6.22 Suspicions

Rating: 2.5

Beverly Crusher faces a court-martial for her role in bringing together a number of scientists to explore a Ferengi scientist’s working model of a metaphasic shield capable of withstanding a sun’s corona. The T’Karian scientist Jo’Bril dies as the result of a shuttle accident while testing the shields. Soon after, the Ferengi scientist Reyga is found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted wound. But Crusher believes he was murdered. Her unwillingness to drop the investigation causes her to perform an illegal autopsy on Reyga, and she is removed from duty.

Comments

Although Joe Menosky (one of my favorite Trek writers) penned this episode, it is a little too obvious that the killer of Reyga is the supposedly dead T’Karian. However, because I did see this episode once before (albeit 13 years ago), I could possibly have some memory of this twist in my brain. Nonetheless, the possible effectiveness of the Agatha Christie-style murder mystery is stunted by poor pacing and Gates McFadden’s mediocre acting.

This was Whoopi Goldberg’s last appearance in the television series.

Nits

When Reyga and Crusher walk down the hallway together early in the episode, he keeps rubbing his shoulder against hers. This seems like it would be a provocative invasion of her personal space, and a form of (sexual) harassment. Why doesn’t she tell him to maintain some kind of distance? Even stranger, when they get in the turbolift, he gets in first, then she stands, touching his shoulder. Again, this seems odd for two people in a non-intimate relationship. Maybe something is going on between the two of them that we don’t know about!

It’s inexcusable that Jo’Bril dies as a result of the shuttle test. Why would anyone send a manned shuttle to test the shields when an unmanned probe could have been rigged up to do this? Surely in the 24^th century they have remote controlled craft that could do this – they have them in the 21^st century! And where is Geordi in this episode? This seems like something he and Data could have put together in a couple of hours.

Why is Crusher even attempting to treat Jo’Bril if she obviously has no medical and anatomical knowledge of the race? She expresses surprise at the K’Taran’s organ-free internal structure, which infers that she has not even seen a representation of this in a medical textbook or database. Of course, if she had some of this knowledge in advance, the whole mystery might have been solved a lot earlier too.

At one point, Crusher admits to herself that investigating a murder is more difficult than she thought. Very true, and it makes me wonder why she is running the investigation, rather then Worf, the security officer, or Data, who often performs that sort of role

When Crusher is removed from active duty in this episode, she still parades around wearing her Starfleet uniform. Is there some way a crewperson can identify that she should be denied normal clearance, and that any orders she gives should be ignored?

Memorable Moments

•    Crusher blowing a hole straight through Jo’Bril

Quotable Quotes

"Thank you Doctor, this looks like a great racket, but…I don’t play tennis. Never have."
- Guinan, revealing that she was only visiting Crusher to help her through a difficult time