Journey's End

 DVD, TNG S7 (Journey's End)

A test for Picard in a difficult position, but as usual he puts all his mental powers and diplomacy to work to create an equitable solution. It helped that the Cardassian he was opposing was one of the more thoughtful and aware examples of the race, with more to him than blind obedience to the state or lust for blood and dominance. Gul Evek had his best moments here, from the scattering of appearances he made in 'TNG,' 'DS9' and 'Voyager,' becoming quite a sympathetic character when he reveals he's actually against war if he can help it, thanks to losing two of his three sons. If Picard had had to negotiate with someone like Dukat, for example, or many other hardline soldiers of the empire, things may not have gone so smoothly. But who could resist the way he puts things: "The future is in your hands." He couldn't appeal more to a controlling race than to force them to take the choice that he cannot. It wasn't as bad for Picard as in previous situations, because this time he had Admiral Nechayev actually on his side. The chain of command is explored relatively deeply in that we hear references to who wants what, and that Nechayev is just as much against forced relocation as Picard, but is under orders herself and has pushed her superiors as far as she can.

Seeing her frosty exterior crack even just a little to acknowledge the extra mile Picard had gone to make her welcome aboard the Enterprise was a surprisingly touching moment, and her demeanour from then on remains cordial, whereas in the past she probably wouldn't even have let on about her views being in line with Picard's. Now it just remained for her to be nice to Sisko and the whole Federation would seem like one big, happy family! But it was experiences like these that grated on Picard - not Nechayev and her icy authority, but the faceless bureaucracy of Starfleet and the Federation, who give in to the demands of other races in the act of appeasement. That's not entirely accurate, they weren't appeasing the Cardassians, but it showed that they were willing to make compromises that would affect their own people for the 'greater good.' Something that paved the way for Section 31, and for taking action in such stories as 'Star Trek: Insurrection,' the most clear follow-on to this tale. After so much had happened Picard eventually sees the imperfections of the Federation and takes a stand against it (which is one of the reasons why I think that's a great film!).

I think the closest I ever got to expecting a group hug on Trek was in this episode: at the end when Wesley Crusher is being seen off by his Mother and Fa… I mean Captain, and friend, they're all standing so close and seeming so sad to see him go that I wouldn't have been surprised. Wesley's story was mirroring that of the series, as it wound down it found time to show another member of the family, (as Picard put it), going off on a new path. It wasn't quite the same for the rest of the cast as they'd be straight into films, but this is the 'Star Trek Nemesis' moment for Wesley - his true end. The only regret is that, like one of his previous appearances as a guest, in 'The First Duty,' he isn't afforded a scene in which he apologises and makes up with the friends he's let down: in this case Geordi, Data and Worf. I can imagine him going round saying his goodbyes to each of them, but I'd have loved to see that.

The big thing with this episode is that it carefully began the sowing of the seeds of the series to come: 'Star Trek: Voyager,' the Maquis, and specifically, the character of Chakotay. It would have been absolutely brilliant if they had had Robert Beltran in for a cameo, so we got to know something of him before we meet him in the 'Voyager' pilot, or even if one of the Indians was a relation with the same tattoo which we would later have realised was a direct connection. But in the end, these wasn't Chakotay's people, I believe, and the same result might have occurred as happened with Robert Duncan McNeill's character of Nick Locarno: a similar type, renamed to avoid having to pay the writer of the episode residual payments. It was important enough that the issue of the colonists of the demilitarised zone were introduced as an issue, and at least Evek is there to be the thread that bound the three series' and their Maquis storyline together.

As well as Picard being personally affected, thanks to some previously unknown history of an ancestor being involved in previous Indian troubles in Earth's history, and on top of the groundwork for the Maquis, there is the culmination of Wesley's promise from The Traveller way back in Season 1. It's poetic that he should show up within the first few episodes of the series, then again roughly in the middle, and finally at the end, to let Wes know he was ready. Okay, so there's no explanation of how or why this is the moment Wesley has supposedly grown beyond mere mortals, but that's part of the mystery so I can't look too hard at it, and it can be sort of laid at the door of his being dissatisfied with Starfleet Academy. It could be accused of sending the wrong message - that if you get bored with studying, something's sure to show up and whisk you off on unimaginable adventures, a rather lazy point of view. But Wes has never been lazy, just a savant who needed more stimulation. It's a good twist that the Indian guy turns out to be The Traveller, and they got the same actor to play him and once again invite Wesley on his journey. It would have been a fun moment if they'd both appeared at the wedding in 'Nemesis' (maybe phasing in on a table in the middle of the cake!), as Wes' final onscreen glimpse is fleeting and has no substance except to prove the guy was still alive.

The vision quest stuff turned out to be something cooked up by The Traveller, which suited better than a real, drug-induced vision with Wes smoking a long pipe of something-or-other (that would become too 'Lord of The Rings'!). I did appreciate the effort they went to in bringing back his Father, one final time, again, played by the same actor, in another heart-tugging moment of several from the episode (Nechayev thanks Picard; Beverly tells Wes what she thinks of him; Evek chooses to stand down his troops; Wes leaves the ship). I noticed what appeared a little inconsistency regarding dating the Indians' leaving of Earth. I believe Picard says they left over two hundred years ago, then the old Indian says it was 'almost' two hundred years ago, and Wes says they left before the Federation existed (he may even have said Starfleet as well, but I may be mistaken on that point). The Federation was founded in 2161 so it would definitely have had to have been over two hundred years. Not that such a long time would be very precise, and it's easy to talk in generalisations of the nearest decade or fifty years. Though the old guy said his Dad had been against leaving Earth, so he must be pretty ancient, and his Dad must have been very young. Mind you, humans live longer in the future.

Wesley's trials were nothing compared to one great danger: he stayed up all night sitting cross-legged and didn't get cramps or a blood clot! The freezing time moment, which looks fairly basic by today's standards, is still an impressive and well-integrated moment, so it must have been an incredible effect at the time - almost a 'Matrix' slowing time effect, and Wes and The Traveller really looked like they were standing there. There's even something of a return to form for Wesley, perhaps a tip of the hat to all those awful, old clothes he had to wear as a civilian (or acting Ensign), when he gets out of his neat, tidy Starfleet uniform and opts for some bad wardrobe! I wouldn't say this was one of the best showcases for his character, but it was very satisfying that they dealt with him. They could easily have left him at the Academy and we'd never have known what happened afterwards - it might have been fun to have him around for the 'TNG' film series as a freshly minted Ensign, but some of the main cast members didn't always fare well in those so it was probably for the best that he didn't join the crew.

The deeply worrying nature of the main idea, that of forced relocation is dealt with carefully, with only the ominous future episodes of 'DS9' and 'Voyager' to sound the warning bell that the Cardassians, no matter how many honourable Guls they have (and that generally seems to be a low, low number), the bullies and bigots and hard, uncompromising soldiers are the ones who carry the most weight, and that of the Cardassian Union. But at least Picard could wash his hands of the affair and move on, his conscience clear. If only Sisko had it that easy… I thought it was going to be a case of 'Dorvan V is not Kentanna,' but the solution was to leave the Federation, not the planet. If you can't take the planet out of the Indian, take the Indian out of the Federation.

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