Pen Pals
- Episode aired Apr 29, 1989
- TV-PG
- 45m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
Data befriends an alien girl in distress, breaking the Prime Directive, while Wesley commands his first team.Data befriends an alien girl in distress, breaking the Prime Directive, while Wesley commands his first team.Data befriends an alien girl in distress, breaking the Prime Directive, while Wesley commands his first team.
Ann Gillespie
- Ensign Hildebrant
- (as Ann H. Gillespie)
Majel Barrett
- Enterprise Computer
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
James G. Becker
- Youngblood
- (uncredited)
Jeffrey Deacon
- Command Division Officer
- (uncredited)
Randy James
- Ten Forward Waiter
- (uncredited)
Tim McCormack
- Ensign Bennett
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the first episode where Picard actually drinks Earl Grey tea. He had previously ordered a cup of Earl Grey from the replicator in Contagion (1989), but because of a computer malfunction he instead received a small potted plant.
- GoofsThe entire crew act as if they have never seen an alien before, after Data brings his friend on board, and refer to her as "that".
- Quotes
[Data is about to beam down to the planet]
Commander William T. Riker: O'Brien, take a nap. You didn't see any of this, you're not involved.
Chief Miles O'Brien: Right, sir, I'll just be standing over here dozing off.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mr. Plinkett's Star Trek 2009 Review (2010)
- SoundtracksStar Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage
Featured review
In this episode a grown man (well, technically a built one) befriends a young girl without her parents knowing about it. He lies about who he is, visits her bedroom while her parents aren't around, kidnaps her and erases her memory.
Wait... what?!
Yeah, so this episode comes across as really really wrong to people living in the Internet age. And honestly, it was pretty disturbing even before that. The storyline itself is quite good and shows how messed up the Prime Directive is. Basically TNG is making excuses for the way the US conducts foreign policy. I'm pretty sure Picard would even let the Holocaust happen because of this dumb rule.
The other storyline is another "Wesley comes of age" plot. It isn't bad, though it does drag the episode down a bit. What is nice is that it shows Wesley to be insecure. Long gone are the days of Wunderkind Wesley. He turns out to be human after all. And so do Data, Pulaski and even Picard.
Wait... what?!
Yeah, so this episode comes across as really really wrong to people living in the Internet age. And honestly, it was pretty disturbing even before that. The storyline itself is quite good and shows how messed up the Prime Directive is. Basically TNG is making excuses for the way the US conducts foreign policy. I'm pretty sure Picard would even let the Holocaust happen because of this dumb rule.
The other storyline is another "Wesley comes of age" plot. It isn't bad, though it does drag the episode down a bit. What is nice is that it shows Wesley to be insecure. Long gone are the days of Wunderkind Wesley. He turns out to be human after all. And so do Data, Pulaski and even Picard.
- anarchistica
- Mar 25, 2020
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Filming locations
- Thousand Oaks, California, USA(outdoor ranch in holodeck scene)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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