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Jeremy Aster

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Jeremy's father died of a Rushton infection in 2361 . After the death of her husband, Marla Aster joined Starfleet as a Lieutenant , and was assigned as an archaeologist on board the USS Enterprise -D . Jeremy accompanied her on board the Enterprise , and was living on the ship with his mother when she was killed by a Koinonian bomb in 2366 .

The remaining Koinonians tried to assist Jeremy by creating a replica of his mother to raise him, however the Enterprise crew convinced the Koinonians not to proceed, and allow him to grieve the loss of his mother. As part of the healing process, Jeremy vented his anger at Lieutenant Worf , who had commanded the away team that Marla Aster was part of when she died. Afterwards, Worf invited the young human to become his brother and join his House in the R'uustai ritual. Jeremy soon departed the Enterprise to live with family on Earth. ( TNG episode : " The Bonding ")

As of 2367 , Jeremy was living with his Aunt Megan in the city of Fergus Falls . Aunt Megan was willing to take Jeremy to San Francisco to see Starfleet Academy over the summer. Jeremy had developed a romantic interest in a local girl named Emily and didn't know if the San Francisco trip would prevent him from developing a further relationship with Emily. Aster kept in regular contact with Worf, and asked him for advice on dealing with a romantic rival. Worf urged him to "stay... and fight." ( TNG comic : " The Lesson ")

As an adult, Aster pursued a career in archaeology , and by 2375 was working toward his doctorate at the Rector Institute . That year, he was also involved in a romantic relationship with a woman called Marra . By the end of that year, however, their relationship had ended. ( TNG novel : Diplomatic Implausibility )

Jeremy would later assist Worf and Alexander Rozhenko in the Genesis Sector , helping to keep the Moss Creatures from unleashing a new Genesis Wave on the galaxy. During this time, Jeremy joined the House of Martok . ( TNG novel : Genesis Force )

Aster also became close with Worf's adoptive parents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko , and regularly dined at their home. ( TNG novel : Diplomatic Implausibility )

External link [ ]

• Jeremy Aster article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
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Published Oct 23, 2022

Over 30 Years Ago, The Bonding Subtly Rebooted The Next Generation 

Here's why the fifth episode of TNG's Season 3 was an unquestionable game changer.

StarTrek.com

In the original ‘60s Star Trek , if a random crew member got vaporized, impaled with a spear, or sucked dry by a salt vampire, Captain Kirk and company usually moved on pretty quickly. But, over 30 years ago, Star Trek: The Next Generation flipped the script on the sacrificial red shirt trope and shifted the entire storytelling tone of the franchise.

When Ronald D. Moore wrote the Season 3 episode “ The Bonding ,” he helped subtly reboot and reshape what fans came to expect from The Next Generation . This wasn’t only a space adventure series that happened to tackle social issues; the voyages of the starship Enterprise were also about very real explorers and the people they loved.

Episode Preview: The Bonding

Though “The Bonding” is a quiet episode, it starts with a bang; a crew member is killed before the credits even roll! Marla Aster wasn't anyone we’d heard of before, but rapidly, that kind of becomes the point. When Worf leads an away team to the surface of a planet for a low-key archaeological dig, a hidden explosive is tripped, and Aster — a Starfleet officer and archaeologist — is suddenly dead. Making matters worse, Lt. Aster was a single mom and her son Jeremy is now orphaned aboard the Enterprise . Although the plot of “The Bonding” does eventually bring in an alien science fictional element, the thrust of the story is mostly about the deeply personal consequences of boldly going where no one has gone before. “The Bonding” lingers on what it would really be like when someone was suddenly hit with an alien death ray, and examines what that means for a story beyond simply raising the stakes for the primary characters.

In a fraught and fantastic scene, as Picard and Troi are on their way to break the news to young Jeremy, Picard rants about how much he hates having families aboard the Enterprise . Picard feels like it's unfair to kids like Jeremy; his mom made the choice to join Starfleet, whereas her son was just along for the ride. Troi sympathizes, but it doesn’t change the fact that they still have to tell a little kid that his mom was killed by an alien explosive. Picard does not turn to the camera and say, “This never happened to the other captains,” but he very well could have. Captain Kirk certainly had to break some bad news to various crewmembers about loved ones (“Balance of Terror” comes to mind, actually), but telling a little kid their mother has died because of a fairly pointless and ancient alien tech? This is next-level realism. And the scene that follows sums-up exactly what The Next Generation would be like for the rest of its run. Because Jeremy Aster’s dad had also previously died, he says, “I’m all alone now.” Picard responds by taking Jeremy’s hand and responds firmly, “On the starship Enterprise , no one is alone,” and then with that extra Patrick Stewart emphasis, he says again. “No one.” You just got chills thinking about it, right?

This scene is important in many ways, but the historical context makes it even more significant. “The Bonding” aired on October 23, 1989, and was the fifth episode of the third season of The Next Generation . In 1989, this was a fundamentally different show than it had been for the first two seasons. The opening credits ditched our own solar system in favor of a lush, wild-looking final frontier, Gates McFadden was back as Dr. Beverly Crusher, and the crew were all rocking redesigned uniforms that actually looked like clothes people would enjoy wearing. The Enterprise crew felt cozy and comfortable, and as a result, the third season exudes a confidence and consistency in style and tone that, arguably, the first two seasons lacked. To be clear, The Next Generation was brilliant from the start, but visually and thematically, the series congealed and grew-up in Season 3. So, when Picard reached out and told Jeremy Aster that no one was alone on the Enterprise , in a sense, he was reaching out to all the viewers, too. The message of “The Bonding” was clear. With this crew, you were in good hands.

We tend to think of The Next Generation at its highest points, specifically, the famous Season 3 finale, “ The Best of Both Worlds ,” in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg and fans really had to sit through a summer wondering if Riker was the new captain. (I was 8-years-old, it was rough!)  But, what we forget is that, in order to get to those epic moments, TNG had to earn our trust, and part of that happened in a paradigm shift in the way it told stories, starting with “The Bonding.”

Famously, producer Michael Piller instituted two huge changes in the way TNG episodes were written in Season 3. First, the show began accepting freelance script submissions from literally anyone. Second, Piller decided the new recipe for episodes would be to make sure each story focused on the primary characters and their relationships in specific. Though this sounds like common sense, at the time, it was fairly radical.

In the 2012 book, Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , writer Ronald D. Moore tells it like this, “When Michael Piller came in, he made a creative decision to shift the focus of the show from being about the planet and the aliens of the week to our characters aboard the Enterprise and how characters are affected by the story.”

Moore’s perspective on this was singular. As the writer of “The Bonding,” Moore specifically benefited from the new open submission policy; prior to this episode, he wasn’t a screenwriter for television at all. But, after the policy change, “The Bonding” got Moore a job in the TNG writers’ room where he wrote or co-wrote several pivotal episodes of the third season, including the game-changing “ Sins of the Father .” That episode was literally the first time Trek canon visited the Klingon Empire, and also introduced TNG’s ongoing Worf storyline. Ronald D. Moore didn’t invent the Klingons, but in many ways, he perfected how we think about their culture and their internal struggles. In fact, if you rewatch “Sins of the Father” back-to-back with Star Trek: Discovery ’s Season 2 episode “Point of Light,” you’ll see that L’Rel l’s struggles to stabilize the Klingon Empire, neatly paralleling the aesthetics and themes established in TNG.

