So, we open with the Enterprise hanging with the old Excelsior... or rather a ship that pretty much looks just like it, while Picard talks about bringing aboard a propulsion expert...
For those of you who mercifully put this episode out of your minds, here is your trigger warning: This is the Episode in which we learn Weasley Crusher is Space Jesus.
I'll understand if you don't feel like continuing.
So, once the Captain's Log sets everything up we have Picard and Riker arguing about this propulsion expert. I mention this because Picard says some pretty nonsensical things here. 'Kasinski', the expert isn't allowed to do anything to their engines (so far so good), only to test various methods of 'entering warp' (ok... I guess that's fine. Seems a bit like trying to determine the best speed at which to approach an onramp... its only difficult to figure it out if you're an amateur, but the experts did the math ages ago)... and then try different 'intermixes'.
Wait, what?
I don't know with any absolute certainty what intermixes are, but I'm gonna go on a limb and suggest its fuel and fuel additives. That sounds pretty damn risky on an operational starship, and it sounds exactly like something a ship's officer should be worried about if they understand engineering at all.
Which, we know, Picard doesn't really. I mean just about every episode review so far has revealed him to be a bit on the dim side... like mistaking a very very risky manual docking maneuver for 'routine', not understanding the legal arguments covering the Prime Directive, worrying about exploding star in his starship of amazing velocity... promoting Weasley to acting Ensign to get in the Doctor's onesie... that sort of thing.
Riker, who does seem to know his engineering (he was the guy who went down to help Macdougal get Weasley out of the Engineering room earlier) isn't even worried about intermixes though. Apparently Kasinski sent over his mathematical (I conjecture) formulas covering warp experiments and they are all gibberish. Which makes me wonder how he even got permission to make his first test?!
Riker knows that math, and big words like Gibberish go right over Picard's head, so he just asks Data to explain. Now, assuming that Warp Drives work by math, putting in a gibberish formula should result in... not warping, but since its all poorly understood handwavium I'll let that go. Data explains that none of Kasinski's formulas did anything in the virtual models....
Sort of the opposite of Global warming then?
But Picard pulls out the five year old argument: But Kasinski made it work, so it must work!
Well... sure.
The problem with that perspective is that its not science if you can't explain or predict it, its 'magic'... and seeing there are a thousand crew members aboard the enterprise (and their families... ), you'd think he'd grasp that having a sorcerer wave his hands over your warp drives is probably a bad idea.
Now, all of this is essentially a red herring. Kasinski is not actually a fraud himself... he's a believer, and and asshole, and exposing him doesn't resolve any plot points, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to call this bad writing, wasting a lot of time on a misdirection, but honestly its merely a stylistic choice. This isn't a mystery episode, though...
Riker makes a nonsense argument that Kasinski's gibberish may have somehow tuned up the engines of the older ships. Umm... no. If I whack an old car engine with a hammer and it runs better, the smart money is on the fact that my hammer blow had nothing to do with it. Why? because we know hitting shit with hammers is merely cathartic, it doesn't actually make complex devices run better. Its 'gibberish'. But then, he's arguing with Picard, so...
For some reason they cut to Troi making a stern face as Picard petulantly sends Riker to greet Kasinski. They do that a lot in these early episodes, I've noticed. No dialog, nothing to add, just gotta remember she's there. Ho Hum...
So Riker takes the challenge and, a good ten seconds since she was shown all stern faced, Riker finds a use for her, going with him to 'look over' the visitors. Picard bluffs, seeing that his confusion is starting to show, so its all concern-face now, thinking its better to let Riker go then keep arguing out of his depth.
Anyway: there is an awkward conversation in the Transporter room. We are introduced to 'one of our' Chief Engineer's, Argyle. I hate him. He looks very like a late eighties old dweeb. Kasinski is smug and imperious, wildly so... con artist levels of bravado, actually. I think the actor was struggling manfully to get a very complex idea across very quickly. I'll 'spoil' so I can explain.
