'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Episode Review: 'The Neutral Zone'
Pros: Good mix of storylines; nice way of reintroducing the Romulans Cons: The writers' strike delayed the development of the Borg storyline; otherwise none The Neutral Zone Stardate 41986.0 (Earth Calendar Year 2364) Original Air Date: May 16, 1988 Written by Maurice Hurley Story by Deborah McIntyre and Mona Glee Directed by James L. Conway On stardate 41986.0, the Galaxy- class starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) is under the temporary command of First Officer William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) is on his way back to the Federation’s new flagship after having been summoned to an emergency conference in Starbase 718. As Riker and the rest of the Enterprise’s crew await their commanding officer’s return, the ship’s sensors detect something unexpected; a very old space capsule launched centuries ago from Earth. Ops officer Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) receives permission from Commander Riker to beam aboard t