Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) Homeward (1994) User Reviews

The good guys taking the objectively worse course of action once again.

[Boomer_Reviewer · 7/10 · 13 August 2020]

I think of all the episodes that demonstrate the vapidity of the application of the prime directive, this one does so the most effectively. Most of the episode is spent on the chastisement of a man whose work effectively saves an entire race of people, on the bizarre notion that it is somehow unethical to interfere with the course of a civilization when that civilization is being wiped out by natural disasters completely unrelated to their own actions.

Look, given that the federation is not composed of evil idiots, surely any democratic vote would result in the decision that interference in alien cultures when those cultures would otherwise be wiped out through natural disasters is eminently ethical and correct? The central conflict of this episode is so forced and silly, as is this specific application of the prime directive whenever it pops up.

And as the story concludes Worfs Brother's actions, opposed vehemently by the supposed moral federation crew, result in the preservation of an alien species and culture. How anyone could watch through the episode and not come to the conclusion that any alternative course of action would be wrong is beyond me. It doesn't really feel like the writers don't want you to conclude that either, which really raises the question of why they continue to write the enlightened federation as ridiculous rules lawyers willing to witness the destruction of entire species on the basis of poorly envisioned dogma.

The flaws in the Prime Directive

[Tweekums · 6/10 · 15 September 2015]

When the Enterprise receives a distress call from Worf's brother Nikolai, who is observing the natives if Boraal II they learn that the planet is about to suffer the total loss of its atmosphere. Nikolai is determined that they must save some of the native population but Captain Picard is adamant that the Federations Prime Directive means that they must be left to die. Nikolai doesn't take no for an answer and beams a group of Boraalan into the holodeck, which he has programmed to simulate the caves they were sheltering in. Picard is furious when he learns of this but as he can't beam them back to a now dead planet he agrees to transport them to similar planet. To avoid the Boraalans learning that they are on a different world they create a program that will enable them the trek from the simulated caves to a simulation of the site of their new village; with gradual changes in the terrain as they go. There are some problems when the holodeck starts to malfunction but Worf, who has been subject to surgical alteration and his brother describes as a seer, makes up excuses that they believe. One problem can't be explained though… one of the Boraalans wanders away from the group and exits the holodeck; no amount of excuses can explain what he sees; will he be able to return to the others; if he does and he tells them what he has seen it will either change their society forever or he will be treated like a madman.

This episode has a good basic idea; I liked the idea that a group of people is to be transported to an entirely different planet without their knowledge and Worf's various excuses for strange goings on were rather amusing. On the other hand Picard's insistence that they must not interfere with the Boraalan's 'natural development' even though that means they would be extinct in a few hours went beyond being officious and cold hearted; it was like watching somebody calmly watching a child drown while saying how sad it was then being furious when somebody else rescued them. This could have been justified if by the end of the story the idea that the rule about non-interference being absolute was questioned… but we just know that if he encountered an identical situation again Picard would have the same reaction. Overall this episode has some good ideas but I can't say I enjoyed it as the actions of major characters made me angry.

Would have been great if not for the prime directive nonsense

[mccrearym-19319 · 7/10 · 21 July 2018]

I really liked Paul Sorvino as Worf's brother and the conflict between them seemed genuine except for the ridiculous interpretation of the Prime Directive, which is the Federation policy of non interference in a society that hasn't developed warp drive.

First, Picard has broken that rule many times in the past. Maybe he's evolved, become more conservative in his old age? That still leaves the interpretation of the directive in the first place, which, to give them credit, they do address in the episode.

Supposedly it's not about allowing societies to evolve on their own, it's about ensuring noninterference. But the point is to allow a civilization to develop naturally, so if the whole planet is going to be destroyed, what's the point in enforcing the Prime Directive? They didn't debate this much at all in the episode, which made the rest of the story feel a bit contrived. Troi of all people was the one defending the use of the Prime Directive to justify letting this civilization be wiped out. It seemed out of character for both her and Picard, who got really angry at Worf's brother simply because he was trying to save a doomed people. That shaky foundation as the premise of the episode really took a lot away from it and could have been avoided with a bit more creativity in the writing room. But if you can get past that, it's a pretty good episode.

