Evolution (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
"Evolution" | |
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Star Trek: The Next Generation episode | |
Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Winrich Kolbe |
Story by |
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Teleplay by | Michael Piller |
Featured music | Ron Jones Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever |
Cinematography by | Marvin Rush |
Production code | 150 |
Original air date | September 25, 1989 |
Running time | 45 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Evolution" is the first episode of the
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, escaped nanites threaten the Enterprise as well as its critical research mission.
Plot
The Federation starship Enterprise, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), approaches the Kavis Alpha binary star system to perform astrophysics research under the guidance of Dr. Paul Stubbs (Ken Jenkins), analyzing the decay of neutronium as a result of a stellar explosion that occurs every 196 years and is due to occur in the next few hours. Stubbs plans to launch a probe, dubbed the Egg, to gather the data, a result of a lifetime's development. Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) has returned to her duties on the Enterprise after a stint at Starfleet Medical.
As the expected time of the stellar explosion nears, the ship malfunctions in odd ways (such as blaring "
Production
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2015) |
"Evolution" features the first appearance of the new Starfleet uniforms; several cast members had complained about the previous spandex uniforms which led to their replacement with the new Mandarin-collared two-piece wool uniforms. In an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show shortly before the episode aired, Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) simply said, "The new uniforms don't hurt", and reviewer Keith DeCandido later praised the move in his review of the episode.[1]
Reception
Writing for The A.V. Club, Zack Handlen compared the episode favorably against the first episode of the previous season, "The Child" (which he considered was the worst episode of that season, disregarding the clip show episode, "Shades of Gray"[2]). Handlen wrote that he found "Evolution" so much more enjoyable that he was "in danger of overrating it." He liked Ken Jenkins as Dr. Paul Stubbs, who "hits the line between off-puttingly arrogant and vulnerable". However, while he was glad to see the return of Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, he was disappointed with Diana Muldaur's absence, noting "the Pulaski and Picard relationship that was never really fulfilled." He summarized: "The characters are all where they need to be, my favorite doctor is back, and the show feels like it's ready to take that next step", and graded the episode a "B".[3]
James Hunt of Den of Geek praised Ken Jenkins and the scenes between him and Wesley, as well as the scenes with Beverly and Guinan. He felt that the episode could have been stronger had it focused on the character threads and philosophical moments.[4] Keith DeCandido, writing for Tor.com, lauded "the debut of the high-necked, looser uniform jackets", stating that "it's extremely good to see the crew no longer wearing the unitards", and liked the return of Dr. Crusher and actress McFadden's "superb chemistry" with Wil Wheaton, as well as the off-screen promotions of Worf and La Forge. DeCandido conceded the episode felt "unfinished" in that the episode failed to acknowledge how Wesley managed to create an entire species – "it's fobbed off in a log entry at the end" – and that there were no consequences regarding his actions almost leading to the destruction of the ship.[1]
In 2011, this episode was noted by Forbes as one that explores the implications of advanced technology, also comparing it to the later episode "The Quality of Life" season 6, Episode 9).[5] In 2010, Wired noted this as the episode of Star Trek that can be used to teach about nanotechnology.[6]
Releases
In July 2011, the internet streaming service Netflix made all Star Trek episodes available, which would include this episode.[5]
The episode was released with Star Trek: The Next Generation season three
References
- ^ a b DeCandido, Keith (November 3, 2011). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "Evolution"". Tor.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (July 22, 2010). "Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Shades of Grey"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (July 29, 2010). "Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Evolution"/"The Ensigns Of Command"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Hunt, James (February 21, 2014). "Revisiting Star Trek TNG: Evolution". Den of Geek. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Knapp, Alex. "The 10 Best Singularity Themed Star Trek Episodes". Forbes. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Beierle, Aaron (July 2, 2002). "Star Trek the Next Generation – Season 3". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ Miller III, Randy (April 30, 2013). "Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Three (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- Star Trek The Next Generation DVDset, volume 3, disc 1, selection 1
External links
- "Evolution" at IMDb
- "Evolution" at Memory Alpha