Symbiosis (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Last updated

"Symbiosis"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 22
Directed byWin Phelps
Story by Robert Lewin
Teleplay by
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Cinematography byEdward R. Brown
Production code123
Original air dateApril 18, 1988 (1988-04-18)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Arsenal of Freedom"		Next →
"Skin of Evil"
Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1
List of episodes

"Symbiosis" is the twenty-second episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation . It first aired on April 18, 1988, in broadcast syndication. The teleplay was written by Robert Lewin, Richard Manning, and Hans Beimler, based on a story by Lewin, and the episode was directed by Win Phelps.

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, Picard tries to mediate a trade dispute between two neighboring planets, one of which is the sole supplier of a drug to treat the other's apparently fatal disease, only to discover a far more sinister relationship is involved that he cannot interfere with.

The episode was written after executive producer Maurice Hurley worked on Miami Vice , which he credited for resulting in the drug trade theme in the episode. The guest cast included Judson Scott and Merritt Butrick who had both appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). The episode received mixed reviews with criticism directed at the subject matter and the unsubtle nature of the presentation.

Plot

The Enterprise attempts to rescue the freighter Sanction, which has been disabled by a star's magnetic field and is about to collide with a planet. An agreement is reached to transport over the crew of the freighter, but they surprisingly send over cargo barrels first. The Enterprise crew attempts to transport the freighter's crew, but is only successful in recovering four of them before their ship is destroyed. Two, T'Jon (Merritt Butrick) and Romas (Richard Lineback), are scruffy and unshaven, while the other two, Sobi (Judson Scott) and Langor (Kimberly Farr), are groomed and well dressed. They all show relief that the barrels made it over, and little remorse for the lost ship and crewmen. The two groups start to fight over the ownership of the barrels using electrical shock attack from their bodies and are escorted to the observation lounge under guard.

The two pairs come from different planets within the same system. It is explained that the barrels contain felicium, a medicine for a plague which is ravaging the planet Ornara. The medicine is produced on the planet Brekka but the Ornarans are the only race in the system with the means of space travel; the two remaining Ornaran ships were built long ago and are beginning to fail due to overuse and lack of maintenance; the Ornarans no longer know how to repair them. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) offers to return them each to Ornara and provide replacement parts for the remaining freighters. The Brekkans, Sobi and Langor, argue that they retain ownership of the felicium, as the items the Ornarans offered in payment were lost on board the freighter. T'Jon and Romas, of Ornara, are suffering from the effects of the plague and are sent to sickbay where Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) can find no reason for their symptoms.

In a gesture of goodwill following the demand of compassion from Crusher, the Brekkans offer two doses of felicium for T'Jon and Romas's immediate needs. Langor explains that the entire Brekkan economy and industry is devoted to producing the medicine for Ornara, whose inhabitants provide Brekka with the necessities of daily life in return. After T'Jon and Romas take their doses, Dr. Crusher realizes that felicium is actually a highly addictive narcotic, and the plague itself was cured long before, so the symptoms believed to be attributed to the plague are actually withdrawal symptoms. Crusher wants to offer assistance to aid the Ornarans in breaking free of their addiction but Picard warns that the Federation cannot intervene due to the Prime Directive. He and Dr. Crusher later question the Brekkans alone and confirm that the Brekkans know the truth regarding the plague being eradicated, the addictive nature of the medicine and are exploiting the Ornarans because Brekka's economy would collapse if the Ornarans no longer needed felicium.

The Enterprise arrives at Ornara and Sobi and Langor have agreed to provide the felicium to the Ornarans for later payment. Picard announces that as the Prime Directive prevents him from interfering in the transactions between the two planets, it also prevents him from providing any replacement parts for the ageing freighters. Sobi and Langor, T'Jon and Romas are furious at the decision as it means that the trade between Ornara and Brekka will stop because the freighters can no longer make the trips without the parts. After the four are transported off the Enterprise, Picard confides to Dr. Crusher that while the Ornarans may suffer from withdrawal symptoms in the short term, this will be an opportunity for both races to advance in their own ways.