Okay episode but has issues

[snoozejonc · 6/10 · 6 February 2022]

Enterprise gets involved in the elaborate plan of Worf's brother Nikolai.

This is an okay Prime Directive episode that takes a strong concept and executes it in an average way.

I like the idea behind the solution that Nikolai sets in motion and it could have made for a great sci-fi mystery. If we had began the story with the characters already underway on their journey and we were ignorant that it was a holodeck simulation, it could have set up a cool dramatic reveal. Unfortunately, it plays out for me in a relatively flat journey with little suspense or interest as we know what's going on.

The characters do little to improve the situation. Picard, who is usually the ultimate humanitarian is written as someone who would probably leave a child drown in a bath rather than move a muscle out of his way to help. I know the Prime Directive applies, but there is barely anything above "Computer Says No" from Picard. The writers could at least have had him explain the ethics given how extreme he appears here. I'm sure Patrick Stewart could have effectively done it with a well delivered story about some other species the Federation saved from extinction, who later went on to enslave another race or commit genocide.

Worf having a brother comes slightly out of left field. People criticise 'Discovery' for giving Spock a sister, but at least that follows the concept through and the writers made an effort to explain why she was never mentioned. This just decides to randomly present Nikolai for the sake of comparing personalities and injecting family dramatics. Michael Dorn and Paul Sorvino do good work with the material they have.

All that being said, performances are generally good and the mix up of studio and location shots is done well. It isn't a bad episode it's just difficult to really invest into something that feels wrong from the off as it's not written strongly enough.

For me it's a 5.5/10 but I round upwards.

More of Worf's family revealed.

[russem31 · 3 May 2006]

ST:TNG:165 - "Homeward" (Stardate: 47423.9) - this is the 13th episode of the 7th and last season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In another episode that delves into Worf's family, we meet his human brother Nikolai Rozhenko (played by the great actor Paul Sorvino). The Enterprise responds to an emergency distress call from Worf's brother who is stationed on Boraal II, a planet whose atmosphere was rapidly deteriorating and will soon disappear.

While Nikolai pleas with Picard to save the people down there, the captain says they can't do anything because of the Prime Directive. However, the rebellious Nikolai countermands the captain's orders and transport the people to the Holodeck in a bold plan to take them on a "journey" to a new place where they can live (aka, a new hospitable planet), without them ever knowing they left their own planet. It is Nikolai and Worf who will lead them.

The plan seems to work except for one Boraalin who discovers the Holodeck Door and finds himself on the Enterprise. Because Dr. Crusher can't erase his memory, this leaves the Enterprise crew in a conundrum. To top that, Nikolai has another "little" surprise up his sleeve.

Find out what happens in this thought-provoking episode.

Trivia note: Worf hasn't seen his brother in 4 years (presumably since the 4th season episode "Family" when Worf visited his human parents on Earth). Penny Johnson also stars as one of the Boraalins (she will later play Sisko's love interest Kasidy Yates in the "Deep Space Nine" series).

That pesky prime directive.

[thevacinstaller · 7/10 · 19 May 2021]

All I know for sure is that there is a strong possibility that Nikolai's child will have human physical traits ---- That is going to be an interesting delivery! I don't blame you Nikolai ---- Penny had it going on in the mid 90's.

What we needed in this episode is a fast forward 1000 years into the future and we learn that the Boraalan people have turned in vicious warlords causing pain and suffering to millions and millions of neighboring worlds. That would be a nice little twist to explain the unintended consequences of violating the prime directive. I want some consequences and conflict.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode and turned a blind eye to the prime directive conundrums. I would like to experience as star trek episode where violating the prime directive has catastrophic consequences as a means of solidifying the importance of following it in the first place ---- they touch on this in 'Who watches the watchers' but I am envisioning something of greater scale.

