Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise comes to the aid of a team of anthropological scientists observing a less developed civilization, only to be discovered themselves in violation of the Prime Directive.
In my last blog discussing the episode “The Survivors,” I write how an alien species can be seen as a physical manifestation of a character holding the Senex archetype as described by James Hillman. This was from the perspective of both viewers and the crew aboard the Enterprise. In this episode, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is thrust into the role of a Senex archetype-like character to another culture.
Interestingly, in both episodes, the mantle of the Senex archetype does not fall gently.
This is the power of the Senex, the archetype of the powerful and wise old man. He is all knowing and all powerful, like Zeus or Jupiter in ancient mythology. He embodies structure and institutions, and can be magnanimous, but if crossed, he can be very dangerous. This is what the inhabitants of Mintaka feared and exactly the opposite of what Picard wanted them to think of him. But later in the episode Picard embraced the wisdom of the Senex without resorting to the vengeful power. Because of this he was able to explain his way out of the situation and achieve his goal of extricating himself from the planet’s mythology.
Original post created 24 July 2021
mydailysoultrek 