This is one of those episodes that could have just as easily been a TOS episode, at least in concept. Despite looking quite a bit like us the aliens in this episode are actually quite alien. They are born fully formed rather than as children who have to grow, they have no concept of love, pleasure or antagonism, and they don't seem to know what crime is. Realistically this is a pretty long and unlikely list of characteristics, but its exploration is certainly intersting. Worf clearly gets the bad end of the deal, but honestly his character shines about as well as the captain in this one.
The episode begins with Worf fiddling with a diplomatic scarf and stalling for time. Riker shows up to get him moving and hassle him about their dress uniforms looking like actual dresses. They head to the shuttle bay to greet representatives from an advanced and previously uncontacted race. Deanna gets to show one of the diplomats around and Riker is assigned the other to show around, but the diplomat objects, he would rather hang out with Worf much to Worf's dismay. The captain is to take a long shuttle ride back to their homeworld to be given a tour. While en route the shuttle suffers an energy failure and they are forced to ditch on an uninhabited class M planet. The pilot is hurt so Picard goes out alone looking for help. He is struck by some sort of energy discharge and knocked unconscious. We see a shadowing figure dragging of his body.
Back on the ship Troi introduces her representative to the concept of dessert and he falls in love. In every following scene he is carrying and eating a container of something sweet. Worf is having a rough time, no matter what he does he can't seem to make his diplomat happy. Worf goes to Riker to try and get him to assign someone else to the diplomat but Will refuses. Down on the planet Picard awakes and finds himself in the remains of a crashed freighter. There is a human woman there who has been taking care of him. She tells him he has broken ribs and that the pilot of his shuttle is dead. It starts off alright but quickly it becomes obvious she is crazy. She is desperate for Picard to love her to the point that she sabotages his efforts to make contact with the Enterprise and keeps him locked in when she leaves.
Back on the ship Riker convinces the diplomats to join them in a game of poker. Troi's diplomat ignore the game to keep stuffing his face with chocolates. Worf's diplomat however cheats and is eventually caught stealing a chip from Worf. Worf is outraged and challenges him. The diplomat shoves him back and they come to blows. Riker eventually holds Worf back (after letting him get in a few choice blows) but the diplomat just gets up and tells them he is going to have to record this experience. Down on the planet things have gotten bad. Picard refuses to give the woman what she wants and she flees leaving him locked on the freighter. The pilot then suddenly shows up, it turns out his species goes into some sort of coma state to heal faster and he is fine. The two of them go looking for the woman and after separating Picard finds her on the edge of cliff ready to jump, but something is wrong. When she stormed off she broke her necklace and left it behind in the freighter but she is now wearing it. Picard confronts her and she transforms into the pilot and tells him her species needed to know about love, but he has failed. He takes Picard back to he Enterprise where they find Worf exhausted, he and his diplomat just finished 11 hours of combat training.
Review: This one is trying pretty hard to be serious science fiction and it largely succeeds. Probably not the most realistic take, but an interesting exploration. Also I don't think Kirk could have resisted the marooned woman...
6 out of 10
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