“Yes… but let him dream.”
The third part of an unofficial triptych, bringing emotional closure to the two “Best of Both Worlds” episodes, “Family” is very nearly better than both of the Borg shows, and is in many ways one of the finest episodes that Star Trek: The Next Generation ever put together. It is a marvelous example of experimentation with form, doing away with all of the presumptive expectations of an episode of this series. There is no alien menace-of-the-week or holodeck malfunction. There is no science fiction concept to unravel or message about the human race to allegorize. There isn’t even the usual A-plot / B-plot structure, but rather an A-plot / B-plot / C-plot triad, playing like Mozart variations on the episode’s basic theme of — that’s right — “family.” And by laying bare an unusually poignant vulnerability for three of the male members of the principal cast, it’s a beautiful piece of work.
The A-plot sends Captain Picard home to his family vineyard in France, to deal with the trauma of having been abducted and violated by the Borg. In an episode overflowing with outstanding guest performances — really, there isn’t a single member of the guest cast who is less than excellent — I have an overwhelming fondness for Picard’s surly older brother, Robert, as played by Jeremy Kemp with a permanent snarl and touchingly dopey boyishness at the same time. Also wonderful are Samantha Eggar as Robert’s wife, and David Tristan Birkin as their son, Picard’s nephew. (Birkin would return to the series to play the de-aged version of Captain Picard in the sixth season’s “Rascals.”) There is a rather extraordinary long take in the fourth act where Robert chases Jean-Luc out of the family home and down to the vineyard, a walk-and-talk two-shot that would put The West Wing to shame — and it ends with the Picard boys getting into a big, sloppy fistfight in the mud. When Jean-Luc breaks down and admits to his enormous grief and lasting pain at having been used by the Borg to attack Starfleet, it’s one of Patrick Stewart’s signature performance beats for the whole series. Robert, of course, supplies the answer that best defines the unfortunate reality of dealing with trauma: we have to learn to live with it. For Picard, the only choice is whether to do so on Earth, or to do so on the Enterprise.
Meanwhile, back on the ship, the B-plot involves Worf’s adoptive parents visiting their Klingon son. Wonderfully played by Theodore Bikel and Georgia Brown, Sergei and Helena Rozhenko are a terrific, and surprising, extension of everything we know about Worf. They fit his personality in a weird way that I never could have seen coming, and inform his character forever after. That’s great writing, and great acting too. The sequence between the couple and Guinan in Ten Foreward, where Guinan calms the worried parents by assuring them that Worf does, indeed, look their way when he stares out at the stars, is touching. And because we are so unused to any emotional displays from Worf, there’s a big thumping heart in the scene where he microscopically accepts his parents’ support of the actions that lead to his discommendation. Guinan’s right: a lot of parents could learn a thing or two from Sergei and Helena; but then, a lot of kids could learn a thing or two from Worf. Parents who support you without question are the best thing a Klingon boy could hope for.
And finally, the C-plot sees Wesley receiving a taped message from his late father, which was recorded shortly after Wesley was born. It’s only a handful of scenes — two featuring Beverly, two featuring Wesley — but it’s an engaging short story. It’s also quite a shock to realize that Wesley has somehow turned 18. Wearing his Starfleet uniform, he ain’t that smart little mid-pubescent kid with the sweaters from all those years ago.
The episode is Ron Moore’s first writing entry for Season Four, and it’s consistently in my top five episodes of Next Gen of all time. Perhaps the best thing that “Family” achieves, in line with its themes and intentions, is that it overwhelmingly demonstrates the degree to which the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation has become a family in its own right. There’s a wonderful, comfortable affection between all of them on display throughout the episode, a far cry from the stiffness and banter of the first season. The whole cast deserves huge credit for how far they’ve advanced the textual and subtextual relationships between the characters — it played a huge part in what made Season Four so much fun.
Blogging The Next Generation runs every Tuesday as I work my way through every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation on blu-ray. Season Four is in stores now.