Plot Synopsis: Picard is transported to a planet against his will by an alien captain who speaks a language incompatible with the universal translator. They must learn to communicate with each other before a deadly indigenous beast overwhelms them.
Plot A and B Analysis: This episode has one of the longer teasers in the series. The Enterprise rendezvous with a mysterious race called the Children of Tama, an incomprehensible species with which the Federation has been unable to communicate for the last 100 years. After a few minutes of a conversation going nowhere, the Tamarian captain transports himself and Picard down to the nearby planet (El-Adrel IV), holding a pair of knives in the air. It’s on! Or is it? Plot A is about Picard and Dathon on the planet, plot B is about Riker and company on the ship trying to figure out what to do. Time is divided fairly evenly between the two, but the main event is plot A with the two captains. We’re given clues that the Tamarians aren’t hostile, but they do want something and the audience is just as mystified as the crew. It’s fascinating to watch the dynamic on the planet and the ship as they each begin to understand how the Tamarians communicate, and the energy beast adds a sense of urgency. This is a tightly woven tale where everything comes together in an episode that is unpredictable and very satisfying.
Favorite Scenes: Even the teaser is nice in this one. Just about everything that takes place on the planet is terrific, but especially when the Beast is attacking. The combination of danger, Picard’s sudden understanding, and the frustration of being transported at the worst moment ever is outstanding. Picard’s retelling of the epic of Gilgamesh is another favorite scene from the planet. I admit, I actually went out and bought a copy of The Epic of Gilgamesh and read it some years later because of this episode. The climax after Picard is transported back to the Enterprise is a great finish.
Use of Cast/Characters: This is a plot driven episode, but it could also be considered a Picard episode. It’s all about him and the other captain on El-Adrel, and we’ve gotta give it up: Picard figures out how the Tamarians communicate all by himself! It’s great, one of the high points of his character’s entire career on TNG. Riker has a rough row to hoe here: he’s balancing his captain’s safety, the need to communicate, and the possibility of a war with what we discover is a more technologically advanced civilization. He makes about the best possible decision in each instance. Data and Troi work together well to discover how the Tamarians communicate on the ship. It’s nice to see them pool their talents again, which they did back on The Loss. Geordi is an active part of the action on the ship, and Worf has a suggestion that Riker actually follows… eventually. Beverly draws the short stick this episode, having one scene and just a few lines. Still, virtually the entire cast is used well. This is the first appearance of Ashley Judd, as Ensign Lefler–she has a few lines, not much. Paul Winfield is captain Dathon, and is just great. He conveys all of his emotions to us even though we have no idea what he’s talking about for most of the episode. I wish he would’ve done more TNG!
Blu Ray Version: At around 39:45 (and 40:44) one of the biggest changes from the original to the remastered version takes place. In the original episode when the Enterprise fires on the Tamarians, the phaser blasts were incorrectly shown coming from the torpedo bay, which is nuts. The remastered version gets it right: they changed the shot completely, so it now comes from the phaser bank on the saucer. About time! Also, if you pause on the shot of the Beast at about 39:56 and look on the hill in the back left of the shot, you can see a telephone pole. Finally, pausing at 43:19 you can see the book Picard is reading is in the original Greek.
Nitpicks: Picard is immobilized by the transporter and the Beast gets a chance at Dathon, so he starts beating on him? Beasts don’t punch, they claw and bite. Then it just leaves? After Riker fires on the Tamarians is when he decides to call Red Alert? How about before, way before!
Overall Impression: Some episodes are just so good you can’t wait to review them. This is one of those episodes. It isn’t just interesting, or good–it’s an incredible episode. One of my favorites of all time. I love watching two wonderful actors work together, I love that you couldn’t predict what would happen next, I love the ensemble feel, and Patrick Stewart telling an epic tale–I love everything about it. If you ask me it should be this episode and not Relics that makes Star Trek 101’s “Ten Essential Episodes” list. I happily rate this episode 5 out of 5 stars.
Behind the Scenes/Trivia: The back of the observation lounge has changed, there is no wall of golden ships anymore as in previous episodes. Picard’s two-piece captain’s uniform with the gray undershirt makes its first appearance in this episode, and I do like the look. The black yoke is leather here, but in subsequent episodes will be of the same fabric as the uniform. The exterior was shot in Bronson Canyon. The nearby Bronson Cave was the Batcave for the 60’s Batman TV show. This episode has evidently been used in linguistics classes at universities. I always thought this episode wanted us to think it was Arena, the TOS episode with the Gorn, and then it flipped our expectations on us.
Patrick Stewart has said, “now there is an episode that should have won awards.” Rick Berman initially hated the idea for this episode, but later turned around and said it’s one of his favorites. Whatever, Rick. Michael Piller, maybe the writer that I respect the most, has said:
There is no better Star Trek episode, I think, than Darmok…I just think ‘Darmok’ is the prototype of what Star Trek should be. It dealt with a very challenging premise and many of our best shows are scripts that have been around a long time…[the writer] created a whole language for that episode and it’s just astonishing. The episode worked on every level; it had the philosophy dealing with language and what it does for us, two great acting performances, it had a monster and a space battle – it had everything.”
Missable/Unmissable? Utterly unmissable. If you miss this episode, why are you bothering to watch Star Trek in the first place? The next episode (and virtually any other) is a bit of a step down, but still good.