Reaction, Star Trek, 3x26, Best of Both Worlds, Gallifrey Gals Get Warped! S3Ep26

[@Axemantitan]

The summer after this aired, Patrick Stewart was on vacation in Florida. He stopped at a red light. Another car pulled up beside him, and the driver recognized him. He yelled out the window to Stewart, "You ruined our summer!"

[@darthken815]

Lol!

[@iaincollins5743]

Lmao

[@marcziegenhain8420]

Hahahaha Oh shit

[@adamplace1414]

Hahaha oh man. I get it though.

[@ПлатонУченик]

Nice fact mister but the channel females don't give a shit

[@TheMadMaple]

This is easily, by far, the single best cliffhanger in television history.

[@jmickeyd53]

And now always will be. This just isn't possible to pull off any more with how many leaks there are plus how public actor contracts are.

[@explodingplant2]

I didn't realize until now but it's also one of the most influential cliffhangers in TV history. The excitement of that cliffhanger ignited the noise from fandom bees buzzing, alerting those who might want to see TNG to see TNG. I got into Breaking Bad during its finale season's mid-season finale just because that fandom buzz was so loud I was like 'fine I gotta watch. Why is someone being one who knocks upon doors important? Why is everyone mad at someone named Marie for calling rocks 'rocks'?' The cliff ending was so successful TNG tried a weaker version of it everytime, but so did almost every other show. With a few exceptions, I grew up with the 🙄 yeah yeah here we go time for fake cliffhanger Before this, tv producers prob wanted to assure watchers 'your fav characters will return!' Sir Patrick's contract was up tho and they weren't exactly sure if our fav character would return. The show basically being backed into a corner where stakes are high and the writing is good prob helped them keep Sir Patrick

[@moviescatsmargs]

You know something is iconic when Family Guy parodies it. In the Stewie Kills Lois 2-parter, they use the same music, same fade to black, same font on the credits. Only if you were a STTNG fan would you get the reference.

[@richlisola1]

Nah-Who shot JR was. Dallas

[@sarcasticstartrek7719]

it was the first one, outside of a soap opera.

[@amy_grace]

Much has been said about this episode over the past 30+ years... and Katrina’s “FUCK!!!” sums it up perfectly 👍

[@evilpenguinmas]

Yep. I was there and I actually yelled at my TV: "Fuuuck ME!!!"

[@evilpenguinmas]

Now I just yell at my TV all the time because I am old, but back then I was like 23...

[@thontor]

"I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us." Chills... every time

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

"Your resistance is hopeless." "............. _fuck_ ."

[@TheGoauldApophis]

Knowing Patrick Stewart's sense of humor, I assume that he made a joke out of "you will service us" at least once while rehearsing, if not an actual on-camera outtake.

[@marcziegenhain8420]

"Number One"

[@dongilleo9743]

The absolute certainty of the Borg in their unstoppability was frightening. When Picard orders them to intercept the Borg ship, and they have already changed course to intercept the Enterprise. When Picard is arguing with the Borg, "The Federation is based on freedom and self determination", and the Borg simply answer back that freedom and self determination are "irrelevant". Finally Picard says "We would rather die". At home, first time watching, I was yelling, "You tell them Picard!!!", all defiant and confident that Picard and the Enterprise crew would prevail. Then the Borg answer back, with cold certainty, "Death is irrelevant." I felt like someone punched me in the gut. It was like, "We're the Borg, we don't care, alive or dead, you're nothing to us." First time ever that I really felt an alien race posed a serious deadly threat.

[@elliottnoad1270]

Mr Worf...Fire *🎵Ba- Ba-Ba-Baaaaa🎵* To be continued

[@Raja1938]

"You judge yourself against the pitiful adversaries you've encountered so far. The Romulans. The Klingons. They're nothing compared to what's waiting." Truer words...

[@bemasaberwyn55]

We have to wonder how history would play out if Q hadn't done that

[@BrettDel]

@@bemasaberwyn55 they’d all be dead if it wasn’t for Q

[@MatthewStephensAU]

Picard S2 apparently focuses on Q. Given what S1 did with the Borg, one wonders if this topic will come up. If Picard ever figures out how to kill Q for putting them in a room with the Borg, I reckon he would.

