Welcome back to Underrated Trek, where I take a special look at Star Trek episodes that I love…which may not be the most popular or even liked by most. Now I’ve done a lot of these that didn’t really meet that criteria. But today I wanted to discuss a season 7 episode I really have a soft spot for, but is hated by most.
Plot Synopsis:
The Enterprise answers a distress call from Worf's scientist foster brother about sudden atmospheric dissipation which may render the planet uninhabitable in hours.
Picard says he is unable to prevent the disaster due to the prime directive. The planet dies but Worf is furious to discover that Nikolai has secretly transported a village to their simulation of caves inside the holodeck.
Picard grudgingly accepts his plan to transport them to a comparable M-class planet as their new home, and transport them to without them finding out they ever left. Despite holodeck errors Worf joins Nikolai as a seer with supernatural powers, and helps Nikolai save the people. He discovers Nikolai has impregnated one, and allows him to stay with them.
Guest Stars:
The always awesome Paul Sorvino. And yep that’s Penny Johnson a few years before she’d join DS9 as Kassidy.
Episode pros
First, Michael Dorn gets to appear without Klingon makeup for the one and only time. And kudos to Dorn, despite looking very different it’s still Worf. And i love how in Star Trek it’s possible to surgically alter a person convincingly and then restore their appearance later!
So what is it I like about the episode? I think there’s something about the whole brothers story which just resonates with me. As someone who has a brother with whom relations are tense. There dialogue feels natural and rings true, Worf annoyed Nikolai can never follow the rules and Nikolai always feeling as if he is in Worfs shadow. But in spite of the bickering they clearly love each other. Right down to the final lines, I can’t explain what it is about that final exchange but I just love it it’s one of my favorites. I think Worf is happy that his brother is happy.
The scenes on the planet aren’t as intolerably boring as you’d think theyd be. Guess there because the actors do a wonderful job keeping the scenes engaging. It’s really the acting that sells the show.
So a subplot involves one of the aliens escaping the holodeck due to the malfunctions (more below). The whole reason for this plan is because the aliens are very primitive. So when Vorrin wanders into the very high tech Ten Forward he is panicking, and Troi is there to keep him from freaking out. Great scene! This is right up Trois alley and she does a beautiful job. Course this was season 7 by this point they remembered Troi could do more than be pretty.
I do laugh when she says shes Nikolai’s friend, she never spoke to him, but I get it. His scenes later are good too it’s to bad he had to die in the end.
Episode Cons
So let’s get into the big reason this episode fails for many. The planet is dying and Picard refuses to save it…because. Yeah sometimes I think writers use the prime directive as a crutch to get the story where it needs to go. I mean if Picard saved the planet it would have been a short episode. But it’s so silly we’re not taking about influencing there society we’re talking about saving their lives! Compare this to “Pen Pals” where it was a similar with a planet in peril. But there Data had made contact with an inhabitant who was pleading for help. So it was ok there? If they couldn’t save the planet that'd be one thing but the dialogue indicates they could have but that darn prime directive.
People complain that Picard is on jerk mode for most of the episode and I get that. His lines at the end about wishing he could have learned more about the people ring hollow when he didn’t care if they all died at the start. Oh And of course Crusher can’t wipe Vorrins memory. How convenient.
Then there’s the ridiculous contrivance of the holodeck not working right. They say it’s because of what’s happening on the planet but I call bull****. Why doesn’t leaving the planet help at all? It’s just so lame. Yes I get it narratively and it adds tension but it still seems silly to me. Speaking of the holodeck how in the world did Nikolai transport those people onto the ship without anyone noticing?? And I guess it gives Geordi something to in the episode. someone must have thought the concept of using the holodeck to move people without their knowledge was brilliant because it was repeated in the awful movie Insurrection.
Fast Forward Moment:
The scene where Data and Crusher are searching for the new home. Who cares? Though at least there they try to bring up the potential consequences of what they’re doing. I mean what if the new plant is inhospitable? What if they can’t grow food or process the atmosphere? There are a million reasons this idea would fail!
Final Thoughts: if it had been better written it would have been a fantastic episode but the philosophical implications and crazy plot holes drag it down. But for season 7 it sure as hell isn’t the worst!
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