Plot Synopsis: The Enterprise tries to save a genetically engineered “perfect” colony from destruction, but the assistance causes damage of its own.
Plot A and B Analysis: The teaser gives us some information, just enough to tease us! A stellar core fragment is heading toward an inhospitable planet, which to their surprise holds a human colony inside a completely sealed biosphere. The colonists know about the approaching fragment, and with great reticence allow an away team to beam down. Plot A is about the colony and the approaching fragment, the nascent plot B is a burgeoning attraction Troi has to the leader of the colony, Aaron. We learn this colony is a genetically engineered society, inextricably intertwined with all forms of life in it for the last eight generations, and cannot leave without irreparable damage. One of their genius physicists has an idea to move the core fragment by developing a multiphasic tractor beam, and Aaron allows her to visit the Enterprise. They solve the problem and save the colony, but there are new issues. The isolationism of the colony is threatened: some want the ship gone while others want to leave and join the Federation. The episode moves along at a sedate pace and ends on a bittersweet note: the colony is physically saved, but perhaps irreparably damaged in the process.
Favorite Scenes: I don’t know if there’s a favorite scene, but there is some dialogue that captures the concept and possible appeal of the society. I’ve spliced together two of Aaron’s quotes.
Aaron: Our ancestors came from Earth to create a perfect society. They believed that through controlled procreation, they could create people without flaws. And those people would build a paradise.
Aaron: My entire psychological makeup tells me that I was born to lead. I am exactly what I would choose to be. Think of it another way: are there still people in your society who have not yet discovered who they really are, or what they were meant to do with their lives? They may be in the wrong job. They may be writing bad poetry. Or worse yet, they may be great poets working as laborers, never to be discovered. That does not happen here. It is, for us, an ideal existence, and we will not give it up easily.
Picard has a counterpoint, which he states in no uncertain terms when Deanna asks him if he disapproves of genetic engineering. I’ve spiced together two of his quotes.
Picard: It was a bad idea whose time has long passed. They’ve given away their humanity with this genetic manipulation. Many of the qualities that they breed out: the uncertainty, self-discovery, the unknown. These are many of the qualities that make live worth living. Well, at least to me. I wouldn’t want my life knowing that my future was written, that my boundaries had been already set!
One final scene in which Geordi is illuminating. He’s working with Hannah and says he never would have been born on their colony:
Geordi: I’d have been terminated as a fertilized cell.
Hannah: It was the wish of our founders that no one have to suffer a life with disabilities.
Geordi: Who gave them the right to decide whether or not I should be here? Whether or not I might have something to contribute?
Use of Cast/Characters: Picard doesn’t have much except to extemporize about how much the society sucks, and say how ultimately damaging the Enterprise‘s presence was. Riker is in first officer mode and doesn’t do much else. The audience can detect that he knows what is going on between Deanna and Aaron though, which is a nice nuance. Data doesn’t have much. Geordi is actively involved in the plot. His VISOR tech is the key to saving the colony, and he sums up the irony in one sentence: “If the answer to all this is a visor created for a blind man who never would’ve existed in your society.” Troi is pretty active in plot B, and is the ideal person to help relations with the colony. She also gets some sexy time with Aaron, and shows maturity by later realizing her mistake and separating herself from him. Beverly and Worf get the shaft in this episode, only having a couple of lines. Dey Young plays Hannah and is good in her role, and Ron Canada did a good job as Martin. John Snyder however, seems a poor choice; while vaguely likable he just comes across as a bit bland and weak-willed. I don’t personally dislike his performance that much though. He’s not a strong-willed, hard-bitten politician, he’s an administrator who leads a colony with no real problems, so I thought it was somewhat appropriate.
Blu Ray Version: A couple of minor flaws were digitally erased or corrected in this version. Some of the effects were punched up as well, such as the new ‘pulsed’ version of the tractor beam seen at 23:09. Not much else.
Nitpicks: I’m pretty darn sure “stellar core fragments” don’t exist. Stars eventually become either white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes, the first two of which are pretty small, incredibly dense, and could potentially have been used in this episode. I’m also not sure I really buy Martin’s unremitting resistance. Sure he represents the “founders” wishes, and yes, ultimately some of his concerns were valid. However the writers went a bit far in implying he’d rather the entire colony be wiped out than allow any help or contact.
Overall Impression: This is one of those philosophical episodes that can provoke good discussion about the viability of the kind of society presented, to me it’s a provocative idea. The only flaw is that is has to exist in isolation to avoid unknown variables, and the larger the society is, the more things can go wrong. I’m not convinced it’s indefinitely sustainable. Also, wasn’t Khan a result of genetic manipulation? This episode is a bit too reminiscent of First Contact for me as well. They’re both xenophobic societies, Aaron and Martin’s roles echo those of Durken and Krola pretty darn closely, and there are other parallels. This episode really suffers in comparison to that one. Overall it’s not a bad episode, just below average. I rate this episode 2 out of 5 stars.
Behind the Scenes/Trivia: We learn in this episode that the Enterprise’s “matter/antimatter warp reaction system” is the most powerful in starfleet, and can produce energy in “the terawatt range.” In other words over a trillion watts. I like to think the Enterprise was upgraded a bit here, adding a multiphasic tractor beam to their considerable arsenal of tech.
The script for this episode passed through a lot of writers’ hands before Michael Piller tried to fix it. It actually divided some of the writing staff: while Piller liked it, Jeri Taylor, Rick Berman, Ron Moore and the director disliked the result, and everyone had problems with “casting” (John Snyder). He previously portrayed Bochra in The Enemy, though, and was awesome.
Missable/Unmissable? Missable. The next one is a bit better.