The effects of “The Bonding” and Ron Moore are bigger than elucidating Klingon canon. If Ron Moore hadn’t sold “The Bonding” as a freelance spec script to TNG for Season 3, he wouldn't have gone on to be a producer on Deep Space Nine or eventually create the award-winning rebooted Battlestar Galactica in 2003. Along with Brannon Braga, Moore also wrote the TNG season finale, “ All Good Things… ” as well as the films Star Trek Generations and the wildly popular Star Trek: First Contact . In essence, one story about a side character and her orphaned son, led to some of the boldest Trek adventures of all. In order to go big, TNG’s third season had to first go small. Episodes like “The Bonding” and “Sins of the Father” are interesting studies in the patient slow-burn of TNG, a type of storytelling that would briefly masquerade as one kind of episode, only to raise the stakes in a very personal way. For the first 15-minutes of “Sins of the Father,” the viewer thinks the episode is about the Enterprise taking on a bossy new Klingon officer named Kurn, but then, the real stakes reveal themselves — Kurn is Worf’s secret brother! In a microcosm, this is what TNG did best; unfurl a kooky sci-fi premise, and then raise the stakes not with action, but with deep-dives into character.

The climax of “The Bonding” may not be a TNG ending that would rank as the most nail-biting, but it is one of the smartest Trek scripts of all time. After Jeremy Aster’s mother Marla is killed, a well-meaning alien lifeform attempts to recreate her, and offers to take Jeremy into a fantasy life in which his mom, and even his old cat, are still alive. It’s kind of like the fantasy the Talosians give to Captain Pike and Vina in “The Menagerie,” only it’s a little kid and he’s got his whole real life ahead of him. Throughout the entire episode, Worf struggles with his guilt about the death of Jeremy’s mother, because, after all, he was the guy who was in command when she died. Like Jeremy, Worf is also an orphan, so he wants to bond with the kid in a Klingon ceremony where they celebrate the life of his late mother.

But Worf’s plans to do the right thing are being screwed-up by the alien-creature who is pretending to be Jeremy’s mother. Eventually, this all results in nearly half the cast, sitting down and talking to Jeremy about the realities of death. What’s so brilliant about this is that the story tugs on previously planted character threads in unexpected ways. Though the episode is ostensibly about Worf and Jeremy, the final moments allow Wesley Crusher to really vent about how much he used to hate Picard’s guts after Wesley’s dad died. Wesley admits he didn’t really like Captain Picard for a long time, which in some ways might have paralleled the shaky feeling fans had about The Next Generation in general. “I was angry at you,” Wesley tells Picard. “You came home and my father didn’t.”

For fans who were still longing to see Captain Kirk and Spock show up on the new Star Trek , this could have felt like a sublimation of those frustrations. Picard was the stuffy, no-nonsense leader of the new Enterprise , and for two seasons, fans weren’t quite sure what to make of him. But with Season 3, something began to lighten up. Picard was reaching out. Wesley was no longer mad at his new captain and, seemingly, no one else was either. The family had finally come together and nothing would ever be the same again.

This article was originally published on October 23, 2019.

Ryan Britt's (he/him) essays and journalism have appeared in Tor.com, Inverse, Den of Geek!, SyFy Wire, and elsewhere. He is the author of the 2015 essay collection Luke Skywalker Can't Read. He lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and daughter.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are currently streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. Internationally, the series is available on Paramount+ in Australia, Italy, Latin America, the U.K. and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. It will also stream exclusively on Paramount+ in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria later this year. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. STAR TREK: DISCOVERY is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

“The Bonding”

Air date: 10/23/1989 Written by Ronald D. Moore Directed by Winrich Kolbe

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

During a routine archeological mission commanded by Worf, Lt. Aster (Susan Powell) is killed by a land mine from a long-forgotten war. She leaves behind a 12-year-old son on the Enterprise , Jeremy (Gabriel Damon), whose father is also dead. The command staff must break the news to Jeremy and deal with the aftermath.

"The Bonding" is the episode that Ronald D. Moore famously sold as a spec script, which ultimately led to him being hired as a writer on TNG . It's got some of the hallmarks of Moore in it (real-world military issues, Klingon customs), but it's also got a number of Trek clichés (fantasy versus reality, aliens with remarkable powers). As these things go, the episode is on the upper end of mediocrity.

The show is best when it confronts head-on the fact that a starship can be a dangerous place where people die. It also confronts the issue of children being on board the ship. At one point, Picard says flat-out that he has always had his doubts about it. The best scenes involve Worf, who must deal with the fact that someone has died under his command. His scene at the end with Jeremy, where they undergo the Klingon bonding ritual, has a mildly intriguing resonance. Other reasonable scenes feature the inclusion of Wesley in Jeremy's grieving process; Wesley approaches the situation from personal experience.

But the show is worst when it's (too frequently) documenting the mysterious alien presence, which appears to Jeremy as his mother and supplies him with a fantasy that re-creates a pleasant memory. You can feel the air going out of the story when Jeremy's dead mother suddenly returns, as if she were a ghost. (Aliens as dead people = silly and boring. Susan Powell's performance = wooden and ineffective.) Fortunately, this premise is somewhat redeemed by its dialog. When it comes to exploring the human condition via long-winded philosophy, no one does it better than Picard, who has a decent speech about facing the realities that life deals us. But it's not enough to elevate a frequently lackluster hour.

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54 comments on this post.

This episode isn't particularly bad, nor is it particularly good, so 2/4 rating seems right to me too. One point brought up by the episode though - why are children left alone in their quarters? Shouldn't they always be with an adult? And certainly a child that essentially just lost his entire family? Jeremy had no family left on the Enterprise. I have to second Picard's doubts about the wisdom of having children aboard a starship that may have to be sent to dangerous situations, like the Neutral Zone border. One idea that would make this more palatable would a medium sized craft that attached/detached from the Enterprise hull. Whenever Picard knew the Enterprise would be in a possibly dangerous situation, he can put the children in the "Child Care" craft, which would be self-sufficient, and after the dangerous mission has passed, pick the children. Then the Starfleet crew could still have their families close without their children having to share the same risks.

Corey, you just explained the premise behind "saucer separation." They had intended that to be a regular part of the show, but the FX were some cumbersome (photographically and narratively) that it was only repeated once after the pliot. (Not counting BoBW2 and Generations, when saucer sep was done for different reasons.) It was always easier to pretend families weren't aboard when the plot didn't require them. Hypothetically, in which stories should the saucer have been left safely behind?

@Grumpy: You're absolutely right. Separation is only even mentioned a handful of other times in the series, even though it would have been useful in a lot of episodes ("The Pegasus" comes to mind). I'd add that there was a sort of branding issue, as well. If viewers tuned in randomly and saw the star drive of the Enterprise, that would throw them for a loop. Also, the star drive by itself kind of looked dumb. Last point: The fact that the saucer section didn't have warp engines was a major problem. It couldn't really escape quickly, so Picard and Riker would have had to know well in advance that they were encountering something dangerous.

@Grumpy: There's quite a few episodes where leaving the kids behind so to speak would have been reasonable: "Angel One" (Enterprise was due to go to an outpost, possibly coming under Romulan attack, not where you want your kids), "The Defector", "The Enemy", BOBW, "Where Silence has Lease" (remember Picard did self-destruct that episode!), I'm sure there are others. And you are right, my description fits the saucer section perfectly. Paul you are right too, the ship minus saucer section is not aesthetically pleasing at all. Even though the Saucer section didn't have warp drive, presumably it had communications and could call for help if necessary from Starfleet. Ironically, a cloaking device would have been the perfect solution - Federation really shot itself in the foot with its Treaty of Algernon I think it's called that bans cloaking devices for Federation only.

