THE PLOT
Starfleet receives a distress call using a code from the early 22nd century. The call was triggered by a colony established during that time, which has been forced underground by solar flares that will soon render their world uninhabitable. Picard orders the colonists beamed aboard, and finds they are a rustic and primitive people, with no understanding of technology.
The culture shock is overcome reasonably quickly. But then Danilo O'Dell (Barrie Ingham), the colony's leader, reveals that there was a second colony. This group was founded at the same time, only by people who believed very strongly in technology. When the Enterprise reaches this site, the crew discovers that the entire world is populated by clones of the only five colonists to have survived the landing. The genes used in cloning are gradually degrading, and soon will no longer be viable. The colony asks for tissue samples so that they can continue. When Picard refuses, they attempt to take them by force, stealing samples from Riker and Dr. Pulaski, and claiming that it is their right because it is the only way they can survive!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Observing the Irish colonists in the hold, complete with young pregnant girls, animals, and attempts to start fires, he has an unexpected reaction: He laughs. He tells Riker that sometimes you just have to bow to the absurd. His lighter side is gone by the end, though, as he deals very sternly with both colonies' leaders in brokering a solution to their respective problems.
Riker: In DS9's A Man Alone, we are specifically told that killing a clone is still considered murder. Does that make Riker a double murderer, then? He zaps clones of himself and Pulaski without a thought. His moral outrage at the thought of somebody cloning him is interesting, though. He is articulate about his reasons for opposing such, saying that one Riker is unique, but additional Rikers would "diminish (him) in ways (he) can't even imagine."
Geordi: His visor allows him to see physiological changes that occur when people lie. "It doesn't always work on aliens," he tells Riker and Pulaski, but he can always tell when a human is lying.
Dr. Pulaski: Has made enough of a study of Klingon culture that she instantly recognizes the Klingon tea ceremony when Worf brings in the components to thank her for her discretion. This doesn't entirely tally with her lack of recognition of the Klingon ceremony in The Icarus Factor, but at least it makes for a nice scene. Pulaski studies the seriousness with which Worf takes this ceremony, is suitably impressed, and then gives herself the antidote to the poison (it's a Klingon ceremony, of course there's something deadly involved) so that she can fully share in it.
Hot Irish Space Babe of the Week: Rosalyn Landor gives a very appealing performance as the sharp-tongued Brenna O'Dell, which helps to elevate her character above the Quiet Man cliches. I genuinely enjoyed some of her scenes with Riker, and was sorry that their relationship got so little development, being completely forgotten once the cloning subplot kicked in.
THOUGHTS
Up the Long Ladder is one of those "in-between" episodes. It's not horribly bad, but it's certainly not good. The concept of two sister colonies, one rustic and one technological, is not exactly groundbreaking, and Melinda Snodgrass' script is staggeringly cliched in its treatment of the rustic colony. The script has a slight plot, knows it, and tries to overcome pacing problems by effectively cutting to a whole new episode halfway through.
This inevitably introduces story problems. Riker's relationship with Brenna in the episode's first half seems likely to make for an enjoyable subplot. But as soon as Riker gets the chance to introduce the isolated girl to Space STD's she would never have dreamed existed, we effectively cut to a whole new show. The first colony is more or less forgotten, as we explore the subplot with the second colony and the cloning.
The plots do merge at the end, in fairly predictable fashion. Who watching this episode couldn't see the solution to the Technological Colony's problem coming from a light year away? But by then, so much screen time has passed without even a mention of the first colony that it's almost jarring to bring those characters back. The tag scene is abrupt and unconvincing, and it all ends on an unfunny one-liner.
A few good scenes, particularly the Klingon Tea Ceremony bit, keep this from being dire, and Winrich Kolbe's direction is as polished as ever. But writer Melinda Snodgrass' previous episodes were The Measure of a Man, which stands as the series' best episode up to this point, and the still pretty good Pen Pals. After those two, an episode this poorly-plotted and mediocre is a big disappointment.
Rating: 4/10.
