Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Synopsis: The Enterprise encounters the mythical planet Aldea, but then its infertile inhabitants kidnap children on the Enterprise to populate their world. Amidst the forward moving action of the plot of “When the Bough Breaks” there are a few scenes which illustrate James Hillman’s acorn theory from his book The Soul’s Code. The acorn theory… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 17: “When the Bough Breaks”

Synopsis: The Enterprise is tasked with bringing an aging admiral to negotiate for a release of hostages on a planet, as he did 45 years prior. There is much to this episode that refers to a trip to the Underworld. In this case the Underworld created when Admiral Mark Jameson broke the Prime Directive of… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 16: “Too Short a Season”

Synopsis: While presenting themselves as upgraders to the Enterprise’s systems, a race of nonbinary unified pairs steals the Enterprise to try to save their planet. It is both ironic and strangely meaningful from a depth psychological perspective, that in this episode, in which Bynars, a race of non-binary unified pairs – neither male nor female,… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 15: “11001001”

Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise encounters a matriarchal society on the planet Angel One. In this episode, viewers see the physical manifestation of a matriarchal society from the point of view of the patriarchal society of the 1980s projected into the galaxy in the twenty-fourth century. What I mean by this is, does the… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 14: “Angel One”

Synopsis: While visiting Lt. Commander Data’s home world, Omicron Theta, they find the life on planet destroyed and a duplicate of him, his brother, Lore. This episode gives viewers the opportunity to understand Carl (C. G.) Jung’s theory of the shadow, as did the episode “The Enemy Within” from Star Trek: The Original Series, except… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 13: “Datalore”

Synopsis: To relieve some stress before an important encounter with a non-Federation race, Captain Picard enters the Enterprise’s newly upgraded holodeck only to be trapped inside it when it malfunctions. In “The Big Goodbye” the holodeck, while it has been seen in earlier episodes, plays its first major role. While on the surface, the holodeck… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 12: “The Big Goodbye”

Synopsis: While in orbit above the planet Haven Counselor Troi is confronted by her cultural obligation to marry, while her pre-selected intended spouse, Wyatt Miller, is challenged by his destiny with another woman. This episode is a physical manifestation of archetypal psychologist James Hillman’s acorn theory, as he described it in his bestselling book The… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 11: “Haven”

Synopsis: While en route to aid with a mining emergency of Quadra Sigma III, the crew of the Enterprise is once again visited by the alien entity who calls himself Q. The mercurial Q appears in the episode “Hide and Q,” and this time his presence provides a means to show the progression of inflation… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 10: “Hide and Q”

Synopsis: A rendezvous with a Ferengi vessel allows its captain to seek vengeance on Captain Picard for the death of his son in the Battle of Maxia. In “The Battle,” the Ferengi, Daimon Bok, is gripped by a complex. A complex in depth psychological terms occurs when a piece of an individual’s unconscious breaks into… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 9: “The Battle”

Synopsis: While visiting the planet Rubicun III, Wesley Crusher inadvertently breaks a law, invokes the death penalty, and Captain Picard must decide whether or not to break the Prime Directive. In my last two blogs I have written about inflation and identifying with a god, and this episode goes even further with this type of… Continue reading Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 8: “Justice”