BIRTHRIGHT, PART 1


There have been so many TNG episodes which have just been crying out for
multi-part treatment.  "Yesterday's Enterprise", "The Masterpiece Society" and
"The Inner Light" being just the tip of the iceberg.  However, when they
actually get down to making a two-parter, either we end up with an episode
that loses its focus in the second part and becomes less than it could have
been ("The Best Of Both Worlds", "Chain of Command"), or the story was trivial
to begin with ("Time's Arrow"), or it was just misguided from the start
("Encounter At Farpoint", "Redemption", "Unification").  And it doesn't look
like "Birthright" will break the pattern; indeed, it might end up fitting all
three categories.

The high point of part one of this story was Data's dream sequences.  The
concept of Data dreaming is a rich enough one in and of itself, and the
potential for a truly outre story with complex imagery and intriguing allegory
seems too good to pass up, especially when presented from Data's perspective.
At first, it seemed everything was going right:  Data ponders the implications
of his dream, receives useful guidance from Picard and Worf, and takes to
painting.  And, indeed, the imagery was quite vivid:  Allusions to Data's
construction, his tempering through living with humans, and comparison to a
bird (though, interestingly, a black bird).

But the resolution of the story in this part was unsatisfying.  He meets the
image of his father, and we get everything spelled out for us.  Somehow, the
magic of the earlier scenes is dampened (if not drowned) by this approach.
Hopefully, this line will be picked up and expanded upon in part two, but what
we have here seems too final.  I suspect they'll just focus on the Worf story
next week.

Speaking of which, Worf's tale was entirely pedestrian.  First we have the
cameo of Deep Space Nine, which seemed pointless.  Any starbase would have
sufficed (as would any scientist in place of Bashir), and gratuitous
(read: commercially-motivated) crossovers don't interest me.  If we're going
to have a crossover, let's have some purpose behind it, and have more than one
member of the other series' cast show up.  Maybe it doesn't make production
schedule sense, but any other way makes for artistic nonsense.

It went downhill from there.  Worf's buttons regarding his father get pushed
once again (yawn), and we see him stomping off into Romulan territory in basic
black (shades of "Chain of Command!").  I sure hope he told someone where he's
going, at least so the Klingons can be notified if he doesn't return.  They
*might* have some interest in this camp.

The episode wraps up with Worf being snared by the captors and captives of the
camp, with the implication that Something Is Going On Which Worf Doesn't
Understand.  That, I take it, will be the focus of next week's episode.  So
far, I am not impressed.

The only Worf scene which DID impress me was his conversation with Data, where
we're served up some genuinely interesting Klingon lore, and the tantalizing
concept of applying Klingon spirituality to Data.  Worf's decision-making here
was very well handled.

This moment stands in stark counterpoint to Worf's discussion with Troi, which
underscores just how pointless Troi's counselor's role really is, especially
after seeing her perform in a meaty role in "Face Of The Enemy".  What a
waste.

Certainly, they'll have every chance to make up for the stumbles of this
episode in part 2 of "Birthright", but the prospects are not too good from
what's been presented here.  This story would probably have been served by
splitting the two stories into two episodes, expanding on the Data thread, and
compacting the Worf one.  We'll see what happens, but part 1 left me with an
acrid taste in my mouth, and disappointment at the handling of Data's dreaming.


Grade: C-

TNG SEASON SIX AT A GLANCE:
Time's Arrow II: B-
Realm Of Fear: C
Man Of The People: C
Relics: B+
Schisms: B-
True Q: D-
Rascals: D+
A Fistful Of Datas: C+
The Quality Of Life: C
Chain Of Command: B+
Chain Of Command Part II: B
Ship In A Bottle: A
Aquiel: B
Face Of The Enemy: A-
Tapestry: B+
Birthright, Part I: C-
---
Total Points: 41
Season Average: 2.563 (B-)
(Fall of 0.059 from previous episode)