Production

I take the blame for that. I jammed that in over everyone's objections. They were screaming on the set, the actors were screaming, they were puking, they were yelling, 'We can't do this.' I said, 'No, there are kids out there. If we're going to make the message, let's make the message.' If it offends the adults or bothers some kids, then, by God, we're going to do it.

Maurice Hurley, regarding the "Just Say No" speech [2]

The episode was influenced by co-executive producer Maurice Hurley's recent work on Miami Vice , and was intended to have the Enterprise come across a drug deal in progress. [2] Hurley was also responsible for the insertion of a "Just Say No" style drugs speech by Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) to Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), which came over the objections from the cast. [2]

Guest stars in this episode included two who had previously appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), as Sobi and T'Jon were played by Judson Scott and Merritt Butrick respectively. Butrick had also appeared in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock ; on both occasions he portrayed David Marcus, the son of Captain James T. Kirk. [3] Butrick, who was suffering from AIDS, was unable to afford health insurance, and was offered the role as a way of helping him.[ citation needed ] He died of AIDS less than a year after filming this episode. [4]

Director Win Phelps recalled that there were numerous continuity issues throughout filming, with character motivations changing from one scene to the next. Because of changes to the script, the actors were often acting scenes that they had not seen the script for before the first take. [5] "Symbiosis" was filmed after "Skin of Evil", which featured the death of Tasha Yar, making this the final filmed episode with Denise Crosby as Yar until she reappeared in "Yesterday's Enterprise". Towards the end of the episode, as Picard and Crusher leave the cargo bay, Crosby can be seen waving goodbye to the camera behind them (timestamp 42:15, she is clearly visible above Patrick Stewart's left shoulder as the bay doors close). [3] LeVar Burton later used behind the scenes footage from this episode in a feature on his show Reading Rainbow , in the episode "The Bionic Bunny Show". [4]

Reception

"Symbiosis" aired in broadcast syndication during the week commencing April 22, 1988. It received Nielsen ratings of 10.8, reflecting the percentage of all households watching the episode during its timeslot. This was the highest ratings received by the series since the broadcast of "Too Short a Season" during the preceding February. The ratings received by "Symbiosis" were not beaten until the first episode of the second season, "The Child". [6]

"Symbiosis" first aired in broadcast syndication within the United States on April 18, 1988. [1] Several reviewers re-watched the episode after the end of the series. Zack Handlen reviewed the episode for The A.V. Club in May 2010. He felt that the drug use allegory could have been better refined but praised the performance of Patrick Stewart and gave the episode an overall grade of a B. [7] Keith DeCandido watched the episode for Tor.com, and described it as the least subtle "message" based episode since The Original Series episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". [4] He criticised the electricity-based powers of the two alien species, saying that they did not add anything to the plot. He gave the episode a score of four out of ten. [4]

James Hunt of the website Den of Geek said that "This is one of those episodes which exemplify all that is awful about Star Trek in general. I'm not talking about season one's dubious production values (which, to be fair, are considerably more even than they were when the series began) but about the episode's very fabric." [8] Michelle Erica Green for TrekNation thought that the episode could have been better if the guest cast had been better. She felt that the episode fell foul of several TNG season one writing errors, such as Deanna Troi's statements breaking mounting tension, the crew failing to do quite simple tasks like separating feuding aliens and William Riker being held hostage for the second time in successive episodes. [9]

Sequel episode

In the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "Trusted Sources", the planets of this episode were visited 17 years later by the USS Cerritos as part of Project Swing By under the command of Captain Carol Freeman. Upon being briefed of Picard's actions, Captain Carol Freeman strongly disapproved of the idea of him subjecting a whole civilization to a sudden mass drug withdrawal without warning or assistance. Upon landing, the away team learned that while the planet did endure an arduous period, it eventually recovered with a newfound focus on personal health and fitness. However, while the civilization was grateful for Picard freeing them from their exploitation in principle, his methods permanently cooled relations with the United Federation of Planets. Upon visiting Brekka, the crew learned to its alarm that the planet was overrun by the hostile Breen who then attacked the USS Cerritos.

