Like Vash and Moriarty, I didn't think Bok deserved a follow up. It's actually not as much of a follow up as it is an improvement on the original concept from the first season... perhaps a much belated attempt to correct another first season lemon as they were prone to doing in the third season. I'll own that it's a much better episode than The Battle, but I could've done without it all the same. It was yet another story that could've been sacrificed to having Wesley in more than once to thoroughly delve into his Academy burn out.
It starts with the Enterprise approaching an unmanned probe that is drifting towards them. It hails the captain specifically and when they open a channel, they detect a power surge coming from it so they raise the shields. But they can tell it's a holographic transmission of some kind so they modify their shields so that it can slip through. It is a holographic projection of DaiMon Bok who Picard recognizes immediately. The message is directed at him as Bok starts accusing Picard of killing his son some fifteen years prior. He then claims that he has found a way to exact the perfect revenge by killing what he believes to be Picard's son, a young man named Jason Vigo. Picard orders that the probe be taken in for examination to determine where it came from. He also wants the Ferengi government contacted to discover why Bok is commanding a ship again. And since he'd already mentioned the boy's name, he orders them to find him via his mother whose name is Miranda Vigo. Riker reports later that the Ferengi officials can't be contacted right now. He tells him that Data has found that the woman he'd mentioned has a son named Jason as well as the planet they'd settled on. He hands him a recent picture and although he doesn't pry (a very mature improvement over seven seasons, I have to admit) Picard offers a brief explanation anyway describing a brief fling while he was on shore leave about 24 years ago. Riker then is free to ask if Miranda ever told him that she was pregnant. She never did, so Picard deduces that either Bok is lying or that she chose to raise the child by herself as per her independent nature. He's determined to find him anyway since Bok seems bent on killing him. They go to the planet that Miranda was known to be at and look for human life signs in rural areas since she was a botanist. They only find one male human that fits the age range of Jason Vigo but he's far beneath the surface with seismic activity about him. Assuming that he's in danger, they transport him up. We see while he's in the beam that he's dressed for recreational climbing and that he was in mid-climb when he was transported. He steps down unbalanced after he is fully materialized.
He assumes he's in trouble for climbing in that particular cave and when he finds out they're not there to police that activity he's confused. Picard explains to him that he's an old friend of his mother's and that someone is threatening to kill him because he believes that he is his son. He asks him if he wants to take a DNA test. The results quickly show that Picard is his father as Jason dodges questions about what he does for a living. Afterwards, Picard takes him to his own quarters. He shows him some of his artifacts including a rare but valueless Gorlan prayer stick. Jason is uninterested. He tries to assure him that if Miranda had told him that she had his child, he would've been a part of his life. He's not resentful, but he's not comfortable either and just wants to go back to the surface. Picard tells him of his history with Bok and advises against his return until the matter is cleared up. Meanwhile Geordi and Data are trying to track the path of the probe. The navigational systems were encrypted so they had to go by the deposits that accumulated on the hull, but they indicate a large number of possible systems. They are then contacted by a DaiMon from the Ferengi Alliance. He tells them that Bok is no longer a DaiMon and that he managed to buy his way out of prison two years ago. He mentions the system he was last known to be in but he's not very helpful. However, Geordi can narrow down the search for the probe's origins with that information and they head towards it.
Picard goes to talk to Beverly for parental advice. Jason is obviously pushing him away and he's thinking it would be wise to not force the issue. I happen to agree, but Beverly considers that by taking that route, Picard is just doing what's easiest for him. Troi takes it upon herself to talk to Jason, but he's only interested in making passes at her so she doesn't stay long but the audience does learn that he's had people out to kill him before and that the experience of meeting his father has left him a little "shaky." Later when the Enterprise comes out of warp, Picard is awaken in his quarters by Bok standing near his bed continuing to threaten Jason. He calls security but Bok disappears. I guess it's supposed to be psychologically tense, but even though the Ferengi had been improved remarkably, it's still hard to take them seriously in that kind of position. They have a new mystery to solve now since he shouldn't have been able to beam in through the shields. They bring up the mind control device from The Battle in order to rule it out and he puts this new development in the hopper of things to investigate. He has Worf assign a security detail to Jason. They follow him everywhere staying too close for his comfort. He gets them to stand back a little in Ten Forward so they don't see his hand start to shake before he puts his drink down. Picard comes in to update him on the latest changes with Bok. Jason is now starting to feel very cramped and irritated by the situation. So Picard tells him about how he can simulate rock climbing conditions in the holodeck and offers to show him. But Jason is very firm this time when he tells him that he has no interest in getting to know him better and insists on going alone.
