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 TakeawaysChosen family mattersAI ethics were already haunting sci-fi in 1987Patriarchy (and bad allegories) age poorlySmall acts of resistance can force changeThings are impossible… until they aren’tUntil next time—Make it so. 🖖