Television Review: The Mind's Eye (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S4X24, 1991)

The Mind's Eye (S04E24)

Airdate: 27 May 1991

Written by:René Echevarria
Directed by: David Livingston

Running Time: 45 minutes

At the very inception of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gene Roddenberry famously imposed a ban on the appearance of Klingons and Romulans, a restriction that was ultimately lifted. Upon their return, these antagonists returned with a vengeance, becoming the backbone of narrative structure for the franchise's fictional universe during its Golden Age. They also provided the basis for some of the series' finer episodes, with Season 4's The Mind's Eye standing out as one of the most notable examples of this successful integration.

The plot commences with Commander Geordi LaForge being granted leave, a circumstance one might expect to lead to a holiday on the pleasure planet of Risa. Instead, his shuttlecraft is intercepted by Romulans, who abduct him. Under the supervision of the ruthless Talbak (John Fleck), and an unseen female commander (voiced by Denise Crosby), LaForge is subjected to a brutal process of mental conditioning. The Romulans implant false memories of his Risa trip to mask his true mission, turning him into an unwitting saboteur and assassin for the enemy. Concurrently, the Enterprise is embroiled in a delicate diplomatic mission during a crisis that threatens to wreck the Federation's long-standing alliance with the Klingon Empire. Krios, one of the Klingon colonies, has risen against the Empire, and its Governor Vagh (Edward Wiley), is accusing the Federation of supplying weapons and supplies to separatist rebels.

The situation escalates when Vagh confronts the Enterprise with a captured pulse rifle bearing Federation markings. It transpires that a batch of weapons, unwittingly transported to Krios by LaForge at the behest of the Romulans, has confirmed the accusations. Meanwhile, Data begins to investigate strange E-band radiation originating from the Enterprise itself, which serves as a signal to control LaForge. A further twist is introduced when it is revealed that the Klingon ambassador, Kell (Larry Dobkin), is actually a Romulan agent and LaForge's handler. He orders LaForge to assassinate Vagh in a manner that would implicate the Federation and provide a pretext for war. LaForge is halted at the last minute, and Kell attempts to secure asylum on the Enterprise. Picard, however, chooses to hand him over to the Klingons to prove his innocence. The episode concludes with LaForge being counselled by Troi as he slowly recovers from his mental conditioning and grapples with the psychological trauma he endured.

The script was penned by the prolific and highly regarded Star Trek author René Echevarria, but the final imprint on the episode was significantly shaped by David Livingston, a long-time member of the TNG production team for whom this episode served as his directorial debut. Livingston would go on to have a prolific directorial career with Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. He was a great admirer of the 1962 political thriller The Manchurian Candidate, and his directorial style bears a resemblance to John Frankenheimer's work. Furthermore, Livingston pays homage to Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange in the harrowing scenes depicting LaForge's conditioning.

Apart from its impressive direction, the episode excels with an exciting and intriguing plot, initially presented from the Romulan perspective. This creates extra suspense as the audience watches LaForge operate back on the Enterprise with his unsuspecting friends and colleagues. The script provides an interesting twist, particularly when previously sympathetic Klingon official Kell proves to be the actual villain. Despite being a very good episode, "The Mind's Eye" is deprived of perfection due to some minor details. These include the inexplicably obscure image of the Romulan commander, which is only revealed in a melodramatic fashion during a later season finale. Another flaw, evident in retrospect, is that LaForge's terrible trauma is not addressed in subsequent episodes.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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