10 Times Star Trek Was So Bad It Was Good
4. Masks - The Next Generation
Season seven of The Next Generation drips with quality. It’s clearly got the budget it needs, the acting is outstanding and the storytelling is exceptional. Masks has many of these qualities but at the same time, it’s just a bit out there. But in its weirdness, it’s glorious.
The Enterprise comes across an ancient archive floating through space. As they begin to investigate, the archive starts to transform the ship into a stone temple and Data takes on the personas of a sun god and her followers. The best part comes at the climax when Picard, acknowledging that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, puts on a moon god mask and in a pseudo-romantic exchange with Data, talks the sun god to sleep and saves the day.
It was all bit ambitious and as a result a bit crazy. But it’s not just good because it’s bad, there are some genuinely great things about it too. Brent Spiner puts in a stellar performance as a Data who has been overtaken by multiple personalities. He switches between charters seamlessly and makes all of them real. The other performances are great too. Everyone plays it straight and as such you really buy into the bizarre events which unfold.