This is an episode where the A and B stories really come together in a funny and poignant way. The story of Kira’s giving birth brings out all the complications of surrogacy and the pettiness that people can get into. And Odo’s story with the baby changeling tears at my heartstrings. Not unlike Lal saying she will feel the love for both her and Data (see #7), the changeling sacrifices itself so that Odo can be a changeling again. And then he soars away as a hawk! I cry every time I watch this episode.
When I was in college, we had a sort of Star Trek club that would meet in our dorm room to watch the reruns in the afternoon. We all tried to memorize the lyrical speech from Spock’s mind-meld with the Horta. “Sadness. Sadness for the end of things.” It’s a great speech. I really like that this episode explores the idea of life based on silicon and expands the idea of thinking about other creatures as sentient beings. And then there is a way that a beneficial relationship can be developed from understanding others better. What an awesome episode.
Paul Winfield is always a winner, and this episode was so clever to focus on metaphor as a language. The relationship that develops between the alien and Picard is wonderfully written, and the conclusion is bittersweet and poignant. A guy in my Tai Chi class had a tee shirt that said “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” and I loved it! He said I was the first person to know what it meant.
Data is a dad? I was surprised at how much this episode touched me. Who would’ve thought that a relationship between two robots could pull at the heartstrings so? I didn’t know Hallie Todd (who plays Lal) before this, but she is marvelous, and the relationship between her and Data is charming and touching. This was Jonathan Frakes’ first directing opportunity, and he did a great job. The final goodbye between Data and Lal is touching because she has gained the ability to experience emotion, so she promises to feel the love for both of them, since Data cannot.
I don’t like the movie First Contact, and one reason is because I love this episode so much. The Zefram Cochran in that movie is nothing like the guy in this episode, and I really like this guy. Elinor Donahue is brilliant in this as the grumpy ambassador and then the loving Companion. The lyrical way the Companion speaks, the sacrifice she makes for Cochran, and the concept of having to communicate with a non-material being all combine to make this an extra-special episode.
Kirk falls in love again, and I believe in it again, even though it happens really fast. The writing in this episode is so lyrical, and the acting is top-notch. The most touching part is at the very end, when Spock tries to help Kirk forget the terrible loss (although I know he really should process the grief). All the acting is great, and the story is great too. The thought of an eternal being who did all those great things is unbelievable and yet an awesome concept. As a side note, I spent years on a crusade to get people to spell Rayna’s name right. For some reason, Bjo Trimble spelled it incorrectly in the Star Trek Concordance (it was spelled on the nameplates in the episode, for pity’s sake!), and that misspelling perpetuated throughout many publications. I wrote to the author of one of those reference books, and he fixed it in a subsequent edition.
This is acknowledged to be one of the best Star Trek episodes ever, and I don’t disagree. I feel the pain when Kirk must choose to let Edith die—I really believe that he loves her. The weird thing is that Harlan Ellison originally wanted Kirk to choose Edith over the timeline and have Spock stop him. He thought that sacrificing the world for one person was the greater sacrifice. That choice sounds selfish to me—it might be a more realistic choice, but not a noble sacrifice. The other weird thing about this episode is that when they first released TOS on video, the song Good Night, Sweetheart was left out because of copyright issues. That meant that several musical callbacks to the tune also had to be left out. The replacement song was not as good! I even wrote to the company to complain, and they responded (I’m paraphrasing), “Sorry, but we had to. Anyway, it was just one song.” Ugh. They have since remedied that in subsequent releases.
This is widely considered the best episode of Next Generation and I do not disagree. What an extraordinary way for someone to preserve their culture: cause someone to experience living as one of them. Picard’s reactions are all believable and reasonable, and the probe’s program was able to deal with all his particular reactions. I believe he really loves his wife and children, and the reveal really gets to me every time. I also like that they bring back the flute in subsequent episodes.
I’ve loved this episode since I first saw it when I was 10 years old. I really believe that Kirk loves Miramanee, and I feel the joy in their love and the tragedy of her death. It gets me every time. I am aware that in today’s world, it’s a cringey depiction of American Indians, but at the time, it was sensitive in that the aliens, and then the Enterprise, saved the tribe, and they were allowed to live in peace.
I often bring up this episode when talking to people about grief. It is so tempting to “freeze program” and not deal with death and grief, but the Doctor’s experience and Tom Paris’ advice are such a great explanation of why we need to go through the process of grief. This episode not only makes me “feel the feels,” but it has an important life lesson as well.
