star trek tng when the bough breaks

When The Bough Breaks (episode)

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4 Cast and characters
• 3.5 Continuity
• 3.6 Special and visual effects
• 3.7 Sets, props, and costumes
• 3.9 Reception
• 3.10 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Co-stars
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stand-ins
• 4.7.1 Other references
• 4.7.2 Unreferenced material
• 4.8 External links

Summary [ ]

Commander Riker walks down a corridor when Captain Picard contacts him and orders him to come up to the bridge . As he continues down the corridor, a young boy named Harry is running away from his father and runs directly into Riker. Harry falls to the floor and Riker helps him up. It turns out that Harry was running away because he refuses to study calculus any longer. Riker witnesses the confrontation between father and son before limping away into a turbolift to take him to the bridge.

Entering the bridge, Picard informs Riker that the crew have been investigating faint energy readings coming from the nearby Epsilon Mynos system . Upon hearing the name of the system from Geordi La Forge , Riker now knows why Picard called him up to the bridge. The system is thought to contain the legendary mythical world of Aldea , a place Riker puts on par with Atlantis of Earth or Neinman of Xerxes VII . Lieutenant Yar is unfamiliar with the legend of Aldea and Riker explains that the inhabitants of Aldea were thought to be able to cloak their planet in darkness in order to hide it from marauders or hostile passersby. Then, all of a sudden, the crew of the USS Enterprise -D are witness to the revealing of the legendary planet Aldea.

Act One [ ]

On the viewscreen , a woman contacts the Enterprise and introduces herself as Rashella , welcoming them and wishing to talk with them. Suddenly, she and Radue , introducing himself as the leader, appear on the bridge, startling everyone, notably Doctor Crusher , as they did not undergo decontamination procedures by going through the transporter , but they quickly explain that the Enterprise 's transporters won't work because of the planet's shields . They formally invite them to the planet, but also show visible signs of discomfort, which they justify by not being used to bright lights and soon afterwards they beam back on the planet.

Without warning, Commander Riker, Deanna Troi , and Dr. Crusher are transported from the Enterprise bridge to the surface of Aldea, and they're welcomed to their community. However, the Aldean's motives are quickly revealed, as Radue explains that he wishes to acquire some of the Enterprise 's children, in exchange for technology and information that would take the Federation centuries to acquire. This outrages both Riker and Crusher, and Troi explains that Humans are very attached to their children; other species might be tempted. Then Radue explains that the Aldean society is dying out, and they've become infertile. Riker expresses his sympathy, but unequivocally declines their trade offer. Radue promptly returns them to the ship.

"Don't touch him!"

Meanwhile, strange beams of light come from the planet, scanning everyone on board but focused only on the children, such as Wesley Crusher on the bridge. Data reaches out to help him, but Picard warns him not to touch the teen, as they may unknowingly harm him. Suddenly to Dr. Crusher's alarm, Wesley is beamed away by the Aldean's transporter, and the disappearances of several other children across the ship's primary hull are reported by Worf .

Act Two [ ]

Picard faces a group of scared parents

The captain is infuriated, and contacts Radue, demanding to have their children back. Radue appears on the viewscreen and informs Picard that the children will be well looked after, and that they'll want for nothing. He wants to discuss compensation, but Picard's response prompts him to close communication. Picard and Dr. Crusher along with Troi have a meeting with the other parents in the observation lounge to explain what's happened. Picard will have Dr. Crusher with him to represent the other parents and assures them that the Enterprise will not leave without the children.

A land of magic

On Aldea, Wesley and the children meet their new foster parents, and are quickly enticed by the skill-enhancing instruments that are offered to them. Wesley, however, is not impressed by the Aldeans and resists. Radue attempts to label him as the leader of the group and gives him the task of helping the others adjust since he has no choice, like the Aldeans.

Riker reports that Data has discovered random fluctuations in the shield, holes in essence, that could possibly be used to transport an away team through. Riker is surprised that the Aldeans haven't perfected their technology after all this time and eliminated the flaw. As using a hole would have to be precise with timing and there would be no guarantee, Data notes it may be better to crack the code used to transport through the magnetic shield, but it will take time as the sheer number of possible codes is almost endless. While Data works on it, Picard orders Riker to work with Lieutenant La Forge to figure out a way through a hole. An away team can then find the power source for the shield and neutralize it; Picard knows that they have to keep the Aldeans talking, because once they realize the crew will not accept anything but the childrens' return, they will just turn the cloaking device back on and the Enterprise will have lost any chance to get them back.

Act Three [ ]

Duana introduces Wesley to the Custodian for storing records of him. Wesley immediately wants to know more about the computer system, which takes care of the Aldeans' every need. He asks about what the other children are doing and interacts with the Custodian and learns the controls. He also asks what's behind one of the doors, but Duana admits that she doesn't know.

Picard and Dr. Crusher are transported to the planet to negotiate for "compensation" for the children. They refuse to give the children back, thinking that it's not a problem as they can have more children, but the captain warns that the Aldeans are messing with a primal Human instinct and that parents are willing to die if necessary for their children. To Crusher's questions about the children's future fertility, Radue is convinced that the problem is a genetic dysfunction and not contagious. Picard nevertheless remains amicable and says they sympathize with the Aldeans and is open to a satisfactory solution to both sides. The Aldeans see their problem as solved and they're offering the sum of their knowledge: what more could they want? Picard manages to convince him to let Dr. Crusher see Wesley. While with him, she coordinates a covert scan of Duana with the hand scanner from her medical tricorder . Rejoining Picard, she reports her son and the others are well; Radue states that the crew have their offer, which is final, and the away team is sent back to the ship.

