Redemption (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

"Redemption" is the name of a two-part episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Parts I and II of "Redemption" comprise the 100th and 101st episodes of the series, also being the fourth season finale and the fifth season premiere.

"Redemption"
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode
Episode no.Season 4 & 5
Episode 26 & 1
Directed byCliff Bole (Part I)
David Carson (Part II)
Written byRonald D. Moore
Featured musicDennis McCarthy
Production code200 & 201
Original air dateJune 17, 1991 (1991-06-17)
September 23, 1991 (1991-09-23)
Guest appearance(s)

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. In this episode, as Captain Picard travels to the Klingon homeworld to oversee Gowron's installation as leader of the High Council, the Enterprise is intercepted by a ship bearing the future leader himself. Gowron reveals he has learned that the surviving members of the vengeful Duras family are plotting to incite civil war within the Empire. Not long after, Gowron's installation ceremony is interrupted by the arrival of the Duras sisters, Lursa and B'Etor, who announce that Toral, the son of their dead brother Duras, will challenge Gowron for leadership. Worf, taking a leave of absence from Starfleet, meets with Gowron and offers him the support of an alliance of Klingon warships led by his brother Kurn, if Gowron will restore his family's honor. Gowron would prefer United Federation of Planets' help, but when the Duras faction attacks his ship, it seems that Worf is the only ally at hand.

Although previously opposed to getting the Federation involved in the Klingon civil war, Picard decides that he must help expose a disturbing fact: Romulans are supporting the disruptive Klingon faction led by the conniving Duras sisters. In the meantime, Worf is kidnapped and delivered to Lursa and B'Etor, who want Worf to join their side. Picard is unnerved when he's approached by Sela, a mysterious Romulan officer who bears an uncanny resemblance to Tasha Yar, the Enterprise's dead security chief.

Plot

In the style of the Star Trek franchise, the plot is split between two episodes that aired in separate seasons. One is the finale of Season 4, and is picked up as the opener to Season 5. The finale ends with the cliffhanger "..To be continued" in continuation of a practice that was started with "The Best of Both Worlds", which bridged Seasons 3 and 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Part 1

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (as K'mpec's chosen "Arbiter of Succession") and the Enterprise-D are asked to attend the installation of Gowron as the Leader of the Klingon High Council. Gowron informs Picard that the House of Duras will challenge Gowron's position and may lead to a Klingon civil war. Meanwhile, Worf requests a leave of absence to visit his brother, Kurn, who controls a small fleet of Birds of Prey, and to urge him to back Gowron, as, once installed as the Leader, Gowron can reinstate their family name.[1]

Interrupting the ceremony, the Duras sisters present their deceased brother's illegitimate son, Toral, who has the lineage to challenge Gowron. Picard is called on to determine Toral's candidacy. Relying on Klingon law, Picard comes to the conclusion that Toral is too inexperienced to be Leader, and secures Gowron's candidacy. This, however, prompts a majority of the council members to abandon Gowron. Gowron returns to his ship to meet with Worf, who offers his brother's fleet's support in exchange for the return of his family name to honor. Gowron initially refuses, but they are attacked by two ships loyal to the House of Duras. Worf and the arrival of Kurn's fleet dispatch the attackers. Picard completes the rite and installs Gowron as Leader; Gowron restores Worf's family honor.[2]

Gowron and the Enterprise crew learn that the Duras sisters are assembling a fleet to incite a civil war. As the Federation cannot get involved in internal affairs, Worf resigns his commission from Starfleet to assist Gowron and Kurn. As the Enterprise evacuates the area before fighting begins, Toral and the Duras sisters consider Picard a coward, but their Romulan ally, a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to the late Tasha Yar, emerges from the shadows and warns them that Picard may return.[3]

Part 2

Picard is aware that while he cannot get involved in the Klingon civil war, the Romulans will likely see it as an opportunity to gain an advantage over the Federation. He is put in charge of a fleet of ships to create a blockade between the Klingon and Romulan border. Many of the Enterprise crew are assigned temporary command of severely undermanned ships. Picard initially does not assign Commander Data command of a ship, but after Data questions him about the omission, he gives him the Sutherland. Picard arranges the fleet to form a detection network that should observe any cloaked ships that pass the blockade. Commander Sela, the Romulan resembling Yar, orders her scientists to find a way to disable the network, but also contacts the Enterprise. Sela reveals that she is the daughter of Tasha Yar, who returned to the past on the Enterprise-C 24 years earlier ("Yesterday's Enterprise"). Sela warns that if Starfleet does not break off the blockade in 20 hours, their fleet will be attacked.[4]

Meanwhile, Worf is kidnapped by the Duras sisters, who attempt to seduce him to join their cause by marrying B'Etor. Worf declines, stating that honor would be subverted and that the Klingon Empire would quickly fall to Romulan control. Seeing the cause is defeated, Sela orders Worf to be turned over to the Romulan guard.[5]

Picard urges Gowron to attack the Duras forces, who are running low on supplies; this will force the Romulans to enter the detection network and be caught by Starfleet. Gowron agrees, knowing that association with the Romulans will destroy the Duras family's support and end the civil war. The Duras sisters demand the Romulans bring supplies. Sela's scientists find they can disrupt part of the network by sending out an energy burst. Sela initiates the plan, selecting the Sutherland as the target. When the network destabilizes, Picard orders the fleet to retreat and reform the net, but Data observes that he can trace the source of the disruption. He orders the firing of torpedoes at specific coordinates, revealing Romulan ships. The convoy retreats, and the Duras sisters are forced to end the civil war. Worf breaks free in time to secure Toral, but the Duras sisters escape.[6]