Slight BSG spoilers: I told my girlfriend, who has seen BSG, that Ron Moore's first episode featured militarism and an angel. She thought I was joking. ;) Admittedly, part of the reason it took so long for me to continue my TNG rewatch after the strong "Who Watches the Watchers?" is, er, this episode. The Ghost Of Marla Aster doesn't appear until (on the DVD) time 21:40 out of 45:32; up until that point while not thrilling or exceptional the episode was certainly solid. And then, um, well.... Using a sci-fi concept to explore an idea is pretty much what a Trek episode should do, and the idea of examining a child's reaction to a parent's unexpected death by having an alien indulge the child's understandable desire to not have said parent really be dead to them is a fairly good one. The idea that the alien is trying to help rather than harm the child helps, too, particularly since it helps get at the idea that a child’s desires run counter to what is actually good for the child. As Picard says, living with the alien Marla Aster would essentially be living in a memory rather than continuing his life, which would certainly be a temptation for the Jeremy (and Troi points out that moving on with his life and forming other quasi-familial attachments too quickly, such as that proposed by Worf, would make him feel guilty) but is no substitute for his life, which will continue. The problem is really the execution. The premise could have worked, but because the emotional core of this story lies pretty much entirely with Jeremy Aster and his relationship with his mother, the characterization in both writing and acting for both Jeremy and for alien/ghost Marla really needs to work well to sell a) the depth of Jeremy’s pain, b) the depth of the bond between a mother and son as each other’s only family, c) the impossibility of the illusion of Marla Aster being able to make up for the real thing, d) the temptation for Jeremy to take what he can get nonetheless. Frankly, none of these are particularly sold. Jammer notes how weak the acting is for alien/ghost Marla is; the acting on the boy is unconvincing too. I am sympathetic to the problem of finding good child actors and playing the devastation of losing a parent is a particularly difficult task. Still, the way Jeremy is portrayed—both in writing and in acting—is essentially as a blank, passive, frozen child, who half-heartedly goes along with the woman claiming to be his mother and half-heartedly accepts it when she turns out not to be that woman, until finally he yells at Worf exactly on cue when the story needs him to express “anger.” For a child to be emotionally numb after a parent’s death, especially when they’ve experienced a parent’s death before, is realistic, but on some level if Jeremy is to be the core of the story it has to be possible for us in the audience to know at least some of what he is thinking and feeling or to sense that he at least cares what is happening to him; his reaction to his mother being back/going down to the planet/oh his mother’s not real/now his mother is clearly outlining in dull exposition why she, as an alien, is interested in making his life better are basically all the same. The episode works best when it’s about the main cast (more on that in a bit), but incorporating the main cast actually hobbles the Asters story even more when it gets to the climax. There, in which Picard carts Wesley on screen to tell Picard that he used to be angry at Picard for having led the mission, so that Jeremy can get his catharsis by yelling at Worf so that Worf can now ask Jeremy to join in the bonding, so that alien-Marla can leave. It's an attempt to pull together all the threads of the episode -- the perspectives of Worf, Wesley, Picard, Troi, Jeremy, and alien-Marla -- into one scene. But the effect just falls flat because these perspectives don't flow seamlessly into one another. The scene seems to suggest that the only reason Jeremy is willing to accept an alien posing as his mother is that he hasn’t been able to express his anger at Worf, and that once he has expressed his anger at Worf (in one line) all that is required is for Worf to accept him into his family for that anger to dissipate and move into a healthy place. This display is also all that’s required for the alien Marla to recognize that she is not wanted or needed and to walk away. In case it’s not obvious, though, while no doubt Jeremy does have anger at Worf (and probably undifferentiated anger in all directions), surely the idea of his mother being alive again would be attractive not just because he is suffering from bottling that anger at specific people but because his single mother is dead and that is terrible. The climactic scene has Wesley talking almost exclusively to Picard rather than Jeremy, which is a good choice for the series overall—the moment adds depth to Wesley’s admiration for and anxiety around Picard, and Picard represents both what his father stood for and what lost him his father—but feels out of place within the scene about Jeremy. Worf’s jumping from Jeremy’s declaration of anger to his offer of the bonding ritual also makes Worf look self-centered rather than like he is actually listening. To be clear, I don’t think this is Worf or Wesley’s “fault” (whatever that means), but the contrivance of attempting to resolve all these plot threads at once makes none of them work as well as they might have otherwise. So onto the good so I can end this on a positive note. This is an episode with a real sense of history, using Lt. Aster’s death as a springboard from which to examine the way the crew feels about death, especially the senselessness of death and the death of a parent, making use of and bringing into tighter focus the experiences of the main cast. The Riker-Data conversation about how much one’s closeness to the deceased affects one’s feelings about it, eventually talking about Tasha, the Wes-Beverly scene about their memories of Jack Crusher, and Picard and Troi’s conversation about their respective roles in the grieving process (and the benefits that can have). Best of all is the Worf material, where the feelings all swirl together: Klingon/human culture issues, dealing with the responsibilities of command for the first time (and that will continue to be relevant to his story into his DS9 days), his unresolved/semi-resolved feelings about his parents’ death and his salvation by Starfleet and his human family, his difficulty reconciling the pointlessness of Lt. Aster’s death with his warrior code. The Worf/Troi scene is splendidly directed, with the grating keeping their faces separate until Troi convinces Worf to talk to her, and it’s an early scene which suggests the depth of their connection to come (regardless of whether or not the season seven romance is an appropriate exploration of that). 2 stars sounds right.

All I want to add to the families aboard the Enterprise dilemma is that it makes for a more lively ship, and it's a good excuse as to why there always seem to be new Starfleet people you've never seen before or sudden patients for Troi, etc. Now, I share the general feeling of William B on this one. I think the plot was fairly ok until that point when the ghost appeared. That was just dumb. Worf was pretty convincing as a guy experiencing some sort of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but the boy lacked expressions. I can understand feeling a bit numb, but instead of that it felt like the guy simply wasn't expressing himself enough. That's not good acting. So, I want to discuss what I think it's the main issue with this: The guest actors don't have enough time to develop their characters. Just one episode doesn't cut it. It's not totally their fault. They only have some 20 to 30 minutes to "shine" and we'll never see those faces again. I doubt the directors and writers give them much attention and orientation. Just think how much time the main cast needed to feel right in their roles. They spent a good part of two entire seasons experimenting and adjusting their personalities the entire time. There are a lot of bad actors here and there; after all, John De Lancie's Q is wonderful from the start; but even the worst of them all could get better if TNG didn't have such a "use it once and destroy" mentality. The standalone nature of most TNG episodes works fine if you want different stories and a sense of wonder each episode at a time, but it has some unwanted effects like this serious problem with guest actors. Anyway, that's my take on this. What do you guys think?

