The Enterprise is due a much deserved shore leave (this episode follows the death of Chief of Security Tasha Yar) and instead answer a distress signal from a genius in time distortion who, along with other brilliant minds, has successfully "opened a fabric in time", opening a door to another dimension. In doing so, other star systems light years away can feel the repercussions as odd "time loops" are occurring causing those affected to experience a sort of déjà vu, or, better yet, a repeat of what happened to them in the past! As long as the "time rift" (caused by the time research team who were able to harness energy from the center of their planet and a nearby pulsar star) remains open, this time loop will grow worse (there is an awesome, very surreal scene where Picard, Riker, and Data, in the turbolift, encounter themselves such seconds before entering, discussing the time distortion; both Picards, Datas, and Rikers address and acknowledge that each version is just as real as the other and this is so hard to describe, yet so extraordinary). But this episode isn't only exhilarating for this neat premise alone
Picard's past love life is also examined as Dr. Paul Manheim's (Rod Loomis) wife, Jenice (Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas) was once involved with the Captain! Yes, finally, Picard's past regarding the girl he never met in Paris (an obvious homage to Casablanca), because of fear, a decision he obviously regrets and has thought about for some time, is given credence. Meanwhile, Paul is "caught between dimensions", his health deteriorating the longer the time rift remains open. It is just nice that Picard gets a chance to encounter the "one that got away", and Phillips is positively radiant. Because she is just so stunning and breathtaking, we understand fully why Picard seems excited that she will be beaming aboard the Enterprise (a scene where he claps his hands together and commands vigorously for them to beam her and Paul to sickbay is telling at just what this means to him to see her again after 22 years). "We Will Always Have Paris" also addresses Beverly Crusher's feelings for Picard as Troi offers to talk about the unease that exists when Jenice and the Captain lock eyes and reminisce of the past. The results of Data's trip to the lab to "close the time rift" is also rather cool as he must dodge a laser firing protection system and deal with multiple versions of himself, unsure for a manner of seconds who the right one is that must use anti-matter to "patch up" the time fabric. This is a wonderful episode for the Picard character—it is nice he is allowed a chance to see Jenice once again and know ultimately the right choice was made as she wound up with the right man, Picard captaining the Enterprise was his destiny.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)
We'll Always Have Paris (1988)
User Reviews
Review this title19 Reviews
Lost love?
gritfrombray-114 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
When the Enterprise encounters a distortion in time where events repeat themselves they investigate and proceed to a planet upon receiving a distress call from Paul Manhiem who is renowned for working on experiments in time. Picard is uneasy as his old flame Janice is now married to Doctor Manheim! Brave doing a love story so early in the show for the Captain. Upon arriving they beam Doctor Manheim up and he is put under the care of Doctor Crusher. Picard is left to make up with this ghost from his past. It is decided to plug the time distortion and Picard asks Data to be the one man away team because of his understanding of the mission. Eventually all is well, Data having succeeded and Picard says goodbye to Janice properly. Trivia note, Janice Manhiem was played by former Mamas and the Papas singer Michelle Phillips
Life with me would have somehow made you... ordinary.
snoozejonc25 May 2021
Enterprise encounters time distortions and Captain Picard is faced by someone from his past.
This is an interesting episode with a good focus on Picard and a strong sci-fi concept.
The story follows two plot threads of the time ripples and a lady from Picard's past. It feels that both are thematically linked with time and reliving past moments which I thought was a good. Whether or not any of it is compelling is debatable. Personally I found it enjoyable because I'm rather nerdy about space and time, but how the story unfolds is probably not in the most riveting way. Once you get into the emotions of the love interest plot it kind of sucks all the life out of it in the next scene with a lot of technobabble.
Some of it is reminiscent of the original series episode 'The Alternative Factor', but this is far better.
Picard has a number of good scenes that provides a bit of backstory and shows him in a more emotional and sensitive light than other episodes.
Data is pretty cool as he contributes to the story in an important way.
