Star Trek: Gambit, Part I

Episode: "Gambit, Part I"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 7, Episode 4

Original Air Date: October 11, 1993

via Memory Alpha

The Enterprise crew believes the captain is dead, killed in a bar on Dessica II.  In the course of investigating the incident, Riker is abducted by the same band of pirates who, it turns out, are also holding Picard, still alive and masquerading as a collaborator in order to survive.  The pirates are pillaging Romulan artifacts for reasons not yet known.  We're left with quite a cliffhanger as the pirate ship fires upon an apparently defenseless Enterprise.

Season 7 perks up a little after a sluggish start.  Picard and Riker's subtle, coordinated scheming is fun.  We also get to see Data in command for a decent stretch.  His approach to leadership is cold and efficient, though not entirely unappealing.  He is both confident and creative - clearly learned a lot at the chess board.

Even with a bump back up, TNG is obviously running out of steam.  Especially with Deep Space Nine coming into its own, the relatively weak acting skills of the NextGen cast are becoming apparent.  What is supposed to be an emotional exchange between Riker and Troi feels forced and clumsy.  Thank goodness for Patrick Stewart.

Acting Notes

via Battlestar Wiki

Richard Lynch played the role of Baran, the pirate captain.  Lynch was born February 12, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York.  He served in the US Marine Corps for four years before embarking on his acting career.

In 1967, while under the influence of drugs, Lynch set himself on fire.  This not so brilliant choice left him with scars over 70 percent of his body.  As a result of the scars on his face, he was most often cast in villain roles.  Films included The Sword and the Sorcerer, for which he won a Saturn award, Scarecrow and Halloween (2007).  Television gigs included Battlestar Galactica (the original series), T.J. Hooker and The A-Team.  In 1977, Lynch was nominated for a Tony for his role in The Basic Training of Pablo Hummel, appearing alongside Al Pacino.

Lynch died of a heart attack in 2012.