Jammer's Review
Star Trek: The Next Generation
"The Chase"
Air date: 4/26/1993
Teleplay by Joe Menosky
Story by Ronald D. Moore & Joe Menosky
Directed by Jonathan Frakes
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
Picard's mentor, professor of archaeology Richard Galen (Normal Lloyd), comes aboard the Enterprise and informs the captain that he is on the cusp of completing an archaeological discovery that has profound galactic meaning, though he can't explain exactly what that means. Galen asks Picard to accompany him on the final leg of this quest, but to do so would require Picard to take a year or more off from Starfleet, essentially meaning the end of his command of the Enterprise. (Supposedly, this discovery would happen much faster if Starfleet would dedicate a ship to it, which begs the question of why archaeological discoveries of such alleged profound meaning aren't given adequate resources by the science-centric Starfleet.) Picard declines the invitation, and Galen's response to Picard's refusal is an excessively harsh guilt trip, to say the least.
Not long after, Galen's chartered ship is attacked and Galen is killed, leading Picard to take up the mantle of the cause under that classic motivator, They Killed My Mentor. From here, Picard and the crew go to work on solving the mystery, which Galen had discovered were carefully hidden pieces of an ancient computer program, whose pieces came from encoded DNA patterns from various worlds scattered across the quadrant — a sort of interstellar Da Vinci Code, if you will.
"The Chase" is probably best viewed as an Indiana Jones adventure (minus the action and stunt sequences) employing starships to track down ancient DNA fragments rather than employing planes, boats, and tanks to track down ancient religious artifacts. Instead of globetrotting through Europe and Asia, we warp from star system to star system. Like an Indy adventure, the story hints at a discovery of the utmost profundity while keeping the action focused on moving unpretentiously from A to B; "The Chase" is probably the right title for what this is.
The labyrinthine plot details defy synopsis because (1) I didn't write them down when I watched it, and (2) to describe it in detail is to futilely reduce the story to who goes where and when and with whom while trying to assemble a puzzle that is built from (1) DNA fragments transcribed into a digital code and (2) plenty of exposition. Suffice it to say the Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans all become involved in the chase, because everyone has their own piece of the puzzle. Given that the puzzle has been waiting for billions of years to be solved, it seems awfully convenient that all pieces by all parties just happen to be in play within the same roughly three-day period. (There might have been a rationale that explained the coincidental timing, but I neither recall nor care what it was.)
The solution requires all the different races to work together to assemble the puzzle to activate the program, which turns out to be a holographic message recorded billions of years ago by a society that seeded the planets throughout the galaxy with their building blocks of life from which all humanoids evolved — which explains why there are so many similar humanoid lifeforms in Star Trek, you see. Their message: We live on in all of you, and you all share something genetically in common with each other. It's a Trekkian message if I've ever heard one. I don't know if this revelation works as science fiction, but it works as an intriguing payoff to an adventure that sustains the hour but will never be mentioned afterward, despite its jaw-dropping implications.
I like but do not revere "The Chase." It is an effective adventure yarn that has a revelation that strives to appear astounding while it's unfolding and yet almost wants to be casually dismissed afterward. You know this is not meant to be taken all that seriously when the Klingon hears the ancient revelation and says: "That's all? If she were not dead, I would kill her!" You almost sense the writers were hedging their bets by including that line after showing their hand. Believe this tale, they seem to say — or if not, then not.
Previous episode: Lessons
Next episode: Frame of Mind
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24 comments on this review
Again a perfect 4 star episode IMO.
But I have to let the grammar nazi in me out--it's "raises the question," not "begs the question."
I'm right because I am correct.
Also, I can't watch this episode anymore without thinking of the German gag dub "Sinnlos im Weltraum", in which Picard's dad (Galen) arrives and begs him to do a moped race. Kind of kills the mood of the episode once you've seen it.
The final scene, where the Romulan commander contacts Picard, puts this higher than three stars for me. But it's a shame that they didn't make it a classic.
On balance, I'd probably have to say 3.5*
I enjoyed The Chase, but I can't revisit this episode and not think of Tim Lynch's old review. It really made some good points regarding Intelligent Design vs. the dramatic aspects of the story. Very polarizing.
In retrospect, though, this was really a way for Joe Menosky and Ron Moore to subtly address the limitations in designing aliens on a weekly TV basis.
This episode reveals the shortcomings of the weekly television grind. Much as the production is constrained in sets, costumes, makeup, or casting, it's the limitation on the writers that makes good episodes so rare. If they had more weeks to polish "The Chase," they probably would've expanded it into a 2-parter, rather than "Birthright."
We may be Star Trek fans, but we know this show is fiction. We KNOW the real reason why all humanoids look alike is because there aren't any REAL aliens auditioning for these roles. It's the kind of thing you are able to suspend your disbelief as a viewer and just go with the flow. We didn't need to have the writers point it out to us and then explain it to us in a way that makes even less sense then it did before. It's the same problem I have with the "Affliction/Divergence" two-parter from Enterprise. What does it matter, really?
