrote a book about it titled They Called Us Enemy.

Remember Me is one of my favorite episodes from season 4. Not sure what other people think about it, but it is an episode focused on Dr. Crusher, who doesn't always get the attention others do.

This is the difficulty in choosing only 4, or 6, episodes from one of the most influential seasons of Trek to exist. You will miss a lot, but the ones chosen will hit the hardest. I tear up every time I see the pain in Picard's muddy face as he finally breaks down over how the Borg used him. That one scene is why that one episode is so critical to watch. All future Trek pays homage to it in some way. Remember Wolf 359

I totally understand you being devastated when Khalar was killed. I loved Khalar as a character and I was also devastated when they killed her. I was so upset by this the first time I watched this episode that I didn't watch another episode for several days after.

The howl Worf emits over K'ehlyr's body is a warning: beware denizens of the afterlife, a Klingon warrior is arriving. Worf doesn't perform it over Duras's body because Duras died in dishonour. Worf performs it again much later and on a different show, but the circumstances are much more complex.

Sees Gowron: "He's a little scary looking" Heh, the _EYES_ have it!

i love the brother, he knew he had to get Picard to open up, let it out and he continued to jab at him

Gorgon. Muppet. Rufus! Omg, did I laugh at her trying to remember the Klingons names! 🤣🤣🤣

The scene with Dr. Crusher teaching Data to tap dance always reminds me of a story from when I was 17. I was looking at an audition that required dancing, including tap. I had never taken a dance class, but my friend Sharon had been doing it since toddlerhood, and was very good, so I asked her to at least teach me the basic steps before the audition. I made into the dance chorus, and Sharon got the part of the leading lady.

Drumhead is one of the greatest episodes of television ever. I don't know that there has ever been a character quite like Picard.. His ability to form an argument calmly while being fully respectful of anothers point of vew comes accross so beautifully.

Yes, yes, Cassie. You SHOULD watch all the episodes. Or at the VERY least, MOST of them. You will not regret that choice, should you choose that.

when Q called Warf Lt.Woof in the earlier epi i friggin lost it😂🎉

Yes, Riker and Dianna have this "Friends with Benefits" thing going. They had a thing but is committed to his career. But they get together every so often....

The other Admiral in Drumhead. Admiral Henry. He doesn't say anything. He just stands up and walks out of the room while she's on her maniacal rant... It's perfect.

"He looks like that Muppet" 😂😂😂!!! That's Animal the Drummer in the band. He does resemble him!

Want to know why so many Irish watched Star Trek? Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien. Also the actress playing Nora Satie is Jeanne Simmons. She is a famous actress playing in big movoes like Elmer Gantry, Spartacu and The Big Country.

My favorite Gowron moment was in the game Star Trek: Klingon, when he was having a nice little chat with the Pakled Trader. He gives the player a look with those big eyes of his as if to say "Watch this."

It's amazing how well the matte painting backgrounds hold up. Also Chief O'Brien legitimately becomes one of the beast characters in all of Star Trek.

Gates McFadden, the actress playing Dr. Beverly Crusher is actually a very accomplished dancer. In the movie Labyrinth, she was the head choreographer, and was even visible in the ballroom/masquerade scene. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend watching Labyrinth.

the actress that played Keiko was also in MASH, as the character Soon-Lee. I personally like to think that Keiko is actually the descendant of Soon-Lee and Klinger, hence putting MASH in the Star Trek Universe. This would also put St Elsewhere in the Star Trek Universe.

Add "The Inner Light" as one of your season 5 episodes, Cassie!! My favorite episode of the entire series!

The elegant woman in the "Drumhead" episode was Jean Simmons, a very famous British movie actress of the 1950's and 1960's. And, yes,she embodied elegance and style. US American audience may know her best for her roles in "The Big Country" and "Spartacus".

I truly love your honest interest in the characters and the stories.

NICE!! DATA asking Dr Crusher for dance lessons is literally appropriate as Gates McFadden is a real life Dance Choreographer and she did so for the movie LABYRINTH!! Peace 🕊️☮️♾️😎

The Drumhead still gives me chills. Picard’s speeches were incredible.

The Drumhead monologue distills all of Gene Roddenberry's love of freedom into a few simple lines.

FYI- Riker's dad did show up in an episode that was skipped over. Fun fact- Keiko's actress, Rosalind Chao, was one of several actresses up for the role of Tasha Yar and is currently in 3 Body Problem. But I'm going to bet that Cassie knows her from Freaky Friday or possibly the Live action Mulan.

Riker's dad was in a episode of season 2. He and Riker had a lot of tension. They settled it with a giant Qtip fight. Riker's mom had died when he was young. Geordi's mom is a star fleet captain at this point. His father is never mentioned. (Edit he was mentioned and shown...i just forgot about it).

Jean Simmons’ powerful performance in “The Drumhead” punctuates a long and distinguished acting career. After seeing Simmons nail the role of a dangerous fanatic in TNG, I think Cassie would enjoy her award-winning portrayal of an ingenue in the 1955 musical, “Guys and Dolls”.

Wesley's Dad video is something everyone we should do now for our kids.

It hurts seeing Picard break down after fighting his brother in the vineyard. It's also a brilliant scene that humanizes him, and it was brilliantly acted by Patrick Stewart. You could hear hurt in his voice. I don't know what dark place he had to go to bring out that emotion, and I don't envy it. Such a great episode.