Radue decides to show the Enterprise that there is no bargaining room and displays the planet's power by blasting the ship and throwing it back in ten seconds the equivalent distance of three days travel from the planet at warp 9. He claims that he could very easily push the Enterprise so far away that by the time they returned to Aldea, their children would be grandparents.

Act Four [ ]

During the return trip to Aldea, Picard tells Radue that there is room for discussion and ends the communication. Dr. Crusher has analyzed the covert scan and discovers that Duana is dying, suffering from some chromosomal damage, probably like the rest of the population. Crusher can't determine if it is genetic or environmental, so leaves to determine the cause.

Wesley and the Custodian

On Aldea, the children each show signs of dissatisfaction while being taught their respective activities. Wesley, however, firmly says to Radue and Duana that they will not cooperate. That night, he decides to convince the younger children to go on a hunger strike and to not speak to their hosts, in an attempt to make the Aldeans return them to the ship, using passive resistance . Using the Custodian, he locates all the children and explains to them that it is a form of passive resistance. He assures them that while the Aldeans may become upset, they will not harm them as they need them. While a couple are not sure, he reminds them that while the Aldeans are very nice, they all want to go home and gets the mutual solidarity he needs. Rashella walks in and finds them.

Act Five [ ]

" This is it, Commander. "

Upon the Enterprise 's return, Crusher confirms the Aldeans are suffering from acute radiation poisoning , which is causing the infertility. It also explains their pallor, general lack of appetite and sensitivity to light. While Data says it would take too long to decode the Aldean's transporter beam, La Forge has found that the holes in the shielding can be used to beam down a team with the right timing. When Radue beams Picard and Crusher down to negotiate, Worf carefully orders the transporter officer to beam Riker and Data down to Aldea in a discreet location. They are successful and locate the Custodian.

Radue meets with Picard and Crusher and first demands that he make the children end their strike. Picard goes to the children and surprises Radue by taking them back to him and reveals that Riker and Data are on the planet. Crusher tries to convince Radue that the cause of their infertility is the planetary shield and cloaking device affecting their ozone layer , similar to Earth in the 21st century . Eventually, the children will become affected as well. Radue does not believe her, insisting that their scientists would've known but Crusher retorts that they have been so reliant on their technology, they've stopped questioning it or know how it works. Radue attempts to beam the officers away but his commands to the Custodian are not responding; Riker and Data have temporarily disabled it. Picard has the Enterprise to beam up the children, but not before young Harry Bernard says goodbye to his "adoptive" father, Accolan . When they are gone, Radue is convinced that Picard has destroyed them. The captain says they are doing the exact opposite.

The Aldeans, led by the Starfleet personnel, go to the mysterious door and find what Data identifies as the power source. Radue muses that they need to relearn how to look after themselves and use the power source safely. Picard offers their help, which is gladly accepted. The crew successfully reseeds Aldea's ozone layer: neither the cloak nor the shield can ever be used again if they want to preserve it.

On the Enterprise , Dr. Crusher reports that the population is responding well to treatment and will become fertile in time. Picard remarks that while the planet's legend will die, its people will live. They leave Aldea, but not before Wesley escorts Alexandra , one of the children, to the bridge as she wants to thank and hug Picard. When she leaves, everyone on the bridge giggles behind the captain's back as Alexandra's plush toy, a Tribble , has become accidentally stuck to his back.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2364
• Chief medical officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Data, find a way to defeat that shield. " " That may be impossible, sir. " " Things are only impossible until they're not! " " Yes, sir. "

" It's Aldea, Captain. It has to be. "

" We need some of your children. "

" Our children are not for sale at any price. "

" What's your hurry, Harry? "

" You've stolen our children away from their classrooms, away from their bedrooms and you talk about compensation?! You claim to be a civilized race and yet for some reason you have just committed an act of utter barbarity!! " " Captain, we will continue these discussions when you have calmed down. "

" The Aldeans are suffering from a form of radiation poisoning. " " Is that what made them sterile? "

" Instead of the children being our hope, what if we're just condemning them to our fate? " " Rashella, they're just protecting their own interests. " " As are we. But hear them out. The captain and Doctor Crusher are saying that the very thing which has given us this wonderful world is what has caused this tragedy. " " That's it. Exactly. Your Custodian has controlled you so completely you've lost even the desire to even question it. "

" OK, kids. Let's go home. "

" The legend will die but the people will live. "

" Captain, I am not aware of Regulation 6.57. " " No, Data, neither am I. " " I see, sir. " (Pause, understands) " Oh, I see, sir!'"