This episode can also lead to some heated debate about star trek ethics/morality and that equals a solid episode to me.

I liked it

[the_oak · 7/10 · 9 November 2023]

I just watched this episode and I liked it. I liked the simple, natural ways of the villagers, I like the emotional conflict between Worf and Nicolai, I like how Picard has to make tough choices, I liked Deanna's compassion when Vorin found himself terrified in ten forward, I liked the surprising ending where Vorin committed suicide. I'm not going to analyze it further to find flaws. I hope you enjoy it, too. I have to write some more to meet the requirements of the review board, so these last words coming from wintery november land Norway is just to wish you a good and peaceful day. Tonight we have a starry sky.

Evil Intent

[iblack-23610 · 8/10 · 30 July 2023]

Captain Picard has shown throughout the run of the series to be a skilled leader, trusted friend and 'to a degree' possessing a heart.

This episode however shines a very horrific light on that bald dome of his! He and the rest of his gang 'save Crusher' are more than happy too allow and watch innocent people die.

The Prime Directive is simply a law of non interference in the development of another species. Not to sit back and let people die from a natural disaster! Btb how many times have we seen the PD trashed when it's suitable to do so? Over far less important issues?

This is one of the few times when the majority of the enterprise crew behave worse than Q on a bad day. The casual disregard for life they had is sickening. 'Looking remorseful and staring at the floor dosent cut it'.

Also after the planets troposphere is destroyed Picard then decides to make a pathetic speech to justify his inaction he then runs into his office and gives the bridge to Riker. Sad.

Nikolai was the shining light in this episode. He was willing to risk everything simply because it was the right thing to do. Hats off to Paul Sorvino! His acting was spot on.

Inferior Episode

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 12 October 2014]

Paul Sorvino guest stars, playing Worf's dangerously careless brother, Nikolai (born of two human parents). He has embedded himself with a group of people whose planet is doomed. They have taken refuge underground, but their days are numbered. Because of the prime directive, Picard refuses Nikolai's request to save them. Brother decides to go it on his own, using the Holodeck as a holding place, causing these people to believe they have not left their planet. To get to the point, he forces Picard, et. al., to search for a planet that can sustain them. They will then be beamed down as they sleep. There is a slip up when one of them escapes the Holodeck and must be dealt with appropriately. This is such a hare-brained scheme to start with that it really pushes the limits of reality (even for science fiction).

Unlike Hitchcoc, I actually really liked this one.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 5 December 2014]

I can understand the review by Hitchcoc and his disliking the show. After all, everyone likes different things. As for me, I really liked this one and thought it brought up some interesting points.

Dr. Nikolai Rozhenko (Paul Sorvino) is working on planet as an observer. The locals believe he's one of them and he's become a part of their community. While this is a bit odd and skirts the limits of the Prime Directive, it gets worse. The planet is doomed and will soon be bereft of all life. The Prime Directive calls for non-interference but Rozhenko is determined to do ANYTHING to insure the continuation of these nice people. But they know nothing of space travel and he cannot simply take them aboard a Federation ship to resettle them elsewhere...and the Prime Directive would indicate that he leaves them. However, against Picard's express wishes, Rozhenko beams the few survivors onto a holodeck simulation that LOOKS like their shelter on the planet below and they THINK they are all still there! Now what? Oh, and to complicate things, Roshenko is Worf's step-brother!!

I liked the show because it stretched the limits of the non- interference policy of the Federation. And, as I watched, I thought the Captain and the crew were incredibly callous (annoyingly so) towards the folks on the planet--so I liked seeing Sorvino, who is not a Starfleet officer, throw the policy out the window! Pretty interesting and well written.

Worf is pretty handsome without the Klingon skull!

[Meeren · 6/10 · 24 October 2020]

I say. His acting skills shows better now. Wish they would take his Klingon brow away permanently.

