Suddenly Human

A strong episode about a battle we too often see played out in the media today.

A child adopted at a young age, and raised with a good family, is suddenly taken away from the only home they have ever known, simply because his biological family now asserts a claim on them.

Regardless who the winner is in these situations, the only victim in any such battle is going to the child. Instead of possibility of growing up with two family's, they will now have to give up one of them.

How often we lose that which should have been our main focus all along. The best for the child and what they want.

This episode makes several pointed (albeit unrelated and undiscussed) references to Irish history. This is surprising as none of the episode's listed writers, editors, and actors appear to be or have been Irish or even of Irish descent.

The forename of "Adm. Connaught Rossa" (played by Barbara Townsend) is a clear reference to Connaught (now called Connacht), one of the four provinces that comprise the island of Ireland.

More importantly, the character called "Jono" was born Jeremiah Rossa to human parents, although raised as a Talerian. In real life, a man called Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa was a 19th-century Fenian. (The Fenians were the Irish rebel group which was the immediate precursor of the Irish Republican Army.) He fled the British authorities to New York City, where he lived until his death, and from whence he delegated violent attacks in London and elsewhere, often involving dynamite. He died in New York in June 1915 but his body was interred in Ireland on August 1, 1915 in a "heroes ceremony" coordinated by the Irish Republican Brotherhood for propaganda value. (The following year, the fateful Easter Rising of 1916, which would eventually lead to the severing of most of Ireland from the United Kingdom, occurred.)

Enterprise encounters a human boy raised by a different species.

This is an okay episode with good performances.

The story has some interesting themes, particularly the cultural clash aspects and the question of wellbeing of an individual in this type of situation.

For me it is portrayed with some contrivances and instances of over explanation. Do we need Troi to address Picard's role dealing with the situation? Is it even the correct approach? Does it feel forced into the story to fit Picard's character development? Would Worf have been a better fit to lead the story? Is the eventual "I've learned something today" speech simplistic or even necessary? Has Picard been portrayed as too astute a leader in previous episodes to accept he would not see the right course of action from the start? Why introduce a certain character only to disregard her at the story's resolution?

I think these aspects plus some others tend make the characters and plot feel a bit silly for getting to the extreme situations they are faced with.

That being said the performance of Patrick Stewart (as always) lifts the material significantly. So much so you can buy into most situations because he is such an engaging actor. He is supported well by Sherman Howard in certain scenes. Chad Allen does his best with the material he has in the key role of Jono, but the emphasis is more on the conflict between Enterprise and Talarians than the effect on his character.

Flaws:

* Didn't even mention a strong parallel between the kid and Worf, let alone explore it

* Picard, in Kirk mode, gives the kid back. I think just maybe some experts in trauma and psychological abuse should have looked at the situation instead of Picard coming to an epiphany based on the kid immediately before trying to murder him?

* The possibility that Jono just might be experiencing Stockholm Syndrome, or some other psychological damage, is only barely discussed.

* Jono's living relative is his grandmother, an ADMIRAL in Starfleet. Just maybe she would like to have been consulted before Picard gives her grandson back?

* Chad Allen as Jono is given extremely clunky lines to say.

* Jono playing his obnoxious music really loud. Yes, a teen acting as a teen. But several other annoying bits, like Jono acting like a caged animal when they try to remove his gloves, all the kids squealing for some reason.

* Dreadfully contrived dilemma. Why in the world can't the kid have contact with his human relatives?

When a disabled ship's tiny crew is brought on board the Enterprise, they assume they have been kidnapped and mistreated. They are Talarian's except for one, a handsome, blonde teenaged boy. He considers himself one of them and fears the crew. It turns out that when he was a little boy, the Talarians killed his parents. His only living relative is his grandmother who happens to be an admiral in Starfleet. He is put in a different setting than his crewmates and Picard, reluctantly, becomes his mentor. It is eventually revealed that the Captain of a Talarian vessel adopted him after the fatal battle. He wants his son back. The issue becomes, how do we treat someone who has only known one way of life. The initial effort is to return him to his childhood roots. He understands this but it miserable with it. He is also expected to act as those on the Enterprise do. The alien Captain gives Picard an ultimatum. Give the boy back or face all out war with heavy casualties. An interesting dilemma and worth a look.