" Dad, I want to be an artist, but I don't want to take calculus anymore. " " You can be anything you want, Harry. Anything. But you still have to take calculus. " " Okay. Thanks, Dad. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• First draft story outline: 26 October 1987
• Two-page memo of story notes from Gene Roddenberry : 4 November 1987
• Final draft script: 7 December 1987 [1]
• Two-page memo of script notes from Gene Roddenberry: 9 December 1987
• First revised final draft script: 10 December 1987
• Second revised final draft script: 11 December 1987 [2]
• Filmed: 15 December 1987 – 23 December 1987
• Score recorded at Paramount Stage M : 5 February 1988 ( Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Ron Jones Project liner notes [3] )
• Premiere airdate: 15 February 1988
• UK premiere airdate: 23 January 1991

Story and script [ ]

• Writer Hannah Louise Shearer pitched this story to D.C. Fontana as an opportunity to better use the shipboard families aboard the USS Enterprise -D . The story led to Shearer being invited to join the writing staff. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 2nd ed., p. 50)
• Originally, the story featured a subplot where the ship would separate , with the saucer section being held hostage. This was removed to focus on the main plot. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 2nd ed., p. 50)

Production [ ]

• This is the very first episode of the series not to open the introductory teaser with an external visual of the Enterprise . The next episode to also forego an exterior Enterprise visual will be " The Emissary ", which opens with a game of poker between several of the senior staff.
• This is the only Star Trek episode directed by Kim Manners .

Cast and characters [ ]

• This episode marks Jerry Hardin 's first appearance on Star Trek . He later reappeared as Samuel Clemens in TNG : " Time's Arrow " and " Time's Arrow, Part II " and as Neria in VOY : " Emanations ".
• Paul Lambert , who played Melian , appeared in the fourth season as Howard Clark in the episode " Devil's Due ".
• McKenzie Westmore , daughter of makeup supervisor Michael Westmore , was featured as Rose . She later appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection and as Ensign Jenkins in VOY : " Warhead ".
• Wil Wheaton 's sister Amy Wheaton and his brother Jeremy Wheaton are featured as Tara and Mason in this episode.

Continuity [ ]

• This episode takes its name from the children's lullaby " Rock-a-bye Baby " ( "…when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall…" ). The Doctor would later adapt the lullaby for B'Elanna Torres 's baby and sing it to Seven of Nine in VOY : " Human Error ".
• The Enterprise -D being blasted away from Aldea is similar to the original Enterprise being hurled 990.7 light years away from the Kalandan outpost (minus the earthquake effect) in TOS : " That Which Survives ".

Special and visual effects [ ]

• The visual effect of the Enterprise -D being blasted far away from Aldea is reused in " Q Who " and " Tin Man ".

Sets, props, and costumes [ ]

• The large dome window in the Aldean's meeting room was later put on top of a building in Paradise City on Nimbus III in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier .
• The Aldean's planetary shield and cloaking device was not a full-scale set piece but rather a three foot long maquette , as was revealed in the Reading Rainbow 's season 5 episode "The Bionic Bunny Show" (see YouTube videos Part 1 and Part 2 ). Effects Supervisor Robert Legato explained that it was kit-bashed out of parts from model-kits of aircraft carriers, tanks and cars. Michael Okuda elaborated in 2012, " I built the Aldean reactor core. Rob Legato and Gary Hutzel came to me and asked me to work with them on that shot. They needed something cool and powerful looking, but had no money in the budget to build anything. I had an idea for an internally-lit structure that would be seen mostly in silhouette. The advantage of this would be that the model could be fairly simple, but would look dramatic because of lighting. I used parts from several children's toys and model kits, including a Space Shuttle launch tower. I think I even used some left-over pieces from the Star Trek: TMP space dock model in the base. Rick Sternbach helped out with some of the scaffolding around the core. The core of the model was a clear acrylic tube with a fluorescent tube in it. Wrapped around the tube was a sheet of high-contrast black and white film with a pattern that I designed for this. The design incorporated lots of vertical lines and a series of hexagons, which was one of the signature graphic elements that I had used for this planet. Later, I used the same art for the back wall of the Klingon transporter room and the back wall of a Starfleet interrogation room. Rob and Gary loved the model and made it look like this huge, mysterious, powerful reactor. " [4]

• The melody that Katie plays for Melian is the same piece of music used as " The Traveler 's theme" in " Where No One Has Gone Before ", scored by Ron Jones .
• The episode's score, composed and conducted by Ron Jones, was recorded on 5 February 1988 at Paramount Stage M . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Ron Jones Project liner notes [5] ) The complete episode score, totalling 27 minutes 30 seconds, appears on disc three of the Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Ron Jones Project collection.

Reception [ ]

• This is Shearer's favorite episode. In particular, she praised Wil Wheaton's performance. " Alas, poor Wesley got the brunt of a lot of criticism, but he was really extraordinary with those kids and turned them into a little family on the set, and I think it really translated. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 164)
• Maurice Hurley remarked, " That had a nice quality to it, sad and poignant at the same time. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 164)
• A mission report for this episode by John Sayers was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 6 , pp. 48-50.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 9 , catalog number VHR 2438, 4 February 1991
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 1.6, catalog number VHR 4647, 10 August 1998
• As part of the TNG Season 1 DVD collection
• As part of the TNG Season 1 Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Geordi La Forge
• Denise Crosby as Lt. Tasha Yar
• Michael Dorn as Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
• Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher

Guest stars [ ]

• Jerry Hardin as Radue
• Brenda Strong as Rashella
• Jandi Swanson as Katie
• Paul Lambert as Melian
• Ivy Bethune as Duana

Co-stars [ ]

• Dierk Torsek as Dr. Bernard
• Michèle Marsh as Leda
• Dan Mason as Accolan
• Philip N. Waller as Harry
• Connie Danese as Toya
• Jessica and Vanessa Bova as Alexandra

