When The Bough Breaks

Episode aired Feb 13, 1988
TV-PGTV-PG
45m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

YOUR RATING

Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

A planet that was able to cloak itself for thousands of years suddenly reveals itself, with its inhabitants proposing peace. But, after initial negotiations, children of the Enterprise are k... Read allA planet that was able to cloak itself for thousands of years suddenly reveals itself, with its inhabitants proposing peace. But, after initial negotiations, children of the Enterprise are kidnapped due to the infertility of the inhabitants.A planet that was able to cloak itself for thousands of years suddenly reveals itself, with its inhabitants proposing peace. But, after initial negotiations, children of the Enterprise are kidnapped due to the infertility of the inhabitants.

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- Kim Manners
Writers
- Gene Roddenberry(showrunner)
- Hannah Louise Shearer(executive story editor)
- Tracy Tormé(executive story editor)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Photos14

Wil Wheaton, Jandi Swanson, McKenzie Westmore, Amy Wheaton, Jeremy Wheaton, Jessica Bova, and Vanessa Bova in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Brenda Strong, Jessica Bova, and Vanessa Bova in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Gates McFadden in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Gates McFadden and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Wil Wheaton in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Denise Crosby and Gates McFadden in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Wil Wheaton and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Jonathan Frakes and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Trivia
Aldea is the Spanish word for village.

Goofs
Data explains that the Aldeans cloak works by bending light rays around the planet. This would mean that no light or other electromagnetic energy could reach the planet's surface, leaving it in complete darkness and completely frozen. It would be so cold even the planet's atmosphere would freeze and fall to the ground like snow. This would also not hide the planet's gravitational field, which would give its location and clearly as if there were no cloak at all.

Quotes
[Picard has quoted Starfleet Regulation 6.57 to Radue, in order to justify Dr. Crusher's presence during negotiations]
Lt. Commander Data: Captain, I am not aware of Regulation 6.57.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: No, Data, neither am I.
Lt. Commander Data: I see, sir. Oh - I see, sir!

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

User reviews23

Review

Top review

7/10

Not as warty as most season one episodes

It's not stellar but it's ok. It doesn't have the warts that so many first season episodes have. This one could have been slotted almost seamlessly into the second or third seasons.

Though it does have hilarious plot holes. First, are there not orphans that might want to move here? Second, how exactly can this planet disappear again? Once the Enterprise detected it, they should easily be able to quickly determine its orbital parameters. Why didn't Picard point out that he'd already transmitted all this information to Starfleet and if anything happened to the Enterprise, a whole fleet would come looking?

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