‘THE CHASE’ (TNG)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This is an episode in the ‘Star Trek: TNG’ that I was hoping to remember being good when I re-watched it for this review. It does have good moments earlier on, but it felt a little flat by the climax.
The episode is directed by Jonathan Frakes, who makes his second contribution as a director to Season 6 of ‘TNG’. His first contribution was ‘The Quality of Life’. The story’s direction is quite good.
In the episode, Captain Picard has a visit from his former mentor in archaeology, Norman Lloyd as Professor Richard Galen, aboard the Enterprise. Galen wants Picard to accompany him somewhere.
It seems Galen has come across something in his travels which could be the most profound discovery of their time. But Galen won’t reveal what it is to Picard unless he agrees to go with him for a while.
Picard regards Galen as the father who understood him when he was his understudy in archaeology. He did let his former mentor down in the past when deciding to become a Starfleet captain instead.
Picard accompanying Galen on this archaeology expedition means for him to leave the Enterprise and his career in Starfleet behind. Picard ultimately declines Galen’s offer, despite being torn over it.
Galen is clearly angered by Picard’s decision as he leaves the Enterprise to rendezvous with a Vulcan ship to pick him up. Maybe Galen was a little too harsh with Picard when he made his final decision.
Eventually, after leaving the Enterprise, Galen’s transport ship with the Vulcans gets attacked and boarded by as yet unknown forces. The Enterprise rescues Galen, but dies in sickbay from the attack.
Galen had enough energy left to apologise to Picard for his ‘harsh’ remarks before he died. Picard is understandably upset over this loss as he becomes determined to continue the Professor’s research.
Picard’s determination to solve this mysterious attack on Galen and the Vulcan ship puts him at risk to miss certain special Federation meetings. Riker and Deanna Troi remind him of the consequences.
But Picard is so determined that he’s willing to risk his career on the line for it. Thankfully, the Enterprise crew comes up with something as they find a series of seemingly random number blocks.
These seem to be random DNA samples to form something. Picard and the Enterprise have one already and they soon meet up with a Klingon and Cardassian ship that also seem to be on this trail.
The leader of the Cardassians happens to be Linda Thorson as Gul Ocett. Linda Thorson is well-known for playing Tara King in ‘The Avengers’ 1960s TV series. It’s hard to recognise her as Linda. 😀
The leader of the Klingons happens to be John Cothran, Jr. as Captain Nu’Daq. He’s a true Klingon warrior and volatile compared to Ocett. I found that scene with him and Data in Ten Forward funny.
The Klingons and the Cardassians all want the same thing as Ocett and Nu’Daq also have samples of the DNA patterns which merge into one with the Enterprise’s. They could lead to a powerful secret.
Picard eventually tricks Ocett of the Cardassians to head off somewhere else since she and her kind were treacherous. The Enterprise crew with Nu’Daq of the Klingons soon head off to another place.
Eventually, Picard with Beverly, Worf and Nu’Daq come to a planet where all life is extinct. They’re soon joined by the Cardassians led by Ocett and a Romulan group also interested in this endeavour.
The Romulans are led by Maurice Roëves as their captain, who doesn’t seem to have a name strangely. Maurice Roëves played Stotz in the ‘Doctor Who’ story, ‘The Caves of Androzani’ in 1984.
After an argument between Federation, Klingon, Cardassian and Romulan forces, a computer program is activated where a holographic message is projected. It is shown in the form of a woman.
The woman is an alien humanoid played by Salome Jens. I’m wondering if I should trust her, as Salome Jens would later play a Founder/Female Changeling of the Dominion in the ‘DS9’ TV show. 😀
The climax was a bit rushed for me making ‘The Chase’ a rather lacklustre episode. I wish I could rate it highly as it had some good things going on at the beginning. But it got baffling and average as well.
‘The Chase’ (TNG) rating – 5/10
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