You know what I’m talking about. The fourth episode of the second season of Next Generation , and generally considered to be one of the show’s weaker entries. That said, it’s worth pointing out that it sucks in large part because you have the established characters going out of their way to shill for this new guy. The writers very clearly wanted to sell viewers on the notion that Okona was this loveably roguish Han Solo type, but their efforts largely fell flat (and Billy Campbell, God bless him, just doesn’t add much to the proceedings).

Again, I can’t find anything that would directly support this supposition, but it really feels like a classic backdoor pilot — that is, an episode of a TV series primarily written to introduce a new character before they get their own series. This wouldn’t be the first time that a spin-off had been considered for a loveably roguish Star Trek show. As most of you probably know, a Harry Mudd series was mooted in the late Sixties.…