Unnatural Selection (28 Jan. 1989)

The Enterprise is en route to Star Station India when receive a distress signal from the USS Lantree, a Federation supply ship. When they arrive, they find everyone aboard the Lantree dying... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Lynch

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), John Mason,

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	...	Lieutenant Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lieutenant Worf
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Commander Data
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher
Diana Muldaur	...	Doctor Pulaski
Patricia Smith	...	Dr. Sara Kingsley
Colm Meaney	...	Chief Miles O'Brien
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Capt. Taggert
Scott Trost	...	Ensign

Storyline

The Enterprise is en route to Star Station India when receive a distress signal from the USS Lantree, a Federation supply ship. When they arrive, they find everyone aboard the Lantree dying of what seems to be old age. They proceed to the Lantree's last port of call, the Darwin genetic research facility on Gagarin IV only to find that they too are suffering from rapid aging. Picard and Dr. Pulaski clash when she brings aboard one of the children from the station and in order to complete her examination, takes him aboard a shuttle craft in order to isolate him from the Enterprise crew. She is soon infected however and seems doomed to die of old age but Picard may have a solution.

---

Plot Keywords:

24th century

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Release Date:

28 January 1989 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is a parody of the term "natural selection" which is the process by which favorable inheritable traits become more common in successive generations and was first defined by Charles Darwin in his book "On the Origin of Species" (1859).

---

Goofs

The nature of Darwin Station's experiments violate Federation laws regarding genetics, according to Star Trek canon, yet this problem is never mentioned.

---

Quotes

Commander William T. Riker: [on seeing the dead crew of the USS Lantree] Looks like they had a battle with time.
Lieutenant Worf: And lost.

---

Connections

Edited into Star Trek: The Next Generation: Shades of Gray (1989)

User Reviews

Genetics

When The USS Enterprise intercepts the USS Lantree they are startled to find the crew dead of old age. The Enterprise heads to the Lantree's last stop, the Darwin Genetic Research Station. They find the Staff and Doctors all suffering of premature ageing. They are doing the same old rhetoric of tampering with Humans' dna and genetic structure. The children, the experiment, are super intelligent and mature for their age being the cause of the problem. Without ruining the story too much, the experiment is the result of the premature ageing and the station is quarantined and the Enterprise wistfully departs. Some great make up and storytelling here and the return to the experimenting on Humans to improve the race just does not work. We also learn of Pulaski's hatred for the transporter.....