Picard and Dr. Crusher Become “Attached:” It's About Time

The Good: Good character development, Nice acting, Interesting storyline
The Bad: Lack of consequences
The Basics: When Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard share one another's thoughts, Beverly becomes aware of Picard's deep-seated love for her in “Attached.”


Throughout Star Trek The Next Generation, there was a thread of romantic suggestion between the widowed Dr. Beverly Crusher and the lonely Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In the first episode of the series, it was revealed that Picard, Jack Crusher's best friend, had brought Jack's body back to Beverly and her son Wesley. Since then, there had been a sprinkling of suggestions that there was more than an easy friendship between the Captain and Chief Medical Officer. In "Attached," that character conflict reaches its zenith and is fully explored.

When Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard beam down to the planet Kessprytt, a divided world, for a meeting with the Kes, they are abducted by the paranoid and xenophobic Prytt. Immediately, they realize the Prytt have done something to them; they have had some sort of implant put in their heads. Soon, Picard and Crusher are able to read one another's thoughts and as they flee their Prytt prison, the psychic bond between them strengthens until their most intimate thoughts are no longer shielded from one another. In this manner, Dr. Crusher learns that Picard has long harbored romantic feelings for her.

The only real disappointment of "Attached" is that it lacks real consequences in the Star Trek universe. After all of the time spent building up a potential Picard/Crusher relationship, to have is so casually dismissed in the episode's final scene seems like a waste of years of decent groundwork. "Attached" ultimately ends up as the resolution of six and a half years of teasing and it stinks for the loyal fans of Star Trek The Next Generation.

That argument aside, there could not be a better culmination to the tension between Crusher and Picard than "Attached." Jonathan Frakes directs an excellently presented script by Nicholas Sagan. Sagan gives Frakes a great deal to work with, providing a script that pushes the limits of the characters we have known for six plus years. Instead of simply playing with the insinuations, Sagan pushes that into a full test of Picard's willpower and sense of honor. Frakes films the episode with a respect for the emotion of the scenes, never cheapening the intensity of Picard's internal conflict or diminishing Patrick Stewart's commanding presence.

In the end, "Attached" is a character study between Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard and neither character could ask for better representation than they receive here. Dr. Crusher is portrayed as thoughtful and considerate, a long way from the cold, distanced woman who often is seen as aloof on the show. Here she is emotional and respectful of Picard, if a bit confused by the depth of his emotions. Picard has evolved into an actualized, emotional individual, culminating here as someone with very real feelings and urges, a far cry from the dispassionate curmudgeon of "Encounter At Farpoint."

The episode comes alive in the portrayals of Crusher and Picard by Gates McFadden and Patrick Stewart, respectively. McFadden uses the episode to infuse some of her own whimsy into Crusher without stepping outside the boundaries of realism. Stewart plays Picard as a tormented romantic and it comes across with a great deal of genuine emotion to it. Moreover, the pair plays off one another with real on-screen chemistry that makes the episode hold up over repeated viewings.

"Attached" is accessible to anyone who enjoys a well-written love story, though those without a tolerance or appreciation of science fiction may be overwhelmed by the plot device used to get Picard and Crusher together. Outside that, this is a nice, simple love story that fits the bill for entertainment on a cold night when one wants to curl up with a date. Hey, if "Attached" proves anything it is that unlikely individuals may find love. Any science fiction loving geek may appreciate that.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Seventh Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the final season by clicking here!
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8.5/10

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© 2011, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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