“Sarek”

I find this episode excellent as well. I cannot think of a better choice of music to frame Sarek's silent, gradual fracture - the Brahms bit is pure emotion itself.

Just one more example of the power of the third season of Next Gen. Totally agree with review -- this is strongly acted episode.

A great episode, the tear during the concert and Stewart doing what he does best after the mind meld were just fantastic scenes...and a bar fight to top it off!

Could you imagine if Worf ended up losing his temper due to Sarek?

The poor sod who crossed him wouldn't live to tell the tale.

I liked this one, but not too sure why Picard wasn't just sedated while he had to host Sarek's emotions. Was it integral that he stay conscious in such turmoil?

Forgive me for being contrarian, but I must disagree. Lenard and Stewart are great actors, of that I have no doubt. And Lenard's portrayal of a man barely containing his emotions was excellent... up until the point where Picard forces him to confront the issue. Sadly, that scene always looked cheesy to me (Irrelevant! Irrelevant!) He looked more like Data getting short-circuited than a man losing control. Too bad, because up to that point it was an excellent scene.

And on a similar note, I thought the Picard-as-Sarek scene was too over the top as well. I guess they were trying to convey that Vulcan emotions are that much more powerful than human ones, but it still didn't convince me. Picard alternating between shouting and crying while verbalizing Sarek's internal monologue was also rather silly to me. For one, if he is really experiencing that much emotion, would he just remain seated the entire time (or did Bev strap him down?)? And two, if he was really so overcome with emotions, how could he enunciate clearly like that? Ever see people give speeches at a funeral or other emotional event? Notice how they have trouble talking when they start to cry?

For that matter, I think the scene also could have been plotted better. Wouldn't it still make sense, within the confines of the story, if Sarek transferred over only his emotions, but not necessarily the thoughts that went with it? Mindmelds aren't exactly perfectly fleshed out in Trek lore, so why not? Then we could see Picard not being able to control his emotions, but they would be HIS emotions and not Sarek's. Wouldn't it be better to have an unbridled, brutal look at the main character of the show rather than a one-time guest star? Especially since Sarek's thoughts and emotions were pretty pedestrian, all things considered?

Still, a very good episode on the whole. I particularly liked that Picard asked Beverly to stay with him; it's a nice reinforcement of their friendship.

I got to meet Peter S. Beagle, the author of this episode. He was also the author of The Last Unicorn and many works of fiction. He recounted how the episode came to be and even remembering what the TNG writers group were wearing when he pitched it back in '89. He also autographed my ST: TNG Companion. Class act.

Great episode, but why does this series have to make such a mockery of classical music? Can't they find anyone who knows about these things? Clipping off the introduction to the "Dissonance" quartet is bad enough. For the second movement, we have the slow movement from the Brahms op. 18 sextet... played by a quartet?

An excellent episode. It's nice to finally get a crossover/call-back to The Original Series. We had the cameo appearance of DeForest Kelly in "Encounter at Farpoint," but that wasn't very well done and Kelly was buried under so much old age make-up that it was laughable. This one is just perfect, even if we're dealing with a side character from TOS.

Two things I'll mention that make this episode so good. First, the scene where Picard confronts Sarek about his problem. It's amazing that that confrontation takes up an entire act of the episode (from commercial break to commercial break) and yet it just flies by. It really is a testament to some wonderful actors (not just Stewart and Lenard, but the others in the scene as well). It's nothing but a bunch of people (and eventually just two) standing in a room talking and yet it's riveting. Second, the scene where Picard deals with Sarek's emotions. Stewart indeed knocks it out of the park, acting-wise, but that isn't what stands out most for me. I especially liked the end of the scene where Crusher takes Picard into her arms and comforts him. It's a really well-handled and kind-of subtle demonstration of their relationship. Nothing really needs to be said, she just bends down and embraces him in his time of need. These are two people who genuinely care for each other. It's a shame they never properly pursued this relationship because all the elements are clearly there for it to be wonderful.

9/10

With its callbacks to TOS, this one bears all the hallmarks of a TOS episode with a relatively simple story, lots of (welcome, given TNG's sidelining of the race) Vulcan imagery, and glory of glories, an honest to God fistfight in ten-forward.

What elevates it above the norm are two bravura acting performances from Mark Lenard and Patrick Stewart. The latter steals the show in the stunning scene where he struggles with Sarek's repressed and raging emotions - the simple "It's quite... difficult" as he regains himself for a moment may be the best delivered line in the series so far. 3.5 stars.

I loved this episode!

The allegory of old age and ilness was really well done, a theme that's so universal that it makes this episode timeless. Also, the acting. I almost felt the "Irrelevant" scene was a bit over the top, as SkepticalMI said, but any doubts of this episode's quality were erased by the end of it.

I loved the mindmeld scene for all the reasons stated above and for something more: this is pure TNG optimism right here. Sarek's problem is everyone else's problems too. While they can't cure him, they can at least help him bear this burden. And you see Beverly Crusher helping Picard as well.

