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Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Third Season

Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Third Season

List Price: $139.99
Your Price: $111.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TNGers dream come true!
Review: As the other reviewers have pointed out this is an awesome DVD set. The other two seasons were very good but this is the one all the fans have been waiting for. I won't mention all the episodes, since other reviewers gave excellent summaries. Mine will be just my favorites and opinions.
The Booby Trap (Picard saving the ship at the end is priceless and that music matches perfectly), The Defector (the suspense if the Romulan will attack or not and the surprise Picard has for them), The Hunted (nice to see someone give our heroes a run for their money and the message on war), Deja Q (Q being human and having new experiences very good), Yesterday Enterprise (man that is one of the best all time!! This is one of the best what if, time-warp episodes), Sins of the Father (the beginning of what I call the Klingon saga, this is the springboard), Hollow Pursuit (Barclay's fantasy world), and the Best of Both Worlds (every Trek fans know about that one!).
The interviews that they have on the DVD are very cool especially how this was a season where they had lots of new writers and basically writing on the fly. It also features heavily Michael Piller. He gives his insight on a lot of the episodes and why the Best of Both Worlds was so good. When he talks about it, makes a lot of sense!!
The interface of the DVD has changed and the last episode there is a surprise I won't say but is very cool. I strongly recommend any fan to get this set and if you can only pick one this is the one to pick.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Season
Review: Season Three of Star Trek: TNG was full of spectacular episodes, from the philisophical "Who Watches The Watchers?" to the humorous "Deja Q", and the thrilling "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1". In other words, this season contains something for everyone.

The seven disc DVD set contains 26 episodes, with the special features available on the seventh disc. Special features include both character and episode analysis, which is entertaining. Unfortunately, not every episode is reviewed in the special features, making them seem a bit empty.

Aside from that minor flaw, fans should find plenty to enjoy about this season. Even if you only want the set for the amazing cliffhanger finale (and I would imagine some do) even casual viewers of The Next Generation will find hours of entertainment in this set.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: For God's sake
Review: If you need to get a Star Trek buy Deep Space NINE or wait for Voyager. Your best bet is to get the Farscape sets or Babylon 5. I have to admit Wesley Crusher is a great character!!! LOL

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Prime Trek
Review: The 1989-1990 season was one of the Star Trek: The Next Generation's most consistently enjoyable years....

Season 3 and Season 4 remain my favorite years of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The writing, acting, and the production values were excellent, and, Ron Jones still composed music for the series. His scores were truly assets to The Next Generation during its early years. By the end of the fourth season, warm and bombastic music was forbidden on the Next Generation. But during Season 3, Jones scores highlight the entertainment in many superb episodes: "Who Watches The Watchers", "Booby Trap", "The Defector", "Allegiance", and of course "The Best Of Both Worlds". Dennis McCarthy's third season scores are serviceable; better than anything he did during TNG's later seasons, or on DS9 and Voyager. His last great score is "Yesterday's Enterprise".

Season 3 began with several solid science fiction tales.

During "The Ensigns of Command" Picard must deal with the Sheliak, a pompous alien race that demands the removal of some humans on their planet. Picard outwits the race by drudging up some loophole in their treaty. Meanwhile, Data must force the human colonists to give up their world or else be destroyed by the Sheliak. Its a good Data story with some interesting aliens that talk and look just like Armus(From "Skin Of Evil").

"The Survivors" is one of TNG's true science fiction stories. It's a mysterious and sensitive story about an alien with tries to hide the fact that he exterminated an entire race.

"Who Watches The Watchers" is a refreshing change of pace for the series. It features some great location work. It offers a challenging mission for Picard; he must convince the Mintakans that he is not a God. He succeeds and is able to enlighten the Vulcan-like race. Picard is especially principled and courageous in this episode. To uphold the Prime Directive and to convince the Mintakans that he is not a God, the good Captain takes an arrow through the chest. Pure Star Trek.

