LORE EPISODE REVIEWS

Brothers

By Seawave

I had the added bonus of this episode showing up on my birthday, right on my doorstep, in Australia, all the way from W.H Smith’s in London ... I only ordered it six days before and regular post! Hey, perhaps Lore put in a good word ;) My friend showed up and surprised me and we watched the episode together and it was a happy, happy birthday, indeed! ;)

RATING *******************************************************************************************+++++

Stardate 44085.7

In my opinion, Brothers is the best episode in any Star Trek. It was extremely moving. Particularly the parts with Lore and Doctor Soong and Soong and Data. We get to see another side of Lore. A more compassionate side. He really cared for Doctor Soong and felt true grief when his Father was dying. It was impossible not to feel sorry for Lore, for the pain he'd felt. It is evident that he felt betrayed by his father for disassembling him, and who can blame him for that? And it isn't hard to see why he's jealous of Data. Data's got everything Lore ever wanted. He's accepted by most, he's got friends whom love and care about him ... Things Lore never had. Dr. Soong forgave his son for what he did on the colony and told Data that Lore was never given a chance.

Lore stole the chip, because he thought it might solve his problems and perhaps fix him, instead it unbalanced him further, making him worse, and Lore took his anger out on Dr. Soong, but if he hadn't taken the chip, he wouldn't've hurt Soong, because it was clear that he cared for his father. He showed that in his emotions when he first arrived.

As excellent as this episode was, I felt that there should've been more parts with Lore. He came in at the end of the third act and was gone at the middle of the fifth act. I felt that one and a half acts was too little. We have not seen much of Lore at all. DataLore was the only other Lore episode and this is the first time we have seen a compassionate side of lore. I felt that could have been elaborated on.

The subplot with the two children was totally unneeded. It added nothing to the story, apart from the ending with Beverly saying 'Brothers forgive' and Data considering whether to forgive Lore. This could have been done in another way, perhaps with Guinan. Also, I felt that the first two acts with Data commandeering the Enterprise went on for too long. If it was cut down, more Lore and Soong parts could have been inserted. On the other hand, Brothers would've been a brilliant two part episode.

On the whole, Brothers is the stuff true Star Trek is made of.

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Some reviews I wrote for DataLore, Brothers and Descent (puttup ... spits)

PICK: A remarkable discovery is made in Star Trek: The Next Generation, episode DataLore. The Starship Enterprise visits the planet Omicron Theta where they meet Lore, the android twin brother of crew ship member Data. Lore is charming, however, his obvious nervousness and transparent lies make the crew suspicious. Lore says he had been rejected on the colony because he is an android. The fact that Data has caring friends and a home only fuels lore's isolation. Lore who features in three more episodes of Star Trek, makes an interesting addition to this magical series. It's a shame the Enterprise crew didn't realise he was unstable until it was too late and that Lore and Data didn't get a chance to reconcile their differences. Stars Brent Spiner.

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TUNE IN

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Brothers - Data meets his presumed dead father, Dr Soong and is surprise visited by his unique brother. More than the "bad guy," Lore softens as he learns his father is dying, shows compassion and tries to understand Data, still jealous, as it's too late for him to be repaired. It's impossible not to feel for what Lore's been through. Hopefully the brothers will learn to understand each other. Brent Spiner's talented, diverse acting as the android brothers and their father, and the brilliant make-up is a strong part of the true magic of Star Trek.

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TUNE OUT

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Descent In conflict to pervious episodes, Lore appears even more evil and messed up evil and even with the explanation of the malfunctioning chip, it doesn't ring true. Little can save this incredibly poorly written script. Star Trek magic and Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a peaceful future is wantonly hurled out the window - a pathetic, unforgivable excuse to kill Lore off, instead of he and Data sorting out their differences – Brothers forgive, right? And Lore coming to terms with his past and feelings and making amends – Is that not a happier and more meaningful ending? Since Lore’s not destroyed, hopefully he'll be repaired someday, and in time, he and Data will come to love, understand and accept each other. The only saving graces of this unbelievable episode is Stephen Hawking’s guest appearance and of course, the talented and meaningful acting of Brent Spiner.

VIVE LA LORE!!!

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