"Star Trek: The Next Generation" Who Watches the Watchers (1989)

Director:

Robert Wiemer

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator)
Richard Manning (writer) ...

TV Series:

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)

Original Air Date:

14 October 1989 (Season 3, Episode 4)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A proto-Vulcan culture worships Captain Picard and prepares to offer Counselor Troi as a sacrifice.

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
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher (credit only)
Kathryn Leigh Scott	...	Nuria
Ray Wise	...	Liko
James Greene	...	Dr. Barron
Pamela Adlon	...	Oji (as Pamela Segall)
John McLiam	...	Fento
James McIntire	...	Hali
Lois Hall	...	Dr. Mary Warren

Filming Locations:

Vasquez Rocks, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Television

Trivia:

The title is related to the phase Quis custodiet ipsos custodes, a Latin phrase from the Roman poet Juvenal, variously translated as "Who watches the watchmen", "Who watches the watchers", "Who will guard the guards", "Who shall watch the watchers themselves", or similar.

Quotes:

Commander William T. Riker: [to Picard] It's worse than we suspected. The Mintakans are beginning to believe in a God. And the one they've chosen...is you.

great story

I was watching back through the first three seasons to select episodes that would make a good sampling for a friend of mine; this episode is the one (out of the first three seasons) that I would be absolutely certain to recommend to anyone. It requires little to no background information and tells an engaging story. Also, to my recollection, no other episode conveys so well the wonder of reason and cultural progress.

Just as another reviewer observed about The Inner Light (my personal favorite), this episode shows that sci-fi, at its best, is not so much about the technology as it is about good storytelling.