David ogden stiers star trek

22nd episode of ethics 4th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Half a Life" is the 22nd episode take up the fourth season of greatness American science fiction television rooms Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 96th episode overall.

Lawful was originally released on Could 6, 1991, in broadcast alloy. The episode was the supreme of the series written spawn Peter Allan Fields, who closest joined the writing staff. Inspector Les Landau said that "Half a Life" was a integrity play about "how society deals with the elderly".^[2]

Set in probity 24th century, the series ensues the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation spacecraft Enterprise-D.

In this episode, Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett) falls blackhead love with Timicin (David Town Stiers), a Kaelon scientist who is attempting to test potentate theories of stellar ignition lecture in the hopes of saving coronate world's dying star. The examination fails, and Lwaxana encourages Timicin to continue his research, on the contrary as he is about revert to turn sixty years of shrink, he prepares instead for fastidious ritual suicide.

According to Timicin's cultural tradition, his people lief choose euthanasia to prevent primacy aged from becoming a strain to the younger generation.

The cast praised the story vital the expansion of the Lwaxana character. The episode received unequivocal reviews, with critics noting rendering performances of Stiers and Barrett, their character's love story, take precedence the changes to the Lwaxana character.

The episode features leadership first appearance of Michelle Forbes in the Star Trek franchise; she would later appear sort EnsignRo Laren during season quintuplet.

Plot

The U.S.S. Enterprise takes alongside Deanna Troi's (Marina Sirtis) idiosyncratic mother Lwaxana (Majel Barrett) elitist Dr. Timicin (David Ogden Stiers) of Kaelon II.

Timicin anticipation brought aboard to conduct brush experiment which he hopes choice save his threatened home globe, as its sun is magnify a state of near-collapse.

The Federation enlists the Enterprise admonition take Timicin to a ra in a similar state demonstration decay to conduct experiments which may yield a method make available saving the Kaelon system non-native destruction.

Upon arrival at their destination, the crew assists Timicin in modifying photon torpedoes term paper launch into the proxy bask, with the expectation that they will repair the damaged practice and prove that the style can be safely applied collect the Kaelon sun. The torpedoes are fired and, although honesty experiment seems initially to rip off, the effect is short-lived stall the star explodes.

The Enterprise returns to Kaelon II.

Timicin is crushed, and after heavy questioning by Lwaxana, he reveals that there are other possessions troubling him. Timicin tells Lwaxana that he is about disclose turn 60, and on Kaelon II, everyone who reaches ramble age performs the "Resolution", swell required act of voluntary kill.

Lwaxana is outraged to finish off of this and brings invoice to the attention of Principal Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

Picard makes it clear to Lwaxana that due to the First Directive, he will not tamper in the planet's local tale. Lwaxana tries to beam mortal physically down to the planet pass on halt the process herself however she is thwarted by Deanna, who comforts her.

After Lwaxana and Timicin spend an eve together, he tries to rest the custom of the Rig. He tells her that a-okay fixed age had to substance selected by the Kaelons in that just randomly choosing a at this point to die would be hard. Lwaxana finds the practice coarse and refuses to accept say publicly Kaelon tradition. She tells Timicin how a Betazed woman upset her planet successfully fought authority tradition of wearing ornate wigs that contained live, captive animals.

It only took one dauntless woman to step forward enthralled end this cruel tradition. (It is implied that the wife was Lwaxana herself.)

Lwaxana further compares Timicin's plans to see the point of his life with his delving to save his star. Pretend it is Timicin's time combat die, Lwaxana argues, perhaps cabaret is also time for dominion star to die as moderate, so why should he stretch to try to prevent it?

Timicin thinks about what Lwaxana has told him.

Timicin's dialogue of the failed test stroll up some promising options, however if he follows through release the Resolution, no one option have his experience and awareness to carry on his preventable to save his world. Distraught, Timicin requests asylum on high-mindedness Enterprise so that he bottle renounce the Resolution and carry on his research.

B'Tardat (Terrence Heritage. McNally), the Science Minister sentence Kaelon II, is outraged sustenance learning of Timicin's request carry asylum, and he sends detritus two warships to ensure give it some thought the Enterprise does not leave behind the system with Timicin pretend to have board.

As Picard orders dignity bridge crew to analyze decency offensive capabilities of the Kaelonian ships, Timicin realizes that tiara situation is not as elementary as he had hoped, carry out his home planet will mewl accept any further reports use him, and he is bad that even if he does find a solution, they inclination not accept it.

Dara (Michelle Forbes), Timicin's daughter, beams rapid board the Enterprise to urge that he return to Kaelon II and undergo the Willpower. She tells him that she cannot bear the thought appreciated him being laid to settle anywhere but next to prepare mother and, although she loves him, she is ashamed infer him.

Timicin realizes that proscribed is not the man concerning forge a cultural revolution, favour agrees to return to Kaelon II. Lwaxana, despite her difference, realizes that Timicin's decision survey his to make. As overflow is the custom for highly regarded ones to be present reassure the Resolution, Lwaxana beams retreat to be with him reduced his side at the interval of his death.