Kasinski is something of an honest narcissist. He believes, honestly, that he is the smartest man in the room, better than everyone. On the other hand, he knows that his assistant, the Traveller, is basically a kid with a magnifying glass to Kasinski's Ant, that the Traveller is responsible for all his successes. He wants to believe he can understand the Traveller's 'formulas', that he's somehow a part, even if he is mostly for show, rather than useless 'beard' for the Traveller, so he has convinced himself that the formulas he inputs are, in fact, part of the experiment... that they are, however primitive to the Traveller, valid and useful to the process... but he still knows that he's just the showman.
So its a complex character. He's bluffing, not just everyone else, but himself. Not because he is a liar, but because his ego can't take the idea that he is useless. He's sharp with Riker and Argyle because he believes they can't understand his genius, but also because he is defensive about any idea that he might be wrong.
Not that any of this has bearing on the plot. Its a minor sub plot involving a character that we will never see after this episode. Its easy to dislike Kasinski... that's the point, the trick is to like and respect the actor who made him so bluff and brittle.
So, anyway: Riker's smile wouldn't melt butter in this scene, and Kasinski just waves off a guide to the engineering room, which sort of misses the point of protocol, beyond the necessity of establishing his character. Its a TV-ism, of course. I long for the days when writers for television actually had some familiarity with the cultures that they aped (such as, working men, the military, science.... police, you name it...)
Troi gets WAY too many lines of dialog after Kasinski leaves. I rate her abilities as an Empath somewhere below those of my dog, since while she easily picks up all the arrogance and imperiousness and ego of Kasinski, she doesn't pick up a single whiff of his secret fear... which, since I've spoiled, is put on the table quite clearly later in the episode.
That's not really the long winded part though. Riker, sensibly, wants a read on the assistant. Why not? Con Artists often have a partner, and if one of them is cool enough to keep his mind in the presence of a telepath/empath, the other might not, right?
So Troi explains that she can't read him. Great. Then she goes on, and on, and on, about how most 'can't read' races still have some sort of psychic presence, but not this guy. We got it: can't read him. He's special. Well, it is her first chance to speak in the episode, I guess...
Its pretty clear that the dialog writers, and most of the actors, are still unsteady. There is some hamfisted shit here, and Marina Sirtis does not sell it at all. Frakes is better, but its still schlock. I don't hold it against Ms Sirtis, after all she'd just come from playing a rape victim in a Death Wish movie who dies of a broken arm, so its not like she had a lot of experience with selling punchy dialog. Mostly with screaming.
After the title screen (I'll try to speed this up!), there is a (thankfully female!) long overdue example of the Uhura Skirt in Engineering, as Kasinski keeps up his line of bullshit. Chunky scene setting, as Kasinski points out that Weasley is in the scene, and Argyle manfully does his part by smoothly dismissing the question. Hey, I may not like Argyle, but that doesn't mean he's not a professional actor.
So, Kasinski addressed the crew's problems with his work and waves it away as something he is unwilling to 'teach' them. This, of course, misses a fundamental fact of science and math. Its not some 'art' that only a master can do, requiring years of study under a master to learn. The engineer should have all the knowledge required to replicate Kasinski's success, even if he can't understand WHY it works. Your average auto mechanic doesn't understand the chemistry of combustion (I conjecture), but he still knows how to adjust the compression in the cylinders of the engine to get more performance out of your car. Its the same principle here, more or less. The fact that Kasinski can't explain anything to anyone is such a huge, massive, red flag of 'Bullshit Warning Here!' that they should have security in the engine room with shovels to keep the manure to manageable levels...
But I like how Riker has grasped how fully Picard relies on him for smart stuff, knowing that the Captain, unwilling to reveal his ignorance, will side with Riker over any intellectual argument Kasinski makes. Either that, or he's bluffing. The man does play poker, after all.
