In which Picard is literally tortured by his past, and Q gives Riker PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER – without the itty bitty living space.
Now that’s what I’m talking about, TNG. Another pair of solid episodes shows interesting directions the series should be heading in, even when there are flaws mixed in.
Episode 9: The Battle
So, the Ferengi are back. And no, that’s not a great thing. The plot of this episode is a strange mix of interesting and very stupid. A Ferengi vessel offers Picard the old StarFleet ship they have discovered, which just happens to be Picard’s old vessel he had to abandon nine years prior after a disastrous encounter with an unknown race. As the crew of the Enterprise explore the ship though, some disturbing details emerge, such as a Picard log that does not match the official record of what happened that day (and paints Picard’s actions in a villainous light). Simultaneously Picard has been experiencing migraines (unheard of in the medicinally perfect future) and begins to feel a profound sense of guilt over “The Battle”, as the Ferengi refer to it.
What, you didn’t expect the Ferengi to be behind this? You really need to brush up on your telegraphed plot lines handbook. File this under the “stupid” side of the plot, but the machinations at work in the episode are painfully obvious. The Ferengi Captain has personal grievances with Picard because his son was the Ferengi commander killed in that long ago conflict. He uses glowing orbs (SCI FI!) to beam messages into Picard’s brain and convince him of his past wrongdoings. Kind of silly, though I do like that the Ferengi ultimately depose him because he gave Picard the old ship for free instead of seeking a profit. Lesson: greed is good, at least compared to anger.
Even though the gears of plot are exposed and grinding loudly in this episode, I actually really enjoyed it. First off, it’s always a pleasure to see tortured Picard. I feel like I say this every week in reference to a different Picard mood. Let’s just say that Patrick Stewart is a real class act, one of the best actors of his generation, and seeing him stretch the limits of his character while staying true to the core is a real delight. Picard is a real stoic, so seeing him battle inner demons creates a nice tension onscreen. I also really like that the episode explores ideas about the mutability of memory and the control the past can exert over us. Picard has a clear idea what happened that day, but the power of suggestion begins to erode that account and provide him with something much less secure. Only the faith his crew has in him keeps him from losing it altogether. If I have one complaint about this thematic material, it is that in the end all his misgivings about the past merely happened as a result of the Ferengi mind control device. Not that it would make sense to have the new account be the real one, since that account involves Picard being aggressive and endangering people against StarFleet protocol. But it might have been cool to have the encounter reveal some long hidden secret in Picard’s memory – his guilt over a dead comrade he could have saved, perhaps. Something that would have added real stakes to the proceedings. Instead, the whole event gets wiped clean by the end of the episode.
Episode 10: Hide and Q
Q’s back, and he has a Faustian bargain for Riker, who piqued the powerful entity’s interest during their first encounter at Farpoint. As the Enterprise rushes to help victims of a mining accident, Q stops time in order to play a game with Riker, hoping to entice Number One to become another Q, or part of Q, or however that would work (unanswered Q-stions!). He transports Riker and some others to a planet of his devising, where they take place in some Napoleonic era games. Turns out, though, that the most dangerous game is in fact man. Or something.
Q manipulates every chance he gets, eventually bestowing on Riker the complete “god”-like (gotta keep our ironic distance from that moniker, since this is THE FUTURE and we’re super advanced ‘n stuff and we know all about how religion is for teeny tiny brains) powers of the Q, offering him a chance to join them at hQ to help them understand the power of human curiosity and flexibility. To help Riker make up his mind, Q kills off Wesley and Word, leading Riker to resurrect them (Worf I understand, but Wesley Crusher: Boy Wonder?). Riker, like Marlowe’s Faust, originally sees his power as a way to do good while stoking his ego, but that quickly spirals out of control. Riker decides to leave the Enterprise but give everyone a parting gift from his largesse – to give Worf a Klingon female companion, make Data human, Georgi’s eyes human, and Wesley well, just plain a man. But they don’t want his filthy blood money, they just want their Riker back. He realizes that absolute power corrupts positively (that’s how that saying goes, right?) and decides to remain human.
Again, some plot silliness here, and the ending gets a little pedantic, but there’s a lot to like. First off, the show does a good job exploring the contrast I’ve touched on before between Riker and Picard. Q does not bother tempting Picard, who’s way too much of a company man to ever take the powers. But Riker, a bit more hotheaded and idealistic, has the cracks under which Q can slip. The same qualities which make him a great leader – perhaps even a more natural fit than Picard – also make him susceptible to temptation. Also, there’s some great Q/Picard interactions. John de Lancie has devilish fun in his Q portrayal and holds his own against Stewart. The best moments involve the two trading quips on life from Shakespeare, one of the few humans Q begrudgingly admires. These pleasures are more than enough to make up for some soggier sections of plot.
Wesley Crusher Hideous Sweater Fan Club Weekly Notes: On the downside, Wesley wears the same sweater in both episodes. On the upside, it’s a hideous olive green with rainbow stripes affair. Bonus for the hilarious sight of “10 years older” Wesley looking like a rube in younger Wesley’s crappy sweater.
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