The magic of TNG season three: even in a fair-to-middling episode like this, there's so much to like and talk about. You watch and you think initially "there's not really much to this," but then as you start to dig in, you keep finding more and more...

While this episode is definitely not top tier for Season 3, I really like it. Jeff McCarthy is really charismatic and likeable, while being convincingly badass, which makes Roga Danar a fun and enjoyable character. James Cromwell manages to be a complete heel without being over-the-top. I also really love the themes of this episode. My dad was a Green Beret in Vietnam, and at the time the CIA was heavily involved with the Green Berets. They used a lot of psychological techniques and conditioning to mold young men like my father into some of the most effective soldiers in the history of warfare. That same conditioning broke a lot of those young men -- my dad (and every other Green Beret of that era I've ever met, and I've met a bunch -- I have a dozen "uncles" who served with my dad) suffered horrible PTSD the rest of his life, and struggled constantly with alcoholism due to the difficult he has adjusting back to civilian life. I see a _lot_ of my dad, also a very charismatic man, in Roga Danar. That idea, of young men who are manipulated and utilized by the state to wage war, with no real plan for what to do after the war, is powerful stuff. Your generation hasn't really had to deal with it in the way previous generations have. Very few of the younger generation has veterans for father -- and you've grown up in world where PTSD is a recognized issue. I never even *heard* of PTSD until I was in college, and it was still discussed in very hushed tones, as if it was a _personal failing_ on the part of the soldiers who came home and couldn't leave the war behind. This episode came out in 1990, when I was 14, and it was the first time I ever saw a story that dealt with these topics, and I love it for that. I wish you guys could see it through my eyes, but, honestly, I'm kind of glad this doesn't resonate so strongly with your generation.

I always rewatch this one on reruns. There's so much that I love. Data getting outsmarted, the action, the conversation about returning from war, and Picard's baller move at the end.

I honestly really like this episode

Target Audience = Tough Audience

Like the patreon said.. this is just Star Trek: Vietnam. Vietnam ended about 15 or 16 years earlier. Vets were still dealing with being viewed in a very negative way. A lot of media in the 80s was influenced by that war. Look at how many shows had helicopters, airwolf, magnum p.i., riptide etc. because so many vets got trained to be helicopter pilots in the war, many people came back, and now were skilled in flying helicopters. Also movies like rambo, shows like the A-team.

This episode marks the beginning of James Cromwell's appearances in Star Trek.

James Cromwell was also in Babe. That'll do Alex and Josh. That'll do. 😝

M Dorn has the best line in the entire episode where he speaks out against not properly informing a soldier of the risks of something you are trying to get them to volunteer for….. People often talk about the returning soldier coming back with PTSD….. few mention the underhanded tactics of recruiters….. both in joining up in the first place and then in volunteering for special duties and training….

I see this as an episode about treatment of soldiers post Vietnam. This is a people and government trying to ignore a (possibly) unpopular war by marginalizing their soldiers when they had little to no say about what happened to them.

What TNG started doing really well in the 3rd season is discussing issues from both sides then leaving it up to the audience member to decide for themselves which side of the debate they were on. That's probably my favorite part of this very average episode - the fact that there's no resolution and you're left to wonder how it might have unfolded.

Looking forward to the coming weeks! Even the discussions about 'lesser' episodes can be interesting, but it's a lot more fun when they're great episodes.

No matter how bad Star Trek episodes may be, they are still more entertaining than a lot of shows coming out these days.

These lesser S3 episodes are a perfect example of how S3 is raising the bar. Imagine if this had been a S1 or S2 episode, you'd think it was great. But S3 has already shown that these type of episodes don't really work now, and we haven't even gotten to the best the Season has to offer.

As i said in previous reactions it makes a huge difference if you start watching Star Trek as a child or as an adult. I loved this episode back then for the extended chase scene through the hallways of the ship, while i fell asleep during a character episode like The Bonding which you guys loved so much. Now i can appreciate an episde like the Bonding as an adult, but sometimes the emotional, nostalgic part of my brain wonders how you guys get such a meh reaction of this episode here, while it was one of my favourite ones growing up. But as an adult i get your point.

