In "Home Soil" the Enterprise visits the planet of Velara III where a team of scientists are terraforming the barren planet's surface to make it livable. The scientists' leader seems hesitant to have them here and suspicion of him only rises when a rogue laser goes out of control and kills one of the scientists.
Data tried to investigate how this happened, only to almost be cut down himself. He destroys the laser drill but theorizes that it was being controlled or programmed by someone for nefarious reasons.
Geordi discovers an oddity at the laser's dig site: a non-carbon lifeform. It looks like a little beam of light. Riker has it sent back to the Enterprise for testing in the lab. But the crew looks as if it has underestimated this unknown lifeform's power. Soon it is taking over controls and attempting to communicate with the humans. They declare war on Picard. Data figures out that if they cut the lights, the lifeform will be unable to survive for long. They cut the light and negotiate peace: the Enterprise will beam back the lifeform and leave it in peace for a few hundred years.
This episode feels like a sequel of sorts to the TOS classic "The Devil in the Dark". Both involve the concept of non-carbon lifeforms fighting back against humanity when their environment is threatened, unbeknownst to the threateners.
It seems a bit odd that the crew (especially Data) is unaware of the discovery of non-carbon lifeforms in the past. If memory serves me right, the mining outpost was developing a partnership with the Horta at the end of "The Devil in the Dark" after Spock mindmelds with one of the mothers. You think at least one scientist aboard the Enterprise would have been aware of this amazing new type of life that was discovered a mere 100 years ago.
Anyways, I thought this episode was pretty solid, definitely above the Season 1 average thus far. We only have one plot line here to speak of with no subplots so if you don't like the main storyline, tough luck. I like seeing Data and Geordi's friendship blossom. Geordi seems genuinely concerned when Data's locked in the drilling room with the rogue laser. I also like that they both use their gifts to discover what the terraformers overlooked: this new lifeform.
Some of the cast get more to do here than others. Yar is in a limited role as is typical of late Season 1. Worf gets about two or three lines. Even Riker is pushed into the background a bit to make room for Crusher, Geordi, and Data.
I guess the main message here is the warning of unintended consequences. Like introducing rabbits into Australia, humans have a tendency to change the environments around them without a full understanding of the long term consequences. Even when we have the best intentions, sometimes we can do more harm than good with our tunnel vision. In an attempt to create life, the scientists here are unintentionally destroying it. Sometimes we just need to cede to Mother Nature.
Data tried to investigate how this happened, only to almost be cut down himself. He destroys the laser drill but theorizes that it was being controlled or programmed by someone for nefarious reasons.
Geordi discovers an oddity at the laser's dig site: a non-carbon lifeform. It looks like a little beam of light. Riker has it sent back to the Enterprise for testing in the lab. But the crew looks as if it has underestimated this unknown lifeform's power. Soon it is taking over controls and attempting to communicate with the humans. They declare war on Picard. Data figures out that if they cut the lights, the lifeform will be unable to survive for long. They cut the light and negotiate peace: the Enterprise will beam back the lifeform and leave it in peace for a few hundred years.
This episode feels like a sequel of sorts to the TOS classic "The Devil in the Dark". Both involve the concept of non-carbon lifeforms fighting back against humanity when their environment is threatened, unbeknownst to the threateners.
It seems a bit odd that the crew (especially Data) is unaware of the discovery of non-carbon lifeforms in the past. If memory serves me right, the mining outpost was developing a partnership with the Horta at the end of "The Devil in the Dark" after Spock mindmelds with one of the mothers. You think at least one scientist aboard the Enterprise would have been aware of this amazing new type of life that was discovered a mere 100 years ago.
Anyways, I thought this episode was pretty solid, definitely above the Season 1 average thus far. We only have one plot line here to speak of with no subplots so if you don't like the main storyline, tough luck. I like seeing Data and Geordi's friendship blossom. Geordi seems genuinely concerned when Data's locked in the drilling room with the rogue laser. I also like that they both use their gifts to discover what the terraformers overlooked: this new lifeform.
Some of the cast get more to do here than others. Yar is in a limited role as is typical of late Season 1. Worf gets about two or three lines. Even Riker is pushed into the background a bit to make room for Crusher, Geordi, and Data.
I guess the main message here is the warning of unintended consequences. Like introducing rabbits into Australia, humans have a tendency to change the environments around them without a full understanding of the long term consequences. Even when we have the best intentions, sometimes we can do more harm than good with our tunnel vision. In an attempt to create life, the scientists here are unintentionally destroying it. Sometimes we just need to cede to Mother Nature.
