Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 177: All Good Things...The Final Episode ('94-'95) [VHS]
by LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Gabrielle Beaumont, Robert Becker, Cliff Bole

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VHS Movie Reviews of Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 177: All Good Things...The Final Episode ('94-'95) [VHS]

Movie Review: Better than any of the movies.
Summary: 5 Stars

All Good Things..., the swan song episode for TNG, is possibly the best of Star Trek, period, focusing on mind-boggling concepts while retaining the character development and human interest that made the show so appealing. It's the seventh year that the crew of the Starhip Enterprise have been together, but Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is experiencing odd timeshifts. He's constantly switching between three different time periods; to the past, right before the Farpoint mission, the present, and the future, where the crew has long since split up, Picard is retired and is diagnosed with a debilitating mental illness. Naturally, the rest of the crew is skeptical (be it in any time period), but when Picard discovers the true nature of his constant shifting, he realizes it is both the means and cause with which the existence of mankind could be erased.

I hesitate to give too much away, though I doubt anyone with a passing interest in Star Trek hasn't already seen this episode. But it plays as an interesting comparison and contrast to the series' first episode, Encounter at Farpoint, which it directly ties in to with Picard's timeshifting to the past. There's been a notable improvement in the quality of the sets and the visual effects, and also the acting, the pacing, and the plot development.

All Good Things... has all the solid acting one expects from the cast, and a human touch that was missing from the latest film, Nemesis. It's interesting to note that this episode (meaning the whole series, as well) ends with the door open for all sorts of possibilites; at this time, this clearly implied the much-hyped transition to the big screen.

Unfortunately, some of the more open-ended questions this episode focused on were never even touched on. Sure, the Worf/Troi/Riker triangle was resolved, but one of my favorite ongoing side stories, the burgeoning romance between Picard and Dr. Crusher, was completely ignored in the movies. And the final scenes lead one to believe that the movies would take us to "places" never explored, even though the most recent film was merely a plotless action movie that didn't even have enough action to warrant the movie's existence.

Stewart is the true highlight of this episode, displaying the great acting chops he's been known for. The fact that we care for him and the rest of the crew as well, adds a sense of urgency and involvement in the proceedings that the otherwise quite frantic pace alone might not have been able to develop. The plot twists are pure Trek, each mysterious element giving away to some big revelation that only leads to more questions. The story is engrossing, the dialogue is strong, and the performances and characterizations are spot-on.

There are a few problems with All Good Things. The timeshifting obviously means we're going to see past and future versions of the cast, but everyone's aged to the extent where they can't quite pass for their more youthful selves, and the old-age makeup is never entirely convincing (Old Riker's first appearance gave me a good laugh). That said, I would like to make mention of what full-blown hotties Marina Sirtis and especially Gates McFadden became (McFadden is easily the most attractive post 50-year old actress I've ever seen).

The continuing movie series actually began quite well; Generations and First Contact were enjoyable adventures, but everything seemed to fall apart with Insurrection. Funny, All Good Things... is a title that turned out more prophetic than anyone would have guessed.
**** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: The End
Summary: 5 Stars

Movie Review: pretty good episode
Summary: 3 Stars

Movie Review: on endings
Summary: 4 Stars

Movie Review: It's too bad that "Nemesis" wasn't this good!
Summary: 5 Stars

It features a possible "future" for our crew, complete with the marriage/divorce of two characters, the death of another, and a romantic triangle that always lay beneath the show's surface, along with the threat of the annihilation of the entire human race.

Acting nods, as always, go to Patrick Stewart who gets to go through three somewhat different character changes. The other cast members get a little more exposure in this expanded two-part episode. Even a crewmember from season one makes a return appearance.

And, as others have stated, John de Lancie resurfaces as the enigmatic "Q" and he, obviously, relishes the role.

Seven years of adventures came to a close with this appropriately titled five-star effort.

Summary of Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 177: All Good Things...The Final Episode ('94-'95) [VHS]

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