Plot Synopsis: Data suffers amnesia in a primitive society while Troi applies for a promotion.
Plot A and B Analysis: This very long teaser sets up both plots. Plot B gets going with Deanna and Beverly alone on the bridge discussing why Beverly became a full commander, since she didn’t need to. As an afterthought we learn Data is collecting radioactive material from a crashed probe on a planet. At the end the scene cuts to Data wandering into a town on said planet, obviously malfunctioning. Plot A is about Data, who is carrying a box labeled Radioactive, which of course gets promptly opened. Deanna tells Riker she’s been thinking about becoming a qualified bridge officer ever since Disaster, and wants to take the test. Data is seen to by a doctor/scientist and gets named Jayden. Bit by bit the villagers eventually get radiation poisoning, getting sicker and sicker, for which Data is blamed. Meanwhile Deanna keeps failing the engineering part of her test, and seeing her figure this out is one of the best parts of the episode. Back on the planet, villagers led by the blacksmith “kill” Data right as he saves them. The plot isn’t slow, but it is dull in parts and plot A is unrewarding.
Favorite Scenes: The two scenes that have always stuck out to me are first, Deanna passing her test by ordering a crewmate to die, and second, Data getting impaled by a giant spear. There’s not a lot that is particularly memorable otherwise.
Use of Cast/Characters: Patrick has the least in maybe the entire series: just one line at the end. Riker plays the trombone and administers the bridge officer’s test for Deanna, which causes a little friction. This is a Data episode more than anyone else’s, so he is front and center. He’s fairly sympathetic and certainly brilliant, but we don’t really get any character development from him. Deanna is the second major player and has significant character development. She develops in a way that’s nice to watch, and is promoted to full Commander. Beverly stimulates Deanna’s interest in the teaser and brings Data back to life, so that’s something. Geordi and Worf only appear on the holodeck as part of a simulation, and the holo-Geordi dies! There are four guest stars, and they all do reasonably good jobs. Talur is the most interesting character, progressing from a know-it-all to an actual ally.
Blu Ray Version: In the 37th minute the HD quality is a little too good: we can see the makeup being applied to Brent’s face. There’s clearly a great makeup artist at work, but it is apparent it’s makeup. The lightning/electrical effect in the climax was changed, and it’s a little less intense as a result. There is a deleted scene. This occurs when the Gia names Data Jayden: she tells him it’s based on a character from a story, and there is a definite resemblance to Data’s arc in the episode. It’s okay but not necessary.
Nitpicks: The blacksmith turns into a villain pretty darn suddenly for me. It feels a bit forced, so the whole ‘Frankenstein’ dynamic doesn’t work great. The title is from Hamlet, “this above all, to thine own self be true,” but how does it apply here? For some reason Deanna is out of her standard uniform in the teaser, why?
Overall Impression: A mature viewer will recognize the parallels between Data here and Frankenstein’s monster. Data is different than the villagers, but he is generally accepted by them and not a subject of distrust or fear, so it doesn’t really work on that level. My favorite part is Troi’s story, but this is not an episode I usually want to watch–it’s just not enjoyable. It’s a bit like The Icarus Factor, where plot B is better than plot A. Even the writer of the episode didn’t care for it. I’ll rate this episode 2 out of 5 stars.
Behind the Scenes/Trivia: There is a surprising amount of it. Ron Moore, who wrote the episode, admitted to mixed feelings for this one:
As a writer, I never figured out what it was about. I didn’t know what I was trying to say with the episode. It was probably the most difficult writing experience I had on the show because I was very frustrated. It was a bad time in the season. I was tired and I was not having fun, and I think it showed in the writing.
The reason Picard only has one line is because his schedule was tight as he was performing his famous one-man play A Christmas Carol in London, where he played all the characters! Riker must be playing a new trombone, because he gave his old one to Thomas, remember? One thing to note is that this is the fourth time he goes undercover on an alien planet (Who Watches the Watchers, First Contact, Frame of Mind), and the only time things don’t turn out badly for him!
Brent said that on this episode all the other actors did all their parts on the first day of shooting, and for the rest of the week it was just him carrying the show because it was his episode. This led to some problems for the next episode, Masks, because he didn’t receive the script for it until about 10p after shooting the final day of Thine Own Self. He opens the script for the next day and discovers he is playing five different characters! I’ll continue this particular story on that episode’s review. Finally, this episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Series.
Missable/Unmissable? Missable unless you’re a Troi fan or a diehard Data fan. The next one is a bit more complex.