4.16 — “Galaxy’s Child”
Plot: Geordi La Forge is thrilled to learn that Dr. Leah Brahms, designer of the Galaxy-class warp drive, will be visiting the Enterprise. Having fallen for her holographic simulation in TNG 3.6, “Booby Trap,” Geordi will need to adjust his fantasy of Dr. Brahms to match reality. Meanwhile, the ship encounters a sentient spacefaring creature in the family way.
Thoughts: This is a clever story that covers interesting ground. It’s just that the levels are all off. At the beginning, Geordi is way too excited, and seems inexplicably unable to distinguish the notion of simulation versus reality. Leah, however (can I call her Leah?), when she arrives on the ship, is way too confrontational and angry. Like, outrageously unprofessional.
Geordi massively overcompensates by arranging the outrageous dinner date. Leah’s understandable anger at discovering the Holodeck simulation is played way over the top. Then the reconciliation is too big, and the denouement too sappy. These are all good notes to hit, they are just blowing them wrong. Yes, conflict is the soul of drama on television, but reel it in a little.
I admit I have a problem watching male characters embarrass themselves around women. It’s painful; I’m right there with them.
I think the writers got some things in the script wrong. The sentence uttered by Leah to Geordi in the Jeffries Tube ending with the revelation “I’m married” caused a string of thoughts: 1) Men and women who aren’t sleeping together actually do write papers together all the time in this century, and I presume they would in the 24th century as well. What’s the big deal? 2) Would it not have been cooler if, in 1991, this sentence had ended with the word “lesbian” instead? 3) Look, you are both grownups. Yes, Geordi has just revealed to Leah that he likes her. There should be other paths forward besides “We have to get together right now” or “We can never be around each other.” 4) Monogamy? Really? Still that important? Not to some (Riker, Kirk). I think everyone needs to relax.
The question arises, should Leah be upset about the Holodeck thing? To put it another way, is Geordi awkward and harmless, or actually creepy and weird? The writers and LeVar Burton seem to think he’s awkward and harmless, and who am I to argue. The premise of “Booby Trap” was that Geordi didn’t intend to create Dr. Brahms’ double. But I think she is still entitled to feel violated and uncomfortable around him, especially since he can’t seem to separate simulation from reality.
The alien technobabble plot is original enough to make me overlook the similarity to “Tin Man.” Picard, however, is way too incautious when he presumes that the creature has benign intentions and fails to raise the shields. This is a good example of mushy thinking causing unintended harm.
Isn’t Leah Brahms awfully young to have designed the ship’s warp drives? Maybe it has something to do with brilliant scientists doing their best original work in their 20s and early 30s.
For all the above, I find this episode provocative and powerful (which is another way of saying it pushed my buttons). 3 of 5 space remoras.
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