It would be hard to pick between this and Darmok as my favorite TNG episode. Both episodes are about how Picard deals with challenges and in both cases he proves well suited to the job. They are also both pretty serious scifi which helps put them at the top of my TNG pedestal. The Inner Light despite not really featuring much of the normal cast other than Picard manages to make me feel incredibly strongly. The idea of sending out the memories of a community to live on in another person a thousand years after your culture is destroyed is a really cool concept.
The episode opens with the Enterprise encountering a probe of unknown origins. It activates and Picard falls to the ground and wakes up in a strange womans arms. She tell him he is her husband and that he has had a fever for days. He gets up asking all sorts of questions about where he is. She tells him his name is Kamin but he runs off before they can discuss much more. He runs into a councilman named Batai planting a tree to show the communities strength despite the drought. After the speech Picard confronts the man who says he is Kamin's friend. Picard figures out that he is in a community on the relatively primitive planet Kataan. Back on the Enterprise Dr. Crusher is called to the bridge. The probe is sending a beam of some sort into Picards brain and he is in some sort of coma. Crusher tells Riker not to damage the probe since it might hurt the captain.
Back on Kataan it has been five years and Kamin still has strong memories of being Picard and is driven to study the stars, but he has also started trying to figure out what is going on with the drought which has only worsened. Working with his friend Batai Kamin presents a plan to build atmospheric condensers to generate more water to the local administrator, but even though he says he will think about it, Kamin figures correctly that he won't. Batai and Kamin go back to Kamin's house for dinner and afterwards hang out on the porch while Kamin plays his flute. Eline, Kamin's wife, comes out and sends Batai home. Kamin apologizes for not being a good husband the past five years and asks her to have children with him.
On the Enterprise Data has come up with a plan to cut off the beam but Crusher advises against it. Back on Kataan Kamin and Eline are hosting the naming ceremony for their second child. Kamin collapses as Data cuts off the beam but his body also starts failing and they rush to get it back on again. On Kataan it is now at least 10 years later and Kamin is working in the garden with his now adult daughter. She has discovered that all bacterial life in the soil is dying on their planet. On the Enterprise La Forge has trace the probe to a star system that was destroyed by a super nova over a thousand years ago. Kamin is now many years older and working on his telescope when Eline comes in and tells him their son has something to say. His now adult son has decided to become a full time musician and instead of being agree Kamin tells him he will think about it. The next day he goes to the administrator with the conclusion that the sun is going to explode, but the administrator already knows, but there is nothing they can do other than a secret plan.
Just then Kamin's son rushes in, his mother is dying. Kamin runs to her side and she dies in his arms. It is many years later and Kamin is playing with his grandson when his daughter comes in. They need to go to watch the launch. Kamin is confused, he doesn't know of any launch. When he goes to the plaza he is greeted by his now long dead friend Batai. He explains that Kamin does know about the launch, it is the probe the we saw at the beginning of the episode. Fade to white and Picard wakes up on the Enterprise. It has been many years since he has been there to him, but only 25 minutes for everyone else. The probe shuts down and he goes with Beverley to sickbay. In the final scene Picard is looking around his quarters like a long lost memory. Riker comes in, the probe isn't working any more, but inside they found something, Kamin's flute. Riker leaves and Picard/Kamin starts playing.
Review: I said most of what I needed to at the beginning. I have always considered Darmok my number one episode, but damn I may have to reconsider.
10 out of 10
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