"Star Trek: The Next Generation" The First Duty (1992)

Director:

Paul Lynch

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator)
Ronald D. Moore (writer) ...

TV Series:

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)

Original Air Date:

28 March 1992 (Season 5, Episode 19)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Wesley Crusher's team has an accident at Starfleet Aacademy. Picard offers to help a Starfleet investigation as to what happened, and begins to suspect they are hiding something.

Plot Keywords:

Captain | Ferengi | Andorian | Space | Klingon

Cast

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
Ray Walston	...	Boothby
Robert Duncan McNeill	...	Cadet First Class Nicholas Locarno
Ed Lauter	...	Lt. Cmdr. Albert
Richard Fancy	...	Captain Satelk
Jacqueline Brookes	...	Admiral Brand
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher
Walker Brandt	...	Jean Hajar
Shannon Fill	...	Sito Jaxa

Certification:

Australia:PG

Company:

Paramount Television

Trivia:

Shannon Fill would reprise the role of Sito Jaxa in the Season 7 TNG episode "Star Trek: The Next Generation: Lower Decks (#7.15)" (1994). Picard requested her assignment to the Enterprise because he wanted to give her a fair chance to redeem herself. Although no mention is made of what ever happened to Cadet Jean Hajar.

Quotes:

Wesley Crusher: You'd let me do that? You'd let me throw away my career, just to save your neck?
Nicholas Locarno: To save the team! That's more important than you. And it's more important than me. And if I were in your place, I'd do it, without hesitation. But that's me.

Starfleet Academy.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

ST:TNG:119 - "The First Duty" (Stardate: 45703.9) - this is the 19th episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

We are introduced to Star Fleet Academy in this episode, when Picard on the Enterprise is en route there to deliver this year's commencement address. However, on the way, the crew learns that Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton, in his second guest starring appearance after "The Game") and his squadron were involved in an accident where a cadet was killed.

Trivia note: Robert Duncan McNeill plays Cadet First Class Nicholas Locarno (he will soon be a regular on Star Trek: Voyager). Also, we finally see Boothby (played by late veteran actor Ray Walston), after he was mentioned a few times (first in "Final Mission") - he will also reprise his role in two episodes of Star Trek: Voyager with the aforementioned Robert Duncan McNeill.

And, Picard tells Boothby he was part of the graduating "Class of '27" to jog his memory, as well as recalling to Wesley his first time on the bridge of the Enterprise (how he sat in Picard's chair and knew all the controls already).