 |
| Data investigates a village's mysterious illness. |
Data is sent to the planet Barkon IV to retrieve a crashed probe carrying radioactive materials. His mission is to recover the radioactive metal while avoiding any contact with the pre-industrial population. An accident leaves him without memory. He doesn't know who he is or why he is carrying a case full of metal, nor does he remember that the metal is in any way harmful.
It is in this state that he arrives at a Barkonian village, where the kindly Garvin (Michael Rothhaar) takes him in. Garvin advises him that he will need money, so Data agrees to allow him to sell the strange metal. Soon, Garvin grows ill. As the illness spreads, the villagers settle on someone to blame: Data!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Barely present, to allow Patrick Stewart to do a one-man stage version of A Christmas Carol in London. Pops up briefly in the tag scene to justify his name on the credits (which, given that other regulars have sat out episodes, really wasn't necessary in any case).
Riker: The episode is burdened with another of the franchise's lamentable "B" plots, this one focusing on Counselor Troi taking a test to become a Bridge Officer. It's a very bad subplot, but it does at least provide Riker with some good scenes. Other episodes have shown him behaving sternly with junior officers. Now he gets to show this side to Troi, because as First Officer it is up to him to assess her suitability. He tells her frankly that he is "a pretty tough judge," later adding: "My first duty is to the ship. I cannot let any Bridge Officer serve who's not qualified."
Data: Brent Spiner is excellent, as usual. This episode strips Data of his memory. He does not even know he is an android, and accepts teacher/scientist Talur (Ronnie Claire Edwards)'s identification of him as "an iceman" at face value. His nature as an analytical being asserts itself quickly. An early scene shows him arguing with Talur over her beliefs about all matter including fire and water, which lays groundwork for his later investigations into the mysterious illness. As ever, Spiner manages to convey a character we care about and relationships between that character and others, without betraying the concept of Data as an emotionless being. His performance is the episode's single greatest asset, keeping the "A" plot highly watchable even as the "B" plot founders.
Troi: Speaking of that "B" plot, if it was intended to strengthen Troi as a character, it backfires badly. When she discusses taking the bridge officer's test, Riker warns her that as First Officer, he will have to judge her as harshly as any other candidate. She agrees... only to promptly become petulant when he insists on actually honoring his word and treating her the same as any other candidate. This amounts to her throwing snits at him for daring to do his job - Not exactly the best way to make her seem strong or even likable.
THOUGHTS
The concept of Thine Own Self is fairly hackneyed: a crew member has amnesia in a primitive village, and despite befriending some villagers, becomes feared as an outsider. TOS did variations on this theme more than once, never mind TNG... Fortunately, Ronald D. Moore's script gets some big things right. One is that Data may solve the radiation sickness in the village - but he also causes the problem by bringing the radioactive metal there in the first place. I liked the way the episode spent some time showing the various villagers handling the metal, letting us absorb what they were doing and what it meant while they (and Data) are completely oblivious. This allows a threat to be introduced early, while allowing the characters to be completely relaxed so that Data can get to know the village and its people.
Trek budgeting means that we only really meet a few villagers, but there's only one straw man in the form of Skoran (Michael G. Hagerty), a grasping brute who appears to have no redeeming qualities. Talur is haughty and self-important, but she doesn't outright reject Data's findings when they conflict with her beliefs. She wants more detail, but seems to find his reasoning persuasive. Garvin (Michael Rothhaar) and Gia (Kimberly Cullum) are the stock decent, likable villagers, but both are well enough acted to feel like full characters, and Gia's friendship with Data is convincing and enjoyable.
The "B" plot is much weaker, however. Counselor Troi's pursuit of promotion doesn't play out in a convincing way. Riker is Troi's ex-lover and current friend; I do not for one instant believe that he would be allowed to administer the test. Nor do I believe that the process of becoming a bridge officer is so simple that it can be achieved, start to finish, within a few days. If dialogue had established that she had actually been working toward this goal ever since her command experience in Disaster and that the test was the last thing left for her to finish, then it might have been less ridiculous. Instead, she's merely been thinking about it since Disaster, and now is when she decides to act. The tag, which reinforces that after taking one test she now officially outranks Data (a command officer of many years' experience), just adds insult to injury.
Ah, well. Bad "B" plots are a regular feature of latter-day Star Trek, and this is far from the most insufferable "B" plot in the series. The "A" plot is engaging, even if it covers very familiar ground, and the show entertains. A solid piece of workmanlike television, this isn't one to get excited about by any means, but it also isn't one to avoid.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
Previous Episode: Lower Decks
Next Episode: Masks
Search Amazon.com for Star Trek: The Next Generation
Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On Twitter:
On Threads:
No comments:
Post a Comment