Home media release

The first home media release of "Symbiosis" was on VHS cassette, appearing on May 26, 1993 in the United States and Canada. [10] The episode was later included on the Star Trek: The Next Generation season one DVD box set, released in March 2002, [11] and then released as part of the season one Blu-ray set on July 24, 2012. [12]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Nemecek (2003): p. 55
  2. 1 2 3 Gross; Altman (1993): p. 166
  3. 1 2 Nemecek (2003): p. 56
  4. 1 2 3 4 DeCandido, Keith (July 21, 2011). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "Symbiosis"". Tor.com. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Win Phelps – Creator of Symbiosis". The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine. 19: 28–29. June 1992.
  6. ↑ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings – Seasons 1–2". TrekNation. UGO Networks. Archived from the original on October 5, 2000. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ Handlen, Zack (May 21, 2010). ""Arsenal Of Freedom"/"Symbiosis"/"Skin Of Evil"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  8. ↑ Hunt, James (March 8, 2013). "Revisiting Star Trek TNG: Symbiosis". Den of Geek. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  9. ↑ Green, Michelle Erica (August 31, 2007). "Symbiosis". TrekNation. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Star Trek – The Next Generation, Episode 23: Symbiosis (VHS)". Tower Video. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  11. ↑ Periguard, Mark A (March 24, 2002). "'Life as a House' rests on shaky foundation". The Boston Herald. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2012.(subscription required)
  12. ↑ Shaffer, RL (April 30, 2012). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Beams to Blu-ray". IGN. Retrieved January 27, 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romulan</span> Extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek franchise

The Romulans are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek. Their adopted home world is Romulus, and within the same star system they have settled a sister planet Remus. Their original home world, Vulcan, was renamed Ni'Var later in canon. They first appeared in the series Star Trek (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent Star Trek releases, including The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks. They appear in the Star Trek feature films Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and Star Trek (2009). They also appear in various other spin-off media, including books, comics, toys and games.

Guinan (<i>Star Trek</i>) Character in Star Trek

Guinan is a recurring character in the Star Trek franchise, portrayed by American actress Whoopi Goldberg. The character first appeared in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1988 and went on to appear in the films Star Trek Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis as well as the television series Star Trek: Picard. She was also played as a child by Isis Carmen Jones in the episode "Rascals" and a younger version of the character by Ito Aghayere in Picard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasha Yar</span> Fictional character on Star Trek: The Next Generation

Natasha "Tasha" Yar is a fictional character that mainly appeared in the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Portrayed by Denise Crosby, Yar is chief of security aboard the Starfleet starship USS Enterprise-D and carries the rank of lieutenant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Pulaski</span> Fictional character, chief medical officer in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Dr. Katherine Pulaski is a fictional medical doctor in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. She served a rotation as the chief medical officer aboard the Federation starship USS Enterprise-D. During her time on the ship, her medical skills saved the lives of both Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander William Riker. She inadvertently caused Geordi LaForge to create a hologram of Professor Moriarty that became self-aware, after a bet involving the abilities of Lt. Commander Data. Pulaski seemed averse to most new technology and preferred to avoid the transporter, but was forced to rely on it to save her own life from a genetically-modified infection. Before arriving on the Enterprise-D, she previously served on the USS Repulse. For a time in her past, she was romantically involved with William Riker's father, Kyle Riker, with whom she has maintained a friendship.

"Encounter at Farpoint" is the pilot episode and series premiere of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which premiered in syndication on September 28, 1987. It was written by D. C. Fontana and Gene Roddenberry and directed by Corey Allen. Roddenberry was the creator of Star Trek, and Fontana was a writer on the original series. It was originally aired as a two-hour TV movie, and subsequent reruns typically split the episode into two parts.

The Neutral Zone (<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i>) 26th episode of the 1st season of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"The Neutral Zone" is the season finale of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, originally aired within the United States on May 16, 1988, in broadcast syndication. The episode originated as a story submission purchased by Paramount written by Deborah McIntyre and Mona Clee, and was turned into a teleplay by Maurice Hurley. Because of the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike, Hurley created the script in a day and a half, and the timescale forced the abandonment of both the idea of a two-part episode and of the first appearance of the Borg, which was delayed until the following season episode "Q Who".

