Series: Star Trek: TNG
Episode: 3.24 Menage a Troi
Rating: 5/5
Redshirt Status: 0/1/22.5
Notable Guest Stars:
Majel Barret (Lwaxana Troi) I don’t really think I need to note anything about Majel anymore. She’s the First Lady of Trek.
Frank Corsentino (Daimon Tog)- Corsentio’s last three roles (according to IMDB) were on Star Trek. He has played Daimon Bok from an earlier episode and will later appear as Gegis on Voyager.
Ethan Phillips (Farek) Speaking of Voyager, Ethan Phillips may be a guest star on this episode, but he will appear as a regular on Voyager as Neelix.
Carel Strucken ( Mr. Homm) I love Mr. Homm.
Review:
I find this episode, much like any Lwaxana episode, to be quite amusing. Although this episode does also deal with consent issues.
At the start of the episode, the Enterprise is hosting a dinner to celebrate the end of a trade conference near Betazed. Attending is Mrs. Troi, who has switched from finding herself a husband to trying to find her daughter a husband. And maybe get some grandkids in the bargain.
Deanna, as you probably can guess, is less then amused at this. Especially when her mother keeps pushing her towards Will Riker (her actual ex-boyfriend and current co-worker) in various embarrassing ways. On the bright side, at least Will is used to Mama Troi and won’t hold it against Deanna. Lwaxana could have set her sights on another crewmember.
As an Imzadi shipper I like this episode because it gives us a mid-series reminder that these two have a past together and some unresolved feelings towards each other. Granted (spoiler alert) it will take these two idiots another decade to do something about it, but I’ll take what I can get from my Trek OTP.
This episode shows off Patrick Stewart’s Shakespearean acting skills as he mixes a couple of the sonnets to persuade Daimon Tog that his claim to Lwaxana is better accepted. Picard also is a big fan of Shakespeare (as seen before as he teaches Data Henry V)
The one thing that I wonder about in this episode is Deanna’s ability to telepath seems to vary through out the series. She could talk to Will in season 1, and during the first two seasons very easily talked to her mother. But this episode made it seem like she had difficulty doing that as well. So, I’m not sure if it was just the pacing or effects that made it seem that way. I wish they did explore the fact that Will & Deanna seemed to have a telepathic connection. Is it only between the two of them? Does it fade with time or is it a permanent situation? Lots they could have gone with that, but they never did. I’ll chalk that up to a missed opportunity.
Interesting Notes:
- Written by Susan Sackett & Fred Bronson
- Directed by Robert Legato
- Location filming at the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, California.
- Wesley FINALLY gets a real uniform. It only three years.
- The sight of Picard with his arm stretched out while declaring his sonnets has launched a thousand memes.
Pros:
- Ferengi cultural development
- Its Lwaxana.
- Imzadi content
- Wesley finally gets a real uniform and a real ranking.
- Development of how the academy works
Cons:
- Lwaxana still teasing Picard despite his clear uncomfortableness with the whole thing.
Screencap via CygnusX1.net
Sokorra Lewis 