Another Trek Standard, Disappointing In This Series: "If Wishes Were Horses"

The Good: Nice level of character, Fair acting, Fine special effects
The Bad: Horribly unoriginal plot, Lack of real insight into characters
The Basics: All in all, "If Wishes Were Horses" is a completely middle-of the road episode, which is better for fans of other Trek series' than Deep Space 9 aficionados.


Near the end of Deep Space Nine's first season rut (there's been a pattern of 2 fair episodes, 1 good one) comes "If Wishes Were Horses," a disappointing episode that follows in the tracks of Star Trek and Star Trek The Next Generation. Apparently, there's something in the writer's guidelines that tells the creators of Trek, "We have to have an episode where what people think comes immediately to life." ("Shore Leave," "Where No One Has Gone Before," and now this). This is especially disappointing to fans of Star Trek Deep Space Nine because the overall quality of the series could be defined as the defiance of Star Trek standards. If Gene Rodenberry's vision is encapsulated in Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation, the feeling of Star Trek Deep Space Nine is "Dreams Die." The characters are moody, dark, cerebral. Actually, Captain Benjamin Sisko (certainly COMMANDER Benjamin Sisko) has more in common with Captain Christopher Pike (from the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage") than any other commanding officer in the franchise.

So, in this incarnation of Trek, O'Brien is reading to his daughter and shortly thereafter, Rumplestiltskin himself appears and the Chief figures something isn't right. Bashir manages to conjure an amorous version of Dax and Commander Sisko brings to life his baseball hero. Sigh. So, it's not long before chaos is reigning on the station because people can't control their imaginations. In this incarnation, it includes a giant rip in space that is going to destroy the whole Bajoran system.

The plot twist near the end isn't much of a surprise for anyone who has been awake through any earlier incarnation of this plot. In fact, it's not a surprise to anyone who is awake in this incarnation of the "fantasy becomes reality" plot. It makes for a wonderful special effect and it creates a plot-convenient menace to attempt to make the viewer care about what happens, but ultimately, it is cheap. As with "Q-Less" the true disappointment here is that Deep Space Nine sank so low, that they were trying to be something they weren't and that is awkward and sad.

One gets the sense at various points in the episode that the actors might have felt this way, too. The guest stars, like the one who plays baseball legend Buck Bokai, seem listless. Even Michael J. Anderson (known well from Twin Peaks and Carnivale) gives a surprisingly passionless performance. He never seems as menacing as he could be as Rumpelstiltskin.

"If Wishes Were Horses" does have some redeeming moments, the few scenes with Odo are amusing and the alternate Dax is funny in the scenes where she and the real Dax are interacting. Odo's character has a chance to stretch a little when he fantasizes about locking Quark up. And Dax's very liberal views are fun to hear expressed, especially when they come into conflict with her very real emotions upon seeing the fantasy Dax Bashir has imagined.

But it doesn't all make sense. And that's part of the problem with "If Wishes Were Horses." Jake Sisko imagines a baseball player, fine. But as the fantasies that become realities continue to expand throughout the station population, the desires of the crew are not accurately expressed. Why doesn't Jake Sisko (or Benjamin!) create a fantasy version of his dead mother? Why doesn't Benjamin Sisko fantasize about the station being perfectly safe for Jake, something he has overtly expressed from the beginning of the series. Sure, it's not so cinematic, but it would keep in the tradition of rooting Star Trek Deep Space Nine in interesting, compelling characters.

Quark is the most offensive of these fantasy incarnations. Quark imagines a woman on each arm (human, or close enough) while his patrons imagine getting rich on his gaming tables. With more than Quark aboard, why is it the humans suddenly fantasize about being acquisitive and all Quark gets is laid?! Why doesn't Rom's fantasy manifest as taking over Quark's? Again, such details make for more compelling character dramas, but are not as pleasant to watch as two half-naked chicks on Quark's arms.