I like this serious and tense run of shows lately, even if they don't all reach "banger" status.

This episode had a lot more resonance at the time. In the 1990s we were still struggling with the aftermath of the viet nam war and issues of nam vets and ptsd and dealing with the recent past as part of moving forward were still a big part of the culture.

I enjoyed this episode, and the dude playing Danar did a good job.

When the boxes fell on Worf, they missed a perfect opportunity to use the Wilhelm scream...

I always saw this as an allegory to how Vietnam veterans were treated (being called baby killers and the like during the anti-war protests of the early 1970s.) The line which sets that off is "they are your brother, fathers."

I think many of these episodes do well in the rewatch, especially for those of us that have watched the whole show a dozen times or more 😂 I like this one!

to all veterans and all who have served "welcome home"

Ira Steven Behr is also noted for starting his Star Trek run as a producer in season 3. His name is listed on this episode. He would eventually go on to be producer and writer of DS9, and eventually became it's show runner. Also, keep on the lookout for names likes Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and Rene Echevarria. They all started in TNG, and along with Ronald D. Moore, and Ira Steven Behr became the primary writers for DS9.

Good use of Prime Directive. Hit for Vietnam vet relations, and Desert Storm was only a few months away for a new batch of vets. Add all the little brush fires the US has been involved with and reruns worldwide with all those conflicts, there are a LOT of people who can look at this and relate.

Your assessment is bang on. Loving the ending of your videos with each have their own little tag line. Always watching to the end to get that chuckle.

It might be an age/ generational thing, but I aliken this to Rambo: First Blood (1982) with the difference being TNG is Sci-Fi so Super Soldier rather than Highly Skilled Soldier. This episode is ultimately propped up by the Production Values; Choreography, Sets, Costumes, Props, etc.

I think one thing you should keep in mind when judging some of the "hand holding" of the storytelling explaining basic concepts, a significant percentage of the audience of Star Trek are literal children, like myself who was around 13 when this show aired & this was the lots of us the first time we were exposed to sci fi concepts like this. I don't think I had even read I Robot or the Foundation trilogy yet, but I did shortly after so you should cut the film makers a bit of slack, especially since we're now watching these things with 30+ years of TV sci fi advancement. Overall though, love your reactions.

I am a little surprised you guys didn't like this episode more. You mention allusions to veterans of war but I think it is deeper. It is really questioning a society's duty to its military after the fighting stops. Also James Cromwell is the farmer in in the Babe movies

You've come a long way to think of this Episode as so so! I predict the next one will ....

That round corridor set was built for “Star Trek V”. You might recognize it from the embarrassing ‘Scotty bumps his head’ scene. It was redressed to be an Enterprise D “Jefferies Tube” and will appear again.

I like this episode. Especially Picard's decisions at the end. You also get to see Worf actually doing his job title instead of manning tactical.

So modern streamed shows typically only have 8-12 episodes. Even then many have episodes that don’t advance an over arching plot or flesh out characters. Now consider having to crank out 26 in a year. Some episodes are just there to fill airtime and “sell dish soap”.

Remember guys, along with extremely bad episodes and extremely good episodes there is also, by definition, average quality episodes.

Others have already mentioned this, but this episode is very much like the first Rambo (before the franchise goes into full 80s Reagan, patriot-fest) about veterans who come home and can't adjust to the world and life they've come back to and people who don't understand them or capable of helping them deal with ptsd. At least the first (and probably two) Rambo is great and I wonder if you guys might enjoy it for the channel or just on your own.

The premise for this episode: (how we treat with our veterans, after we've trained them to kill, and how we reintegrate them into society) is a potentially important one. I work with veterans and so many of them are still facing the ghosts of their pasts. Whether this episode managed to deal effectively with the subject is debatable. I think a little more exposition and a little less action, may have worked better.

This is bang average Trek but I’m a little more forgiving of the old series when they had to knock out 26 episodes than I am of modern shows on streaming services where they have maybe 8 episodes and huge budgets and they still can’t make an episode as good as this.

I like this episode but almost entirely because it's the Metal Gesr Solid episode of TNG.