Dr Crusher has some scenes that explicitly state she has feelings for one individual. Personally I would have rather left this unsaid and let it be implied in their behaviour towards each other in later episodes.
Deanna Troi does have the unique ability to kill the momentum in all her scenes. It's not the fault of the actress, it's the way she's written into plots to analyse how everyone feels. This does ruin the flow of several episodes.
The visuals are good, particularly in the more sci-fi heavy scenes and on the holodeck.
Patrick Stewart is excellent in this episode and whilst everyone else is solid, he stands out significantly with this type of material.
This is an interesting episode with a good focus on Picard and a strong sci-fi concept.
The story follows two plot threads of the time ripples and a lady from Picard's past. It feels that both are thematically linked with time and reliving past moments which I thought was a good. Whether or not any of it is compelling is debatable. Personally I found it enjoyable because I'm rather nerdy about space and time, but how the story unfolds is probably not in the most riveting way. Once you get into the emotions of the love interest plot it kind of sucks all the life out of it in the next scene with a lot of technobabble.
Some of it is reminiscent of the original series episode 'The Alternative Factor', but this is far better.
Picard has a number of good scenes that provides a bit of backstory and shows him in a more emotional and sensitive light than other episodes.
Data is pretty cool as he contributes to the story in an important way.
Dr Crusher has some scenes that explicitly state she has feelings for one individual. Personally I would have rather left this unsaid and let it be implied in their behaviour towards each other in later episodes.
Deanna Troi does have the unique ability to kill the momentum in all her scenes. It's not the fault of the actress, it's the way she's written into plots to analyse how everyone feels. This does ruin the flow of several episodes.
The visuals are good, particularly in the more sci-fi heavy scenes and on the holodeck.
Patrick Stewart is excellent in this episode and whilst everyone else is solid, he stands out significantly with this type of material.
Welcome back Picard
russem3113 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
ST:TNG:24 - "We'll Always Have Paris" (Stardate: 41697.9) - here is another episode that deals with Picard's past - this time concerning Picard's first love - that of Jenice Manheim, the wife of Dr. Paul Manheim (played by Rod Loomis - he is best known as Dr. Sigmund Freud in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), who in this episode has caused a temporal disturbance which the Enterprise tries to fix. Both story A and B are very intriguing, A because we get to see Picard's softer and emotional side (as Troi notes in this episode, Picard finds it difficult confronting deep issues), as he must deal with the woman whom he stood up years ago because of his career. And story B is interesting because it deals with time mechanics, which I personally find very intriguing in any episode or film. Trivia: this is the first time we see Picard's hobby - that of fencing.
Jean Luc's old flame
bkoganbing8 June 2018
This TNG story has the Enterprise racing toward an isolated planet where experiments in the space/time continuum are screwing up space and time, big
time. Thousands of light years away the Enterprise is feeling the affects of
these ripples in time.
There was a disaster at the experimental station and all were killed except the head scientist Rod Loomis and wife Michelle Phillips. She's an old flame of Patrick Stewart and the usual unflappable Captain Picard is having a hard time concentrating on business.
In this case good thing StarFleet's only android Data is part of the crew. Unaffected by the ripples he's the only who can do the job of repair.
Not a bad story. Of course Data does it or there wouldn't be a next week episode. Or our future descendants just wouldn't be.
There was a disaster at the experimental station and all were killed except the head scientist Rod Loomis and wife Michelle Phillips. She's an old flame of Patrick Stewart and the usual unflappable Captain Picard is having a hard time concentrating on business.
In this case good thing StarFleet's only android Data is part of the crew. Unaffected by the ripples he's the only who can do the job of repair.
Not a bad story. Of course Data does it or there wouldn't be a next week episode. Or our future descendants just wouldn't be.
Can't tie Picard down.
thevacinstaller6 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This was an effective episode about exploring 'love them and leave them' Picard's regret. And who wouldn't be regretful? Jenice is wearing an outfit right out of a 90's daft punk music video but still manages to look gorgeous and very comfy! This episode also explicitly confirms that Bev Crusher has a torch burning for Picard with a subtle accidental eavesdrop. I enjoyed Picard coming right out and admitting it was fear that kept him from the meeting in the paris cafe.