SkepticalMI

Alas, it's unfortunate that there was never an episode showing Jeremy and that weird alien from Future Imperfect as college roommates, bitter that their respective adoptive families abandoned them... It's odd. I see the same problems that other people had, but I didn't really feel them as much. Take, for example, the bad acting by the kid. Yes, bad acting. But did it detract that much? Did we need it to understand the depth of his pain? We can relate to what Jeremy is feeling, we can understand it already. The family structure is well known, it's universal, it's relatable immediately. Yes, it would have been preferable if that actor was better, but Jeremy's pain wasn't really the point of the episode. How everyone deals with death is the theme. So we can deal somewhat with one poor actor. And the actor for his mom? Well, she's a weird alien being acting as his mom. If it's poorly done, at least it's an excuse. The pivotal scene, of course, is when everyone gets together and finally convinces ghost mom to leave. Frankly, the scene is a mess. Picard and Wesley have a long talk while ignoring Jeremy, Jeremy's outburst at Worf was blatantly on cue, Worf's response was hardly diplomatic and came out of the blue, but somehow he convinced Jeremy. And then the scene just ended. Despite being a mess, it was still powerful. I guess because the ghost subplot was weak, we didn't really care about that resolution. And the resolution was a foregone conclusion anyway. So we got some great scenes with Wesley and Picard, we had a great speech by Picard, and we had Worf showing a heart behind his gruff demeanor. So why do we care about the weak plot when it had such good moments? As a random aside, since the ghost took off without a word, we don't know what actually convinced her. Yes, it seemed odd that Jeremy's outburst would have convinced her, but it could have been a combination of everything. Another aspect of the show I liked was that the pacing was so good for the silly energy being trying to take over the ship plot aspect. Everyone was acting like professioinals doing their job. More importantly, everyone was acting like professionals who were used to being in positions of authority. So often, everyone just sits around being dumb while one character (Picard, usually) takes over. So I like it when it actually appears realistic (BoBW was another one that did it well). It's a small touch, but I liked it. So by no means is this a great episode. But perhaps it is at least a slightly good one.

The best scene was when Patches appeared and stared right into the camera for a moment. What a cutie! :)

I really want to like this episode, but it's just so bland, bland, bland. Jeremy's only surviving parent is killed and his reaction is "how, sir?" = WTF! This kid hardly shows any emotion throughout the episode. Even in his "climatic" confrontation with Worf, he barely registers as upset. How much of this is due the unrealistic, and (let's face it) stupid, ideas Roddenberry often forced on the show and how much is due to the young actor, I don't know. But it just sucks the life and drama out of everything. I'm inclined to think the fault lies with Roddenberry because even Wesley, Beverly and Picard are off emotionally. They all act as if they're not really affected by any of this, even though their dialogue suggests otherwise. The only one who shows any genuine feeling is Worf, and that's what saves this episode. Every Worf scene steals the show (from his insistence in Sickbay to join Picard and Troi in telling Jeremy what happened to his moody/hurt/angry dialogue with Troi concerning the Bonding). I think it is funny, however, that we never see Jeremy again. He probably took one look at his new family tree and thought "damn, I should have went with Ghost Mom." 6/10

@Luke - It's totally fair for you to not buy the acting from the child in the final confrontation scene... but prior to that I think he was supposed to be in shock. At least that was my read on the episode.

I agree with most of these reviews, but I felt the kid was a bit short-changed. He had the potential to be a good actor. It seemed to me that it was his direction that was off. He basically had to sit there while the adults talked about him over his head. I had the impression of a kid who was trying to be stoic, perhaps attempting to emulate the good captain. He's already experienced the loss of one parent, and maybe at that time was told to be a good little soldier, be strong for your mother, blah blah blah. I know this is supposed to be an enlightened future, but there are still slightly sexist elements to the episodes here and there, so it's a possibility. I felt there was a subtlety to his acting that was hampered by the lackluster script. An example of that subtlety is in one of the scenes where he is hugging his "mother," and you can see in his face that he knows it's not really her, but, well, he's twelve, and his mother had just cone back to life. Who wouldn't fight hard for that fantasy to be reality, even against one's own better judgement? It certainly had the potential to be a lot more, not to mention the potential of the character to show up again here and there throughout TNG's--or even DS9's--run. I'm hoping someone has appropriated this character and had fun with him, either in a fanfic or a novel. I'm on the hunt now. Because how many human children are Bonded to a Klingon? That's a great backstory, such a missed opportunity by the Star Trek writers. Hopefully someone else out there has picked up the ball.

i dont think this is a particularly interesting story for me personally bit objectively I can see what it's trying to do. "Redshirts" died on TOS Star Trek all the time and always we just moved on as of it affects no one. Well, in real life that doesn't happen. Give TNG some credit for dealing with the death of a crewman in the way real humans would have to. For Beverly and Wes it's about having to relive their own loss. For Picard we revisit the unwanted responsibily of having children on a ship of the line in the first. Worf just wants to do the Klingon thing and bond, dammit, NOW. Data makes us examine the perfunctory rituals of greiving. And Troi is just the voice of reason because she knows what's appropriate for everybody. And of course Geordi has nothing to do as usual. Now Jeremy -- or really the boy who has the play him -- is in the most interesting spot because he's the one who really has to take it most personally. And don't be too hard on him. I've personally been through what he's been through and I was also stoic and brave not because you are but because THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE WANTS YOU TO BE! That is especially true for boys. Ghost Mom was awful but she was suppose to be. Come on. It's an alien who doesn't really know anything about being anyone's "mom" and that was the point, right?

For me personally, this episode is fantastic as long as I don't have to watch it. That said... it is a genuine ensemble show with a great idea for its main metaphor/device to examine death, so maybe it's better than I gave it credit for -- getting past the execution to the idea behind it, the Astors stuff probably wouldn't bring the episode down so much.

Diamond Dave

This starts off as an interesting riff on the nature of grief, and examines it from a number of different character perspectives. As an audience it's difficult to be too invested, given this is a previously unseen character that has died, but at least the themes are universal enough to identify with. Once the 'ghost' enters, it becomes a rather more obvious and laboured examination of the topic, leading to an extended therapy session in which Troi helps Jeremy and Wesley come to terms with their loss and the alien recognises that all will be well. As a character piece it works nicely enough, but it never really transcends its topic and becomes anything more than OK. 2 stars.

nothingoriginal55

I don't know what it is about Deanna Troi, but God, do I hate her. "I sense anger" really...what a useless statement. This could have been a good show for to shine in, but instead its Worf and Data that steal the show. I'm curious - does Troi ever get a good story?

nothingoriginal55, you never heard of the Good Troi Episode? tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ADayInTheLimelight?from=Main.GoodTroiEpisode It's "Face of the Enemy" in season 6.

Okay, since a lot of people are wondering what the hell was with kid's reaction: Originally, Moore pitched the story as a kid overcome with grief bonding with a hologram of his mom. However, Roddenberry rejected it, saying people do not grieve, they simply accept death in the future. So Piller had to rewrite the story, essentially making it about how stupid that idea is. Really surprised nobody here heard about that. Personally, enjoyed it. Certainly not the most entertaining or thought-provoking hour of TV but not exactly bad either. I particularly like Worf's sub-plot.

I have a hard time eating this one because it was solidly good in some respects and pretty weak in others. I thought the high points were pretty high. The redshirt is dead, but for once we learn her name and see the grieving kid she leaves behind - and that's a story worth telling. Worf's guilt and his Kilingoniness - "There's no enemy I can take vengeance on!" - are really well done. I liked that his respect for Astor and sense of duty toward everyone under his command presages his behavior in "Lower Decks" - a nice piece of character consistency and an endearing trait. Wesley's speech to Picard was affecting and I was surprised and impressed by his acting skills in that scene. He (both character and actor) has certainly come a long way since season one. The most awkward scene to me was the framing around Wesley's speech to Picard. He enters the room somewhat reticently - and is then prodded by Troi and Picard both, until he exposes his intimate feelings and pain in front of about five of his colleagues. Clearly he has agreed to talk about his dad to the kid, but did he agree to make a public spectacle of himself? The scene would have worked better with just Picard, Wes, and Jeremy, but of course they needed the whole gang there to have the neat wrap-up. Other problems: Jeremy let fake-mom and the fantasy world go far too easily. He should have been doubly devastated to lose her twice, and doubly enraged at the heartless bastards of the Enterprise. I mean, first they got his mom killed and then they drove her away when she came back for him, with his cat and his home and the fulfillment of all his wishes? That's just cruel. Having your mom back is way better than lighting candles in some Klingon ritual. It just is. Sorry, Worf. Also Jeremy and Worf are now "brothers"... But Worf never mentions the child again, does he? So the Bonding doesn't seem to mean much. This casts Worf in a bad light, in retrospect. (I suppose Jeremyleft the ship soon after, but that doesn't completely excuse the hollowness of the ritual: Worf now has a kid "brother" on earth whom he is never going to see or have anything to do with.)

