Star Trek TNG Haven

Finally, an episode from the first season that I genuinely liked.  I gave Encounter at Farpoint a good star rating, but I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes at the melodramatic acting and underlying guilt trip that it was laying on the human race.  This episode was just fun, the threat wasn't over-the-top and preachy (for the most part), and the romantic plot, although kind of juvenile, was actually really nice.

Of course, they had to get their jab in about how the Tarellian people destroyed themselves over war.  Chiding them as children for fighting, because in the Star Trek utopia wars don't exist anymore (at this point) and so any thought of war for any reason is immature and shame on Americans, particularly Regan, for being such war mongers, no matter what patriotic or legitimate world-protecting excuse we think we are giving because we're no better than grade school bullies.  Ugh.  It just burns me up. 

But once we're past that part the story goes very well.  A remnant of the Tarellians who have a contagious plague from the war are headed towards a planet which asks the Enterprise to stop it from coming and infecting the people of that planet.  The nice part is that the Tarellians aren't malevolent.  They aren't trying to hurt anyone, they weren't even planning to land on that planet, and the use of force isn't necessary.  I just think that if it had been a TOS story line that it may have leaned more towards what was expected by the planet.  It was kind of a nice fake-out.  Meanwhile, Troi has been bartered into an arranged marriage.

The talking gift chest was a little silly, I admit.  But that's Armin Shimerman.. which is pretty cool.

What I like about this part is that they didn't go for the obvious drama that could've occurred - that Troi and Wyatt would hate each other... that Wyatt would be a total pig of some kind.  No, it was awkward, but Wyatt was nice and both were willing to go along with the custom.  I thought it showed incredible depth that they weren't wanting to reject all arranged marriage customs because most people believe them to be archaic, myself include.  It's never used again because it doesn't seem to fit with the Betazoid image, and it doesn't jive with what Troi would say later about her mother treating men like commodities, but it was a start.

In fact, instead of the bride and groom hating each other, it was the parents of the bride and groom that didn't get along.  It was all a nice change from what one usually gets from this kind of storyline.

Not sure what they were shaming Riker over in the holodeck.  I don't have any ex mates that I've been deeply involved with, but I didn't see anything unusual about Riker still having feelings for Deanna and feeling uncomfortable by a sudden marriage to someone that she doesn't even know.  I guess they were trying to say that he was wrong for not wanting her to move on, but this was an unusual circumstance, so I don't think it was applied right.

Of course, the best part of the episode was Lwaxana Troi.  This is Majel Barrett's best role since Number One.  For all the pains they took to try and make Deanna Troi seem exotic with the strange bun, hair pieces and casual look, they never quite hit on it and everything they were going for seemed to come to realization in the person of Troi's mother.  She's so colorful and effervescent. Even something as simple as the leaf garland around her arm was much more useful than Deanna's hair style.    

And her strange valet was a nice touch.  With Deanna, the only difference between Betazoids and Humans was the telepathic abilities.  With Lwaxana and Mr. Homn, a person could sense that the differences were strange and delightful, even if not fully realized yet.

The thanksgiving ritual, though employed comically, was certainly part of that.

It was a comical episode and the writers weren't happy with it, but the comedy, though fairly immature like the rest up to this point, somehow works for this episode.  It works because Barrett made it work.  Lwaxana is a cross between a stereotype and a caricature. And even though she's a tad on the obnoxious side, there's a consciousness about it, like it's a image that she's trying to project in order to spice up everyone's lives a little.  To be a free spirit to loosen up the stuffy atmosphere in the ship.  Because she's different and happy to be so.  And in this case perhaps also to annoy the Millers into thinking the marriage isn't worth all this trouble.

Then there's the romantic climax.  Wyatt and the girl from the Tarellian ship have always had a psychic connection.  I called it juvenile because I think every teenage girl has fantasized about this sort of thing at one point or another, but I don't think it's a bad thing.  Several stories have been written in this vein for sci-fi/fantasy magazines, YA novels, T.V. shows, movies etc. for years.  It's a concept that works almost every time it's tried, so it was a safe bet that it would work for Star Trek too.  And even though I usually require more intellectually challenging stories, the woman in me has a soft spot for it.

The drawings added to the romantic effect very nicely.

I'm only disappointed in the actress they got to play Ariana.  Aesthetics are important, even though it's not politically correct to admit it and I didn't think she was all that attractive.  Others may think she was.  She played the part just fine, but I think Sirtis was much prettier, which made it kind of a let-down in a way for me. 

But none of my complaints are enough to warrant a bad review.  I like this episode and I'm glad to see it when it comes back around in the rotation. Four stars. Not five stars.  Not yet.