Month: November 2021

Synopsis: The Enterprise is sent to stop another Federation vessel from breaking the peace with the Cardassians. It is so interesting that this episode is titled “The Wounded,” because that in and of itself sets it up for a depth psychological analysis, as Carl (C. G.) Jung taught that it is from our psychic wounds… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 12: “The Wounded”

Synopsis: A day in the life of Lt. Commander Data is recorded in a correspondence to Commander Maddox. In “Data’s Day” viewers observe human interaction through the perspective of the android second officer of the USS Enterprise, Lt. Commander Data. And what is amazing is how much emotional material he comes in contact with on… Continue reading Season 4, Episode 11: “Data’s Day”

Synopsis: While the Enterprise is being pulled through space by organisms it cannot comprehend, Counselor Troi loses her empathic abilities. In this episode Counselor Deanna Troi, the half-human half-Betazoid Ship’s Counselor temporarily loses her empathic abilities. The one thing that she believed made her effective at her job. She feels lost and alone, and as… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 10: “The Loss”

Synopsis: Before Ensign Crusher leaves for Starfleet Academy, Captain Picard has him accompany him on a mission to mediate a dispute on a mining colony. “Final Mission” can be interpreted from a depth psychological perspective as an illustration of the ongoing changing relationship between the Senex and the Puer archetypes. Archetypal Psychologist James Hillman theorized… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 9: “Final Mission”

Synopsis: An alien captures Commander Riker and creates an imaginary future based on his own memories. In this episode, Commander William Riker’s own memories are used by an alien in order to create an imaginary future. The alien first appears to Riker as his son, and then later as a young boy in distress, and… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 8: “Future Imperfect”

Synopsis: Lt. Worf is confronted not only by the enemy who accused him of dishonor, but the mother of a son he did not know he had. In “Reunion” Lt. Worf confronts some major archetypal psychic figures, the anima, the shadow, and the child. These are all archetypes as defined by depth psychologist, Carl (C.… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 7: “Reunion”

Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise respond to a distress call that brings them to the home world of Tasha Yar and her sister, Ishara. In this episode, when the crew of the Enterprise encounter the sister of their dead comrade, they remark how much the same they are, but they are also surprised by… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 6: “Legacy”

Synopsis: As the result of Ensign Wesley Crusher’s experiment, Dr. Beverly Crusher is inadvertently stuck in a warp field bubble. In my last post for the episode “Suddenly Human” I wrote how the determination to be true to one’s inner drive can be analogized to what James Hillman calls the acorn theory. The acorn theory… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 5: “Remember Me”

Synopsis: When responding to a distress call, the crew of the Enterprise find a human youth among the injured on a wrecked alien spaceship. In “Suddenly Human” a young boy, Jono, born Jeremiah Rossa, is found aboard a Talarian training vessel. Lt. Commander Data has discovered that he is the long-lost grandson of a Starfleet… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 4: “Suddenly Human”

Synopsis: Lt. Commander Data’s creator, Dr. Soong draws Data to him, in order to give him an emotion chip, but unexpectedly, Lore, Data’s brother takes it instead. In this episode we learn much about the android Lt. Commander Data. How he has a homing mechanism that when activated causes him to take over the Enterprise,… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 3: “Brothers”