Star Trek: 10 Times You Asked 'WHAT Were They Thinking?!'

6. The Child

Star Trek The Child
CBS Media Ventures

This entry is almost understandable when one remembers that it was a script that had been written for Star Trek: Phase II, and recycled as a Deanna Troi story for the second season of The Next Generation. Our main issue with it is: why was this the first show given to Troi this season when the first season had done little to establish her as a fully-fledged character?

The second season also saw the arrival of Dr. Pulaski, replacing the recently fired Gates McFadden. Denise Crosby had been killed off in Skin Of Evil. It wasn’t a great time for female characters (or performers) in the show, so opening the season with an episode that sees Troi effectively assaulted by an alien force, then used by said alien to give birth to itself, does nothing to help.

The episode attempts to give Troi agency by having her decide to keep the baby, yet even this is hard to understand as the whole affair is so rushed. There is a sweet message deep inside the script as Ian genuinely seems to care for her when he is alive, yet Troi is used as a plot device as opposed to a character. It wasn’t a singing start to the second season.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"