[@Raja1938]

@@MatthewStephensAU If he tried, I imagine that Q would point out that the thousands that died in various encounters with the Borg pale in comparison with what would've been lost if he hadn't given Picard an early preview. If BoBW had been their first encounter, the Federation would've been toast.

[@airmaildolphin7013]

I loved the addition of the Borg. They operate on a completely different LEVEL from normal alien adversaries. I was very worried, however about the NATURE of the Borg. Good villains require individual flaws. Leaders who are loathsome but pitiful. The Borg would not have leaders like that. They were designed to be a collective. A collective with no real "personality" wouldn't make for a very good repeating villain.

[@patsk8872]

- The original viewers had to wait 3 months + 6 days for part 2 - Part 1 was written without knowing how part 2 would resolve - This episode is said to have started the TV tradition of season-ending cliffhangers - Ron Jones composed the iconic music for the episode

[@patsk8872]

Not gonna lie though, was expecting more reaction. Hopefully we can get more of a reaction from Katrina and more helpful info from Paula at the conclusion of part 2.

[@r.t.643]

It didnt "start" the tradition of season-ending cliffhangers (unless you mean specifically in Star Trek), but it may have rejuvenated it. I would mention some examples, but all I can recall is (and if anyone here is old enough to remember) Who shot JR? from Dallas circa 1980.

[@jerodast]

@@r.t.643 Honestly that is THE other example in my mind. Who shot JR. Then it got a little played out. Then this episode happened and it was a thing again, and now a well known formula for the right kind of show. It might not be the most famous cliffhanger in TV history but it is probably the second most.

[@hullbarrett]

@@r.t.643 Uh huh. That's the first thing that came to my mind, as well. I remember the _I Shot JR_ T-Shirts a decade before Homer Simpson wore it.

[@benmartinvideo6762]

Now you have to wait three months to watch part 2 to get the full cliffhanger experience.

[@DocMicrowave]

That was a really long summer of waiting after seeing that first episode.

[@ragingsithmaster]

@@DocMicrowave You're not kidding. I was a kid and that was the longest summer of my life.

[@fday1964]

When it aired, I remember being in shock for weeks, lol... That was indeed, a long summer of waiting.

[@at1212b]

@@DocMicrowave when a month felt like a year now.

[@DocMicrowave]

@@at1212b Indeed. There was no such thing as binging back then. Today's viewers are spoiled. Back then it was waiting in great anticipation for the next scheduled show of your favorite show. Or aetting up the VCR if you miss it, or want to see something over again right away.

[@KABZProductions]

I always laugh when Geordi does the unnecessary barrel roll.

[@marcusjohnson972]

The La Forge Maneuver

[@JenABlue-ed1bw]

*starts playing Ghost Love Score*

[@patsk8872]

Imagining like Indiana Jones, but his visor coming off and he grabs it with his hand underneath the door just before it closes.

[@ragingsithmaster]

And he does it again in "Generations"...

[@sharkdentures3247]

@@patsk8872 EXACTLY what I was thinking!

[@guaposneeze]

I love how Katrina is now even more invested in Star Trek than I was as a little kid watching at for the first time. And I was *real* invested in Star Trek as a kid, ha ha.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

If only Katrina could watch First Contact after these episodes. :)

[@tombo1984]

@@tsogobauggi8721 Hopefully they will follow the episodes with Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis.

[@andreabindolini7452]

@@tombo1984 Shame they are almost completely neglecting the Original Series and the related six movies.

[@tombo1984]

@@andreabindolini7452 Last time I checked it wasn't a crime. Up to them where they start.

[@andreabindolini7452]

@@tombo1984 Oh, wow, really? Astonishing.

[@Enkijamenk]

The summer of 1990 was very, very long. I cannot describe how shocking this was at the time. Even as a 9-year-old, I knew that. Cliffhangers were rarely a thing in television at the time, especially at the end of a season, and absolutely not for Star Trek. ....Seriously, those fourteen weeks were painful. 😂

[@bemasaberwyn55]

I was 3

[@chillphysics]

I was 13 and I know your pain.

[@chriskelly3481]

14 weeks! Damn.