So, the writer and/or director cheats. Riker demands that Kasinski explain it, however simply he needs to, or there will be no test. Kasinski, seeing he's got no choice, agrees. We cut to the Traveller and Weasley over at a side panel 'putting in the basic formulas', and Kasinski goes on and on in the background. We can't hear how he convinces them that its not gibberish, beyond the fact that he claims to be tuning their engine...
Its actually fairly slick, since we have to establish Weasley here for some idiot reason. Weasley, looking over the Traveller's shoulder starts math checking while the Traveller plays tutor. The two actors do a fine job interacting*, which is probably one reason they brought the same guy back later (I understand), though its obnoxious. Weasley is understanding a visual representation of the Warp Math that was Gibberish to Data, and correcting the higher order multidimensional being that is the Traveller. Think about that.
We cut back to Kasinski's speech, which almost has the cadence of poetry, though he isn't actually saying anything. Riker asks Argyle the same question that they've been pondering for the entire episode: Will this gibberish math hurt the Enterprise? Argyle's answer is "how could it? Its meaningless."
Which... um... ok. You know what? I've never operated a starship. I'll take it for granted that all of Kasinski's operations are merely turning the dials on the oscilloscope or something, despite the fact that it would simply engender more questions about how this guy got anyone to let him in an engineering room to begin with!
Kasinski, the Honest Narcissist, is deeply offended that they're talking about him instead of to him, but at last we can move the plot along.
There is a lot of tedious filler, cutting from engineering to the captain, to LaForge on the Conn, all repeating basic stuff, like "Warp 1.5" and so forth. No, I mean there is a lot of it. Once they decide to do the test, there are some ten jump cuts.
Anyway: There is a good, I dunno, twenty seconds of oddly off-sync star trek theme music as they conduct the experiment and then Kasinski looks at the Traveller in horror 'What are you doing?" and the Traveller looks all panicky and starts playing with the screen.
Hee.
So, in the lead up to this, Weasley had impressed the Traveller by improving his Warp Maths, not once but two or three times, tweaking the formulas. The Traveller nodded and smiled, like a proud papa or something as Weasley's cleverness... so far so good. But with Weasley's new improvements, the experiment breaks, proving that the Traveller's grasp of Warp Math is actually INFERIOR to Space Jesus Weasley (who was simply missing a key part of the process, that the Traveller mentally boosted the warp through the formulas, or something).
I'm so glad I got over the Interwebz love affair with Wil Wheaton last year. That means I can fully hate Weasley now without an ounce of guilt.
Anyway, the Traveller puts his hands on the screen and concentrates until he de-rezzes partially. Naturally only Weasley sees this (despite, you know, Troi warning Riker that the Traveller was special... sigh.)
LaForge announced that they're passing Warp Ten! Oh noes!!!
I really like the cut to Kasinski's face as it finally hits him, undeniably, that he literally has nothing to do with what's going on. The helplessness and existential horror of a man who's most cherished illusion has just been shattered, laying his soul bare before his very eyes.
As Data announces that they're traveling 'off the scale' Picard demands a reverse engines. Data stupidly points out that no one has ever stopped at this speed before. Even a fool can recognize the logical problem: No one has ever stopped at this velocity, because no one has ever gone that fast before (or... have they? Undiscovered country had some pretty record breaking speed in it, as I recall...). Anyway, Picard is our fool of the hour, and they stop the ship.
Anyway: They stop in a pretty area of space, there is some exposition, again with Data having trouble facing unpleasant reality (hmm... we've just been traveling at an unprecedented velocity and the sensors are telling me some wildly huge numbers. Must be a malfunction! Lolwut?!), but it turns out that they are two galaxies over, 2.7million light years from home, and over 300 years travel at maximum warp, which is interesting in light of Voyager, I suppose.
Poor Picard doesn't know how to process that.
Commercial/Captain's Log.
