Synopsis: Commander William Riker uses the holodeck aboard the Enterprise D to look back on a key moment in history concerning the NX-01 Enterprise crew.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of what is possible when the conscious ego acknowledges and integrates bits of material from the unconscious into itself.
In “These are the Voyages . . .,” Counselor Deanna Troi has suggested to Commander William Riker that exploring a particular holodeck program aboard the Enterprise D might give him insight into an issue he is currently facing in his life. Riker witnesses how the crew under Captain Jonathan Archer bend the rules to do what they believe is the right thing. The episode and the hologram program ends with the creation of a coalition of planets.
In this episode, Riker is struggling on whether or not to follow Starfleet regulations to the letter, or to do what he believes is the correct thing for the circumstances. This can be compared to the distress that one’s conscious ego can experience when it acknowledges and integrates bits of material from one’s unconscious. But, if the discomfort is gone through, then change is possible, making the ego stronger and the psyche more whole.
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