Someone has probably said this, James Cromwell is most famous for Babe the pig comedy and the catch phrase “That’ll do, pig.” And… you may see him again in Trek. 😄

I know this episode is mediocre, but for some reason, I absolutely love it … I love the idea of a soldier who can defeat all the Federation technology.

Oh no! I came here for my lunch break Wednesday, and no reaction to the next episode yet! I've got to reassess my weekday schedule, maybe save TA for nighttime.

My one complaint about your reaction to the episode was that at the end, you immediately said “Well, it’s not The Defector”. You need to think of each episode individually. You’ve essentially raised your expectations of what a “good” episode is, and you’re gonna get a hard kick if you end up not liking an episode…

I'm getting anxious for you guys to see episodes 13,15 and 17 of this season.

You guys are working your butts off, and far be it for me to be pushy, but dammit, i really look forward to these videos. Work harder…. Hahahahahahahaha! I’m kidding!!

as you are watching everything in release date order you should include the movie Galaxy Quest and the series The Orville as they come out, they aren't startrek but neither would exist without star trek and they are funny!

It had action and an interesting point. Great ending. Good but there are better in 3rd season.

This is easily in the top 20 episodes of the season. For season 3 that's really not bad.

I enjoy this episode when it comes on. Wasn’t half bad.

Both this, and Conspiracy feature a double fisted kirk punch. Classic

That hand gesture when you talk about "wiping Data."😮

I always figured they’d get a bunch of people to submit scripts then get the show runner to decide what type, how many and what order they should be. This always just felt like ‘the fight / action’ episode to me, without too much storyline

I always thought there should be some kind of follow-up to this premise: "Wait a second: HOW MANY of these super-soldiers did you create, and WHERE are they now??"

Did that trailer announcer say "Star Track"? Sure sounded like it!

I agree with you guys here that it's a pretty standard Trek episode. Feels like a TOS episode as far as the story goes and I can imagine Kirk doing the same thing Picard does at the end.

Why yes, yes it is a Star Trek episode The chief got shot. Must O'Brien suffer?.

the episode is an allegory for vets coming home from Vietnam. vets that were sent to war against their will, being shunned by everyone, when all they want is to be normal.

After finishing this discussion I turned on Pluto TV and A Taste of Armageddon was streaming on the Star Trek channel, bringing together two points of discussion from this episode.

Would have been interesting to compare/contrast w/ Earth’s experiments with Khan and the Augments.

Concerning the run of the mill quality of episodes in general it will be interesting to see how the channel will develop until they start with Voyager. I think many reactions will be like this here.

11:46 often times the handholding stuff was the result of executive producers or show runners meddling with the script and/or storytelling.

The one thing that took me out of it is his fighting the transporter beam. That energy is dissasembling your molecules if not atoms. How the hell can you fight that without being shielded yourself? I know it's sci-fi but that is totally unbelievable. The transporter itself is more believable technology.

I periodically tune into the TNG channel on Pluto TV. There are certain episodes that I'll watch regardless of how many times I've seen it; others I'll skip. And there are episodes that I'll watch again if there is nothing else better on. "The Hunted" is one of those episodes. I actually like this episode. It's an intriguing idea - what do you do with soldiers who have no further use to a society? The script is decent, if not inspired. The directing by Cliff Bole makes the action scenes work. Guest stars - particularly James Cromwell (soon to be a Trek regular) - are good. I don't have a problem with Jeff McCarthy as Danar. The part is just underwritten and (at least until the end) it is difficult to get a clear handle on him. There is silliness with Danar escaping the transporter beam - how would anyone even do that? The episode does drag a bit in the middle, but they wisely move on to the escape. And the ending really works well - The Angosian's chickens are really coming home to roost. And as PM Nayrock pointed out earlier, it really is an internal matter and not the Federation's business. While there are a lot of truly great episodes in Season 3, this is more typical. Just a solid, well done episode but not necessarily great.

An unexpected Boy Meets World reference -- awesome! 🤣

Hi guys; agreed a good episode. More interiors were shown. To borrow a line from geordi ' this guy's incredible '. Reminds me of a ' what if a prisoner got loose on the Enterprise? How would they deal with it?

