Television Review: Dark Page (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S7x07, 1993)
Dark Page (S07E07)
Airdate: 1 November 1993
Written by: Hilary J. Bader
Directed by: Les Landau
Running Time: 46 minutes
When Lwaxanna Troi was initially introduced as a recurring character in The Next Generation, many hardcore "trekkies" dismissed her as nothing more than a very obvious and rather weak attempt at comic relief. She was often viewed as a bumbling, flamboyant ambassador who served no purpose other than to provide chuckles as a foil to the serious Dr. Crusher or the stoic Captain Picard. However, as her appearances gradually increased throughout the series, the writers afforded Majel Barrett significantly more opportunities to showcase the depth of her acting range. The content moved away from broad slapstick and ventured into surprisingly dark territory, often exploring the complexities of grief, motherhood, and psychic pain in ways few other Star Trek characters could. This evolution reached its tragic and poignant zenith in Dark Page, the seventh episode of the seventh season, which marked a definitive end to Lwaxanna Troi's tenure in The Next Generation.
The episode opens with the return of the Betazoid ambassador to assist with a sensitive diplomatic mission that would require her telepathic expertise. The humanoid race known as the Cairn had expressed a desire to join the Federation, yet they possessed a unique quirk: they were entirely telepathic and lacked the ability to speak conventionally. Lwaxanna volunteered her services to teach them the mechanics of verbal communication. Accompanying her were the Cairn diplomat, Maques (Norman Large), and his young daughter, Hedris (Kirsten Dunst). Deanna Troi soon noticed that her mother was not her usual flamboyant self, exhibiting a profound exhaustion that immediately raised alarm bells. It was revealed that the intense telepathic strain required to teach the Cairn was draining her, and Deanna insisted on helping to share the burden. Tragedy struck when Hedris accidentally fell into a small pool within the ship’s arboretum; in a moment of panic. Reaction to this banal incident caused Lwaxanna attempted to be overwhelmed and subsequently fall into a deep coma.
Dr. Beverly Crusher examined the Betazoid and concluded that while the physical body was intact, the cause of the condition was purely mental—a result of the extreme overuse of her telepathic abilities. Desperate to save her mother, Deanna worked with Maques to establish a bridge to Lwaxanna’s telepathic subconscious. When Deanna successfully made the connection, she was met with immediate hostility and a series of baffling, fragmented visions. These visions were particularly striking as they included the spectre of her late father, Ian Troi (Amick Byram). This led Deanna to deduce that the root of the issue lay not in the Cairn mission, but in deep, repressed traumas from her mother's past.
The investigation took a grim turn when Deanna reviewed Lwaxanna’s personal diary and discovered a disturbing gap: the entries had not been updated for seven years, and several pages had been deliberately deleted. Reconnecting with her mother in a different arboretum setting, Deanna finally uncovered the source of her grief. It became clear that Hedris’s resemblance to Kestra (Andreana Weiner), Lwaxanna’s older daughter who had tragically drowned in an accident years prior, had triggered the dormant trauma. By sharing her own memories of Kestra with her mother, providing comfort and closure, Deanna was able to reach through the barrier and facilitate a shared moment of healing that allowed both mother and daughter to wake up in sickbay.
Behind the scenes, the production story of Dark Page is as complex as the episode itself. The original script by Hilary J. Bader languished in production hell for four years, undergoing a multitude of uncredited rewrites and polishes before finally landing on the desk of Rene Echevarria for the final touches. Interestingly, the production team originally intended to feature Dr. Crusher as the central character of this arc, but the studio ultimately pivoted the focus to Lwaxanna Troi. The episode was picked for production relatively late, and it suffered a scheduling misfortune of being aired immediately after Phantasms, an episode with which it shared some thematic strands. This unfortunate scheduling meant that director Les Landau, who had also helmed the previous episode, was tasked with maintaining a consistent stylistic vision across two very different stories.
Comparisons between the two episodes offer a very clear advantage to Dark Page. While Phantasms leaned into bizarre comedy and head-scratching science fiction concepts, this episode completely redefines the character of Lwaxanna in a logical and convincing manner. Her overprotectiveness towards Deanna, which might have seemed abrupt in isolation, is now fully justified by the tragic loss of her own daughter. The episode also cleverly avoids making the Cairn dangerous or villainous; at the end of the day, they are presented exactly as they are meant to be—a benevolent race of telepaths looking to join the Federation who are not only unwilling but also incapable of abusing their abilities. This is a very refreshing departure from standard Star Trek clichés where alien cultures are often portrayed as threats to be neutralised.
The episode is also notable for featuring an 11-year-old Kirsten Dunst, an appearance that would shortly precede her breakout as a child star with her role in Interview with the Vampire. Despite these strengths, the episode is solid rather than perfect. At times, it succumbs to a heavy dose of sentimentality that might drive off more cynical viewers or those who prefer a more purely procedural approach to Star Trek. Nevertheless, there were definitely worse ways for Lwaxanna Troi to end her presence in The Next Generation, and this poignant farewell paved the way for her successful transition to Deep Space Nine.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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