Television Review: Unnatural Selection (Star Trek: The Next Generation, S2X07, 1989)

Unnatural Selection (S02E07)

Airdate: January 30th 1989

Written by: John Mason & Mike Gray
Directed by: Paul Lynch

Running Time: 46 minutes

Star Trek: The Next Generation indisputably marked the Golden Age of Star Trek, a period where its potential for sophisticated science fiction storytelling truly blossomed. Crucially, this era demonstrated an unparalleled ability to respectfully yet dynamically engage with the legacy of its esteemed predecessor, The Original Series, transforming even its more modest concepts into compelling modern narratives. A prime exemplar of this alchemy is found in the contrast between TOS’s The Deadly Years and TNG’s Unnatural Selection. While the former, concerning rapid aging afflicting the Enterprise crew, remains a serviceable but undeniably flawed entry among the original series’ canon – hampered by dated effects and somewhat clunky execution – its fundamental premise, revisited two decades later in TNG Season 2, becomes the foundation for a near-textbook demonstration of how the same core idea can be significantly elevated across multiple dimensions: narrative focus, thematic depth, technical execution, and character integration.

The episode opens with the USS Enterprise-D responding to a deeply unsettling distress call from the supply vessel USS Lantree. Upon arrival, the Enterprise crew discovers the Lantree adrift and silent, its entire complement horrifically deceased, their bodies grotesquely aged beyond recognition by an unknown pathogen. Instituting immediate quarantine protocols, Captain Picard orders an investigation, tracing the Lantree’s final course to the Darwin Genetic Research Station, a prestigious Federation facility where one of the supply ship’s crew had recently received treatment for Thelusian flu. At Darwin Station, they are greeted by Dr. Kingsley (Patricia Smith), who reveals the chilling parallel: her own staff is succumbing to the same accelerated aging phenomenon. Kingsley, having imposed strict quarantine, urgently pleads for the Enterprise to evacuate the station’s genetically-engineered children, who remain inexplicably unaffected. Dr. Pulaski, ever the cautious pragmatist, refuses to compromise quarantine but volunteers to transport one child, David (George Baxter), to an isolated shuttlecraft for study. It is here that the true horror is unveiled: David, though only twelve years old, possesses the fully matured physique of an adult man, a consequence of his genetic enhancements.

Pulaski’s investigation takes a dire turn as she herself begins exhibiting the rapid aging symptoms. Through her interaction with David, she uncovers the devastating truth: the genetically-engineered children, while possessing superior abilities like telekinesis and David’s profound telepathy, have also developed hyper-aggressive immune systems. These enhanced antibodies, designed to combat disease, now react catastrophically to ordinary human physiology, making the children themselves the unwitting vectors of the lethal "infection" afflicting the adults. Facing imminent death, Pulaski’s salvation arrives via an unconventional application of transporter technology. Chief O’Brien, utilising stored DNA patterns from Pulaski’s earlier physicals, successfully reverses the cellular degradation by reintroducing her younger genetic template. This procedure is subsequently deployed to save the Darwin Station staff, though the children, now recognised as the source of the danger, must remain permanently quarantined.

The most immediately apparent improvement over The Deadly Years lies in the realm of production. The 1980s budget and technological advancements afforded TNG vastly superior special effects and, critically, far more convincing and disturbing makeup to depict the ravages of accelerated aging. The wrinkled, desiccated features of the Lantree crew and the Darwin scientists carry a visceral, unsettling weight utterly beyond the capabilities of TOS’s era, grounding the horror in tangible, believable physicality.

Yet, the script’s evolution represents an even more significant leap forward. Instead of the entire Enterprise crew being afflicted – a narrative choice that inherently diluted tension in TOS by virtue of its scale and the audience’s certainty the main cast would survive – TNG wisely confines the rapid aging to a single, pivotal character: Pulaski. Crucially, as Pulaski was a relatively new and somewhat controversial addition to the cast (replacing Dr. Crusher), her fate felt genuinely uncertain. Scriptwriters John Mason and Mike Gray expertly exploit this ambiguity. The episode’s early scene, where Picard subtly probes Counselor Troi about Pulaski’s recent behaviour, masterfully plants seeds of doubt regarding her future with the ship, thereby ratcheting up suspense significantly. The audience cannot be certain Pulaski will survive, making her ordeal profoundly more engaging.

The resolution via transporter-based DNA restoration, while not entirely original (having roots in The Animated Series’ The Lorelei Signal), is handled with far greater efficiency and narrative purpose here. It serves not just as a plot device, but as a perfect vehicle to spotlight Transporter Chief Miles O’Brien. His quiet competence and critical intervention save Pulaski and, by extension, the mission. Significantly, O’Brien receives minimal on-screen fanfare for his heroics – a subtle character moment that foreshadows his later evolution into one of Star Trek’s most beloved and enduring figures. This stands in stark, almost ironic contrast to Pulaski’s own trajectory; despite her central role here, she would ultimately be remembered primarily as a temporary replacement, her character failing to resonate as deeply as O’Brien’s would over the long arc of the franchise.

The episode concludes with a simple yet profoundly resonant gesture: the Enterprise destroys the derelict Lantree in a solemn act of respect, refusing to leave the bodies of their fallen comrades adrift in permanent quarantine. This act, coupled with the ever-present reminder of the lethal risks inherent in Starfleet’s mission, imbues the entire narrative with a gravitas and thoughtful seriousness. It underscores the human cost of exploration, elevating the story beyond mere sci-fi thriller into contemplative drama.

However, Unnatural Selection is not without flaws. Director Paul Lynch generally handles the material competently, maintaining tension and pacing, though a few scenes – particularly those involving Marina Sirtis (Troi) and Diana Muldaur (Pulaski) – betray moments where the actors appear to be visibly reading cue cards, momentarily breaking the illusion. Yet, the most significant and ultimately damning flaw lies in fundamental continuity. The episode presents the Darwin Station’s open, state-sanctioned practice of advanced human genetic engineering – creating children with telepathy, telekinesis, and radically enhanced physiologies – as an accepted, even lauded, Federation endeavour. This stands in catastrophic contradiction to the established Star Trek canon. From TNG to all other series of the franchise, genetic engineering of humans is depicted as a profound ethical abomination within the Federation, a taboo rooted in the horrors of the Eugenics Wars. The Federation explicitly prohibits such practices. The notion that Starfleet would fund, operate, and protect a facility like Darwin Station, producing beings explicitly superior to baseline humans, renders Unnatural Selection a glaring narrative dead end. Its technical merits and strong performances are tragically undermined by this foundational inconsistency, making it a fascinating but ultimately isolated specimen within the broader Star Trek ecosystem – a high-quality episode that fundamentally misunderstands the universe it inhabits. It serves as a stark reminder that even within the Golden Age, narrative coherence could sometimes falter, leaving behind a compelling yet canonically orphaned story.

RATING: 7/10 (++)

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