Star Trek: The Next Generation
"The Icarus Factor"
Air date: 4/24/1989
Teleplay by David Assael & Robert L. McCullough
Story by David Assael
Directed by Robert Iscove
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
When Starfleet offers Riker his own ship and command, they send his father, Kyle Riker (Mitchell Ryan), to brief him on the new mission. The two haven't spoken in 15 years, and Riker has little desire to start now. Meanwhile, Worf's mood is noticeably brooding, even for him.
"The Icarus Factor" has a certain amount of guts because it doesn't have a plot in the traditional sense and instead puts its trust solely in characters getting the job done. It's not a great show, and hardly one of the series' most memorable, but I think it's a good one. Kyle Riker is portrayed here as a well-intended father who is being made to pay by his son for his past mistakes as a parent. Wil Riker has a lot of pent-up anger over his mother, who died when he was a young child. As these sorts of family-turmoil stories go, this is a passable one that tries to see both sides and doesn't make anyone a hero or a villain but simply addresses this as a problem faced by both parties. Pulaski has her own insights, as she once was involved with Riker's father. The episode is perhaps overly optimistic in the way it depicts Riker's forgiveness so quickly at the end (either that, or their problem should've been solved years ago with one talk), but I suppose that's part of the TNG charm. Also worth mention are the Riker/Picard discussions about what it means to command a starship, even if it's not something as high-profile as the Enterprise.
More interesting is the Worf storyline, which gives still more insight into his (sometimes-insane-seeming) Klingon warrior code, and how that code exists in isolation on the Enterprise. Leave it to the Klingons to have something called "pain sticks" as part of a ritual involving the Age of Ascension (of which it's Worf's 10th anniversary). I also want to quickly mention Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney), whose profile became steadily higher throughout the second season, to the point that he exists here as a supporting character right alongside Geordi, Pulaski, and Wesley.
Previous episode: Time Squared
Next episode: Pen Pals
26 comments on this review
Sun, Oct 2, 2011, 4:19pm (UTC -6)
Mon, Oct 3, 2011, 3:02pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Dec 12, 2012, 4:23pm (UTC -6)
Probably part of why parises squares was never shown on film (kind of like Vera on Cheers and Maris on Frasier) because it eventually became so hyped as this great, dangerous game that any elaboration on what it really is (though we did glimpe the uniforms they wear for it) would almost certainly be a silly letdown.
Tue, Mar 12, 2013, 1:26pm (UTC -6)
I'm with Eric when he says "Wow, that sucked". It was a slow and contrived show.
I think they had some good ideas going on. The whole thing with Riker's not-so-perfect family was nice, and discovering that Worf is more "sensitive" than expected is fine.
But the execution was very bad. The whole thing feels so fake. "Anbo-jitsu" looks like anything but a real sport, or game, or anything remotely believable. And Worf's ritual wasn't that much better, either.
At least there were some funny parts. Like when Data tries to cheer up Worf and he gets a "BEEEGOOOONE!...sir" as an answer.
Thu, Mar 28, 2013, 6:14pm (UTC -6)
I know we shouldn't quibble about star ratings nor take them too seriously, but you gave "The Icarus Factor" and "Family" the same *** ratings. You don't believe they're of dramatic equal quality, do you?
Thu, Mar 28, 2013, 7:52pm (UTC -6)
Kidding, of course. As I've said time and time again, the star ratings just sometimes get taken too seriously, and they are not absolute by any means, especially when you have to consider the difference between a S2 episode and a S4 episode. I did my best with the star ratings to be useful. But sometimes they're just a burden.
Mon, Apr 1, 2013, 6:56pm (UTC -6)
Will: I've been on my own for 15 years! I think I can handle myself.
Kyle: Please, spare me the pain of your childhood. I hung in for 13 years. If that wasn't enough it's just too bad!
