Plot – The idea of two societies coming into contact with each other that are -in evolutionary and technological terms – centuries apart is a brilliant one and watching the more primitive one try and rationalise what they are experiencing. Early TNG wrote its characters in a very assuming, arrogant way and they warped to worlds, bestowed their great wisdom and warped away again (look at something like Symbosis). It felt patronising and unjust. Here the role of Gods is thrust upon them and they are uncomfortable with it, and that is the main difference. They are written as being all powerful and all knowing and they are just as flawed and in the dark as the Mintakans when it comes to the mysteries of life (they just have superior technology). It’s the beginning of the grounding of the Enterprise crew and it is done in a very imaginative way.
When it comes to the fear of cultural contamination, this is the go-to episode and exactly what everybody is talking about. As our own society moves away from a belief in a divine entity (not entirely, of course, but society leaning on religion entirely has waned), can you imagine the impact it would have should beings far in advance of ourselves should appear and start manipulating society. For many it would be a confirmation of the old beliefs and it would cause religious affirmation. The same thing happens here with the Mintakans. They have abandoned spiritual beliefs for the most part and along comes the Enterprise crew with their ability to vanish into thin air, cure the sick and travel the heavens and it appears that all their old superstitions have been confirmed. It’s a story that you can easily mirror against our own society and imagine the consequences, which gives it a great deal more depth. And yet this is an entirely imaginative scenario that you can also get lost in. It is great writing. Just watch the sequence where Picard explains to Nuria the idea of looking at developing civilisations not as Gods, but merely as a people that have learnt to adapt more intelligently.
What’s wonderful is how the episode pivots in the second half and really starts to explore its theme. The gentle and magical scenes of Nuria exploring the Enterprise. The Mintakans trying to reach out to their God with a murder. ‘Even the walls obey your command!’
Character – Credit where it is due, Dr Bev is written with both sureness and ability in Who Watches the Watchers. She’s a Doctor first and foremost and shits all over the Prime Directive to help people who are hurting. I wish she had been that assured all the time.
How priceless is the look on Picard’s face when he realises that the Mintakans have chosen him as their God? One of his defining moments is the fantastic, angry rant he gives (‘You are asking me to sabotage that achievement and send them back into the dark ages of superstition and ignorance and fear…no!’) that not only drags the magnificent Patrick Stewart out of his shell (I’m not sure where he was hiding for the first two seasons) but also affirms Picard’s position in an intelligent and fierce way. It’s a performance that makes you sit up and pay attention. He’s trying to deal with a potentially disastrous situation and you can feel every beat of his frustration as he tries to get through to Nuria.
Production – TNG is still playing about with electronic music but it is grounding it in classic instruments now which makes the music so much more atmospheric. There is an ominous woodwind instrument that plays throughout this episode this is both beautiful and full of foreboding. Great job.
I am not joking when I say that I prefer both Troi and Riker dressed up as Mintakans. It’s a great look for them. Hidden behind make up, Marina Sirtis comes alive like never before. In fact, the design of Mintakan society really shows up just how little effort goes into depicting alien races on this show most of the time (aside from the makeup, which is often excellent). There is a terrific amount of detail on display from the sets to the costumes to simple things like jewellery and tools.
The location work feels like something out of a feature film, specifically a western with its wide angled expanses. TNG can feel stuffy and enclosed and so getting to run about outside is always a joy. On the back of The Survivors, which also has some memorable location work, it feels like TNG has had an injection of budget. The interiors have been designed to match the exteriors perfectly, going from one to the other is seamless.
Best moment – ‘Before you start quoting the Prime Directive at me, he had already seen us and the damage had been done. It was either treat him or let him die’ ‘Then why didn’t you let him die?’ This is a watershed exchange between Dr Bev and Picard, where somebody (finally) questions the ethics of the Prime Directive. Picard is still of the old school at the moment, still sure that sticking to the Prime Directive is the only way to proceed. What’s so good about this episode is how he comes to change his mind throughout and to understand that disobeying the rules doesn’t necessarily mean catastrophic consequences. That has huge implications for this series dramatically.
Worst moment – For a while it looks like Troi is in a bit of a spot when she is abandoned with the Mintakans. It’s a shame that they shoot Picard with an arrow and not her.
I wish they hadn’t done that – The only mention of Dr Pulaski after her departure. Dr Bev looks like she is swallowing down sick just to mention her name. I would have loved to have seen them have an episode or two together. Pulaski would have wiped the floor with her.
As Ira Steven Behr said in an interview, imagine if they had five years or so to play about with the idea of Picard as a divine being. And then Sisko arrived.
A reason to watch this episode again – Every time I watch TNG through it is around the point of the double whammy of The Survivors and Who Watches the Watchers that I feel the series has truly hit its stride. Suddenly all that awkwardness and cliché of the first two seasons has fallen away and it is replaced with confidence and the willingness to explore intelligent ideas in an engaging way. Where the show was mostly entirely predictable, now it takes some fascinating and impulsive turns. Beautifully written, visually stunning (featuring some great location work in THE Star trek canyon) and wonderfully scored as well, this is a near flawless episode that I could not judge where it was heading. It gives us a whole new angle on the regular characters and it presents a society that is termed primitive but actually proves to be a worthy challenge to the Enterprise crew. Simple doesn’t mean stupid, and the Mintakans beat the odds by not only adapting to such a huge change in their universe-view but also embracing it. This feels like classic TOS with a classic TNG shine. I think this features one of Patrick Stewart’s best ever performances and that is really saying something.
***** out of *****
Clue for the next episode:
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