Plot Synopsis: Enterprise crew members de-evolve into prehistoric creatures after a medical treatment by Dr. Crusher goes wrong.
Plot A and B Analysis: The teaser takes place in sick bay: Riker has cactus spines in his back, Barclay is being a hypochondriac, Data brings in his pregnant cat, and the capper is nurse Ogawa’s announcement that she’s pregnant. Plot A is the de-evolving, there is no plot B. Worf has some fancy new tactical systems and weapon upgrades, but one of the photon torpedoes goes haywire so Picard and Data go chase it down in a shuttle. It doesn’t take long before the crew start acting oddly: Worf’s temper flares up and later he has to sleep on the floor; Deanna starts complaining about how cold everything is and leaves the bridge because “I need a bath”; Barclay is a bundle of energy, and that’s just the beginning–it culminates with Worf spraying acid all over Beverly’s face, disfiguring her. Picard and Data return to find the Enterprise adrift, its systems offline. They start exploring to find Deanna turning into a frog, Riker is a Neanderthal and Data tells us what the deal is: “Captain, I believe the crew is de-evolving.” After discovering that Spot’s kittens are normal, Picard and Data hypothesize pregnancy could be the key. After running into Barclay doing a Shelob impression, they find the pregnant Ogawa and work on her in sick bay; that’s when a de-evolved Worf comes calling. Picard lures him away with Troi’s pheromones, and manages to incapacitate him before Data releases the cure to heal everyone. The plot moves at a brisk pace, there aren’t any parts that seem slow or unimportant.
Favorite Scenes: There are several scenes that I like. Worf going nuts, biting Deanna and effectively destroying Beverly’s face (she needs reconstructive surgery), then hunting Picard are all good. The encounter with a caveman Riker, Troi being a frog and later a nice scare involving Barclay in engineering are cool too. It was fun to see which crew members turned into what. I still remember Data breaking the news to Picard:
Data: I feel it my duty to inform you, sir, you have also been infected by the intron virus.
Picard *slowly turns to face Data*: How long before I begin to change?
Data: According to my calculations, within the next 12 hours you will begin to exhibit the first signs of your eventual transformation.
Picard *pausing*: And what will that be?
Data: I believe you will also de-evolve into an earlier form of primate. Possibly similar to a lemur or pygmy marmoset.
Use of Cast/Characters: Picard and Data get more or less exclusive screen time after the 20 minute mark, and take turns contributing to solving the problem. I do like that, it’s not just Data doing everything. The rest of the crew are used early on as themselves, and in the latter half as monsters. The only potential development that occurs is Worf and Deanna spending more time together, which has been developing since Parallels. Last episode they got together in Troi’s mind, this time he marks her by biting so hard she needs stitches. Ain’t love grand? As we wrap up, Beverly admits that “in a way” what happened was her fault, but let’s be clear–it is directly her fault! Geordi gets the least, he just has a couple of brief scenes and doesn’t de-evolve into anything.
Blu Ray Version: Exceptionally clear, which has been the standard. At 27:10, do you think Frakes is flipping us off? Pause again at 27:25 and you’ll notice that the lionfish in Picard’s quarters has de-evolved into a jellyfish! There is a deleted scene, it occurs right after Deanna leaves the bridge to take a bath. Riker comes in and asks where she is and why it’s so hot, then asks to leave because he’s not feeling well. It doesn’t contribute much but I wouldn’t have minded leaving it in.
Nitpicks: Doctor Crusher implies in the teaser that humans have 100,000 genes. It’s more like 20k, but that’s alright. While it’s true that introns were thought of as ‘junk DNA’, they actually play a key role in regulation and gene expression–nothing to do with evolution. Even if you believe in evolution I think it’s a bit far-fetched to think Barclay would de-evolve into a spider; it is fun to watch though. Finally, Picard doesn’t act too bright in encountering the proto-Riker. Data just said Riker can’t comprehend language, so what does Picard do? Try to talk to him.
Overall Impression: This is one of those episodes that people either really like or really don’t. You know what, I like this episode! I think this is a good example of a horror episode, which TNG rarely attempted. They’ve tried mysteries, action, the occasional thriller, but this is a horror episode that succeeded at what it set out to do. Some might think it far-fetched but I don’t care, it’s just enjoyable to watch. The idea of something happening to the Enterprise while Picard and Data are away parallels the terrific Timescape, and the formula still works. From the erratic behavior of the crew to the cool-looking makeup and imminent threat of death, for me it’s an enjoyable ride. It’s also an ensemble episode, if in an unconventional way. We even see a Red Shirt die! I rate this episode 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Behind the Scenes/Trivia: Gates McFadden finally gets to direct an episode! She’d only been waiting since season one. There won’t be another woman directing Star Trek until the Voyager episode Riddles. Unfortunately, Genesis is tied with Bloodlines and Emergence as the least-watched episodes of season seven. Gates has said she loved directing this episode, and she loved that it wasn’t standard Star Trek fare: “c’mon, I got to direct an iguana!” She had the idea to have Barclay made up as a spider and have him drop from the ceiling upside down–which would’ve been great–but the studio nixed it. She also thought Michael Westmore should have won an Emmy for his makeup. It was nominated but didn’t win. What did it win an Emmy for? Sound Mixing. It’s a little known fact that this is where I learned the word nictitating. Last but not least, Google “pygmy marmoset.” They’re adorable!
Marina hated the makeup. Evidently she moaned and groaned about it, but in the end she was a trooper, according to the makeup guy. Why did Spot change gender when he’s been male the entire series? The only reason is that producer Jeri Taylor decided Spot should have kittens. Mystery solved. This is the final appearance of both spot and Reginald Barclay. We’ll see Spot in Generations, and Barclay in First Contact and the series Voyager. For Ogawa fans (are there any?) we see here she did get promoted following Lower Decks–she’s a lieutenant now.
Missable/Unmissable? It’s not unmissable, but it’s recommended. The next is too, if you are a Wesley Crusher fan.