Note: This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.
WARNING: I’m going to give away major details about this episode
that will probably ruin it for you. If this bothers you, don’t read this
review.
You’ve been warned…
The Prime
Directive is a rule that prohibits any Starfleet officer from
interfering with the natural development of a planet. (Usually, this
only applies to planets that don’t have warp drive, but there have been
exceptions.) When the Enterprise responds to a distress call, they find
that Worf’s adoptive brother, Nikolai Rozhenko, has made himself known
to a population that he was supposed to be observing from a distance. He
had the good sense to surgically alter himself, but it still would seem
like a violation of the Prime Directive.
The reason for the
distress call was that the planet’s atmosphere is about to go bad and
the entire population of the planet will die. Nikolai wants to at least
save the one tribe that he’s been watching. However, Captain Picard will
have no part of it. Not one to take no for an answer, Nikolai beams the
tribe up and puts them in a holodeck recreation of their planet. Picard
is upset, but there’s not much that anyone can do about it.
Once a new planet is found for them, the Enterprise is off. The terrain
in the holodeck is changed to match the terrain of the new planet as the
group travels through caves and up to the surface. Things get
complicated when one of the people, the tribe’s chronicler, wanders off
and out of the holodeck. He finds his way to Ten-Forward, where
Commander Riker and Counselor Troi see him walk in. Knowing that this is
really bad, they try their best to contain the situation.
However, his memory can’t be wiped which means that he’ll either have to
go back to his tribe knowing what he knows or he’ll have to stay on the
Enterprise. Ultimately, he decides that he can’t go back to the tribe.
He wouldn’t be able to tell anyone, but he wouldn’t be able to keep the
secret, either. He ends up committing suicide rather than have to live
in exile.
The tribe makes it to their new home. Nikolai
decides to stay with them. Some of it probably has to do with the fact
that his career is over. However, most of it has to do with the fact
that he’s going to have a child with one of the women in the tribe.
The story is primarily a story about the Prime Directive, which is
nothing new. The Enterprise can’t interfere in the natural development
of a culture. However, isn’t it equally as wrong to let them die? They
can’t save the entire planet, but they can at least save one tribe.
It also ends up being adoptive brother against adoptive brother. Worf
was always the honorable, noble brother while Nikolai was the emotional,
selfish one. Nikolai attended Starfleet Academy, but dropped out after a
year. He always seemed to be getting into trouble that someone else had
to get him out of. (On that note, Nikolai will have a lot of explaining
to do when the child is born.) This sort of relationship is kind of
cliche, especially when the two brothers come to some sort of mutual
understanding or compromise. I didn’t find this to be an exception.
Speaking of when the child will be born, one of the problems with this
episode being so late in the series is that there is no chance to follow
up on it. Since Worf transferred to Deep Space Nine, there was at least
some remote possibility that he might go back to visit his adoptive
brother. There was some doubt expressed in the episode as to what might
happen to the tribe. It would have been nice to go back in a couple of
years and have Worf visit his nephew. (I really do want to know how
Nikolai will explain why the child has a less-pronounced nose ridge.)
I’d give this episode three stars. It’s interesting, but not
spectacular. It’s basically an episode where the crew of the Enterprise
is thrust into a difficult situation and they simply have to take the
course laid out for them. I wouldn’t really recommend buying this
episode. I don’t really think it’s worth that much to get on VHS unless
you can get some sort of great deal on it.
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