I hadn't seen this episode in forever. In fact, I specifically avoided it because the first episode of a series is often awkward and exists only to establish the characters and setting. In some ways "Encounter At Farpoint" does exactly this. We meet the crew, and we establish the mission and tone of the Enterprise NCC-1701-D. One part that I had forgot about, or perhaps missed before, was Dr. McCoy's presence. He's poking around the medical facilities of the Enterprise before it takes off, and the exchange he makes with Data establishes two things. First, since McCoy is 137 years old, we gather that it's been roughly 100 years since the events of the original series. Secondly, Data is pretty much the new Spock.
Another reason I had avoided the episode is my annoyance with the Q character, but I was pleasantly surprised that the screen time devoted to his crazy antics was minimal. The main plot actually revolves around the new station that has popped up out of nowhere and seems oddly specifically catered to the needs of Star Fleet. Everything about it seems out of place and creepy, especially the guy in charge, Groppler Zorn. I'm not sure if Groppler is his first name, or a title. And Zorn? Only an evil character would be named Zorn. So we know where this is going.
Since you've all seen it, I'll go ahead and skip through the plot to reveal that the station is not a station at all, but rather a life-form that is being held against its will. And the ship that is attacking is not a ship, but that creature's mate. The test that Q has devised to judge humanity with is how the crew handles this situation. Do they fall for the lure of having everything they want at the station? Do they attack the ship to defend the station, or help the ship (being) retrieve its mate? Well you know that in the end they do the right thing, but no thanks to Q, who meddles along the way and basically does his best to make the entire test as unfair as the post-WWIII style trial he conducted earlier.
A great deal of screen time (and theme music) is devoted to showing us how the saucer section can separate on this Enterprise. I can forgive the cheesiness of it, because they were just showing us our new ship, and the newly-HD shots are great. But I never understood how this particular feature was useful. Sending your most vulnerable part of the ship off on its own when the shit goes down seems like a terrible idea. Are both sections equally armed? Because if so I could see using it in that manner, because a battle could suddenly become two against one. But the way they sell it here is that the civilians are sent to safety during a battle, which just wouldn't work in most situations.
This opening episode of a new Star Trek series does a Fantastic job of setting the scene. It's a great start! However, sadly, much of what is set up is not realized in the series. The most obvious is the character of Deanna Troi. I don't know the Troi of "Encounter At Farpoint." She is ...useful here. She's on the bridge, but not just as an observer, as an actual bridge officer. She's checking monitors, telling us about system readiness, running communications on the battle bridge, and assertively making recommendations on the situation. The way she tells Picard that she recommends not engaging with Q is definitive, and said in a manner that denotes authority. It's not the wishy-washy "golly captain I think I sense deception but can't be sure" bullshit advice that she normally gives. If this was the first episode of TNG you saw, you would think that Troi is the new Uhura, but even more involved in command. But this is not what happened. They weakened her character and made her presence usually pointless. Later on much is actually made about the fact that she is most definitely not a command officer. In season five's "Disaster," she admits ineptness on bridge matters (but does show some leadership), and it's not until season seven's "Thine Own Self" that she takes the bridge officer's test. Also rendered useless later are her empathic powers. Here we see her actually communicating telepathically with Riker, but later she will just be missing whenever this skill might come in handy. It's just a real shame because I like this stronger version of Troi, and wish she would have stayed this way. I also like the skirt, which is another thing that is set up in this first episode that is later dropped. The "skant" barely makes an appearance after this.I also like the way Wesley is written here. Sure, he has the ugly sweater, but he doesn't come off like a total douche-nozzle. I really liked the scene where Picard allows him on the bridge, and Wesley shows how much he already knows and even instinctively begins to help by pointing out a security alert. It's well done, and makes me think that there was hope for this character that was never realized as well.
Another thing set up here but not carried through with is the idea that the Enterprise is a ship of exploration. We are led to believe that Farpoint is as far as the Federation goes, and that now we are off on an adventure to go where no man has gone before. However, as we know, what the Enterprise actually does mainly is host conferences and taxi diplomats.
Other bits that were interesting to me include Riker and Picard making a deal that the captain will not go on away missions, and in exchange the first officer will keep him from being a dick to children. Also, Beverly and the captain were close enough that he assumed she wouldn't want to work with him, but it apparently had been so long since they've seen each other that he didn't even realize she had a teenaged son. In addition, the holodeck is explained better than I've ever heard it, as Data points out that much of what is in there is real, created with the same technology that the transporters use to assemble matter.
I'm just so pleasantly surprised that everything in this episode works. Q is a great villain, and his test is exactly what the audience needed to see this new crew pass. Our characters are presented as competent and likable (except Picard, but I think this was a choice to reveal his softer side over time). The plot is coherent and unpredictable, and the stage-setting creates an air of anticipation for what is about to come. All Fantastic! Also, is there a more chill place to be than the conn on the Enterprise? Here's Data reclined and cozy with his legs crossed:
Published September 22, 2019
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