S1E19 Coming of Age

Season 1 Episode 19: Coming of Age

Watchability: Skip
Short Answer: A couple interesting points, but nothing you are going to miss.
Notables: Serves as a sort of precursor to "Conspiracy"

There are two main threads running through this episode. The first one is about one of Picard's old friends who is now an admiral. He comes to the Enterprise and investigates Picard's record for reasons unknown. By today's standards has a fairly predictable twist. The more "interesting" part of this plot line is continued in the episode "Conspiracy" later this season, so I won't go into it here. We'll see how I feel when I get to it, but I recall that episode being one of the strangest episodes in the entire series. If you watch this one, definitely watch "Conspiracy". It's not good, but it will probably be good for a laugh.

The second plot line follows Wesley Crusher as he applies to Starfleet. It's interesting for a couple reasons. The one that piqued my interest is that the Starfleet application process is very selective. Of all the children on the Enterprise, Wesley is the only one allowed to take the exam. The plot diverges a bit into the story about another teenager who does not get accepted. I suppose he is intended to be a foil for Wesley, but I have a hard time seeing the purpose. He seems to exist solely to let Picard give him a heart filled pep-talk about trying again.

Having the exam be so selective definitely seems to drive home the point that the Starfleet is "the best and the brightest" (which later plot-lines are happy to contradict). We already saw that it is difficult to even be allowed to take the test. In addition, only one person from the test is accepted. It's understandable that Starfleet wants people of a certain caliber, but having the applicants compete against each other seems a little contrary to the principles of the show. It seems at odds with a world that talks about how there is no unemployment and everyone is able to do what they set out to do. If all the applicants were capable of being a Starfleet officer, I would think that they would accept them.

As per usual, I am probably over analyzing it. This aspect of the plot is probably exists just to facilitate the moral (see Spoiler Section below). If any of the discussion above sounds interesting, go ahead and watch it. Otherwise, it is pretty safe to skip.

Spoilers...
By the end of the exam, it is clear that Wesley and Mordock, another candidate, are neck-and-neck. Wesley takes a moment during one of the tests to help his opponent, which causes him to fail to get accepted into Starfleet. Picard delivers what I assume is the moral of the episode in this statement: "You have to measure your successes and failures within." Written down it's a little bit trite, but it is no worse than the life lessons that other shows of the time dole out (I'm looking at you Full House...).

Side Notes
(1) A few episodes back, I talked about a gesture that Patrick Stewart often makes which is jokingly called "The Picard Maneuver". In this episode, we almost see "The Riker Maneuver" (I think it is called that). As you continue to watch the show, you may notice that Riker often straddles a chair. This action denotes to us, the audience, his laid-back persona. He doesn't quite do it here, but he does swing his leg over the chair like he is going to, but without turning the chair around.

(2) This episode also features the first instance of Riker ALMOST getting to command the Enterprise. Picard tells Riker that he has been offered an admiralty, and you can see the excitement in Riker's face until Picard tells him that he has turned it down. Throughout the show, there are a number of times where Riker seems to waiting for the chance to command the Enterprise. Sometimes he gets to command of the ship for a little while. At other times, he is offered a position somewhere else and turns it down. He just can't seem to catch a break.

S1E18 Home Soil

Season 1 Episode 18: Home Soil

Watchability: Skip
Short Answer: Nothing really wrong with it, but doesn't really add anything either.
Quotation: "That would require the talents of a master programmer"

I made this episode a Skip because it didn't really grab me. The plot was decent and the writing wasn't bad, but I would say that it didn't offer a lot that other episodes don't already do. For someone that has limited time, I would say skip this one.

Side Notes
(1) There is one scene of this episode that I remembered as a kid. When Dr. Crusher is first examining the rock crystals (or whatever they are...), someone asks if it is alive. That sparks a little mini-lecture about what characteristics are required for being a living organism. I remembered it well enough to recite it years later in my biology class. I thought it was cool that I actually learned something from the show.

(2) Apparently you can put images on webpages... Why didn't I think of this before? Back in my day the web was just text... and other text that blinked...

S1E14 Angel One

Season 1 Episode 14: Angel One

Watchability: Skip
Short Answer: More campy than it is fun. But still has some classic Star Trek themes.
Notability: Nothing...?