The time travel plot was alright but tended to veer towards tell not show. Based on Manheims description the viewer should get to experience this as well. I am a big fan of time travel plots but this one did not engage me.
It's rarely a stinker when Patrick Stewart has prominence in an episode. There's enough present in his performance to hold my interest but otherwise this is another average episode.
The time travel plot was alright but tended to veer towards tell not show. Based on Manheims description the viewer should get to experience this as well. I am a big fan of time travel plots but this one did not engage me.
It's rarely a stinker when Patrick Stewart has prominence in an episode. There's enough present in his performance to hold my interest but otherwise this is another average episode.
Go left or right.
amusinghandle31 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Jean Luc ---- You are a cultured man yet you go into a holodeck restaurant to just admire the view? At least order some wine! These people are running a holodeck business after all.
The 'rip in cosmic time fabric' plot feels like a placeholder so we can go along with Picard on his journey of regret. It's a relatable story about whether you should have gone left or right with a decision in the past. In a season where I have viewed the enterprise crew mostly as Disney Animatronic creatures that have only a surface level personality and shut down after they have a scene ---- it was nice to see some humanity/life in Picard's eye as he wrestles with the weight of his decision. I felt they could have put the screws to Picard with more awkward Beverly scenes but the overall point was made.
The space leisure outfit was amazing.
The 'rip in cosmic time fabric' plot feels like a placeholder so we can go along with Picard on his journey of regret. It's a relatable story about whether you should have gone left or right with a decision in the past. In a season where I have viewed the enterprise crew mostly as Disney Animatronic creatures that have only a surface level personality and shut down after they have a scene ---- it was nice to see some humanity/life in Picard's eye as he wrestles with the weight of his decision. I felt they could have put the screws to Picard with more awkward Beverly scenes but the overall point was made.
The space leisure outfit was amazing.
"Who else would have charged to my rescue?"
classicsoncall25 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I guess you could call this the "Casablanca" episode of 'Next Generation'. The references are abundant, notwithstanding the title of the story, stated by Bogart in that fateful, goodbye moment right before Ingrid Bergman boarded a getaway plane with her husband, Paul Henreid. A telling moment in this story occurred when Jenice Manheim (Michelle Phillips) mentioned that it was raining in Paris when Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) left her hanging at the Cafe de Artistes, although it was the other way around when Ilsa Lund boarded a train and left a disconsolate Rick Blaine to nurse his loss at the station.
I thought this was a pretty good episode, offering a glimpse of the Captain's past while having the Enterprise crew deal with a time and gravity distortion resulting from Dr. Paul Manheim's (Rod Loomis) experimentation in the field. It caused a particularly inventive scene in which Picard, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) observed themselves in a moment captured as they were about to walk onto the bridge. Taking it a step further, it was theorized that the distortion effect produced a before, now, and after effect simulation that would have threatened the Enterprise and all reality itself if a way wasn't found to shut down the anomaly.
Leaving it to Data to make the save, he precisely placed an anti-matter tube into the core of Manheim's device to stop the time disruption, which also brought Dr. Manheim out of his near fatal condition. That left just enough time for Picard to offer a final, proper goodbye to the lost love he left behind for a Starfleet career. Meanwhile, the writers couldn't help themselves with a final Casablanca reference, with the officers mentioning how they would convene at the Blue Parrot on their next shore leave. I wonder if Sydney Greenstreet would have been waiting for them.
I thought this was a pretty good episode, offering a glimpse of the Captain's past while having the Enterprise crew deal with a time and gravity distortion resulting from Dr. Paul Manheim's (Rod Loomis) experimentation in the field. It caused a particularly inventive scene in which Picard, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) observed themselves in a moment captured as they were about to walk onto the bridge. Taking it a step further, it was theorized that the distortion effect produced a before, now, and after effect simulation that would have threatened the Enterprise and all reality itself if a way wasn't found to shut down the anomaly.