USS <i>Enterprise</i> (NCC-1701-D) Fictional starship from Star Trek

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), or Enterprise-D, to distinguish it from other vessels with the same name, is a starship in the Star Trek media franchise. Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, it is the main setting of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) and the film Star Trek Generations (1994). It has also been depicted in various spinoffs, films, books, and licensed products.

"The Naked Now" is the third episode of the first season of the American science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, originally aired on October 5, 1987, in broadcast syndication in the United States. Directed by Paul Lynch, the episode was written by D. C. Fontana, under the pseudonym of "J. Michael Bingham", based on an unfinished teleplay by Gene Roddenberry. It is a sequel to the original series Star Trek episode "The Naked Time" (1966), and that episode's writer John D. F. Black also received a writing credit on this episode for his role in devising the plot's origins.

"Code of Honor" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, originally aired on October 12, 1987, in broadcast syndication. The episode was written by Katharyn Powers and Michael Baron and was directed by Russ Mayberry. Mayberry was replaced part way through the filming of the episode with first assistant director Les Landau.

"11001001" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was first broadcast on February 1, 1988, in the United States in broadcast syndication. It was written by Maurice Hurley and Robert Lewin, and directed by Paul Lynch.

"Where No One Has Gone Before" is the sixth episode of the American science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which originally aired October 26, 1987, in broadcast syndication in the United States. A high-definition, remastered version of the episode received a limited theatrical release for one day to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series on July 23, 2012. The story was originally developed with the title "Where None Have Gone Before" and was based on Diane Duane's book, The Wounded Sky. Duane and Michael Reaves pitched the idea to David Gerrold and Gene Roddenberry, and then submitted a script. Their script was subsequently rewritten by Maurice Hurley, whose first effort was poorly received; however, he subsequently rewrote it and that version was filmed. The episode was the first of the series directed by Rob Bowman, who went on to direct 12 more episodes. It was the only Star Trek: The Next Generation assignment for writers Duane and Reaves.

"Justice" is the eight episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode first aired in broadcast syndication on November 9, 1987. Directed by James L. Conway, writer John D. F. Black originally pitched the story, but after Worley Thorne and Gene Roddenberry modified it, Thorne wrote the script. Because of the changes to the story, Black chose to receive his credit under the pseudonym Ralph Wills.

"Hide and Q" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and originally aired on November 23, 1987, in broadcast syndication. The story was originally written by Maurice Hurley but went under numerous re-writes by the show's creator Gene Roddenberry. The episode was directed by Cliff Bole, and saw the return of John de Lancie as Q.

"Angel One" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was first broadcast on January 25, 1988, in the United States in broadcast syndication. It was written by Patrick Barry and was directed by Michael Ray Rhodes.

"Heart of Glory" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, first broadcast March 21, 1988. The story was created by Herbert Wright and D. C. Fontana and was made into a script in two days by executive producer Maurice Hurley. The episode was directed by Rob Bowman.

"The Arsenal of Freedom" is the twenty-first episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, originally aired on April 11, 1988, in broadcast syndication. The teleplay was written by Richard Manning and Hans Beimler, based on a story by Beimler. The episode was directed by Les Landau.

"Skin of Evil" is the 23rd episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation; it first aired on April 25, 1988, in broadcast syndication. The story premise was written by Joseph Stefano, whose teleplay was re-written by Hannah Louise Shearer. The episode was directed by Joseph L. Scanlan.

"Legacy" is the 80th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the sixth episode of the fourth season. It marked the point at which the series surpassed the number of episodes in the original series.

<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i> season 1 1987–88 season of American television series

The first season of the American television science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation commenced airing in broadcast syndication in the United States on September 28, 1987, and concluded on May 16, 1988, after 26 episodes were broadcast. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet starship Enterprise-D. It was the first live-action television series in the franchise to be broadcast since Star Trek: The Original Series was cancelled in 1969, and the first to feature all new characters. Paramount Television eventually sought the advice of the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, who set about creating the new show with mostly former The Original Series staff members. An entirely new cast were sought, which concerned some members of The Original Series crew, as Roddenberry did not want to re-tread the same steps as he had in the first series to the extent that well-known Star Trek aliens such as Vulcans, Klingons and Romulans were banned at first.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.