-- make it hard for me to think Kyle Riker has a side that is all that much worth hearing. The Pulaski/Kyle relationship is mostly a question mark. The Troi/Pulaski conversation about how maybe the fact that men never grow up is part of why they find them so attractive is pretty cringeworthy. Mostly, the climactic catharsis-through-combat scene, while a parallel to the Worf material, is tremendously silly in both concept -- it *is* a cliche and not a particularly useful one -- and execution, because, jeez, ambo-jitsu looks *so silly*. I like, too, how Kyle challenges Will to an ambo-jitsu match before it's even been established that they used to play that. The early material within the Riker(s) plotline isn't bad, but the ending doesn't register to me as real at all.
The other problem is that in all the Kyle Riker material, there is no space to deal with Riker's own decision not to take the command of the Ares. (Ares, huh? Very violence-themed episode.) It's implied that Riker only considered taking the job because of his father's expectations; but Riker's driven-ness is so much a part of the character's initial conception (and the reason given for the Riker/Troi breakup) that there needs to be more development to establish why he refuses a command, or why he wouldn't want him for himself. If Riker's *entire* ambition is because he internalized his father's expectations, they would not go away just because he found out his father cheated at ambo-jitsu. Certainly, he *likes* it on the Enterprise, and will miss Troi and the rest of his friends and Picard. But does that add up sufficiently to the Enterprise being the best place for him? Fortunately for the character, The Best of Both Worlds does a much better job at covering this issue for Riker, which is a pretty important one given that his continued presence on the Enterprise really needs to be explored.
On the other hand, the Worf plot *is* quite good -- The Worf plot here is good -- in fact, it's hugely funny, in the way the crew react to Worf's bizarre Klingon traditions with alarm but hold themselves back because it's for his good, so...yay? The "BEGONNEEE!...sir" is also a highlight. The C-plot in which Geordi's ego bristles at the starbase personnel is lightweight but serviceable.
I think the Riker material is two stars, but the subplot is strong enough to bump it up to a low 2.5 from me.
Fri, May 10, 2013, 7:16pm (UTC -6)
Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 5:41am (UTC -6)
In terms of delivery it starts well, but the Riker story tails off badly to the end, and the final martial arts combat of him and his father facing off in spandex and chasing each other round like a piñata is, frankly, risible. It does, however, at least address the issue early of why, if Riker is so competent as a number one, he doesn't have his own command.
"BE GONE..! Sir" is another great Worf line though. 2.5 stars.
Mon, Oct 19, 2015, 4:57pm (UTC -6)
His Dad is a real jerk. But at the end, I don't get the sense they have really fixed anything--but Will is not going to waste any more time on him.
I love Pulaski in this--she is so awesome. I was trying to picture Beverly at the Klingon ceremony and nope! She would have made a speech about nonviolence, or some such crap, and stayed away. Whereas Pulaski objects to the ceremony, as she comments later, but she keeps her mouth shut and honors Worfs customs. No wonder she is worthy of poison tea.
I still don't get why Will never accepts his own command--when Picard was describing it, I wanted to jump on the Ares and go! I would change the name of it to The Irascible Mustelidae and head for the far reaches! But oh no, "this is the right place for him right now." Ptooey. I know they need to have him stay for the sake of the show, but they never really come up with a good reason. As the years go on, it just looks cowardly.
Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 2:46am (UTC -6)
Tue, Oct 18, 2016, 9:48pm (UTC -6)
Diana Muldaur's Dr. Pulaski was a fine character. She had grit and depth that it never felt like the writers were willing to impart to Gates McFadden's Dr. Crusher,
I join the commenters above in observing that the Rikers quarrel went away just a little too easily to be believable, while Will Riker's sudden decision to turn down the Ares seems woefully unexplained. Oh well, there's always the Melbourne.
Oh, wait...
