Legacy is a very good episode that combines action, drama, character development and the themes of trust and betrayal. The additional bonus of the episode is its continuity connection back to Tasha Yar and her sudden, if somewhat unceremonious, death in Skin of Evil.

The episode begins when an escape pod carrying two members of Starfleet crash lands on Turkana IV, the homeworld of Tasha Yar. As told by Tasha, the planet was in a state of near anarchy and so the crew of the Enterprise rushes to the scene, fearful of the fates of the survivors. Once there, they learn that out of the anarchy, two powerful factions have arisen that fight for control of the colony.

Enter Ishara Yar, Tasha’s sister. She is a member of the faction that isn’t holding the Starfleet officers hostage and she offers her expertise as a means to help retrieve the officers. The crew is suspicious of her, but as they have no alternatives, they take the risk. In truth, she is using the Enterprise to further the aims of her own faction — the officers’ return is incidental to her overall objective.

The episode hinges on the character of Ishara who becomes torn between the camaraderie of the Enterprise crew and her loyalties on her home planet. The idea of having Tasha’s sister on board almost captivates the crew, and they accept Ishara both because of her relation to Tasha as well as her efforts on behalf of rescuing the crewmen. What makes this work is Ishara’s inner conflict. Because she feels a genuine longing to be a part of the Enterprise family, the crew forms a genuine bond with her. Her subsequent betrayal of that friendship and trust hits particularly hard.

Ishara’s performance is what really sells the episode. She manages to portray both trust and betrayal, strength and vulnerability. She manages to evoke empathy on behalf of her inner conflict and in spite of the fact that she tries to kill Data, she is still a sympathetic character.

The other key aspect of this episode comes from Data, who expresses dismay at the betrayal of trust and friendship. More importantly, however, is his android rationalization of his feelings of both friendship and betrayal. He may not feel emotions in the same way we do, but it is clear that he experiences them. The final shot of Data holding a keepsake of Ishara’s time with the crew is particularly poignant.

Legacy is an exceptional episode in terms of character. It isn’t particularly outstanding, but it successfully accomplishes its objectives.

Filed under: TNG Reviews