"If Wishes Were Horses" strikes me as the greatest opportunity missed in the first season of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. While episodes like "Q-Less" were just blatant attempts to tie Deep Space Nine to the larger Star Trek mythos, "If Wishes Were Horses" could have been a legitimate character exploration that instead became a cheap attempt at a laugh. Or a fluff piece on an otherwise serious program.

Shame on you guys.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete First Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the first season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

3.5/10

For other Star Trek episode, DVD or movie reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

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

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Return Of The Incompetent. . . Except He's Not: "The Nth Degree!"

The Good: Great character development, Interesting premise, Nice acting
The Bad: Ease of resolution
The Basics: A surprisingly good episode in which a minor crewmember returns to be rewired by an alien race!


In "Hollow Pursuits" (reviewed here!) Reginald Barclay was introduced as a nervous, often helpless engineer who was addicted to holodeck programs. He was well-portrayed by Dwight Schultz and he seemed to be the perfect foil to the straight-laced, professional Enterprise crew. For a single episode, Barclay made Star Trek The Next Generation a funny, quirky show.

It was a surprise for most every fan of the series when "The Nth Degree" came along and Reginald Barclay returned. Barclay has begun acting, and poorly, though Counselor Troi insists he is making good progress with his attempts to deal with the real world. Unfortunately for Barclay, Geordi's attempt to include him in an away mission results in Barclay being knocked unconscious by an alien probe. When he regains consciousness not only does he have confidence, he has extreme intelligence. His intelligence begins to grow as he develops a way to save the Enterprise from the alien probe, then he manages to fix a nearby satellite, then he begins to modify the Enterprise and soon the rest of the crew fears him and his powers. When Barclay refuses to relinquish control of the ship, everyone turns on him, though they are powerless to stop him.

It's rare for Star Trek The Next Generation to give a guest character an entire episode, but to relinquish the reins to one twice is extraordinary. Perhaps the reason the series does this twice with Barclay is that he's an interesting, very different character than all of the others on Star Trek The Next Generation. Perhaps the other reason is that when the show finds a person who can act and act well, they attempt to capitalize on it. Dwight Schultz is one such actor.

The nice thing about "The Nth Degree" is it takes its time to develop without feeling like it is slowly building to something. That is, the episode progresses, making a decent story and developing the altered Barclay over the entire episode without feeling slow. In fact, the rate of development is rapid, but thorough.

While the story is definitely a Barclay tale, this episode works very well at utilizing almost the entire crew. While Picard is underplayed, Riker is used as a good foil for Barclay, appearing as a stupefied dolt. Geordi takes a nice vacation from being the whipping boy and Troi supports as a strange combination of professional counselor and potential suitor. It sets us quite well the dynamic Troi and Barclay will have throughout Star Trek The Next Generation and on into Star Trek Voyager.

Ultimately, "The Nth Degree" is simply a good idea. What Barclay is building to, the reason he will not relinquish control of the computer is a fascinating idea and one worth watching a few times. This is one of the more bizarre ideas that Star Trek The Next Generation attempts and it works so much better using the background character of Reginald Barclay. The problem with the previous episode, "Identity Crisis" (reviewed here!) is that it asks us to accept that a line officer who goes on many many missions could have something in him that somehow goes undetected. On the other hand, "The Nth Degree" works because we know almost nothing about Barclay and thus it's easy to believe there's something more in him when he encounters the probe.

The nice thing about this episode is that even if one has not seen "Hollow Pursuits," this is an easy to watch episode and fully accessible. Even if you're not a fan of Star Trek The Next Generation, there's much to enjoy here. It's basically Flowers For Algernon in the distant future and the interplay between the characters is wonderful for anyone who has ever had a problem at work and wanted to make an impression with the boss.

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

7.5/10

For other Star Trek works, please visit my index page by clicking here!

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




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Humor, Horror And Patrick Stewart's Performance In "Menage A Troi!"

