A soapy amnesia premise, but I always liked this one. I always liked it when the characters got to behave differently, even if it was only a little.
It has a fairly long opening scene involving everyone's random daily activities. Data and Troi are playing chess in Ten Forward and Troi surprises Data by winning the game. As payment of the bet, he goes to the bar to make her a drink called a Sumarian Sunset. Beverly is tending an crewman who was injured while cliff diving on the holodeck, and Riker is butting heads with Ensign Ro over procedure and by now, we know that this is typical behavior from her and even Riker. He's not as laxed in his authority with her due to her aggressive attitude. They get to the bridge and the Enterprise sees a small ship approaching. Worf recommends shields and arming of weapons. But Picard wants to show a little good faith for a change and decides to move in unprepared for conflict.
They see that the strange ship is preparing a scanner of some kind, so Picard orders the shields raised. But it doesn't help. The scanning beam strikes Ten Forward first, at the front of the ship, causing a blip in the conversation Data is having with Troi which leaves her looking a little more confused that she would normally look. Then the beam makes its way to the bridge. After it passes around the bridge everyone stands and looks around bewildered at each other. Everyone has been stricken with amnesia. Of course, the audience is let in on the gag... Before the beam everyone is sitting expectantly in their positions... after the beam there's an extra crewman on the bridge that nobody has seen before.
This new guy claims to be suffering from memory loss too. The amnesia is selective though and restricted to their identities only though... they still have their skills in place to operate the ship. There's a lot of fun in these opening moments. Riker guesses that Picard is the leader because he has the most pips on his collar. But Worf sees his baldric as being an indication of being the most decorated on board, and therefore the leader. Picard rationally doesn't care, but only wants to find out what's gone on. Geordi is sent to check on propulsion and computer records while Ro and Riker go deck to deck to see if the amnesia applies to everyone on board since the computer access is limited and Worf assumes command. When Geordi tells him that the ship is battle ready, he's happy about that and fully supported by the strange officer.
Much of the episode is spent centered on Riker and Ro's hidden attraction. Hidden by their headstrong personalities that they are now blissfully unaware of. They flirt as they go around the ship. Troi is also aware of her deep connection with Riker, but has no memory of how close they'd been. I sort of wish they could've focused on other characters besides these three, but I suppose there wouldn't have been much to focus on... Geordi and Beverly don't have any romantic or family ties to sort out; Keiko and Miles would've figured out they're married after they were shown to their quarters. And there was plenty of humor with the others in assuming that Data was the bar tender and the power grab from Worf. The moments of fun continue on the bridge as they get the crew manifest up finally. Worf is embarrassed to find out that not only is he not the captain, but he's also one of the lowest ranking senior officers. Picard is cool about it though. The thing to take away is that their behaviors all made sense and were consistent with their personalities even though they couldn't remember who they were. Riker is a total player and Ro is the type that takes charge of her surroundings with an eye on Riker now. Troi understands her empathic abilities are unique on the ship and her subconscious remembers the bond she once shared with Riker. Worf the warrior is ready to command and fight while Picard is trying to rationalize and weigh all options; each suited for command, but for different types of ships. The strange officer turns out to be executive officer, Commander Kieran MacDuff.
They then find the files that brief them on their mission. That they are at war with a people called the Lysians. He shows them a diagram of their command center and explains that their orders are to go there and destroy it. The only snag is that communications are completely closed. They are to maintain radio silence and are not to use subspace to ask for confirmation of any of this. Everyone is uncomfortable with this except the new exo officer. It then kills more time with the strange love triangle of Troi, Riker, and Ro. Ro pursues Riker unashamedly while he still finds more evidence that he and Troi share, or at least have had shared, an intimate relationship. This episode is as close as the show ever comes to dealing with the fact that Riker and Troi, who once were lovers, now work closely together while he (and she, but mostly he) has random love affairs and whatever underlying feelings they have with this situation in life. I prefer the sinister part of the story unfolding around the phony mission. On the bridge, they encounter a small vessel. Picard wants to hail it, but MacDuff persists with the story that they are at war and impresses the need upon them to destroy it. Worf is all for it naturally, so he has some back up. Picard fires and the vessel is destroyed with an awkwardly unnatural ease.
But the Enterprise crew are doers, not watchers. The detailed personnel files and medical records remained blocked so Crusher decides to try a procedure that may work. MacDuff volunteers to undergo the procedure first and goes into fits of seizures, which causes the attempt to be abandoned. Picard is troubled about the moral implications of the war and concerned that their enemy doesn't seem to have any realistic military threat. So, MacDuff takes Worf into his confidence and plays to his warrior spirit, telling him that the two of them may have to take charge in order to win this war. Worf's look at this is unreadable. Of course, the audience knows about Klingon loyalty and honor now, so we can be confident that he wouldn't overthrow the captain unless there was a good reason.
And he gets the opportunity to pick sides quickly. As they approach the Lysian command station, they blast away all of the unmanned sentry pods that guard it. Once again, there is no challenge. The Enterprise picks them off as easily as stepping on ants. When they get to the command station, Data reports that it's weapons are next to nothing and that there are 15,000 people on it. With the realization that one photon torpedo would destroy it, Picard logically wonders how a people with such insignificant weaponry be their mortal enemy. MacDuff tries to get him to fire, but he refuses to fire on defenseless people. So he turns to Worf to incite a mutiny, not realizing that although Klingons like to battle, they don't go after defenseless prey either. Picard's logic wins out and Worf tries to subdue MacDuff.
As they fire on him, they discover that he's not human. Crusher is given the okay to try restoring memories again, and this time it works. They discover that MacDuff was really a Satarran, a group of people that had been at war with the Lysians for a hundred years. Their militaries were equally matched and each side could never make any progress so the Satarrans flashed the Enterprise crews' memories and planted him on board to lead them to ending their war with their superior technology. It's a nice little twist but, as with the episode, The Game, this kind of twist doesn't feel believable to me. It ends with Riker having to confront Ro and Troi. Ro and Troi are amused and Riker is embarrassed and confused. It's a funny scene.
Like I said, the science fiction of having great mind control technology without any other kind of military technology is dubious in my opinion, especially since they had the capability of blocking Data's memory as well... I mean at least in The Game, they had to put him out of commission. And the soap opera story of Ro, Troi, and Riker isn't the greatest thing ever, but it's likeable and funny enough and not far fetched at all... as Troi said, it's psychologically valid, and that always interests me. And it was also refreshing to see humanity portrayed as something other than barbaric when left to deal with situations with no prior knowledge. Definitely a turn from their normal attitude. I think it deserves three and a half stars.
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