[@DOSv622]

Drama such as Dallas and Dynasty had been ending their seasons on cliffhangers for a decade at this point so it wasn’t that rare in TV at this point but I’m guessing at 9 you hadn’t watched those shows :p

[@Enkijamenk]

@@DOSv622 No, no, I was aware of Dallas and Dynasty (mom was a big fan....), "who shot JR," and whatnot.... I just mean more as a general thing, that they were fairly rare for end-of-season affairs at the time. I keep forgetting that "cliffhanger" applies to any "to be continued..." ending, since I tend to only think of "cliffhangers" as being the ones that ended a season, making you wait unusually-long. And of that kind, I really can only think of pre-1990 examples from soap operas (including the soap opera parody "Soap," funnily-enough)! More-"serious" shows didn't really do that until "Best of Both Worlds."

[@joeconcepts5552]

I still remember watching this and having to wait 3 whole months for the resolution! It was crazy! And I can't think of one cliffhanger episode that works as great as this one. It is so "immediate" with no time to spare.

[@Adam-ov5ie]

I love the tension between Shelby and Riker. It's a rare moment the show actually has tension between characters, as well as really examining what Riker's goals are and how much he has changed. The scene with Troi is excellent because feeling a bit insecure like Riker does words like 'experience' and 'seasoned' all sound like euphemisms for tired and washed-up. Now i'm about the age Riker is in this episode, I can appreciate how he feels because you do begin to look around and notice younger people doing what you USED to do and wonder if you've lost a step. It can be hard to recognise what you've gained and how happy you really are.

[@andreabindolini7452]

Troi has two really importat moments here. The first in Ten Forward. The second in the bridge, when she reminds to Riker that it cannot lead the away team because now IT IS the captain.

[@chriskelly3481]

Kids these days.

[@makasete30]

That Duh Duh Duh at the end of the episode still gets me. The whole score for this episode is so good and helps raise the tension throughout and the distinctive Borg sound track is eerie. Good a and B plot. It stands up well today. I only had to wait a week in the uk because we got the episodes later than the US. I still remember one of my friends phoning and leaving a message on my answer phone telling me to watch that Star Trek episode (I was!) as “the new aliens are so cool”.

[@blueroninstudios]

Ah, we come to it at last. The ONE episode that made EVERYBODY VERRRRRY NERVOUS!

[@suk6323]

Best of Both Gals. This is the 'who shot JR' of sci-fi, basically letting the world suffer in suspense as a whole load of contract negotiations go on. But desperation also leads to damn good drama. Please make Katrina wait a month until the reaction to part 2..

[@banditoheat]

"Death is irrelevant." If THAT isn't chilling...

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

My dad had a role in this episode. It's such an important accomplishment in cultural history, I will always take pride in that.

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

@@TheNoiseySpectator Nope.

[@JeshuaSquirrel]

The next episode I can't wait for is season 4 episode 2. That one was so powerful.

[@rafetizer]

That's my favorite of the three, but really, they're all damned good.

[@MatthewStephensAU]

I was a kid when I saw that. Hard thing for a lonely kid, but it's Best of Both Worlds Part 3, to be sure.

[@JeshuaSquirrel]

@@MatthewStephensAU And the small, quiet exchange between Picard and Seven much later. Ooof! The feels.

[@jerodast]

Even though 4x01 isn't considered as good as Part 1, I still think there are some shocking scenes in it. To some degree this episode exists ONLY to deliver the cliffhanger and can be seen as a little cheap that way, whereas Part 2 while being the "reality that can't possibly match your expectations" is less dramatic by comparison, still did a great job. All three parts of the "trilogy" have their value. But 4x02 is probably the highest quality start to finish.

[@McBeelzebub]

What I love is the comment about how silent they’re being, and Paula’s obvious tension, even though she’s already familiar with the outcome. It’s amazing how a good story can stress you out every time you relive it.

[@wiredtardis]

I immensely enjoyed watching the Girls watch this season! I never expected to enjoy watching Katrina tear up to just about every single episode, but I loved that she's so affected by the quality of a true season of Star Trek!

[@Rick-Rarick]

First! Also here before CBS tries to block anything. Keep up the great work ladies!!!

[@sharkdentures3247]

Gotta Love how she complains about having to "wait" when us old Geezers had to wait literal MONTHS to see the conclusion when this first aired! (it was AGONY) Also, that bid of dialogue; "I would rather DIE!" " . . . . . . .Death is Irrelevant." makes my stomach drop through the floor every time I hear that.

