Series: Star Trek: TNG
Episode: 6.03 Man of the People (10/5/92)
Rating: 4/5
Redshirt Status: 1/1/36 (resurrections tally 2)

Notable Guest Stars:
Chip Luca (Ves Alkar)- Luca is a reoccuring Star Trek Actor, with one of his final roles being on ENT.  He also appears in Voyager.
George D. Wallace (Simmons) – As well as being a WWII vetran, Wallace starred in Broadway plays and musicals.  He also appeared in Gunsmoke and other popular westerns.
Lucy Boryer (Janeway)- She is best known for her time on Doogie Howser, MD.

Review:

Well, it didn’t take long before I had an episode I disliked. To be fair to this episode, it was made quickly as a fill gap solution when the next episode had to be delayed, so perhaps it didn’t have the time to be developed.

I’m just tired of storylines where women are victims of subservice.  There are three women in this episode who are victimized by Alkar.  He forces his will on these women.  I understand that this is supposed to be a new take on the Dorian Gray story,  but it comes off as another form of rape. These women loose their autonomy, their minds, and their lives. 

My uncomfortablness with how they went about this is also enforced by the fact that Alkar victimizes only women.  He had a male attendant, but somehow, Ihe’s not to be seen when Alkar needs a emotional bag holder. It wouldn’t make it much better (it would still seem a bit like a rape analogy) but it wouldn’t seem so targeted at women.

That being said, Marina Sirtis did an excellent job with what she was given.  Its also interesting to compare her aging make-ups to her actual person now.  She certainly has aged better then they would allow for.  But then so did Picard in “The Inner Light.”

Basically 90s aging make-up was not quite accurate.  But that’s okay.

Interesting Notes:

• Written by several Staff writers, then polished and woven together by Frank Abatemarco
• Directed by Winrich Kolbe
• According to IMDB, this episode was made in a rush to fill the space as originally they meant to film Relics, but scheduling issues pushed the filming back.
• This episode has a Janeway, but not “Janeway.”  She’s off being a commander or Captain elsewhere in the Federation.
• This episode was inspired by “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde.

Pros

• Deanna episode!
• Imzadi content
• Alkar gets  his comeuppance.

Cons:

• Why do so many episodes for Deanna involve her being a disposal unit for people’s emotions/assaults
• “Receptacles”.  Yeah, I’m as disgusted as Picard at that terminology. Also I would have felt better if it wasn’t just women he was victimizing. 

Screencap via CygnusX1.net