Leaving it to Data to make the save, he precisely placed an anti-matter tube into the core of Manheim's device to stop the time disruption, which also brought Dr. Manheim out of his near fatal condition. That left just enough time for Picard to offer a final, proper goodbye to the lost love he left behind for a Starfleet career. Meanwhile, the writers couldn't help themselves with a final Casablanca reference, with the officers mentioning how they would convene at the Blue Parrot on their next shore leave. I wonder if Sydney Greenstreet would have been waiting for them.
Picard Chooses the Enterprise
Hitchcoc2 August 2014
This is an excellent episode, addressing unrequited love and the fabric of space. An old friend and super scientist invokes his old friend's good nature to try to repair the results of experimentation in time. Because of this rift, a series of events take place where things become sort of stacked. This also brings in the character of a beautiful woman that Picard loved back in the day. As with Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, she chose the great man, the man going places, even if she didn't love him. Because things are able to be repeated, Picard is given a second chance. He can let his friend die and get the girl or try to solve the problem. There are some wonderful scenes where events test the quick thinking of the crew as reality and time are chopped up. We get to see the lonely captain, wanting something so bad, an opportunity one never gets. We are also again able to see Beverly's true feelings for Jean-Luc. Of course, some believe that Picard's arbitrariness led to the doctor's husband losing his life. A very good episode with lots of implications.
The Love Boat in Space
itagly-alp3 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This episode should be rated -1/10. If I wanted to watch a Soapie I'd turn on the TV in mid-afternoon. The background music would never be played in a supermarket as all of the customers would flee and the staff would fall asleep.
Only a token effort went into the science fiction elements of the plot. Was this the day of the writer's strike? As a long-term fan of Star Trek, I am deeply disgraced that this episode ever existed.
If you combine story formulas from "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" and transport them to a starship this episode is the result.
I can understand that many people enjoy romantic stories and when written well with original ideas I too can enjoy them. Even though I live in Antarctica and I'm an Emperor penguin, I'm not cold-hearted (truly). However, this is Star Trek and I expect a healthy dose of science-fiction.
In summary, I wouldn't watch this tripe again even if you gave me a ship-load of silverfish, my favourite fish.
Only a token effort went into the science fiction elements of the plot. Was this the day of the writer's strike? As a long-term fan of Star Trek, I am deeply disgraced that this episode ever existed.
If you combine story formulas from "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island" and transport them to a starship this episode is the result.
I can understand that many people enjoy romantic stories and when written well with original ideas I too can enjoy them. Even though I live in Antarctica and I'm an Emperor penguin, I'm not cold-hearted (truly). However, this is Star Trek and I expect a healthy dose of science-fiction.
In summary, I wouldn't watch this tripe again even if you gave me a ship-load of silverfish, my favourite fish.
This is Star Trek
XweAponX13 October 2014
Of all of the episodes of the original series, next-generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager and enterprise, this episode is Star Trek. This episode is in fact what Star Trek is about.
Maybe this is an homage to the original series episode with "Lazarus", the man from two universes- but where that episode deals with time in respect to alternate universes, this episode deals with time itself, The constancy of time, and what would happen if that constancy were interfered with.
It also deals with time in a relationship that Picard had with a woman played here by Michelle Phillips, Who he meets here 15 years after he walked away.
Picard's former love interest is married to a doctor Mannheim, who has discovered a crack in time, a crack which has to be sealed.
Where normal people would be confused by alleged time-hiccups, Data is not confused. So Data is the one who has to work with past and future iterations of himself to close this crack.
This episode is always fascinating to watch, it's one of Brent Spiner's greatest Data performances. There is a quality of believability here, suspension of disbelief is not a problem, it's a fantastic concept, we believe in it because of its uniqueness.
Episodes like this were rare in the Trek franchise, but when they were revealed, they were very refreshing. In fact next generation had a double roll with the very next episode "Conspiracy".
