Up The Long Ladder

Episode aired May 20, 1989
TV-PG
45m

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

3.8K

YOUR RATING

Action Adventure Drama Sci-Fi

An antiquated distress signal leads to two lost 22nd century Earth colonies, each facing doom in different ways, one by fire, the other by prolonged cloning.An antiquated distress signal leads to two lost 22nd century Earth colonies, each facing doom in different ways, one by fire, the other by prolonged cloning.An antiquated distress signal leads to two lost 22nd century Earth colonies, each facing doom in different ways, one by fire, the other by prolonged cloning.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

3.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
While filming the scene where Picard, Riker and Worf investigate the fire in the cargo bay set by the Irish settlers so they could cook, Patrick Stewart found the dialogue so hilarious that he started laughing uncontrollably, and forced himself to turn his back to the camera to continue. With cameras still rolling, Jonathan Frakes approached him in-character as Riker, and Stewart, still laughing, turned back around and improvised the line about bowing to the absurd.

Goofs
If the Bringloidi have a primitive agrarian culture complete with spinning wheels and domesticated animals, they would appear not to be able to send a distress call to Earth; however, this is a way of life by choice. As their ancestors launched from Earth in 2123, together with the technologically versed Mariposan colonists, it stands to reason that they would at least have had or borrowed a distress beacon for the event of an emergency.

Quotes
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Sometimes, Number One... you just have to... bow to the absurd.

Connections
Featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation: Shades of Gray (1989)

Soundtracks
Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User reviews37

Featured review

7/10

I'm Irish and Lighten Up Will Ye

This episode has the enterprise rescuing a lost colony of SPACE IRISH STEREOTYPES and its pretty damned funny. I'm well used to terrible Irish accents and this is up there, the first time I head their voices I was LMAO. It's space leprechauns (that's how you spell that btw) that all are drunk and carry hip flasks and live amongst the sheep and cattle, like I and my people of course do every day.

Anyways I'm only halfway through this at present. Riker seems to be into the hot "Irish lass" and also they are brewing poiteen on the ship, which I wholeheartedly approve of. I hope Worf gets to taste some proper Irish poiteen.

It's funny to me, but I can see how this would be asinine to a lot of people. I tip me awld hat to ye.