Symbiosis

DVD, TNG S1 (Symbiosis)

A thoughtful Prime Directive tale that pushes the Captain into a corner and forces him to take the only option he can, while explaining the dictates of the Prime Directive to those involved. It's quite a cerebral episode, with little action, except in the underused exploration of the alien's physical powers, which could have done with more explanation and could have created more energy.

It holds up as an interesting debate, and the slow reveal as we have all these pieces of evidence, that these are drug addicts is well played. It's ironic that Wesley, the young teen can't even comprehend the use of an induced feeling of wellbeing from drugs, seeing as he is just the kind of age group that might experiment with them in our time, and is another example of the programme's hopeful future. And it gives Tasha one of her last important scenes as she explains what it was like on her home planet.

As I mentioned the action side of things is pretty limp, and that goes for the resolution to the teaser too. Pre-credits we're left with a ship about to be dragged into a sun's atmosphere, then when we come back everyone takes as long as they like, and they seem to spend an age musing on how odd the captain is behaving, rather than taking it in their professional stride! This loses most of the tension, and sets the episode off on the back foot when it seemed like being a strong one.

The main interest is in the star power on show in the guest roles. We have two high profile actors from the film series - Judson Scott, who played Khan's right hand man (and possibly his son) in 'Star Trek II', and Merritt Butrick, before his premature death a year after this episode was made, who was Kirk's son David in that film and 'Star Trek III'. There's also a lesser known connection as T'Jonn's compatriot, Romas, was played by Richard Lineback whom I believe later played a Trill on DS9.

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