‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘The Arsenal of Freedom’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Thus far, season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation has done a phenomenal job of helping us to get to know the brave and intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D. A feat that the show has accomplished, by offering up episodes and moments that allow for us to really get to learn what makes these characters tick and what makes them worthy of serving aboard a ship named Enterprise. But while it has been supremely satisfying and delightful to get to know a crew that we would spend seven years with, to date, season one has been remiss in informing the audience as to whether or not this crew can handle themselves in downright intense combat. Something that is supremely important in Starfleet, especially when one serves aboard the Big E, since crews that serve aboard a ship with that namesake, are going to face incredible odds and equally incredible enemies. 

As it turns out however, the writers’ room was keenly aware of the fact that Picard’s team had yet to be properly tested in combat, which allowed for an episode to come forth that put them to the outright test in a supremely creative manner. For ‘The Arsenal of Freedom’ sees the crew arrive at the planet Minos, to see if they can discover the fate of the U.S.S. Drake. For it was conducting a historical survey of this world, mainly because Minos was once the centerpiece of a great war. In fact, the people of Minos, were once rich beyond their wildest dreams because they offered endless armaments to both sides in said war and what’s odd, is that this planet is now devoid of life for reasons unknown and once the Away Team beams down to investigate the planet and the fate of the Drake further, well that’s when things get interesting. Because the defenses on this world are simply incredible and they push Riker and Yar and Data to their limit.

In fact, the devices down here are so sophisticated that Captain Picard believes he must get involved personally, so he can properly strategize with his crew and that’s what leads to the challenges in question. Because these powerful weapons are adapting to the crew’s battle techniques, and their sustained attacks put Picard and Crusher in quite the precarious place; a cavern where Beverly is badly wounded. Which means that the captain must figure out, not only how to keep the Doctor conscious and stable, but also how to use a computer he discovers inside this this cavern to stop these weapons from putting down his crew. Which leads to a little lightheartedness in this tale, since the digital salesman on this world, played brilliantly by the late and great Vincent Schiavelli, is the key to shutting everything down, since he is only eager to do so when he learns he has finally made a ‘sale.’

But what matters more, is that everyone did well under fire on the planet. For Tasha and Riker showed how cool they are under pressure and we learned what an asset Data is in combat situations, and Picard did just fine keeping Beverly safe while solving the mystery. But to top it all off, the crew on the ship did the captain equally as proud. Because it was up to Lieutenant Geordi LaForge to deal with one of these devices in space and he went above and beyond in making that happen. Because not only was he able to fend off a hyper aggressive and ambitious Chief Engineer who thought he knew how to handle this mess better, and a powerful hidden enemy, he also came up with one hell of a plan to save the day. Wherein he separated the ship to keep civilians and non-essential personnel safe and used the Stardrive section as atmospheric bait to reveal his foe and destroy it. Leading to quite the happy and satisfying ending when all is said and done.

In the end, this episode was just a blast to watch. Because we finally got to see the crew break out the hand phasers and mess up some mean-ass robots. Plus, we got to see the Enterprise really let loose with phasers and photo torpedoes and it was just cool to see a little action and adventure come into play and see the story find a way to get everyone involved in the fight. But while there were plenty of explosions to enjoy and lots of tense moments present in this tale, it never lost sight of the wonderful humanity present in this show. Something that was handled by way of a beautiful scene where Counselor Troi helped to guide Geordi as a leader and that just added some magnificent depth to this tale. If anything, this back half of the season has been pretty solid so far, since it’s been filled to the brim with engrossing stories and big moments and this reviewer cannot wait to see what other treats await us as we continue our journey with this intrepid crew. Until next time.

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