Starfleet receives a distress call using a code from the early 22nd century. The call was triggered by a colony established during that time, which has been forced underground by solar flares that will soon render their world uninhabitable. Picard orders the colonists beamed aboard, and finds they are a rustic and primitive people, with no understanding of technology.
The culture shock is overcome reasonably quickly. But then Danilo O'Dell (Barrie Ingham), the colony's leader, reveals that there was a second colony. This group was founded at the same time, only by people who believed very strongly in technology. When the Enterprise reaches this site, the crew discovers that the entire world is populated by clones of the only five colonists to have survived the landing. The genes used in cloning are gradually degrading, and soon will no longer be viable. The colony asks for tissue samples so that they can continue. When Picard refuses, they attempt to take them by force, stealing samples from Riker and Dr. Pulaski, and claiming that it is their right because it is the only way they can survive!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Observing the Irish colonists in the hold, complete with young pregnant girls, animals, and attempts to start fires, he has an unexpected reaction: He laughs. He tells Riker that sometimes you just have to bow to the absurd. His lighter side is gone by the end, though, as he deals very sternly with both colonies' leaders in brokering a solution to their respective problems.
Riker: In DS9's A Man Alone, we are specifically told that killing a clone is still considered murder. Does that make Riker a double murderer, then? He zaps clones of himself and Pulaski without a thought. His moral outrage at the thought of somebody cloning him is interesting, though. He is articulate about his reasons for opposing such, saying that one Riker is unique, but additional Rikers would "diminish (him) in ways (he) can't even imagine."
Geordi: His visor allows him to see physiological changes that occur when people lie. "It doesn't always work on aliens," he tells Riker and Pulaski, but he can always tell when a human is lying.
Dr. Pulaski: Has made enough of a study of Klingon culture that she instantly recognizes the Klingon tea ceremony when Worf brings in the components to thank her for her discretion. This doesn't entirely tally with her lack of recognition of the Klingon ceremony in The Icarus Factor, but at least it makes for a nice scene. Pulaski studies the seriousness with which Worf takes this ceremony, is suitably impressed, and then gives herself the antidote to the poison (it's a Klingon ceremony, of course there's something deadly involved) so that she can fully share in it.
Hot Irish Space Babe of the Week: Rosalyn Landor gives a very appealing performance as the sharp-tongued Brenna O'Dell, which helps to elevate her character above the Quiet Man cliches. I genuinely enjoyed some of her scenes with Riker, and was sorry that their relationship got so little development, being completely forgotten once the cloning subplot kicked in.
THOUGHTS
Up the Long Ladder is one of those "in-between" episodes. It's not horribly bad, but it's certainly not good. The concept of two sister colonies, one rustic and one technological, is not exactly groundbreaking, and Melinda Snodgrass' script is staggeringly cliched in its treatment of the rustic colony. The script has a slight plot, knows it, and tries to overcome pacing problems by effectively cutting to a whole new episode halfway through.
This inevitably introduces story problems. Riker's relationship with Brenna in the episode's first half seems likely to make for an enjoyable subplot. But as soon as Riker gets the chance to introduce the isolated girl to Space STD's she would never have dreamed existed, we effectively cut to a whole new show. The first colony is more or less forgotten, as we explore the subplot with the second colony and the cloning.
The plots do merge at the end, in fairly predictable fashion. Who watching this episode couldn't see the solution to the Technological Colony's problem coming from a light year away? But by then, so much screen time has passed without even a mention of the first colony that it's almost jarring to bring those characters back. The tag scene is abrupt and unconvincing, and it all ends on an unfunny one-liner.
A few good scenes, particularly the Klingon Tea Ceremony bit, keep this from being dire, and Winrich Kolbe's direction is as polished as ever. But writer Melinda Snodgrass' previous episodes were The Measure of a Man, which stands as the series' best episode up to this point, and the still pretty good Pen Pals. After those two, an episode this poorly-plotted and mediocre is a big disappointment.
Rating: 4/10.
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