Tue, Jan 24, 2017, 4:16pm (UTC -6)
Well I said such things apparently because I hadn't watched "The Icarus Factor" in many years. It's always nice to see that one's theories are in fact stated outright in another episode; 'nice' in the sense of having not paid attention and patted yourself on the back for it. In this episode we see practically verbatim that Riker's ambition was largely a result of trying to best his father in life; hence the image of Icarus, of the son who tried to fly higher than the father and burned up for it. Amazingly this would seem to imply that Riker's ambition was burning away at him, and that the way to save himself was to let it go and slow down.
We also get a scene here where Riker has almost decided to take his own command, and he and Deanna admit that they are sad to be leaving each other. Sad enough, from the looks of the scene, that it was a major part of Riker's decision. And then we have Picard in a separate scene say in no uncertain terms that Riker would be moving to an insignificant posting from the flagship, and that while there no is substitute for command Riker would be moving to a life that perhaps Picard didn't think he's enjoy as much. This sounded more than just Picard as CO speaking to his XO, it looked like it was as his friend as well. It's funny to look back at this ep and realize Picard was giving him better reasons not to take the command than reasons to take it.
So yeah, this episode seems to be the turning point where Riker really gives up a lot of his ambition. If Hide and Q was a wake up call, this episode was Riker getting out of bed and deciding which suit to wear. It's a surprisingly big character episode considering how little follow-up it ever received.
Sat, Feb 18, 2017, 5:16am (UTC -6)
Riker senior v junior: Argh, so much potential for exploration of Will's background and character. The Pulaski/dad angle (Pulaski showing Will another POV) was smart and added a lot. But the dad/son relationship was utterly jumbled.
At various points we are told conflicting things. Dad was selfish and not interested in raising a kid ("I hung in there for thirteen years; if that wasn't t enough for you, too bad!") but conversely he was controlling (""wouldn't let me catch my own fish"), We see that he is proud of Will's rising career (he has come here to bury the hatchet, and early scenes show his warm attempts to do just that), but Troi alleges that he is secretlly over-competitive with Will (there is no evidence of this, or of her assertion that he has a reputation for false humility, or of Will's comment about his egotism.) The writers are just throwing random character traits against a wall, like a splatter painting.
(It doesn't help that Icarus was actually a young excitable hothead who died because he didn't listen to his cautious and wise and loving father. Riker junior actually flies low and close to home instead of soaring off to the Ares, so there's nothing Icarus about him at all. Maybe the writers meant to call it "The Oedipus Factor"? In which case Will should have flirted with Pulaski a bit.)
Worf vs himself: The Worf stuff was also a good idea wrecked by poor execution. For me, it failed because the ritual was not what it was described as. One of the humans explains that Worf is supposed to confess his deepest feelings while under duress from the pain sticks. But what Worf actually says in the gauntlet is "The best thing in life is to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the wailing of their women!!"
These are not his deepest feelings, though they may have been Conan's. It's his superficial jingoistic me-so-Klingon BS. His deepest feelings are isolation, loneliness, longing to be the perfect warrior, fearing that his choice of a career in Starfleet makes him weak or un-Klingonlike. Or possibly his deepest feelings are his embarrassing love for his adoptive parents and his human friends on the Enterprise.
General impression: the germs of good ideas were there, but the characterization was murky and contradictory. Result: an interesting mess that could have been as good as "Family." But in no way was.
Sat, Mar 18, 2017, 6:32pm (UTC -6)
"But what Worf actually says in the gauntlet is "The best thing in life is to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the wailing of their women!!"
Seriously? You speak Klingon well enough to translate what he said? And THAT's what they had him say? Holy crap. No accusations of plagiarism?
Your suggestion of what he should have said is dead on.
Wed, Apr 26, 2017, 3:35pm (UTC -6)
By far the superior sub plot was the hilarious masochism of Worf's ceremony while the low point must be the ultimate martial art mess with those idiotic costumes and bonkers Amok Time pugil sticks.
Pure embarassment for everyone involved.
Diana Muldaur and Marina Sirtis were the superior actors but they can't save this.
