25 WORST Episodes Of Star Trek EVER

The good: Star Trek attempted to shine a light on abuse by showing Troi losing her sense of self as she is repeatedly controlled by Ambassador Alkar, who deposits his negativity into women so that he can remain young and active. It is an intriguing premise, uncomfortable and something that Star Trek could depict well.

The bad: Except that it didn't depict it well. While the above is all true, Troi's depiction in this episode is teeth-grindingly awful. She goes from the normal, well-loved Troi to a maniacal dependent in seconds. The crew fail to notice the polar shift in her personality for far longer than they should, knowing her as well as they do.

When the truth is revealed, there is an interesting moment when Alkar is confronted and, not only admits to it, but shows no remorse. That alone could elevate the story higher, examining the idea of men who know they are abusers but are not willing to do anything about it. Add to that the suggestion that his young aid is set to be the next victim and there is a truly horrific promise.

But the episode spends so much time watching Troi turn into a madwoman, not devoting anywhere near enough time to the idea of her devotion to him at the expense of all others that it robs the episode of the gravity it was aiming for. This is an episode that could benefit from another go, excising some of the madder Troi moments and developing the abuse side of the story.

There is a good idea in there somewhere.