Like many of the early episodes, this one is mostly notable for the elements that appear in later seasons, such as recurring nemesis Damon Bok, development of the Ferengi mercantile code, and the first mention of the Picard Manuever, which is used here.
After the Captain's Log establishes that the Enterprise has been hanging around in a random star system waiting on the Ferengi, we cut to Picard reading in what I assume are his quarters. Doc walks in and they have some mixed banter, mostly mixed because Picard can't remember what exactly he's talking about from line to line. The important, and scene relevant, conversation... the one Doc sticks to entirely, is that Picard has a headache.
So we learn that in the future Headaches have been conquered? Well, mostly conquered, clearly. Um... okay. Sure. We also see a continuing development of the idea that the doctor can order the captain around medically, something that gets way overused in most Star Trek... not just Star Trek, either. The doctor in Babylon 5 was presented as an autocratic tyrant who could meddle in everyone's personal lives down to the choices of the food they ate, and no one protested about how very intrusive that was. In revelation of Mayor Bloomberg's attempts to ban salt and soda from New York City in recent years, I'm starting to wonder how these themes are linked... but I don't want another four hour writing project, so I'll let it go for now.
On the bridge, Picard talks to the Ferengi and Troi cancels the comm, almost violently in the background so that she can at last be a useful Empath, pointing out the Damon Bok is a treacherous, deceitful git. Ironically, since we're dealing with the Ferengi here, I assume everyone just thought she was stating the obvious.
This scene reminds me of something I have always struggled with in SciFi, psychic powers that work mostly by magic. At what range does her Empathic gift work? Does it only work if she can SEE the target, such as 'on view screen'? Does that mean she could make an empathic reading of a silent Valentino film? The emotional signals imprinted forever on film?
This is, of course, teleological thought on display. If she can see Damon Bok, then its just like he is right there. Its not logic and rational thought but what feels right that determines her abilities. Its childish thinking. In "reality" Damon Bok is dozens, if not hundreds of kilometers away, on a ship surrounded by hundreds of like minds... but she can see him so its like he's right there.
Or, you know: Television rules.
Another issue with this scene, and many like it throughout the series: The Enterprise regularly interrupts conversations, particularly on the main view screen, to confer privately. No one on the other end ever seems to note this incredibly rude behavior. It is notable that no one on the other end mimics that behavior because that would display just how fucked up it really is.
No, think about this from Damon Bok's point of view: He's having a conversation with Picard, and suddenly the screen goes blank, and stays blank for roughly a minute. When it comes back on Picard continues the conversation as if nothing had happened, and he expects Damon Bok to do the same.
Now, in this particular case it is more excusable. He had rather unexpectedly dropped a logistical question in their laps, who hosts the diplomatic meeting they want to have, but it is handled in the most abrupt and careless of ways. And they get away with it because we only see the action from one side.
Anyway: the Ferengi will board the Enterprise for this little diplomatic meeting and everyone is shocked at how easily the Ferengi accepted.
Um?
You meet a girl in a bar, the two of you hit it off. You got your hand on her ass, she's grabbing your cock through your pants and you ask 'You're place or mine?" and she say's... "Mine."
And you are shocked at how easily she agreed to let you into her place? Dafuq?
Bok asked which ship should host, giving the entire matter to Picard to decide. Clearly he's already made all the political calculus necessary for him to be comfortable with either answer. So this is basically, the writer trying to give unearned ideas to the audience.
No captain's log after the Title, instead we've got Picard being checked out by Doc for his Headache in sickbay. She says something about how the Federation has learned the Nature of Pain...
Without going into deep biology here I, a mere layperson, can give you a pretty fucking detailed description of how pain works, the nerves and chemistry of pain. Even without biology a five year old can tell you a simple 'nature of pain' that describes the process reasonably well from cause and effect. How does this understanding the nature of something change it? Thus, I have to assume this 'Nature of Pain' is some sort of medical breakthrough akin to Space Jesus's understanding that Space and Time and Thought are all the same. Yanno? I am aware of at least one quantum (?) theory that actually suggests he might be right on that, so I guess I have to retroactively forgive the writers... oh, that's right... I avoided criticizing them for that bit of nonsense! Well, carry on then.
