Descent (S06E26)
Airdate: 21 June 1993
Written by: Ronald D. Moore
Directed by: Alexander Singer
Running Time: 46 minutes
With the Season 3 finale The Best of Both Worlds, Star Trek: The Next Generation established a definitive tradition of ending seasons with high-stakes cliffhangers to be resolved by the following season. This practice was continued with varying degrees of success until the penultimate season, where the first part of the episode titled Descent served as the dramatic curtain-raiser for the show’s final arc. It was an ambitious undertaking, attempting to recapture the terrifying spectacle of the Borg that had defined the series' earlier years, but the execution reveals a narrative that is ambitious yet ultimately flawed.
The episode commences with a sequence that is arguably one of the more memorable cold opens in the history of the series, though, again in line with TNG tradition, it actually does very little with the theme of the episode. Data finds himself presiding over a poker game against three of history's greatest minds: Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking. Einstein is played by Jim Norton, repeating his role from The Nth Degree, while Stephen Hawking appears as himself in a cameo that delighted fans. The scene is intellectually stimulating and visually engaging, establishing Data's superiority complex, yet it functions almost entirely as a palate cleanser before the grim reality of the mission is revealed. It is a moment of levity that stands in stark contrast to the horror to come, a common trope in TNG writing where the episode's tone shifts abruptly without a seamless transition.
This levity is shattered when the Enterprise receives a distress call from a Federation outpost at Ohinaka III. Upon arrival, an away team, which includes Data, discovers the grim reality that the outpost has been wiped out. The crew finds everyone dead, and they encounter a group of Borg who are displaying remarkably uncharacteristic behaviour. Instead of the usual methodical approach to assimilation, these drones are simply killing their victims, and they are even addressing one another by individual names. Perhaps most intriguingly for Data, he finds himself faced with a strange phenomenon during a fight with one of the drones—he feels actual anger. This suggests that the hive mind is fracturing or evolving in a way that Data cannot yet comprehend, setting the stage for a mystery that lies at the heart of the episode.
Upon returning to the Enterprise, Data attempts to analyse the reasons behind his newfound emotion. Picard and the rest of the senior staff begin to speculate that something fundamental has changed within the Borg collective, with at least some of them gaining individuality. The Captain's suspicion naturally centres on Hugh, the Borg drone he had returned to the collective in Season 5's I, Borg, a decision that had allowed him to develop individuality. However, this theory is complicated by the arrival of Admiral Nechayev, who comes aboard the Enterprise and chastises Picard for his decision to reintegrate Hugh. She implies that this experiment might have been a catastrophic error, suggesting that it has led to the evolution of the Borg into something even more dangerous and unpredictable than before.
The situation escalates when the Borg launch an attack on another Federation outpost, leading to a brief but intense battle between a Borg vessel and the Enterprise. In the chaos, two Borg drones are teleported to the Enterprise, which triggers a firefight. One drone is killed, and the other is captured. Data insists on interrogating the prisoner, hoping to gain insight into the hive mind's changes. However, the drone, named Crosus (Brian J. Cousins), proves to be more intelligent than the average drone. Crosus manipulates Data into admitting his desire to kill . In a shocking turn of events, Data decides to hijack a shuttlecraft and escape the Enterprise together with the captured drone. They are being pursued by the Enterprise, which eventually reaches a planet where they might be hiding.
Realising the severity of the Borg threat, Picard orders most of his crew to beam down on the planet, heavily armed for a search. Dr. Crusher is left with a skeleton crew and command of the ship. Picard, La Forge, Troi, and a security officer enter the building where they are suddenly ambushed by a mob of Borg. The security officer is killed, dealing a heavy blow to the away team. It is then revealed that the leader of this new faction is Lore, Data's evil “brother.” Lore also presents Data to the team, and the episode ends with his ominous announcement that the "sons of Soong" would destroy the Federation. This serves as a classic cliffhanger, leaving the audience in a state of suspense but raising questions that are difficult to answer.
Written by Ronald D. Moore, one of the most celebrated Star Trek creators, the episode obviously tried to repeat the impact of "The Best of Both Worlds" from three years earlier. The Borg are again introduced as the main villain, and knowing what they are capable of, the stakes are supposed to be much higher. Yet, the episode muddles the waters by having the Borg act very unlike Borg. They are killing instead of assimilating and using names. This gives hints that they might be altered or not "true" Borg at all. All this makes this episode clearly inferior in comparison with its celebrated two-parter.
Moore tries to compensate for this lack of menace with some interesting twists, such as Data suddenly discovering emotions that could be negative and destructive. There is also a rather obvious red herring in the form of Hugh, who is the most likely candidate as the source of this Borg transformation. In the end, Moore opts for one of the series' last remaining archvillains—Lore—who apparently used his superb intellectual abilities to turn a large section of the cyborg race to his side. While this provides a concrete antagonist, it feels like a cheat to bring back a character who was essentially resolved in the past. It shifts the focus from a cosmic horror to a family drama, which, while potentially compelling, dilutes the Borg's original threat.
And the cliffhanger that ends the episode is rather soapy—dramatic reveal that suggests that Data might have gone to the Dark Side. More experienced viewers already know that this state of affairs is unlikely and even less likely to be permanent, taking away much of its impact. While seeing Data struggle with his programming and his brother is dramatic, the "Dark Side" framing is a bit clichéd and undermines the character's established growth. It feels like a narrative shortcut to generate tension rather than a genuine exploration of the character's psyche. The soapy nature of the dialogue and the heavy-handed foreshadowing of Data's villainy detract from the sci-fi elements that make the show work.
The episode also has some issues with continuity, with Data contradicting himself about previous instances where he experienced something like emotions. This lack of consistency can be jarring for attentive viewers who have followed the character's development over the years. It suggests that the writers were prioritising the plot of the moment over the established canon of the character.
The episode nevertheless works thanks to solid direction by Alexander Singer and its memorable opening scene. The production values are high, and the set design for the Borg ship and the outpost is top-notch. Stephen Hawking appeared in the episode after expressing a desire to do so as the show's big fan, adding a layer of meta-narrative fun that many viewers appreciate. Brent Spiner delivers another great performance where his character uncharacteristically displays emotion or admits joy in killing Borg. Spiner is able to convey Data's confusion and anger with subtle facial expressions and vocal inflections that make the character feel real. His performance in the interrogation scene with Crosus is particularly strong, as he navigates the complex dynamic between two androids who are struggling with their understanding of the world. This grounding performance helps to salvage the episode from its narrative flaws, proving that the character is still capable of carrying a story even when the writing is not at its best.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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