Btw, this is once again* a great way to bridge TNG with TOS, something the previous seasons couldn't do well at all. One of the greatest strenghts of S3.

* The other time (imo) was with the first Romulan episodes of the season. They made me care for that alien race, and at the same time, I acknowledged their importance in the overall universe of Star Trek.

The most interesting detail in this episode is that after Amanda's death Sarek has chosen *another* human woman to marry. Not only does Sarek deem it logical to marry a second time, but he once again chooses a non-Vulcan. For someone so utterly invested in Vulcan culture and the science academy - to the point where Spock rejecting this life and choosing Starfleet led to their estrangement - he seems to have quite the fascination for Humans. Sarek had also long since been the Vulcan ambassador to the Federation as well, apparently living on Earth among Humans (we frequently see him in council sessions on Earth in the feature films). Sarek's quote from Journey to Babel about his decision to marry Amanda was "At the time it seemed the logical thing to do," which to me is clearly a subtle hint that Sarek is much more like Spock than he would ever let on, and a little less than the unemotional robot he pretends to be.

Here's another question I never thought of until now: Might Perrin be Sybok's mother?

Er, let's just forget that comment I made about Sybok. I was tired...

It felt like the confrontation scene with Sarek ended rather abruptly, like it was cut off before the originally intended end of the scene.

I remember an interview in which P. Stewart evaded a question about which role he liked better, Picard or Prof. Xavier. Episodes like this (and there are so many) make it very hard to believe he really doesn't know the answer - Picard is clearly THE role he was born to play, and he invested so much more of himself in this role, so much more emotional depth, charisma, and brilliant acting than any other role I've seen him in (I haven't seen his theatre work). One could argue that he revitalized Star Trek almost by himself. I can only assume he didn't answer because he didn't want to alienate his x-men fans.

I just realized why ST: Voyager struggled - it didn't have too many opportunities to do shows like this where we meet family members of the crew.

@dark Kirk:

Ah, but the positive side is, this gave Voyager not too many opportunities to display the strongminded controlling father alongside the ineffectual placating mother, the Great Man father alongaide his devoted, self-abnegating wife; the show-stealing father alongaide the generic smiling mother, the well-characterized brother alongaide the generic smiling sister-in-law.

Not that there's like, a pattern there or anything.

(What other female relatives showed up on ST?, Well, there's Ziyal. She was interesting when first introduced - actually I thought she was going to develop in exciting ways and create great new storylines. But she was quickly downgraded to a generic Sweet Young Thing who existed to give Dukat and Garak an object to argue over. So who else? Geordi's dead mother. Tasha's hot sister.)

Now, Mrs Sarek. Who is Mrs Sarek? She is a person. She is a person who fell in love, moved to an alien land with her unemotional Romeo - where she was required to give up all normal and natural human self-expression, all laughter and fun and tears and authenticity that she had been accustomed to to. She has a husband so coolly unfeeling that while she is striving to protect his dignity, he is meanwhile making dry disapproving comments to near-strangers about his wife's unseemly human over emotionality. She has an adopted society so rigid and coercive, it demands she use excruciating self-control and constant decorous deportment at all times.

Yet the episode tells us that she is content inside these strict limits, on this planet where she is never allowed to cry or laugh or play or tell a friend how she feels or be her own true and relaxed self.. And why is she content? Because she has the lurrrrve of a great man. Sure, he is barely willing to actually show her any lurrrrve, but she sets the bar low enough that the little glimmers of lurrrrve he flicks at her are enough to fill her heart. Sure, she has sacrificed her own soul and her own self and receives almost nothing. But it's lurrrrve! And he is a great man. Wifehood trumps all the negatives.


(It's too bad: I probably would have loved the episode had they simply given Sarek a normal Vulcan wife , and spared us the character of an all-but-burqa-clad Mrs. S.)

Ravenna remember this is Sarek's second human wife. I actually had to look that up the first time because I naturally assumed that she was Spock's human mother - until I did the math and realized she'd have to be 120 or something for that to be true.

Which makes it even better - when the old devoted human female croaks he just goes and gets a newer model to replace her. You'd think bridging the cultural gulf and finding companionship with an alien woman would be something special, maybe even once in a lifetime. But for Sarek I guess it's no bigger a deal than checking the "human" box on his Vulcan Tinder App.

What makes you guys think that Sarek taking a Human wife in Amanda was some random coincidence? He told Spock it seemed like the *logical* thing to do, which means it wasn't a fluke. Since we know that Amanda wasn't especially unemotional or logical, it seems logical to assume that some part of Sarek's character made this logical. And if it was logical once it should remain logical twice. I believe the writers were intentionally hinting that Sarek wasn't your typical Vulcan and not as different from Spock as we might think. In this episode we have confirmation when Picard shares he thoughts and we hear about all the love Sarek had in him and was repressing. Not your normal Vulcan at all, but surprisingly human.