The Prime Directive can get a bit much sometimes

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 27 August 2018]

I have to say that I was with Paul Sorvino on this one. The choice he had to make for the primitive tribe he was living and studying with is rescue them or let them perish. But that old prime directive says let things occur. That wouldn't sit with me either.

Sorvino plays Worf's human foster brother for as you remember during Worf's formative years he was raised by human after losing his Klingon family and Sorvino is a bit of a rebel. He's not in Starfleet so prime directive means nothing to him. I say bully for what he did.

He got the Enterprise to transport the whole tribe and the idea is to use hollow decks to make them think they're still on the planet while Enterprise transports them to a new suitable home. And Michael Dorn who is all about honor and duty and order being obeyed is aghast at his behavior. The two have some edgy family scenes.

Still this is one really great episodes of TNG especially after one of the tribe escapes the hollowdeck and wanders on to the Enterprise. Paul Sorvino is one actor who is never bad in anything he does. He's outstanding here.

"It is the sign of LaForge."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 17 April 2024]

When you come right down to it, anytime the Enterprise makes contact with an alien civilization, and the officer crew gets involved with the local population, to my mind that's already a violation of the Prime Directive if you want to get technical about it. The only time it wouldn't be is if a planet were simply observed from orbit in space and no one from the Enterprise beamed down to it. In the case of this episode, I think the writers went overboard in characterizing Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) as so vehemently opposed to saving the lives of a group of villagers on a doomed planet. Given a different scenario, Captain and crew might have been all on board with taking action to save those folks, and even though in this show they did, it left a bad taste. It made Picard look weak when he accepted Dr. Nikolai Rozhenko's (Paul Sorvino) ultimatum, and then deferred to the idea of taking the tribe secretly to a new planet. Even Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) started out on shaky ground opposing his brother, only gradually coming around to the idea, especially after Nikolai's wife Dobara (Penny Johnson Jerald) mentioned that he would be an uncle to their child. As for Vorin (Brian Markinson), I could understand his inner conflict after discovering what the Enterprise plan was, but suicide was a bit extreme. After all, there's no rethinking that strategy. This could have been a more effective episode if the Captain Picard had taken the same principled stand as Nikolai, and decided to defend that stance to the Federation later. What were they going to say - let the entire planet die?

Prime Directive Doesn't Apply Here

[jcaynon-91303 · 2/10 · 14 September 2015]

The problem with this episode is that Picard clearly misinterprets what the Prime Directive is all about. The Prime Directive is about non-interference with a planetary society's culture. However, it says nothing about allowing an entire species to become extinct because of forces outside of that society's control (such as the natural disaster threatening to extinguish life from the surface of the planet in this episode). Essentially, his view would be that if a culture hasn't developed space flight capability on its own and a planetary disaster falls upon them, they should be allowed to die off.

Clearly, that view flies in the face of the Original Series episode "All Our Yesterdays" where the Enterprise tried to save some of the people of the planet Sarpeidon when its sun was going supernova. Star Fleet had ordered Kirk to rescue at least some of the people there, people who had not developed space flight capability.

So with the precedent already established in the Original Series, Picard's strained view simply doesn't hold any water especially since Worf's brother came up with a fairly ingenious way to transport the people without impacting their culture.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 10/10 · 11 October 2022]

Boraal II has sent out a distress call from Lieutenant Worf's foster brother Nikolai Rozhenko no less. He has been stationed on the planet as a cultural observer. Data estimates that within 38 hours the planet would be uninhabitable due to the stratosphere breaking down and turbulent radiation storms blowing across much of the planets surface. Certainly not a place to go for a holiday.

The technology on Boraal II isn't anywhere close to the level of the Enterprise or her crew, so the Prime Directive must be maintained. Captain Picard is adamant about that, on this occasion at least. I should add that Cassy Yates is in this one, only she isn't Cassy Yates thanks to the magic of television.

