Synopsis: The Enterprise encounters the mythical planet Aldea, but then its infertile inhabitants kidnap children on the Enterprise to populate their world.
Amidst the forward moving action of the plot of “When the Bough Breaks” there are a few scenes which illustrate James Hillman’s acorn theory from his book The Soul’s Code. The acorn theory is that each individual holds inside them, from a time even before birth, an inner daimon that knows what the dreams and talents of the individual are; even to the point of choosing parents that will provide the necessary prompts and obstacles to bring it to fruition (Hillman, 1997).
The scenes that illustrate this theory are set on the planet Aldea, when the children taken from the Enterprise are paired with adults who can inspire each child’s talent and support it by mentoring them. The young girl who has a talent for music, Wesley Crusher, who is given access to the Custodian – the computer that runs the planet, and most especially to the young boy, Harry, who has it within himself to be a sculptor, even though his father on the Enterprise doesn’t encourage it. Harry is told by one of the artists that he has been joined with that his talents have always been there, and that it is what he was meant to do. For this boy, if not the others, this stay on Aldea may have been a bit traumatic, but it did give them the strength to follow their dreams, and when they were returned to the Enterprise it gave Harry the courage to tell his father that he wants to be an artist.
Reference:
Hillman, J. (1997). The Soul’s code: In search of character and calling. Grand Central Publishing.
Original post created 25 May 2021
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