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TNG 3-19

TNG 3x19
"Captain's Holiday"

Original airdate: 4/2/1990
Rewatch date: 10/9/2011


The crew forces Picard to take a week's shore leave on the pleasure planet of Risa, but his vacation proves to be less relaxing than expected.

Spoiler-free notes:

Two Picard episodes in a row.

"Vorgon" sounds way too close to "Vogon." Let's hope they don't break out some Vorgon poetry.

I love the bit with the Horga'hn. (It does the opposite of what it sounds like!)

Picard throws the Ferengi phaser into some bushes. This seems like an odd choice. From a moral standpoint, it's dangerous to just leave a weapon lying around like that; he probably should have turned it over to the nearest authority figure. From a practical standpoint, the phaser could have come in handy.

They lay down on a blanket over some rocks in a cave, with no cushioning or pillows. That's hardcore. Considering what probably winds up happening on that cave floor, it's amazing they aren't ridiculously sore and hobbled the next morning.

This is a fun little episode that focuses almost exclusively on Captain Picard. Like with the previous episode, "Allegiance," the writers explore his character by putting him in an unfamiliar setting, divorcing him from the regular cast of characters, and putting him under stress. This is obviously a very different form of stress, but it's an amusing adventure with a memorable guest star. The story's a little hokey, but it's great for showing a different side of Picard and it's successful in giving him a believable love interest.



Spoiler section:

The Vorgons from the future remind me a little of the recurring ENT storyline about people from the future going through time to preserve history.





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