Err... "Rating" this one. Not eating it. Although yes, that too.

From the first poster: "One point brought up by the episode though - why are children left alone in their quarters? Shouldn't they always be with an adult?" Do parents always leave children with an adult now? Especially 12 year olds? This always puzzled me about modern America, where we seem to want to wrap our children in blankets and sit guard on them for 18 years, rather than teach them how to live in the world, be free to make their own mistakes, and learn how to cope with mistakes (in addition to respecting them as increasingly capable individuals). And then Americans wonder why an entire generation of youth is weak-minded, weak-willed, and unable to cope with adversity. And America is supposed to be such an individualistic country, whereas other communal cultures are just fine letting their kids take the bus/train to school by themselves as early as 5 or 6 years old!

So we see Worf go through this ceremony to look after the child... yet we never see or hear from him again. Why did they need to introduce alexander when worf already basically had a child he had to take care of?

I was liking this episode until the alien energy creates an image of the boy's mom and then the episode goes sideways. Didn't know where the show was going other than showing different angles of grieving for the loss - good to see how Picard handled his different duties. I was not a fan of Troi (again) in this episode. Didn't like her line at the end when she tells Jeremy he should be angry at Worf like Wes was angry at Picard. Hard to blame the kid's acting - maybe the initial reaction is shock but I think we should expect to see him bawling his eyes out at some point. Anyhow, a lot of this episode is very bland, sterile when we could see a more emotional response from the crew - kind of like Tasha's death except nobody really knew the archeologist who died. The alien presence with its powers to make the kid happy is a bit ridiculous but it's a plot device for Picard to give his decent speech about the human need to deal with death. Was expecting it to take on a sinister persona for some reason... Overall a mediocre episode with some decent themes just not executed as well, not very engaging - especially the 2nd half - Rating: 2 stars.

Ron Moore got much better ,so say we all. This was ruined by the Trek cliches of powerful energy force being thingies invading the ship, the usual 'it is getting into the computers Captain' and illusions. It was a riff on Charley X from TOS,surely? I agree that the Worf scenes are best but ,for once, I did not mind Troi's involvement.

What's striking about mid-period TNG, when compared to other Treks, is how deadly serious it was and how stark its long periods of silence were. TNG at this time oft cultivated a sense of quiet gravity - people spend much of this episode literally mentally dwelling on things - that you don't really see elsewhere in Trek.

Sarjenka's Little Brother

Ah, this is a TOUGH crowd. I liked this better than the rest of you. Though I wish they had been brave enough to do this story without the energy aliens. I guess they felt like the audience wasn't ready for an episode where all the action happens in the opening. Plus, we get to hear Worf say, "Jeremy Aster." And I don't get tired of that for some reason. Too bad they didn't plant the Asters in an earlier episode, even briefly, to give the story more relevance. And too bad Jeremy didn't show up later. LOTS of potential there. But still, it tugged at my heart strings. Those of us on Drema are more emotional open, I guess. Also some nice touches on how a death affects the various crew members, especially in terms of their duties.

I always think people underrate this episode. It shows aliens acting rather alien but with a relatable goal and motivation. The killing of Marla and its impact on Jeremy clearly freaked them out. It was also wisely pointed out by Troi and Picard that the alien’s plan didn’t make much sense. The faux Marla was obviously unprepared to respond to that argument. I also found the portrayal of faux Marla very convincing as a mother.

What a completely boring snoozefest. Glad I had something to do while this drone on and on in the background.

And the boy was yet another throwaway character. So Work does a ritual bonding with the kid. Tells the kid "we're brothers now, you're in my House." AND...the kid is never seen or heard of or spoken of ever again in Trek. Even Alexander dropped in on DS9.

Who needs a ship counselor when you have a Worf on board? Troubled? Depressed? Oppressed? Anxious? Just see Worf. He has a Klingon ritual to meet all your mental deficiencies. Guaranteed relief! (If your lucky, he may even throw in a hug from the beautiful Deanna Troi.)

Ummmmm...if Marla Aster was 3 meters BEHIND Worf....AND "bore the full brunt of the explosion" then why was Worf only bleeding from his front? Just a nitpick, but I actually like this episode....EXCEPT we never see the boy again....guess Klingon rituals arent really that serious....kinda like at a funeral, when relatives say we'll talk....but you never hear from them again...sooooo much potential wasted!

I think this episode is great and the issues it touches are so deep.

Worf "bonds" with this kid and we never see him again.

George Monet

There was an interesting A story about loss and grief which was ruined by trying to tie a B story into the A story. This doesn't work emotionally. The B story needed to be completely independent of the A story and involve a different set of characters. I don't want to nitpick the same way twice in a row but Voyager actually did this better where it put Naomi's mother in danger and made the A story be about Naomi and Neelix confronting the potential loss of Naomi's mother while the B story was about the away team trying to save themselves. In order for the B story in this TNG episode to work it would have to focus on someone who has lost their loved one a long time ago rather than ten seconds ago before the audience had time to decide how they feel. For instance if Jeremy had lost his mother two episodes ago this story might work, but he just lost his mother ten seconds ago. It was simply too confusing.

6/10 filler episode. I am not sure what this one added. Maybe Wesley showing more of his self rather than chirpy science boy.

Another average ep. Story was acceptably engaging, though not exactly full of action/adventure. The Worf part was the best part, but I know that we never see Jeremy again. Troi spoon-feeding Jeremy about how he must be feeling about Worf (he must also be angry at Worf, since Wes was angry at Picard) was quite annoying toward the end. She needs to go back to Counselor School. Don't they have professionals consulting on these scripts? We were spoon fed the moral of the story as well: Better to face reality (both inner and outer) and experience a real life, accepting the joys and sorrows - than to fool yourself with rose-colored glasses. So, I accept this ep as the mediocre offering it is, and grieve the hour I have lost. Onward.

Average 'Twilight Zone' type episode. The major flaw with this one is that the kid's personality and reactions are a bit Midwich Cuckoo-ish - he's far too calm when he's told his mother has died, and indeed when he believes he's been reunited with her. Not the young actor's fault, of course.

A very touching story which is about how human beings (and Klingons) deal with loss, pain and the maintenance or decay of our own nemories. IMO this episode is an inversion of the Prime Directive baseline. In other words, an alien culture is attempting to interfere with the natural course of events on the Enterprise following the death of Marla Aster. The alien interference is well intentioned but such assistance is unwanted and inimical to what is best for our species. As Picard says: "It is the heart of our nature to feel pain...and joy." It was well acted and reminds me of what Kirk says to the equally well intentioned Sybok in the much maligned film Star Trek 5: "I need my pain." Such statements are dead on and really worth contemplating, not dismissing as hokey. Good scenes with Wesley, Beverly, Troi, Worf, and lot of great O'Brien moments looking freaked out as the blue energy darts about in Transporter Room 3. 8/9.

This is a rather interesting episode, and I echo the dialogue is a high point. Troi and Picard's joint duty in this shows an intriguing facet of procedure. Further, the scene in which Picard is called to talk to the boy in the corridor, to warn him that thing is not his mother, allows for an appealing gravitas that, though standard in the characterization, feels specially plausible here. The episode is quiet, stimulating.

