| The Next Generation | |
| 71 | |
| Sarek | |
| 43917.4 | |
It seems that Picard and Riker have found true fashion sense at last. They are wearing dresses! The reason for their departure from their more normal macho body suits is that they are to meet a Federation ambassador who is going to conclude a delicate negotiation aboard the Enterprise. I can't imagine why.
The ambassador's aides beam over first and say that he is to have no disturbances as he must rest for the final stage of negotiations. Boring fart. The fart in this case is Ambassador Sarek - Spock's father, and he is accompanied by his human wife Perrin. It looks like this will be a "recycle some characters from TOS episode".
Geordi and Wes are stirring a large pond full of glowing slime. I wonder what Wes has messed up this time. Nothing unfortunately. This is where the trade delegation will be staying. Oh, goody. I bet they'd be fun guys at a party. I can just imagine the pickup lines. "Hey baby, wanna come back to my place to see my slime pit!". Sarek arrives and says that the room must have no furniture and the walls are too bright. Somehow I don't think we'll see the slime dudes at many parties after all.
After some idle banter and much stirring, Wes starts having a go at Geordi, and Mr X-Ray Charles comes back with one of the most cutting lines ever spoken on the Enterprise "compared to you, every male on this ship is an expert on women". Way to go Geordi! However since Geordi's fantasies are played out on the holodeck with dead physicists I'm not sure he really in on the moral high ground.
Picard asks Perrin and Sarek to a Mozart recital, with Data as the soloist. After bragging about how many styles he can imitate, Data returns to his seat and the concert finally begins. Paramount really should avoid doing things like this. Brent Spiner can't play the violin, and he can't even do a passable impersonation of someone playing the violin. But I know, it's character development. Sarek can't believe the fraud either, and he sheds a single tear and storms out!
Now Wesley is fighting with his mother. No real loss, I mean, what is she going to do, hit him? Yep. Pow! This is the sort of discipline that has been absent for far too long on our starship. Since everyone seems to be in an agro mood, it is only fitting that there is a bar brawl going on in 10-Forward. Riker arrives and promptly gets a palm-strike to the face and goes down in a heap. Buy that man a beer!
This outbreak of emotion is blamed squarely on Sarek. Bev says that it is not a virus and that Sarek is probably suffering from Bendai's syndrome which would cause him to lose all emotional control. Oh no, I wonder who else on the crew could have it? There doesn't seem to be enough emotional control onboard normally to fill a small egg-cup.
The ambassadors aides reject it out of hand. "I have no clear recollection of that, sir." Must be true then. Perrin denies it as well. When Picard finally confronts Sarek, and Sakkath his assistant, admits that he has been consciously holding Sarek's mind together, Sarek completely snaps. He was so angry I thought his fake tan would slip off.
Perin suggests that Picard and Sarek mind meld to provide Sarek with the emotional control he requires to complete the mission. Of course a Federation captain would put his mind at risk to do this! NOT! Picard suffers all the emotional outbursts that would have otherwise affected Sarek. Wah, wah, wah, wah. The mission is of course a success.
