This is one of those episodes that I feel differently about every time I see it. It's definitely humorous... the sort of awkward situations designed to make the viewer cringe with embarrassment for the characters... and the concept is sound. But it's a touch on the two dimensional side. Probably because it's only one episode and there are considerations to this kind of plot that require more than just a quick wrap up.
When it starts you see Riker being rushed to a hospital on another planet after an explosion. He's been surgically altered to look like everyone else, but he's unconscious and badly hurt. They discover from scanning him that he's physiologically different from everyone else and it makes all of the staff very nervous.
When he regains consciousness he tries to explain to the head of the medical facility that his differences are genetic and his own doctor from the city that he lives on in the southern continent is treating them, but she's on a vacation and they won't be able to contact her. It seems somewhat reasonable, but you can see he still doesn't buy it entirely. Then we see what the episode is all about when it shows several people meeting with Chancellor Durken of this land to discuss funding for warp drive technology. Until now the show had stated that there were rules for making first contact with civilizations that were about to achieve warp technology but it was always filler dialogue. In episodes like Who Watches the Watchers and Pen Pals they'd had scenarios in which first contact had gone wrong or otherwise needed to be contained, but the contact was unintended. So, this sets up a situation for an intentional first contact to go badly since the Malcorians, at this point, know nothing of alien civilizations. There arguments for and against, the primary one against coming from the minister of security named Krola who thinks that people would be frightened of this new technology. But Durken green lights the project anyway.
Picard and Troi then beam down to visit the primary scientist of the project, Marista Yale, to make the first contact. They take her to the Enterprise to prove that it's no joke and of course it's a dream come true for Marista. They explain the hows and whys of first contact situations. The blending in and studying of the culture and the monitoring of communications on the planet. Also that they had to make contact sooner than they'd planned because of their missing embed on the surface. As a scientist she seemed more likely to understand and she does, but discourages them from telling Durken about Riker.
But rumors start circulating at the hospital and Dr. Berel even confronts Riker with the suspicions that he is an alien and he denies it as best he can. So Marista introduces Picard to Durken and he tries to take things slowly as he would if this was a normal contact situation.
But things start spinning out of control pretty fast and this is where it starts to verge on the simplistic side... every character is a representation of a viewpoint. Marista is the scientific community whose life's work is finally coming to fruition. Chancellor Durken, the politician who is skeptical and later understandably angry when he learns that information was being withheld from him concerning Riker. Minister Krola is ridiculous because his concerns seem to paint the society as still believing that they are the only people in the universe and, of course, religious which automatically makes them ignorant of science. This is always insulting personally, but it also makes no sense... if they've advanced to a point where they're ready to surpass light speed, they've most likely been to other planets in their solar system already and accept that other life may exist... otherwise, why bother with space flight at all? The idea that the culture is scared of such things is absurd because they'd had to have been teaching science in schools as evidenced by the fact that their medical science is consistent with an advanced society. And if you actually talk to religious people, they are not only science-literate, most have a neutral opinion of alien life. If it's out there, great. If not, fine. If the culture was as backwards as they want you to believe from the viewpoint of Krola, they wouldn't have advance this far yet. One can argue that we have backwards groups like the flat-earthers, but these people are a very small minority and don't hold positions of influence in the government or in scientific circles. It's just an excuse to bash primarily Christians and it gets so very tiresome to me. Then of course there's nurse Lanel... the stereotypical person who fantasizes about sexual encounters with aliens. She's willing to help Riker escape but only if he makes love to her. It's hysterically uncomfortable.
The escape attempt fails and attendants beat up Riker which puts him near death. Krola learns of a possible alien through all of the rumors and wants to forcefully interrogate Riker. He relieves Dr. Berel of his duties. Berel represents the neutral viewpoint of the episode. He's not keen on the idea of aliens spying on them, but he refuses to hurt Riker since he's a doctor and committed to their version of the Hippocratic Oath. Meanwhile Durken learns of Riker and is really mad about being the last to know. Still Picard leaves the decision on how to deal with Riker's presence in the hands of Durken as a show of good faith since they could easily over power the entire place and take Riker back themselves. Once he finds out from Marista that Riker is near death and wouldn't survive even the peaceful questioning he has in mind, he rushes to the hospital in time to stop Krola from killing him. Krola puts Riker's phaser (found with him when he was brought in) in his own hand and fires upon himself to make it look like an alien attack. At that point Dr. Crusher and Worf beam down and everyone gets taken back up to the Enterprise.
Riker is saved. Krola's phaser wound was only from the stun setting anyway and he begs Durken not to make an alliance with the Federation or proceed with warp technology and he finally agrees, presumably because he understands that most people would react like Krola. I don't think people would panic if the first contact could have been done right, even if it was a real life situation. And it's kind of sad to see the operation botched like this... you feel for everyone involved. But Marista gets her wish in part. She asks to stay on the Enterprise and continue exploring space and they're willing to accept her if Durken is okay with it. He is, and the way they wrap it all up is discussion of how the society will cover up the alien in the hospital story. And it's surprisingly very believable and true to life ala area 51 style.
Like I said, I don't know... I go back and forth on this one. It's a good episode with a good story. But the Krola character represents the absurdity of the liberal writing staff and even though the situations with Lanel and the hospital were funny, I can only take so much of the squirming, awkward situational humor. I think I'll do three and a half stars on this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment