3.24 Menage a Troi

Rating: 3

For the first time, the Ferengi are invited to a trade conference on Betazed, and all proceeds without incident until one Ferengi, DaiMon Tog, becomes obsessed with the telepathic powers and perceived beauty of Lwaxana Troi. When Lwaxana spurns his advances, Tog kidnaps Lwaxana, Deanna, and Riker, and takes them aboard his ship.

Comments

Majel Barrett returns as Lwaxana Troi.

Ethan Philips plays Farik, the evil Ferengi doctor. He later returns as Neelix in VOY.

Because Wesley is solving the Riker message, he misses out on catching the transport ship to the Academy for his oral test, and so must stay on the Enterprise for another year.

At the end of the episode, Picard field promotes Wesley from acting ensign to full ensign. Then Wesley walks onto the bridge wearing his ‘red-shirt’ uniform for the first time – and I thought he was going to be sent on an away mission to die. J

Nits

So for Lwaxana to get a beverage, she needs Tog’s master password – there’s only one password for the entire ship? That’s not very good security – one would want to have a number of password levels.

If this episode is happening in real time, and the events on the Enterprise are taking place at basically the same time as the events we cut to on the Ferengi ship, then I don’t know how the Enterprise caught the Ferengi ship so quickly – almost instantaneously after they deciphered Riker’s coded pattern message.

During Picard’s speech to win back Lwaxana, he refers to the Ferengi ship as the ‘Creightor’ – although up to now, everyone else has called it the ‘Creighton’.

Memorable Moments

•    Picard’s stiff voicing and movements when he spouts Shakespeare to win Lwaxana back is very funny. His threats to Tog and his countdown, punctuated by more Shakespeare, are even funnier.

Quotable Quotes

"I should have known – even their transporters can’t be trusted."
- Lwaxana after being beamed and undressed all at once

"My, my, what big ears you have."
- Lwaxana to Tog

Tog: No one has ever given me oomox like this before.
Lwaxana: Oomox?
Tog: There’s no translation – but the ear is one of our most erogenous zones.
(This started an entire slew of ‘She gives good oomox’ jokes)

"Gentlemen, I have the utmost confidence in your ability to perform the impossible."
- Picard

"The only way you’ll ever get me back is over Tog’s dead body."
- Lwaxana, playing along with Picard

"When I have plucked the rose, I cannot give it vital growth again! Its needs must wither! Nine, eight…Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all! Seven, six, five, four…"
- Picard, overacting and counting down

"Mr. Crusher, set course for Betazed – Warp 9."
- Picard, anxious to get rid of Lwaxana (well, they finally had a reason to use Warp 9…when they deciphered Riker’s code, they only headed for the Ferengi ship at Warp 8!)