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• James G. Becker as Youngblood
• Dexter Clay as operations division officer
• Jeffrey Deacon as command division officer
• Susan Duchow as operations division officer
• Nora Leonhardt as science division officer
• Tim McCormack as Bennett
• James McElroy as operations division officer
• Lorine Mendell as Diana Giddings
• Steve Reed as Mason's father
• Richard Sarstedt as command division officer
• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
• McKenzie Westmore as Rose
• Amy Wheaton as Tara
• Jeremy Wheaton as Mason
• Command division officer
• Custodian (voice)
• Female operations division crewmember
• Female science division officer
• Female teacher
• Mason's mother
• Seven school children
• Three command division crewmembers
• Two civilians
• Two science division crewmembers

Stand-ins [ ]

• James G. Becker – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Darrell Burris – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Dexter Clay – stand-in for Michael Dorn
• Jeffrey Deacon – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Susan Duchow – stand-in for Denise Crosby
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Wil Wheaton

References [ ]

14th century ; 21st century ; 22nd century ; accident ; Aldea ; Aldean ; Aldean holographic toy ; Aldean musical instrument ; Aldean shield ; Aldean transport device ; amount ; answer ; appetite ; Aran ; area ; arrival ; art ; artist ; " at any price "; Atlantis ; atmosphere ; away team ; beach ; bed ; bedroom ; breed ; bridge ; brightness ; calcium ; calculation ; calculus ; calculus teacher ; celebration ; century ; chance ; children ; choice ; chromosome ; citizen ; civilization ; classroom ; cloaking device ; code ; colleague ; communications ; compensation ; computer ; conscience ; contract ; corridor ; culture ; curiosity ; Custodian ; Custodian's room ; danger ; darkness ; death ; deck ; decontamination ; dedication plaque ; defense shield ; deflector ; demonstration ; desktop monitor ; discussion ; distortion ; dolphin ; Earth ; eating ; electromagnetic ; emotion ; Epsilon Mynos system ; Epsilon Mynos system sun ; evidence ; eye ; fairy tale ; family ; fate ; father ; fear ; Federation ; feeling ; file ; First Appointee ; fish ; fork ; fruit ; genetic dysfunction ; generation ; god ; goods ; grandparent ; guest ; hailing frequency ; harm ; head ; " hello "; heritage ; hole ; home ; honor ; hope ; hour ; Human ; hunger strike ; infertility ; information ; instinct ; intention ; invitation ; Katie's instrument ; kidnapping ; language ; leader ; legend ; lesion ; lie ; light ; light ray ; light refracting device ; list ; magnetic shield ; maintenance ; marauder ; medical doctor ; medical literature ; medical tricorder ; medicine ; Milky Way Galaxy ; millennium ; mind ; mother ; music ; musician ; mutual interest ; myth ; mythology ; name ; nature ; necklace ; negotiation ; Neinman ; note ; number ; number one ; observation lounge ; ocean ; oceanographer ; offer ; offspring ; orbit ; order ; override ; ozone layer ; painting ; pallor ; parent ; passers-by ; passive resistance ; pattern ; payment ; peace ; person ; planetary defense system ; plunder ; position report ; potential ; power source ; Progenitor ; quadrant one ; question ; race ; radiation ; radiation poisoning ; reason ; red alert ; representative ; repulsor beam ; risk ; rob ; Romulan ; room ; saucer section ; scanner ; scanning device ; scientist ; school ; screen ; sculpting ; sculpting tool ; sculptor ; sculpture ; sensitivity ; sensor ; shield ; shielding device ; sickbay ; skant ; society ; solution ; son ; sprinter ; staff officer ; Starfleet Regulations ; statue ; status ; sterility ; story ; stubborn ; stuffed animal ; subject ; surface ; symptom ; talent ; teacher ; technology ; terminal illness ; theory ; thing ; third level clearance ; thousand ; three-dimensional chess ; toy ; trade ; " trail of breadcrumbs "; trait ; transporter room ; transporting procedure ; treatment ; tricorder ; turbolift ; ultraviolet radiation ; unit ; Unit B375 ; unnamed plants ; viewscreen ; vision ; VISOR ; voice ; voice command ; Vulcan lute ; way of living ; week ; window ; wood ; word ; work ; Xerxes VII ; year ; Zadar IV ; Zena

Other references [ ]

• Diagnostic analysis: air ; A vitamin ; B complex vitamin ; calcium ; carcinogen ; carbon monoxide ; chemical exposure ; diagnostic analysis ; disruption ; environmental factor ; exposure ; extraterrestrial disease ; failure ; fluorocarbon ; food chain ; gamma ray ; gravitational variation ; industrial waste byproduct ; magnetic field ; micronutrient ; monosodium glutamate (MSG); neutrino ; nitrogen ; nuclear radiation ; oxygen ; parasitic organism ; personal hygiene ; potassium ; quark ; red dye number two ; resorption ; solar flux ; trace element ; viral contaminant ; visible light ; vitamin ; vitamin deficiency ; waste management ; water

Unreferenced material [ ]

External links [ ].

• " When the Bough Breaks " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " When The Bough Breaks " at Wikipedia
• " When The Bough Breaks " at the Internet Movie Database
• " When The Bough Breaks " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "When The Bough Breaks" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)

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When The Bough Breaks Stardate: 41509.1 Original Airdate: 15 Feb, 1988

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Den of Geek

Revisiting Star Trek TNG: When The Bough Breaks

The Enterprise's children are abducted by infertile artists in this week's Star Trek: TNG look-back. Here's what James made of it all...

