Rascals

DVD, TNG S6 (Rascals)

This works because childhood is something everyone has experienced and who wouldn't want to revert to it if given the chance? What I like about the execution is the way the other characters are shown to react to their friends, captain or wife. It's a bona fide science fiction idea, done well. The four children they found to play Picard, Ro, Guinan and Keiko were very good, Guinan probably the closest in looks and performance, but all emulating their adult counterparts. Young Picard's voice got a little bit grating after a while, and of course they aren't as accomplished actors as the adults, but they did a good job and the failure or success of the episode was resting on that. We'd already seen a child version of Data in 'Hero Worship' but it could have been better if we'd seen 'Muppet Babies' of all the cast. It had been done in 'The Animated Series,' and children were always a part of Trek since 'TOS,' but this episode certainly made good use of the situation, for the most part.

I felt Keiko and O'Brien were underused. Their discomfort made for a sad and sometimes humorous scene, but when the Chief was operating the transporter to bring the four people off the disintegrating shuttle, he showed practically no emotion, just doing his job, yet his family means so much to him. That's a professional for you, I suppose. There was also no satisfying explanation for the phenomenon of the incredible shrinking vortex, unlike in 'DS9' where it was done in a more realistic way during 'One Little Ship.' Keiko acted the way she would, and that was a choice of the writers - they could have had their minds revert to the ages of their physical bodies, but they chose to keep them the same characters. I'm not sure if they acted like children it would have made it better or not, but it would have made some difference. We get a taste of that when Picard stamps his foot in a tantrum to get taken to his 'Father,' a bemused Riker who unleashes his cheesiest grin to continue the deception.

Anyone that complains that it was implausible for an ancient Klingon Bird of Prey to take on the Enterprise and win in 'Star Trek: Generations' should watch this episode and realise there was a precedent. On this occasion it's two ancient BOP's crewed by snivelling Ferengi that outwit the flagship and seem to have little difficulty in taking control. At least in the film the Klingons had the Enterprise's shield frequency as an advantage, in this there's little excuse for Riker and the crew. I could have done without the Ferengi altogether, as, apart from their implausible takeover they served only to complicate matters.

Far better would have been to deal with the ramifications of reverting to child form as was explored in a few early scenes with Troi suggesting possible career options for a captain that now looks like a twelve-year-old, O'Brien trying to come to terms with his wife's new form, and Guinan teaching Ro to have fun, furthering the friendship she started up last season in 'Ensign Ro' and giving the Bajoran woman/girl the chance to experience what a real childhood is like, without fear or danger. The end scene when the restored Guinan gets Ro to continue her childish pursuits for a bit longer was a charming way to finish, but again, I felt there was a scene missing in which Miles and Keiko were seen getting back to normal after the sad moment earlier when little Molly, played for the first time by Hana Hatae, can't accept her as her Mother.

They do fall into the trap of getting into the technobabble side of it too much and not delving deeply into the psychological implications of their situation enough to make it a classic, but there's still a lot to enjoy. Not the remote controlled bulky floor bot, I don't include that on the list at all. A nice touch was bringing back the same actor who played Picard's nephew Rene in 'Family.' Although the character of Rene was killed off in the first 'TNG' film it's nice that he got to be in Starfleet for a short time, if only in spirit. And it was fascinating, if you'll excuse the word, to have Leonard Nimoy's son directing, though like his Father it was an inconspicuous style that worked fine, but didn't call attention to itself.

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