Story: Family
Written By: Ronald D. Moore
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Year: 1990
The only way to really follow up a tremendous action packed two-parter like “The Best of Both Worlds” is to take everything down with a slower, more dramatic, and personal character piece like “Family”.
This episode is sort of like the final part of the previous two parts. The Enterprise is taken home to receive repairs after the conflict with the Borg, and most of the crew has left the ship to visit home. Picard is included. We meet Picard’s brother, Robert, who is a grumpy old bastard. The story between Jean-Luc and his brother is brilliant, right up to the moment they fight and Picard breaks down about his experience with the Borg.
The B-storyline is with Worf; his adoptive-Earth parents have come aboard the Enterprise to visit him. This disgruntles him, but the story is sweet and funny, and the ultimate pay-off of Worf telling his parents he loves them is wonderful.
Then we have a really minor C-plot. This deals with the Crushers. Beverly goes through an old box of her dead husband Jack’s things; in it is a holo-message recorded for Wesley when he was a baby. She decided to give it Wes, who debates whether or not to watch it, and then finally does. This storyline is small, but I’m glad it is there. It is a decent moment for Wesley, who really isn’t as bad as he was in those first two seasons.
The great thing about an episode like this is that it gave us time to relax after the experience that was “The Best of Both Worlds”. It also gave us some growth for 3 or 4 of our main characters, ranging from the big (Picard) to the small (Worf and Wesley, and to a lesser extent Beverly).
One of the best of the series, it was a great way to complete the Borg arc.
NEXT TIME: The Return of Lore
Written By: Ronald D. Moore
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Year: 1990
The only way to really follow up a tremendous action packed two-parter like “The Best of Both Worlds” is to take everything down with a slower, more dramatic, and personal character piece like “Family”.
The B-storyline is with Worf; his adoptive-Earth parents have come aboard the Enterprise to visit him. This disgruntles him, but the story is sweet and funny, and the ultimate pay-off of Worf telling his parents he loves them is wonderful.
Then we have a really minor C-plot. This deals with the Crushers. Beverly goes through an old box of her dead husband Jack’s things; in it is a holo-message recorded for Wesley when he was a baby. She decided to give it Wes, who debates whether or not to watch it, and then finally does. This storyline is small, but I’m glad it is there. It is a decent moment for Wesley, who really isn’t as bad as he was in those first two seasons.
The great thing about an episode like this is that it gave us time to relax after the experience that was “The Best of Both Worlds”. It also gave us some growth for 3 or 4 of our main characters, ranging from the big (Picard) to the small (Worf and Wesley, and to a lesser extent Beverly).
One of the best of the series, it was a great way to complete the Borg arc.
NEXT TIME: The Return of Lore