Star Trek: Homeward

Episode: "Homeward"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 7, Episode 13

Original Air Date: January 17, 1994

via Memory Alpha

The Enterprise responds to a distress call from Worf's brother, Nikolai Rozhenko.  Much to the distress of our heroes, Nikolai has been helping villagers in a pre-warp civilization in violation of the Prime Directive.  In fact, as we eventually learn, he's fallen in love with one of Boraalans and she is pregnant.  Nikolai has a clever plan for rescuing the villagers from their dying planet and, reluctantly, Picard agrees to help.

"Homeward" gets mixed reviews from the critics.  Many don't like Picard taking on the enforcer role in a situation where we, the viewers, are set up to see him as in the wrong.  I appreciate Trek stories like this, though admittedly the original series did them better.  I enjoy a good moral dilemma and the Prime Directive always delivers.  Quite often, leaders in the real world - even the ones we see as the good guys - are put in these situations and the right choice is not always obvious.

Historical context is relevant.  The Prime Directive was first introduced in 1967, at the time an obvious response to the Vietnam War.  Gene Roddenberry was not a fan of the US's involvement in Southeast Asia.  Much of the Trek philosophy was built around his objection so a futuristic, Starfleet policy of non-interference, especially with developing cultures, made a lot of sense.  

Global politics were different in 1994.  War in the Balkans dominated the headlines and attitudes towards American involvement ran the gamut.  Was there any way to enter the conflict without making it worse?  Wouldn't we simply become another warring faction of many?  Who were the good guys anyway?

But there was genocide.  Ethnic cleansing was happening in Bosnia and everybody knew it.  By not getting involved, were the United States and its allies complicit in the murders and the rapes?  The questions were not easily answered.  There were UN sanctions and trade embargoes.  Peace was negotiated.  The fighting continued.  If you weren't alive at the time, trust me.  In February 1994, all was an unholy mess and the path out of it was far from obvious.

Now consider Picard's position.  Obviously, there is sympathy for the Boraalans.  (Is the alliteration between Bosnians and Boraalans a coincidence?  I doubt it.)  But the Prime Directive is clear and as ugly as the consequences of following it can be, the question remains of whether breaking it is truly in the best interest of all.

Imagine you're the captain.  You've signed on with the firm largely because you share its moral grounding.  You know these tough calls are part of the job.  Is it ever okay to violate the holiest of principles even if it means extinction for an intelligent species?  What would you do?

The Worf/Nickolai story is satisfying.  The brotherly tension is thick.  Worf resents Nickolai's disregard for his responsibilities, in this and all situations.  Nickolai clearly loves Worf and also chafes at his more conventional attitudes.  Fortunately, there's resolution and understanding by the end.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Paul Sorvino (Nickolai) was born April 13, 1939 in New York City.  He started as a copywriter for an advertising agency.  While attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, initially for voice lessons, he decided to go into acting.  He made his Broadway debut in 1964 with Bajour.  In 1972, he was nominated for a Tony for his performance in That Championship Season.  

In 1990, Sorvino played the unforgettable mob boss Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas, widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made - certainly on a short list for the past 50 years.  The movie cemented his Hollywood legacy, yet he regretted that most of the public saw him as a thug.  He was a strong choice for father figures in general: Juliet's father in Romeo + Juliet, David's father in Moonlighting and Murray's father in The Goldbergs.  He was also proud of playing Kissinger in Nixon and a deaf lawyer in Dummy.  He was also an accomplished sculptor.

Sorvino was married three times and had three children from his first marriage, including two actors: Michael and the Oscar-winning Mira.  He passed away in 2022 from natural causes.