Wanderlust

4.2 — “Family”

4.2 — “Family”

Plot: The Enterprise is in spacedock orbiting Earth, undergoing repairs to the damage it received during its battle with the Borg. Worf’s human parents visit the starship, while Wesley receives a recorded message from his father. Meanwhile, Picard visits La Barre, France, where his brother Robert’s family operates a vineyard.

Thoughts: I kind of love this episode, which breaks all the rules of TNG. It’s full of callbacks, not just to “The Best of Both Worlds,” but also to “Sins of the Father” and many more. There is no science fiction premise, other than exploring the feelings of a crew in spacedock making a rare visit to Earth. This episode announces “we remember what happened last week, and also last season, and our new rule is that these things matter.”

Worf’s parents are played so broadly, I expected the the Dad character (Sergey Rozhenko) to break into Fiddler on the Roof at any moment. The actor (Theodore Bikel) originated the role of Captain von Trapp on Broadway. The casting of Worf’s parents as Russians makes him the spiritual heir to Pavel Chekov. I wonder when the family emigrated from the Gault colony back to Earth? Broad or not, this is a Worf story written by Ronald B. Moore, and it works.

The conservatism of Picard’s brother Robert, and his conflict with Picard, plays true and feels timeless. Realistically, this crew just saved the whole planet, and perhaps the Federation, in extreme heroic fashion. I doubt they would be allowed to put back into space right away, let alone without the fuss of a few parades. Perhaps in the 24th century humankind has evolved beyond the need for celebration? I love the scene where Picard expresses his survivor guilt.

It’s also great to see scenes shot on location, which so far has been rare for TNG.

Probably the weakest thread is the message from Jack Crusher, but it is still affecting to see how young he is. Of course Jack wouldn’t have been much older then than Wesley is now. I’m glad the character hasn’t been forgotten. The writers seem to be on a mission to tie up loose ends. This one has been dangling since the pilot.

5 of 5 underwater city projects. That’s a fun science fiction concept.

http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Family_(episode)

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4 responses to “4.2 — “Family””

  1. Randi Cohen Avatar
    Randi Cohen

    This is really my favorite episode so far.  It’s so common to write an episode about war and shooting ’em up, and so uncommon to see the human aftermath of war depicted, particularly in a TV series.  I think this is possibly ahead of its time even for today, although confess I am not the biggest TV watcher so can’t say for certain.

    LOVE Worf’s mom and dad… such a heartwarming interaction they have.  I can totally see him loving them and being embarrassed by them at the same time.  So sweet they came to visit because of the discommodation and didn’t want him to be alone… 

    LOVE even more Patrick Stewart’s family.  They dovetail so well with his character (although, what is a family that eschews technology doing with such a young son at their apparent ages??).  Anyway, his icy reserve makes sense in context of a family system which seems not to reward vulnerability, express sentiment, nor to have been accepting of his viewpoints on things.  I can totally see the “way in” being aggression rather than softness, for him.  Brilliant acting on the part of Stewart and whoever played his brother too.  Great stuff that makes me feel for his character so much better!

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  2. Katharine Bond Avatar
    Katharine Bond

    I also really liked this episode and appreciated that they actually paid at some thought to the consequences of Wolf 359.

    Reply
  3. R. Alex Reutter Avatar
    R. Alex Reutter

    We thought “The Best of Both Worlds” was a two-part episode, but really it’s a trilogy with “Family” as the denouement, as Picard comes to grips with his time as a Borg.  It’s wonderful to have a meditative reaction episode.

    As a bonus, we get to meet Worf’s parents, who are charming Russian peasant stereotypes.

    Love Picard’s highwayman nephew.  “What does it mean, arrogant son of a…”  “Let’s talk about that later.”

    More sorts of homecomings folded in, as Wesley gets a message in a bottle from his dad.

    Picard’s brother is a grumpy old troll, but love him as character.  He gives Picard as good as he gets.

    WHOOPI.  Oddly, not as great as I’ve come to expect from Guinan scenes. 

    I like Jean Luc’s friend Louis, and the need to wrestle with an attractive job offer that would put him closer to family.

    Hey, we get to see the inside of Worf’s quarters!  Weird chair.  

    I don’t buy the physical fight between Picard and his brother, but I love Patrick Stewart, covered in mud, tearfully recounting what the Borg did to him, followed by he and his brother tracking mud through the house and the scene with Meredith.

    I love the transitional state of the Starfleet officer uniform from (thinking back to Kirk to) Jack to Wesley.  It’s weak, but it’s the tertiary story.

    Fun fact?  This is the only episode in which Data does not appear.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)

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  4. Randi Cohen Avatar
    Randi Cohen

    I think that might be the uniform from the star trek movies minus the white undergarment.

    Reply

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