Synopsis: After Captain Picard is presumed dead, Commander Riker investigates the murder, only to be captured by alien mercenaries who have among them the very much alive Picard.
This episode gives us a glimpse of how different individuals respond to loss. It also elucidates what happens when we project the negative inner anima or animus on others. Conventionally, and by that I mean in the heteronormative worldview that Carl (C .G.) Jung lived in and wrote from, a positive anima is considered the ideal inner female that is possessed by an individual that identifies as male and a positive animus is the positive inner male possessed by an individual that identifies as female. When a positive anima or animus is projected onto another there is a romantic attraction. When a negative anima or animus is projected onto another, then there is tension and animosity. But it is through projections that our conscious egos become aware of our own inner unconscious traits that they may have preferred remained suppressed, but need to be integrated, in order for our conscious egos to become stronger and our psyches to become more whole.
In “Gambit, Part I” there is a very unusual scene in which Commander William Riker, who is the acting captain at the time of the incident, and Counselor Deanna Troi are arguing with raised voices. Where normally they project their positive inner mates upon the other, as they were once lovers and are now close friends, here they are projecting their negative inner attributes upon the other.
Riker and Troi are responding differently to the death of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and at the same time displaying the shadow side of their unconscious. Riker is angry and emotional, displaying the shadow side of his anima. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the death of the captain by attending a memorial, yet alone give the eulogy, as Troi insists is his duty. He tells her: “You don’t understand” (Shankar & Lauritson, 1993).
Conversely, Troi, taking an unusually harsh tone with Riker, is displaying the shadow side of her animus. She is put in the position of having to provoke Riker to take an action that he does not want to do. She calls him “selfish” and tells him he has a responsibility to the crew and “can’t just indulge in [his] personal desire for revenge!” (Shankar & Lauritson, 1993).
They are both experiencing pain and responding in ways that are the opposite from how they normally would. Riker is known for uplifting the morale of the crew and Troi is customarily seen as the coolest head when tempers flare. This is not the side of Starfleet officers that we regularly see, but it does feel real. How flawed human beings would act in this situation. As flawed human beings it is through projections, positive and negative, that our rational egos become aware of unconscious bits of material in our psyches, and how we are able to integrate them with our conscious ego, to make it stronger and our psyches more whole.
Reference:
Shankar, N. (Writer), & Lauritson, P. (Director). (1993, October 9). The gambit, part I (Season 7, Episode 4) [TV series episode]. In M. Piller, R. Berman, & J. Taylor (Executive Producers), Star trek: The next generation. Paramount Television.
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