Synopsis: A reporter comes aboard the Cerritos to observe operations and interview the crew.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of Carl (C.G.) Jung’s concept of projection, when an individual’s conscious ego projects a bit of one’s unconscious material onto another.
In “Trusted Sources” a reporter from Federation News Network, Victoria Nuzé, comes aboard Cerritos to observe Project Swing By, which is when a California-class vessel, such as Cerritos, makes second contact with a planet long after first contact has been made, to assess any needs that Starfleet can provide for it. The Cerritos first Project Swing By mission is to Ornara, where Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise made first contact with the planet seventeen years earlier. After arriving at Ornara, the crew discovers that they need no further assistance, and Cerritos is ordered to go to the sister planet, Breeka. While traveling there, Nuzé interviews several crew members, some of which give her colorful descriptions of events that have taken place on Cerritos. Ensign Beckett Mariner, who had been instructed not to speak with Nuzé, is seen doing just that, and Captain Carol Freeman transfers her to Starbase 80. Then, when the ship arrives at Breeka, the crew discovers that the planet has been attacked by the Breen, who in turn attack Cerritos. Vice Admiral Les Buenamigo sends in one of his Texas-class fully automated ships to save the day. Afterwards, when Nuné’s story is aired, complete with colorful anecdotes, Freeman realizes that Mariner was not the source and tries to reach out to her at Starbase 80, only to be told that Mariner has resigned her commission and left.
In this episode, when Freeman orders that Mariner not speak with Nuzé, worried about what she may say to her, it is because she is projecting her anger and frustration at what she is experiencing onto her. And again when Mariner is seen speaking to Nuzé, Freeman projects her own feelings of frustration and rebellion onto her. Assuming that she told Nuzé some colorful anecdotes, Freeman reassigns Mariner to Starbase 80. Later, when the story on the Cerritos is aired, Freeman sees that the only interviewee who was championing the achievements of the Cerritos was Mariner. Freeman realizes her error and tries to reassign Mariner back to the Cerritos. At this point, when Freeman admits to herself that she had misjudged Mariner, this can be analogized to when one’s conscious ego becomes aware that it has projected one’s own unconscious shadow onto another. This is when it is possible to see the other for who they really are, as well as for the conscious ego to acknowledge and integrate bits of unconscious material, that had previously been projected onto the other, into itself to become stronger and more whole.
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