Synopsis: When the Enterprise answers a distress call from a remote planetoid, Captain Picard is reunited with a woman from his past.
In “We’ll Always Have Paris” Counselor Deanna Troi offers Captain Jean-Luc Picard her guidance, telling him that he does not like to confront his deep feelings and tends to repress them. But when confronted with a woman that he never said goodbye to when he left Paris to join Starfleet, he is given little choice.
This is what happens when a bit of unconscious material becomes conscious to the rational ego and creates a complex. And while a complex in popular culture has come to mean a problematic part of one’s psyche, it can also be seen as an opportunity for growth. This is the outcome when a complex is acknowledged and the unconscious material is integrated into the conscious ego, making the ego stronger, and the psyche more whole.
When Picard is forced to make amends to Jenice, who is now Mrs. Manheim, the wife of the scientist that they come to the aid to, that bit of deep unconscious feeling is acknowledged and the “unfinished business” between them is completed (Davis et al., 1988). Picard feels a sense of relief and by consciously doing this, his rational ego becomes just a bit stronger, and his psyche more whole.
Reference:
Davis, D.D., Shearer, H. L. (Writers), & Becker, R. (Director). (1988, April 30). We’ll always have Paris (Season 1, Episode 24) [TV series episode]. In G. Roddenberry (Executive Producer), Star trek: The next generation. Paramount Television.
Original post created 2 June 2021
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