‘HOME SOIL’ (TNG)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This is probably the dullest episode that I’ve ever seen from Season 1 of ‘Star Trek: TNG’. A lot of this episode is rather slow. It involves a terraforming setting and the concept of a new inorganic lifeform.
In the episode, the Enterprise visits the terraforming colony on Velara III, where a project is taking place and behind schedule. Captain Picard and the others come to see and enquire about the colony.
But it seems that the terraforming team are hiding something, especially after one of them gets killed. The Enterprise team investigate and discover that there’s more to Velara III than it first seems.
They find an inorganic lifeform, which is at first a speck of life. They bring it back on the Enterprise, before the lifeform starts to cause trouble. Soon, the lifeform starts to attack and also declares war.
I only saw this episode once back in 2005 when I first saw the Season 1 DVD box set of ‘TNG’. The episode left no impact on it. I couldn’t remember what it was about when I re-watched it for review.
I don’t think the episode is as strong as it could have been. This could be due to the fact that there were behind-the-scenes problems with the script, sets, casting and scheduling before filming began.
The episode’s guest cast is as follows. There’s Walter Gotell as project director Kurt Mandl; Elizabeth Lindsey as Luisa Kim; Gerard Prendergast as Bjorn Bensen and Mario Roccuzzo as Arthur Malencon.
When Riker’s away team of Troi, Tasha, Data and Geordi visit Velara III, they’re given a guided tour on the terraforming project by Luisa Kim. I found this rather boring and the information past by me.
It got interesting when a laser drill killed one of Mandi’s team and murder mystery takes place. This episode could have been the makings of an Agatha Christie whodunit or whydunit murder mystery.
Sadly this doesn’t happen as the episode focuses mainly on the inorganic lifeform that Data and Geordi discover. The inorganic lifeform is that impressive either, as it’s just this small light or crystal.
Beforehand, it got tense when Data was being attacked by the laser drill on Valera III. Data manages to dodge the shots and render the laser drill harmless. This however is a loss for them terraformers.
During the episode, Mandi becomes secretive about the terraforming project, denying knowledge of what’s going on when Picard asks him questions. This gets Picard frustrated when he finds the truth.
In the Enterprise’s medical lab, Beverly Crusher with Picard, Geordi, Data and Wesley discover more about the small light crystal lifeform. But as they discover more, the lifeform becomes so dangerous.
Eventually, the little alien lifeform begins to communicate in Earth English language, calling the humans ‘ugly bags of mostly water’. It seems the little alien lifeform considers humans as an enemy.
Many have compared this episode to ‘The Original Series’ episode, ‘The Devil in the Dark’. That’s sound, although my Dad compared this episode to ‘The Changeling’ featuring Nomad, which is ironic.
The Enterprise crewmembers try to plead with the alien lifeform that they mean no harm to it. But the alien lifeform soon has control of the Enterprise’s computer and causes trouble with the engines.
Eventually Data and Geordi find the solution to the problem, as they switch off the lights in the medical lab. The little alien lifeform begs for life and Picard peacefully negotiates, returning it home.
‘Home Soil’ is a very dull episode from ‘TNG‘. I can’t recall anything standout from it. It’s about an alien lifeform that’s unimpressive and isn’t about the terraforming project where the Enterprise visit.
I suppose the message of the story is that you should never play God when you terraform, since you can easily destroy life instead of creating it. That message never got learnt from ‘Star Trek II’ and ‘III’.
‘Home Soil’ (TNG) rating – 3/10
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