Half a Life is an episode about the ethical and moral questions regarding a society that euthanizes its citizens at the age of 60. Its premise, acting and dialogue allow it to achieve a moderate level of success. Ultimately, however, the pacing as well as a few character issues toward the end of the episode keep it from reaching its full potential.

The episode starts off with an ominous voiceover from Troi: “My mother is onboard.” As we cringe, the episode continues when Picard emerges from a turbolift and looks up and down the corridor with great hesitation. It seems that our Captain shares our own feelings of trepidation about what is in store. The coast spears to be clear and he sets off on his errand when, suprise!, Lwaxana Troi makes her formal entrance. Thanks to Picard’s expressions, it’s a fun, and welcome, bit of comedy before we delve into what will become a very serious, weighty and thoughtful episode.

The main story gears up when we learn that the Enterprise is also playing host to Timicin, a scientist who is charged with finding a way to prevent his planet’s sun from dying within the next few decades. With the help of the Enterprise, Timicin plans to test his theories on a nearby star that is identical to his own planet’s sun. Ultimately his tests fail, but the information gleaned from the results prove valuable in keeping hope in a solution alive. Thematically, the race to keep alive a dying sun is an important contrast to the idea of killing a human before the specter of death even appears on the horizon. And it is a point that Lwaxana intelligently uses to great effect later in the episode.

Lwaxana, being her usual forward self, strikes up a relationship with Timicin. Though intellectually quite vigorous, Timicin is a reserved character on whom Lwaxana’s charms slowly take an effect. Their relationship is wonderfully charming, pleasant and unassuming. And it also showcases a couple of departures for Lwaxana’s character. She actually manages to demonstrate an understanding of the comfort levels of others and she also demonstrates the capacity for (a little bit of) self-restraint.

The mere presence of her character has usually been a death knell for the episode, but in Half a Life, Lwaxana’s character is far removed from her previous caricature of annoyance. It’s a pleasant surprise and the episode greatly benefits as a result. Her growth and increased depth of character reveal a woman who has a vibrant spirit and passion for life, but who is also deeply afraid of her own mortality.

And so, upon learning of Timicin’s impending “Resolution” (that is, his decision to comply with the traditions of his planet and die on his 60th birthday) just days away, Lwaxana is forced to confront one of her greatest fears — as well as the profound sense of loss and injustice at meeting someone for whom she has deep emotions, just before he will leave her forever. These fears are detailed in a rather compelling scene, in the Transporter Room no less, between Lwaxana and Troi. The only problem with the scene, aside from its length, is Lwaxana’s perpetual sobs throughout its entirety. Both Lwaxana and Troi perform it quite well, however, because it is such a long scene, Lwaxana’s sobs become redundant and lose their emotional impact. Perhaps a bit of a respite in the middle of the scene would have provided a greater impact and would have minimized how drawn out the scene feels.

In yet another well-performed, but overly long scene, Lwaxana decides to confront Timicin and attempt to compel him to turn against his society’s beliefs and not only remain with her, but also continue his critical work to save his planet. For his part, Timicin is also moved to deep emotions by his relationship with Lwaxana. His love for her and his desire to continue his work conflict with his strong attachment to the traditions and beliefs of his society. The debate between the two is masterful for its ability to present a plausible argument on both sides of the issue. The strength of Timicin’s argument rests on the dignity of a person being able to choose not to exist as an invalid. And yet, by highlighting the very nature of Timicin’s work, that there really is value in maintaining life beyond a natural end, Lwaxana is able to turn the tide and convince the scientist to take a stand and remain with her, setting off a firestorm of protests from his home planet and family.

Ultimately, after his daughter comes on board and confronts him, Timicin relents and decides, to go through with the Resolution. The decision itself isn’t necessarily problematic, but rather the scene itself between Timicin, his daughter and Lwaxana feels disingenuous. The issue stems from his daughter’s performance. The point was made that Timicin’s people are very nearly xenophobic, but is daughter is just far too vitriolic. Her entire argument amounts to little more than a guilt trip over where her father will be buried. She says she loves him, but her actions are purely self-serving. After the thoughtful, intelligent philosophical debates, it is unfortunate that the episode turns on such a relatively petty point. True, life may, at times, reflect such ironies, but within the context of this episode, it just doesn’t work.

And as for Lwaxana? She does exactly what you do for someone you love. Even though she strenuously disagreed with Timicin, arrives at the Transporter Room to supports and honor him by accepting his decision and attending his Resolution.

Overall, Half a Life is a thoughtful, deliberate episode that both poses, and successfully explores, a profound moral, ethical and philosophical question. The fact that it brings out the best in Lwaxana’s character is also a tribute to its success. Unfortunately, because the episode was so weighty, and because its scenes were so long, the pacing felt galacial — almost to the point of being a distraction. And the final turning point clashed with the rest of the episode’s sensibilities.

Topics: Lwaxana Troi
Filed under: TNG Reviews