So, the argument and this show will revolve around the interpretations of the prime directive. Of course, Nikolai was something of a rebel and dropped out of Starfleet Academy after only a year. He clearly has no interest in the Prime Directive.

I think its about time we sorted out this question of the Prime Directive. Much as I appreciate that saving the people's of dying worlds would become a full-time occupation for the star ships that make up the Federation, if they abandoned the PM. What difference should it make telling a few dozen people that their world has been destroyed and telling them the realities of how the universe works? You are on a star ship and being transported to a new planet? The alternative was death.

That story might become part of their culture but it wouldn't allow them to instantly recreate the technology they would see on the star ship. It would certainly solve any worries of those Boraalan's learning about the star ship by-chance, as happened to the Gary Neville look-alike.

Of course, if we started the story with the people of the village knowing that they are being transported on a star ship it does make the episode and story redundant and we would spent 45 minutes looking at a blank screen... or Data trying to entice Spot from under the bed. This was a great story nethertheless, reminding me at times of The Truman Show and The Devil At Four O'Clock. We are approximately half-way through the final season, and to be fair, a good percentage of the shows of Season 7 have been a little disappointing, so it is always a relief when a good one come's along. It was also interesting to see Worf's real face for once. It's noticeable that without the Klingon make-up Worf is capable of making facial expressions...

"Why will the stars be different?"

This Episodes Clue: "Paul doesn't move for anyone"

(Answer's to all episode clues will appear in the reviews of season seven, episode 25: All Good Things, Part One.)

Several viewers don't get it...

[hurlock · 10/10 · 14 October 2019]

One of the rules in telling a good story is breaking the rules that you have set within that framework. It creates tension. So if you create rules such as "the prime directive", imagine all the fun you can have when you break those rules, telling a great story. What a bore, without that tension. Much like the majority of the first 2 seasons, which lacked those conundrums.

Oh! And it's fiction. Some have forgotten that fact.

The Prime Directive is for something.

[Thecuchix · 8/10 · 10 November 2023]

Synopsis:

In this episode, Worf catch up his step-brother Nikolai, he is with an alien race who is gonna be extinct after some natural events who gonna erase the life of that entire planet.

But Nikolai do has another plan; transport all the people while they are sleeping into the holodeck and make them believe they are still on that planet, find another world were this race can live and simulate with the holodeck to just travel away from they town, into a uncharted place.

Important: This race is setted on dark ages, so they don't really know about space ships, or even Nikolai is an human, so he is an alien between them.

Review:

In the entire episode we see why save that people is complicated, but not impossible.

1) What if they find out that is a simulation? Imagine get out of your house and then finding out that is a holodeck and you are in an alien planet, imagine knowing you were."kidnapped" without even know about it.

2) Finding a similar planet is not that easy.

3) The holodeck has troubles to hold on the simulator for so long since the Enterprise was affected before leave the planet.

4) You can't really garantee their future, you cannot simple play as a god.

In this episode this things are discussed and in the worst of cases; we see the consecuences.

It's a matter of moral and ethical thing to do or not to do, the Prime Directive was already a topic in the series and they do it again, and that is what make this series so interesting, is not just spaceship fighting, is about resolve problems, know what to do in a future who we can be those "aliens who come in peace", not for nothing the diplomacy is important for interact with other races who already reach the space travel age.

Poor writing indeed.

[Lunchbox-3 · 3/10 · 31 January 2014]

To add to what ShogaNinja said, Picard expresses a lot of anger at Nikolai for creating this situation and coming up with such a ridiculous solution. Then at the end of the episode Crusher asks Picard if he regrets saving the tribe and he says "No, and our plan worked perfectly." Even though the tribe now believes in a magical Worf and some God called "La Forge" the same way the proto-Vulcans in "Who Watches the Watchers" believed in "The Picard." I thought Nikolai's use of the holodeck was rather brilliant but the line of BS he came up with sell it to the tribe was utter lunacy. "Duck inside your tents and my brother will make the storm disappear!" Won't they be questioning him for the rest of his life about his magical brother? Why not just knock them out with some gas and then later say the storm dissipated while they were asleep?