This episode also makes me wonder why some episodes become 2-parters, but other don't. If there are ANY episodes that would have been phenomonal as mid-season 2-parters it would be this and/or Relics. But no, we get "birthright", and "Gambit", and "Chain of Command", which while being a good episode, really should have been a 1-parter.
Mayhaps the progenitors eventually evolved into the changlings but the information was lost? Probably not, and coincidence of course, but that would be an interesting tie in between the series.
Back to this episode. I remember watching it when it aired, and I always felt it was more a sci-fi nod to intelligent design. If all of these humanoid races had shared DNA, that means that the progenitors were the ones who created everything, every race, and the implications of all races eventually coming up with the technology to master the galaxy.
Interesting concept.
I agreed with the Klingon.
When it comes to genetics, they don't grasp the basics. Evolution has always been a one-direction train track for the ST writers. Remember "Dear Doctor" in ST Enterprise, where Phlox invents a new evolution theory by stating that a race it genetically marked for extinction.
The same problem here.
But I do like two things: the chase as an adventure and puzzle and the explanation why the Star Trek universe is full of races who just look like one dimensional humans. It's fun when writers think about the complications originating from their own inventions.
What I didn't like is once again a Federation beyond redemption. It seems to be filled with bureaucrats and apparatchik only interested in transporting things or people from one known place to the other. That's basically their attitude. Make Picard an admiral (do these people know what the meaning of a "flag ship" is?) and let him commandeer ten ships to go on the hunt. After all, this is mind blowing new knowledge. At least the Romulan captain understands at the end.
In the mean time at Federation headquarters: "Jean Luc, can you transport mediator T'Cuckoo to the next stupid regional conflict between CountryBumpkin Omega Six and TRex Prime? Thanks. Good to have a starship with a complement of 1000+ to provide this commuter service."
For exploration the 24th is not a good century.
Tim Lynch's scientific critique of the episode is empty and very un-scientific, though very typical of belligerent skeptics of intelligent design.
His basic thrust is that intelligent design is a needless theory because despite the low probability of humanity's exact DNA profile occurring, SOMETHING had to occur and all outcomes were likely to lead to something like man. His analogy is a deck of cards - something of low probability occurs in every hand, if you think about it. Therefore, to say that the statistical unlikelihood of mankind's development argues against evolution and in favor of grand design is, in his words, "a rotten, rotten abuse of statistics."
Fair enough, if statistics were all there was to it. But biologically speaking, not all outcomes are equal. He leaves that part out. Humans are genetically close enough to chimpanzees that you could change one "card" and get them instead, yet only one of them has anywhere near the computative ability to take over the planet like we have. The evolution of a species physically mentally capable of mastering its physical environment AND building its own, subduing all other species and the entire planet, and pondering the mysteries of the universe at every level - that outcome is NOT some random, scattershot junk hand of cards. It's an ideal combination, more like getting a royal flush.
Please read some biology books before you write further on evolution, lest you embarrass yourself further with your ignorance.
Maybe it just felt a bit too far-fetched that some ancient culture had actually hidden clues to something all across the galaxy (or wherever) but only on planets within the reaches of a couple of species. Also, the clues are 4.5 billion years old, but yet ALL of these species began the hunt for these clues at roughly the same time. And I also found it a bit hard to believe that any of these cultures would really consider destroying a planet and all life on it to hide a clue. I think the imapct of that is glossed over a bit. Finally, what the hell are the odds that 4.5 billion years ago, some form of data was scattered about the universe and today you could put that into a tricorder and see a hologram? You can't even put a Mac-formatted floppy disc into a PC and read the data. I don't have any reasonable belief that a computer could interpret any data from 4.5 billion years ago as 3-D audio-visual data.
Ultimately, perhaps, the ending was just a bit to Trekkian in it's do-gooder intentions and a bit too meaningless in its "we all come from the same place" message. Yeah? So what? Is that going to have any impact on humanity or any of these other cultures? I doubt it... I'd have to drop this to 1.5 or 2 stars.
1. It quells fans' desire to know why every alien in Star Trek has 2 arms and 2 legs. My girlfriend continually asked that question when she began rewatching TNG with me.
2. I love the fast-pace excitement of this episode. Each "act" contained a significant plot element, whether it was Galen's ship being destroyed, or when the Enterprise was temporarily disabled by the Cardassians. Like Jammer said, it was very Indiana Jones-like without the stunts).
3. Seeing all of Trek's major races (Humans, Klingons, Cardassians and Romulans) was a riot. This greatly tickled the inner nerd in me.
4. It was greatly amusing to see all of the major Trek aliens working together in order to solve this puzzle. *** SPOILER *** If I remember correctly, the only other time where Trek's major aliens worked together was in DS9, when most Alpha Quadrant species banded together to combat the Dominion occupation.
Quite frankly, the only negative aspect to this episode was the lack of follow-up. Finding out a major piece of DNA evidence that impacts the whole quadrant, and never hearing about it again is a bit odd. Then again, such episodic writing was TNG's motto, and just because everyone shares very similar DNA doesn't mean it improves inter-species relations.
My rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars
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