Space Jesus, wearing what will prove to be his proper Ensign Uniform for the foreseeable future, instead of his ugly dun cable knit sweaters, tells LaForge that they'll have an intruder alert. On cue an alert sounds, more or less a Picard returns to the bridge. Its an old starship coming up on impulse power.
Technical foul!: An intruder alert covers a person or persons entering the starship. This would be a proximity alert, and if it just entered sensor range at impulse power its not so much an 'alert' situation as it is a 'hey, that's vaguely interesting'. On the other hand Picard makes a good point about how stupid Space Jesus is for not using the Comms to tell the bridge he spotted something before they did. We don't ask how, of course. He's Space Jesus, he gets to do that.
LaForge repeats all the information we already got from Space Jesus... what the fuck is it with the writers of this show and Redundant Redundancy?
Anyway: As Picard upbraids Space Jesus for being a selfish little shit, he stops in mid sentence for his headache... the one the doctor just 'cloaked' so he wouldn't feel it, then dismisses it utterly.
So: Picard is stupid, as usual.
A summation of the facts of Headaches, as given so far:
They are unusual enough that the Doctor is shocked to hear he has one, and she's been ordering as many tests as she can get away with.
She can find no medical reason (not even stress?!) to cause it.
She just did some medical miracle to cloak the headache so he wouldn't feel it anymore, not five minutes ago.
The headache returns with what must have been breathtaking intensity to interrupt him in mid sentence like that.
Picard dismisses it as unimportant. Again. Despite having been concerned enough to call the doctor about it in the first place.
Sigh.
So they beam the Ferengi onto the bridge directly, despite being unreasonably worried about this unexplained starship. This unexplained Federation starship. Does the Federation sell off decommissioned starships to raise funds? Is there a starship recycling program? They seem pretty blasé about the existence of the starship itself, more concerned about its presence. I'll let go of the security and protocol issues here, since I understand the limits of Set Budgets and time constraints in filming, and frankly I don't care to analyze it beyond noting it seems off. I believe this episode definitively establishes Data as the third officer of the Enterprise, after Riker... if not establishes, then explicates. I find it amusing that the Ferengi find it perverse that human females wear clothes, and Riker grins like he's imagining a point of view where clothes are sex on wheels.
So, when Picard is Space Drunk he acts senile. When he has a headache Picard acts senile. In other words, if anything at all taxes Picard's mind he can't string together any thought not related to unzipping Doc's Onesie. Ergo: it takes every ounce of Picard's concentration to not look like an utter moron all the time.
Anyway: After a bit of frippery involving the Ferengi offering to buy Data, Damon Bok reveals that he is giving the Federation Starship to Picard to honor the "Hero of Maxia", and a very obvious 'ah ha' cue chimes, telling you that a major plot point just reveal just happened.
Picard knows NOTHING of Maxia, despite the fact that he was there. Now, I can accept that Picard might not recognize a new phrase such as 'Hero of Maxia', but even if the battle had been somewhat less dramatically life altering, the fact that he fought and destroyed a starship in the Maxia-Zeta star system should really not have to be something that Data tells him about. Yeah, yeah: Plot exposition dump, but its handled so very, very stupidly.
Or, you know, Picard has lost all his marbles and he literally cannot recall basic shit from only nine years ago in his own life. I'm thinking that, as of this moment, Doc could just tell Picard that she and he eloped a couple of years back and he'd just take it as something he'd forgotten, skipping all that unresolved sexual tension. And since they never actually deal with it, why not? Keeping it going serves little, if any, purpose.
We also learn that the ship Picard destroyed was Ferengi, and in a plot reveal, that Damon Bok is more than a little peeved about it, despite his friendly, gracious overtures.
Interesting technical fact: Yar refers to the oncoming starship as 'only' a thousand kilometers away, giving us a sense of scale. From here on we can refer to 1000km as 'close range' for any ship-to-ship interactions... such as Empathic Reading and Transporting.
After another Plot Reveal Outburst from Bok, this time governing his rejection of Ferengi norms regarding giving shit away, Picard has another burst of Headache... which looks more than a little bit like an outbreak of epilepsy. Troi feels it and apparently Betazeds regularly feel emotions that come from other times since she says "it felt as if it were something from your past". Temporal Headaches?
Bok sets up the plot by suggesting it is his conscious pricking him, and Picard continues to wave away the facts but refusing another sick bay call.
