The Enterprise is escorting an ambassador and his cargo to peace negotiations between two long-warring planets. Meddlesome Ferengi guests tamper with the cargo, causing a woman named Kamala to emerge from stasis. She is an "empathic metamorph," a woman with the ability to sense the desires of a man and mold her personality to fulfill them. She is also destined to marry one of the quarreling leaders as a way to facilitate peace. But as she and Captain Picard interact more on the journey to the negotiations, a deeper connection begins to develop between them.
The original series did in fact do an episode very much like this, "Elaan of Troyius." The Enterprise was transporting a woman with a seductive power over men, on her way to an arranged marriage; Captain Kirk made advances along the way. I don't know whether this similarity was known to Reuben Leder, the outside writer who originally pitched the idea (and friend of show runner Michael Piller). In any case, the writing staff took the concept and ran with it, with Piller himself doing the final rewrite. Interestingly, the result compelled Leder to use a pseudonym, "Gary Perconte." This was the only instance in Piller's tenure on the series that a writer asked for his name to be removed from an episode. I'm not sure what Leder's objection to the finished product was, but I do have one of my own. Chances are, though, this was baked in from the beginning: the story feels a bit misogynistic.
The script does a lot of heavy lifting to mask it. First, we're told the there are actually far more male "empathic metamorphs" born than females, encouraging us to imagine that the common scenario is a man becoming subservient to a woman rather than what is depicted here. Second, they hang a big bell on the whole thing by having Beverly specifically object to the arranged marriage as a form of prostitution (and she actually uses that word) -- though the Prime Directive rather conveniently disposes of that conflict. Third, Kamala herself tells us that without someone else's emotions to sense and respond to, she feels incomplete as a person. This last notion is an interesting one to unpack. It's really hard not to see this scenario as Beverly does -- or even worse, as a form of slavery. But if Kamala really is the ultimate extrovert, then, well... you sort of have to take her at her word.
Of course, that speech from Kamala really isn't about absolving the writers of misogyny so much as it's about setting up the character as a tragic figure for the story's conclusion. And here's where I'm really of two minds about the episode... because if you can see yourself to overlooking the sexism inherent in the premise, the episode is actually rather remarkable.
Were you to hear that the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation was about a woman who changes to please a man, you'd probably assume Riker would be at the core of that story. And the episode initially plays with that expectation. Riker's wide-eyed reaction to the description of what Kamala does is simply priceless, as is the scene in which she kisses him. (As for his line afterward, that he's going to Holodeck Four, it's hilariously explicit by Star Trek standards, and could well have inspired the "I'll be in my bunk" joke given to Jayne in an episode of Firefly.)
But instead (and setting this episode quite apart from "Elaan of Troyius"), this story winds up focusing on Picard. A relationship develops quite naturally between him and Kamala. She is drawn to him precisely because he's trying to be responsible and resist her. She breaks down his barriers bit by bit, first with a shared interest in archaeology, later with a shared sense of duty to broker peace. That obligation, combined with what Kamala told us earlier about needing to be truly with somebody, makes the ending a heartbreak for both her and Picard. The man Kamala marries seems scarcely interested in her, which will surely make the rest of her life miserable. At the same time, Picard has let his guard down in a way he really never has before (certainly not with the "sleep with one eye open" Vash), yet he will find no lasting joy from it. This is an ending you never could have gotten had the story been told with Riker, who would have shirked duty to go after the girl.
Of course, the biggest part of what makes this episode work is the fantastic acting of Patrick Stewart. He does the hardest thing of all at the end of this episode, letting you inside his character's head in a moment where he hasn't got a single word of dialogue. The moment where he gives Kalama away to her groom and then stands by in silence speaks volumes.
But it takes two to tango, and no less credit is due to guest star Famke Janssen. Her role here as Kamala definitely comes "before she was famous," but she goes toe-to-toe with Stewart and has tremendous chemistry with him. (The relationship between them would be quite different when, years later, he would play Professor Xavier and she Jean Grey.) Janssen also does well shading her character's behavior as she interacts with different men, and is especially powerful in the speech where Kamala reveals her permanent bond with Picard. When she says that the core of being a metamorph is the feeling of hearing yourself say "I like myself when I'm with him," you feel her stating a general truth about being in love.
Famke Janssen definitely made an impression on the producers, because she later auditioned for the role of Jadzia Dax on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -- and was actually their first choice. Ultimately, she wanted to be able to pursue a diversity of roles, and asked the show to guarantee her that she'd have time to accept films on the side. When they would not give her that guarantee, she walked away from the role, much like Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher and Michelle Forbes as Ro Laren (who also was originally intended to be on Deep Space Nine). Still, Janssen did leave an unintended mark on the role of Jadzia Dax. When the producers decided that the original Trill makeup wasn't working for the character after two days of shooting, they were inspired by the spotted pattern used on Kamala in "The Perfect Mate" and asked for a change.
Another fun guest star in this episode is Max Grodénchik as one of the two Ferengi. At least, it's fun because of the knowledge that he would later play Rom on Deep Space Nine. As far as this episode goes, although through no fault of his own, the two Ferengi in this episode are obnoxious even by Next Generation Ferengi standards. How exactly they planned to get Kamala off the ship, or share her once they did, is unexplained and unexplainable. And even as comic relief, it strains credibility that a Ferengi would be stupid enough to try "I was looking for a barbershop" as an excuse. (Though there is a fun moment when Grodénchik's character states that "peace is good for trade"; he's come within one word of stating one of the Rules of Acquisition that would later be developed on Deep Space Nine.)
Other observations:
- Try not to dwell on Riker's request that the Ferengi be given quarters "not too close to mine." There's an undercurrent of sexism in this episode. Why not some racism too?!
- Try also not to think about some simple precautions that could have been taken to prevent this whole story from unfolding: Can't they just lock the cargo bay door? Or put Kamala back into medical stasis once the ambassador is injured?
- Data makes a fine enough chaperone for Kamala, I suppose. But wouldn't any of the hundreds of women on the Enterprise have been equally suitable? Or perhaps that gay character some fans had been bugging you for?
- Speaking of the women on the Enterprise, I feel Troi's absence from this episode a bit. Surely there was an interesting conversation to be had between an empath who uses her skills as a working professional and another empath who uses her skills as a... (ahem)... working professional, to paraphrase Dr. Crusher.
- And now speaking of Crusher, this episode has two great scenes between her and Picard that once again make me wish that more of a relationship between them had been depicted on the series. It feels far more compelling than the Riker-Troi and Troi-Worf pairings we did get.
- There's a wonderful deleted scene on the Blu-ray edition of this episode. After Picard gives away Kamala to her groom, he allows himself a brief fantasy in which he stands up for their relationship and decides they should remain together. Michael Piller reportedly came up with this at the last minute, with Patrick Stewart's full support. Producer Rick Berman vetoed the idea, however, and perhaps with good reason: the moment feels quite out of character for Star Trek: The Next Generation as opposed to, say, Ally McBeal or something. Still, it's great to be able to at least see the moment, as an extra twist of the knife on Picard.
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