This episode was Marina Sirtis' least favorite. I have mixed feelings on it. And so begins Season Two of Star Trek, The Next Generation.
I'll start with the good points this time. Geordi is chief engineer now and it fits him like a glove. It's like he'd been playing this part all along, and in a way he had. They put him in many technical scenes where an adult was required instead of just Wesley. He is also promoted to a full lieutenant instead of just junior grade lieutenant. I bet nobody would question his authority if he'd ever had a chance to command the Enterprise after this, but it's not a scenario they ever went with again.
Riker also has the beard, and I think it looked better. So did everyone else apparently - he showed up to rehearsals like that and they told him to keep it. It added character not just to Riker, but the entire visual of the cast as a whole.
And Deanna is in the familiar maroon unitard that would become synonymous with her character. She finally looked good to me. No cheerleader outfit. No weird bun. They finally started working with Sirtis' natural beauty.
The introduction of Guinan. Picard speaks to her as though she's been there all along, but this is her first episode. Guinan is an exception to the rule of developing characters. She's a mystery and her race is never explained... at least not satisfactorily. But, it's okay. She's just there to move the plots along subtly, and to be a friendly listener and advisor as a bar tender. It seems like a redundancy since there's already a counselor on board, but since her character isn't primary, it actually works out well. The character of Dr. Crusher is gone in this season, written away as heading up Starfleet Medical and Wesley is feeling sad about having to potentially leave as well. Guinan makes the Wesley moments better and believable. It's not something he'd need to see a psychologist over... just something he'd need to chew over with a sympathetic ear. Ten Forward is also seen for the first time even though it's been mentioned before. So, perhaps Guinan was always there. Lol.
The introduction of Dr. Kathrine Pulaski. I really did enjoy Pulaski. Diane Maulder made a difficult character likeable and they didn't make it easy for her. They gave up on trying to draw out Picard's personality with a female character when McFadden left and decided instead to bring Pulaski in as a foil for Data. But like so many other things under Roddenberry's reign it was just a copy of the relationship between McCoy and Spock. She's prejudiced against the fact that he's a machine in the way the Bones was prejudiced against Spock's alien nature. Now, McCoy acting like a crotchety old man could be charming, but Pulaski being an old bag would've been detrimental to her character. Spock was seen as superior to Bones and able to outwit him easily... their verbal sparring matches were fun. Data is portrayed as innocent, so Pulaski's chiding could've come off as mean and bullying if taken too far. So, she had to walk a fine line with her personality. She had to be set in her ways like most mature people would be. She also had to have a more commanding presence than what we were used to seeing in Crusher, at least in the first season. But she had to smooth all that over with the kindness and compassion associated with women in ways that it isn't with men. I'm ultimately glad they brought Crusher back because this character was limited, but she certainly stands her ground as a good, solid character while she's there.
The plot: Troi is impregnated by an alien. This episode has been criticized for having a "rape-y" feel to it. And certainly, in the opening moments she sits in the conference room looking sufficiently violated and much like a frightened teenager. But, I always thought that this sort of thing is like a dream come true for people who really want to believe in aliens and their existence... you know, mysterious interbreeding and all that. Or as an affront against the Emaculate Conception of Christ - if there really was a fatherless baby born in Bethlehem, it must have been aliens and that most sci-fi atheists would approve. I admit, it was very unsettling to see all the main characters sitting around discussing what to do about a situation that was personal to one character. I think it was badly done, but I think this concept had promise. I'm not sure how I'd go about fixing it, but I like the premise an awful lot from a writer's perspective. Of course, with the first and second season, the only thing that anyone seemed to be interested in was melodrama.
From Picard being overly offended at Pulaski's failure to report in (time waster) and Riker's jealousy even though he was the "girl in every port" type of guy. Everybody looking so seriously alarmed with every new development takes place with the child. And the musical score doesn't help... it's still too over dramatic and intended to produce more tension that what I think is necessary.
The scene of Riker looking on in awe of Deanna while she gives birth was appropriate though since, even after they are both having other relationships regularly without it being a problem, she is still "the one that got away" and the real love of his life and the one he would eventually marry. There are a lot of things to like about this story from a writer's standpoint. I loved all of the aspects that the characters were freaking out about... the 3 day pregnancy, the rapidly growing child, the fact that he's ultimately benign and his presence was just a learning experience.
It was rushed though and not very well thought out. For example, I think the burn incident would've happened at the younger age. It made me think of the alien was rather stupid. And due to his rate of growth the boy should've been even older by the end, I thought, but that wouldn't have fit in with the story the way they were trying to tell it. And there could've been many other learning experiences besides puppies and finger burns. A lot of potential wasted to my mind on drama, drama, drama.
To wrap it up, they write in his presence is having an adverse effect on a containment module that is carrying strains of deadly diseases. This aspect of the show was really starting to wear thin on me by now. Always a disease or a virus or something. Talk about beating a dead horse... they overused that plot device a lot in the first two season since they didn't want to have any conflict or war in their dream world of perfect peace throughout the galaxy. So instead, they were always a breath away from being killed by a disease. It just wasn't doing anything for me as far as tension goes anymore.
So, the alien chooses to leave it's humanoid form and return to space. Another good idea and his exit scene is very nice. The way they tease Wesley when he decides to stay is kind of silly, but it also shows the cast as being able to really read each other on a personal level in a group situation, so I won't complain about it too much. I wouldn't call it the strongest start to the second season, but it could've been a lot worse.
There was a lot worse. The second season is bipolar at best. There are some really good episodes in this season and some really bad ones too. All a part of the birth and growing pains of the show, I suppose. However, I can't help but like this episode even though it was a little odd. It's the potential for the premise that intrigues me so. Three stars.
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