Anyway: More on the Picard, Dummy theme. Despite being told several times that this was a constellation class ship, seeing it on the main viewer, and being reminded of the 'Battle of Maxia' by both Bok and Data, Picard still doesn't realize that this is the 'Stargazer, my old ship!' until magnified and studied in detail. Sure, its backstory spoon-feeding, plot exposition dumping but god is it handled badly... again. Or, you know, Picard can't even remember that he once commanded a constellation class ship which was subsequently abandoned in space and never recovered (which.. really? The Federation has so many starships of the line that they make no attempt to recover ones that are abandoned by the crew after a hard fight against an unknown enemy? Maybe this explains why they are so cavalier about using them as bumpers against stellar debris and so on...).
It turns out that the Stargazer was found in this star system, which... given that its only been nine years... implies that this star system is Maxia-Zeta, or damn close to it. That, or the Stargazer was abandoned at warp.
Captain's Log,
Back in sickbay, this time with Troi in attendance. Troi reveals that the thought seemed mechanical, and Picard reveals that his headache was a memory of being at the helm of the Stargazer. Lolwut? Memories and Headaches aren't remotely the same thing! I mean... I get it, the headaches are a symptom of a mechanical memory inducing device, but I"m plot spoiling, getting ahead of myself. Picard continues to dismiss, well, everything.
Anyway, Riker comes in to announce the crew is 'ready', asking for Doc's approval, and not only does she approve, but she offers to come along. To a staff meeting. In short order we see clearly that Picard is having a hard time separating out stargazer memories from where he is currently at... smelling stuff burning, mixing his story of the Battle of Maxia with orders to Vigo, his weapon's officer...
I want to note that it was just two episodes ago that the crew were ready to leap on vague suspicions of possession to relieve Picard of Command, and at the very start of this episode, that Doc reminded us that she has the power to order the captain around for medical reasons... yet as Picard clearly is showing signs of severe mental distress, they merely put on concern faces and go about their business. Picard can't even tell you were he is at any given moment, but he can command a starship!
At one point, describing the Picard Manuever he refers to himself as merely a good helmsman... I thought he was the captain? Seriously? To be honest, it might have worked better if they had actually written him to be the Helmsman (like Data, a high ranking officer as the pilot, and taking command as the bridge crew suffered casualties...), instead of making him the captain of the Stargazer, as if Picard could never have held any other rank. I actually like the description of the maneuver for technical reasons. Warp Speed, any Warp Speed, is faster than light. This means that any sensor systems based on the physical universe (like our own eyes (light), radar, ladar, sonar and so forth) would actually have a hard time placing a physical object in real-space, just as described. Clearly the Federation HAS super-light sensors (based on subspace?, perhaps using subspace as a medium for more typical sensors (radar) that are normally bound by light speed limits), but we can presume, given that everyone typically fights at sublight, impulse velocities, that those sensors are inefficient for combat for one reason or another. For once it isn't actually technobabble!
Referencing my earlier point about Picard's lack of memory of Maxia, he explicitly reveals that the survivors of the Stargazer "limped through space for weeks in shuttlecraft"... not something one casually forgets about less than a decade later. Hell, I lived in New Jersey when I was five for a mere three weeks, and I still remember it, and that was more than three decades ago, or more than a decade per week.
Anyway: I like how Picard has to ask Riker's Permission to go to the Stargazer, and how the Doctor insists on yet another exam (this would be three, four separate exams of one headache over the course of about two hours...). Given how they coddle and protect him and his utter inability to get anything done in person that doesn't consist of throwing humanity under a bus before angry gods, it is quite clear to me that the reason Riker doesn't take a promotion to Captain is that he is ALREADY the captain of the Enterprise in fact, if not formally. Picard is a figurehead, an idiot boy-king, kept around for reasons of tradition and ceremony.
Picard orders the logs downloaded to the Enterprise. Curious, as Damon Bok had announced much earlier that they were already downloading the logs to the Enterprise, even before it was revealed to be the Stargazer. Picard goes to his old cabin. He's got a fair amount of stuff, old books and whatnot, that he'd been forced to abandon, which is a nice touch. A mostly concealed thing (a plastic orb, but to be honest you can't see it at all at this point) begins to glow red and Picard spasms violently and grabs his head. Cut to Damon Bok, on board the Ferengi ship presumably, using a similar red device. Plot Reveal! At last!
