The Bonding

Tragedy strikes the Enterprise when the ship's resident archaeologist Lt. Marla Aster is killed during an away mission, leaving behind her twelve-year-old son Jeremy alone on the Enterprise. While the crew attempt to help Jeremy adjust including a guilt-ridden Worf, an alien presence boards the Enterprise and adopts the guise of Marla.

Another episode that's very well written, dealing with themes of grief and loss for people of all ages. However, I never quite bought into Worf's subplot which isn't given enough to time to breathe on its own and the performance of Damon as the bereaved Jeremy feels far too wooden and forced. Other than that, a solid outing for the TNG crew.

This episode had a lot of potential. The first half was very strong, involving the death of a woman who had a newly orphaned son on board the Enterprise.

There are a lot of great character moments here. Some great character moments from Picard, Troi, Worf, and Data. In particular, I loved how the episode involves a meditation on the ethics of bringing children on board the Enterprise, and putting them in danger.

The big problem I had with this episode is the way the plot twists towards the end. Rather than exploring the character of the boy, or the ramifications the death has on the crew, it devolves into an alien of the week story.

I found myself wishing that the original story for this episode was used. Instead of the alien of the week, we could have had one involving the holodeck.

It is by no means the worst episode, but I was let down by the plot, because I saw the potential for something a lot more interesting.

This strange episode begins when an away-team, lead by Worf, encounter a problem which leads to the death of one of the members, Lt. Marla Aster. She is killed leaving a young son, Jeremy Aster, to face the her death head-on. But while Jeremy is grieving his mother's death, she all of the sudden appears in his room stating her death was a big mistake and she want Jeremy to come live with her on the planet.

Jeremy is now torn between his mother alive and the crew of the Enterprise telling him that it's an alien presents that is acting like his mother. When the Enterprise takes action to remove the alien from the ship, it returns with a vengeance.

A very nice story that involves death and remembrance. We will learn that the alien's motive is respectable but misunderstood in human's perception. Some good emotional scenes with Wesley and another with Worf. Entertaining story that was enjoyable to watch and learn.

I don't have the experience of a deceased parent, but I still know that loss is a fundamental part of the human condition. 'The Bonding' takes that and applies it to life onboard a starship. A Starfleet archaeologist is killed during a routine mission, leaving behind a young boy; Worf deals with his own guilt after leading the expedition, Riker and Picard contemplate the after effects from a command perspective and Wesley vividly recalls the news of his own father's death. Throw in an alien being whose only aim is to relieve suffering and this is a heartfelt look at how we deal with personal pain. All of this can easily become syrupy, but it doesn't. There's sensitivity involved here, and even though the pacing feels a little compressed, this is a very well written episode.

Touching, to the last.

9/10

I understand the reviewers who state that in some regards this episode is outlandish because a child wouldn't be nearly as calm and reserved in such a situation, but I think that Gabriel Damon did a good job as a child actor. He was working within the limits of the writing. Susan Powell also put in a solid performance as his mom. I'm rather surprised that those two actors don't even work anymore.

Near the end of this episode Picard makes an argument that is very reminiscent of the things that he says in the "Generations" movie (my personal favorite from the Trek cannon). Wesley Crusher also lets some inside secrets slip. It's a good episode.