"Booby Trap" successfully meshes a sci-fi dilemma with a warm personal story. As the crew tries to get out of Booby Trap from an ancient alien race that threatens the ship, Geordi La Forge falls for the lovely Leah Brahms in the Holedeck.

During Season 3, TNG began to broaden its scope by creating a political arch for The Romulans and The Klingons.

"The Enemy" is a terrific Romulan show. Geordi LaForge tries to survive with a stranded Romulan on Galorndon Core, while Picard must play diplomatic chess with Romulan commander Tomalak, who demands the return of one his officers, an injured Romulan that Riker's away team picked up. The prejudiced Worf shocks the crew by refusing to give blood to the dying Romulan. There's some good drama there.

"The Defector" is more epic than "The Enemy"(thanks in part to a bombastic and nautical Ron Jones score). A Romulan Defector, Admiral Jarok, bravely tries to avert a war and nearly brings the Enterprise to ruins. He warns Picard that there are military bases in the Neutral Zone, that the Romulans are planning to ignore the treaty and attack the Federation. The tension builds as the Enterprise ventures into the Neutral Zone. Tragically, the Romulan Defector's data was false; he was duped. Two Romulan ships decloak just as the Enterprise attempts to return to Federation space. One ship is commanded by Picard's "old friend", Commander Tamolak. Tamolak promises to obliterate the Enterprise. Thanks to some cloaked Klingon friends, the Enterprise avoids destruction. But sadly, the homeless Romulan Defector commits suicide. He had written a letter to his family, and Picard notes that someday, if they are more men with the courage of Admiral Jarok, the Enterprise will be able to bring his letter home.

"Sins of The Father" treats the viewer to the Klingon home world. It's a great personal story for Worf and there's an interesting look at Klingon politics. The episode has ramifications for the series, as it gave Worf a great back-story, and it set up the Klingon political landscape that TNG and Deep Space 9 returned to again and again.

Season 3 featured a few purely comedic episodes.

"Deja Q" is a great lighthearted Q story. He looses his powers and the results are quite amusing. When he gets them back and shows his gratitude to the crew, it's even funnier.

"Hollow Pursuits" is a delightful episode, which introduced the eccentric, shy, and lovable Lieutenant Junior Grade Reginald Barclay, played impeccably by Dwight Schultz. An under-average officer and engineer with an inferiorority complex, Barclay's only escape is the Holedeck, where he duels with "Musketeer" versions of Picard, Riker, Data, and Geordi, and relaxes with the "Goddess Of Empathy", a sexy mockery of Counselor Troi. Geordi befriends the troubled officer, and Barclay helps save the ship from implosion. His success in the real world gives him the confidence delete his fantasy programs except the mysterious "program 9".

"Captain's Holiday" satisfied Patrick Stewart's request for more sex and violence. Its funny watching Picard trying to relax in the sun while an obnoxious Ferengi, played by future DS9 semi-regular Max Grodenchik, tries to retrieve some disc. The chemistry between Picard and the wily Vash works. The subplot about the two 27th century time travelers doesn't.

The 2 classics of the third season are of course, "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Best Of Both Worlds". They feature remarkable production values, and enough scope, tension and excitement for a feature film.

In "Yesterday's Enterprise" The Enterprise encounters a rift in space and time. The Enterprise's immediate predecessor, the Enterprise 1701-C, emerges from the distortion. Immediately, history is altered, and the Federation is thrust in a bloody war with the Klingons. In this reality, Tasha Yar was not killed by a evil black oil slick, and the Enterprise is a battleship with no children or Counselors. When Guinan convinces Picard that the war is wrong, he realizes that he must send the Enterprise-C back where she came, a hopeless battle with the Romulans. As it turns out, the Enterprise-C had responded to a Klingon distress call, and was thrust into battle with the Romulans, before escaping into the rift. Picard understands that they must finish their mission to help the Klingons, thus establishing peaceful relations and averting the hopeless 30 year war. Realizing what history requires of them, Picard and the Enterprise-C gallantly try to return things back to way Guinan wants. Both ships are destroyed in the process but Lt. Castillo and Lt. Yar(realizing she must make up for the "empty" death from the other time line) return the ship to its proper time, and avert the Klingon War. The altruistic heroics are pure Star Trek, and the conflict between Riker and Picard is priceless.

