“Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed and what are you doing for dinner?”
Lwaxana Troi’s annual visit to the Enterprise is a genuine surprise this year, in that it breaks the slapstick comedy mold and gives Majel Barrett-Roddenberry something dramatic and meaty to play. “Half a Life” isn’t entirely a success, probably because it doesn’t have enough time to explore itself fully; and besides, it isn’t much fun to watch, given the subject matter. But Barrett excels in a showpiece role, and guest star David Ogden Stiers is likewise excellent.
The episode contains the following elements, in order: the requisite sequences of Lwaxana blithely tormenting the crew; Lwaxana redirecting her focus onto Timicin, a shy, reserved scientist from an alien world; Timicin trying to complete an experiment that will save his planet’s sun; Lwaxana and Timicin falling in love; Lwaxana (and everyone else) dealing with the fallout of Timicin’s revelation that his culture requires that he commit suicide at the age of 60; newly-in-love Timicin deciding he doesn’t want to do that; and the resolution (no pun intended) of the issue. That’s a fine story as stories go, but it’s a lot of plot for a 42-minute episode, and while the balance is largely maintained, the emotional cadence of the story seems rushed. I understand completely why the producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation were never going to bang “Half a Life” into a two-part episode, but to lean on a second pun for this paragraph, the episode feels half-developed as a result.
Nonetheless, Barrett is simply marvelous here, gauging a tricky performance surprisingly well (or at least, surprisingly to those who are only used to her bombastic comedy stylings from episodes prior). What is likely her very best scene with Marina Sirtis, ever, takes place here, as Lwaxana breaks down on the holodeck pad and begins to sob about her lover’s impending death – and she and Deanna communicate (telepathically) while Lwaxana continues to cry (audibly). Lwaxana’s rant about the frightening, encroaching uselessness of old age is heartfelt, and Deanna’s response – “I know you, Mother… you will never be one of those who dies before they die” – is simply one of the most wonderful things to ever come out of the Counselor’s mouth. And a beautiful idea to strive towards, too.
The episode is frequently cited as being Star Trek’s take on the “right to die” debate but it’s much more directly interested in the way our society treats its elderly. It can come to no resolution (there’s that word again) on this, of course, but there are several trenchant scenes with Lwaxana, Timicin, Deanna, and even Timicin’s daughter (here played by Michelle Forbes, about to become Ensign Ro), which explore the ideas in a good amount of depth. It ain’t perfect, and some of those scenes come away feeling heavy-handed for their didactic approach, but “Half a Life” remains memorable for being clever enough to stretch into heretofore-untapped areas of Next Gen’s dramatic resolve, and coming up with something fresh.
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, and here comes Season Five.