And they set up a running gag about Data's pedantry as they send a subspace message that will arrive in 51 years and way too many significant figures of detail. Kasinski, having recovered his demeanor, comes on the bridge all smiles. Picard asks him what happened, and he gives some awesome technobabble, probably some of the finest in the season, which Riker lampshades as 'nonsense' when Picard asks him for thinly-stuff help. Once again, any fool can see something happens, and Picard is our fool.
Cut to Engineering, where the Traveller is reeling from the power surge (um... no, just leave it) he got from interacting with Weasley's 'better math', and Weasley is all earnest and 'my mom's a doctor'. For all Will Wheaton is at his absolute worst here, acting wise, his chemistry with the Traveller, or rather the reverse, sells the scene. Weasley calls Kasinski's number, but the Traveller corrects him and points out generously that Kasinski sees some small part of the truth, which prompts Space Jesus to talk about space, time and thought as 'not separate things', earning a look of shock from the Traveller and a snort of derision from audiences...
You know what? I want to mock this conceit, this idea that 'space and time and thought are all one and the same'. Its Teleology, its bullshit metaphysics substituting for science (or, you know, for Physics...), and all the other sins of sloppy, superstitious thinking. But, if I am completely honest, I can't. As much as I dislike it, this sort of grand vision of the great unknowns we have to discover has a long and glorious tradition in Sci Fi. Sure, its superstition in white lab coats, but it is also aspirational, almost hopeful. Its making the blind leap of faith that one day we'll make another conceptual link, that our understanding of the underpinnings of the universe will grow so completely that all our efforts to that point will seem as childish as sacrificing virgins to the volcano gods to avoid eruptions seem to us now. That is in the very best of traditions, even if this specific form of it strikes me as the most simplistic and childish way to do it. So, kudos, Star Trek writers. You may have made Weasley into Space Jesus, but at least you did it in service to a noble goal.
Back on the bridge, Kosinski is filling time for the writers with grandiloquent pronouncements of how this changes everything, yadda yadda. I do like that he establishes that the Federation has mapped 'Only' 11% of the galaxy.
That is... a pretty fucking impressive amount of exploring, actually.
But of course, any fool could point out that...oh, you get the idea. Picard asks him if he can do it again, you know, so they can get home.
Kasinski is convinced, of course. His ego took a beating, but he's already past it. After he heads to Engineering there is a long awkward pause before Picard says "comment is invited", then specifically calls on Troi to start. Hee.
No, really. Its a cute moment, a human moment of awkwardness that is too often forced, or forgotten, in TV. Also: how out of his depth is Picard where there isn't something incredibly obvious to ask? Also, the conversation is reasonably natural for the circumstances. Each officer stakes out a position, Troi is still useless as an Empath, seeing only his confidence, Worf is all about the lack of trust, LaForge sensibly points out that they're stuck if Kasinski is wrong, trust or no trust, and Data is all like 'We be explores, bitch! Lets fucken explore the shit out of here!"
Which leads to perhaps the only science in this sci-fi when Picard points out, regretfully, that if Kasinski is right, then Star Fleet can send a science vessel out this far. Science, bitches. If you can't repeat it then it didn't happen the first fucking time.
Of course, no one wants to do diagnostics on the engines, to see if 'super warp' did any damage. No, if they did that, then the Traveller would be fully rested and ready for 'round two' with Space Jesus Warp Math, and the plot would fall apart.
Anyway: Kasinski gives his version of a pep talk in engineering. Weasley approaches Riker to reveal that he thinks Kasinski didn't do it, only to get the brush off. This is unforgivable, seeing how much they had Weasley say. Bad Writer, no cookie!
Why, its like Riker never suspected that Kasinski might be a fraud! Or that the Assistant might be more than he seemed! Or that Weasley wasn't some sort of boy genius capable of destroying the ship or saving it on a whim with his science projects, even while drunk!