Urgent thrills, chases, subterfuge, testing crew wits. Action, good story, and O'Brien. Producers wanted to add more to story in retrospect.

I have comments, but for an other episode.

I hope you refer to this episode as ‘the one with good lighting’ when you do the series review

Will you two just get over Stubbs?! It feels like you've complained about him every discussion since Evolution!

I really thought you guys would love this episode. I’m concerned that too many people have hyped up season three so much that the expectations might be too high.

I wouldn't be too harsh on the writer (thinking they were hand-holding or lowbrowing the audience) as the scenes mentioned cotained several of the lead actors who writers are obligated to give dialogue otherwise they are just standing there like an extra. Now granted, this writer could of been a little more creative with Data's responses but at least he wasn't just chewing the scenery or reciting mindless technobable.

This episode and the next episode are ones I tend to Skip on rewatches

I wonder what ol' Tomahawk would think of these Angosian soldiers.

The suit would allow him to breath and not pass out.

James Cromwell is an Academy Award Nominee.

From my view, Jams Cromwell's best performance was LA Confidential. His role is fairly significant, in this great 1950's crime story with Russel Crowe, Guy Pearce, and....well...Kevin Spacey.

Sounds like you guys need educated on James Cromwell. PHENOMENAL actor, and he's a HUGE Trek fan. You'll see him again on Trek in many roles on many shows. Seriously tho, look into his filmography. Watch L.A. Confidential if nothing else. That'll do Pig.

@00:45 Sooooo glad to learn you are viewing all these on BLU RAY! That's the only way to respectfully watch these as it really shows that they are immortal like Superman The Movie. They always look modern!

Data would have won overwhelmingly if they'd fought. Danar appeared to be at least comparable to Worf in strength, so he's much stronger than a human. But compared to Data he'd be like a child fighting an adult.

This episode is the first time I have gotten irritated with you guys. The theme of this episode (how a society - like OURS - often disposes of its soldiers) was SO relevant when it first aired and is STILL relevant today. This is such a gripping episode. And its Wikipedia page says: I have enjoyed your takes on "Star Trek" ever since you first started doing them - I especially loved how you young guys respect the show - but now I think you guys are making too many dumb jokes and laughing while you watch the show and it is really starting to detract. Everyone can have their own opinions but I'm surprised that you don't get THIS episode.

The writer of this episode would go on to write every single episode of William Shatner's TekWar series. Do with that information what you will

Episodes 9,11 and 12 are all pretty much the same premise just with a different cast member going ga-ga over one of the society's outcast. Surprised they put these episodes so close together instead of spreading them out a bit.

We're getting into the era of audience/fan submitted scripts, but they were also reusing TOS scripts that had never made it to screen before the show was canceled.

Something that really takes me out of TNG episodes at times is how absolutely terrible Starfleet officers fight, espeically Security. Even Worf is always getting his ass handed to him. It just boggles my mind that in TOS they were essentially in a jawbusting bar fight nearly every episode, but Roddenberry went soft and wanted to banish all conflict...interesting choice to make, for a WRITER. Geez. To contrast TOS and TNG a bit, I commented on your other video that Capt Kirk beat the crap outta Khan Noonien Singh (and even though it's nerdy to do a "This fictional guy vs that fictional guy" benchrace) we all know that Kirk would've trucked ol' Danar and his gently wafting coiffed hair. That episode would been over the second Kirk got pissed off.

Of course that was Worf.