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This review contains spoilers.

1.17 When The Bough Breaks

The Enterprise follows a strange “breadcrumb trail” of energy to an apparently abandoned star system. Riker, arriving on the bridge fresh from bumping into some of the ship’s many families (heretofore almost entirely unseen) is pleased to learn that they’ve reached Epsilon Mynos, the home of the ancient, mythical planet of Aldea, a world where computers take care of your every need and leave you to pursue the arts. But spoiler alert! It turns out it’s not so mythical after all.

Troi suddently senses the presence of… something — feelings, or whatever — which turns out to be the planet Aldea. Because apparently, she’s so sensitive she can detect an entire civilisation (of about nine people) from hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. Aldea decloaks, not because Troi’s blown their cover with her super-powered sense of vague unease, but because they’ve decided to break their silence!

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Picard, ever eager to make a date with a new civilisation, invites them on board. “We’re ready any time!” he says. Aldea can smell desperation, so they immediately transport onto the bridge. Everyone pretends this isn’t a bit rude, except Crusher who gets upset and suggests that they’re probably full of lice and parasites and stuff, because they haven’t been through decontamination. Luckily, they ignore this, but like any shut-ins, they’re a bit upset by bright light, so they go back home taking Riker, Troi and Crusher with them.

Their leader, Radue, explains that the Aldeans have a problem: infertility. So they just want a few of the Enterprise’s children to help continue their civilisation. Riker and Crusher get upset by the suggestion, and Troi rather oddly claims that “Humans are very attached to their offspring” as if a) she’d happily turn over her child to these maniacs and b) The Enterprise doesn’t have other non-human races on it. Still, the Aldeans push their point. When Riker flat-out refuses, they beam him, Crusher and Troi back, and steal seven children from the Enterprise, including Wesley.

After Radue explains to Picard that the kids are staying with them, they’re assigned to different foster families who can help unlock their latent artistic talents (which, for the record, include wood carving, mind-music and manipulation of primitive 3D renderings with a joystick). Rather than accepting the situation, Wesley starts poking around and asking questions about “The Custodian”, the computer that runs Aldean society. “Where is the power source?” asks Wesley. “It probably doesn’t matter,” they reply. “What’s behind that strange door?” asks Wesley. “Stop asking difficult questions,” they reply.

Flummoxed by the Aldeans’ vastly superior technology, Picard stalls by trying to negotiate a fair price for the children (the tenet of fair compensation is one on which Aldean society is built, rather handily). As a demonstration of their power, the Aldeans punt the Enterprise a distance three days away from their planet. Picard sets a course back, but who knows what horrors will be visited upon the children while they’re gone?

Over the intervening days, the kids appear to be enjoying their new lives, carving wood, making mind-music, and manipulating 3D renderings. But (surprise!) it turns out, they’re all unhappy. Harry carves a wooden Dolphin that reminds him of his dad. Katie makes some sad music. And Alexandra manipulates shapes into a depressed rhombus (probably). Apparently the next generation of Aldeans is going to be a bit emo. Wesley organises some Ghandi-style non-violent resistance and no-one knows what to do, because apparently they’re okay abducting children, but not trying to reason with or discipline them.

When the Enterprise returns, Radue asks Picard to help, which is about the stupidest thing anyone does in this episode. It’s basically like a farmer asking a fox to convince his chickens they don’t want to be eaten by a fox. Predictably, Picard doesn’t even try and then announces they’re just going to take them home instead. Check! Crusher points out that the reason the Aldeans are infertile is because their shield has destroyed the planet’s ozone layer and irradiated them all. Check again! Then Riker and Data disable the Custodian so that Aldean society completely collapses. Check and Mate!

As the Aldeans grimly come to terms with having no planetary cloak and no computer to do all the hard stuff for them, they go and investigate that mysterious room Wesley asked about. Inside is a giant power source that’s been running everything for as long as anyone can remember. Radue gives a speech about how they must use this new power for good, rather than child abduction, and the Enterprise crew goes home.

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TNG WTF: Okay, I get that TNG doesn’t have an infinite budget, but does no-one seem concerned that the entirety of Aldean society appears to consist of about nine people situated in four rooms? The fact that they think stealing seven children will be enough to help breed a new generation when they all die suggests that there’s a lot of wasted space down on that planet.

TNG LOL: At one point, Doctor Crusher reminds the parents of the stolen children that as Starfleet officers, they did voluntarily sign up for this mission and “knew the risks”. I hate to think what a Starfleet risk assessment looks like, given that over the years, main characters have been mind-controlled, sent into alternate timelines, replaced by their own future selves and occasionally ascended onto another plane of reality.

And, in my head, the moment where Wesley disappears from the bridge plays out like this:

Crusher: “They’ve taken Wesley!”Picard: “Plot a course away from Aldea, warp nine!”

Who’s That Face? Radua is played by Jerry Hardin, who turned up a couple of times in Star Trek series, most famously as Mark Twain in the TNG episodes Time’s Arrow part 1 & 2 , and was Deep Throat in The X-Files . Rashella is played by Brenda Strong, who turns up all over US TV shows, but perhaps most famously as Mary Alice, the character in Desperate Housewives who was killed in the first episode and narrated the rest of the show.

Time Until Meeting: 14:03. Picard gathers together the parents of the abducted children to tell them to sit tight.

Captain’s Log: As it happens, this is actually a really well-written episode. This might be the first time they’ve combined a good high concept with a relatively good script. No-one does anything massively stupid or irrational except for Radea, who clearly doesn’t recognise a strong bargaining position when he sees one. He’s already won, only his insistence on allowing Picard to negotiate a “fair price” means he loses (and they barely get that far – at one point they mention star charts, but that’s all.)

The episode does do a good job of building up the stakes, from Riker’s first scene, bumping into Harry, which reminds us that children are a presence on the Enterprise, to the kids’ abduction, and even their slowly coming to enjoy their new life on Aldea. We do care what happens to these kids. The reveal that they’re unhappy is nicely done, as is Wesley’s solution. For most of the episode, the bargaining position of the Enterprise is so hopeless that you can almost believe that Picard might lose this one, and that stops a fairly straightforward story seeming to have an inevitable conclusion.

Even Wesley is used well – as the oldest child, he leads the rest in some passive disobedience, and he doesn’t act obnoxiously, complain about “adults”, or display genius-level intelligence beyond his years. He’s just a bit moody and nosy, like a teenager would be.

The problem is that in the grand scheme of Trek , it’s a complete throwaway episode and contains almost nothing unique to the franchise. If they’d done this story as an episode of Stargate: Universe , or even Battlestar Galactica , you probably wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. Only in comparison to the rest of season one does it distinguish itself, being both technically well-crafted and executed. A compelling story with good ideas and only a couple of flaws – but it’s somehow less than the sum of its parts.

Watch or Skip? Oooh, a tough decision. It’s a decent enough story, but not in a way that makes you want to watch it. Most of the time I have a vague impression of an episode from watching TNG growing up, but I literally remembered nothing about this one except that it was their cloak that was making them sterile, and I might have just figured that out because you don’t have to be a genius to catch that piece of classic TNG irony. Frankly, there are more Star-Trekky episodes worth watching, even if they’re technically worse than this one. Skip.

Read James’ look-back at the previous episode, Too Short A Season, here .

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Star Trek: The Next Generation – When the Bough Breaks (Review)

To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation , and also next year’s release of  Star Trek: Into Darkness , I’m taking a look at the recent blu ray release of the first season, episode-by-episode. Check back daily for the latest review.

When the Bough Breaks and Home Soil are an interesting two episodes of the first season of The Next Generation , if only because they seem to contrast each other so well. I’ve complained before about how the first season of The Next Generation had a great deal of trouble finding its own identity, and When The Bough Breaks feels like a conscious attempt to do a story in the style of the original Star Trek , even if most of the elements are fairly original.

In contrast, Home Soil starts with a premise that owes a considerable debt to a very specific episode of Star Trek , Devil in the Dark , but finds a way to approach it that emphasises the differences between the two shows. You can probably guess which one of the two episodes I preferred, and while When the Bough Breaks is never as bad as it could be ( a story focusing on Wesley and other child actors? ) it’s not necessarily good , either.

The lost world…

When the Bough Breaks doesn’t really have a direct progenitor in the Star Trek mythos. Indeed, the central premise of the story (the kidnapping of the children from the Enterprise) would have been impossible on Kirk’s ship. After all, Kirk captained a ship manned by military staff – the closest Kirk came to allowing a family on board was officiating a wedding at the start of Balance of Terror , as set-up for the predictable (if no less effective) dramatic blow at the end of the episode. However, things are different in The Next Generation , and the ship is more of a floating city than a warship.

While episodes like When the Bough Breaks might emphasis why it is a silly idea to allow children on a ship probing the deepest recesses of space, I quite like the idea. For one thing, The Next Generation has a very different fundamental aesthetic than the origin Star Trek . It’s very clearly meant to be a lot cleaner and a lot safer. Indeed, the first season all but acknowledges this in its refusal to provide a consistent Chief Engineer. The show didn’t feel that it needed Scotty cobbling together the inside of the ship.

You gotta be kidding me…

More than that, though, The Next Generation doesn’t take place in the same wilderness that we say in the original Star Trek . The fact it’s a television show demands a weekly adventure, but it seems like the ship isn’t so much taming the great expanse of space as it is delving into the mysteries of the universe. The galaxy, it seems, is a far friendlier place. We haven’t encountered the Romulans or the Klingons yet (though Q implied the Federation “defeated” them while goading Worf in Hide & Q and that Romulans did threaten the Federation during Angel One ).

The depiction of space as an inherently hostile environment at the start of The Naked Now and throughout The Battle are very much outliers as far as The Next Generation is concerned. It seems like the ship is generally always close enough to stream a live conversation with Starfleet, and only a few days away from the nearest starbase. There’s never  quite the same sense that Picard and his crew are as isolated as Kirk and Spock seemed to be, and very few of these early episodes revolve around first contact. Sure, we met the Ferengi for the first time in  The Last Outpost , but the worlds of  Code of Honour and Angel One , were clearly known to the Federation. (And even the Ferengi were the subject of gossip and whispers to the point where Data knew enough to label them “Yankee Traders.” )

Into the void…

There might be the odd hint of a potential skirmish (the Romulans providing a nice ambiguous threat in the background of Angel One ), but the most dangerous adversary the ship has faced to date has been the Ferengi. Even the show doesn’t threat them as a credible threat. The Borg would be introduced the following year, but – even then – Picard’s Enterprise seems far safer than Kirk’s ever did. Given the length of time people would be serving away from home, I can understand why it makes sense to have kids on board, even if crazy stuff like this occasionally goes down.