Looking at the synopsis for this episode, it seems pretty typical compared to other plots from this season. The Enterprise finds a planet is run by a society that values women more than men. Clearly it's intended as an allegory for our own male dominated history. A fact that is explicitly called out by Picard in the first half of the episode.

Often these types of episodes present the audience with a scenario that takes the mechanic to a logical extreme. The writers take one or more of the crew and stick them in the middle of that scenario. In the episode about honor, Tasha Yar had to kill or be killed. In the episode about the death penalty, Wesley faced death row.

This week, Riker is the lucky winner. And instead of his life being in peril, he is "objectified" and sleeps with the leader of the planet. Now, I put "objectified" in quotes, not because objectification is unworthy of discussion, but because it's never really treated with any gravity. Riker seems to rather enjoy it, even cracking jokes. And the female leader even praises his aggressiveness. If the premise is role reversal, that seems unintentionally ironic...

To really make this about gender roles, I think they needed to show how the men of the planet were being emasculated. It seems like they intended to go there, but the reversal is sidelined in favor of Riker's "ladies' man" persona. It's a central part of his character, so I am not criticizing that per se. It may just mean that he was not a good pick as the focus of this episode.

Of course, I've probably over-analyzed the episode more than the writers intended. I felt like they couldn't decide whether they wanted it to be a fun episode or a thoughtful one. It was actually not bad for the first season, so I hesitated giving it a Skip. In the end, the episode is a bit slow and I feel there are better "message" episodes.

Side Note: Riker at one point during the scene with the planet's leader says "Will you respect me in the morning?" I thought it was an homage to black and white movies where lines like these were used as a wink and a nod to what was going on. I found it a bit odd and I was curious whether it plays for anyone born after 1995. I couldn't find any specific reference to it, so maybe I made that up.

S1E11 Haven

Season 1 Episode 11: Haven

Watchability: Skip
Short Answer: Introduction of a re-occurring character, so purists may want to watch it, but otherwise it is a pass.
Notables: Introduction of Lwaxana Troi, played by Gene Roddenberry's wife.

I had a hard time deciding between a Skip and an Extra Credit on this one. On the one hand, it introduces one of the iconic characters of the show: Lwaxana Troi. She is the mother of Deanna Troi and shows up several times through out the show. She is played by Majel Barrett, who is not only Gene Roddenberry's wife, but also the voice of the computer. On the original show, she played Nurse Chapel. Her character is largely comedic in this episode, so if you are short on time it is safe to skip.

S1E07 The Lonely Among Us

Season 1 Episode 6: The Lonely Among Us

Watchability: Skip
Short Answer: A rather boring rendition of the Energy-Being plot
Notables: None

So this episode is the first in a long series of Energy Being plot lines. An alien that is made entirely of energy gets caught in the Enterprise's computer system. Of course, problems ensue and it takes a while for the crew to even realize that there is a sentient creature cause all the issues. It is not a very interesting episode and I would say that there are other instances of this plot device that are either more interesting or at least sillier.

S1E04 Code of Honor

Season 1 Episode 4: Code of Honor

Watchability: Skip
Short Answer: This an entirely forgettable "Prime Directive" episode.
Notables: None.

This episode is a perfect example of a throwaway episode. It does serve to introduce a plot device that is often used in the show. Starfleet has a "Prime Directive" which essentially says that they should not interfere in the laws of any race that is "less advanced". This is roughly defined as any race that has yet to develop Warp Drive (faster-than-light travel). The stated reason being that they might alter the evolution of an alien race.

It's a nice notion, and at times provides and explanation for why the Enterprise doesn't use it's often superior technology to get out of dodge. In those cases, the crew is forced to really examine the allegory set up by the "alien" culture. For this episode, I don't really see a lot that it brings to the table. For that I would say skip it.

Side Note: For those who have seen it, I was struck by an odd sub-thread in the episode. To recap, the plot of the episode, the leader of this planet captures Tasha Yar and claims her as a mate. In order to get out of this situation, she has to fight his previous wife. At several times throughout the episode, different people either hint or outright speculate that maybe she wanted to be kidnapped. At one point she says something like "I admit that I am a little attracted to strong men, but no one wants to be kidnapped!" For a show that is fairly progressive, it seemed completely out of place. By the third or fourth time it came up, it just seemed comical that no one on the ship believed her.