TNG: Season 1 - Episodes 13-17

Marissa and Lisa continue their first-time watch of Star Trek: The Next Generation, tackling one of Season 1’s strangest batches yet. From evil android siblings to questionable gender politics and a planet that kidnaps children, these episodes raise big questions—even when the execution gets… very 1980s.

🖖 Episodes Discussed

“Datalore”

Data meets his manipulative brother Lore, forcing questions about humanity, ethics, and chosen family. Also: Wesley is right, gets yelled at anyway, and we officially hate “Shut up, Wesley.”

“Angel One”

A matriarchal planet offers peak 80s cringe and a lesson in why “gender reversal” isn’t feminism. Riker’s wardrobe (and behavior) does not help.

“11001001”

Binary beings hijack the Enterprise to save their civilization while Riker beta-tests the holodeck in the horniest way possible. Surprisingly tender themes of trust, forgiveness, and asking for help.

“Too Short a Season”

An aging admiral uses a de-aging drug with tragic results. Dry episode, big questions about power, pride, and why Starfleet won’t let people retire.

“When the Bough Breaks”

A “utopian” society kidnaps the Enterprise’s children to solve infertility. Wesley leads a peaceful kid rebellion, myths fall apart, and we’re left thinking about resistance, survival, and letting go of comforting stories.

🌌 Big Takeaways

• Chosen family matters
• AI ethics were already haunting sci-fi in 1987
• Patriarchy (and bad allegories) age poorly
• Small acts of resistance can force change
• Things are impossible… until they aren’t

Until next time—
Make it so. 🖖