The Outcast is very much an episode in the spirit of Symbiosis — and that’s not a good thing at all. More specifically, where Symbiosis preached to the audience about drug abuse, The Outcast preaches to the audience about prejudice against homosexuality. Both are worthy topics, however, the barely veiled attempts at allegory, as well as the overt sermons from Soren, greatly diminish the episode’s impact.

In The Outcast, the Enterprise is assisting an androgynous race, called the J’naii, with rescuing a shuttle that has been trapped in a phenomenon known as “null space.” The null space storyline is typical Star Trek fare, and is interesting from a science-fiction standpoint. So in this respect, the episode holds its own. But the null space is a very minor subplot. The main plot revolves around Soren and Riker.

As a character, Soren just isn’t particularly engaging. Her initial conversations with Riker about gender, gender roles, and sexuality are engaging enough because Riker’s reactions to her frank questions help add a measure of entertainment to the subject matter. But Soren seems to speak as though she has just inhaled too much ether. And so when the story reaches her various “speeches,” the episode comes crashing to a halt.

As it turns out, some J’naii are born with gender-specific tendencies. In Soren’s case, she has strong feminine tendencies and, as a result, finds herself attracted to Riker. Of course, Soren’s people view such tendencies as “deviant” and, therefore, the minority of J’naii who feel this way are shunned, ridiculed and forced to undergo psychological treatment to “cure” the tendencies.

To make matters worse, Riker falls for Soren to the point where he proclaims “I love you.” The problem here, of course, is Riker’s history as a womanizer. The fact that he has these myriad encounters without falling in love says something about his character that those three words complete contradict. Add to it the very limited time the two spent together (Soren’s speech to Riker in the shuttle, though lengthy, doesn’t count because she takes so long to utter a single syllable) and the “I love you” moment becomes more laughable than poignant.

Soren is “discovered” by some high-ranking official and so she is arrested. At her “trial” she has yet another long speech about how, aside from her innate tendencies, she is really no different than the rest of the J’naii. The episode might as well be flashing a big neon sign in the background that states “this story is about prejudice based on sexual orientation.” This is a worthy topic, but it is as if the writers made no more than a token effort in creating allegory. And the blunt, almost careless manner in which the material was presented detracts from what was, otherwise, an important matter for discussion and debate.

There is just one other matter worthy of noting: In this episode, LaForge is seen wearing a beard.

The Outcast is, unfortunately, a substandard episode. The acting is poor and the story is too obvious. Instead of preaching to the audience, the episode should have let the actions of the characters speak for themselves.

Topics: Prime Directive
Filed under: TNG Reviews