Journey's End 

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 (created by), Ronald D. Moore

Stars:

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Patrick Stewart	...	Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes	...	Cmdr. William Riker
LeVar Burton	...	Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lieutenant Worf
Gates McFadden	...	Dr. 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 Native Americans 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 a Native American, 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.

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Plot Keywords:

enterprise the starship | starship | captain's log | u.s.s. enterprise ncc 1701 d | doctor | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1994 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode lays the groundwork for the DMZ, contested territories between the Federation and the Cardassian Empire. People being forced from their homes would lead to the formation of the Maquis, a recurring plot thread in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995).

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Goofs

When the traveler first appears in Star Trek: The Next Generation: Where No One Has Gone Before, he says to Capt. Picard in private that Wesley is special, like Mozart is to music and asks him to keep it to himself, especially don't tell his mother. Picard agreed and was never shown telling Beverly that secret. Here, Beverly relays to Wesley the same statement, about him being special like Mozart. How did Beverly find out what the traveler told Picard?

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Quotes

Wesley Crusher: What are those figures?
Lakanta: They're mansara - dolls that represent the different spirits that've come to this place.
Wesley Crusher: That one looks like a Klingon.
Lakanta: Yes. Our culture is rooted in the past, but it's not limited to the past. Spirits of the Klingon, the Vulcan and Ferengi... come to us just as the bear and the coyote, the parrot... There's no difference.

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Connections

Referenced in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

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Soundtracks

Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User Reviews

Stereotypes and Preachiness

One of the silliest TNG episodes ever, although it tries to make a moral point, it's mired in bad stereotypes. Pre-American natives, referred to as "Indians" in the episode, are presented as ridiculous 60s cowboy movie types--something they've been complaining about since the early twentieth century. One of the other reviews suggested this episode was "ahead of its time," but how can it be ahead of its time when it plays the noble savage card--outdated since the 1970s. Wesley is another example of bad stereotyping in the episode. I admit, I've grown to like his character in recent years, but this last visit from him is the absolute worst. First, he's the broody teenager cliché, then he becomes the hippie era white-kid-exploring-non-white-spiritual-culture cliché, and finally, he goes off the deep end with one of the most absurd call-backs to a previous episode ever.