Is it so hard to believe Sarek likes a certain type of woman? Is there something wrong with that?

Is it crazy that Sarek would have this type? I suppose not. Illogical, but not crazy. Sort of like if Worf fell in love with another Trill.

But where is he finding these human women willing to devote their lives to him? I think Raveena illustrated pretty well how unlikely it is a woman would seek out such a lifestyle. So we're left with the assumption that Sarek caught lightning in a bottle twice.

I suppose it's not wrong from a plot standpoint. But for me it just feels like they needed Sarek to have a wife and a human one, couldn't make the math work with the original wife, so they manufactured a new identical one as a plot contrivance. It makes Mrs. Sarek seem, shall we say, disposable.

@Jason R.

"But where is he finding these human women willing to devote their lives to him?"

Simple, Sarek's a prestigious Federation official and some women are attracted to that sort of prestige. As for the human side of the equation, wasn't Sarek a Vulcan ambassador to Earth granting him ample opportunity to meet human women?

What's more, this episode really only shows a slice of Prinna's role as Sarek's wife during a time in which Sarek desperately needs special care. For all we know during Sarek's healthy life, Prinna influenced Federation trade deals and policy along with Sarek, it's just not relevant to this episode.

Sorry, Prinna should be Perrin. Silly auto-correct!

Jason,

"But where is he finding these human women willing to devote their lives to him?"

It sounds strangely like you're saying that no human woman could or would ever find a Vulcan desirable. Is that really what you're trying to say? Because I bet you there are many human women who would enjoy the company of an intelligent and sophisticated Vulcan. How many of them could endure long-term in such a relationship is another matter, and has more to do with what typical values are in the 24th century compared to now and how people are raised. If a large enough proportion of humans value logic over emotion then they might even find Vulcans to be role models. We don't see that in Trek because the shows try to show us different cultures, rather than people from one culture taking on the ways of another. But in reality I'm sure there would be many 'Vulcanist' humans, and also ones who like the Klingon traditions as Curzon did.

Great character episode - Mark Lenard was terrific as a guest actor on 60s Trek as the Romulan captain in "Balance of Terror" but more well-known as Spock's dad in "Journey to Babel". Always nice to get that connection between TNG and TOS. Sarek as a diplomat was well on his way to building the Federation in JtB. "Sarek" continues with that storyline.

Also a chance for Picard to show his great Shakespearean acting when he takes on Sarek's emotions. I don't know why he didn't walk around the room, stomp his feet etc. but it was good to see Crusher there doing what a doctor and dear friend would.

Bigger picture - it does shine a light on the struggles of the elderly to not lose their respect and their desire for finishing their life's work -- that much is accurately portrayed here. Those closest to Sarek are doing their best to keep him together and let him have his dignity.

The scene with Picard confronting Sarek is the highlight of this episode -- not so much when Sarek explodes as if he's having a seizure -- but for how Picard logically confronts the aging Vulcan and his initial reactions.

Too bad we didn't actually get to see the Legarans given they went to such great extents to set up a slime pool for them on the Enterprise!

I'd rate "Sarek" just highly enough to get to 3.5 stars - poignant performances that aren't often seen in Trek.

2.5 stars. So-so episode

The first say 3/4 of episode kinda aimless. The bickering among the crew was not that interesting. And really not much else really going on. So basically it took to Sarek really coming front and center with 15 minutes left in hour that the episode picked up in my opinion with Picard finally confronting Sarek about his condition. The scene featuring Picard suffering through the emotional turmoil did a good job really conveying to the audience exactly how torturous Bendii syndrome was and really in that moment I could feel like in Sarek's shoes. And if you're going to bring on a TOS character going with A Vulcan who it has been previously established as being long lived was the way to go and to explore aging in Vulcans was right way to go with this story too. Something like Bendii would be a disease you'd expect to see in older Vulcans--breaking down their ability to repress their emotions

Actually one of the weaker season three episodes. Season three very very consistently good and solid. Still think season four better with more four star and three-and-a-half star episodes from me than season three which was comprised of a whole bunch of thre star episodes which is still good and what you'd want out of most week episodes

This was a good episode with its frank exploration of the debilitating betrayal of the self that is Altzheimer's disease.
Patrick Stewart's emoting scene recalls Leonard Nimoy's emotional breakdown in TOS episode The Naked Time -I think it is almost identical.

Mark Lenard lends TNG some class and gravitas and I loved Geordi and Wesley's fight about who was the most useless Lothario.
Great that Wesley reminded us of Geordi's creepy holo love affair.

With it's exploration of the effects of conditions like Alzheimer's and aging, superb acting performances, and a fascinating glimpse into the seldom-revealed Vulcan mind, this was excellent.

Riker: "Is it my imagination or have tempers become a little frayed on this ship lately?'
Worf: "I hadn't noticed."
as they walk into an all out brawl. Priceless.
3 1/2 stars.