"The Best Of Both Worlds" brings back the Federation's greatest threat with all the buildup tension and dread imaginable. Ron Score's score is sensational; its his mast dramatic and powerful music ever. Although not as creepy or stylish as "Q Who", "The Best Of Both Worlds" makes up for that in sheer scope and drama. The Enterprise finds the a destroyed Federation colony, the victim of a Borg attack. While Picard prepares for possible war, Commander Riker ponders whether he should accept another offered Captaincy. He clashes with the ambitious Lt. Commander Shelby, who wants his job as first officer. The Borg attack the Enterprise, abduct and assimilate Picard, and Riker is forced to fire on his Captain. It doesn't get much more dramatic than this.

Season 3 boasted several visual changes.

The crew got some new collared uniforms. The men wore loose two-piece outfits that were a bit too wrinkly. I missed the sleek striped uniforms that William Theiss designed. Background officers and woman continued to wear tight spandex. Geordi LaForge and Worf was promoted in rank. The hand phasers and tricorders were altered in appearance, and the opening credits now began with a trip through a galaxy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy it, watch it, keep it.
Review: I wasn't into Star Trek TNG when it was on TV, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I purchased this season on DVD (and seasons 1,2 & 4 at roughly the same time). In my opinion, Season 3 is the best as between seasons 1-4. The episodes are consistently excellent and several of them are simply outstanding. Yesterday's Enterprise and The Price are alone worth the cost of this collection.

The audio and video quality of the DVD is movie quality. This is a fabulous entertainment value for anyone interested in Star Trek in my opinion. Frankly, the episodes are far better than the original series, and the DVDs are far less expensive. All of seasons 1-4 are worth owning in my opinion, but the 3d is the best as between these. (I am presently waiting for seasons 5-7 to be released, so I have no comparison to offer there).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Where TNG finally hit its stride
Review: Star Trek: The Next Generation didn't really hit its stride until the middle of the third season. After the shaky first season and the short second season, in the third season we finally get to see some The Next Generation in all of its glory.

Unlike most of the 1st and 2nd season episodes, the third season took the time to explore more of the backround of the characters:
1) Worf's backround was thoroughly explained in "SINS OF THE FATHER." In that episode we meet his long lost brother and learn more about his true father.
2) Another noted episode is "THE ENEMY," where Geordi is stranded on a desolate planet with a Romulan. It's great to see the La Forge character actually do something besides speaking techno-babble.
3) "THE OFFSPRING" was a great Data episode and "SAREK" showed that Patrick Stewart is a magnificent actor.
(Keep in mind that there are also other character-driven episodes to watch that are also enjoyable.)

That aside, there were many action-packed episodes:
1) In "THE HIGH GROUND," the Enterprise must battle terrorists after they kidnap Dr. Crusher. A great scene is when the terrorists come aboard the Enterprise and try to hijack it by force so they can destory it.
2)Another action-packed episode is "THE HUNTED," which is about a genetically superior veteran of planetary war that comes aboard the Enterprise. The last 10 minutes of this episode are some of the best minutes I'sve ever seen in an TNG episode.

For comedy lovers, there are also some humurous episodes that let the crew lighten up for a few episodes:
1) In "DEJA Q," Q comes aboard the Enterprise with all of his powers lost, but no one belives him. The "going away present" that he gives to Data at the end is great.
2) In "MENAGE A TROI," Riker, Troi and her mother are captured by Ferengi. Troi's mother ends up giving "ear foreplay" to a Ferengi and Picard is forced to use his knowledge of poetry.

