Television Review: Loud as a Whisper (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S2X05, 1989)

Loud as a Whisper (S02E05)

Airdate: January 9th 1989

Written by: Jacquline Zambrano
Directed by: Larry Shaw

Running Time: 46 minutes

We inhabit an era defined by profound chaos and escalating violence. Genocide simmers on television screens, invasions shred international law, bombings pulverise civilian infrastructure with chilling regularity, crippling economic sanctions weaponise scarcity, and assassinations are increasingly viewed as the cheapest, most expedient tools for resolving intractable economic, political, and cultural disputes. The true tragedy lies in who champions this descent: the very individuals ostensibly dedicated to peaceful resolution. Top diplomats, whose profession is the art of negotiation, and politicians elected on soaring promises of bringing world peace, now often lead the charge towards confrontation. In this bleak landscape, Gene Roddenberry’s foundational utopian vision – a future where humanity has transcended scarcity, prejudice, and war – feels not merely optimistic, but impossibly distant, a fading star in a darkening sky. Consequently, episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation like the second-season offering Loud as a Whisper, with its profound exploration of the fragile, essential machinery of diplomacy, resonate with a startling, almost painful relevance utterly absent during its 1989 premiere, poised as the world was on the hopeful cusp of the Cold War’s end. Roddenberry’s dream now seems less like prophecy and more like a desperate plea, making this particular meditation on communication’s power feel urgently contemporary.

The episode’s plot thrusts the USS Enterprise into the heart of such a plea. Captain Picard’s vessel is dispatched to the war-torn planet Solais V, home to the humanoid Solari. For a millennium and a half, this civilisation has been consumed by a fratricidal conflict so ancient its original cause has been utterly forgotten. Exhausted, ravaged, and teetering on the brink of mutual annihilation, the warring factions have somehow brokered a fragile, temporary cessation of hostilities. To transform it into a lasting peace, a permanent treaty must be negotiated, requiring the mediation of Riva – a legendary diplomat whose previous triumphs include the complex treaty between the Klingon Empire and the Federation. The Enterprise’s initial mission seems straightforward: collect Riva from his homeworld, Ramatis III, and deliver him to Solais V. Yet, upon arrival, the crew encounters a profound surprise. Riva, this paragon of interstellar diplomacy, is profoundly deaf. His communication with the outside world is facilitated by a unique "chorus" – three specially trained assistants (portrayed by Marnie Mosiman, Thomas Oglesby, and Leo Damian), each seemingly embodying a different facet of his personality and intellect. Despite initial cultural and communicative awkwardness, Riva adapts remarkably to life aboard the starship, forming an especially deep and intuitive bond with Counselor Deanna Troi, whose empathic abilities allow her to perceive the emotional currents beneath his silent expressions.

The mission on Solais V, however, swiftly descends into catastrophe. A hardliner from one faction, determined to scuttle the fragile peace, attempts to assassinate Riva. The attack tragically succeeds only in murdering his three chorus members, shattering the symbiotic unit through which Riva engaged with the world. Devastated and believing his diplomatic purpose utterly destroyed without his interpreters, Riva wishes to abandon the mission. Picard, however, recognises the deeper stakes and insists Riva must find another way. Lieutenant Commander Data, leveraging his android precision, successfully deciphers Riva’s sign language, becoming a literal conduit for his words. Yet, Data’s brilliance proves insufficient; he lacks the nuanced understanding of human emotion, subtext, and unspoken cultural weight that the chorus instinctively provided. The breakthrough arrives not through technological substitution, but through radical adaptation. Recognising the futility of expecting Riva to suddenly acquire speech via gadgets, the solution emerges from embracing his deafness. Riva remains on Solais V, not as a traditional negotiator, but as a teacher. He instructs both warring factions in his sign language. In the shared, physical act of learning this new mode of communication – demanding patience, observation, and mutual understanding – the Solari discover a common humanity previously obscured by generations of hatred. The language itself becomes the peace treaty, forging connection where words alone had failed for millennia.

