TNG S1E13 "Angel One" Review By AnswerMan

Horrible:Meh:Adequate:Good:Fantastic

Ugh. "Angel One" is certainly an entertaining episode, and I have to give it credit for what I can only guess were its intentions. But man, it's also just completely awful in its execution. First off, the Enterprise is investigating a ship disaster that happened SEVEN YEARS AGO, and looking for survivors. Because, you know.....they've been busy for last better part of a decade. Despite this blase attitude towards rescue attempt promptness, Riker still has the nerve to lecture the head of the planet where the survivors are suspected to have fled about the importance of recovering even a single life.

And let's talk about that planet. The women are in charge there, because evolution happened opposite of how we're used to. The women are larger and stronger. They are the hunters and the protectors. The men are smaller, weaker, subservient, and wear purple frilly panties outside of their tights. Here is where I have to respect what I believe were their intentions. By reversing the roles, and making the setting a reasonably advanced futuristic society, it further highlights the iniquities of our past. The women there believe that men are inferior by their very nature. They also believe that by keeping them from being involved in things like running the planet, that they are giving the men the gift of a simpler and better life. It all feels really wrong, and then you realize that's because it IS wrong, and also is exactly how our own society was not that long ago, and certainly still has remnants of today.

Also, Riker bones the president of the Neo-Amazonians.

Meanwhile on the Enterprise, everyone is getting sick. Worf says he's going to sneeze, and Geordi asks if it will be a Klingon sneeze. To which Worf replies, "The only kind I know." Which is stupid. But what is actually hilarious is that later on when Worf sneezes, the subtitles read "(Klingon sneeze)." Props to you, subtitle writer, for your witty captions. Another thing that annoys me is how Data precisely describes the society of the planet that apparently the Federation has never visited, right down the most minute detail, and makes his usual calculations on time down to the second, but for some reason has never heard of "perfume" or "aphrodisiac." I could forgive this if it was just a necessary plot device to advance the story line. But perfume had nothing to do with anything. Neither did Wesley playing in the snow, other than to remind us that there are children on the ship and a futuristic thing called the holodeck exists. Eventually Dr. Crusher solves the mystery she's been chasing the whole episode: how is the virus transmitted? It turns out that the virus smells wonderful, inviting people to inhale it deeply. So....airborne like nearly every other disease? What a finding!

Back on the planet, the survivors are found, but don't want to leave. However President Amazon insists that they do leave because they are spreading horrible ideas like the equality of men and women. They are sentenced to death for this, but Riker talks them out of this by batting his eyes or whatever at the lady he pleasured earlier. The plea is not that moving to me, but does the trick. The men can stay on the planet, but in an area that sucks. Riker gets the last word though, as he loudly acknowledges that he was about to beam the men off planet rather than allow them to be executed anyway.

Also, Romulans.

"Angel One," despite ideas that could have risen it to greatness, is just Horrible. For some reason I found the scene where Troi and Yar are laughing at Riker in his new outfit particularly offensive. For all their talk of honoring the customs of the aliens that they encounter, they show their true colors here by having a good laugh at how the men on the planet dress. Also, I think just the fact that the two strong Star Fleet women on the planet were written nothing better to do than laugh giddily to how the man behaves reflects exactly the kind of sexism that the show is purporting to admonish.

Published June 18, 2019