The outcast is Trek's attempt to deal with gender diversity well before their audience was largely ready to pay attention to such things. Given the variations of sexual dimorphism among species on earth, it seems likely that there would be sentient races in the universe who lack any form of gender. And of course Riker will still find enough of them sexy to want to get it on. But seriously, this is another one of those episodes that seems to lack a clear message other than that different people are different, get over it. It also continues to muddy the waters as to what qualifies as a violation of the prime directive. Somehow making contact and helping these people go into a region of null space is fine, but trying to rescue/give asylum to a gender outcast is a violation? Not sure I get it.
The episode opens with the Enterprise on its way to assist the androgynous J'naii people recover a shuttle craft and hopefully its crew. Sensors can't find it but fortunately when they send out a single probe it ends up exactly hitting the pocket of null space that the shuttle is in. The proposed solution is to send in a shuttle from the Enterprise, beam out the crew and return to normal space. A J'naii named Soren who has been working with them and is a good pilot insists on going on the shuttle, Riker suggests they work together. While working together Soren asks Riker about human sexual practices, he is put off, but also clearly a bit interested in their advances.
While on the first attempt to rescue the trapped J'naii crew Soren tells Riker about how having gender is considered a criminal perversion on their planet. Riker is shocked and Soren admits that they have had feelings of being female for a long time and that she is attracted to Riker. (Note: After some research I chose to use the singular they for J'naii who don't express a gender and she or he for those who express a gender.) Riker and Soren kiss, but something goes wrong on the mission and they are beamed back to the Enterprise. The crew of the Enterprise have noticed Riker and Soren's affections for each other, and so have the J'naii. After a second attempt succeeds Soren returns to her planet and invites Riker to a reception after.
When Riker arrives he learns Soren has been arrested as a gender deviant. He attends her trial and she gives an impassioned speech about how her love is no less real than the love that genderless J'naii feel. The judge feels otherwise and sentences her to treatment to return to a gender neutral state. Riker is outraged and tries to get permission from Picard to do something. Picard refuses to help and even tells Riker interfering risks violating the prime directive even though I am pretty sure it doesn't. Luckily for him Worf offer the help and the two beam down, but when they find Soren they no longer wants to go back to the Enterprise. Soren expresses their confusion at ever having such feelings and that they no longer love Riker. Worf and Riker return to the ship and Picard asks if Riker is done with what he needed to do and Riker says he is.
Review: I thought this was an interesting episode for what it was trying to say more than for how it said it. Not a lot actually happens in the episode and it is actually a bit repetitive. But I found myself really interested in how things would work out with Soren and enjoyed it a fair amount.
6 out of 10
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