The episode also entirely avoids the ethical question of letting someone die rather than violate your policy of non-interference. The Prime Directive is supposed to prevent them from negatively impacting another culture. Since the only alternative is the extinction of that culture does it really apply? Wouldn't a culture influenced by alien visitation still be preferable to no culture at all? This episode really makes Picard out to be a puppet of Starfleet dogma. I'm reminded of Jor-El's words in the 1979 movie, "Is it now a crime to cherish life?"

Prime directive apparently means "let people die under all circumstances"

[nicolasboeyer · 4/10 · 20 November 2022]

An exceptionally flawed episode. Captain Picard, Captain "creative solutions and differentiated analysis", of all people, now interpets the Prime Directive in the most dull way possible. Said directive is about avoiding interference in cultures - its purpose is to leave cultures as "original " as possible to avoid artificially induced unrest. However, if all members of a culture will die with a 100% certainly, it follows that this outcome is undoubtedly worse than any negative outcome an interference could possibly have. So it must follow that applying the Prime Directive here makes absolutely no sense at all. And let's not get started about how much Picard's behavior in this episode completely contradicts his personality and his moral values as laid out in the more than 100 episode before. Also Worf should have been totally on board with his step brothers actions since it's without a doubt the more honorable thing to rescue the villagers.

Issues never addressed....

[faithless4734 · 4/10 · 22 March 2020]

So the moral high ground that is typical of the Star Trek world is taken to an extreme here. The story has a few flaws as pointed out in other reviews. My largest issue is in all the years that the prime directive has been around and the number of times that the Enterprise and other members of the Federation have bumped up against it they have never made any adjustments to the basic framework. No addendum, no exceptions, No paragraph 1 subparagraph C rules...Nothing. They simply keep coming across problem after problem and throwing the same "rule" at it and breaking that same rule. Isn't that the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Yet another bad episode from season 7.

Too many plot holes

[tracy-96-545326 · 5/10 · 7 May 2023]

I give the writers a lot of leniency usually because it's gotta be challenging to come up with new plots for the show. I get it. But this one was just too loose.

• once they were already onboard, why couldn't they have been sedated while they were sleeping and then put in stasis until they reached their new world? All the stress of the holodeck malfunctioning was just silly and forced.

• at the end when they get transported to the planet, they all just go into their tents and then they get transported while they're conscious?!? And we're supposed to believe that they weren't aware of this happening and don't freak out about it?

• and when Worf is leaving at the end he asks if he can just take one of their historical record things. The records are so important to the people and Worf just takes one as a souvenir?!?

• and there's only a couple dozen of them. How are they supposed to be genetically diverse enough to repopulate themselves and continue? Talk about inbreeding!

It's all just too ridiculous.

The problem is that the viewers DO get it.

[glornt · 5/10 · 26 January 2021]

This is two stories: The good part is the further exploration of Worf's family dynamics. Over the course of this series, I have found Worf to be the least annoying regular character overall. However, this brings us to the other story...

The Prime Directive. This, much like the holodeck, a plot device. Want to interject some tension in the episode? Invoke the Prime Directive, the point usually being to explain why the current episode's "violation" of it is a good thing. However, in this case, the "good guys" would have it enforced literally -- only, in this case it really isn't; it is merely an excuse to create tension between Picard and Worf's brother (and, by extension, between Worf and Worf's brother). The PD forbids interference in the "*normal* development of any society"; it is beyond ludicrous to posit the extinction of a society as its "normal development".

This is not a "breaking of the rules", it is an abuse of the rules, a callous application of a rule to justify letting people die. It also goes against the established characters' general behaviors and attitudes. Sure, people can be inconsistent, but in such a clear case of literal life and death, for all of the Enterprise primary officers -- even Worf, against his brother -- to be on the side of fatal neglect is simply not believable, even in fiction.

