5.2 — “Darmok”
Plot: The Enterprise encounters a ship of Tamarians, a mysterious race called “incomprehensible” by all previous ships that have tried to contact them. Picard attempts to establish diplomatic relations, but the Tamarians only speak gibberish phrases like “Rai and Jiri at Lungha” and “Kadir beneath Mo Moteh.” This quandary becomes a crisis when Picard is kidnapped off the bridge and beamed down to the surface of a planet with the Tamar captain, where a mysterious entity waits to hunt them.
Thoughts: The famous “Darmok!” The lines “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra” and “Shaka, when the walls fell” are like call signs that hardcore TNG geeks use to identify themselves to each other. Today I am one step closer to being part of this tribe.
There is something quintessentially Star Trek about the theme of the episode, involving suspicious stranger factions finding nonviolent ways to come together against the odds by figuring out better ways to communicate. Yet, to TNG’s credit, this is not a plot cribbed from TOS. “Darmok” is plainly homegrown and spoken in the language of TNG, through the lens of TNG’s distinctive characters. So, my main reaction to the episode is to observe that TNG has grown up, and found its own voice and confidence. Good job.
It’s interesting to think how Kirk, Spock, and McCoy would have handled it–Kirk probably would have started out where Riker is, but been counseled by Spock to slowly come around to Picard’s position, with McCoy reminding everyone “Dammit! The stakes are too high for your crazy hunches!”
Paul Scofield as the Tamarian Captain does a good job, too. I like Picard’s new jacket. Suede? Ashley Judd has her first professional acting credit as blink-and-you-miss-her Ensign Lefler, who will return for a meatier role in episode 5.6.
To tell the truth, I don’t love the episode. Maybe that comes from hearing it being built-up. I have a tendency to resist widely held opinions. I feel, however, like I knew where the action was heading right from the beginning, which undermines the suspense. The whole business with the flickering entity who looks like Sauron seems contrived. The setup with the two captains stuck on the planet surface comes right out of “Arena”–no wonder Worf thought they would have to fight each other. The language they developed is very cool, though–so, pretty good overall.
Data saying that he has personally encountered 1,754 non-human races during his tenure in Starfleet caught my attention. That’s a lot. No wonder the crew can’t summon much curiosity about the Tamarians, except over whether or not they intend to be hostile.
This episode totally makes me feel like I should know the story of Gilgamesh. I realize that I know bupkis about Gilgamesh. Sounds vaguely Biblical to me. Let’s see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh
Turns out to be a 4,100 year-old epic from Mesopotamia. #themoreyouknow Good story? Should I get familiar?
4 out of 5 vacations on the Isle of Tanagra.
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