Television Review: The Price (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S3X08, 1989)

The Price (S03E08)

Airdate: November 13th 1989

Written by: Hannah Louise Shearer
Directed by: Robert Scheerer

Running Time: 45 minutes

By the time Star Trek: The Next Generation reached its third season, the series had undergone a remarkable creative transformation. Under the stewardship of new showrunner Michael Piller, the writing had matured, the characters had deepened, and narrative ambition had significantly expanded. As a result, episodes that might have stood out as highlights in the comparatively uneven first two seasons now appeared merely serviceable. This is, to a considerable extent, the fate of The Price, the eighth episode of Season 3. While marked by some questionable creative choices and a degree of sloppiness in execution, it remains an entertaining and, more importantly, a quietly consequential instalment—one that laid groundwork for some of Star Trek’s most enduring future developments.

The story centres on the discovery of a Barzan wormhole—a spatial anomaly that has recently become visible near the planet Barzan II. Initial probes conducted by the Barzan have suggested that the wormhole provides instantaneous transit to the distant Gamma Quadrant, a prospect of astronomical strategic and economic value. However, the Barzan themselves lack the technological sophistication to exploit it and instead choose to lease exclusive access to the highest bidder. Because Barzan II’s atmosphere is toxic to most humanoid species, the auction is relocated aboard the USS Enterprise-D, under the watchful eye of Captain Picard. Three delegations arrive to bid: the Caldonians, represented by the towering Leyor (Kevin Peter Hall); the United Federation of Planets, via the diplomatic envoy Mendoza (Castulo Guerra); and the Chrysalians, fronted by the charismatic Devinoni Ral (Matt McCoy)—a professional negotiator of partial human heritage. Complicating matters further is the uninvited arrival of a Ferengi delegation led by the scheming Daimon Goss (Scott Thomson), whose inclusion Picard grants only with evident reluctance.

True to form, the Ferengi immediately resort to underhanded tactics, poisoning Mendoza and forcing Commander Riker to step in as the Federation’s negotiator. Meanwhile, Counsellor Deanna Troi finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Ral, and the two embark on a passionate, if short-lived, romantic entanglement. Their intimacy quickly unravels, however, when Troi discovers that Ral himself is part-Betazoid and has been subtly manipulating emotional cues to gain the upper hand in negotiations. Despite the personal betrayal, Ral’s diplomacy proves effective: he convinces the Caldonians to withdraw, then brokers a secret deal with the Ferengi, who agree to support the Chrysalians in exchange for a share of future profits. Just as the deal appears sealed, a crucial complication emerges.

Two shuttlecraft—one from the Enterprise, piloted by Geordi La Forge and Data, and another Ferengi vessel commanded by Arridor (Dan Shor) and Kol (J. R. Quinonez)—have been dispatched to verify the wormhole’s far terminus. Both emerge not in the Gamma Quadrant, as expected, but in the Delta Quadrant, revealing that the wormhole’s exit is unstable and migratory. Recognising the danger, Geordi and Data make the bold decision to re-enter the wormhole even while it is temporarily invisible, successfully returning to the Alpha Quadrant. The Ferengi, however, opt to stay behind in hopes of securing exclusive access—a gamble that backfires when the wormhole vanishes, stranding them indefinitely in the Delta Quadrant. The revelation renders the entire auction moot, and the Barzan are left with a cosmic shortcut they cannot reliably use. Ral departs, attempting to persuade Troi to join him, but she declines, choosing duty—and self-respect—over fleeting passion.

Written by Hannah Louise Shearer, The Price tackles an intriguing concept—the commercialisation of faster-than-light travel via wormholes—a trope familiar from other hard science fiction works but here given a distinctly Trek-ian diplomatic spin. Yet the episode is perhaps better remembered for its focus on Troi’s emotional life, marking her first serious romantic storyline and offering rare depth to a character often sidelined in earlier seasons. There’s also an undeniable whiff of fan service: director Robert Scheerer lingers on shots that border on the gratuitous, including a now-notorious scene in which Dr. Crusher and Troi, clad in form-fitting spandex, discuss their sex lives while exercising—a moment that feels more like playful pandering than substantive character development.

Matt McCoy delivers a compelling performance as Devinoni Ral. Though ostensibly an antagonist, Ral is never truly villainous; rather, he embodies the morally ambiguous pragmatism of high-stakes negotiation. His charm and cunning are so effective that he briefly wins over both Troi and the audience, blurring the lines between manipulation and persuasion.

One cannot overlook the episode’s technical shortcomings. The editing feels rushed in places, with transitions that cut too abruptly—likely a consequence of fitting the narrative into a strict 45-minute broadcast window. These jarring cuts occasionally undermine the pacing and emotional beats.

Nonetheless, The Price holds significant canonical weight. It effectively completes the Ferengi’s demotion from would-be galactic threats to bumbling comic foils—a transition that better suits their satirical purpose. The subplot involving Arridor and Kol, while initially seeming intrusive, adds a layer of darkly comic irony: their greed literally strands them in an unknown quadrant, a fate that would later echo through Star Trek: Voyager. Indeed, the episode’s most lasting contributions are structural. It formally introduced the quadrant-based division of the galaxy into Star Trek’s lexicon—a framework that would become foundational. More importantly, it prefigured two cornerstone series of Star Trek’s “Golden Age”: Deep Space Nine, whose very premise orbits a stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, and Voyager, which similarly strands a Federation ship (and its crew) in the Delta Quadrant. The fate of the two Ferengi was even revisited in Voyager’s first-season episode “False Profits,” closing a loop that began here.

At the end, while The Price may not rank among TNG’s finest hours, its narrative ripples extend far beyond its runtime. It is a flawed but fertile episode—proof that even modest instalments can sow the seeds of greatness.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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