Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise comes to the aid of an androgenous alien race and Commander Riker becomes involved in a forbidden romance with one of them.
This episode is relatively well known as being an analogy for the treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals at the time in the United States, and much more progressive than the episode “The Host” from Season Four. However, “The Outcast” has generated so much interest from that perspective I am going to speak about something else.
Late in the episode there is a scene in which Commander William Riker comes to see Counselor Deanna Troi, to tell her that he has serious feelings for Soren, one of the J’naii. Riker asks Troi: “Nothing will change between us, will it?” and Troi responds: “Of course it will, all relationships are constantly changing, but we’ll still be friends. Maybe better friends” (Taylor & Scheerer, 1992).
And while this may not have been the response that Riker was initially going into the conversation hoping to receive, it is the truth. It is also how all the different conscious and unconscious parts within our psyche are constantly changing in their relationship to each other. Our rational conscious ego moving between identifying with the energy of one unconscious archetype and then another, perhaps even its opposite. And the place where the movement takes place, this in-between state is what James Hillman calls the metaxy, the place where soul is made. Soul being more of a movement than a stable thing.
Another way to look at the concept of romantic relationship is through the ancient Greek myth of Psyche and Eros, which translates to soul and love. In the myth Psyche disobeys Eros’s orders to not look upon him, he leaves, and Psyche must go through various labors before they are reunited. Similarly, in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the films based upon the series, Riker and Troi are introduced as former lovers who are now close friends, have various romances until their wedding in the film Star Trek: Nemesis,and they are seen again as a married couple in the first season of Star Trek: Picard.
Reference:
Taylor, J. (Writer) & Scheerer, R. (Director). (1992, March 14). The outcast (Season 5, Episode 17) [TV series episode]. In G. Roddenberry, R. Berman, & M. Piller (Executive Producers), Star trek: The next generation. Paramount Television.
Original post created 13 October 2021
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