7.9 — “Force of Nature”
Plot: I guess it’s mostly about training Data’s cat. Or maybe about meeting a Ferengi for five minutes and then forgetting about him? Wait, there is a pair of alien scientists who claim that the use of warp drives in their region of space is causing subspace to extrude and leak all over the place. Which is bad.
Thoughts: The premise of this episode is quite short, which is why we are treated to so many filler scenes that go nowhere, and more scenes which amount to nothing but walls of technobabble. The ship is stuck in technobabble, and has to use technobabble to try to surf out of the techonobabble (“Bad news, Captain! We’re still in the technobabble!”).
Things look up temporarily when the two crackpots scientists arrive with their theory about how Picard’s warp drive is totally rippling their continuum, dude. I thought, aha! A premise exploring how people come to passionately believe in junk science and obstinately resist contrary ideas, despite causing provable harm to others. As an anti-vax, anti-science parable, it would be quite topical! No, however, it turns out the crackpots are right and the scientists were just lamely applying the scientific method instead of paying attention sufficient attention to their feelings.
Geordi feeling guilty about not listening to Serova is ridiculous. First, it was Picard’s decision. Second, they investigated her claims fully and offered to refer them for further study, which was literally everything possible. He must have just been feeling bad about the script.
Serova says, you aren’t paying enough attention to the danger of a catastrophe that will devastate my world! Therefore, I will immediatly cause the catastrophe and devastate my world!” Which makes perfect sense. Move along, there’s nothing to see here.
I feel déjà vu, like there was already a premise a few seasons back similar to discovering the warp engines are unexpectedly bad, so they have to stop using them. If so, it was forgotten just as fast as I expect this will be. Isn’t the harm is only supposed to be caused because of the unique properties of this region of space? So why do they need a speed limit everywhere?
Of course we get nothing about Hekaran culture, discover nothing about what they mean to Starfleet, or what Starfleet means to them.
Do I need to continue? This is one of the worst episodes of the series.
1 of 5 verteron probes.
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