And finally, to the classic of the season, "THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, PART 1." Just a little better than the second part, this episode is the best overall epsiode. It has great music, stellar acting, awesome special effects, some good action, and THE BEST ENDING EVER TO A TNG EPISODE. The last 7 minutes are outstanding.

Overall, the 3rd season of TNG isn't only a great one; it's the season that started TNG on its four-season greatness. (Seasons 3-6) Finally TNG has hit its stride.

1989-1990; Approx. 20 hours; All episodes are Rated PG for for brief language and mild violence.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best rebounds you'll ever see!
Review: Let's face it...the Second Season for Star Trek: The Next Generation was by far the weakest of the seven, but it did manage to keep the show moving. It introduced the BORG, a villain that would remain a part of Star Trek all the way through Voyager and even into Enterprise. At the end of the second season you saw only 22 episodes due to a strike by the writing staff. Everyone was wondering how the third season would shape up and if the show would rebound. Boy did it rebound! The third season began with a brand new writing staff including Ronald D. Moore and Michael Pillar and began the series on its final five SUPERB seasons. In the third season we saw the return of Denise Crosby and Tasha Yar and we got a deeper and more personal look at the BORG. Season three also marks the return of Gates McFadden and Dr. Beverly Crusher (GREAT MOVE!). Season three truely ushered in a new era of Star Trek Storytelling.

Personal favorite episodes:

Evolution, The Bonding, Booby Trap, The Enemy, The Defector, Deja Q, A Matter Of Perspective, Yesterday's Enterprise, The Offspring, Sins of the Father, Sarek, and The Best of Both Worlds

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Season
Review: Season Three of Star Trek: TNG was full of spectacular episodes, from the philisophical "Who Watches The Watchers?" to the humorous "Deja Q", and the thrilling "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1". In other words, this season contains something for everyone.

The seven disc DVD set contains 26 episodes, with the special features available on the seventh disc. Special features include both character and episode analysis, which is entertaining. Unfortunately, not every episode is reviewed in the special features, making them seem a bit empty.

Aside from that minor flaw, fans should find plenty to enjoy about this season. Even if you only want the set for the amazing cliffhanger finale (and I would imagine some do) even casual viewers of The Next Generation will find hours of entertainment in this set.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Trek Season...Ever.
Review: Season 3 of TNG was the best Season of ANY Trek spinoff...ever. Character development was matched by unpredictable plots and some damn fine acting. By far, the best moment was when the pale-faced Picard/Locutus addressed acting-Captain Riker with the words, "Resistance is Futile".
However, look at episodes: "Yesterday's Enterprise", "Sins of the Father", "The Child", "Tin Man", "Sarek", and the career making episode for Wesley Crusher, "Menage a Troi"... these are the best episodes of the season and the through-lines of the season is an admirable accomplishment.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: third season, Best of the Best!
Review: This is where Star Trek TNG carved its own niche in television history. This is where it finally grew its own identity and stood alone. Dr. Crusher's return is the precursor to consistently good stories over the next season. Many have already mentioned the classics, "Yesterday's Enterprise," "The Best of Both Worlds," and "Deja Q." In this season, Data will become a father in, "The Offspring," Riker will be accused of murder in, "A Matter of Perspective," and Spock's father will make an appearance in, "Sarek." We also begin a major plot thread concerning Worf and the Klingon Empire in, "Sins of the Father." Geordi falls in love with a holodeck woman in, "booby Trap," not knowing that he'll meet her real version next year. Picard finally gets more action than his first officer in, "Captain's Holiday." Probably the only episode I wasn't crazy about was, "The Bonding," but it has its appeal. The crew finally seems to attain that comfortable, friendly chemistry that eluded them in the first two seasons. Picard has mellowed, Troi stops being a sex symbol and becomes credible and Worf finally gets more screen time. This season combined the perfect blend of drama, action, suspense and character development. It was TNG at its best and it foreshadowed the superior entertainment that TNG would give us until the end of the sixth season. If you are only going to purchase one DVD gift set from TNG, make it this one!


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