[@georgemckay7795]

I'm more looking forward to Katrina's reaction to 4×2, which is my favorite character building episode of the entire series

[@JeshuaSquirrel]

I found myself laughing at Katrina's reaction in solidarity to the feelings.

[@Spiderbloke]

The OG Borg cubes are canonically a "perfect" cube of 3 kilometres along each axis. So yeah, pretty big.

[@EnigmaticPenguin]

If you had a computer in 1995 and were a Star Trek fan, you had the "Resistance is futile" wallpaper with Bill Gates as Locutus.

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

& the holodeck door sound as a .wav file for startup

[@beethewizard]

I was an adult and I had the wallpaper on my computer. 🤫

[@TheCastellan]

I just got Bill Gates' picture on my dart board, now.

[@andyastrand]

Awesome episode, very much looking forward to you seeing part 2, shout out to the music and sound fx and background tension throughout this episode that it produces, truly great television.

[@JenABlue-ed1bw]

Widely regarded as one of the greatest cliffhangers in TV history, and helped popularize season-ending cliffhangers, which became pretty standard for adventure shows throughout the 90s. I was 9 years old when it aired, and it was my first real cliffhanger, the first one where I had to *wait* for what happened next. An entire summer, which is basically forever when you're 9. It was excruciating! The one thing that really stands out to me this time around is the music. It is so tense and so good, from the use of choral elements to the minor-key use of the Trek theme when you first see Borg!Picard, all building and building until it hits those final chords as Riker gives the order to fire... and then just leaves you hanging, waiting all goddamn summer to see it. I've been around since before y'all split off from that other channel and you've been among my favorite reaction channels from the start. I've loved watching your journeys through TNG, Doctor Who, and ATLA, and I even finally gave in and watched season 4 of Rick and Morty to keep up with you! I'm so glad to see you hit this milestone, especially with it hitting around the same time (at least from our perspective) as the Doctor Who 50th!

[@jerodast]

Just out of curiosity what was the previous channel? obviously I'm a newcomer to this one...

[@yermatedave4930]

I attended an SF convention the summer this season ended. Melinda Snodgrass, one of the producers, was a guest. She never dropped a spoiler, but its was all anyone talked about.

[@danielyeshe]

The music for this episode is absolutely outstanding! Also I really like Shelby. It is so nice to see a female guest star who is not a love interest.

[@ragingsithmaster]

Spotify has the original Crescendo album and some of the Ron Jones Project.

[@justinplayfair4638]

So glad Katrina managed to remain relatively unspoiled. At least she won't have to wait an entire summer to see part 2, like we did back in the day... Fun fact..."Resistance is Futile" was actually uttered in the final episode of Space 1999 back in 1977...

[@acereporter73]

The Borg broke into the house and took away the crew's paternal figure--that was a gut punch.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

The gut punch when that screen flicked on, and the words were uttered

[@jgos0]

Katrina as a ball of tension all episode is what they call, "a mood."

[@gluuuuue]

Yes! My most anticipated Katrina reaction after Yesterday’s Enterprise! 😆 (An’ sorry, Katrina. It was definitely one of the first biggest cliffhangers I remember watching on television. Plus the wait..)

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Especially after certain Moffat episodes on New Who

[@peterschmidt4348]

The greatest cliffhanger in television history !

[@McBeelzebub]

For me the best is about four seasons away but I respect your position!

[@wiredtardis]

I'd say second best as Farscape season 2 had me in complete shock and constantly asking "How do they get out of this?" "What could possibly follow this up?" Although, I'd say that this cliffhanger was probably the most important one in TV history and, of course, in the history of Star Trek as it made the Star Trek license a TV staple for another 15 years.

[@danielyeshe]

@@McBeelzebub I am not sure which cliffhanger you are referring to and don't worry I know you can't say.

[@andreabindolini7452]

I'm sure the cliffhanger at the end of Season 4 will blow up Katrina's brain.

[@bwallatube]

"Dun! Dun! Dun!" "Dun! Dun! Dun!"..... network TV cliff hangers back then :D

[@MichaelJShaffer]

And boom goes the dynamite! Paula playing coy...it's FULL title is.🤣 Bring on Season 4!🖖

[@MrEvers]

that ending never fails to give me goosebumps.

