With the lack of any new shows, I'm finally getting back to some Trek. For those who don't remember, this episode is the one where the Enterprise discovers that one planet has got its neighbor planet addicted to a drug that only they can supply.
This was one of Picard's defining early episodes. Kirk would've ran in there and said "Your societies have failed to develop, and I'm going to set you back on track!" In fact, that's what Beverly keeps insisting that Picard should do. But instead, Picard sticks to a strict interpretation of the Prime Directive. The scene in the turbolift where he very passionately tells Beverly that "History has proved again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization... no matter how well intentioned that interference may be... the results are invariably disastrous" is still one of my favorite Picard moments. It also implies that Kirk made a hell of a mess.
This episode is also notable for two significant casting reasons as well: First, it guest stars Judson Scott and the late Merritt Butrick in one of his final roles, both of which also had major supporting roles in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (although they never had a scene together). And secondly, it's the final episode that Denise Crosby filmed as Tasha Yar. She actually waves goodbye in her final scene, as Picard and Beverly walk out of the cargo hold!
And speaking of cargo holds, I'm positive that the octagon containers in the cargo hold here where originally used in V: The Series, which also had... Judson Scott! (But I don't know which episode they were in, so I can't post a picture of them.) It all comes full circle.
No comments:
Post a Comment