Of course the last few episodes of season one lacked the appearance of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar- Who I admit I did not like in season one but I actually liked a lot more when she appeared in "yesterday's enterprise" and then later as Sela, the daughter of that alternate Tasha. And those future episodes of course also dealt with time and/or alternate time-lines.
When we watch episodes like this, we start to wonder if time is as immutable as we think it is.
Maybe this is an homage to the original series episode with "Lazarus", the man from two universes- but where that episode deals with time in respect to alternate universes, this episode deals with time itself, The constancy of time, and what would happen if that constancy were interfered with.
It also deals with time in a relationship that Picard had with a woman played here by Michelle Phillips, Who he meets here 15 years after he walked away.
Picard's former love interest is married to a doctor Mannheim, who has discovered a crack in time, a crack which has to be sealed.
Where normal people would be confused by alleged time-hiccups, Data is not confused. So Data is the one who has to work with past and future iterations of himself to close this crack.
This episode is always fascinating to watch, it's one of Brent Spiner's greatest Data performances. There is a quality of believability here, suspension of disbelief is not a problem, it's a fantastic concept, we believe in it because of its uniqueness.
Episodes like this were rare in the Trek franchise, but when they were revealed, they were very refreshing. In fact next generation had a double roll with the very next episode "Conspiracy".
Of course the last few episodes of season one lacked the appearance of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar- Who I admit I did not like in season one but I actually liked a lot more when she appeared in "yesterday's enterprise" and then later as Sela, the daughter of that alternate Tasha. And those future episodes of course also dealt with time and/or alternate time-lines.
When we watch episodes like this, we start to wonder if time is as immutable as we think it is.
I had trouble keeping my eyes open with this one....
planktonrules11 November 2014
This episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is a rather poor one--mostly because the show features two plots and one of them is frankly very dull. As for the other, it is decent...but nothing to get excited about either. Overall, it left me very flat.
The Enterprise notices a space wrinkle where things repeat themselves for an instant. This distortion is investigated--and it takes the ship right in the path of a woman who Picard abandoned many years ago in order to go to space. Michelle Phillips stars as the woman and this part of the show isn't bad. But the time distortion is so very dull and uninteresting. It really was just an excuse to bring Picard and his old flame together--and it should have been a lot better. Overall, sort of like a soap opera and as far as the sci-fi goes, it was a bust.
By the way, while many viewers will recognize the phrase "we'll always have Paris". If you don't, it's from "Casablanca".
The Enterprise notices a space wrinkle where things repeat themselves for an instant. This distortion is investigated--and it takes the ship right in the path of a woman who Picard abandoned many years ago in order to go to space. Michelle Phillips stars as the woman and this part of the show isn't bad. But the time distortion is so very dull and uninteresting. It really was just an excuse to bring Picard and his old flame together--and it should have been a lot better. Overall, sort of like a soap opera and as far as the sci-fi goes, it was a bust.
By the way, while many viewers will recognize the phrase "we'll always have Paris". If you don't, it's from "Casablanca".
Michelle Phillips
mahler-198405 December 2021
Deeply stupid.
grotsky_af31 October 2020
What am I even watching here? Picard has a boring ex-girlfriend with a sleepy new husband? It has something to do with time loops, but not really, they never really get into it? Beverly is bummed out, for some reason? Also, at one point Jean Luc says to Data, "Well, Data, I'm gonna ask you to put a stitch in time - and save much more than nine", so that's not great. The set for Dr. Manheim's lab is cool tho.
One of by beloved episodes
Filmreader2 January 2022
Utterly Forgettable
anarchistica20 March 2020
I just watched this episode and i can barely remember what happened. Picard didn't go on a date once and he regrets it? Yawn. A potentially interesting rift in time is barely shown or used before being easily fixed? Wasted premise. Worst of all they turned Paris into "Space Paris". Ugly buildings right in the center. Ugh.
