76 – Family

Grade: B+

Summary

After having been nearly destroyed by the Borg, the Enterprise is docked in orbit around Earth for repairs. The repair time allows for Captain Picard to visit his brother’s family in France. Worf’s adoptive parents come aboard the Enterprise for a short visit. And Wesley Crusher gets a chance to view a hologram of his father, which was made 17 years earlier.

Commentary

My summary doesn’t do this episode much justice. It had been a long time since I had seen this, and I forgot what a great episode this is. There isn’t that much that happens in it, but it’s a very good drama. If you haven’t seen this episode in a while, give it another try. There’s virtually no action, and very little “sci-fi” to speak of, but it’s an episode that was really needed to help flesh out some important characters.

Captain Picard’s time with his brother at the Picard family vineyard allows him to deal with his experience with the Borg. And we get to see a side of Picard he would never allow his crew to see. As his brother tells him, “my brother really is human.” This episode really helps strengthen his character.

We also get to see a side of Worf that we don’t normally see, as he deals with his parents. It is really fun to watch, and this is one of the best-written episodes that I’ve seen in a while.

Of Note

David Birkin, who plays Picard’s nephew Rene, also played Captain Picard as a boy in the episode called “Rascals.”