Episode: "Unnatural Selection"
Series:
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 2, Episode 7
Original Air Date: January 30, 1989
Our friends encounter a Starfleet supply ship, upon which all aboard have died from rapid aging. Scientists at Gagarin IV, the supply ship's last port of call, appear doomed to the same. The scientists, resigned to their own fate, are more concerned about the future of their genetically-engineered children, who seem unaffected by whatever is causing the aging in the adults.
Aging and death again.
"Unnatural Selection" is a Pulaski story. In the teaser, Picard expresses his concern to Troi that the doctor's obvious dedication to the medical work may occasionally cloud her judgment. Throughout the story, we observe the tension between captain and doctor. By episode's end, they both seem to have gained a greater appreciation for one another.
This is not an especially memorable episode though there is one meaningful development for the long-term: the emergence of Transporter Chief O'Brien (Colm Meany). Meany played the recurring character from the beginning of the series but this is the first time he is given a title or even a name. I'll have more on Meany soon. Suffice to say for now: his overall
Trek appearance tally is exceeded only by Michael Dorn's.
Acting Notes
Patricia Smith played the role of Dr. Sara Kingsley, the lead scientist on Gagarin IV. She was born February 20, 1930 in New Haven, Connecticut. She had film credits early in her career in
The Bachelor Party and
The Spirit of St. Louis, both released in 1957. However, most of her work was guest appearances on television, including
Gunsmoke,
Perry Mason,
The Twilight Zone,
The Fugitive and
Hawaii Five-O. She did have a principal role on
The Debbie Reynolds Show as Debbie's sister, Charlotte, and a recurring one on the
Bob Newhart Show.
Smith died of heart failure in 2011, age 80.
I have what may be vague memories of this episode.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's age.
I always did like O'Brien.
Not really worth the time, this one.
DeleteI am commenting but no post shows up I think I am hitting the wrong button again.
ReplyDeleteI liked Patricia Smith in all the shows I saw.
parsnip
Sorry for your tech difficulties. Glad you got it to work.
DeleteBeing ex-military I'm a stickler for proper rank being displayed. Being that O'Brien was a Chief (enlisted as opposed to be an officer) I never could get a handle on his actual rank.
ReplyDeleteMy second issue with this episode was the backstory as to why humans look down upon genetic research. I know, Khan and the confusing Eugenics Wars play a part but Trek writers haven't offered any explanation to what happened. Especially since they were supposed to take place in the 1990s.
He originally was an officer but they switched after several appearances to an enlisted status. That's probably where the difficulties arise.
DeleteIt didn't help matters concerning the Eugenics Wars, meanwhile, when Voyager literally visits the '90s in one of its two-parters and never once mentions them. I think there's great potential for a prequel that goes beyond Starfleet to handle this stuff. Between the Eugenics Wars and WWIII, there's a great of great material, especially spotlighting people who never gave up hope, leading to the breakthroughs like Cochran's warp flight that made Gene Roddenberry's vision possible.
Star Trek leaves a lot of history to fill. That well will never run dry and that's one of the beauties of the franchise. It's problematic that our own time now overlaps with what would have been that history but they've worked around bigger problems.
DeleteI am not a fan of Dr. Polanski for her attitude toward Data. I was happy when Dr. Crusher came back. Chief O'Brien ended up having a bigger role in the series, which was great. Thanks for this post. :) ~ Jess
ReplyDeletePulaski never worked for me either.
DeleteIt's amazing, the journey Colm Meaney took...!
ReplyDeleteLack of wifi has been preventing me from commenting, as my phone for whatever reason won't allow it. So I'm taking advantage of breaking my recent routines to drop you a comment!
Probably "Unnatural Selection" was an effort to integrate Pulaski into the crew a little more, acknowledging the difficulties while helping her, at least as far as the series itself was concerned, begin to get past them. I think by the time she left at the end of the season, it no longer mattered what they'd tried. Fans just didn't care. And again, the fact that she never returned helped solidify this legacy. If Yar hadn't returned in "Yesterday's Enterprise," I wonder if fans would remember her at all.
I never exactly took to the character but she does have her moments. Beverly brings so much warmth to the story. She is, to my mind, Uhura's heir in that regard. Pulaski's a bit too rough around the edges to be an adequate replacement.
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