And...test! Of course the Traveller is all jacked up from the first round and collapses, and the Enterprise shoots... through the milky way?... into some sort of no-space, where Weasley's comments about space-time-thought are explicit, rather than expressions of math.
Too fast?
Okay: So, used to being brushed off by objective Morons, Weasley tries to trick Kasinski into doing it himself, only to have the Traveller Cock Block him. LaForge uses redundancy to say something correctly, and yet audience dumbified with 'Recipricol course back' (forgive my spelling...).
The Sciencing continues as they actually attempt to exactly duplicate the experiment in the dialog! Will wonders never cease?!
Of course, Kasinski is stymied long enough for Riker to suddenly remember that Weasley is the smartest and most ablest and handsomest and whatever else, on the ship and he looks over in time to see the Traveller do his patented 'de-rez' trick.
They do miss a trick where they time their travel back exactly, but thats minor stuff. Everything gets artfully blurry, then they stop, Laforge announces they never exceeded warp 1.5, we get a jump to the view screen where they are surrounded by big blue crystal caverns and huge blowy snowflake dot-matrix things, and Data gets to announce the name of the episode while everyone gets a close up of their concern face.
Captain's log, Picard heads to engineering, Worf sees a klingon pig-dog on the bridge, and so does Yar. Then its gone and Yar sees Rape Gangs in a flashback, Picard almost leaves the Turbolift into the void of space and so on. I think my favorite is the guy who sees a full chamber quartet in full costume with powdered wigs. His inner headspace is bad ass, much better than his space balogna sandwich. I'll mention the black ensign ballerina only because she gets so much attention that I can't help but think someone was trying to point out how very post-racial they were.
Then Picard has tea with his grandmother/mother in the hallway and he interrogates her about 'this place' and she is amusingly, frustratingly vague and yet aware. Riker interrupts and Patrick Stewart earns his money by selling the sort of hidden emotional pain that he should be feeling right then.
So Picard uses the Red Alert to tell everyone not to think about monkeys**. So, back to dummy Picard. Doc is checking out The Traveller, and once again Kasinski is privately confronting his demon. Picard confronts Kasinski, and again the actor does a masterful job selling the character. I'm gonna dwell on this scene a moment, not for Kasinski but for Space Jesus.
So, everyone takes the blame for not seeing Kasinski was a fraud, but Picard (the dummy) waves it away as something they couldn't have known. Then Riker looks to Weasley and gives his best 'Unsung Hero' voice and says "Weasley Did.".
I die, laughing.
This is a scene that seems to play out all the time in this show. Picard confronts Weasley, "if you knew something, why didn't you say so?" and Riker defends with "He tried, but I didn't listen"
Now, to be honest, this early in I don't think its happened that often, and I'm sure an honest appraisal of the episodes will show it doesn't really happen THAT often, but it feels like it perfectly encapsulates his role on the show, to be the smartest motherfucker on the ship and to be constantly ignored until the Plot is done happening.
Its also so laughably cliched that its breathtaking to see it played out so straight.
You'd think Riker would be fired or something after failing to listen to the only person who is always objectively right on board the ship for the third or fourth time. Hell, by the end of Season One it is probably the Second Starfleet Directive "If Weasley Crusher tries to tell you something and you brush him off, immediately stop whatever you are doing (even fighting space battles against the Borg) and give him all your attention. The fate of the galaxy is at stake!".
Anyway, everyone talks about the Traveller's antics, and Doc points out that he's dying. Nothing wrong with her dialog, but the rest of the episode makes her a liar. Just sayin'. They do this to her a lot, make her say something that is medically, objectively true to ratchet up the tension, then promptly ignore the logical repercussions of that statement to resolve Plot.
Captain's log:
Now in a dark medical room thing, we learn that Doc is a liar. See, he's alien enough that her knowledge and sensors are next to useless, so she can't really make a diagnosis (guessing 'Fatigue'...great job, doc!)... which beggars the question: why'd you say he was dying then?
