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AI/LLM reviews of STNG - Contagion

Google Gemini

"Star Trek: The Next Generation - Contagion" 
is a fast-paced and suspenseful episode that 
combines a technological mystery with a tense 
Romulan standoff, exploring the dangers 
of ancient, powerful alien technology.

Plot Overview:The USS Enterprise-D responds 
to a desperate distress call from the USS Yamato, 
a Federation starship commanded 
by Captain Jean-Luc Picard's old friend, 
Captain Donald Varley. The Yamato is experiencing 
severe and escalating malfunctions, and Picard 
hopes that the combined expertise of both crews 
can resolve the issues before their presence 
in the Romulan Neutral Zone is detected. 
However, before they can render significant 
aid, the Yamato is tragically destroyed. 
The Enterprise soon encounters a Romulan Warbird, 
commanded by the cunning Sub-Commander Taris, 
further escalating tensions in the sensitive 
border region.

Picard learns that Captain Varley 
was investigating a mysterious, 
ancient Iconian gateway and its associated 
technology in the Neutral Zone, which ultimately 
led to the Yamato's destruction. The Enterprise 
is then scanned by an Iconian probe, which 
transmits a sophisticated and insidious 
computer program directly into the Enterprise's 
systems. This alien program immediately begins 
to cause widespread and dangerous malfunctions 
across the ship, mirroring the Yamato's fate. 
The crew races against time to understand 
and counteract the alien program before 
it destroys the Enterprise, all while 
navigating the hostile presence of the Romulans, 
who have laid claim to the Iconian planet. Data, 
with his unique positronic brain, is able to 
clear the Iconian program from his own system, 
providing a crucial clue. The crew uses this 
method to perform a daring and risky wipe 
of the Enterprise's main computer 
and restore its systems. During the chaotic process, 
Picard is inadvertently transported 
to the Romulan ship, which, it turns out, 
is also suffering from the same Iconian-induced 
malfunctions, having been infected by the same probe.

Strengths:High Stakes and Pacing: The episode maintains 
a high level of tension and a brisk pace, 
with the Enterprise constantly battling against 
internal malfunctions and external threats.

Romulan Conflict: The re-engagement with 
the Romulans is well-executed, showcasing 
their cunning and adding a layer of geopolitical 
tension to the technological mystery.

Iconian Technology: The introduction of the Iconians 
and their highly advanced, dangerous technology is a 
fascinating concept that adds to the Star Trek lore. 
The "demon-class" gateway is particularly intriguing.

Technological Mystery: The core mystery 
of the self-replicating, destructive computer program 
is compelling, forcing the crew to use their wits 
and technical expertise.

Data's Role: Data is crucial to solving the crisis, 
as his unique mind provides the key to understanding 
and defeating the Iconian program.

Picard's Leadership: Picard's calm under pressure, 
his strategic thinking, and his willingness to take 
calculated risks are on full display.

Weaknesses:

Convenient Solutions: The method of wiping 
and restoring the ship's computer, while dramatic, 
feels somewhat convenient as a solution to such 
a complex alien program.

Dated Visuals: As an early TNG episode, 
some of the visual effects, particularly 
the computer malfunctions and the Iconian probe, 
show their age.

Romulan Motivation (Limited): While Taris 
is a good antagonist, the Romulans' immediate 
and aggressive claim over the Iconian planet, 
despite the clear danger, feels a bit one-dimensional.

Picard's Transport: Picard being accidentally 
transported to the Romulan ship is a somewhat 
contrived plot device to bring the two captains 
together for the final confrontation.

Overall Impression:"Contagion" is a strong 
and exciting early episode 
of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
It delivers a compelling blend of technological 
mystery, high-stakes action, and tense diplomatic 
relations with the Romulans. While it has some 
minor plot conveniences and dated visuals, 
its fast pace, intriguing alien technology, 
and effective portrayal of the Enterprise 
crew under pressure make it a memorable 
and significant entry in the series.

Rating: 8/10

Google Gemini 

Absolutely! Let’s break 
down **“Star Trek: The Next Generation” — *Contagion*** 
using the transcript from [chakoteya.net]
(http://www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/137.htm).

---

**Episode:** *Contagion*
**Season:** 2, Episode 11
**Original Air Date:** March 20, 1989

---

### **Summary (based on the transcript)**

The Enterprise responds to a distress call 
from its sister ship, the USS *Yamato*. 
Captain Donald Varley, an old friend of Picard’s, 
has taken the *Yamato* into the Neutral Zone 
to investigate the long-extinct Iconian 
civilisation — a race whose advanced technology 
is legendary. But the *Yamato* is mysteriously 
plagued by catastrophic malfunctions and explodes, 
killing everyone aboard. When the Enterprise 
retrieves the *Yamato*’s logs, it too becomes 
infected by the same Iconian computer virus 
that’s corrupting its systems. While under 
threat from both the virus and an opportunistic 
Romulan warbird, Picard, Data, and Worf beam 
down to the Iconian homeworld to find answers. 
Data gets infected by the virus, Picard narrowly 
escapes by self-destructing the Iconian gateway, 
and the crew ultimately saves the Enterprise 
by performing a system reboot — basically, 
they “turn it off and back on again.”

---

### **Strengths:**

✅ **Solid sci-fi mystery:** The Iconians 
are one of TNG’s coolest pieces 
of ancient-civilisation lore. The idea 
of a super-advanced race that vanished 
long ago, leaving behind dangerous tech, 
is classic Trek.

✅ **Good tension and pacing:** The episode 
balances a technical mystery with a real 
threat — the Romulans — and the ship’s 
systems failing piece by piece adds real 
suspense. The *Yamato*’s destruction 
in the teaser is shocking 
and ups the stakes immediately.

✅ **Romulan intrigue:** The Romulans 
lurking in the Neutral Zone add a political
 layer. Commander Tomalak (Andreas Katsulas) 
 is one of TNG’s best Romulan 
 characters — sly and menacing 
 without being cartoonish.

✅ **Fun technobabble:** The computer virus plot
 is very “Trek” — a nice blend of sci-fi 
 and plausible 24th-century digital catastrophe. 
 Watching Geordi and Data puzzle it 
 out is satisfying, if a bit dated.

✅ **Nice Data showcase:** Data is instrumental 
here, showing both his vulnerability 
(getting “infected” by the virus) 
and his value to the crew.

---

### **Weaknesses:**

❌ **Low character stakes:** Apart 
from Picard’s interest in archaeology, 
there’s not a ton of personal development. 
The episode is more about plot 
mechanics than deep character work.

❌ **Technobabble overload:** Some 
of the “virus = computer magic” explanation 
is vague, even by Trek standards. The 
solution — reboot the ship — is realistic 
but narratively anticlimactic.

❌ **Iconians underused:** The Iconians 
are intriguing but remain mostly background lore. 
They’ll pop up later in Trek (*Deep Space Nine*) 
but here they’re more an excuse for the virus 
plot than a deeply explored mystery.

---

### **Standout line:**

* **Picard (to Data):** *“If the 
past teaches us anything, 
it’s that we can learn from it.”*

* A classic Picard line that sums 
up his archaeological fascination 
and Starfleet’s ethos.

---

### **Rating: 7/10**

*Contagion* is a strong, classic-feeling 
TNG adventure. It’s not deep character 
drama like *The Measure of a Man*, but 
it’s an entertaining mix of ancient 
alien mystery, ship-in-peril tension, 
and Romulan politics. It’s solid 
mid-tier TNG that expands 
the universe’s lore in a fun way, 
even if the resolution is 
more “IT help desk” than epic.


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