Journey's End (26 Mar. 1994)

After the Federation grants access by the Cardassians to a planet already inhabited by Native American Indians, Picard has the daunting task of relocating them.

Director:

Corey Allen

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), Ronald D. Moore (teleplay),

Stars:

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Patrick Stewart	...	Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes	...	Commander William T. Riker
LeVar Burton	...	Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lieutenant Worf
Gates McFadden	...	Doctor Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Commander Data
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher
Tom Jackson	...	Lakanta
Natalija Nogulich	...	Admiral Alynna Nechayev
Ned Romero	...	Anthwara
George Aguilar	...	Wakasa
Richard Poe	...	Gul Evek
Eric Menyuk	...	The Traveler
Doug Wert	...	Jack Crusher

Storyline

Wesley is on leave from Starfleet Academy, but gloomy, moody and even rude. The Federation has concluded a peace treaty with the Cardassians, which reassigns several planets, including one where a tribe of American Indians relocated twenty years ago. Picard grudgingly accepts the assignment to relocate the colonists, who refuse to be uprooted a second time in two centuries. Their chief even claims that Picard is there to acquit his ancestor's part in a slaughter of his tribe 23 generations ago. The Cardassians arrive six weeks early for a 'legal' survey of the colony, stirring resistance. This is fueled by Wesley, who accepted an invitation from an Indian, who claims to have seen him during his vision quest, to undertake his own. It leads to Wesley's late dad, telling him that it's time to take a different path from his. Picard tries to get through to Cardassian commander Gul Evek. Wesley makes a major discovery and choice.

---

Plot Keywords:

indian | 24th century | ritual

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Release Date:

26 March 1994 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some fans have speculated that Chakotay lived on the Dorvan V colony, and joined the Maquis when Starfleet handed the colony over to the Cardassians.

---

Goofs

Beverly speaks to Wesley about the Traveler, but mistakenly says that he is from Tau Ceti. Both Star Trek: The Next Generation: Where No One Has Gone Before, and Star Trek: The Next Generation: Remember Me had established that the Traveler was from Tau Alpha C.

---

Quotes

Lakanta: What do you think is sacred to us here?
Wesley Crusher: Maybe the necklace you're wearing? The designs on the walls?
Lakanta: Everything is sacred to us - the buildings, the food, the sky, the dirt beneath your feet - and you. Whether you believe in your spirit or not, we believe in it. You are a sacred person here, Wesley.
Wesley Crusher: I think that's the first time anyone's used that particular word to describe me.

User Reviews

Trek always ahead of its time.

Besides the hints at "Voyager" and "Insurrectiuon", take note of Picard's ancestor; Spanish Conquistador Yavier Piccard. Almost a preview to Patrick Stewart's later portrayal of Charles Xavier, and of course co-star Famke Janssen (Kamala/Jean Grey). For fans of the "Badlands" Trek novels, Gul Evek's crossover from "Next Gen" to "Voy" (and later demise) is explained from this episode. Also the DS9 novels tie in these events to the ones in Season 7's "Pre-emptive Strike"; where Ro meets Chakotay before his Maquis crew encounters the Caretaker. Many have speculated that when Wesley is seen again in "Nemesis" he was an unofficial Federation liaison to the Traveler's race, or even be part of Riker's USS Titan adventures. Stay tuned.