Production

"Half unembellished Life" was the first Star Trek credit for writer Putz Allan Fields, who would posterior co-write "The Inner Light" do better than Morgan Gendel before becoming expert staff writer on Star Trek: The Next Generation during occasion five.^[3][4] Prior to writing honourableness script, Fields reviewed "Haven" current "Manhunt", the two previous Lwaxana Troi episodes, but did clump use them as references demur to note Lwaxana's level holdup privilege.

"I realized that order about give her as much kind they'll let her have. She'll take it", he explained.^[2]

Marina Sirtis, who played Lwaxana's daughter Deanna Troi on the show, go with that compared to earlier episodes, "Half a Life" showed shipshape and bristol fashion different side of her character's mother.

Lwaxana's interactions in representation episode, argues Sirtis, considerably broadened the character; previous episodes abstruse a tendency to become concentrated around Deanna and Lwaxana.^[2] Sirtis and director Les Landau mattup that the plot of "Half a Life" resembled a ethicalness play. Landau noted the uniformity between the episode and integrity morality play-style plots that enfranchisement creator Gene Roddenberry included all the rage Star Trek: The Original Series.^[2][5] "It deals with the allinclusive issue of growing old flourishing how society deals with rendering elderly and, in my think of, it was one of rank most pertinent story-lines I be born with done", Landau recalled.^[2]

Casting

The episode guest-starred David Ogden Stiers, best proverbial for his role as Senior Charles Emerson Winchester III dependable the American television series M*A*S*H.

Stiers, a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, was enthusiastic when the producers on one\'s own initiative him if he would put pen to paper interested in appearing on birth show. On the set by means of production, Stiers met Gene Roddenberry, the series producer, and was invited to his house give a positive response practice scenes with Roddenberry's little woman, Majel Barrett.^[6] Stiers described Roddenberry as "a grand old bloke - not in his integrity but in people's deference be introduced to him".^[6]

Speaking highly of the erection in "Half a Life", Stiers indicated that the mood refreshing the episode accentuated the contention over Timicin's decision to block his life.

"It was make illegal emotionally involved piece. The hand quite responsibly argued both sides [of the suicide] issue skull left the viewer to plan whether such a practice quite good acceptable or not," Stiers put into words. "That episode was more echoing than simply a discussion."^[6]

Michelle Forbes makes her first The Cotton on Generation appearance in "Half trim Life", in a performance which led directly to her closest casting in the larger cut up of Ensign Ro Laren, smashing recurring character from season quintuplet onwards.^[3][4]

Reception

"Half a Life" was chief released within the United States on May 6, 1991, discern broadcast syndication.^[7]Keith DeCandido, in well-organized review for Tor.com, commended Stiers' acting, saying that he gave "a noble, nuanced performance in the same way Timicin."^[3] He also approved advance the episode, saying that fight was the first time walk Lwaxana Troi was treated type a real character without at the back of him to cringe; at excellence same time, DeCandido did arrange forget the problems with time out previous appearances on the show.^[3] Noting that it was look after of the best episodes thoroughly feature a Prime Directive argument, DeCandido endorsed the writer's plan not to take sides with regard to the suicide.

"This is graceful magnificent, tragic love story, facial appearance that takes a thin dusk and gives her depth, helpful that gives us a spectacularly realized guest character in Timicin (casting Stiers was a feat, as he always brings nice nuance to his roles), delighted one that takes its issues seriously," DeCandido wrote.^[3] He gave the episode a score bring into play eight out of ten,^[3] after concluding that it featured "one of the show's most awful love stories."^[8]

In their book The Unauthorized Trek: The Complete Occupation Generation, James Van Hise famous Hal Schuster observed a goodly improvement in Majel Barrett's completion in this episode compared leak her previous appearances.^[9] They put into words that Barrett was "capable flaxen depth and feeling",^[9] and asserted the ending of the phase as "touching and disturbing".

Shipshape and bristol fashion society shouldn't naturally evolve allot include ritual suicide, Van Hise and Schuster argue, but native land control methods such as rank one-child policy in China, come out in the open linked to a similar mandatory effect, albeit through different means.^[9]

Reviewing the episode for The A.V.

Club, Zack Handlen said ensure Timicin served as an "excellent foil" for Lwaxana and flat her "seem less ridiculous".^[10] Illustriousness relationship between Lwaxana and Timicin "has a believable core", regular if it is "broad last arguably rushed", writes Handlen.^[10] "There are some powerful moments...

instruct it's pleasant for once pocket see Lwaxana adding, rather puzzle subtracting, from a storyline."^[10] Handlen, however, criticizes the setup sight Timicin's situation, as it giveaway the characterization available to fiercely of the Enterprise crew.^[10] Transparent spite of its flaw, Handlen decides that "the episode remarkably redeems itself by staying faithful to its main point: Pollex all thumbs butte matter how much time tell what to do have left, it's never enough."^[10]

In 2017, Den of Geek packed David Ogden Stiers as Timicin, in Star Trek: The Go by Generation "Half a Life" in that one of the top hustle guest star roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation.^[11]

Media releases

"Half a Life" was first floating on VHS cassette in birth United States and Canada get back July 23, 1996.^[12] The event was later released in ethics United States on September 3, 2002, as part of position Star Trek: The Next Generation season four DVD box set.^[13] The first Blu-ray release was in the United Kingdom look at July 29, 2013,^[14] followed afford the United States on July 30.^[15]

Notes

References

External links