Star Trek The Next Generation: "The Pegasus"

"The Pegasus" is one of my all-time favorite episodes of TNG.

When the Enterprise is ordered to rendezvous with another starship to receive an expert from Starfleet Security, Commander Riker is stunned to discover that the expert is Admiral Eric Pressman, his first commanding officer. Fifteen years earlier, when Riker was an ensign serving on the U.S.S. Pegasus, Pressman, who was the captain, was conducting secret experiments in cloaking technology; he was building a cloak so sophisticated that it would allow a starship, in addition to being invisible to sensors or the naked eye, to pass through matter. Pressman's crew found out what he was doing and did the unthinkable: they mutinied.

When they did, Ensign Riker grabbed a phaser and defended his captain. Thereafter, he and the mutineers felt a need to get off the ship, so they ran to the escape pods and left. They watched as Pegasus exploded in what appeared to be a warp core breach.

In the episode of TNG, 15 years later, we learn that the Pegasus was not actually destroyed; it was instead cloaked. The ship drifted into an asteroid, where it was found by Picard's crew to be partially materialized inside solid rock. Pressman tells Riker that he is on a secret mission to start up the experiments again.

Under orders from Admiral Pressman not to reveal to anyone--including Captain Picard--the true nature of his mission, Riker is faced with a real dilemma. Does he stand by the choice he made 15 years earlier and defend his former captain who is breaking federation law by designing and testing a cloaking device? Or does he stand on the side of the law? Does he blindly follow orders, respecting the chain of command? Or does he question Admiral Pressman and do what he thinks is right? Does he tell Picard what happened 15 years earlier, or continue living a lie?

Commander Riker makes a different choice than Ensign Riker made. When the time comes, Commander Riker tells Captain Picard the truth--a truth he has hidden for fifteen years. He reveals the true story not in the confines of the Ready Room but on the bridge of the flagship of the federation; he brings the truth to light in the public eye.

Interestingly, as an aside, this episode is the setting for the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise. Riker's decision in "The Pegasus" is the decision that the crew of the original Enterprise, through a holodeck program, help him to resolve.

What can we learn from all of this?

There is no shame in looking back on life, retrospectively deciding that one made a fundamentally incorrect decision, and acting to correct the error. In fact, nothing could be braver.

We can all change is most important to us. Our sense of morality can evolve to encompass more than we once thought. As we get older--as we experience more--our morals do not necessarily change, but they often become deeper. Our principles can become more important to us.

That's the lesson of this episode, and that's exactly what Commander Riker did.

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: "Crossover"

First, a brief summary: Kira and Bashir enter the wormhole to go from the Gamma Quadrant back to the Station in the Alpha Quadrant. When they exit the wormhold, they find that a plasma leak in their Runabout's engine has caused them to crossover to the mirror universe first visited by Kirk in the Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror."

In the alternate universe, humans are slaves. Bajorans and Klingons belong to the Alliance, which dominates the Alpha quadrant. Kira is a ruthless leader known as the Intendant who places little value on the lives of anyone who is not Bajoran. Sisko, at first, cares little about anything but himself, as he leads a human crew given a ship by the Intendant. As the show progresses, he learns something and assists Kira and Bashir in getting back to their Station. Bashir, interestingly, is assigned to the mines of Bajor, and people laugh when he tells them that he is actually a doctor.

What, exactly, can we learn from all of this?

It seems to me that this episode has one central lesson, which is that nature only accounts for part of who we are. We are more than the sum of our parts. Even when the very same person is born into extremely difficult circumstances, that person can transcend his/her limitations and make something better of him/herself. In the alternate universe, Sisko and Miles O'Brien revolt against the stereotype imposed upon them. They stand up for equality and for a better life for others in their situation. There is something extraordinary about this.

Even though humans form values based upon their experiences, we are capable of rising about our experiences to express greater truths of human existence. That's the lesson of this episode.

Thoughts?

What We Can All Learn From Star Trek

As a child of the 1980s, I fell madly in love with Star Trek: The Next Generation. Exploring the world of Star Trek in reverse order, I watched TNG first and, when it went off the air, I watched all 79 episodes of the original series. I was hooked! Before long, I was head-over-heels for DS9, Voyager, and then Enterprise. I own every episode and every movie. I know most of the lines by heart. I go to the conventions. I just love the shows, the movies, the books, and everything else associated with this wonderful franchise. I am proud to be a trekky!

But there is something more to Star Trek than its amazing special effects, good writing, and wonderful actors.

Star Trek shows us what humanity can accomplish in the future.

It shows us our world as it is today; and it shows us what it could be one day if humanity can rise above sectarian strife, religious differences, and other petty problems to recognize that all of us on Earth are the children of God.

On this blog, which I am inagurating today, I will explore the life lessons of Star Trek. Beginning today, I shall watch one episode of Star Trek (any series or Movie) every day. Then I will review the episode on my blog to describe the life lesson that particular episode teaches us.

I'm excited about this project. I welcome my new readers. And I ask for your support and comments here on this blog.

Live long and prosper.

download a free html hit counter