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(More customer reviews)Star Trek is never better when non-human cultures are being examined and it is sometimes at its' worst when emotions are involved. Star Fleet officers are subjected to the most rigorous training and psychological screening. They are clearly the best people, selected from billions of creatures in the Federation. The Enterprise is also the best ship in Star Fleet, so only the best of the best could possibly command her. Any person who commands a star ship will have enormous power, both military and economic. They possess enough power to destroy civilizations and at any time could engage in actions that could expand the Federation or plunge it into interstellar war
While human nature will remain human nature, no matter where the species goes, there are some things that just will not follow, and that is emotional pettiness. In this episode, Riker is offered the command of a Starship, where the mission is to go to a very remote place to investigate the possibility of another culture. It will take months at maximum warp to get to the location, so he will be completely autonomous. A civilian consultant to Star Fleet beams aboard to brief Riker about the mission, and it turns out to be Riker's father, from whom he is estranged. This is where the story breaks down. Riker reacts like a hurt child, at first refusing to talk with his father, and when he does, is very curt. Since Riker is being offered the command of a mission with the potential for great consequences for the Federation, an officer would not engage in such pettiness.
A secondary story concerns Worf. He is testy, even for Worf and Wesley discovers that Worf is suffering from cultural isolation. It is the tenth anniversary of his Age of Ascension, and he should engage in a ritual to mark the date. With the aid of the holodeck, Worf's friends engage in the ceremony, which involves him walking a gauntlet of Klingons armed with pain sticks. This story line improves the episode, as it gives us further insight into the Klingon culture.
While the emotional pettiness of Riker and his father drag this episode down, the events describing Klingon culture bring it back up into a good, but not great episode.
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