Although we are done with STNG and are now in the Delta Quadrant with Voyager, that doesn’t mean you can’t go back and catch up on the episodes you missed. You can find the rest here!
It is murder most foul aboard the Enterprise on the episode that originally aired on February 28, 1994. This is Eye of the Beholder.
The Episode:
Stardate 47622.1 Eye of the Beholder
After a crewman commits suicide, it come to light that there may have been a murder aboard the Enterprise while the ship was being constructed. As Troi investigates, it becomes clear that the killer may still be on board.
The Breakdown:
Riker and Worf respond to an emergency in one of the Warp Nacelle control rooms only to witness Lt Daniel Kwan commit suicide by jumping into the plasma stream.
Picard orders Troi to conduct an investigation immediately so that Kwan’s family may have some closure. She begins by investigating the Lieutenants recent movements only to find that the man had no intentions of killing himself. All of his logs and plans with his girlfriend (another officer on board) indicate that he was a very happy person. Soon Troi investigates the site of Kwan’s death only for her to pick up a strong empathic impression that nearly causes her to collapse.
Worf volunteers to keep watch on Troi while she explores the ship looking for clues. They soon return to the scene of the suicide where Troi begins to have visions of a violent attack. In moments she suddenly finds herself back at the site of the ships construction on Utopia Planitia. There she encounters two people hiding out in a storage room in an intimate embrace. Just as they begin to laugh at her, she finds herself back in her own time with Worf. She and Worf report the event to Picard.
She begins to research the people she saw in her vision, attempting to locate any connection with the suicide. Worf arrives to assist and soon they discover someone on board who participated with Kwan in the construction of the ship and also appeared in her vision. After interviewing Lt Pierce, she discovers that she could not read his emotions even though she felt he was hiding something from them. As Worf and Troi work together, they soon realize there is something deeper between them and, well, lets just say Worf cooks breakfast for Troi the next morning.
The following day, after eating breakfast, Troi returns to the scene of the crime and soon begins to have another vision when Geordi removes a panel on the wall. After investigating further, they discover a skeleton behind the wall that has been there for around 7 years. Upon scanning the fragments, they discover that the bones belong to the woman Troi keeps having a vision about. It appears that she had been murdered and then hidden behind a bulkhead. Troi suddenly realizes that crewman Pierce may have killed the young woman named Marla Finn.
Soon Lt Pierce arrives in Troi’s quarters only for her to call security on him. She rushes to find Worf only to find him in the arms of another woman. Distraught, she takes a phaser and shoots Worf. Then, knowing that she is doomed, she runs to the Nacelle and attempts suicide, repeating ‘I know what I have to do’, the same thing Kwan said before killing himself. Just as she is about to jump in, Worf stops her. It appears that everything that has happened was all in her head and she witnessed the murder first hand. She discovers that there was a murder suicide during the construction of the Enterprise and the psychic residue had infected both Kwan and herself. With the mystery solved, Picard can now offer closure to Kwan’s family.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
This isn’t a bad one but it is a little…forced at times. The main story about the murder mystery is done very well, in fact it is one of Troi’s best stories so far not counting Dark Page. This is the first time on the series that a murderous crewman is on board and it makes for some interesting plot. Troi gets to play the role of detective and has to live part of the investigation with an inhibitor reducing her powers to practically nothing and it begins to wear on her, making her suspect everyone of not being honest. The strange part is where she and Worf begin a relationship.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all for Worf and Troi doing whatever they want, do I think they are right for each other, hell no, but who am I to judge? The relationship in this feels…forced in a way and, it while it all ended up being in Troi’s head, it almost felt like this was an easy out for the writers to have their cake and eat it to. We got the Worf/Troi relationship out of the way but it never really happened to it’s all okay. I call shenanigans, that is the worst cop out writing ever. Really, I get that it was a way to show Troi what the cause of the murder was, love triangle gone wrong, but it would have been much more impactful with her seeing Riker as the cheater, because, let’s be honest, he isn’t known for being chaste.
Outside of that, it is a pretty decent episode for the interesting lineup this season. Is it a memorable one, not really, but then again, you can’t always expect perfection with these shows.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
Worf beats around the bush asking Riker permission to date Troi. He never comes out and says it but it is there and Riker loves toying with his Klingon friend.
We see the Troi/Worf relationship that never should have been and thankfully wasn’t.
This is the first time we actually get to see what is inside the Warp Nacelle. It’s kinda cool. I guess.
Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Next Review: Genesis
If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and for more retro TV goodness check out the rest of the Retro TV Reviews here.
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Late To The Game 10/03/2020 (Originally published 1/28/2019)
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
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