Overview – The Enterprise encounters a mysterious probe from a distant
star system. Without warning, the probe forms a psychic connection to Picard,
who finds himself on an unfamiliar planet living the life of a man he never
knew. As Picard lives this life and learns of the culture and the people of the
planet, the crew of the Enterprise try to break the connection. As they attempt
to study where the probe came from, they discover that system from which the
probe came has long been destroyed by the star of that system going nova one
thousand years ago.
Score: 9/10 – This is a fan favourite that showcases
science fiction at its greatest. There are no strange looking aliens or epic
space battles, but instead the episode is driven by a powerful story and
excellent acting on the part of Patrick Stewart. I believe that the magic of
this episode is that it shows that Star Trek can be powerful without blowing
you away with action, special effects, or an epic struggle against a powerful
adversary. Indeed, this episode, on paper, may not appear to be anything
special, and yet I remember after seeing it for the first time that I was
moved. This episode shows that simple things, when done well, can be just as
inspiring and moving. I have heard a few people say that this episode is slow
and boring, but those voices are rare. Star Trek does not have to be exciting
and action-packed to be beautiful. And if I can add my voice to the chorus of a
quarter century, the fact that Patrick Stewart did not get an Emmy nomination
for this episode is a sad shame. He was brilliant in it, walking the line of
Captain Picard transitioning into Kamin, his Ressikan persona. The ending, of
course, is near perfection with Picard showing that he has retained much from
his past life.
Relevance – 3 points. The impact of this episode is
followed up in the next season with a good episode called “Lessons”, where
Picard finally shares with someone how his experience has affected him. We also
score a point for Picard’s use of the Ressikan flute in future episodes, namely
the afore mentioned “Lessons” as well as “Fistful of Datas”. It is wonderful
that this new aspect of Picard is carried forward. I am also scoring a point
for Picard playing “Frere Jacques” as he learned to play his flute. If you
recall, this was the song he sung to the three kids that he was stuck in the
turbolift with in an earlier fifth season episode “Disaster”.
Continuity – 3 points. Universe and story continuity
both get a check here. Of most significance, character continuity gets a big
check here. I found that as Picard first encountered and then slowly embraced
his new life, he went through the roles appropriately. Transitioning from a
skeptic who was trying to escape to a man who accepted where he was and
eventually almost forgetting his past life. Everything is as we would expect
from Picard.
Character Development – 2 points. This episode is all about
Picard. We get to see him grow in ways that we would not have expected at the
beginning of the series. We see him learn music and have a family. This episode
does a lot to develop his character in a way that was less violent than what we
saw with “The Best of Both Worlds”. Of course, with so much focus on Jean-Luc
Picard, there was little time to devote to other characters. Troi herself is
absent from the episode, so there was little to say to further push anyone else
along. That is one of the few short comings of this sort of episode, but it
does not diminish much from the strength of this story.
Social Commentary – 3 points. Preserving one’s culture or
society. I think this is something that all people can identify with. The
Ressikan people went to great lengths to preserve the memory of their history
and culture once they knew that their world was doomed. In addition to this, we
learn how important it is to learn of and to teach of past cultures to help us
learn and grow.
Cool Stuff – 2 points. I definitely have to score a
point for casting Patrick Stewart’s own son Daniel as his character’s son. It
is very cool to see father and son on the screen together as father and son. I
also score a point for the Ressikan flute. It will go on to become a
significant part of Picard’s character. Plus, the song that Picard creates for
the naming of his son is an amazing piece of music. If you get a chance to hear
the orchestral arrangement of this song, it is one of the greatest musical
scores in all of Star Trek.
Rank – Admiral (22 points). A great tale of humanity and a refreshing
tale. It is a simple yet also intricate tapestry of a touching story delivered
with strong acting. There is little doubt as to why this episode is on so many
Top 10 lists.
If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.
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