Conspiracy

DVD, TNG S1 (Conspiracy)

One of the few plots set up with as near as possible a sequel in mind that was never followed up on in the 600 or so episodes that followed it, was this chilling tale of an invasion at the heart of Starfleet. The signal sent out by the defeated invaders is echoed the following season by the Borg, and is an almost surefire way of guaranteeing a follow-up, so it's strange that it never happened. If anything the scope of the episode was deserving of more than one episode - I know the roots of it were sown in 'Coming of Age', but the story needed room to grow, just like the Mother creature in Remmick! It should have been either a two-parter or maybe an ongoing plotline that could have finished the season on a cliffhanger about the future of the Federation, but I suppose it was too dark a tale for that at the time, and cliffhangers hadn't been invented yet as far as Trek went.

It probably has the distinction for being the single most gory episode ever done in any of the series', and has a real Original Series feel of never knowing what's round the next corner, coupled with the greater effects of 'Star Trek II' and could have been influenced by Khan's Ceti eel. That's an example of the unpredictability of a first season, where a style hasn't been tied down fully, and there are less rules than when a series becomes established. There would be other gruesome creatures and paranoid situations to come, but nothing as blatant as a man's head exploded by phaser fire, and a slimy beast erupting from his burnt-out stomach! But the animation was quite good with the mini-creatures scuttling on the floor, the only way it could be done effectively in those heady pre-CGI days.

As a story the tension and suspicion are well implemented, beginning with the against-regs meeting on a lifeless planet. I always wondered if Captain Rixx was a Bolian or some off-shoot race (much like Romulans and Vulcans), although he's a much paler variation, and Bolians hadn't been created at that point. It's interesting that one of the other most obvious horror episodes, 'Empok Nor' also featured a Bolian. If Rixx were a Bolian, it wouldn't be the only first for the series. We get to see Earth of the 24th Century (even if the Starfleet HQ shots are taken from 'The Motion Picture'!); Andorian tea is drunk, and most significantly Riker looks like he's about to eat grubs... no, I mean we get to see what could be our first Vulcan, as the main Admiral at Starfleet HQ.

He does the hand salute, but his neck pinch leaves a lot to be desired since Riker is barely affected by the attack. Chalk it up to the alien in control of the Vulcan's body who must have put his hand in the wrong place - the Vulcan part inside must have been most embarrassed at the mistake! That's not the only mistake of the episode however. Worf doesn't fare well in the critical appraisal of his conduct during the Quinn encounter. Instead of informing security that the Admiral has beaten up Riker and chucked Geordi through a door (and why didn't the Klingon come with a security team instead of only the diminutive Geordi?), he allows himself to be goaded into fighting the old man, and then appears to hide behind a table until Crusher finishes his enemy off with a phaser, only popping up once the work's done! And I didn't even mention that he drops the unconcious Riker's head back onto the smashed glass he was lying on.

All told it's a bit of a barnstormer, and one of the best of the season, showing how the writers could do if they tried to add a bit of zest. The only confusing thing is why some people seemed to have a gill protrusion when taken over, and some didn't. As well as Riker's rather stationary false gill. I demand a follow up.

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