In the scene where Picard is with Beverly after the mind meld with Sarek, on the back of the chair Picard is sitting in......isnt that the sash the Mintakans presented to Picard? Ive watched this episode a dozen times and only noticed it today!

Poor Michael didn't even get a mention when Picard-as-Sarek was listing all those he had loved in his life! ;)

Another fine addition to Next Gen's best season.

The Picard/Sarek confrontation was marvelous, as was Picard facing the onslaught of Sarek's overwhelming emotions. However, my favorite scene was the concert and the single tear. Magnificent.

And it was so nice to finally have Vulcans back on the show in meaningful way.

"and slowly escalates: Crusher slaps her son in the face for no good reason"

One reason might be that a lot of viewers derived great satisfaction from seeing Wesley finally get smacked.

@Chrome

"Simple, Sarek's a prestigious Federation official and some women are attracted to that sort of prestige."

"Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac." --Henry Kissinger

@Ravenna
You're a simple narrow-minded piece of work. You must be lonely because I suspect NOBODY would tolerate 2 minutes of your inane drivel. Go crawl back under your rock......perhaps there's a roach waiting to marry you......oh wait....that would be too hard on the poor roach!

If you are ever having trouble sleeping, turn this one on, you'll be snoozing before the concert is over.

What a beautiful episode! An episode that perfectly captures the greatest aspect of Star trek: the nobility of its characters. So beautifully written and so beautifully acted. I am honestly shocked that there aren't more comments here!

Did anyone else notice in the background of the brawl, a young woman convincingly beating the sh*t out of a bigger male crewmate. Cracked me up completely, especially as I was already laughing at Riker/Worf's "I hadn't noticed." exchange (as Derek D. mentions above). Why wasn't this actress given the role of Tasha Yar?

There's no point adding anymore critical commentary about this excellent episode, so I query this instead:

So Wes is dating an Ensign, eh? It's interesting that no one on the ship seems to have a problem with this. Wesley was 17 during the third season, while his "lucky" lady was at least 22, given her rank. I suppose his status as Boy Genius and Perpetual Ship Saver makes such a scandalous pairing OK. "Yes, he's still in high and school wears nothing but gray pajamas, but he saved my life!"

I wasn't overly taken with the first three quarters of this episode. I think I found the telepathic emotional assault on the crew a bit of a gimmick. I am not sure why, it could be an interesting science fiction angle but somehow didn't seem true to me. Maybe as the telepathic side of Vulcans isn't something I remember from Spock. Side note: Why were Vulcans not included in DS9? If they were telepathic and logical, it would have been an interesting addition.

The episode improved once we saw more of Sarek and of course Picard`s mind melding experience.

actually, not to be facetious but that beautiful green planet really stood out for me as well.

8/10

Well done.

Great performances from Stewart and Lenard - a classic. In lesser hands might have been overwrought, hokey even. But I found the story of the brilliant, legendary, (but aging and ill) ambassador, genuinely moving.

I have always liked the character of Sarek and his portrayal by the talented Mark L, and he turns in a virtuoso performance, here. Perrin is also well portrayed. They all are.

We've been looking all Season at life, what it means to be alive, the need for relationships and for purpose. With Sarek, we take a look from a different angle. He isn't Data, struggling to feel, he's a Vulcan trying not to feel. He isn't inexperienced Lal, learning control, he's a learned man losing control. He isn't dead Tasha preventing a meaningless death, he's lived a life full of purpose and meaning, and he wants to die with dignity.

But for everyone we've seen during this outstanding season, ultimately the message is the same: We need each other and we need to belong and we need purpose.

The mind meld takes the idea of needing support, needing connection and intimacy from others, and dramatically pushes it to its limits. But we also see more everyday examples, from Perrin, from the rest of Sarek's entourage, and from Beverly, as she comforts a very needy Jean Luc.

Despite the comment being almost six years old, I'd like to reply to Kieran here:

"I liked this one, but not too sure why Picard wasn't just sedated while he had to host Sarek's emotions. Was it integral that he stay conscious in such turmoil?"

I feel Picard would *want* to: to have the unique opportunity to experience this man he admired, in full force.

To quote him earlier in the episode: "I suppose they were foolish and vain, my expectations of this voyage. Sharing his thoughts, memories, his unique understanding of the history he's made." Turns out he gets to do this anyway, and a lot more directly than anticipated.

Great episode but another bloody classical concert. Constant laziness (in the writing) that the boldly going, forward thinking Federation just live in the past culturally.

Phenomenal episode. No perilious technobollocks or standoff against alien despots, just a clever, original idea brought beautifully to life by some remarkable acting.

A couple of niggles - Riker turns up at 10 Forward where there's a large scale brawl breaking out - surely his first instinct would be to bellow at them to stop? Like when Pike turns up at a bar fight in one of the movies. He'd take charge, instantly. Instead he just wanders through it, until he gets chinned himself.

Also, when Riker and Picard fight (verbally) on the bridge it's notable that Picard apologises, but Riker doesn't.