Okay: So I buy that the red object can communicate over a thousand kilometers through two sets of starship hulls. That's a very trivial engineering problem in the Star Trek milieu. What I have a problem with is that Damon Bok has apparently been giving Picard headaches with this orb for days now without the matching orb in proximity. How? How has he been aiming it at one mind in a ship of thousands? How far is its range to Picard's Brain, as the Ferengi were clearly out of sensor range for the first several days the Enterprise was in system? This is not a minor plot hole, people. Never mind the question of how Bok attuned it to Picard, so that when Doc walks into the room as Picard staggers around like a spastic drunk, she doesn't feel a thing.
And once again, Picard's behavior is a bit more confused and senile than 'man in pain' when she asks him what's wrong and orders him back to the Enterprise (but doesn't relieve him of command, even temporarily...).
So Picard retires to his cabin, lying down (we can hear the Orb operating in the background) and begins dreaming of Stargazer's battle in audio. The Plot Happens, as Data sees Riker in the ready room to reveal that the logs of the Stargazer reveal that Picard Shot First!
Han Solo would be proud, but no one is buying it. I like that Riker asks for proof and Data reveals it was logged in Picard's own voice.... its not like Space Jesus didn't just promote himself to Captain with just that trick a few weeks ago or anything! But Riker is troubled by this revelation.
The next scene is Riker and Picard reviewing the audio log. I like how it starts, literally, as a Confession. That alone should send warning bells, the Picard thought to leave a confession of his misdeeds as such at the Stargazer, but told a radically different story once rescued? And what of his other crew, who would have given independent reports. But everyone takes seriously the idea that they've only got two days (The lag to the nearest star base is a day? Curiously they've managed to arrange a tug for the Stargazer already, which suggests they've been here for several more days!) to prove its false before Picard will have to prepare a legal defense... clearly the idea of having to think terrifies him!
Riker goes to the bridge and arranges a secure channel, in the ready room, to the Ferengi ship (curiously, it seems the Ferengi either do not name their ships, or do not share the names of their ships with outsiders, since Riker addresses it directly as 'ferengi ship'. He asks to talk to... the first officer? Ok. Sure.). I can only assume Riker doesn't want the rest of the crew gossiping about Picard's situation. The scene between Riker and "inzago" is pure plot dressing, it doesn't actually do anything but allow Riker to ask pointed questions, and for the Ferengi to make jokes about his ears, nothing actually happens.
Picard and Doc in his cabin again. They talk about headaches, the Stargazer, the logs. Picard confirms my theory of the time they've been here "The Last three nights I've..." he says referencing the stargazer. Its a rare case of Star Trek acknowledging the passage of time that is invisible to the audience.
Doc leaves him sleeping with doodads stuck to his head, for the headaches, and we see Picard flashing back to the Stargazer bridge on fire, as Bok plays with his balls. What we do NOT see is Bok trying to alter his memories to match the logs (which was implied in earlier comments about how Picard just doesn't know anymore what went down...).
Now Data covering the altered logs in the finest of Data Exposition Dumps to Riker and LaForge. As Picard walks in we can see the sadly rare uniform skirt (on a woman this time) in the hall behind him. Yes, I intend to call them out every time I see them, because it matters.
Picard is all smiles. Clearly, now that the Orbs are triggering full on horror show flashbacks, they aren't triggering headaches anymore. Doc walks in, clearing intending to brief Riker on how whack their Captain is, but there is Picard. In an eerie call back to Possessed Picard he dismisses her, under protest. They keep tiptoeing around medically relieving him, but they never do... how sad.
Clearly Bok's control over Picard is fairly detailed. Picard orders Riker to release the tractor beam, and mentions an Academy Lesson on Conserving Tractor Beam Power.... lolwut!? The resemblance to Possessed Picard is clearly deliberate, as Riker goes to do as he's told, under protest without stating it, and Picard's cheerful bonn homie disappears as soon as he is alone, a puppet with his strings cut.
Ah: the reason I felt the need to rewatch this episode entirely to do this recap...