[@ScotchBeard78]

Inasmuch as you can enjoy someone's suffering, bless Katrina for going through this emotional ringer for our enjoyment. :) It's so fun to watch someone experience this epic cliffhanger for the first time, truly one of the greatest TV two-parters of all time.

[@ListerDavid]

My dad was a sci-fi fan and I would sit with him when ever he watched Dr Who, Star Trek or any other show. I was about 7/8 years old when this episode aired in the UK and I lost my tiny mind and went bananas asking him how they was going to beat the Borg and get Picard back. Safe to say I was sitting with my nose up against the screen waiting for it to start when it came back. 🤣

[@karter95]

Couple items of note. This episode is what set the standard for season ending cliffhangers. Second Elizabeth Dennehy who played commander Shelby is the daughter of actor Brian Dennehy

[@manco828]

Dallas - who shot J.R. 1980

[@AubreySciFi]

There's a Christmas card out there somewhere that was produced around this time (which I gave to a fan friend one Christmas). That has a picture of Picard as "Locutus" on it, but they've edited a Santa Claus hat onto his head and the caption inside reads: "Seasons Greetings are Irrelevant!"

[@StarkRG]

Worf's petulant "He _is_ a Borg." is just hilarious in such a dark moment.

[@CarrotFlowers421]

I totally didn't read petulant into it. Look at his eyes, there were tears in them. He was grieving and showing it only how he could: anger.

[@LordTelperion]

Yeah... not just altered, but basically dead to them.

[@andreabindolini7452]

Absolutely NOT petulant. It was in total anger because of the terrible thing they did to Picard. They killed it in his eyes.

[@jerodast]

​@@andreabindolini7452 "childishly sulky or bad-tempered." I dunno, the Borg are definitely prone to making people feel like children and flare bad tempers.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

And of course the first character on screen is the most important man in Starfleet's history. Miles O'Brien.

[@tbirdguy1]

Imagine being a young nerd and having to wait 3 - 4 months before seeing the continuation. Feel the pain of us older millenials and gen xers young ones... To me this is one of the finest 2 parters in the history of tv.

[@richjackson2986]

Scouring every Starlog magazine for clues.

[@chillphysics]

When I first saw it in 1990, I didn't realize it was the season finale, so I was excited for next week. It was at least a week before I realized that I'd have to wait months to see how it turned out. 😥

[@daniellanctot6548]

13:01 - ... And then we had to wait 4 MONTHS to know what happens next! 😱😱😱... 😂 Lucky Katrina has only one week! 14:14 - That is hilarious since it makes 100% sense to have the Doctor on this mission as her medical expertise might have been necessary to make sure they could get Picard alive; and to think she might not have been on it had she not complained.

[@TheGoauldApophis]

What I love most is this: The guy who made the Borg prosthetics let his son help. His son found a neat little pen laser that he thought would look cool on the headpiece. They had no idea prior to filming the shot that it would produce a visible beam as Patrick Stewart turned toward the camera. They thought they were just putting a cool red light on the head prosthetic and accidentally created one of the most iconic shots in all of Star Trek.

[@jerodast]

I love that story. Little tools and details, little decisions and experiments creating iconic culture. That turning shot and the viewscreen at the end look AMAZING even today. Also enjoy that _First Contact_ just kept it going with that visual effect - don't fix what isn't broken, just turn it up to 11 in that Main Engineering scene.

[@Roulden]

And so begins the Borg in earnest, past their 'trailer' moment shown in the Q theater. I really hope you two cover the other Star Trek series, be curious to see your views of the Borg evolve over time. Looking forward to part 2!

[@Yggdrasil42]

Haha Paula, that grin on your face at the end as Katrina cries. You're evil! 😁

[@bemasaberwyn55]

To be fair, Katrina showed her from season 1 to 7 of RTD and Moffat era Dr Who, and was as, if not more gleeful. So it's kinda a schadenfreud deal

[@gregstephens]

The answer to the question “how do you keep a Trekkie in suspense for three months?”

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

Uuuhm...lock his transporter pattern buffer on a repeating diagnostic cycle?

[@gregstephens]

@@jean-paulaudette9246 And hope for a Dyson Sphere...

[@airmaildolphin7013]

Holy crap. That was a LONG ass summer. My first semester at college was in the fall and I remembering crowding into a tiny college dorm room to watch TBoBW Part II on an equally tiny TV set. It was HOT and claustrophobic in that small room, but, damn it, I was gonna find out what happened next!