Finally, the mind meld thing - can't help thinking that Picard's emotional state might have been appropriate during the mind meld, but not for an hour afterwards. They sort of conveniently rewrote the manual for that one.

Nonetheless, inevitable niggles aside - a really good one.

The moment in the final scene where Picard says to Perrin, "he loves you...very much" always gets me, it's beautiful.

It struck me that Worf showed remarkable self control. Normally mild people around the ship erupting into violent confrontation under the influence of Sarek's telepathic projections - and all he did was to be a bit harsh towards a subordinate in a bureaucratic way. You'd have thought he¡d have turn somebody's head off.

Perhaps it's that Klingon's aggressive emotions are a lot closer to the surface all the time than the case with Earth humans, and he'd be much more used to consciously holding himself back, whereas the others would do that unconsciously, and that was where the telepathic disinhibition was focussed.

And Troi didn't seem affected either.

But I'd have thought that we'd have seen something more like the Naked Time/Naked Now setup, with a range of different enotions being released. After all with it wasn't particularly aggressive emotions that Vulcan's held rigidly back.

Still that would have been a different scenario, and this one worked well. Good to see Patrick Stewart given his head. And the bar fight was wonderful, including that pugnacious lady - I wonder if they used her again, they should have.

Overall, I’d call this a middling episode and was surprised to see the review and consistent positive comments. That isn’t to suggest it was a bad episode or one to avoid.
Something I’ve noticed about TNG opinions is that the location of one’s “PC” meter sometimes factors into judgment of an episode. Trek has always been about social commentary, so we expect it. But one person’s overreach that informs judgment of a episode to be a failure, to another person might be brilliant or exciting drama.

My opinion of this episode falls into that category. It was nice to see a beloved character, nice to see Alzheimer’s issues highlighted, but aside from these, there wasn’t much depth to it.
What would I have changed? Perhaps take the focus off the dramatic “discovery” of Sarek’s condition, and instead, simply make it clear he arrived in that state. This way, much more time could have actually been spent IN the negotiations. For my part, I was really looking forward to seeing these aliens that required a foul smelling soup for a habitat!

But my overall point is that we’re all going to judge episodes that highlight issues we find important as positive. Criteria for quality should instead be placed on plotting and writing. Again, not bad, but not great here.

Loved this episode. Genuinely unsure why someone's views on "PC" culture has anything to do with that...

As much as I can remember this was the best instance of bridging the gap from TOS to TNG since Admiral McCoy in the pilot. Savak is fantastic and does a great job of showing his deterioration. I didn't know Vulcans were telepathic - has that always been the case?

Unlike others, it seems, I could have done without the scene where Picard is overwhelmed by Savak's emotions. Nothing wrong with Stewart's acting or anything else it just wasn't the sort of thing I really wanted to see from Vulcan/Human interactions.

Not a lot here that is bad, I enjoyed the whole episode from end to end.

Sometimes, I get a surprise when after decades of familiarity, I suddenly understand some detail of one of these episodes in a way I never did before. In this episode, that was the moment when Crusher the Elder slaps Crusher the Younger.

The last time Trek showed us a mother slapping her son out of the blue was back in TOS, during the episode during which we were first introduced to Sarek (then in the prime of Vulcan life) , Journey to Babel. I remember Amanda's unexpected slap of Spock making me sit up straight on the couch.

I think it's more than a coincidence that the event replays in this episode that introduces us to the old man Sarek has become.

I wonder, could the writers have been hinting that Sarek may have been leaking some emotional vibes during Journey to Babel, too, perhaps because of his medical problems? I certainly don't think we were supposed to believe that Amanda routinely smacked around an adult Spock.

@ Trish,

I like your idea, but it could be the inverse: maybe Dr. Crusher slaps Wesley *because* Amanda slapped Spock. Maybe Sarek is projecting his memories telepathically as well.

@Trish, wow, fantastic catch. I like Peter's idea that it was memory leakage going on.

I actually think it is pretty much coincidental that both "Journey to Babel" and "Sarek" have a mother slapping her son. I think reading into the TOS episode that Sarek may have been leaking emotional vibes is stretching -- it's a heart issue in TOS, a physical ailment -- but in TNG it's a mental/emotional disease which leads to this emotional leaking as an interesting side-effect.

One should also consider why Amanda slapped Spock -- she's frustrated with Vulcan logic and that Spock is choosing duty over saving his father's life. She can't understand that and reacts in an understandable way. I don't think Fontana would attribute the slap to an unreasonable mental lapse for Amanda due to Sarek involuntarily projecting some vibes. The slap comes organically.

Whereas in "Sarek" Dr. Crusher just slaps Wesley for no reason -- it's all because of Sarek's mental instability, though the memory leakage hypothesis in this particular instance has some merit.

