Lessons (S06E19)
Airdate: 5 April1993
Written by: Ron Wilkerson & Jean Louise Matthias
Directed by: Robert Weimer
Running Time: 46 minutes
By the time Star Trek: The Next Generation reached its sixth season, the production machine had achieved such clockwork levels of efficiency and consistently high quality that even episodes built on weak, banal and unoriginal premises could become surprisingly memorable pieces of Star Trek. One such example is the Season 6 instalment Lessons, an episode that, despite its derivative central conceit, manages to rise above its limitations through strong performances and thoughtful execution.
The plot begins with Captain Picard enduring all manner of minor frustrations as the Enterprise's power and resources are redirected to an experiment being conducted by stellar cartography. Irritated by the disruption to shipboard routine, he pays a personal visit to investigate what is going on and meets the head of the scientific team, new crew member Lieutenant Commander Nella Darren (Wendy Hughes). She leaves such a strong impression on him that he comments on it later while having dinner with Dr Crusher. His interest deepens when he sees Darren playing piano during a concert in Ten Forward, revealing a shared passion for music that neither of them had expected to find aboard a starship.
Their common interest in music gradually leads to them spending increasing amounts of time together, and she is particularly intrigued by Picard's Ressican flute, the artefact from his haunting experience in the classic episode The Inner Light. The two of them begin a passionate romantic relationship, but Picard feels awkward about being in love with a subordinate officer. Counsellor Troi, however, convinces him that it is perfectly all right as long as it brings him happiness, a moment that feels somewhat convenient given Starfleet's usual strictures on fraternisation. Darren herself also feels awkward, especially when she comes into conflict with Commander Riker over personnel issues and is tempted to use her relationship with the Captain as leverage—a temptation she ultimately resists, but which adds an interesting layer of tension to the proceedings.
A much bigger challenge to their romance occurs during the crisis on Bersalis III, a planet with a Federation outpost that is threatened by devastating firestorms. The Enterprise arrives to help evacuate the colonists, but there is very little time to complete the operation. Darren finds a way to deflect some of those storms, buying the evacuation precious extra time. However, she and her team must remain behind to maintain the equipment, with their own lives effectively being sacrificed for the greater good. The mission succeeds, although eight Starfleet crew members perish in the process. Picard anxiously awaits news of whether Darren has survived. When he learns that she has, he is immensely relieved, but later, when they discuss their relationship, they both realise that it cannot continue. He cannot send someone he loves into danger, and she cannot serve under a captain who will always be tempted to protect her above others. Darren applies for a transfer, and the relationship ends not with a bang, but with quiet, adult resignation.
The script by Ron Wilkerson and Jean Louise Matthias originated as one of the script pitches in Season 5, but was left unused until Season 6. The premise behind it—an office romance and the conflict between personal happiness and professional duty—is hardly original and does not feel particularly Star Trek-like in its conception. Matthew Piller, one of the producers, even credited the classic romance film Brief Encounter as inspiration, which explains the episode's melancholic, understated tone. Yet this very lack of originality becomes the episode's strength in a strange way; by grounding the story in universal human experience rather than in high-concept science fiction, the writers allow the actors to shine.
Robert Wiemer directs the episode well, particularly the scene in which Picard and Darren first discover their romantic connection by playing music together in the Jefferies tubes, a moment that feels intimate and genuine. The finale, with Picard in turmoil over Darren's fate, is also handled with restraint and emotional honesty. More experienced viewers could easily have guessed that the romance between Picard and Darren would not survive the episode, because the needs of the plot demanded that the status quo be restored by the closing credits. The only question was how the separation would come about. Instead of taking the easy route—killing Darren off during a heroic last stand—the writers opted for a more down-to-earth and realistic ending, one that respects both characters and the audience's intelligence.
The episode was helped enormously by the great chemistry that Patrick Stewart shared with Wendy Hughes. She was deliberately cast as someone closer in age to Stewart, and there is a certain physical likeness to Gates McFadden's Dr Crusher, at least in terms of their respective hairstyles and general bearing. The scenes between Stewart and Hughes work very well indeed, and it is especially important that not only does music play an important part in their connection, but the episode also features meaningful references to Picard's experiences from The Inner Light, giving the romance a depth of emotional history that it might otherwise have lacked. Lessons may not be a classic episode of The Next Generation, but it is a quietly effective one, and a testament to how even a weak premise can be elevated by skilled direction, thoughtful writing, and actors who know exactly how to make the most of their material.
RATING: 7/10 (++)
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