4.9 — “Final Mission”
Plot: Wesley Crusher’s admission into Starfleet Academy inspires Picard to select him for a final mission to accompany him aboard a shuttlecraft to mediate a mining dispute on Pentarus V. A mechanical failure and crash landing leave the two stranded without food or water along with the unreliable captain of the mining shuttle. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is unavailable for rescue due to a distress call in another system.
Thoughts: The ending leaves some ambiguity whether this is truly Wesley Crusher’s last episode on the show. IMDB to the rescue! “[This is] Wil Wheaton’s final credited appearance as a regular. He would go on to make guest appearances in four later episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989).”
It’s interesting that the writers, who plainly wanted to give Wesley a decent send off, decided that the character’s most meaningful relationship in the show is with Picard, and not his mother. You can almost feel the writers’ palpable relief at putting Wesley’s storylines, such as they are, to bed. Beverly Crusher, meanwhile, is given nothing interesting to do.
Wil Wheaton would go on to take a page from William Riker’s playbook and grow a beard, instantly quadrupling his popularity. Okay, maybe writing his blog and publications like http://tinyurl.com/p5uvs6c also had something to do with it.
Given this is Wesley’s last regular episode, it’s too bad that I can’t stand him in it. However, the episode looks awesome. The combination of location shooting (complete with a full size shuttle prop!) and the clever cavern sets make this perhaps the best-looking Star Trek planet ever. Even the technobabble side plot has cool special effects.
I also like the miner character, even if they could have gotten a better payoff from him.
I note that no explanation is even offered why a fountain on an otherwise deserted planet would be located in a cave and protected by a forcefield and (mechanical?) sentry. I was expecting Wesley to realize that the answer is to communicate with the sentry, and ask humbly for assistance, but no. Is that too cliché for the new TNG? Communicating with unfamiliar others to achieve greater understanding, and find unsuspected opportunities for mutual advantage, used to be Star Trek’s bread and butter.
Au revoir, kid.
2.5 of 5 improbable subterranean water features.
http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Mission_(episode)
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