I like the idea of "memory leakage," in part because this idea goes in the right direction when you think of how the two slaps came to be in their respective scripts. Of course, at the time "Journey to Babel" was written, TNG didn't even exist, but when "Sarek" was written, the writers had access to everything in the TOS episodes. There would have been no reason for the TOS episode to have envisioned the character Sarek projecting his emotions telepathically, but every reason for writers who wanted to portray Sarek doing so to mine the character's past appearances for material.

I do think that once you do have the information from both episodes, it could be argued that if a Vulcan would lose telepathic control of his emotions due to neurological decay, he might also lose it momentarily when "incapacitated" by a heart condition, especially at moments when he is slipping in and out of consciousness.(Good thing Vulcans aren't telekinetic. If they were, a Vulcan ICU would have equipment flying all over the place like the scene in Plato's Stepchildren when Parmen's delirium is translated into physical chaos.)

I actually think the writers may not have thought it all the way through, because I suspect if they had, they would have been so proud of the idea that they would not have been able to resist throwing in at least one line somewhere that would explicitly point out to the viewer that Sarek's memory of Amanda's conflict with Spock was overflowing to the crew of the Enterprise-D, and was picked up by the two people whose relationship was most similar. If they did, it was a masterful touch, and I'm sorry they overestimated my (and apparently most other viewers') perceptiveness, given that it took me over three decades to appreciate it. Even if it was just a little homage to the TOS episode, I am a little sorry how long it took me.

But as with most things, once seen, it cannot be unseen. You'll never convince me now that it was just a coincidence. I think they did it on purpose.

Stewart's acting here is nearly Oscar level equivalent. The level of performance he attempted and achieved was light years above the expectations and realities of weekly TV of that era.

Stewart was in no small way key to the success of TNG.

I liked the writing and acting of both the Wesley/Geordi and Picard/Riket fights.

I didn't realize Levar Burton was doing Reading Rainbow before TNG even started. Wesley's wisecrack to Geordi about reading a book was actually an actor joke.

@Peter G. (with apologies for the 4 year gap)

"I'm sure there would be many 'Vulcanist' humans, and also ones who like the Klingon traditions as Curzon did."

You know this is an excellent point, and I don't think it needs be confined to the fictitious world of Star Trek. Indeed, I think that, in TNG's heyday, the writers understood that the best way to make characters of other races relatable was to make them something to aspire to be, rather than the "Weird Alien Culture of the Week" or "Bad Guys With Plastic Goop Masks."

I would speculate that even now (TNG is after all still wildly popular, and rightly so), there are many people who think the Human Race could stand to be as Logical as Vulcans, or as devoted to Family and Honor and Courage as Klingons. They espouse elements of our culture which we can hold as virtues, rather than being there simply to advance the plot.

Message to all fiction writers: If your story element does nothing but advance the plot, REWRITE IT (LOOKING AT YOU DISCOVERY).

So many good things about this episode. Patrick Stewart’s performance during the mind meld; Mark Lenard bridging TOS & TNG; the fight between Geordi and Wesley!; the Mozart concert (was there ever a better musical score to accompany the drama of Sarek’s tears - which was what I remembered most about the episode and knew was coming)…

Scattered random thoughts:

1. Data - talking about different violinists - says “I have been programmed…” Surely his neural net capabilities would lead him to say “I have learned…”?

2. Does a mind meld actually result in BECOMING the other mind? Perhaps I’ve forgotten my TOS, but I didn’t think so.

3. Another useless Troi contribution; and Gates McFadden really can’t act!

4. A great moment on the Bridge, when Data and Sakkath have their discussion: digital logic meets Vulcan logic, fascinating when you consider that Data was conceived as a “Spock substitute”.

5. The Ligarans as a kind of “Niles Crane’s Maris” or “Captain Mainwaring’s Elizabeth” - I.e. people much talked about but never seen. Though obviously crucial to the episode.

6. Sarek’s taking another human being as his wife, just as he did with Spock’s mother. I wonder if they have any children?

I think 3 stars is fair - Jammer’s been just a tad generous? Maybe?

Just watched this episode for the first time in a few years and I've been crying almost the whole episode. I've been helping my Dad as he's been progressing through his journey with dementia and a lot of what I've been going through is expressed in this episode. I've witnessed the disease slowly and imperceptibly progress. I've been the overprotective family member. I've deluded myself until being forced by events to "take away the keys", I've had many a frustrating conversation with him like Sarak and Picard's. I've always really liked this episode, but watching it today, it takes on a whole new meaning.

Sarek is such a solid episode. I love how the musical evening is used to develop the notion that Sarek is no longer able to control himself. Troi is quite important here, since she is first to note Sakkath acting to stabilize Sarek during the concert. I always thought the part of the scene showing Data conducting with his violin bow was special. Spiner is just terrific.

As for "memory leakage," (Trish, Mar. 2021) --it's an interesting idea about mothers slapping sons in parallel Sarek episodes, and I think that it may have been in the mind of the writers, but Sarek never saw Amanda slap Spock in TOS' Journey to Babel. So we are forced to conclude that slapping would not have been part of Sarek's direct memory leaking into Beverly.