I liked this episode as a kid. The crew so far rarely had a challenge they had to outthink. But I do think the episode is better once you get beyond the cusrory glance and read some of the subtext. It's commentary about soldiers being seen as tools, and not people. The problems of PTSD and soldiers haunted by war and their trauma. It delves into the moral implications of using geneetic engineering to create a better soldier. The fact he has little control and his improved memory lets him remember every detail of the people he's killed. As a kid, that spoke to me about the horrors of having to relive something horrfic as if it just happened. As a kid I wrote into my stories and comics about heroes having to deal with their trauma. But it's told in a BLAND way. That bland TV lighting. The actor is not great. It needed better dialog. The camera work wasn't interesting. The direction was not good. The stakes are not that high. The action, not very exciting, except for that moment in the hallway where the guy looks like his arm is broken. 1990s Star Trek struggled with action. It usually cuts to shot of the actor firing the phase, to a shot of something being hit. And repeats. Phaser shooting, something hit. Phaser shooting, something hit. For me, the perfect encapsulation of this episode is Worf needing to be in a hurry but just casually sauntering down the hallway. Not even a mild jog. I've seen them make hallway scenes exciting. Not here. The styrafoam and plastic props clearly don't have any weight behind them. This could have been hidden better with a moving camera and some clever editing. If you watch any Jackie Chan movies, or the new Fall Guy movie you can see that stuntmen can make stunts look their best if they have more creative input. This should have been a better episode. But its execution makes it 'meh' for me. This guy should have felt like the Terminator. An unstoppable foe. A remorseless killer when the programming kicks in, and the haunted man devastated by what he just did when it is off. It failed to live up to its premise. Even if I really liked it as a kid, but I do completely understand the lukewarm reception to it.

I agree that it's an okay episode but I remember upon first watch thinking that when Picard and his away team beam off the planet without assisting that it was was pretty bad ass. If they ended it there, with that shot, I think I would have had more impact.

I just realized I quite agree with your thoughts about this episode feeling like it's from older trek. For some reason, I always mis-remember this as being a season 1 episode.

If you like Boy Meets World, please react to 1776 for July 4th, which stars Mr Feeney!

I believe the next one, Episode 12, is Obi Wan Kenobi’s favorite TNG episode

I would rate this one as merely average. It had a decent enough message, but I wish it were executed better. They keep talking about all of the training/programming these super-soldiers were subject to, but without more detail, it just felt like redundant exposition to me. Would've gladly traded some of the action/chase sequences for additional interaction between Danar and Data. Also, it might've been interesting if Dr. Crusher had contributed some ideas for methods to assist with potential de-programming and rehabilitation of the soldiers. Then, instead of just turning their backs and leaving the planet, perhaps the Federation could at least offer the possibility of a better future outcome.

Imo a mid episode of Star Trek is better than a mid episode of a police procedural.

I think you guys should not feel pressured to have a lot to say about an episode that there isn't a lot to say about. It doesn't HAVE to be fifteen minutes long. 🙂

Question: after this episode, Balance of Terror, and Red October, you guys seem to not care so much for stories that use slow builds (moving pieces on the chess board until all hell breaks loose). Are there any episodes that use this type of storytelling that you think works to build suspense and hold your interest where these other stories don't?

Guys, DC Fontana is a woman!! Yeesh... 😝🤪

Yes, diplomats,our captains do reports for the Federation council, but they vote to ad our not, a Starfleet advisor could be station on the planet to help the planet to achieve membership.

I thought they were trying for a low level Khan.

Ah yes, Starfleet finds itself completely unprepared for “Space Rambo”. This is the episode that demonstrates the lethal consequences of the Federation’s insulation from reality. I will avoid spoilers, but this is not the last time Starfleet is caught with its pants down by “Home Alone” tactics.

Boy Meets World 🌎

As far as the writers feeling the need to "hold your hand," i agree. TNG is often heavy-handed in the exposition. That said, there's another reactor who is doing a bunch of TNG episodes, and even with all the super explicit exposition, she still keeps saying, "I don't understand what's happening. I'm so confused. Why did they do that", etc. So, maybe they were writing for an audience who wasn't that smart on storytelling.

The Hunter is one of the episodes of all time!

This is one of those episodes with a great and timely premise, good casting, and great direction... but still, ultimately, misses the mark. But, let's be honest, put this episode in Season One, and you might have liked it more simply due the other episodes it would have been up against. A "forgettable" episode is so much better than a terrible episode. It was a guest writer, versus established, and if I am not mistaken, it was a submitted SpecScript which were often fan-written. I will defend the writing, only in the idea that the people Picard was dealing with at the end weren't the scientists, it was the government. Do we really expect Congress to really understand the consequences of their actions (based on current experience)?