Michael Dorn saves this one from sliding into pure boredom. And to be honest, probably Will Wheaton’s best scene in having to confront his hero.

In this episode, Troi actively ruins what could have been a pretty good scene. When they bring in Wesley to talk about how he felt about Picard, that's good. I like the interaction, Wheaton does a good job and it sets up the talk with Jeremy. Then fucking Troi starts putting words in the kid's mouth, "you must be very angry", "Isn't that right?". Then when Jeremy confronts Worf fucking TROI starts answering "He can't answer that", even Picard is like "Worf's an orphan too", like ffs let the characters speak for themselves. I didn't much care for Troi before and in this episode I actively hate her being there, episode would have been better without her. Also can't understand after 1 seasons and change why Picard is so popular though he's had some great moments at least, Troi's had nothing.

If you overlook the goofy alien aspect of this episode, you can appreciate the character development shown here. Picard has come full circle from the awkward encounters with children in Season 1 to his touching "no one is alone on the Enterprise" comment. Wesley and Beverly really show their human side as they are still dealing with the death of Jack. Worf shows the touch of fatherhood that we will see again with Alexander. I appreciate that they dealt with a real issue of losing a loved one in the line of duty, even if other parts of the episode were weak.

So Troi can't use her powers when people are feeling a lot of emotions around her? Oh that's cool, good thing for her that humans don't feel emotions most days otherwise she'd never, ever be able to pin point anything.

BONES: The ship's counsellor says we should beam up the away team, right now. KIRK: The ship's WHAT?? Oh, beam them up anyway. ~~~~~ KIRK: What's the matter with her? BONES: She's dead, Jim. KIRK. Bummer. Ok, let's beam another lot of redshirts down. Doesn't matter a whole lot if they die. BONES: She's an archaeologist Jim, not a redshirt. KIRK: Yeah yeah. Not a regular crew member though. Why are we getting so bothered about it, for heaven's sake? Good to see Trek at last addressing the notion of grief and loss, though devoting an entire episode to it is a bit .. over the top. And there's one moment in it that's so ludicrous I'm still laughing. JEREMY (to Worf): Are you a Klingon? LMAO. Had he been confined to quarters all his life, that he didn't recognise the single Klingon on the ship! 2 stars seems fair.

Beard of Sisko

Not a fan of the child actor's performance. Not that he's a bad actor overall, but he apparently didn't want to appear on this show and it shows in his couldn't-give-two-craps performance. As for the episode itself, it's just kinda...meh. Not bad but not something that I would eagerly watch again.

This episode had good atmospherics. It was scary when that alien first appeared and the fact that she/it was trying to kidnap Jeremy into oblivion on the planet continued the horror. The crew was trying mightily to get rid of this alien threat but oh so carefully. It seemed like they might lose the child at any moment. The dark lighting and theme of death permeated the overall effect. The final scene with Worf and Jeremy was great: Together they are conquering their grief and fear of death, by lighting candles in the dark.

Pretty middle of the road episode, but I always give bonus points for stories where the alien of the week wasn't evil but was really just trying to help and messing it up because of how alien they were. It's something I associate so much with TNG and feel like I don't get much from other shows.

I made it halfway through this one before I bailed. Look, I understand losing a parent. My Dad passed away more than four years ago, and I've still not gotten over it. I think it may even be harder for adults than for kids, because we have more memories of and with our deceased parent and we're also, unfortunately, able to ask existential questions, including: Why on earth did we accumulate so many memories and so many experiences with our mom/dad, only for him/her to die and for us to be without that parent as if he/she never existed? Ah, the futility of life... All that said, this was an excruciatingly boring episode. I don't know the kid or his mom, so I don't care about either of them. 'Sides, I don't watch a sci-fi show for personal drama and Narnia-type fantasy. This kind of stuff could be a footnote, maybe a B-story, but not the focus of an entire hour-long episode.

How you can rate this horrible piece of unwatchable, maudlin dreck as 2 stars when you pan eps like “The Outragous Okona” which yes are stupid but at least are silly and have moments of genuine humor, is completely beyond me.

Gorn With the Wind

I quite like this episode. The premise goes to interesting places and the scene where Picard confronts the alien doppelganger is a showcase for Stewart. While not as good as season 3’s classic eps, this is a low-key success that not only brought us Ron Moore, but signaled the show’s ongoing commitment to character driven stories under the helm of Michael Piller. 3 stars.

What was the point at the beginning when Troi screams out to beam up the away team? Can she "sense" land mines? THe only thing she could sense is either the loss of kid Mom or the reaction of the team which meant the danger had already happened. Also, it creates a false sense of foreboding that the death was the result of a current malevolent act which we learn it wasn't.

I have recently come to learn of the concepts of the "idiot episode" and the "idiot ball." The latter being an episode or movie or book whose plot requires at least one character to be so dumb as not to do the obvious, sensible thing. The former is a metaphorical object that moves from character to character, like a talking stick. So I'm watching The Bonding with those in mind and Worf encounters the fakemom, and tells that captain that Lt Aster is in the boy's cabin. And everybody immediately understands the implication and starts acting appropriately. And I'm thinking, cool, no idiots. But on reflection the tired trope of energy beings were idiots. They could have contacted the Enterprise upon its arrival and explained the situation on the planet. Or they could have contacted the ship after Aster's death and explained the situation. These aliens had lots of experience with corporeal beings, although it was thousands of years in the past. And then, the fakemom just leaves. So the Enterprise just leaves. What about the Continuing Mission? Why not try to have useful interaction with the energy aliens? And the boy's disappearance after this episode also bugs me. This Klingon bonding thing seems important, but evidence of following shows argues the opposite. I think 2/4 is right.

I have to admit, I was waiting for the inevitable scene where alien mom kicks Worf's butt, but it never happened for once! 2.5 for me, as I found some of the dialogue quite effective...

@Kyle I agree, I love that the aliens were behaving in a noble manner, not just evil of the week aliens. I agree there was much potential wasted here... after all, in a way the aliens are behaving as ridiculous as Worf is. They explicitly mention the history of the planet was dishonorable (using that exact word) and react in a likely emotional manner to implement a plan that... ain't going to work.

I actually thought the kid in this episode did a pretty good job, although his other role in Robocop 2 was a little distracting. I kept thinking he was going to take out an uzi and empty a clip into Worf lol

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Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E5 "The Bonding"

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Original air date: October 23, 1989

The Enterprise is investigating a planet whose civilization killed itself off in a brutal war long ago. An away team led by Worf investigates some ruins, but the mission turns deadly when a hidden bomb goes off, wounding Worf and killing Lt. Marla Aster. Aster leaves behind a twelve-year-old son, Jeremy, whose father, another Starfleet officer, had also died in the line of duty some time ago.

Picard sends La Forge with another away team to the planet to investigate what happened. Worf offers to inform Jeremy of the loss, but Picard and Troi go instead. Jeremy reacts to the news with a bit of stoicism, reflecting that he's all alone now; Picard reminds him that on the Enterprise , no one is ever really alone.

Several of the crew have different reactions to Lt. Aster's death. Wesley can empathize with how Jeremy must be feeling due to the loss of his own father. Data, meanwhile, is confused by the crew's reaction to Marla's death and asks Riker for guidance. Worf, himself an orphan, expresses to Troi his desire to perform a Klingon bonding ritual with Jeremy. Troi is hesitant to approve of the idea, however, as she feels Jeremy still needs time to grieve.