Three wormholes from me -why haven't they cancelled this show yet?
Tue, May 9, 2017, 5:31pm (UTC -6)
It is good to spend an episode (or part of one) on Riker's background/childhood and try and get an idea of how it shapes him as a commander, but I don't think it was well handled here.
Worf's moodiness / Wes's curiosity / war ritual is an OK B-story. It fills in the time adequately but doesn't tell us anything that we don't already know. The TNG crew is like family - they will look out for each other and Worf the Klingon is a warrior at heart and they need to do some dumb rituals for "honor".
I actually think the star of this episode (I use "star" in a relative way) is Pulaski. Her character is rounding out nicely as a compassionate doctor who is eager to get involved with the crew. The relationship with dad Riker is nothing noteworthy. And it's good that she's stopped belittling Data.
The whole thing with Riker and command of the Ares -- everybody knows he's not going to take it, but it was good to hear Picard's thoughts on being in command.
Overall a mediocre episode - definitely weaker than "Contagion" and "Time Squared". For me, 2/4 stars - the ending cliche with Riker and dad in that stupid blind jiu-jitsu was so dumb.
Tue, Jun 27, 2017, 8:46am (UTC -6)
One of the most wooden episodes of TNG with mainly cringeworthy dialogue in the A story. Terrible. As much as I enjoy the concepts to explore Riker's and Worf's background, the delivery was more than disappointing. Take the exchange between Will and Deanna:
Will: "I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."
Deanna: "I don't like goodbyes. How about 'until next time'?"
Will: "How about 'until next time' [in a tone that indicates agreement]."
Deanna: "It was a pleasure working with you, commander [joking tone]."
Will: "The feeling is mutual."
Deanna: "I am supposed to know how others feel, but I can't read you right now."
Will: "Maybe your own emotion are getting in the way."
Deanna: "My job is to help others sort out their emotions... my own feelings are beside the point."
Will: "Not to me..."
Let me just step in here and stop this travesty of a dialogue. For two people who feel deeply about each other, this is a completely inappropriate farewell scene. It reads like it was written by a really bad fanfiction author. Nothing but clichés. Why would Deanna's feelings be "beside the point" when she is saying goodbye to Will? Of course, her feelings at that moment matter.
The Kyle character was nothing but a walking cliché, and we are supposed to believe that Riker's ambition can entirely be reduced to the competition with his father? That's his only drive?
Objectively, the episode doesn't deserve more than 1.5 stars, and only the relevance for the characterization of Riker and Worf raises it to 2.0. Although the Worf story feels much more relevant to me than the Riker story, which doesn't help to shed much light on the character at all. My impression of Riker didn't change in any meaningful way after watching this episode; TBOBW does much more to flesh Riker out.
Tue, Jun 27, 2017, 9:29am (UTC -6)
The main focus of this episode should obviously have been the question whether Riker will accept his new assignment or not. But this question isn't explored in sufficient depth. His conversation with Picard about what it means to command a ship stands out as the best scene of the episode - we needed more of that.
Fri, Nov 10, 2017, 1:10am (UTC -6)
As for the episode, just 2 stars.
Mon, Dec 4, 2017, 9:20pm (UTC -6)
I know people bash season 1 but I actually like it more than season two. In fact, bavk In 1988-89 I stopped watching tng because of how weak season two was whereas season one I enjoyed it
This episode was just very dull. I could care less about the jitsu crap or the Riker/father issue
Fri, Mar 16, 2018, 6:35am (UTC -6)
Sun, Mar 18, 2018, 3:06pm (UTC -6)
Sun, Mar 18, 2018, 7:54pm (UTC -6)
I actually liked that they tried it. And it started out promising. But the ends of both stories just fell flat for me.
Still, I liked it more than I expected. Decent, middle-of-the-road character episode.