And yet, despite the fact that When the Bough Breaks could never have been told on the original Star Trek , it still feels very familiar. It might be the depiction of Aldea. The notion of a society existing in myth, hidden away from the outside world, seems like a relic of the original Star Trek , as opposed to the more controlled and regulated universe of The Next Generation . Riker explicitly compares it to Atlantis when providing early episode exposition:

Tasha, I’m surprised you haven’t heard the stories about Aldea, the wondrous mythical world. Like Atlantis of ancient Earth or Neinman of Xerxes Seven. Advanced culture, centuries old. Self-contained, peaceful. Incredible technical sophistication providing the daily needs for all the citizens, so that they could turn themselves over to art and culture.

The fixation with a lost civilisation seems a plot point curiously anchored in the sixties – Donovan recorded Atlantis in 1968, which became an anthem of the hippie movement, while Stephen King used the continent as a metaphor for the decade’s idealism in Hearts in Atlantis .

“Wesley’s gone? Quick, let’s get out of here before they send him back!”

There are other plot points that seem to suggest the episode might have worked better as an adventure featuring Kirk in the sixties. For example, we have the familiar dependence on a computer by an advanced society. Although – luckily – the computer doesn’t turn out to be evil or manipulative (or even self-aware), the presence of “the Custodian” seems to call back to the recurring fear in the original  Star Trek that computers would someday leave humanity weak and pampered, easy to control and manage.

In a line that could easily have been spoken of any of the super-computers of the classic show, Duana explains the benefits of the Custodian. “It frees us from all burden. It takes care of all our needs. It regulates our lives.” While the Custodian is not directly malicious, the subtext is quite clear. The Custodian is revealed to be (indirectly) the cause of the problems on Aldea, with the civilisation learning that they must find their own way in the universe, and that they can’t depend on some artificial intelligence to live their lives for them. It’s a plot point that could easily come from the original Star Trek , and it’s something that has been beaten into the ground through decades of science-fiction since.

Custodian says no.

The episode also has a very clear fear of radiation, and the damage it can do to the human body. It is revealed at the climax of the episode that the Aldeans are rendered sterile by radiation, and their little command badges (wrapped around their forearm) seem to call to mind radiation badges that would turn black in the presence of dangerous levels of radiation. Star Trek had centred episodes about the potentially destructive power of radiation before, most notably Wink of an Eye .

To be entirely fair, When the Bough Breaks explains the radiation as the result of environmental damage rather than out-and-out warfare. This twist does serve to make the episode just a little bit more relevent in the era of detenté , but it still seems like a hold-over from the sixties. It’s hard to really quantify the similarity, but – despite the fact it hinges on one crucial difference between The Next Generation and its direct predecessor – When the Bough Breaks feels like an episode of the classic show that arrived twenty years too late.

Totally not creepy at all…

However, aside from that, the episode is surprisingly not terrible, which is probably the best thing one could hope to say about a planet inhabited by child-kidnappers. The story keeps the Aldeans reasonably sympathetic, but there’s something disturbingly creepy about the fact that they specifically chose which children to take. (And the fact that they hardly took enough to start a new civilisation.) I can’t help but feel that the episode missed a beat by not portraying the inhabitants of the planet as stolen children themselves – kidnapped by an earlier generation, explaining how they have no idea how to operate anything. It would have made it a bit more tragic, since the Aldeans would have gone through the same process, and the idea of a culture that persists through stolen generations might have had a bit more punch to it.

Instead, the episode winds up flowing relatively predictably. Will Wheaton isn’t terrible as Wesley here. He wasn’t the strongest actor this year, by Wheaton does okay with fairly decent scripting – I actually liked his work in Justice , even if I absolutely hated the episode. It’s interesting to see him effectively forcing Alexandra to join his hunger strike, pulling her hand away from the food. It’s a more forceful move than I expected from Wesley, and I like that it’s included – even if he is coercing a young kid to starve herself.

The less Wesley talks, the more I like him…

I also like that there’s minimal hand-wringing about the damned Prime Directive. We had enough of that with Justice and Code of Honour . Oddly enough, those episodes also arguably had Picard at a tactical disadvantage forcing him to cooperate with ridiculous cultures. His need for the Ligonian vaccine drove Code of Honour and fear of the Edo god was certainly a factor in Justice . However, despite that, both episodes played the decision to abide by the Prime Directive as entirely morally justifiable – which felt like it was sidestepping the realities of the situation. Here, there’s no dilly-dallying. Picard wants the children back. The Aldeans won’t let him have them. There’s no grand moral principle, just disparity in respective strength.

I also like that the Aldeans have no idea how to raise children, which is an idea that I think would work better if the sterility were a multi-generational thing and no children had been born on the planet for centuries. Accolan promises Harry, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” Sure, it’s a child’s dream, but it’s hardly the height of parental responsibility. After Mellian teaches Katie how to play an instrument, he seems remarkably intolerant of the fact she feels sorta a little bad over the whole kidnapping dealie. In perhaps the best illustration that a character has no idea how to handle children, Mellian comments, “That was beautiful. Now, play something happier.”

Two minutes with Wesley, and already he has the buyer’s remorse…

In contrast, Picard actually proves quite capable – despite his well-documented discomfort around children. In particular, it’s hard not to smile a little bit during the short interactions between Picard and Alexandra. “Hello Alexandra,” Picard greets her, and it’s perhaps the most human Picard has seemed so far this year. Of course, it makes sense. Picard is distant from children because he may need to order their parents to their deaths, but he’s also something of a father figure to the whole crew.