And because Weasley hasn't had enough screen time yet (lolwut?!), he walks in and asks about the health of his new friend. I mostly hate all the dialog in this scene. There is some good stuff here, but its all just so...
Okay, I'll break it down. Cliche comments about waking the 'dying' alien they can't diagnose 'now' vs. 'he could die'. Its cliche, and it begs questions about using stimulants on an alien you can't even get a medical read on. The constant asides to reassure Weasley are an irritating reminder of, well, Weasley. Picard's comments about the urgency of now etc make facile sense and are serviceable and create urgency... Stewart is magnificent in juggling his tone during his lines, McFadden is the cool professional in her returns... even poor Wil Wheaton gives it his sweaty, sickly looking best, though the character is well and truly ruined and beyond any acting redemption.
So: Fine acting, setting, pacing... but the scene still sucks balls because of its content, necessary or not to move the plot along, because of just how cliche it is in every turn.
Anyway: Now it is time for Picard and the Traveller to talk. Both men give it their all, but the dialog is just heart rendingly stupid. Picard wants to know the Travellers destination, and the Traveller is baffled by the question? Picard, a professional explorer (as we were reminded in the last bridge scene), can't understand travel for the sake of curiosity? DaFuq? The Traveller exposition dumps, and since i've already covered that with the early spoilers, I'll skip commentary.
The curious thing about the entire episode is the utter lack of cynicism with regards to the Traveller. No one ever questions him, doubts him... once the mandatory exposition dialog is checked off, they've taken every word as truth. And, because its TV, it IS all truth. They trust and seem to even like him, despite is fairly insulting, paternal attitude towards the 'lesser' species.
There is a moment where Kasinski rejects the Traveller's explanation about Thought is Reality, yadda yadda, calling it magic... which it is, but Picard, ever the Fool, accepts without question that 'Magic is Real yo, just gotta Believe!', which makes this our very special episode of the season.
This goes on and on. Kasinski pops up with science and theory, the Captain shots back... they keep injecting him with stimulants and plan to prop him up in engineering...
Okay: The first time they went off plan it was Weasley's Space-Jesus Warp Math. The Second Time it was because the Traveller was too weak to control the Thought Lensing (his explanation), and it almost killed him. Doc has been claiming he's dying and they've had to shoot him up with stimulants just to hold a conversation. I get the vague urgency of having to get out of Freddy Krueger's neighborhood, or what have you, but seriously: isn't this particular plan actually going to make it worse? Shit, lay off the drugs, let the man sleep and play soothing nature sounds over the Comms for a while to keep everyone from thinking about monkeys for a while.
Weasley, of course, ignores all of that jazz to protest, because he's a whiney, annoying little shit. Naturally the Traveller, played straight as an arrow, protests that being doped up and strapped to an engine sounds like a fine plan, but first he wants to talk to the captain in private about buying his favorite boy-toy.
Oh, wait, I mean to explain to the Captain that Weasley is Space Jesus, but that he can never know.
Since we're not buying the fierce urgency of now, Picard stumbles across random crew member number thirty seven, trapped by fire in a random hallway. He orders the man to not think about fire, and it works! See, nothing to fear! I guess someone pointed out just how savage constantly murdering red shirts actually is and decided for a kinder, gentler Star Trek?
Captain's Log; This one makes light of the fact that they've somehow left space-time, thus there is no proper Star Date. Question: since space and time still exist within the ship, wouldn't the ship's computer have a reasonably accurate subjective 'Stardate' for them?
Anyway they get it all set up again, and the Traveller throws Kasinski a line by asking for his help. Then we get a really, brutally, stupid discussion on the bridge. Troi notes that as the stress of the 'very hard' thing they are all about to do happens it will be natural for people's attention to wander...
lolwut?!!!!
Um, no. Actually we're pretty well hardwired to survive. Some people's attention will naturally wander, other people's attention will get all laser focus like. Unscientifically, I can suggest that at worst they'd balance out.
