The Price

DVD, TNG S3 (The Price)

Last season it was Okona, this season it's Devinoni Ral. Do we have to have a slimy rogue every year? But really: so much for the 'perfect' humans of the 24th Century. Ral is a slimeball, cheating gangster who will use any trick in the book, be it emotional blackmail, trickery or inverse logic. Just look at how he makes Deanna's position sound like an underhanded advantage over opposing ships, yet she's doing it to protect her ship and crew. Actually, maybe it is underhanded. Starfleet doesn't use cloaking devices because they don't like sneaking around, but they use empaths to score against other races? For that matter, maybe they should get a Betazoid on every ship. Chained in a cupboard on the bridge and only let out to reveal startling insights on the emotional states of anyone the ship encounters. Troi was in a right state herself, and in just the right mood for the 'attentions' of some wandering vagabond. It must have been that mood that resulted in her choice of exercise attire. I don't know what excuse the Doctor had...

Wormhole? Stable? Gamma Quadrant... I'm sensing some DS9 origins here. And then we get the Delta Quadrant and 70,000 lightyears. I'm now looking for a reference to 'Star Trek: Enterprise' as part of some long term conspiracy! The wormhole didn't look anywhere near as good as DS9's, and it helps you realise how great a visual that is when you take it for granted. I appreciated some small references to the one in 'The Motion Picture' - Data and La Forge's voices sound stretched as they go through, and there's a similar twangy visual as in the first Trek film. Fortuitously the rest of the episode wasn't spent gazing in muted wonder at what was on the viewscreen.

This is one case in which the sequel, for 'Voyager', about eight years later was better than the story that instigated it as we get to see how the Ferengi coped in their new quadrant. I wonder if this is the first instance of the Gamma and Delta quadrants being mentioned? Steadily more and more of Trek lore is being laid out and established as a kind of solid base for future spinoffs to run with. That's what makes 'TNG' both a lesser series and one that intrigues. It has the problems of its time, but slowly fills in our knowledge and smooths a path upon which others were to build, and the characters tend to stand out. Such as Riker who is very much up to the task when it comes to dealing with Ral. Troi is very clear on the point that she and Riker are good friends, but it had to change at some point. I'm sure most people watching demanded it.

The set up of an alien conference for whatever reason, is another common sci-fi and Trek staple. This time it's not about weird and wonderful aliens, but much more about Troi and her decision to eventually do the right thing, which is expected, so we're not led anywhere particularly surprising or inventive. The Ferengi are still ineffectual as a true threat, and the best you can do is be sorry for their pug-ugly rantings. So apart from Riker's victory and the build-up for the 'Voyager' episode this isn't really worth bothering with.

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