Data reports an odd energy buildup from the planet, which reaches out and touches the ship, but appears to be harmless. As Jeremy sits alone in his quarters watching old videos of his family, he is surprised by the sudden appearance of his mother, apparently alive!

Marla tells Jeremy that the crew "made a mistake," and that she's alive and well, but now she wants to take Jeremy to the planet, where they will live in a house like they used to. At that moment, Worf shows up to check in on Jeremy, and he sounds the alert. When Picard intervenes and prevents them from beaming down, "Marla's" disappearance only serves to confuse Jeremy.

Troi attempts to comfort Jeremy, but "Marla" soon reappears, turning their quarters into a replica of the house they lived in on Earth. The entity posing as Marla doesn't understand why the crew resists letting Jeremy go to the planet, as all "she" wants to do is make him happy. Meanwhile, La Forge has reported that the remaining bombs were found having been uprooted and deactivated. When the crew come to realize they can't keep "Marla" off the ship for long, they shut down the transporters so that Jeremy can't be beamed down.

Picard confronts the entity, and "she" reveals that there were once two races of beings on the planet below: the physical beings wiped themselves out, and the energy beings left behind vowed never to let that conflict hurt another person. As a result, they feel responsible for Marla's death, having overlooked the bombs left behind, and they were responsible for deactivating the rest. To make up for Jeremy's loss, they want to take him down to the planet to raise him.

Picard, with the help of his crew, explain that humans must learn to deal with their loss in their own way, and that the aliens aren't equipped to provide Jeremy with a future, only his past. Wesley and Worf explain their own experiences with losing parents; Wesley reveals for the first time that he hated Picard for a long time after his father's death, but he no longer feels that way. Worf then formally offers to perform the bonding ritual with Jeremy. Finally realizing that Jeremy is in good hands, the entity returns to the planet.

Tropes in this episode include:

• An Aesop : Bottling up one's grief isn't a healthy way to face death. Neither is retreating into a fantasy where all is well. Accepting sadness is necessary to move past it.
• And Then What? : When "Marla" says she plans to take Jeremy down to the planet and care for him, Troi questions her as to what kind of life she will be able to give him, as the only corporeal being on a dead planet, living in an illusionary fantasy world. Her argument goes a long way toward the entity's deciding not to do it.
• When Data asks if familiarity has bearing on death, Riker references the senior staff's mourning of Tasha.
• The same conversation also features a Shout-Out to a line from the TOS episode "The Immunity Syndrome", where Data asks why humans don't feel as strongly about the death of many vs. the death of one close to them, and Riker admitting that human history would probably be "a lot less bloody" if they did.
• Cooldown Hug : In his talk with Beverly, Wesley can't help but reminisce over the things he remembers about his late father, Jack Crusher. Beverly, struggling hard to not burst into tears, cuts him off with one of these.
• Death Notification : Picard shoulders the unpleasant duty of telling Jeremy that his mother is dead.
• Does This Remind You of Anything? : Lt. Aster is killed by a weapon left over from a forgotten war, a reference to the real-world issue of landmines that remain buried throughout developing countries and continue to claim lives.
• Gilded Cage : Picard argues that Jeremy would be living in one if he's allowed to go with his "mother."
• Harmful to Minors : The episode makes it clear why Picard doesn't like having children aboard. Picard: I've always believed that carrying children on a starship is a very questionable policy. Serving on a starship means accepting certain risks, certain dangers. Did Jeremy Aster make that choice? Troi: Death and loss are an integral part of life everywhere. Leaving him on Earth would not have protected him. Picard: No, but Earth isn't likely to be ordered to the Neutral Zone or to repel a Romulan attack.
• It Never Gets Any Easier : Delivering a Death Notification . Wesley: How do you get used to it? Telling them? Riker: You hope you never do.
• Lotus-Eater Machine : The alien taking Marla's form offers Jeremy a simulacrum of his life on Earth. It's noted how hard such a thing would be to resist. Riker: She offers him everything. All we offer is the cold reality of his mother's death. Crusher: What would you choose? If somebody came along and offered to give you back your mother, father or husband, would any of us say no so easily?
• My Greatest Failure : Worf is very unforgiving with himself for what happened to Jeremy's mother, especially as there is no way he can avenge her death. The episode also recalls how Picard lost his best friend, Jack Crusher, on a mission.
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling : Deanna senses that something bad happened just before Worf calls for an emergency transport.
• Patrick Stewart Speech : Picard: Do you honestly believe he would be happy in this total fiction which you wish to create? What reason would he have to live? What you're offering him is a memory, something to cherish, not to live in. It is part of our life cycle that we accept the death of those we love. Jeremy must come to terms with his grief. He must not cover it or hide away from it. You see, we are mortal. Our time in this universe is finite. That is one of the truths that all humans must learn.
• Red Shirt : Deconstructed. The premise of the episode is essentially, "What if a Red Shirt died, and people actually cared?"
• Remember the New Guy? : A bit of a posthumous example, as Aster is treated as an established and vital officer on the ship, yet we've never seen hide nor hair of her beforehand.
• Send in the Search Team : The episode opens with Worf and a survey team already on the planet's surface, while Picard and the rest of the crew monitor their communications from orbit.
• Jeremy handles Marla's death like this - in fact, he has this look on his face before Picard even gives him the bad news, as if he knew exactly where this was going. As Troi points out to Picard, this isn't exactly the most healthy way to handle your mom dying. Jeremy becomes Not So Stoic toward the end, once he lets out his bottled-up feelings.
• Wesley reveals that as a child, he also bottled up his grief and anger after his father died because he thought he was expected not to be upset.
• Survivor Guilt : Worf is probably experiencing this after Lieutenant Aster's death. He survived because she just happened to be standing in his way when the explosive detonated, thus taking the full force of the blast whereas Worf only suffered superficial wounds.
• Teleportation Rescue : Subverted. As soon as Picard hears the explosion over the comm and Worf's call for an emergency beam-out, he orders them transported directly to sickbay. But it's still not fast enough. Crusher: Away team is on board, Captain. [scans Lt. Aster's body, then checks for a pulse] One dead on arrival.
• Villainy-Free Villain : The entity is just trying to help Jeremy in the only way it can.
• What a Senseless Waste of Human Life : As Worf reminds us, part of Klingon culture is dying a glorious death (i.e. in battle). This is one reason he's so horrified at Marla Aster dying in such an arbitrary manner. Worf: I cannot seek revenge against an enemy who turned to dust centuries ago. HER DEATH WAS SENSELESS!!! THE LAST VICTIM OF A FORGOTTEN WAR!!!
• What Happened to the Mouse? : Even though the bonding ceremony makes Jeremy an adopted member of Worf's family, the kid is never seen or mentioned again after this episode. Presumably he went to Earth to live with his aunt and uncle, but we'll never know for sure. According to the commentary track included on the Blu-ray release, the idea of bringing the character back was discussed from time-to-time. However, it just wasn't in the show's nature to follow up stuff like that at that point in its run, and by the time it reached that point, Worf's storyline had moved on.
• Wham Shot : Pictured at the top of the page. Jeremy watching videos of his recently deceased mother, and then turning to the doorway to see his mother, somehow alive and well. This quickly changes the whole tone of the episode.
• When Jeremy expresses his anger at Worf. Jeremy: Why? Why weren't you the one that died? What did it have to be her?
• Wesley also tells Picard that he was angry for a very long time that Picard lived and his father died, though he forgave Picard once he was older and more understanding.
• Yank the Dog's Chain : Jeremy believes the crew did "make a mistake" and that his mother is alive and well. He's forced to realize that wasn't the case.
• After it's stated that Jeremy's father is also dead. Jeremy: I'm all alone now, sir. Picard: Jeremy, on the starship Enterprise , no one is alone. [takes his hand] No one.
• Worf also does this with Jeremy during the end, making him part of his family. Worf: When I was alone, humans helped me. Let me help you.
• It's revealed Wesley thought this of Picard after his father was killed and Picard wasn't, although he's over it.
• Jeremy feels the same about Worf, but Troi helps him get over it, and the two participate in a Klingon bonding ritual.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S3E4 "Who Watches the Watchers"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
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Worf's 10 smartest decisions in star trek: tng.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation's  Lieutenant Worf might have had Klingon blood in his veins, but his Starfleet training and his adoptive human parents instilled in him a sense of forethought that served him well. He knew that not every challenge could be solved with his fists, or his trusty Bat'leth, which meant brainpower would have to do the trick.