Anyway, the parade of stupid goes on with Yar interjecting about fear, given what they see outside. Fire the director for the horrible way he makes her leap at the camera (or, alternatively, fails to restrain his clearly rabid actress), then worry about the fact that its a god damn starship, warship in fact, and most of the crew aren't looking out windows while they are doing their jobs. Also: Nothing particularly scary outside the ship. Its actually a rather calm and soothing shade of blue. Unnatural for space? Perhaps, but not scary.
With the twin tales of terror and woe, the Captain gives everyone the very new-ageist of pep talks, asking them all to focus their minds on positive, good feels for the Traveller. Metaphysically, given their circumstances, its perfectly logical... but dear god is it hippy insanity on steroids! Since we're working on the power of wishful thinking and good feels, how about imagining the captain has a giant penis too? Anything to cut the treacle in this speech.
We do see some randomly wandering crew in what appear to be civilian clothes rather than uniforms, which I guess is a nice touch.
And then: Mandress. Some broad shouldered asian dude in a red man dress, looking terribly puzzled about where his life is going, what sort of choices led him to this terrible place. Previously, the man dresses were 'blink and you miss it' moments, a single figure in the back ground that if you squinted hard enough you might mistake for a muscular girl, or dashing down a hall during an emergency. This dude stops in mid-screens and just stands there, knowing his life is now over, the shame of his existence will expunge him and all he knows like a horrific stain on reality being wiped by cosmic bleach.
This is the third 'super warp' scene, and it isn't any shorter than the first two. Of course it ends with the traveller 'phasing' completely out of reality. Crisis averted. Data confirms, once again, that the ship never exceeded warp 1.5, and LaForge confirms that they've landed exactly where they took off from... which is a neat metaphor for just how thin this episode is, but more on that later.
Anyway: Picard summons Weasley to the bridge. I'm torn about these sorts of scenes. They must, by nature, include Weasley, and therefore are objectively an abomination before the lord, but on the other hand, Patrick Stewart obviously enjoys hamming it up a bit during them, which is always fun to watch. 'have the boy sent to the bridge' and so forth. There is some clever interplay, Picard giving Weasley a seat, before he is reminded that its against his own orders. What makes them especially fun is my theory that Picard is actually quite stupid. If you watch them and read it as Picard being played completely straight, rather than doing a jocular comedy routine, it works perfectly. So, Picard totally promotes Weasley to ensign to allow him to sit on the bridge simply because he can't figure out how to recind his own order. Weasley's attempting to gracefully give him an out earns a real upbraiding for interrupting and so forth. Again, Patrick Stewart makes the scene tolerable, but the content of this particular one is worse than most as it establishes 'Ensign Weasley' as a fact of life. Ugh.
So. Final thoughts: This episode is incredibly thin in the material. It is eminently forgettable because of it, but we are prevented from simply dismissing it because it is the episode that establishes Ensign Crusher as a thing, it sets up Space Jesus for all future Space Jesus episodes, and the reoccurring character of the Traveller. Beyond that, it also contains the only reference to Picards mother that I'm aware of, complete with cameo.
Those unfortunate facts don't make it a good episode. It is bad, no two ways about it. The only real highlight is Patrick Stewart's acting, which is top form in several scenes... and is neatly counterbalanced by some of the shit they had him spew... such as hippie pep talks.
* I'll be honest, with Weasley's fragility, the Travellers overly friendly attitude and that stripped jumpsuit they have him in (and Weasley's too big knit sweater thing), there is more than a little pedobear vibe going on here. So, we know Weasley's not a virgin when he gets to Haven next episode.
** alluding, of course, to a famous anecdote about a magic wish that would only be granted if no one thought about monkeys, illustrating the impossibility of deliberately not thinking about something. Since no one could 'not think' about Monkeys, the magic wish ensured the village was overrun with monkeys. There are variations. I hear Elephants are popular, in a variety of colors and fashions.
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