Thoughts on: Star Trek TNG Season Four

• I am rather glad they changed the design of the Trill; leopard spots are much better than yet another funny forehead. ("The Host") [I haven't seen much of DS9; it's next on the list.]
• Now I've seen the episode that was the likely inspiration ("The Wounded"), I'm afraid I think "The Orville" did the whole 'war hero survivor out for revenge and wants his friend to help' thing better.
• I think "Family" was my favourite of this season; we actually see some fallout from a major event involving the crew. Most of the aftermath of the various occurrences is glossed over as happening between episodes; even major ones like Deanna Troi losing her empathic abilities in "The Loss" - we see the temporary effect of grief while it's gone, but as soon as she gets it back it's all ok again? Not how it works; you can't just bounce straight back from something like that no matter what race you are...
• The main story of "Galaxy's Child" was good, but again, the b-plot was done better by "The Orville." Though I could be letting a modern lens, and the fact I saw "The Orville" first, skew my perspective...
• Blonde is not a favourable colour on a Romulan! ("Redemption pt 1") Though could this be mirror-verse Tasha Yar in disguise?
• I thought Timicin looked familiar ("Half a Life")! After "M*A*S*H", David Ogden Stiers sounds weird without the upper-class-Bostonian accent. I didn't know he died so recently either (May 2018).
• Actually, many of this season's episodes seem to have been the inspo for "The Orville" episodes, though I think this time the 'in trouble on an as yet uncontacted planet' storyline was done a bit better here. "The Orville"'s 'society run by direct democracy' (everything you do is monitored and people can instantly upvote or downvote you depending on how they react to it; reach 1million downvotes and you get lobotomised) was interesting though.
• I really need to stop comparing "Star Trek" to "The Orville"
• "Remember Me" was freaking TERRIFYING.
• "Brothers" made me realise: people (seem to) expect me to be like Data but I'm actually more like Lore...