Remember Me is a straightforward sci-fi installment of TNG. On the whole, it is a solid, if somewhat unremarkable episode that offers little by way of action, adventure or character development. Its success is based on an interesting (though admittedly esoteric) concept, an effective continuity connection to season one, and a well-rounded production.

The episode begins with Dr. Crusher welcoming an old (and rather elderly) friend and mentor on board the Enterprise. Their ensuing discussion about losing friends before you are ready to say goodbye to them becomes the episode’s thematic foundation. The problem for Dr. Crusher is that, shortly after paying a visit to see Wesley in engineering, members of the crew (starting with her elderly mentor) really do start disappearing.

The scenes in which the crew disappears play out effectively because we don’t yet know why the events are unfolding. It is only later on that we realize that Beverly has been caught in one of Wesley’s warp field experiments that has gone awry.

The result is that she is caught within a “warp bubble” and within that bubble, her reality is dictated by her own thoughts. If this sounds like a complex concept, well, it is. But the episode presents it in such a way that it isn’t overbearing. It is, however, a bit more abstract than, say, facing Romulans. The only problem with this structure is that the sooner you realize what has happened to Dr. Crusher, the more the episode drags through the middle scenes.

The resolution brings back a minor, yet memorable character from season one’s Where No One Has Gone Before: The Traveler. Back in season one, it was his discussion with Picard that lead to Wesley becoming an acting Ensign. In Remember Me, he returns to help Wesley create a bridge between Beverly’s reality and that of everyone else. The resulting discussions of space, time, thought and reality are profound in a philosophical sense. But if a viewer isn’t interested in them, that viewer’s likelihood of enjoying the episode will likely be diminished.

It is also through these interactions that we get a small measure of character development from Wesley. His abilities are directly responsible for creating the “warp bubble” as well as saving his mother. But we also see from Wesley abilities similar to that of the Traveler. It’s an important connection to season one, as well as a significant point of development for Wesley’s character. But the scene itself comes in the midst of an episode that focused primarily on Beverly, rather than her son.

Remember Me is successful for what it intends to be: a “techie” sci-fi mystery. But aside from a small scene of character development for Wesley, it doesn’t give us very much new ground, nor does it challenge us in any particular way.

Topics: The Traveler
Filed under: TNG Reviews