Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 1, Episode 7
Original Air Date: November 2, 1987
 |
| Antican via Memory Alpha |
The Enterprise crew juggles two simultaneous challenges this week. First, they must transport members of two adversarial races, the Selay and the Anticans, to an interplanetary conference while preventing them from eating each other - no exaggeration. Second, while passing an energy cloud, our heroes accidentally pick up a stowaway, a non-corporeal entity who takes possession of several members of the crew in turn, ending with Captain Picard.
In this episode, we get a clear signal of an important difference between Captains Kirk and Picard. In "The Man Trap," TOS's first episode to air, Kirk states that he hates mysteries - highly amusing as so many Trek stories are, at heart, mystery tales. In "Lonely Among Us," Picard states the very opposite. He loves them and inspires Data to research Earth's most famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes was a prominent motif in the TNG run.
 |
| via Memory Alpha |
We also get some insight into the future of food as idealized by Gene Roddenberry and company. In discussion with the Anticans, Riker tells them "We no longer enslave animals for food purposes," further explaining that what appears to be meat at their meals is produced inorganically by the replicators. Indeed, Roddenberry himself was a vegetarian and it's interesting to see how that choice influenced his vision for Trek.
Acting Notes
 |
| via Wikipedia |
Cheryl Gates McFadden (Dr. Crusher) was born in March 2, 1949 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. She graduated from Brandeis with honors as a theatre major.
Early on, her choreography work outpaced her acting, wisely hooking up with The Jim Henson Company. She was choreography director for both Labyrinth and The Muppets Take Manhattan. She also makes a brief on-screen appearance in the latter film. She is usually, though not always, credited as Cheryl in choreography and Gates in acting so as to delineate between the two.
McFadden was pregnant during TNG's fourth season. The pregnancy was never written into the story. Crusher always wore a lab coat to conceal it. Her son James was born in 1991. Brent Spiner (Data) is the godfather.
I remember the two alien races, but I don't remember the possession.
ReplyDeleteIf I had more time, I might re-explore Trek, but I'm behind on so many other things right now.
Sometimes I wonder if I should be exploring something else instead... but this feels important for now, in that strange way that such things can seem important.
DeleteI remember those aliens which was funny but foggy on the entity being. I need to revisit ST: TNG. I wonder if I could see Gates dancing (not from ST) if I youtube it? I always love dancing
ReplyDeleteEnjoy: https://youtu.be/yqbLl-Xpl-Y
DeleteI don't remember that episode but I do remember the ones where Holmes came to life on the holodeck. Those were fun.
ReplyDeleteThe holodeck episodes are a worthy thread to follow on their own, I think - through several series.
Deletethe aliens look funny than scary....interesting episode
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm not sure the beings in this story ever move past the comical. Even the eating each other bit comes off a bit silly.
DeleteThis is probably the episode where the series really began to understand itself. The Holmes (and then later Dixon Hill) conceit seemed to help provide the needed original context, which also serves to remind anyone paying attention that it's not really the use of something familiar that defines a thing, but how it's used.
ReplyDeleteMaybe. I think we still have a few weeks until we can smell anything like sure footing. But, a tribute to the legacy beyond sci-fi is meaningful, and worth building on in the long run.
DeleteOh I definitely remember this one. "First, they must transport...adversarial races...while preventing them from eating each other." In 1987 I had 4 kids at home, with wonderfully divergent personalities, and appreciated ST,TNG addressing this challenge. Yes, I'll watch it again! I had no idea Gates McFadden and I were born the same year.
ReplyDeleteI hope no one at your house threatened to eat a sibling!
DeleteI do not remember this episode, so have to watch it.
ReplyDeleteMy 3 kids didn't want to eat each other, but had other mean stuff to do.
My sister and I did not get along as kids. We're much better now.
DeleteI missed so many of these episodes. I think I would have remembered races trying to eat each other !
ReplyDeleteparsnip
At some point, of course, I will compile a best-of or quick tour list for TNG episodes. This one won't be on it.
Delete