The Good: Well-acted, Amusing in points, Characterization in the b-plot
The Bad: Plot is fairly obvious, some a-plot characterization
The Basics: A mostly-fun episode, "Menage a Troi" finds Lwaxana tortured, Riker and Deanna not in love and Wesley Crusher preparing to leave the Enterprise.


For the first few seasons of Star Trek The Next Generation, the show did an excellent job of a few things: spreading philosophy, keeping Riker interesting and vital and having Patrick Stewart playing Picard in a manner very different to who Patrick Stewart is. That is to say that while Picard was something of a curmudgeon, Patrick is reputed to be friendly, Picard was highly literate, but asocial. "Menage a Troi," changes that in its final scene by having Picard pull a Patrick Stewart, which is a wonderful, dramatic moment that ought to be left best to the professional Shakespearean actors. Picard was never that.

"Menage a Troi" is not, however, a Picard story. It's a Lwaxana Troi story in the a-plot, a Wesley Crusher b-plot. The Enterprise visits Betazed, which gives Riker and Troi a chance to visit places they did when they were in love. Lwaxana walks in on them and they are all three promptly captured by the Ferengi. It seems a Ferengi DaiMon has fallen in love with Lwaxana Troi and wishes her to be his consort to aid him in negotiations; with her telepathic powers, he believes he could get riches beyond compare. When Riker and Deanna Troi attempt to escape and rescue Lwaxana, Dr. Farek, the DaiMon's assistant, comes up with a better plan; brain scans and obscure torture to get the biological secrets needed to enhance the Ferengi brain without Lwaxana's help. In the meantime, the Enterprise searches for the Trois and Riker while Wesley Crusher prepares to leave the ship to go to StarFleet Academy.

"Menage A Troi" very effectively combines humor with a sense of urgency. After all, Lwaxana is not a regular, so there is the possibility that she could be killed. And Dr. Farek seems like a pretty good villain to do it. But the horrific concept of killing a middle aged woman with a brain scan is balanced by the humor of Lwaxana's babbling, Riker's chess games and the almost hazing quality to Data and Wesley's discussions about going off to StarFleet Academy.

What works even better is the acting. First, Ethan Phillips (who would later play Neelix on Star Trek Voyager) gives a great performance as Dr. Farek. He's a very intelligent villain and one who is refreshing to see on Star Trek The Next Generation. It's nice to see a doctor who understands the consequences of things (i.e. giving out computer codes even for minor things).

Majel Barret does a great job as Lwaxana Troi in this outing, sparkling as she usually does with energy that only she could bring to the role. But the best acting moments come in the b-plot. Wil Wheaton does a great job playing Wesley Crusher as mature, confident, yet flappable. It's a delicate balance and Wheaton does it phenomenally here.

And Wheaton's character, Wesley Crusher, has a great arc in this episode. Here Wesley makes the transition from childhood to adulthood, making choices that have real consequences. His is a character that seems to have real growth here and it feels worthwhile.

Unfortunately, in the main plot, Riker and Troi do not advance anything in their relationship. Lwaxana Troi comes out of the whole torture experience pretty unphased. And those are two somewhat unsatisfying results of an episode that places the light tone over the real effects of something like what occurs here.

Still, it's worth watching. It's funny and it's good television. People who are not fans of Star Trek The Next Generation are unlikely to appreciate Lwaxana Troi as she is more a shocking foil to fans, more annoying to those who are not regular viewers of the show. In fact, the elements of transition with Wesley Crusher that dominate the b-plot also make the episode inaccessible to non-Trek fans. I suppose those who like action adventure shows might enjoy this. Otherwise, I say either become a fan of Star Trek The Next Generation or hold out for season four's "Half A Life." And even if Picard behaves a little like Patrick Stewart here, it's still worth seeing.

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

6.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and film reviews, please check out my index page for an organized listing.

© 2011, 2008, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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