[@lemonherb1]

It's been a delight to see Katrina react to the series to this point. It reminds me so much of how it was for me when I watched the show during it's initial run. These days where information and spoilers come about so easily, it's remarkable you can still experience the show the way we did back then. The writers wrote themselves into a corner with this episode. They had no idea how to resolve it, and didn't start working on it until they started to write the next season. Patrick Stewart was worried at the time that they were writing him out of the show. When he originally signed on to the series, everyone advised him that the show wasn't going to work, and he'd be lucky they would finish the first season. So he figured he'd get paid for a bit of work and then go back to the UK in a few months. This has turned out to be three solid seasons of work that he's gotten to enjoy, but now that may or not change in the coming season. The hiatus kept everyone in suspense, including cast, crew, writing and production, not just the fans. I guess the question now is are you guys going to wait as long as the original hiatus before getting to Season 4?

[@Bastion90]

When you started your 'Get Warped' series, I was also on my Star Trek Marathon. I had already finished ENT, had started TOS, then went onto TAS, TNG, DS9, and now I am on season 6 of Voyager. By the time you guys finish, I might be back to rewatching season 1 of TNG again 😂

[@BrettDel]

Let’s be honest when this episode came out it was terrifying

[@jpwphoenix1701]

Even after all these years, this still remains one of the all-time best Star Trek stories in the ENTIRE franchise. I still remember how nail biting it was seeing it for the first time and having to wait many months for the second part. There is so much awesomeness throughout this episode and I loved the initial rivalry between Riker and Shelby. It's quite a nice callback to the very first TNG episode how Riker, being in command now, has to be told he has to stay on the ship (which is what he's always said to Picard). The Borg look and sound more epic and unstoppable than before. I also always love listening to the score for this episode too. It's so epic!

[@DaleRibbons]

I think just about every Trekkie felt like Katrina does now when this first aired. I know I sure did. She has become one of us for real.

[@ryanakers1372]

Resistance is futile.

[@barkingmonkee]

I've watched all their Dr Who stuff but have resisted watching the trek rxns - then this week I saw "Best of Both Worlds" come up and I HAD to take a peek. To my mind this two parter remains the most intense trek ever put on screen. (Possibly excepting The Wrath of Khan)

[@chrisbullard5901]

Kat’s reactions are hilarious to watch. Compared to the two of you, I remember watching this cliffhanger in first-run on Santa Clara’s KNTV Channel 11. Waiting three months was quite painful. I’m waiting to see Kat’s reaction to “eyes in the dark, one moon circles...”

[@fourthdrawerdown6297]

7:02: “ Warp 9, course 151 MARK. 330 ENGAGE.” Like a Boss.

[@Nergalsama01]

Legitimately one of the best Trek episodes of all time and one hell of a cliffhanger.

[@Imzadi76]

One if the best cliffhangers ever. I watched it when it first aired, but my country was like two years behind and the episodes aired daily. So I get to watched the next episode the next day.

[@smartfox2295]

I saw a top ten list of cliffhangers on a youtube channel recentlly, and i think this one was at number two.

[@brandonflorida1092]

When you show Katrina some TOS episodes, obviously, "The City on the Edge of Forever" must be among them. That's not even a question, but also "Bread and Circuses" must be there. Among other virtues, it has the single most exciting beam out in Trek history.

[@BrettDel]

Space seed would seem pretty important before the movies

[@brandonflorida1092]

@@BrettDel They're all good, at least the first two seasons.

[@brandonflorida1092]

@@NecessaryTruths In my opinion, "Operation Annihilate" is better than every 3rd season episode, except, maybe "All Our Yesterdays" and "Elaan of Troyius."

[@brandonflorida1092]

@@NecessaryTruths I disagree.

[@GF_Baltar]

Those of us who were fans of the show when it originally aired had to wait four months for the premiere of season 4 to find out what happened - so I think that Katrina should wait four months for the next episode to really get the full emotional experience of fan agony in 1990!

[@robsweeney1987]

They also wrote part 1 without having a part 2 written...they had no idea how to resolve this episode and spent then entire summer figuring it out

[@jonmedders3866]

I'm pretty sure the lead writer was planning on leaving the show and did this for fun thinking he didn't have to worry about how to get out of it. And then they extended his contract and he had to figure out how to continue it.

