Series: Star Trek: TNG
Episode: 4.14 Clues (02/04/1991)
Rating: 3.5/5
Redshirt Status: 0/1/34
Notable Guest Stars:
Patti Yasutake (Alyssa Ogawa) – She is a reoccurring character on TNG, which is probably the role I know of the best. She appears 16 times on the show and makes appearances in at least two of the films.
Pamela Winslow (Ensign McKnight) She is a broadway actress who got to star as Rapunzel in the original Broadway production of IntoThe Woods. (1987) She will appear twice more as McKnight over the series.
Review:
This episode is a self-contained episode, which includes a Dixon Hill story. Its also a Data specific story. Apparently, this is one of the more beloved episodes but honestly, I don’t care for it too much. I feel that if they had thought longer about it, they could have come up with a better plan.
Its hard to review this episode without giving spoilers away, so I’m not even going to try. Beware, if you pass this point, it will spoil you for the episode.
In the episode, The Enterprise, while examining a special phenomenon comes across a group of non-corporeal beings who are very xenophobic. They want to destroy the Enterprise so that no one would be able to tell anyone of their existence. Picard however gets them to accept them leaving by removing their memories and erasing computer data.
The problem however is someone forgot to take Beverly’s plants off the grower and fix the clock. So everyone starts noticing things being off, and Data ends up with the Spanish Inquisition the senior staff interrogating him. He has sworn Picard he would never tell what he has seen. Which puts him directly against Picard who does not remember he asked Data to do this.
In the end Picard has to beg for their lives again, and they have to fix everything, so no one remembers. Data once again is forced to promise not to tell Picard anything.
It is interesting the idea of non-corporeal beings. This will not be the last time that Star Trek explores that possibility. I wish however that the beings would stop choosing to inhibit Troi. This is at least the third episode that Deanna Troi gets processed by an Alien. Is it her telepathic powers that make her easier to inhibit?
Several rating systems and websites have placed this as one of the best of the TNG episodes. Clearly I disagree. I wonder what you think of this episode.
Interesting Notes:
- Written by Bruce D. Arthurs with a polish up done by Joe Menosky
- Directed by Les Landau
- This episode is, reportedly, “uncannily similar” to a Red Dwarf episode produced two years prior.
Pros:
- Data does a good job in this episode
- I like seeing the cast moments when they aren’t on duty. I like the idea of Worf teaching Klingon version of Taichi, known as mok’bara
- Ok, so seeing Guinan dress up for Dixon Hill was also interesting.
Cons:
- I feel like this could have been done better
- Why is it always Deanna who gets taken over by the aliens?
Screencap via CygnusX1.net
Sokorra Lewis 