Star Trek TNG - Season 5 - Episode 12
Star Trek TNG - 5x12 - Violations
Originally Aired: 1992-2-3
Synopsis:
The Enterprise hosts an alien race of telepathic historians. [DVD]
Problems
None
Factoids
None
Remarkable Scenes
- Keiko remembering her grandmother.
- Beverly trying to force Picard to accept memory retrieval.
- Riker talking to Troi whilst in a coma. He references the time she talked to him in TNG: Shades of Gray.
- Geordi investigating the cause of the comas and getting frustrated at the computer.
- Picard with hair in Beverly's flashback.
- Geordi and Data investigating the previous planets and discovering the Iresine Syndrome following the Ullians.
- Jev using his father to cover up his memory rape of the crewmembers.
- Data uncovering Jev's treachery.
My Review
Welcome back the Troi suffering cliche. Thankfully it plays a vital role in an episode that examines a very real moral issue regarding the concept of rape. This episode is one of many examples of how Star Trek examines a modern day issue using a SciFi plot device. I consider the approach elegant and realistic. Implied at the end of the episode is that rape is a forgotten crime on Earth (and the Federation at large) but as new abilities evolve into a species and new types of power and control can be exacted, will new forms of rape evolve as well? This episode examines that question well.
The following are comments submitted by my readers.
The best scenes in Violations are the actual mind rape scenes. We get to see Picard and Beverly together at the morgue, and Troi and Riker have a romantic encounter. These scences add depth to the characters and make them more lifelike. It is questionable that Jev would believe he could disable three crew members and not get caught. He must have been deeply in love with Troi. It is also surprising that he late Troi regain consciousness. Why not put her back in a coma to keep her off his trail?
The concept of telepathic historians is brilliant, and the female one really seemed like a real alien. There is just something about her. Anyway, this episode gets a 7 because of all the reasons stated.
- After Jev leaves the dinner because of his father's remarks, Troi follows. She catches up with him outside a turbolift. From the time Troi joins Jev outside the turbolift, until she departs, it is one continuous shot. When Jev and Troi get on the turbolift, the first two numbers on the door are "03." However, when the doors close on Jev at the end of the scene, the door once again begins with "03." Troi asked for deck 8 when they boarded the turbolift. It should have read "08" at the end of the scene.
- Toward the end of the show, Data and Geordi search medical records for comas on the planets visited by the Ulians. At one point, Geordi finds two cases of "Irisine syndrome" during the Ulians visit on Melina II. Geordi's computer screen shows the title "Melina II Planetary Medical Data Base." Data immediately comments on Geordi's success by saying, "Two cases of Irisine syndrome on Jarada III at exactly the time Tarman and his group were there." Jarada III?? The last comment Geordi made concerned Melina II, and his computer screen showed he was still working with the Melina II medical data base.
This is a solid, often overlooked episode. It's one of the best of the "real-world issue-exploring" TNG episodes. The sci-fi part this episode (the telpathic historians) is fascinating, and the mind rape scenes are genuinely creepy.
What's that on Picard's face in the morgue flashback? Some sort of medical device? Was Jean-Luc injured in the incident that killed Crusher? It looks like the aftermath of Picard's turn as Locutus, but that doesn't make sense.
Ugh, I really don't like this episode, and I was surprised to see all the positive comments above. First, while the whole idea of mind rape is interesting, why must we see Troi remember an actual rape? Riker, you asshole, no means no. I guess in the 90s we didn't care so much if images of sexual violence triggered traumatic flashbacks among rape survivors. But go ahead, Picard, imply that rape is no longer a problem in the Federation. I guess date rape doesn't count.
Also, we knew from the very first attack who was responsible, so the dramatic tension was all about whether he'd get away with it, and obviously he wasn't going to get away with it. When Jev did the memory probe on Troi (and why, if they were suspects, were they allowed to do the memory probe? Surely there must be a crew member on board from another telepathic species--a Vulcan, perhaps--who might be able to help retrieve the memory?) and he "discovered" that his father was responsible, I thought, "wow, that would be a really interesting twist! What if the father was actually responsible but was disguising himself as his son in the memory so that if they woke up and remembered anything he'd still be safe?" But of course I knew that wasn't what was going on. I knew that it was actually Jev. And he obviously wasn't going to get away with it. Yawn. I rate this episode a 2.
The episode is very much undermined by the creepy closeups the obviously guilty guy gets right from the first minute. Reminds me of the Simpsons where they often parody stuff like that.
I liked Dr. Crushers new assistant, he was great. Picard with more hair was a highlight, too.