Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation seemed like the year of family. After quickly resolving the breathtaking cliffhanger of "The Best of Both Worlds," the show took pains to show some of what the Federation was fighting for. We meet Picard's brother, Data's father, Tasha's sister, and Worf's adoptive human parents, plus an old flame with a surprise son in tow. The Klingon heritage subplot that begins here and builds to the cliffhanger finale ("Redemption") would continue to the show's end and through into Worf's reappearance in Deep Space Nine.

I'm hooked on TNG

I've been a TNG fan since its inception. Now, thanks to the Dvds, I've gotten my husband hooked too. It's fun to watch them together in the correct order and rediscover all the adventures.

The tipping point cometh...

The DVDs themselves are of good quality; I've rented many seasons' worth and reminded myself which stories throughout the run were good and which were not...

$50 per season is on par and is a good price. (So what's coming soon that's compelling people to buy these current sets?)

Wish I could afford it; thanks to the prices of necessities gone up so much (food, shelter, and distilled petroleum products being slightly more important than Captain Picard standing around as if he hasn't spent a penny in decades...), $50 is still an effective $100 out of my pocket in the end.

Don't get me wrong, the entire series IS fun... but season 4 sees the loss of the inimitable Ron Jones; who was sacked because the production team wanted to alter the series' format to more soapy drama, less action/adventure and much less sci-fi concepts being used. (big mistakes, IMHO)

best of Both Worlds II: The end cure-all is cheezy, but it works.

Family: The first of 4 stories to have the same plot: Character survives a nasty situation and has to feeeeeeeeeel the repercussions. It got trite quickly. This one makes sense; it's Picard visiting home and has to deal with the Borg assaulting him. Yes Virginia, men can be raped too.

Brothers: Data has a homing device and reprograms the ship to go to a strange planet. Of course, this is the ONE TIME that Crusher can't heal a sick patient so the ship has to get to Starbase 269 or whereever... Of course, they get there and we meet Data's creator. Of course, Lore picked up the signal too... Kudos to Brent Spiner for handling THREE roles with aplomb. In the right mood, this one is highly enjoyable, but the daft sick-kid diversion is nothing more than a diversion and is a bit of a copout.

Suddenly Human: The worst of the bunch. A kid raised by a race of aliens (that look like wolves) is being sent back to his biological human parents, not realizing that years of existing upbringing cannot be undone... Just think if Picard was a Borg for 17 years and then undone... Holy Hugh... garbage, this story is.

Remember Me: It's Crusher's turn to lose her world only to get it all back at the end, being saved by the Traveller. It's an interesting take on the show's science (living in a warp bubble), but it all feels empty once she's saved; little better than a dream sequence routine.

Legacy (#80): WOW. Made solely as homage to passing TOS' number of episodes (79), this one is a terrific action-packed piece. Tasha's sister and association only sweetens the pot... there's little to dislike here, except an obvious re-use of sets from Best of Both Worlds - a story that is hardly forgettable.

Reunion: Worf subplot continues...

Future Imperfect: Not a bad story; Minuete returns unexpectedly (which was way-cool), but it's revealed that the latest candy bar winner of the year is why it was made at all.

Final Mission: Wesley's swansong is a bit dull. A shame; Wesley matured in season 3, and Wil Wheaton deserved better (great actor, not a good character written for him, though. :( )

The Loss: It has a ring of realism to it, but unless you enjoy Troi moaning and whining all the time, there's little of interest here. Except for a new science concept to be re-used next season.

Data's Day: A weird one, ending with a slap in Picard's face thanks to a Romulan spy...

The Wounded: A vehicle for O'brien and a new race known as the Cardassians. (uh-oh: new species invented. They're struggling for new ideas and parallels to Earth societies already...)

Devil's Due: Another 70s-revival story dug from the grave, it's fun but it's obvious the story was meant for Kirk. (why not have Riker be the object of Ardara's interest instead of Picard?! Just like how every other woman of the week was for Riker during seasons 1 and 2...)

Clues: Namby pamby by the end; but the ideas are nice enough.

First Contact: Don't confuse this with the fan-centric movie from 1996; this one is rich, deep, and brilliant in its use of showing one's self to new cultures. Riker isthe perfect character to use as the injured party - and there's a woman of the week for him too! :D

Galaxy's Child: AWESOME follow-up made in Booby Trap. Pity Dr Brahams didn't return. She and Geordi (as characters and as the actors playing them) have an obvious chemistry together and it's wonderfully played out.

Night Terrors: Empty horror-wannabe.

Identity Crisis: I don't recall the plot, so it can't be very memorable...

The Nth Degree: Barclay returns; and seems a dream-come-true for anyone like Barclay: To become normal and then better. Lovely stuff.

QPid: I love this one; Q chides Picard over obvious affection for Vash (introduced in Captain's Holiday). Q and Vash make the perfect couple and the perfect foils for Picard to boot. And Worf hates being a merry man! ROFL

The Drumhead: Preachy beyond belief, yet noble in its cause regarding keeping an open mind and not drawing quick conclusions.

Half a Life: Controversial, but not preachy, this story regarding a set "death date" is intelligently done on the whole.

The Host: Another species is introduced, the Trills. Forgettable and another species being introduced means they're clutching at more straws for future ideas (few of which get used until DS9...)

The Mind's Eye: AWESOME, if not predictable, tale of Geordi being kidnapped and brainwashed by the Romulans.

Redemption: Part 1 is actually very good, continuing the Worf subplot and revealing somebody we'd never expect: Tasha Yar!

All in all, season 4 ends the best that TNG had to offer, though later seasons still had some merit...

Star Trek TNG Season 4

I love Star Trek TNG. The CD's could have been higher quality. The package for season 4 was not the same as the rest. Mainly the labeling on the others I bought were applied with a sticky that peeled right off. Season 4 was applied with a tape that did not come off so it now looks bad. I feel a better job could have been done with the packaging and the quality of the CD's. Other than that, I do watch them a lot and will complete the set.