If anything, this paints the Enterprise crew (at least the ones that "matter") as massive hypocrites. Just recall all the times that they did violate the PD. In all of those cases, there was an existing emotional attachment to someone endangered by adherence to the rule -- a crew member, the ship itself, or one or more of the locals to which a member of the crew had formed some kind of personal attachment. In this case, the only "local" who fit the bill was not really a local, and he was the only one not in danger of being wiped out, anyway. This makes it seem that the PD cannot be violated -- unless one or more of the regular characters has an attachment to the society in question or is placed in jeopardy by following it. Such a rule is not really much of a rule.

Then we have Picard saying "Our plan worked" at the end. Really? "Our" plan? The one that he was furious over having been forced into it? I'm not a huge Picard fan (or of STNG in general), but this is beneath him.

And to put it into perspective, this episode follows one in which Picard actually praises Riker for disobeying direct orders and placing the overall good above concern for his career... and then tells a civilian "Your career is over!" for disagreeing with his illogical interpretation of the PD. These two Picards are not the same man.

And why wasn't Nikolai already in trouble for having helped those people before the Enterprise was summoned? He had already protected them using technology that they did not themselves possess, but this was okay, while moving them to a viable planet was somehow wrong?

On the plus side: no Wesley, no Whoopi, limited Troi/Riker (and how did the empath not detect deception on the part of Nikolai? Apparently, her "sense" only works when the plot needs it.), and none of Data's "Pinocchio Syndrome".

More minuses: Over-reliance on the holodeck, which in this case actually made sense -- until the "convenient" malfunctioning of it here was clearly just meant to add drama; it was just too convenient that it bugged out just when it did, there was no organic reason (sabotage, etc.) for it. Plus, the aliens here are once more just humans with disfigured noses or foreheads. Sure, I understand that there are limitations in makeup for a TV series, so they can't do too much, but... oh yeah, they're an alien *species*, but a human male can impregnate one of the alien women? This is another recurring plot hole that never really gets explained. How is it that there are so many alien *species" that are able to cross-breed? In some cases, we might assume advanced medical/genetic technology, but in this episode, this would not have been the case -- low tech aliens, and Nikolai was not a geneticist or reproductive medical expert. Another plot contrivance that added drama, but at the expense of the "science" part of science fiction.

Still, it's not the worst thing they ever did, just wildly inconsistent.

Bad Writing

[ShogaNinja · 5/10 · 14 November 2008]

This episode is full of suppositions, plot holes, and really bad writing.

We meet Nikolai, Worf's foster-brother, the son of his Russian foster parents who we have met before and who also currently raising Alexander. When Nikolai introduces Worf to the village he tells them that Worf is his brother. Yet none of these suspicious people were chiming in with " well, why is your skin different colors then?" Yet later we are to believe the one guy is a little TOO inquisitive and finds his way onto the Enterprise. mmmmhmm. UNLESS they are an alien race that skin color is variable upon birth. There seemed to be wide demographic makeup in the village to support this theory.

Then they come back and get un-surgeried, only to turn around and be ordered back INTO surgery to get facially altered AGAIN within hours. Geez. If it's that easy why doesn't everyone look like supermodels? They could have made Dr. Polaski sexy?

They should have never been tricked by Nikolai in the first place... for many reasons. A:The crew is experienced, they have dealt with ferengi and Q alike. What's this one man compared to that? B. His intent was obvious to anyone and he had a motive which he displayed openly. C. Deanna Troi would detect his intent in about a nanosecond. D. Even through the convenient "interference" they would have detected that the transporters were being used - they have logs for a reason. E. Who operated those transporters? A civilian scientist who doesn't know his way around the ship, or that it had a "new" holodeck, one who failed out of the Academy in the first year. Hardly good enough to make such precise calculations to aim all of them into the holodeck unbeknownst to them. And how would he know when they were all asleep anyway?

Later the Captain is informed that they have to hurry because the holodeck is losing stability. Why not fix the other holodecks and transport them over in their sleep or whatever?

