5.19 — “The First Duty”
Plot: The Enterprise returns to Earth to visit Starfleet Academy for graduation ceremonies in which Wesley Crusher is expected to participate. Suddenly Picard is informed that Wesley has been in a flying accident in which a cadet lost his life. Now Wesley faces an inquiry with the other members of his squadron.
Thoughts: I understand that some people like this episode very much. Entertainment Weekly ranked it as #9 in its list of “The Top 10 Episodes” of TNG in 2008. I don’t get it!
I see a dull episode with very low jeopardy that accomplishes little other than dragging the character of Wesley Crusher through the mud. It’s obvious early on that he’s concealing something, and will eventually come forward and reveal it. Along the way he utters no interesting dialogue and does nothing of any particular interest. His friends are dead boring. It appears, in the end, he would not have come forward if Picard hadn’t threatened to expose him. Which means, I guess, that he’s marginally more afraid of being shamed by Picard than he is of disappointing his classmates.
What doesn’t seem to be of great moment is any compunction about not owning up to his mistake, admitting what he did wrong, and not opportunistically participating in scapegoating his dead friend in front of his grieving father. The calculus isn’t very hard here. Resist peer pressure, or lie to an Admiral.
Meanwhile there is no trace of Wesley the boy genius, the chosen one, battle-tested and capable. Not even the more charming young Lothario seen earlier in the season in “The Game.” Quotes on Memory Alpha indicate that the writers thought they were doing the character a favor, humanizing him, giving him flaws that would add texture and make him more relatable. The Season Five writers obviously hate the character.
Picard greets and treats Wesley like a remote acquaintance; although his relationship with his mother isn’t much warmer. You would think there would be some reference to the adventures they’ve had together, or the debt of gratitude he owes Wesley as recently as “The Game.”
Maybe because I’m a lawyer these ethical questions seem more old hat, and not fresh territory?
The actor who plays Nick Locarno apparently returns to play series regular Tom Paris in Voyager. That character is based on Locarno, and was going to be Locarno, but in the end they decided they couldn’t afford to pay royalties to the authors of “The First Duty” in every episode. The characters of Boothby, Wesley Crusher, and Sito Jaxa (one of the friends) all return for later appearances.
2 of 5 Kolvoord Starbursts.
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