2.01 The Child

Rating: 2.5

While the Enterprise takes on a dangerous cargo of plasma plague samples to aid a medical tragedy on Rechellis, Troi is visited and impregnated by an unusual alien entity.

Comments

Riker now has a beard.

Dr Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) left the show to become head of Starfleet Medical. In reality, the producers decided to discontinue her character. Dr Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) has taken her place.

Guinan (Whoopie Goldberg) now tends the bar in Ten-Forward.

Wesley Crusher considers joining his mother, but after a soul-searching talk with Guinan, begins to realize he would rather stay aboard the Enterprise.

Picard says ‘Grand’ twice, after having never used that expression before. It works for him.

An overhead shot of Worf’s bridge station shows that it has a wood or fake wood finish. There also appears to be wood trim on Guinan’s bar in Ten-Forward. I was a little surprised at all this wood use in the 24th century – although maybe it is ‘synthewood’.

Nits

Picard seeks out Pulaski, who has yet to report to the captain. He begins to reprimand her, and she interrupts him mid-sentence. Yes, she was perhaps correct to be in Ten-Forward, talking to Troi, but she still cannot interrupt him. And I wonder why she was conducting a sensitive medical interview in Ten-Forward.

After finally getting the viruses on board, Picard orders the Enterprise to proceed to disease-ravaged Rachelis at Warp 6! So is Warp 9 reserved for those Really Big Disease Emeregncies?

Memorable Moments

•    The opening fanfare.

•    The overhead shot of the shuttle bay as the shuttlecraft exits.

•    The long, uncomfortable and daring silences as Picard and Wesley Crusher face each other in the turbolift. There is no background music, only the sound of the turbolift. There is no stream of uncomfortable dialog, just that overbearing silence. Wonderful.

Quotable Quotes

Pulaski: Data, look at this.
Data: Data, my name is Data, it is pronounced Data.
Pulaski: What is the difference?
Data: One is my name, one is not.
(Pulaski pronounces it with the short ‘a’ sound)