Up the Long Ladder
- Episode aired May 20, 1989
- TV-PG
- 45m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
An antiquated distress signal leads to two lost 22nd century Earth colonies, each facing doom in different ways, one by fire, the other by prolonged cloning.An antiquated distress signal leads to two lost 22nd century Earth colonies, each facing doom in different ways, one by fire, the other by prolonged cloning.An antiquated distress signal leads to two lost 22nd century Earth colonies, each facing doom in different ways, one by fire, the other by prolonged cloning.
Wil Wheaton
- Wesley Crusher
- (credit only)
Jon DeVries
- Prime Minister Granger
- (as Jon de Vries)
Majel Barrett
- Enterprise Computer
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Dexter Clay
- Operations Division Officer
- (uncredited)
Tim McCormack
- Ensign Bennett
- (uncredited)
Richard Sarstedt
- Command Division Officer
- (uncredited)
Lainie Sims
- Bringloidi Colonist
- (uncredited)
Michael Stanhope
- Bringloidi Colonist
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile filming the scene where Picard, Riker and Worf investigate the fire in the cargo bay set by the Irish settlers so they could cook, Patrick Stewart found the dialogue so hilarious that he started laughing uncontrollably, and forced himself to turn his back to the camera to continue. With cameras still rolling, Jonathan Frakes approached him in-character as Riker, and Stewart, still laughing, turned back around and improvised the line about bowing to the absurd.
- GoofsWhen transporting several Bringloidi and their animals and livestock from the planet surface, they appear on the transporter pad on the Enterprise standing atop a layer of hay. This is clearly a goof, in that when crew members transport up from the surface of a planet, they do not bring with them dirt, grass or the like that they were standing on during the transporter process.
- Quotes
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Sometimes, Number One... you just have to... bow to the absurd.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Star Trek: The Next Generation: Shades of Gray (1989)
- SoundtracksStar Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage
Featured review
The Irish among us...this one seems a bit silly and insulting.
It's funny that one of the most politically correct shows of its day would make VERY broad and probably insulting stereotypes in one of its episodes-- but that's what occurs in "Up the Long Ladder".
The Enterprise finds something they do not expect--an Earth colony where no one thought there was one. However, when the crew reads through the ship's manifest which brought the people to the planet, some of the things don't fit--as if there were two totally different colonies. And, it turns out there are two. The first is made up of a group of very uncouth Irish people--seemingly straight off the set of "The Quiet Man" or a Lucky Charms commercial. I am pretty sure Irish folks seeing this show would NOT be pleased that they are shown as a bunch of drunken slobs...but that's is how they behave. As for the other group on a nearby planet, they are scientific and much more advanced...but they are also dying as a race. What's next? A love connection...
This was a rather poor episode. First, it didn't really make any sense why a group of ignorant boobs would go on such a long space voyage. Second, there is really no subtlety or finesse about the show--it is VERY broadly written and rather stupid.
The Enterprise finds something they do not expect--an Earth colony where no one thought there was one. However, when the crew reads through the ship's manifest which brought the people to the planet, some of the things don't fit--as if there were two totally different colonies. And, it turns out there are two. The first is made up of a group of very uncouth Irish people--seemingly straight off the set of "The Quiet Man" or a Lucky Charms commercial. I am pretty sure Irish folks seeing this show would NOT be pleased that they are shown as a bunch of drunken slobs...but that's is how they behave. As for the other group on a nearby planet, they are scientific and much more advanced...but they are also dying as a race. What's next? A love connection...
This was a rather poor episode. First, it didn't really make any sense why a group of ignorant boobs would go on such a long space voyage. Second, there is really no subtlety or finesse about the show--it is VERY broadly written and rather stupid.
helpful•3222
- planktonrules
- Nov 14, 2014
Details
- Runtime45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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