| Review : |
Let me begin by saying that this is not a stellar episode. (Sorry about the pun.) Nonetheless, it does have the redeeming quality of introducing one of my favorite species, the Zalkonians. These are fascinating people: complex, sophisticated and utterly paralyzed in the face of change. (Sounds a lot like many humans, who treat change as evil and seek to find a "golden age" that existed only in their mind -- and was "golden" only for their race, religion or what have you.) The goal of the Zalkonian "inquisition" is to root out the likes of "John Doe," the Zalkonian "messiah," or so he is presented, complete with "laying on of hands" and miraculous healing! He is the embodiment of the establishment's fear of change. This could have been developed into an interesting episode. It was not. I don't know where the writers got derailed, but their little morality play laid an egg. The only positive outcome was the introduction of a new, powerful species that could have been developed in later Trek, but was not. Villains, heroes, who knows what the Zalkonians could have been. But I'll tell you, I bet the United Federation would have welcomed the Zalkonians with open arms to fight the Dominion or the Borg! |