Thu, May 24, 2018, 9:56pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Oct 24, 2018, 4:01pm (UTC -6)
The Riker plot doesn't work at all. We know Riker's not going to leave, so there's no suspense as to whether or not he'll take the post - the interest would have been in seeing his decision-making process, with him weighing up how much he values the Enterprise and his colleagues and experiences there versus the chance of commanding his own ship - but we get almost none of this. The biggest problem is that the beef between Riker and his father feels contrived, poorly drawn and one-dimensional - for the bulk of the episode, we don't even know why they're at loggerheads and why their relationship is so frosty that they've had a 15-year rift. It's suggested in dialog a couple of times that Riker's father is a hard taskmaster, but we don't see much evidence of this for ourselves. There's also an underlying theme (in both the Riker and Worf plots) of men having difficulty talking about their feelings, but while this works and is in character (and is well-resolved) in the Worf plot (thanks to the intuition of Wesley and the tact and thoughtfulness of Geordi), it makes the Riker plot uninvolving and obtuse; Riker and his father can't communicate their feelings well enough for the audience to begin to understand why there's a conflict between them. There's kind of a "reveal" during the fight scene at the end that goes a little way toward making this work, but then their 15-year estrangement and their entire animosity toward each other is apparently totally resolved in just a few words (without good follow-up either; a final scene of Riker saying goodbye to his father would have helped). It's too little too late.
The most striking issue with this episode is the dialog, as a few others have commented above. It was really noticeable to me how often (and how directly) we're told things instead of being shown them, more than in any other episode I can think of in the whole of Trek.
Instead of being able to judge Kyle Riker's character for ourselves through his words and actions during the first half of the episode, we're directly told by Pulaksi: "You're crusty. You have a reputation for being hard as nails and getting the job done. Underneath it all, you're not so bad. Some of us even love you." Later, as the rift with Will fails to be resolved, instead of us being able to judge Kyle's emotional state for ourselves through the dialog and the actor's performance, we're instead told by Troi "you are intelligent, wise [...] You're also very anxious about something. It's Will, isn't it? You're not as close to him as you'd like to be. " Kyle's reply: "I came here to bury the hatchet with my son only to find out the ground was frozen solid." We can see that much. None of this needed to be spelled out in dialog. Show, don't tell.
Later, Worf to Riker: "You do not have good feelings for your father?"
Troi to Kyle: "You don't seem to be the kind of man to give up so easily."
In another confrontation scene, Kyle's "spare me the pain of your childhood" line to Riker is totally inappropriate - instead of serving the character, it only really exists to directly tell the audience that Riker had a painful childhood (instead of us being shown or allowed to intuit this). Incredibly clunky!
Later, instead of being allowed to observe for ourselves that Riker has emotional baggage (the very apparent central theme of the episode) and wonder how he'll work through it, we're directly told by Pulaski that he has "emotional baggage" and that he needs to "jettison" it.
Picard even directly spells out Riker's dilemma: "You are the second in command of Starfleet's flagship, but still second in command. Your promotion will transfer you to a relatively insignificant ship in an obscure corner of the galaxy. But it will be your ship." Because apparently the audience can't think this through for themselves.
In Riker's goodbye scene with Troi, instead of the writers trusting the two (very capable) actors to convey their feelings and the audience to perceive them, we have this amazing exchange:
Troi: Are you feeling sad?
Riker: Yes, I am.
Troi: So am I.
Haha! Who writes like this?
Also bad is the scene where Pulaski said that everyone in the attack died apart from Riker's father because "[he] alone had the will to endure, to face the pain, to live." So the others succumbed because they didn't have the willpower?
Not to mention O'Brien's line: "Those are Klingon painsticks. I once saw one of them used against a two-ton rectyne monopod. Poor creature jumped five metres at the slightest touch. It finally died from excessive cephalic pressures." Imagine having to learn that!
Worf plot gets 1.5 out of 2 stars, Riker plot gets 0.5 out of 2 stars, for 2 stars out of 4 overall.
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