IMDb RATING
6.3/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Gene Roddenberry
- Ronald D. Moore
- Shawn Piller(based upon material by)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Gene Roddenberry
- Ronald D. Moore
- Shawn Piller(based upon material by)
- Stars
Lena Banks
- Starfleet Ensignas Starfleet Ensign
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Gene Roddenberry
- Ronald D. Moore
- Shawn Piller(based upon material by)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
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. —KGF Vissers
- Genres
- Certificate
- TV-PG
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaJeri Taylor intended the Native American colony in this episode to be the home of Voyager character Chakotay, though this was never mentioned on screen.
- GoofsBeverly speaks to Wesley about the Traveler, but mistakenly says that he is from Tau Ceti. Both Where No One Has Gone Before (1987), and Remember Me (1990) had established that the Traveler was from Tau Alpha C.
- Quotes
Lakanta: What do you think is sacred to us here?
Wesley Crusher: Maybe the necklace you're wearing? The designs on the walls?
Lakanta: Everything is sacred to us - the buildings, the food, the sky, the dirt beneath your feet - and you. Whether you believe in your spirit or not, we believe in it. You are a sacred person here, Wesley.
Wesley Crusher: I think that's the first time anyone's used that particular word to describe me.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Star Trek Insurrection Review (2009)
- SoundtracksStar Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage
Top review
An excellent story marred by what else but...Wesley Crusher's character
This is a good episode with a powerful story and moral dilemma concerning the relocation of a group of American Indians - could have been a 9 or a 10 with a little more drama and if not for the terrible inconsistencies and the problematic character of Wesley Crusher.
Wesley had SO much potential in TNG, his genius and his encounters with the Traveler could have been exploited so much better, but unfortunately it wasn't always the case. This is one of the episodes where his side story ruins the otherwise excellent base premise. Apart from his annoying baby face stupid smile that's part of his "acting" in TNG every 2 minutes or so, there is absolutely no way any group of American Indians would have considered Wesley some sort of Messiah or treat him as one of their own, for a couple of simple reasons: he's too young, he's disobedient, he has no spiritual depth whatsoever and ... he disrespects elders, especially after joining the Academy. All these Wesley traits make him totally incompatible with a culture like the American Indian one, period.
Other than that, the premise of this episode could have produced an effect relatively close to that of 'Inner Light', if exploited properly (maybe some tragic outcome of the main plot) - it certainly suited the culture's history. It wasn't to be however, and the Indians' and Wesley's stories were blended in a very unrealistic fashion. Picard or even Worf could have been much more suited for Wesley's act, while Wesley's subplot could have been merged into another, more suitable episode. In the end, it all looks forced and not that believable (to say the least), pretty much like trying to eat soup and cake together.
Wesley had SO much potential in TNG, his genius and his encounters with the Traveler could have been exploited so much better, but unfortunately it wasn't always the case. This is one of the episodes where his side story ruins the otherwise excellent base premise. Apart from his annoying baby face stupid smile that's part of his "acting" in TNG every 2 minutes or so, there is absolutely no way any group of American Indians would have considered Wesley some sort of Messiah or treat him as one of their own, for a couple of simple reasons: he's too young, he's disobedient, he has no spiritual depth whatsoever and ... he disrespects elders, especially after joining the Academy. All these Wesley traits make him totally incompatible with a culture like the American Indian one, period.
Other than that, the premise of this episode could have produced an effect relatively close to that of 'Inner Light', if exploited properly (maybe some tragic outcome of the main plot) - it certainly suited the culture's history. It wasn't to be however, and the Indians' and Wesley's stories were blended in a very unrealistic fashion. Picard or even Worf could have been much more suited for Wesley's act, while Wesley's subplot could have been merged into another, more suitable episode. In the end, it all looks forced and not that believable (to say the least), pretty much like trying to eat soup and cake together.
helpful•55
- yincognyto-91718
- Jul 31, 2019
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