Loud as a Whisper enjoys a generally positive standing among Trek fandom, yet it rarely features on lists of the series’ most iconic or memorable hours. This relative obscurity might stem from its initial reception as a well-intentioned, perhaps slightly gimmicky, vehicle. The inclusion of a profoundly deaf central character, played by the authentically deaf actor Howie Seago, was groundbreaking for 1980s network television, offering a rare platform. However, Seago transcends any potential tokenism. His performance is masterful, conveying immense depth, vulnerability, and authority primarily through expressive eyes and hands. His scenes with Marina Sirtis as Troi are particularly potent, showcasing the actress’s underrated skill in conveying complex emotional resonance without excessive dialogue. Crucially, Seago was not merely a performer; he actively shaped the narrative. Drawing on his lived experience, he advocated against the original script’s resolution involving Riva gaining speech through technology, arguing it undermined Deaf culture. His suggestion for the ending – Riva teaching sign language as the path to peace – was adopted, transforming the episode from a potential curiosity into a powerful, authentic statement on communication beyond auditory speech.

The concept of the chorus itself is fascinating, rich with potential. Each member subtly embodies aspects reminiscent of Sigmund Freud’s structural model of the psyche: the Id (raw emotion, impulse), the Ego (mediation, reality principle), and the Superego (moral compass, ideals). This internal triad made Riva’s external communication a profound reflection of integrated selfhood. Tragically, this depth is largely unexplored before the chorus is sacrificed in a plot twist that, while undeniably shocking for its graphic depiction of their deaths (a rarity for TNG at the time), feels narratively predictable and, ultimately, a waste of a brilliant conceptual foundation. The episode also benefits from solid craftsmanship. Veteran television director Larry Shaw (in his sole Star Trek outing) delivers efficient pacing within the constraints, making effective use of the production design, atmospheric matte paintings for Solais V’s war-torn vistas, and a characteristically strong, emotive score from Ron Jones.

Nevertheless, significant flaws mar the episode’s impact. The pacing is notably uneven. Excessive time is devoted to the initial setup of Riva’s arrival and adaptation aboard the Enterprise, while the crucial resolution on Solais V – the actual teaching of the sign language and the dawning realisation of peace – feels rushed and underdeveloped. Compounding this, the script awkwardly inserts a subplot concerning Geordi La Forge receiving an offer from Dr. Pulaski for experimental surgery to restore his natural vision. While Geordi’s ocular implants and potential sight would become recurring elements later, here the subplot feels entirely extraneous. It serves no meaningful purpose within this narrative, adding nothing to the central theme of communication and diplomacy. It functions purely as inefficient filler, padding runtime without thematic resonance, and its inclusion feels transparently convenient rather than organically integrated.

Ultimately, Loud as a Whisper deserves recognition not as a Trek episode that courageously, if imperfectly, grapples with a concept of paramount urgency. Its exploration of non-verbal communication, the vulnerability inherent in true dialogue, and the sheer, grinding difficulty of building peace amidst entrenched hatred remains compelling. More importantly, in our current historical moment – where the cynical dismissal of diplomacy as "weak" or "inefficient" has become dangerously mainstream, and brute force is hailed as the only viable tool – the episode transcends its era. Diplomacy is slow. It is frustratingly inefficient compared to the swift, brutal finality of violence. It requires immense patience, profound empathy, and the willingness to find connection in unexpected places, even through shared silence. Yet, as Riva’s unconventional solution on Solais V demonstrates, it is ultimately the only path that avoids mutual annihilation and builds something enduring. In a world seemingly hell-bent on shouting its way to destruction, the quiet, persistent power of understanding – however hard-won – remains humanity’s sole, indispensable hope. Roddenberry’s vision may feel distant, but Loud as a Whisper insists the tools for building it, however unconventional, are always within our grasp, if only we choose to use them.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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