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Worf made a number of incredibly smart decisions during the course of the show that not only averted catastrophes, but helped him grow as an officer, a father, and a Klingon warrior. As such, he became one of the most unique of his kind; a man who could fight to the bitter end and just as easily as outthink his enemies.

Killing The Klingon Fugitives

In the season 1 episode "Heart of Glory," audiences got a crash course on Klingon culture when the Enterprise brought three on board. Worf soon learned that they had commandeered a freighter in an attempt to strike out on their own, in direct opposition to the Empire.

Rather than fall prey to their promises of glory and battle, Worf stuck to both his Starfleet training  and his honor as a Klingon warrior. When it became clear that he couldn't talk their leader down, he shot him dead, much to the approval of a Klingon commander who had come to take them back to the homeworld.

Bonding With Jeremy Aster Through Klingon Custom

When young Jeremy Aster's mother was killed during an away mission accident in the season two episode "The Bonding," he withdrew into himself out of grief. He was later approached by what appeared to be his mother, but it was in fact an alien entity that had taken pity on him, and wanted to ease his sorrow.

Picard convinced Jeremy that the illusion of his mother would bring him nothing but emptiness. Later, Worf encouraged Jeremy to bond with him as a blood-brother, under his family's name. This act gave a young boy a sense of belonging, and societal support.

Accepting Discommendation And Exile

When Worf's father was accused of collaborating with the Romulans during the infamous Khitomer Massacre, he set out to clear his family's name. In the process, he discovered that Worf's father had been scapegoated by the Klingon Empire, to cover up the actual collusion between the Romulans, and the House of Duras.

Knowing that if the secret got out, that it could trigger a civil war within the Empire, Worf decided to accept discommendation, which effectively meant exile from his people. It was the hardest decision of his life, but it saved the quadrant from plunging into a costly and violent war, making it one of Worf's most badass moments on the show.

Raising Alexander On Board The Enterprise

After being exiled, Worf was reunited with his lover K'Ehleyr, who also brought Alexander, his young son, on board. A shocked Worf struggled with the notion of his son being forced to accept blame for his father's dishonor, though K'Ehleyr insisted that she didn't care.

When K'Ehleyr began poking around classified Klingon files to find out why Worf was exiled, she drew the attention of Duras, who killed her in cold blood. Worf got his revenge, but Alexander was suddenly left without a parent. Alexander went to live with Worf's adoptive human parents for a short time, but they realized he needed a father and a role model. The decision to raise him on board the Enterprise was turbulent and challenging, but Worf ended up cementing one of the most important relationships of his life .

Fighting In The Klingon Civil War

When the Klingon Empire was threatened with civil war, Worf decided to leave Starfleet, and serve on his brother's vessel under Chancellor Gowron's banner. The decision was a smart one, as the Romulans were ready to seize a key moment, and gain a foothold on the sector.

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Thanks to Worf's bravery, his honor was reinstated, his discommendation lifted, and his father's name cleared of the lies that Duras had spread. It also brought stability back to the Empire and drove out the Romulans who were collaborating with the Duras family.

Refusing Commander MacDuff's Orders

When the crew of the Enterprise had their memories wiped by alien technology, they were left in disarray. The aliens then deposited one of their own, disguised as Commander MacDuff, a fictional character designed to manipulate them into destroying their greatest enemy.

MacDuff tried to play on Worf's warrior instincts in an effort to gain his loyalty, but when the time came to fire on their vastly inferior enemy, he refused. This was a test of character for Worf, who was prone to going on the offensive during the slightest threat. Here, he stayed his hand, and kept his cool, saving many lives in the process.

Choosing Life Over Suicide

When Worf's spinal column was shattered during an accident, he was left permanently paralyzed. Under Klingon culture, ritual suicide was the only answer, which many considered one of his worst moments on the show . The trouble is, Worf had a young son to think of; one who wasn't interested in adhering to notions of Klingon warrior honor, or duty.

A morally ambiguous doctor convinced Worf to undergo a radical, and dangerous procedure that would replace his spinal column. He nearly died during the procedure, but managed to recover. He then went through a difficult rehabilitation period in order to learn how to walk again, with Alexander at his side, happy to help.

Having Fun On The Holodeck

Worf was all business, almost all of the time, and the concept of leisure was a rather foreign one. He did spend time on the Holodeck, but mostly to hone and sharpen his exceptional combat skills by fighting a series of aliens and monsters. To Worf, it was a way to sate his Klingon bloodlust, without taking any innocent lives.

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Alexander, on the other hand, was fascinated with fictional interactive stories, including one that took place in Earth's wild west. Though initially reluctant, Worf joined him on the Holodeck, pretending to be the Sheriff of a local town. He quickly grew to love the role and managed to bond with Alexander at the same time, even if a computer glitch nearly got them killed.

Allowing The Kahless Clone To Represent The Empire

When the extremely influential Klingon named Kahless had seemingly returned to lead the Empire, nobody was more shocked than Worf, who was going through a bit of a spiritual crisis at the time. Gowron was enraged, believing this character of Klingon legend to be an imposter sent to supplant his authority, and claim the Empire for himself.

Eventually, the truth came out - Kahless was a clone of the original Klingon folk hero. Rather than expose the farce, Worf convinced Gowron to use him as a figurehead to inspire the entire Klingon people, and give them hope for a new age. Gowron reluctantly agreed, and another potential catastrophe was averted.

Working With His Brother To Relocate An Alien Race

Worf's human brother Nikolai Rozhenko was a loose cannon, but a good man at heart. He loved Worf but had fallen out of favor plenty of times due to his recklessness. It came to a pinnacle when Nikolai violated the Prime Directive by integrating himself too closely to the Boraalan people, including fathering a child with one of them.

When the Boraalan world was threatened, it became necessary to relocate them to another planet. This involved a careful smoke and mirrors game that took place entirely on the Holodeck, masquerading itself as a perilous trek to a new land. Worf decided to aid Nikolai by pretending to be a fellow Boraalan in order to save the people from annihilation.

NEXT:  Captain Picard's 10 Smartest Decisions in Star Trek: TNG

• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

• View history
• 1.1 Creators
• 2 Characters
• 3 References

Background information [ ]

• Jeremy Aster from TNG : " The Bonding " sends Worf a video message.
• Dr. Crusher has a birthday during this issue, which, according to TNG : " Conundrum " would make it October 13 .

Creators [ ]

• Based on Star Trek: The Next Generation created by Gene Roddenberry
• Writer: Michael Jan Friedman
• Peter Krause (pencil art)
• Pablo Marcos (inking)
• Juliana Ferriter (color art)
• Bob Pinaha (letter art)
• Jerome K. Moore and Tatjana Wood (cover art)
• Editor: Robert Greenberger

Characters [ ]

References [ ].

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series)

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