Doc and Troi are facing each other talking in front of a medical screen about Picard's Brain. Clearly something is Afoot (and seriously: what is the bar they have to cross, in a galaxy of alien energy gods, possessing entities, telepaths and mind control devices, before they can relieve a ship captain for cause?), when Space Jesus walks in. He stands behind Troi as he begins his pitch, and in a way to clunky bit of framing, Troi crosses to stand by Doc, facing him, to ask what his sensor stuff has to do with Picard. He glances at the board and says 'yo, I known jack and shit about brains, but see this pattern? Just like some shit I saw on sensors, dawg.'. Again: just like the possession episode, Doc establishes that they've got to talk to Riker instead of the Captain. As they leave, Space Jesus leans back smugly and says "Adults." Notably this was the very moment that Wil Wheaton claims he realized that no one would ever like Space Jesus, and yes... it is fucking obnoxious, but honestly, I started hating him in the first episode, so he was wrong about that. Still, props for being self aware.
So on the bridge Riker seems upset that Doc and Troi aren't at their ordered duty stations. Lolwut? First of all, Troi's duty station IS the bridge, and secondly, Picard really just ordered them back to work, not to go stand in some corner. I like how Troi thinks that 'low intensity' is the most important piece of information, and Doc thinks that Space Jesus being the source of the information is... also, the mystery brunette in the uniform skirt apparently works on the bridge, since she walk by in the background again.
TV cliche: Riker calls the computer for the Captain's location, and finds out Picard is in the Transporter room, just as he transports away to the Stargazer.
Picard sits down on the Stargazer's bridge, looking a bit confused and is confronted by Bok, holding his ball. Bok raises the shields and gives Picard another headache, and the enterprise detects the low intensity pulse in Picard's cabin, while Worf suddenly remembers the utterly mysterious presence of a fairly heavy chest... lolwut?
I'll sum up: Picard starts relieving the memory of the battle for reals and thinks the enterprise is the enemy vessel. Riker orders Data to come up with a counter for the Picard Manuever (apparently, despite ten years of teaching it, no one has bothered to think of a counter for this 'ultimate tactic'...), which Data does, and instead of destroying the Stargazer, or letting Picard... um... scratch their paint (seriously: its an older, weaker ship, barely repaired and utterly lacking in crew. I'm shocked it can even pull the Picard Manuever in the first place), and they lock it in place with their tractor beam and manage to talk Picard through his hallucinations until he can shoot the orb Bok left behind...
And why leave it behind? Clearly the proximity to Picard served no purpose. Bok was controlling picard just fine from the Ferengi Ship. Riker confronts Inzago with the orb they have, First Officer to First Officer..
I like how in Picards Flashbacks the crew of the Stargazer calmly work their panels despite the presence of three foot high flames... right at their panels. The flames are clearly part of the flashback, so are contemporary to the memories of the people sitting there ignoring them.
Riker has a second call to the Ferengi, where they reveal Bok has been arrested for 'unprofitable ventures' before they abandon the Enterprise to the... non-threat of a lone madman on a broken, derelict ship.
Data reveals a shockingly non-technical solution of technobabble (gas compression? Really?) and Riker is all worried that this just means that they can blow up Picard, but Data calmly points out that, yeah, really, the Enterprise can clearly just bitchslap the Stargazer with a tractor beam... for reals.
Nothing really follows any sort of cause and effect here. First of all, they KNOW where the Picard Manuever, especially the historic one, will take the Stargazer. They won't make the Ferengi mistake of shooting the after-image anyway. Second, once they've caught it in the tractor beam, the episode is essentially over. Seeing Picard trying to order nonexistent people to fire the guns is pointless, so the only reason to do that is to allow Picard to redeem himself for the Audience by proving strong enough to be talked through the "Thought Maker" hallucinations to rescue himself. Once we see the Stargazer grabbed by Tractor Beam all the Plot Tension is gone, though they struggle manfully to keep it going for those last few desperate minutes.
Picard gets a 'wise man' line about how there never is profit in revenge. Its a puffy good-feels sentiment that is right in line with Star Trek, then, without ordering the shields lowered, beams to the Enterprise.... haha.
Aside from the ongoing evidence of Picards inability to think his way out of a paper sack, I don't have much to say about this episode in general terms of writing or direction. Its far from the worst of the lot, barring Space Jesus being somehow better than everyone for no reason whatsoever. The inability of the crew to realize, or diagnose, what is wrong with the captain is damn near unforgivable, of course.
Still, next up is another Q episode, and those are always fun.
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