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| Picard, disoriented after losing his memory. |
THE PLOT
After encountering an unknown alien vessel, the Enterprise is subject to an intense scan - one which leaves the entire crew with no memories. The crew members do retain their skills and knowledge of how to use the ship's systems, however. As Geordi and Data bring the ship back under control, they are able to access a crew roster and some mission logs.
The roster informs them of their identities, adding in a "Commander MacDuff" (Erich Anderson) as First Officer, with Riker as Second Officer. The mission logs inform them that they are at war with a race known as the Lyssians, on a mission to destroy the Lyssian command center. Troi instinctively feels that these orders are wrong. But with all other personal information wiped, there is no evidence against the war or the mission... leaving the Enterprise transformed into a weapon of destruction!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Even without his memory, his basic nature remains intact. When Worf and Riker begin to question who should be in charge, Picard points out that the primary concern must be getting control of the ship and assessing their situation. As Worf, taking command, declares that they must make the ship "battle ready," Picard counters that it would be best to access the ship's logs to find out the context of their current dilemma.
Riker: He seems to be instinctively loyal to Picard. He counts the pips on Picard's uniform and declares him to be their leader, and does not seem pleased when Worf tries to assume command. He also shows good quality as a planner and strategist, acting as an anchor on Ro's desire for instant action. This episode once again brings Riker's womanizing to the fore, as he romances both Ro and Troi with clear enjoyment.
Worf: His aggressive Klingon instincts lead him to immediately push for command. He points to his decoration as evidence of his command status. Then he takes the captain's chair as his own, simply assuming that it's his by right. Michael Dorn is terrific in these scenes, and I wouldn't have minded one bit if the writers had ditched the (frankly silly) "war" plot and instead made the power struggle between Worf and Picard the focus. With the various regulars having to take sides, such an episode might have been a lot more interesting than simply watching the crew react to the Outside Influence of the Week.
Troi: Instantly knows that there is something wrong with the war situation described in the ship's computer. She can't quite articulate it to Riker, but she recognizes even before Picard does that their "mission" doesn't fit with who they are. Even without her memories, Riker remains familiar to her, and she is drawn to him for comfort - but not so much so as to provoke an actual confrontation with Ro, even when Riker provides evidence that they do (or did) have a relationship. When memories are restored, she takes pleasure in conspiring with Ro to completely confuse a somewhat chagrined William Riker.
Ensign Ro: Feels an immediate compulsion to do something, anything. Without the resentment caused by her background, however, she responds quite well to Riker's rational approach - to coordinate before taking action. The two complement each other, and it's no surprise when the memory-wiped Ro and Riker decide to explore their mutual attraction.
THOUGHTS
The episode opens with Troi beating Data at chess... which is the single most ridiculous scene in the entire episode, given that Data would have to be undergoing a significant malfunction for this to be even possible. But it does allow writer Barry Schkolnick to plant a major theme up-front: The idea that everything doesn't simply come down to facts and strategy, but also to instinct. First Troi, then Picard feel an instinct that their orders are wrong in some way. That instinct leads them to question the war path on which they've been placed, even faced with the orders planted into the Enterprise computers. Because Picard's instincts tell him that something is wrong with this situation, and his crew feel an instinctive trust in him, disaster is averted.
Conundrum is an episode that's fun to watch almost in spite of itself. The first half is far better than the second half, as we get a chance to watch these characters we know so well trying to figure out who they are and what they're doing. The scenes with Worf simply assuming command are extremely funny, particularly Worf's expressions as his command gradually slips away under the weight of Picard's repeated sensible suggestions. Also fun is the Riker material, with the triangle involving him, Ro, and Troi making for some amusing bits and setting up an amusing ending.
Unfortunately, the actual plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense. A race locked in a stalemate war with an enemy whose technology is more than 100 years behind that of Starfleet is able to: (1) effortlessly lock up the Enterprise's systems; (2) wipe the memories of the entire crew (including Data, who was not susceptible to the last Enterprise mind-wipe); and (3) selectively erase computer records while at the same time planting false ones. If they can do all that to a ship their enemies are no match for... Well, then it rather stands to reason that their enemy should be no match for them to start with!
Still, Conundrum zips along at a fast pace. There's just enough humor throughout to keep things engaging, while the second half offers some action set pieces that are far above-average for a single-part TNG episode. It may be pure nonsense with holes you could fly a starship through, but it's very enjoyable nonsense.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
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