[@kellykarjola5524]

It was Very cute how Paula brought the mic into the frame and said,"To be continued"

[@rafetizer]

Paula's got a pretty good poker face. TNG just got real. Katrina's going to implode if she doesn't get some resolution soon. I like BoBW a lot, but I like the third part "Family" the best. Of course, without the cliffhanger and resolution, it wouldn't mean much.

[@SYLDarkroom]

I know I'm months late to this party, but I have a story: Toward the end of the 3rd/4th season hiatus, after they'd made decisions about where they were taking Part II, I attended a con in Chicago. One of the guests was Colm Meaney (Chief O'Brien), and I attended his Q/A. At this point, cast and crew were sworn to secrecy, but unsurprisingly he was deluged with questions about what would happen next. He firmly refused to say anything and/or deflected the questions. Then I got a bright idea and asked, "Can you tell us if Patrick Stewart has signed a contract for the 4th season?" Meaney responded, "What do I look like, his agent?" This got a big laugh from the audience, but Meaney looked at me with a slight twinkle in his eye and quietly said, "I think all the contracts are in place, now." As a total aside, Michael Dorn was also at that con, and I got his autograph. Everyone else was handing him pics of Worf to sign. I was at that time a fledgling actor and instead of his picture, I handed him one of my 8x10 headshots. He looked at it, sighed, and said, "What am I supposed to do, take this back with me?" "No," I replied. "I just thought you might be tired of looking at Worf all afternoon." Dorn chuckled as he signed my headshot. 🖖

[@brentchapman2]

I really enjoyed this episode I remember seeing it for the first time right before the series finale. They were doing a special weekend with a bunch of episodes to say goodbye to the series. I was at my grandparents house for the weekend.

[@flnthrn2]

In case it didn't click in your mind, Katrina, sector 0,0,1- the Terran system............ is....... Earth.

[@TheCastellan]

9:47 I got a friend who does a lil pro wrestling....and when he went to Japan for a few weeks to do some matches there, he noticed the crowd being VERY quiet during his fight. He called me up that night and he said it was so quiet, I told him "you did GOOD, then". In Japan, a quiet audience means they love when they are seeing. Being quiet means what ya see it good. :)

[@xmassent]

On the subject of sacrificing Picard. As Spock would say " The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few , or the one"

[@mjducharme]

Although I can't find the reference now, I remember reading that they were suspecting the series was going to be cancelled and they wouldn't have to write the conclusion for this, but then it was renewed and Piller's contract was renewed and they had to figure out how to write the second part. The "what-if" scenario for if the series ended right there is parodied in the movie Galaxy Quest, where the last episode of the fictional TV show had ended with a Best of Both Worlds style cliffhanger, never to actually show the conclusion.

[@seanred7681]

Ah good old Locutus. I feel like this is the first time on this channel and going back to Fan Theory that Katrina has been genuinely broken. It's happened a couple of times with Paula and DW but I think this tops the list of Galifrey Gal broken reactions. Picard as a Borg is one of THE iconic images of Star Trek TNG, and maybe to this day the franchise as a whole.

[@BellaTech_Lestrange]

There's an episode of the Ready Room to which Wil Wheaton is interviewing Jonathan Frakes & Elizabeth Dennehy. They mentioned this episode and how no one knew what was going to happen with the next part and they mention how Michael Pillar who wrote the episode was all set to leave so he was like "I just made it as bad as I could for them, then I get a call over the summer that we need you to come back, so I had to fix it"

[@dxrebel]

Back then it was considered the greatest TV cliffhanger

[@NerdDad5000]

When this originally aired and it was MONTHS before part 2... that was a long summer.

[@shallowgal462]

"He IS a Borg!" Worf sounded like he was crying.

[@ZGMFX28ANuLiberty]

So, "The Best of Both Worlds" two-parter was the first ever episode(s) of TNG I ever saw. When Part 1 finished, my reaction to the ending was identical to Katrina's. I couldn't believe I had to wait for Part 2...and then Part 2 immediately followed and all was right-ish with the world.