In what is becoming a recurring theme in these reviews, Patrick Stewart is amazing. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it in the past couple of days, but When the Bough Breaks provides Picard with the opportunity to get all morally righteous, and Patrick Stewart relishes the chance to angrily lecture another society in basic morality. It must be like letting off steam after weeks of being tolerant to everything from casual sexism to zero tolerance broken window policing.

His Starfleet training never prepared him for this…

“Captain, let us begin discussions regarding appropriate compensation,” Radue offers, but Picard is having none of that. “Compensation?” he replies, warming up. “You have stolen our children away from their classrooms, away from their bedrooms and you talk about compensation? You claim to be a civilised world and yet you have just committed an act of utter barbarity!” Patrick Stewart says “utter barbarity!” with such perfect contempt. I love that Radue can only reply with, “Captain, we will continue these discussions when you’ve calmed down.”

There is some of the season’s rather unfortunate hints of human superiority shining through. Indeed, it seems like the half-human Tori has really drank the kool aid. When the Aldeans are perplexed by Picard’s refusal to consider accepting compensation, Troi levels with them, alien-to-alien, “That might be acceptable to some other races, but humans are unusually attached to their offspring.” That’s actually a really creepy line, especially coming from a character with a Betazoid mother.

“Mr. Data, please tell me this isn’t one of those computers I have to make love to in order to stop.”

I dislike Lwaxana as much as most, but I have a hard time believing she’d happily hand over her child for a reasonable amount of money. The same is true of Worf as well and Data would not hand Lal over to Starfleet in The Offspring . It’s a relatively subtle expression of the prejudice that runs through episodes like The Last Outpost and Lonely Among Us , but it’s still uncomfortable. It’s particularly uncomfortable because we’ve just had an episode with a human guest star who turned out to anything but highly evolved.

When the Bough Breaks also falls into the same trap that a lot of the episodes in this season struggle to escape. There are no real consequences for anything, and everybody winds up relatively happy. While Too Short a Season lacked any hint of ambiguity, at least there was some measure of loss involved. Here, Beverly happens to be able to completely save Aldean society, meaning that the central conflict in the episode wraps up tidily. Taking the children home no long wipes out a society, not that it was too big a concern to Picard at any point, but it allows everybody to walk away satisfied. This diffuses a lot of the potential conflict and tension, and just feels a little too convenient. (In contrast, the happy ending to 11001001 felt relatively earned.)

Welcome… to the machine…

Still, When the Bough Breaks could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse. Despite a premise that hardly inspires confidence, it winds up being a fairly average and bland episode in a season that has more than its share of stinkers. In almost any other season of the show, When the Bough Breaks would be a weak point. Here, it’s solidly in the middle of the pack.

Read our reviews of the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation :

• Supplemental: The Lost Era – The Buried Age by Christopher L. Bennett
• Supplemental: Star Trek – The Next Generation (DC Comics, 1988)
• Supplemental: The Sky’s the Limit – Meet with Triumph and Disaster & Trust Yourself When All Men Doubt You by Michael Schuster & Steve Mollmann
• Supplemental: Star Trek – The Naked Time
• Code of Honour
• The Last Outpost
• Supplemental: Star Trek – The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane
• Lonely Among Us
• Supplemental: Reunion by Michael Jan Friedman
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1989) #59-61 – Children of Chaos/Mother of Madness/Brothers in Darkness
• Hide & Q
• The Big Goodbye
• Too Short a Season
• When the Bough Breaks
• Supplemental: Star Trek – The Devil in the Dark
• Coming of Age
• Heart of Glory
• Arsenal of Freedom
• Supplemental: Survivors by Jean Lorrah
• We’ll Always Have Paris
• Supplemental: (DC Comics, 1989) Annual #3 – The Broken Moon
• Supplemental: Deep Space Nine – The Lives of Dax: Sins of the Mother (Audrid) by S.D. Perry
• Supplemental: Operation Assimilation
• Supplemental: The Lost Era – Serpents Among the Ruins by David R. George III

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Filed under: The Next Generation | Tagged: Alternative , Angel One , Archaeology , Atlantis , Brent Spiner , Civilization , Earth , Ferengi , jean-luc picard , kirk , Next Generation , patrick stewart , Social Sciences , star trek , Star Trek Next Generation , star trek: the original series , Tasha , When The Bough Breaks , Yankee Traders |

2 Responses

In relation to the text “Two minutes with Wesley, and already he ahs the buyer’s remorse…” the term “ahs” could be the plural of the interjection or perhaps the correct term is “has”. Darren has commented about spell check and grammar check in relation to Robert’s comments.

Cheers. Corrected.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

When the Bough Breaks

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Jerry Hardin

Brenda Strong

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Ivy Bethune

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Let’s Watch Star Trek

[TNG] When The Bough Breaks

Aldea! That mysterious cloaking planet that I don’t care about!

The Aldeans have taken some children from Enterprise. I don’t see what the big deal is.

File under: Children

Rashella wants Alexandria all to herself. The lesson here is that children make people greedy

“Why do you want them back so badly? You can always make more.”

Oh good, they found a way to transport onto the planet and disable their stuff

Then Enterprise solves all of the Aldean’s problems

  <Previous Episode ——————————————————– Next Episode>

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