Galaxy's Child

I notice a lot of people claim Geordi is creepy in this episode and could get into some kind of trouble. Ummm, no. That's rather silly and certainly no HR department could press forward against him without facing a losing lawsuit from the accused. Geordi however does come across as rather pathetic. I think a certain level of empathy toward his character explains this, Dr. Brahms is his dream girl, an engineering nerd who's nice to him, who understands the way that he thinks. He can't help but be excited.

Dr. Brahms however is an absolute jerk, worse, close-minded. That he had a holodeck experience with a fake version of her is neither his fault, if you watch the show, nor inappropriate if you have adult sensibilities.

I don't really think the execution of Geordi's plot works, it's a good premise, his dream girl subverts expectations, but it's just awkward to actually watch. The background for why they meet is off the rails, she's supposed to come on the ship to see his work, not judge it. He could tell her to stand there and pout while he went back to work if he wanted to. She's a researcher with no authority or say in the operation of things. The show writers can't even keep their own plot straight.

The subplot of a baby space creature confusing the Enterprise for its mother is interesting and a good plot for Star Trek. Overall it's a decent episode despite the flaws, drama has to be created for every episode and it's rare that there isn't some silliness involved to make that happen.

Even a blind man could see she wasn't down to clown. I feel somewhat sorry for his lack of tact. Apparently Facebook no longer exists in the distant future which is a good thing. I'm currently writing nonsense to try and reach the character minimum. For the record I will stand in line all night in the freezing cold outside a new chick fil a franchise to score free chicken because it's chicken fried chicken and I like fried chicken. And after further review crocodile Dundee 3 isn't as bad as people make it out to be Paul Hogan really shows his range as an actor. And while I'm at it Mr. Magoo is the best Scrooge.

Here's a curious case of bringing back an obscure holodeck plot device (Dr. Leah Brahms, whose real self is even more attractive at maximum aloofness). All of the stuff about Geordi fantasizing about a hologram doesn't tend to make our Chief Engineer look well-adjusted (or his love life, but it all turns out alright in the end).

The better material lies in the other plot line, with the Enterprise being attacked by an expectant space organism . . . and then performing a phaser C-section after the being's been killed. This really hit upon the space exploration angle of Star Trek, and I thought was pretty well done.

7/10

Leah Brahm's, one of the engineer's involved in the creation of the Enterprise, makes a return engagement, this time as a real person. Geordi, during a serious crisis, created a holodeck program so he could work with the beautiful young engineer. In that episode, he had the hots for her, and made her into a more compliant, though still feisty, character. She was computer generated and Geordi carried a crush for her. So she shows up and when Geordi starts putting moves on her, she is confused and somewhat hostile. She blames him for messing around with her engine (not her engine, the Enterprise engine). They have a volatile encounter and agree to try to make the best of things. Unfortunately for our visored hero, she comes upon his holodeck program and goes ballistic. He is angry and hurt but I have to tell you, he deserves every bit of it. At the very least, he should have destroyed the program. She was right to imagine him using her as a toy.

There is something else going on while all this is playing out. The crew discovers a life form that looks a little bit like a giant ravioli with a tail. It is aggressive and Picard is forced to defend the ship using what he feels is a restrained blow. Unfortunately, he kills it. Picard is horrified at what he has done. This is a newly discovered life form and what he has done is unconscionable. Shortly thereafter, it is realized that the thing was pregnant and its aggressiveness was probably a motherly instinct. The baby is born but bonds with the Enterprise, drawing energy from the ship and putting it in grave danger. Picard, already considering himself a murderer, feels he must not use life threatening action against the little one. It is up to Brahms and LaForge to come up with something. Pretty decent offering.

After meeting the real-life Leah Brahms, La Forge is challenged by her actual personality which is in stark contrast to his holodeck fantasy version of her. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is put at risk by a previously undiscovered space-dwelling creature that puts a serious strain on the ship's energy levels.

This is not one of season four's strongest efforts as it's badly written and needlessly revisits the cringe-worthy relationship between La Forge and Brahms, played by a still-unconvincing Gibney. The show is also hindered with some poor CG in places and the subplot involving the new alien creature never feels believable. Surely Picard would be devastated by his actions, only for such consequences to be retconned immediately after the commercials. Not good and very skippable for binge watchers.