5.17 The Outcast

Rating: 3.5

A rare pocket of ‘null space’ swallows a shuttlecraft of genderless aliens called the J’naii. The Enterprise crew works closely with the J’naii to rescue the crew of their shuttle, and, in the process, Riker and the J'naii pilot Soren become mutually attracted.

Comments

Well-written by Jeri Taylor, this not-so-subtle analogy to gay and lesbian lifestyles features many scenes with excellent dialogue and cool, slowly paced delivery. It’s a tribute to the director and the writer – and Riker’s acting excels here under this direction. The only drawback would be the copout ending – Soren’s ‘rehabilitation’ makes it easy to wrap everything up. Star Trek has carefully avoided addressing homosexuality. Here, the metaphor is the closest they are willing to go, and even that is relatively daring in their normally conservative universe.

Quotable Quotes

Soren: Commander…tell me about your sexual organs.
Riker: Uhhh
Soren: Is that an uncomfortable subject for humans?
Riker: No…but it doesn’t tend to be a topic of casual conversation.

"What right do you have to punish us? What right do you have to change us? What makes you think you can dictate how people love each other?"
- Soren