The Game (26 Oct. 1991)

Wesley Crusher returns to the Enterprise on vacation from the Academy only to discover a mysterious alien game infiltrating and controlling the crew.

Director:

Corey Allen

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), Brannon Braga (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	...	Dr. Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Commander Data
Ashley Judd	...	Ensign Robin Lefler
Katherine Moffat	...	Etana Jol
Colm Meaney	...	Chief Miles O'Brien
Patti Yasutake	...	Nurse Alyssa Ogawa
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher
Diane Hurley	...	Woman (as Diane M. Hurley)
Majel Barrett	...	Enterprise Computer (voice)

Storyline

On its way to the unchartered Phoenix cluster, the Enterprise gets a visit by shuttle from Starfleet Academy Cadet Wesley Crusher on leave, all help being welcome now the research time has been cut to two weeks. Everyone is happy to see the popular, brilliant boy back and hear about his faring, some exchanging some of their own cadet memories. New Ensign Lefler, about his age, takes a personal interest in him and vice versa. Wesley wisely wonders why the computer game Riker brought back from shore leave so quickly became popular or rather addictive before he tries it as they all insist. He discovers it stimulates the pleasure center but affects the higher brain functions, and Data wasn't incapacitated by accident but disconnected by players because androids' computer brains are immune for the game. Alas by now Wesley is the only unaffected human, all the others hunt him down after Picard took orders for the game's distribution to other ships and bases from tailing Kitarean ship ...

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Plot Keywords:

24th century

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

Latin English

Release Date:

26 October 1991 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was the first episode to air after Gene Roddenberry's death on 24th October 1991.

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Goofs

Wesley suggests to Robin that law 103 should be "A couple of light years can't keep good friends apart." Considering how she grew up, it's much more likely this law would be among the first few.

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Quotes

Counselor Troi: Chocolate is a serious thing.

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Connections

References Star Trek: The Next Generation: Darmok (1991)

User Reviews

I love this episode, Ashley Judd just steals the show!

At this point Wesley has been off the show for some time now and we've only seen a blip of the beautiful Ashley Judd in the previous episode Darmok, obviously the Stage gate for this episode. Now both come back in thriving passion due to an addictive game that has seemingly taken over the rest of the crew, bottom they are the only ones who know about it in time and can stop it, but can they against the odds?

What's interesting to me is that while I love the Star Trek universe as a whole, what I mostly love are very unique or confrontational battle like episodes. So while this episode is unique it hardly has much of a sub plot or battle like feel. So what filled that gap for me was Mainly Ashley Judd as she is just stunningly beautiful as she is today, but here she was in her young twenties and boy was she just as vibrant and talented back then. So the flirtatious aspect of her and Wesley through this building episode did more than carry it for me. It's amazing how much of an open face actress she was back then showing all those emotions and thoughts and you can see looking back why she was born to stardom. I mainly write reviews for movies and seldom TV shows and again while I love the Star Trek universe overall I have to say I really found this episode a gem after all this time... Maybe it's the old man in me coming out over a young, beautiful and talented Ashley, but I enjoyed it very mush. Well done...