Then they just let him go? Why not make him stand charges as a civilian? They do have laws about that for civilians I'm sure too. It was never even discussed only that "You're career is over!" We can't have civvies going around and changing the universe whenever they feel like can we? Treating the prime directive like a suggestion? Rule of thumb? Wives' tale?

There was one funny moment in this episode and that was when that woman told Worf they should be family because she is pregnant with his brother's baby. His reaction is HILARIOUS.

There was just too many conveniently lined up variables that make up this craptastic episode all created by the writer/s. All to further some really inconsistent and bad writing and squeeze another one out before the finale. You may actually find yourself making fart noises while you watch this episode. (In the end when they pretend they are brothers who reconciled. lol.)

With the series coming to a close you think they wouldn't waste time filming a stinker like this one. 5/10 (hey it's still TNG)

A Senior Trekker writes..................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 9 March 2022]

The final season of Star Trek, the Next Generation gave us some splendid episodes and also a fair share of stinkers. Everyone knew by this stage that they would not be renewed and attempts were made to wrap up various story lines before they said their final goodbyes. There is still a great deal to be enjoyed.

How nice to see Michael Dorn without the brow ridges! He was a very good looking chap, wasn't he? I suppose he at least had the advantage of being able to go shopping unrecognised even after being on such a long-running TV show. I like this episode a lot more now than I did at first viewing but that may be simply because I was suffering from "previously unheard of relative" fatigue back in the day.

Well known actor Paul Sorveno plays Worf's foster brother Nikolai Rozhenko, a renegade working to protect an unsophisticated group of villagers from extinction on a dying planet. After their reunion, Worf and the Enterprise officers come over all "Prime Directive" and refuse to help, preferring to watch the last of the planet's atmosphere boil away, leaving its poor inhabitants to their ghastly fate. Picard even makes a speech as everyone on the Enterprise bridge looks on. It's a heart wrenching moment and the Federation's supercilious morality clause never looked less humane or more cruel.

Luckily for the future of this race, Dr Rozhenko has secretly beamed a bunch of villagers into the a simulation on the holodeck where they think that they are still sheltering in the same set of caves. We have some sort of threat to the ship/holodeck breakdown thing going on but it is just a plot device to allow one of the villagers to stray into the Enterprise's bar and get a glimpse of what is really going on. That part of the story has an unhappy conclusion but the rest of the villagers are re-settled on another planet, apparently without realising that they have been moved.

The guest actors include Penny Johnson, later a regular on DS9, as Rozhenko's pregnant wife and Brian Markinson, later of DS9 and Voyager, as the unfortunate scribe Vorin. The coarse fabric of the villagers' costumes, which were based on genuine medieval designs, was extremely effective in suggesting a people of a pre-industrial era. It was with great amusement, then, that I noticed they were all wearing moulded rubber-soled boots.

Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5.

Better than usual.

[Blueghost · 18 May 2023]

Again, original Star Trek was a plot driven "police in space" show. Star Trek the Next Generation emphasized character interaction with plots used as backdrops for character driven stories.

Homeward is still character driven but has an interesting premise of transplanting a group of people from one world to another. The practicalities aside of finding a habitable world with a compatible atmosphere, water and edible flora and fauna, not to mention a human "mating" with the natives, this episode explores the bridging of interpersonal gaps between cultures and foster brothers.

To be honest, it's still a chore to watch, but there's enough "alien intrigue" to mitigate The Next Generations typical slowness and soft peddled approach to story telling. George adds some plot hijinks trying to nurse both holodeck and engineering, and trying to sooth the brow of one of the guest characters adds some interest, but once again Star Trek the next Generation was designed for a broader and younger audience. Therefore any cross cultural is kept comparatively static.

It's interesting for what it is, and had more story energy than previous episodes I had seen, but again the show has a softer approach to just everything old classic fans like me enjoyed from Kirk and Spock.

Take that for what it is.