Midweek Mention... Star Trek: The Next Generation
Welcome back to Bad Dads Film Review! This week, we’re bending time, smashing starships, and looping through one of the most mind-bending episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5, Episode 18 – "Cause and Effect". It’s a perfect example of how sci-fi can take a deceptively simple concept—what if you’re stuck in a time loop?—and turn it into a suspenseful, clever, and surprisingly rewatchable piece of television.
🌀 The Premise: Déjà Vu in Deep Space
The episode opens with an explosive bang—literally—as the USS Enterprise-D is destroyed. Cue the opening credits. Then, everything resets.
We soon realise that the crew is caught in a temporal causality loop, repeating the same few hours over and over again. They have no memory of previous loops, but subtle feelings of déjà vu begin to unsettle them. Dr. Crusher hears the same voices during poker, Data keeps shuffling the cards the same way, and Worf starts getting twitchy about how often the ship’s sensor data is “inconclusive.”
🧠 The Genius of It
Written by Brannon Braga and directed with tight suspense by Jonathan Frakes (a.k.a. Commander Riker), "Cause and Effect" is a masterclass in science fiction structure. Each loop slightly shifts, providing just enough new detail to keep the audience—and the characters—on edge. The growing sense of unease is perfectly balanced with sci-fi problem-solving, leading to Data using the number “3” as a subtle message to his future self in order to break the loop.
And it works! Data realises that Riker’s plan, involving adjusting the ship's yaw, is the correct move—saving the Enterprise and escaping the loop… after 17 days of unknowingly repeating their deaths.
Bonus Trek fact: The ship they collide with? The USS Bozeman, captained by Kelsey Grammer, stuck in the loop for 90 years.
🚀 Why It Stands Out
- Narrative Precision: Few shows handle repetition this well without becoming dull. Here, it’s razor-sharp.
- Creeping Tension: The unsettling deja vu builds atmosphere rather than jumping straight to technobabble.
- Science with Stakes: The loop isn’t just a concept—it’s a matter of life and death. Again and again.
- That Cold Open: Blowing up the Enterprise before the title sequence? Bold.
👨👧👦 A Dad’s Take
It’s smart, eerie, and surprisingly accessible even for those new to Trek. You don’t need deep lore knowledge to enjoy the logic puzzle, the suspense, and the satisfaction of the crew finally cracking the loop. It’s a great episode for older kids or teens curious about sci-fi storytelling.
"Cause and Effect" is one of TNG's most beloved episodes for good reason—it’s an elegant puzzle-box of an episode that proves Star Trek can do high-concept sci-fi with both brains and heart. A loop you won’t mind watching again and again. 🖖🎬💫
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Until next time, we remain...
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