Gowron gives Worf the opportunity to kill Toral by Rite of Vengeance, but he declines to do so because Toral was just a puppet of his aunts. He spares Toral's life and requests Picard to reinstate him into Starfleet.[7]

Production

While the first part was being filmed, Ronald Reagan was on set during filming.[8]

Reception

In 2017, Den of Geek included the "Redemption" pair as one of their 25 recommended watches of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[9]

In 2018, CBR ranked the "Redemption" pair as the 15th best episodic saga of Star Trek.[10] In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated "Redemption" (Parts I & II) the 36th best television episode of all Star Trek franchise television prior to Star Trek: Discovery, including live-action and the animated series but not counting the movies.[11]

In 2018, Popular Mechanics highlighted "Redemption, Part I" as one of the best Captain Picard episodes and as recommended viewing for audiences to prepare for a new television series based upon that character, Star Trek: Picard.[12] They point out his advice to Worf and his nuanced approach to navigating the difficult politics of the Klingon homeworld Qo'noS.[12] They also praised the characters Lursa and B'Etor as antagonists in the episode, and compared Picard's actions to the way he handled the character Maddox in "The Measure of a Man".[12]

In 2018, CBR rated the "Redemption" double episode as the 15th best multi-episode story of Star Trek.[13]

In 2019, The Hollywood Reporter ranked it among the top 25 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[14] Variety listed "Redemption, Part I" and "Redemption, Part II" as a pair of the top 15 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.[15]

In 2020, SyFy Wire noted this episode for a moment in the relationship between Picard and Data, when Data asks for his own starship command.[16] They also noted this episode for featuring a Klingon civil war, Tasha Yar's half-Romulan daughter, and Worf's resignation from Starfleet.[16]

Characters

In March 2019, SyFy rated Gowron as the 7th greatest Klingon of the Star Trek franchise.[17] In particular they noted actor O'Reilly's powerful performance in scenes with character as Chancellor of the Klingon empire.[17] In 2016, Time magazine rated Lursa and B'Etor (played by actresses Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh) the second-best villain characters of the Star Trek franchise in 2016.[18] Popular Mechanics also thought Lursa and B'Etor were particularly good.[12] In March 2019, SyFy rated Kurn (played by Tony Todd) as the 10th greatest Klingon of the Star Trek franchise.[17] They noted his good chemistry with Worf (Michael Dorn) and "relishes every word" spoken.[17]

Releases

"Redemption" was remastered in 1080p HD and released as a stand-alone episode, and as part of Season 4 and 5 Blu-ray sets of Star Trek: The Next Generation HD in the 2010s.[19][20]

"Redemption" is also recorded to have been released on VHS cassette tape.[21]

See also

References
  1. "Redemption". Star Trek: The Next Generation. June 17, 1991. CBS.
  2. "Redemption". Star Trek: The Next Generation. June 17, 1991. CBS.
  3. "Redemption". Star Trek: The Next Generation. June 17, 1991. CBS.
  4. "Redemption". Star Trek: The Next Generation. June 17, 1991. CBS.
  5. "Redemption". Star Trek: The Next Generation. June 17, 1991. CBS.
  6. "Redemption". Star Trek: The Next Generation. June 17, 1991. CBS.
  7. "Redemption". Star Trek: The Next Generation. June 17, 1991. CBS.
  8. Mark Clark (April 1, 2012). Star Trek FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the First Voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 399. ISBN 978-1-55783-963-3.
    Mark Clark (June 1, 2013). Star Trek FAQ 2.0 (Unofficial and Unauthorized): Everything Left to Know About the Next Generation, the Movies, and Beyond. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-4803-5500-2.
  9. Harvey, Sven (January 29, 2016). "Star Trek: The Next Generation's 25 must-watch episodes". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  10. Star Trek's Greatest Episodic Sagas, Ranked by Michael Weyer – on Nov 23, 2018
  11. ""Endgame" - 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  12. Grossman, David (August 6, 2018). "12 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Episodes That Will Make You Fall in Love With Picard All Over Again". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  13. "Star Trek's Greatest Episodic Sagas, Ranked". CBR. November 23, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  14. "'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - The 25 Best Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  15. Ryan, Daniel Holloway,Joe Otterson,Maureen; Holloway, Daniel; Otterson, Joe; Ryan, Maureen (September 28, 2017). "'Star Trek: The Next Generation's' 15 Best Episodes". Variety. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  16. Britt, Ryan (January 14, 2020). "8 moments that turned Picard and Data into Star Trek's top bromance". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  17. Silliman, Brian (March 7, 2019). "It is a good day to die: Ranking the top ten Klingons in all of Star Trek". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  18. "Star Trek's 10 Most Villainous Villains". Time. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  19. Staff, TrekCore. "New STAR TREK TOS, TNG Box Sets Coming in June – TrekCore Blog". trekcore.com.
  20. "TNG Remastered –". Trekmovie.com. Retrieved February 24, 2019.

Bibliography
  • Star Trek The Next Generation DVD set, volume 4, disk 7, selection 2.
  • Star Trek The Next Generation DVD set, volume 5, disk 1, selection 1.
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