Clearly though, there are few events more serious than a mother slapping an adult child. Little else in life telegraphs greater distress than that particular act. This, along with the Geordi/Wesley blow-up and Stewart's powerful radiation of Sarek's inner torment, makes this episode very effective.

@Peter G. (2017)

"What makes you guys think that Sarek taking a Human wife in Amanda was some random coincidence? He told Spock it seemed like the *logical* thing to do, which means it wasn't a fluke."

To me, "At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do" kind of suggested that maybe Sarek and Amanda "had to" get married, because she was pregnant. (I'm not saying she was; I'm speculating.) Though you’d think in the twenty-third century they’d have more reliable means of contraception.

What happened to the emotional poison that Picard took from Sarek in the mind meld? Did Sarek take it back from him in another mind meld after the negotiations were completed? Did it disappear into outer space? Why were both men calm and apparently unaffected by the Syndrome at the end?

Outstanding episode. Simply outstanding.

Some random thoughts:
Why didn't Sarek do the mind-meld mumbo-jumbo with his Vulcan valet rather than with Picard?

Five full minutes of Picard contorting himself while emotionalizing and schizophreniazing I could've done without. I thought the poor guy was gon' bust an artery or something. But I guess he's a thespian and he was in his element doing that nonsense so...have at it. I just FFd through that part.

The violin pieces were exquisite, and I'm not a classical music aficionado by any means.

Riker getting whacked in the kisser was the single greatest moment of the season, maybe the entire show!!!

The bar fight scene though - awesome ! Especially the female crew member smashing the crap out of some guy. Brilliant!

@Michael “Why didn't Sarek do the mind-meld mumbo-jumbo with his Vulcan valet rather than with Picard?”

Because Sarek needed Picard’s emotional stability and diplomatic skills to augment his own. The mind meld works in both directions.

Incredible performances by Mark Lenard and especially Patrick Stewart - this is peak Trek.

First time I noticed this foreshadowing line:

PICARD: Well, we'll respect Mister Mendrossen's request and allow Ambassador Sarek his privacy. I suppose they were foolish and vain, my expectations of this voyage. Sharing his thoughts, memories, his unique understanding of the history he's made.

Pretty sneaky writing.

Enough already said about Stewart and Lenard. True Trek, through and through. I also appreciated the performance of Sarek's functionaries. They did exactly what long-term aides would be expected to do, protect the reputation of their godlike legend at the expense of everything else.

In hindsight, this episode sets up Reunification so marvelously. Only the captain of the Enterprise could bring final peace to the turbulent relationship between Sarek and Spock.

Stewart and Lenard make this episode. I felt though that, given the breathtaking intensity of Picard's mindmeld scene, the pacing of the surrounding scenes could have worked more naturally with it -- they could have built towards it more relentlessly.

It's also hard to fathom how an episode that contains that scene also contains such silliness as the bar room brawl or Geordie/Wesley's stupid argument about dating!

On another topic, since Sarek's earlier concert/crying scene was so moving (apart from Data's hilariously cringey concert presentation, but I'll let that slide), they missed a chance IMO to extend the Brahms sextet throughout the score of the episode as a kind of emotional glue, especially since one could see its slow/sad/dignified march character as a metaphor for the episode's theme of inescapably advancing age.

Anyway, good episode!

I guess this watching is as good a time as any for me to mention a little distraction that keeps niggling at the back of my mind almost every time I watch this episode:

Even though I understand that there are solid, practically insurmountable reasons at the creative level why "the" solution has to be for Sarek to mind meld with Picard, I just can't escape the sense that it would have been far more "logical" for this stabilizing meld to have been with a fellow Vulcan. Heck, his apprentice had already been basically performing this function before Sarek was confronted. I don't remember ever seeing any in-universe explanation of why Picard should be the one melded with.

Again, I realize that for Star Trek purposes, it practically has to be Picard, or at least one of the weekly regulars, or else this episode would become divorced from the series, and it would just be a story about the Vulcan passengers, but a Vulcan, trained in the mind meld and in Vulcan techniques of emotional control, would seem far more qualified for this function than any human, even the captain of a starship.

@ Trish,

Maybe the illogical choice of Picard is exactly why Picard is the logical choice. We have a few factors in play that may contribute to this:

-Vulcans are more emotionally in control than Picard
-A Vulcan's emotional control is key to their identity, and being bombarded with intense emotions could damage their mental structure (i.e. they are not used to experiencing intense emotions like that)
-A human, on the other hand, can have an intense emotional experience and not totally lose his mind, due to being more accustomed to it already
-Picard is the most Vulcan-like human, hence making him most able to handle the logic of the situation while having the mental flexibility to get hit hard and roll with it

Also Sarek chose a Vulcan wife, and it's possible he's actually more comfortable with a human sharing his innermost turmoil than a Vulcan. Maybe some Vulcans really don't have those kinds of feelings, but Sarek does, and it seems perhaps logical that it's better for Vulcans to be kept away from that part of himself, whereas humans wouldn't judge him for it.