[@DefalconZero]

Paula enjoying herself way too much with that "To be continued" lol

[@victorhuertas4685]

just so you know...this cliffhanger's conclusion broke TV records in its original aired date

[@AubreySciFi]

At least you don't have to wait a whole summer to see what happened next, as I did when I watched this first run! Oh man, this was the best cliffhanger the show ever produced IMHO. Such a nail biter. What's going to happen next?

[@andreabindolini7452]

You witnessed one of the best cliffhangers of TV history. Your tears towards the episode finale moved me a lot.

[@thathingYOUcantFIND]

Yeeaaa Katrina has finally watched Best of Both Worlds pt.1

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

"WE ARE BORG. YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS WILL ADDED TO OUR OWN. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE."

[@tbirdguy1]

Interesting to think that the borg think that opening line is comforting. "Don't worry, you won't disappear, you'll be with us... forever!"

[@LockeDemosthenes2]

Best cliffhanger in television history, I can't imagine having to wait an entire Summer to find out what happens.

[@tomyoung9049]

Finally, we've all been waiting thru this great season to see this specific reaction. :)

[@keithgoodnight3463]

“Resistance is futile” didn’t originate here; together with the variation “resistance is useless” it was already a well-worn science fiction cliche. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was already making fun of it with a Vogon guard in the mid 70s. But TNG earns a high score for taking an oldest-one-in-the-books supervillain line and turning it into something truly chilling and memorable.

[@SpaceTimeish]

You guys don't know how good you have it with streaming these episodes, I remember when this episode first aired and having to wait an entire year to see what happened with picard

[@Lordoftheapes79]

This is the day that Star Trek was forever changed.

[@MatthewStephensAU]

I get here, and the episode isn't blocked. Huzzah! I remember the first time I saw this episode. Hard thing for a twelve year old. I live in Australia. It took nearly a year to get part 2. I will also say that this was during Patrick Stewart's contract renegotiations. The guy was a Shakespearean stage actor before Trek. There was no guarantee TNG would get to S2, let alone keep him longer than S3.

[@beethewizard]

You ladies stumbled upon one of the greatest episodes in all Trek history. The two great lines were uttered, “We have engaged...the Borg!” “Mr. Worf...fire!!” The resistance is futile line was first stated in season when Q flung the Enterprise into Borg space. The moment Riker ordered Worf to fire was the moment the series went into warp speed. It became great!

[@Richard_Jones]

Of course it shoud be noted that when the Borg came up with their catchphrase, they were heavily 'influenced' by the Vogons' "resistance is useless!"

[@ianpark1805]

Thank God the Borg didn’t have the Vogons poetic tendencies as well!

[@lawrencewestby9229]

@@ianpark1805, indeed, can you imagine the Borg reciting poetry at you? It makes me shiver.

[@Richard_Jones]

@@ianpark1805 Who knows, they might have spent so long trying to come up with a rhyme for 'futile' that they never assimilated anyone?

[@danielyeshe]

@@Richard_Jones Borg poetry would be in binary surely?

[@Skeezer66]

Waiting months just for this reaction!! One of the best cliffhangers on any show, ever!! Katrina is taking it better than I thought! Hahaha!!

[@paulonius42]

I dare you to wait 3 months to watch the second part the way we had to wait back when it was aired. Suffer the same agony! That cliffhanger with NO idea about the show's future, or movies, or future spinoffs--no idea what's happening to Picard... Absolutely agonizing to wait!

[@LordTelperion]

I'll never forget watching this when it first aired with my family, literal screams at the end... and then to wait half a year to see the conclusion!!! Arrrrrgggg... Touché, TNG.

[@Briansgate]

Imagine watching this back in the day, and having to wait 3 freaking months!

[@MikeWood]

Katrina summed it up in one word. And 30 years after the episode aired, it still has the expected impact.

[@paulhewes7333]

That was a hard ass summer when it first came out. Next Gen was made before the internet so there were no spoiler sites, or message boards...Just nothing until the new episodes came out...

[@Raja1938]

Thank god for that. Looking back, I'm glad we were largely left to our own thoughts on how the cliffhanger would be resolved rather than having every potential permutation analyzed to death by the fandom online.

[@MatthewBluefox]

It's so cute how Katrina actually shed a single tear (like Sarek) for Jean-Luc when she saw he got turned into a Borg. Awww! =(

[@Tuning_Spork]

16:11 That's one helluva death wail.