Month: November 2021

Synopsis: In the aftermath of the fight with the Borg the Enterprise and her crew stay on Earth to mend themselves. As I mentioned in my last blog for the episode “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard after his time as the almighty ego-inflated Locutus is now only Picard, a damaged,… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 2: “Family”

Synopsis: Now that Captain Picard has become Locutus of Borg, Commander Riker must figure out how to defeat the Borg and save his friend and commanding officer. In my last blog post on “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I,” I equated Captain Jean-Luc Picard to a physical manifestation of what Carl Gustav (C. G.)… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 1: “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II”

Synopsis: Captain Picard is kidnapped by the Borg and assimilated into the collective. While this may be a bit of a controversial interpretation, I believe that Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s assimilation by the Borg can be seen as a physical manifestation of what Carl Gustav (C. G.) Jung terms the individuation process. That process by which… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 26: “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I”

Synopsis: The Enterprise rescues a mysterious humanoid alien. It is perhaps fitting that I watched this episode last night, August 19, 2021, which was the one hundredth anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s birth, as this episode is about birthing or transforming into something new. This is a thought at the core of depth psychology. Depth psychology… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 25: “Transfigurations”

Synopsis: Counsellor Troi and Commander Riker are kidnapped along with Troi’s mother, Lwaxana Troi, who is desired by a Ferengi. In “Ménage à Troi” there is an interesting relationship between the character of Lwaxana Troi, Counsellor Deanna Troi’s Betazoid mother, and the Ferengi, Daimon Tog. It can be seen as an illustration of the relationship… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 24: “Ménage à Troi”

Synopsis: Ambassador Sarek comes aboard the Enterprise to negotiate a treaty but has trouble controlling his emotions. If the Enterprise can be analogized to the human psyche, then Ambassador Sarek in this episode can be seen as taking the role of a Logos-driven conscious rational ego that has suppressed the Eros-driven irrational unconscious for so… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 23: “Sarek”

Synopsis: Lt. Commander Data is kidnapped by a collector to be put on display. This episode does not seem on the surface to have much depth psychological issues to look at, but I can think of one. Kivas Fajo believes that he is godlike – his ego is inflated. Lt. Commander Data is like the… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 22: “The Most Toys”

Synopsis: A new crew member aboard the Enterprise overuses the holodeck. In “Hollow Pursuits” viewers are presented with the rational ego’s perception of how the unconscious works to try to heal the psyche. If we understand that the holodeck creates a fantasy state, rather like that of our dreams; yet in this episode Lt. Reginald… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 21: “Hollow Pursuits”

Synopsis: The Enterprise is sent to investigate a powerful new life form. In “Tin Man” the alien in question turns out to be a living space vessel that had a symbiotic relationship with its long dead crew. The Enterprise is sent to investigate, being aided by a very powerful Betazoid telepath, Tam Elbrun. This vessel,… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 20: “Tin Man”

Synopsis: Captain Picard goes for a restful vacation on Risa and instead becomes embroiled in an intrigue between a beautiful woman, a Ferengi, and aliens from the future. In this episode viewers see parts of Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s psyche that are not often shown on the series. These being his relationship to his anima and… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 19: “Captain’s Holiday”