Lastly, Sarek is going on a diplomatic mission, and the sharing of minds isn't supposed to just be using PIcard as an emotional garbage dump. Picard's inner thoughts and knowledge would also be available to Sarek, and so it's logical that Sarek would seek the experience of an accomplished diplomat to join with his mind.

Something else that this may be as good a time to mention as any:

Several years after it initially aired, I would find myself in a situation not unlike that of Sarek's staff: A boss of mine, much beloved and respected, was sinking into Alzheimer's, and like many families, those of us on staff slipped into "covering up" for him as best we could. Perhaps I would have tried harder to find a less dysfunctional way of handling the unfortunate situation had I explicitly connected it with this episode, and remembered how the staff's combination of denial and coverup allowed the situation to get worse and postponed an appropriate way of addressing the matter. Years later, the parallel would come to seem SO obvious, but I think at the time, it was too painful for me to allow myself to be conscious of.

As I would later say to my boss's boss, "I'm sorry we didn't let you know right away what was happening. We just loved him so, and we thought we were helping." Vulcans might not have felt comfortable saying they were motivated by "love," but in the depths of their controlled Vulcan hearts, I think they were.

I guess that even if I could not, at the time, allow this episode to inform my response to a real-life situation, all these years later, I am able to allow the real-life situation to inform my response to this episode.

@Peter G.

I like your suggestion that the very "illogic" of choosing a human for this meld is the "logic" of it. For a human, the strength of Vulcan emotions may be overwhelming, but the emotions themselves would have no stigma to them. That might make a strong human the best choice.

I'm sure you meant that he chose a "human" rather than "Vulcan" wife (at least two, that we know of, including Amanda), and that, too, could have contributed to his being more comfortable sharing this intimacy with a human. But it had occurred to me that maybe his spouse could have been a better choice than Picard. Of course, Picard's experience as a diplomat could be part of the reason. I just wish there had been a quick line thrown in there when his wife is suggesting it, something about "his staff are trained diplomats, but a human diplomat would be better equipped to face the storm of emotions." That would give the sense of Picard as the perfect choice among the people available.

Oh, yes, that was a typo, I meant that he chose a human wife (2 of them).

@Trish
Sorry to hear about the situation with that lovable boss of yours. Sounds really awful. Hopefully you came out alright and he got the care he needed!

@Booming

We got him across the finish line to retirement, and by then his condition was bad enough that he had to go into a nursing home, where he continued to decline. He ultimately passed away from complications to Alzheimer's. Careful decisions had been made about providing only "ordinary" care, not prolonging his life by "extraordinary means," so he was being spoon fed rather than tube fed, and one day he aspirated some food, which led to a lethal case of pneumonia, for which I do not think he was given strong antibiotics. It was seen as a natural outcome of his advanced dementia. He was a bishop, and his legal guardian was also a bishop. The decisions about his end-of-life care could have been a case study printed in a textbook on Catholic bioethics.

@Trish
I'm so sorry. I hope your faith provided you with some solace.
And to be honest, the decision that were made about how to deal with his illness seem wise. While the unfortunate people who end their life like this might have lost the ability to remember, they can still feel pain and to quote Trevean from my favorite DS9 episode The Quickening:" Nobody wants to suffer needlessly."

@Booming

I believe that his faith also gave him a great deal of solace as he went through that in-between stage when he had not yet lost enough to be unaware of how much he had already lost. Dementia can be a very difficult journey for all concerned.

@Walrus1701D

"So Wes is dating an Ensign, eh? It's interesting that no one on the ship seems to have a problem with this. Wesley was 17 during the third season, while his 'lucky' lady was at least 22, given her rank.

I understand that there were likely real-world, practical considerations, like what actors were available and such, but with that said, I think it was a mistake to put Wesley (a teenager, and a rather spindly one at that) in that almost-physical dispute with Geordi (a grown man). I’m pretty sure Geordi could kick Wesley's ass.

@navamske

Regarding the potential for an ass-kicking, I found myself thinking, "And Geordi has had Starfleet training in hand-to-hand combat." Then I realized that we really are never told whether Wesley has had those gaps in his training filled in, particularly prior to his field promotion from "acting" to "full" ensign.

Just one of those things to make you say, "Hmmmmm …"

This episode certainly feels more poignant when you've witnessed an elderly relative succumb to dementia.

Outstanding episode! Well written and superbly acted, doesn't get much better than that... Bar fight was a bit cheesy, but it wasn't just throwaway violence, because we understand what's driving it. When my grandmother, in her final year, didn't know who any of us were, it was gut wrenching.

The devastating effect that Sareks emotions has on picard was beautifully performed, Patrick Stewarts' agonising makes me weep every time. . . Once again defining his stunning ability as an actor. . . And as Picard - I'd follow him. . . !!