Television Review: The Dauphin (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S2X10, 1989)

The Dauphin (S02E10)

Airdate: February 20th 1989

Written by: Scott Rubenstein & Leonard Mlodinow
Directed by: Rob Bowman

Running Time: 46 minutes

In the annals of long-running television series, the mere timing of an episode's broadcast can have profound and lasting consequences on its reputation within the canon. This is particularly evident in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where The Dauphin (S2E10), airing on February 20, 1989, suffered significantly from its unfortunate scheduling position. Coming directly after The Measure of a Man – widely regarded as one of the series' undisputed classics and philosophical high points – which itself followed the highly regarded A Matter of Honor, this episode was inevitably destined to be viewed through an unfavourable comparative lens. Compounding this issue was its focus on Wesley Crusher, arguably the least popular among the regular characters, whose frequent portrayal as a Mary Sue had already wearied many viewers. These more obvious factors – the impossible act to follow and the unpopularity of its central character – are primary reasons why The Dauphin has never ranked among particularly memorable or well-regarded episodes of TNG, despite possessing several redeeming qualities that merit examination.

The plot opens with the USS Enterprise-D being dispatched on a delicate diplomatic mission to planet Klavdia III. There, they are to retrieve Salia, the sixteen-year-old future ruler of planet Daled IV, who has been living in exile and being carefully groomed to assume her role and bring peace after centuries of devastating civil war between the day and night sides of her tidally locked homeworld. When Salia is beamed aboard, the Enterprise crew is surprised to find she appears as a beautiful young woman (played by Jaime Hubbard), accompanied by her inquisitive and overprotective governess Anya (played by Paddie Edwards). Wesley Crusher happens to be present during their arrival, and he instantly and hopelessly falls in love with Salia, becoming so distracted that Geordi grants him the rest of the day off so he can get to know her.

During the journey to Daled IV, Wesley attempts to romance Salia, who appears genuinely intrigued by him. In his earnest efforts to woo her, he seeks romantic advice from various crewmates, including an amusing scene where Worf demonstrates the Klingon female mating call. Anya, however, remains consistently hostile toward other crew members, despite taking great interest in the everyday operations of the ship. During one confrontation, it is revealed that Anya is actually an allasomorph – a shapeshifter – whose additional role is to serve as Salia's protector. Picard, concerned about security implications, later asks Wesley to end his tentative romance with Salia for the safety of the mission, noting that she would be leaving the Enterprise upon arrival at her destination anyway. During a subsequent confrontation with Anya, it is further revealed that Salia is also a shapeshifter, making their potential future together even more complicated. When Salia departs, Wesley is heartbroken but receives some words of wisdom from Guinan in Ten Forward, who supports his courtship but helps him process his feelings about the whole experience.

The script, written by Scott Rubenstein and theoretical physicist Leonard Mlodinow, represents a surprisingly simple and serviceable work that takes the character of Wesley Crusher and, unlike most other episodes where he acted as a Mary Sue-like protagonist and alter ego for Gene Roddenberry, actually portrays him as a teenager going through rather banal and predictable issues of first true love and heartbreak. This grounded approach to Wesley's character was somewhat refreshing, though the teenage romance between Wesley and Salia has been criticised as being "far too on the nose," especially during their initial hallway meeting aboard the Enterprise.

Despite the lack of originality in its basic concept – essentially a standard "first love" story with a science fiction twist – the execution is satisfying due to the solid direction of Rob Bowman. The special effects, particularly for late 1980s standards, are quite impressive, especially the scenes depicting Salia's and Anya's transformations. However, their monstrous intermediate forms look poorly designed, bringing uncomfortable memories of the salt vampire in TOS's The Man Trap, and Bowman later admitted he was dissatisfied with these designs and directed the episode to dwell on those images as little as possible.

The acting is generally solid, with Jaime Hubbard, a relatively unknown actress at the time, providing the perfect idealised look for a young woman someone like Wesley would fall for. Despite being ten years older than Wheaton during production, she convincingly portrays someone of his age. British actress Paddie Edwards, best known for her voice acting work, efficiently embodies the enigmatically unpleasant Anya. Madchen Amick, who would soon become famous for her role in Twin Peaks and was actually the runner-up for the role of Salia, makes a brief but inexplicable appearance as the young and beautiful form of Anya – a casting choice that adds an intriguing layer to the character's complexity.

One of the episode's most delightful elements is the scene where Riker and Guinan flirt in front of Wesley in Ten Forward, attempting to provide him with romantic coaching. As they quickly get caught up in their back-and-forth banter, Wesley becomes exasperated at all three situations he has witnessed and finally decides just to go directly to Salia's quarters. Many fans have expressed that they "would happily watch Riker and Guinan flirting for a full episode", suggesting this dynamic could have carried more weight in the series.

The Dauphin , despite its technical merits and occasional moments of charm, ultimately fails to rise above its rather ordinary premise. It remains a serviceable but ultimately forgettable entry in the TNG canon – a perfectly adequate diplomatic mission story that suffers not from any particular flaws, but from the simple fact that Star Trek: The Next Generation produced so many truly exceptional episodes that this one simply cannot compete for attention.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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