A Ghost from Picard's Past
Samuel-Shovel2 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
In "We'll Always Have Paris" the Enterprise receives a distress call from a renowned scientist and his lab where the scientist has made a big breakthrough in the field of time's relationship to alter dimensions but has fallen ill. The only other survivor at this lab after a bad mishap is the wife of Dr. Manheim who also just happens to be an old flame of Picard's who he abandoned in favor of Star Fleet.
The Enterprise starts having strange time glitches and do-overs. Apparently the sick Dr. Manheim has opened up a seam to another dimension which has 1) made him sick and 2) had long stretching percussions around this corner of the galaxy. Data's understanding of the situation means he must beam down the lab and close up the seam with instructions he receives from Manheim. As Picard tries to deal with this issue, he also must deal with the skeletons in his closet regarding Jenice and what could have been in another life.
This episode was plodding and felt like one of the longest episodes of Season 1. If time truly is not constant as Data talks about, then this episode was about twice as long as some of the better Season 1 eps. The only scene I really enjoyed was Data trying to sew up the tear and 3 of him show up. Beyond that, there's not much to like. The Paris scenes on the Holodeck all look pretty bad. None of the characters really shine here. While not the worst we've seen in Season 1, it's somewhere near the bottom.
The Enterprise starts having strange time glitches and do-overs. Apparently the sick Dr. Manheim has opened up a seam to another dimension which has 1) made him sick and 2) had long stretching percussions around this corner of the galaxy. Data's understanding of the situation means he must beam down the lab and close up the seam with instructions he receives from Manheim. As Picard tries to deal with this issue, he also must deal with the skeletons in his closet regarding Jenice and what could have been in another life.
This episode was plodding and felt like one of the longest episodes of Season 1. If time truly is not constant as Data talks about, then this episode was about twice as long as some of the better Season 1 eps. The only scene I really enjoyed was Data trying to sew up the tear and 3 of him show up. Beyond that, there's not much to like. The Paris scenes on the Holodeck all look pretty bad. None of the characters really shine here. While not the worst we've seen in Season 1, it's somewhere near the bottom.
Straight from the Powerbook the the worst Hollywood hack
jimdavidson-195325 December 2018
Disappointing for a season 1 episode of another juggernaut in the Star Trek series. The yarn follows some lost love opportunity of Captain Picard and gives one the impression that the writer or writers were rounded up in some unemployment line after being let go from the Hallmark Channel. The viewer is left to wonder whether the whole story will transition to a set from General Hospital reconstituted in the holodeck.
A Senior Trekker writes................
celineduchain27 December 2021
Writing in 2021, it is great to see that I am not the only person taking a retrospective look at Star Trek, the Next Generation. When this series was first released in 1987, a little less than twenty years after the end of the Original Series, many people thought that, without Captain Kirk and his crew, it couldn't really be Star Trek. However, original creator Gene Roddenberry, was fully invested in the casting, writing and overall look of the new series, so let's see how it shaped up:
This episode was embarrassingly bad at the time and hasn't aged well, either.
Why did the crewmembers, confronted with a potentially universe-ending, race against time, interdimensional phenomenon, spend so much time talking about their feelings?
Why on earth did Michelle Phillips agree to do this piece if she felt so uncomfortable in the role?
Why did Patrick Stuart, who has the skills to romance a cardboard cut-out convincingly should he feel so inclined, turn in a performance so completely devoid of charm?
The screen realisation of the Cafe Des Artistes was about as Gallic as plate of cold French fries and an insult to the Parisians of any century.
Best forgotten.
(Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5)
This episode was embarrassingly bad at the time and hasn't aged well, either.
Why did the crewmembers, confronted with a potentially universe-ending, race against time, interdimensional phenomenon, spend so much time talking about their feelings?
Why on earth did Michelle Phillips agree to do this piece if she felt so uncomfortable in the role?
Why did Patrick Stuart, who has the skills to romance a cardboard cut-out convincingly should he feel so inclined, turn in a performance so completely devoid of charm?
The screen realisation of the Cafe Des Artistes was about as Gallic as plate of cold French fries and an insult to the Parisians of any century.
Best forgotten.
(Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5)
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
