5.7 — “Unification I”
Plot: Ambassador Spock is missing. The search for Spock takes Picard to Romulus, where the ambassador is suspected by Starfleet of defecting. But first Picard must visit Qo’noS and Vulcan, to pay a visit to a close acquaintance from last season….
Thoughts: I can’t explain how special it is to see Leonard Nimoy here in TNG in character as Spock (if only briefly). Having him share the screen with Picard (surely we will get a two shot of them together in Part II?) is just brain bending. Part of this is the realization that this and the next episode are the last “new” performances of Nimoy as Spock that I will ever see.
Nimoy agreed to do this two-part episode, which aired on November 4, 1991, as cross promotion for Star Trek VI, which was a month away from its opening in theaters on December 6th. We also get the memorial card for Gene Roddenberry, who died on October 24th.
I don’t like the pacing of the two-part episodes very much; a lot of the action ends up feeling like filler. They try to make the extra time worthwhile by revisiting some of TNG’s greatest hits with Gowron (who is extensively discussed, but does not appear) and Sarek. It is striking how little chemistry the actor who plays Perrin has with her husband, Sarek. Some of Sarek’s scenes could have been shot differently, like with the characters making eye contact, and not strangely shouting at each other. Marc Lenard’s performance gives Sarek emotional weight, however (if not the discipline of logic).
So, Gowron is now denying the friends who defended him. For a culture which places a high value on honor, Klingons seem to have a strange definition of what it means. I fear there is a syndrome in the writing of Star Trek where any unsavory attribute can be applied to a Klingon and seem to fit. I thought of this again when the Klingon captain seems to be too scared to go into the Neutral Zone, and is dismissive of Picard and Data’s bravery. Sure, this behavioral is unlikable, but it doesn’t seem very Klingon.
The smirking is back in the Riker subplot. Gah! I do like the alien with the calculator epaulets. An attempt is made to do something worthwhile with the Troi character. It misfires.
The effort to disguise Picard and Data as Romulans is, of course, a callback to TOS 3.2, “The Enterprise Incident.” I’ll be very disappointed if there isn’t a direct reference to this in Part II. Dressing up as Romulans is a bit of good fun, but why is Crusher so concerned about being able to return Data’s skin pigment to yellow?
The actual reconnaissance mission is disappointing. Apparently they have no cover prepared, for this infiltration into a planet obsessed with espionage and security. Which means Picard and Data are on a suicide mission, but it’s played for yuks. Yuck.
Still, I’m excited for Part II. Spock!
3 of 5 space junkyards.
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