The Quality of Life is, in many ways, a relief. After the recent barrage of utterly pointless episodes we finally get an installment that actually means something. True, The Quality of Life is a blatantly imperfect episode. But at the very least it is an attempt to return to the show’s roots. And in that sense, it is a success.

LaForge and the Enterprise are observing a new mining technology: essentially a satellite uses a particle stream to do the work. It’s a pedestrian sort of premise but, thankfully, it isn’t the main focus of the episode. The problem, though, is that the episode spends far too long giving us the technobabble about how it is supposed to work, its potential, and why the project is behind schedule. The result is that the opening scenes drag on far too long, nearly half of the episode, preventing us from getting to the real heart of the story. About the only item of note is the opening card game between Dr. Crusher, Riker, Worf and LaForge. Their conversation about beards (LaForge has one again), as well as their camaraderie, seem genuine.

As for the mining project, it is led by Dr. Farallon, who is an innovator of sorts. Along with the mining technology, she has invented these little robot thingies called exocomps. They’re roughly the size of a basketball and are able to problem solve and replicate complex tools. The visual effects for their “hovering” are rather pathetic. But fortunately it isn’t distracting enough to detract from the episode.

The story turns when an exocomp suddenly “malfunctions.” But there is a twist. It refuses a work order but, moments later, there is an explosion that would have destroyed the exocomp had it accepted the work order. As a result, Data begins wondering: are they, somehow, alive?

And with this question we finally get the return to what made TNG so good throughout its opening seasons. We’re automatically reminded of episodes like Home Soil, Elementary, Dear Data, and Evolution. And when we finally confront these issues, the episode starts to pick up steam.

There is a problem, however. Dr. Farallon, the inventor of the exocomps, seems a bit too eager to dismiss the possibility that they are a life form — especially considering her stated admiration of Data and Dr. Soong. It just doesn’t ring true. Ultimately, neither her character nor her performance are particularly engaging.

After a conversation with Dr. Crusher about the question, “What is life?” Data convinces Picard to allow some tests to determine whether or not the exocomps are indeed a form of life. The conversation with Dr. Crusher is thoughtful, but also a bit dry. It’s as if the series is trying to shake off a bit of rust when it comes to thoughtful, and thought-provoking, dialogue. The test itself is anticlimacti, especially considering that the exocomp appears to fail the test. But as we later learn, the exocomp didn’t fail — it saw right through the test.

The real drama begins when Picard and LaForge are on board the mining satellite to observe its operations. Their is an accident and, after everyone else escapes, the two remain trapped on board. The only solution seems to be to send the exocomps on a mission to blow themselves up in the particle stream.

And Data objects. Strenuously.

Riker, realizing the mortal danger his captain and chief engineer face, agrees to the plan. But just as the exocomps are about the be beamed into danger, the transporter stops working. The reason? Data has locked out the controls, for the sake of the exocomps, potentially at the risk of two of his closest friends.

The whole sequence is quite plausible, particularly in terms of the escalating tensions and actions. It isn’t overly contrived or dramatized. And we get, as Data later says to Picard, a moment where Data acts in the name of the exocomps in the same capacity that Picard once acted in the name of Data in The Measure of a Man. And so we get yet another reference back to the show’s roots — advocating for those in the minority.

In the end, Riker and Data end their stalemate by way of a simple solution: ask the exocomps for their permission to carry out the mission. The exocomps instead create a new solution and so Picard and LaForge are rescued. But it does come at a price: one exocomp sacrificed itself to save the other two, as well as Picard and LaForge.

The Quality of Life is a decent enough episode. Even if it was heavily flawed (in terms of pacing and character), I really liked the return to themes and ideas of substance. This is TNG’s strength. Mindless diversions, like the past two episodes, really do diminish the series as a whole. Thankfully there are still episodes like this one to remind us why we started watching the show to begin with.

Topics: Lwaxana Troi
Filed under: TNG Reviews