Kehleyr was a really popular character and they wanted to have her come back many times, but there was a long story arc to come that required Worf to kill Duras which required him to get really really angry.

Data's Day marks the beginning of the Star Trek TNG-era trope "O'Brien Must Suffer". Although technically O'Brien's suffering starts earlier in the timeline, Data's Day is the first time the audience witnesses it. It starts off pretty mild but eventually ramps up to some seriously heavy stuff. Poor Miles O'Brien goes through absolute hell during his Starfleet career. That man alone could employ an entire Starfleet psychology department.

Keiko, the woman who marries Chief O'Brien, WAS a mom in another awesome ST series, "Deep Space Nine". She and Cheif O'Brien are both on that show, still married and end up having two kids. (Of course, their first child, Molly, was born on the Enterprise in this TNG series).

Cassie " Did he just get served on his own ship?" 😂

Cassie is such a sucker for romance, any romance! So much so that, for a second, she looked forward to a Picard/Troi thing 🤣

I was 11 years old when the original Star Trek series hit our TV screens. I wasn't interested at the time but when a university student who was living with us started watching it on our one black and white TV, I sat down with him and it didn't take long to become hooked. I watched all the movies and then into Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, Enterprise, a few seasons of Discovery and ended with Picard. My favourite was TNG by far. It has been delightful to see Cassie's own arc of knowledge from not knowing a thing about any of it to her becoming a Trekkie! From a fellow Canadian, well done Cassie, and may you "Live Long and Prosper." (Wow, that was cheesy...) Oh, and the Vulcan hand salute is something all us kids learned how to do right away.

The ad when Alexander shows up on the transported pad was perfectly placed 😅

If you want more O'Brian backstory you need to watch " The Wounded".. Its a gem..

The thing is about the Romulans and the Vulcans is that the Romulans share a common ancestry with Vulcans and are considered offshoots of the same species. The Romulans seperated from the Vulcans due to ideological differences.

Your take on Jean Luc's visit to France is right on. It's a bit like today - in real life, there are space stations and fighter aircraft that fly 1,500 mph, and pretty frighteningly capable robots... but we don't go there or drive those or interact with them. We still go to the cafe and there are vineyards and candles. It's just hard to picture life so far from now in the future. And, it is a meaningful and important line in the Drumhead, "Villains who twirl their mustaches are easy to spot - those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged." How applicable.

I don’t know if anyone else has pointed this out, but George Takei, who played Sulu in the original series, was, as a young boy, imprisoned with the rest of his family in a Japanese Internment Camp in the U.S. during WW II.

If you want to learn more about Senior Chief Miles Edward O'Brien, practically the only enlisted man in the new era with a name, I'd watch the episode _after_ Data's Day. I am also seriously hoping for Disaster to win though I don't know if it's a great episode, but I definitely like it.

Alexander, Worf's son, suffers from a common condition called SORAS. Also, Worf and K'Ehleyr did have actual sex (during the commercial break) to conceive Alexander, not just the hand holding. They just can't show that on TV.

Watching Picard's breakdown with his brother as he lets it all out reminds you why Patrick Stewart was chosen for this role. Plenty of detractors in the '80s questioned why Star Trek was moving away from a traditionally Hollywood swashbuckling Kirk-type to a bald English gentleman - but when it comes to acting chops, Stewart has it. That scene never fails to elicit emotion.

Probably already mentioned, but George Takei (Sulu, original series) and his family were imprisoned in a U.S. internment camp during WW2. Takei was 5 years old when he was taken. He recently starred in a stage play "Allegiance" about the U.S. internment camps.

Picard and Robert' dispensed a bit of Brotherly Love.....

I do not envy the tough decisions the Patreon’s have to make, but these are 4 great episodes. Family- Just an all timer showing that while not serialized, TNG will not forget character development and consequences. Reuinion- Just a classic and defining Worf episode and the introduction to Gowron! Data’s Day- Just a classic all arounder where the most important plot is the B-Plot with the Romulans. PLUS it intro’s Keiko. I have done all Keiko Star Trek watches, so for me, this a must. Drumhead- Just the perfect example of what Star Trek is. Just because they have a Utopia doesn’t mean it’s as fragile as our society is right now. At any time, fer can take over and look at what it can do.

Ah, I'm so glad, that you put the family episode on RU-vid too, I think it's great.

I used to fight with my mom so I could stay up on Monday nights from 10-11 to watch Star Trek TNG… luckily, she was understanding after awhile. I’m thankful she made that exception.

FYI, so, in the story Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher have a thing and Riker and Troy have a thing - Troy and Riker used to be together prior to the events of the series.

She needs to watch all the episodes with Deanna’s mom. She’s one of my favorite characters 😂

Miles and Keiko's marriage is an ongoing saga beyond TNG and into Deep Space Nine. I like how it's not a fairytale relationship from the start and they both have to work hard to make it work.

'The Drumhead' is not only one of the best Star Trek episodes ever made, it's also some of the best television ever made. Incredible story, acting, script, editing, tension-it's a story that would be powerful in any setting, be it on a starship, a present-day American courtroom, or during the Napoleonic wars. Modern Star Trek writers should take note-this is how it's done.