DaiMon Bok sneaks into Picard's ready room again to taunt him and argue about the past while demonstrating that he can take Jason any time he wants with the transporter trick he appears to be pulling. Meanwhile Jason has seizures and needs to be taken to Sick Bay. He tells them about his hand shaking but that he's never had seizures before. Crusher diagnosis him with a rare neurological disorder that could leave him paralyzed if it goes untreated. It's also a hereditary disorder that she knows Picard doesn't have, however Jason's certain his mother never had seizures like this either. Crusher decides she'll check for the possibility that it was caused by a random mutation. Privately, Picard tells Beverly of his criminal record on the planet and expresses guilt for not being present in his life growing up and she recommends patience. Moving along, Geordi and Data are making progress with in explaining how Bok has been able to sneak aboard. They think he's using a subspace transporter but they can trace him when he uses it again to find out where he is. They can't think of any way to protect Jason except to keep a signal lock on him. So Picard goes to him once again to update him on the situation. He finds him in the holodeck and sends the security officers away before he free scales the rock face to reach the ledge he's sitting on. Jason is impressed enough to talk with him for a while this time. He tells him about his mother and the life they led on the planet. She'd taken in a lot of orphaned children that were products of the Cardassian War. She became a mother and teacher to all of them and was killed by muggers for the food she was carrying one day. Picard talks about his own estrangement with his father and offers again to find a way to connect with him. Jason tries to push him away again by telling him what a scoundrel he actually is, but is surprised to find that Picard already knows and doesn't care because he's interested in forming a relationship with him. Later, Beverly calls Picard to her office to talk about the test she ran on Jason. She gravely tells him that there's something he needs to know. On the bridge they detect Bok trying to use his transporter and call to Picard in Sick Bay. They can't prevent Jason from being beamed off the ship. But they are able to track down exactly where his ship is after Bok sends another taunting probe that explodes into a Ferengi communication of light patterns. It would still take a while to reach the ship, so Picard asks if they can use subspace transportation as well. Geordi says they can send him, but he doesn't know if he can get him back. Picard opts to go anyway.
Jason is trying to bargain for his life when Picard transports onto the ship. He disarms the other Ferengi officers by threatening to kill Bok, while Bok holds a knife to Jason in order to disarm Picard. That's when Picard reveals what Beverly had to tell him - Jason is not really his son. He discloses that Crusher discovered how Bok had resequenced Jason's DNA to make it look like he was his father. But his method was flawed and caused the neurological condition that Jason was suffering from. At first the other Ferengi officers sourly complain that Picard probably won't pay a ransom now, but Picard points out that there was never a ransom involved and that Bok was in this purely for revenge. He also informs them that he was stripped of his command. When Bok comes unglued and starts ranting, they realize that Picard is telling the truth and they take control of the ship from Bok citing that this is an unprofitable venture.
Later Jason is getting ready to leave. Crusher has reversed the disorder and the damage won't be permanent. Picard tries to get him to stay longer, but Jason wants to go back and make a sincere effort to sort his life out. Picard gives him the antique prayer stick as a memento and they part as friends leaving Picard feeling something of a loss.
This episode was an attempt to redo the episode The Battle and it has flavors of Suddenly Human sprinkled in it as well as far as seeing Picard attempting to bond with a son-like figure. That was an episode that also needed improvement and the impressions they gleaned from it mixed well with this story. And it reinforces the updated Ferengi model of being only interested in business profit rather than aggressive piracy or conquest. It really isn't a bad episode, but it's still hard to buy a psychopathic Ferengi even with the wonderful improvements of the writers and cast after seven seasons. I don't hate it but I don't love it. The character of Picard, as always, makes it worthy of a decent star rating though. Four stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment