The Family

I have been a great fan of Star Trek – The Next Generation. I liked it for its deep thoughts, powerful writing and the majestic acting of Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picccard, the Captain of the star-ship Enterprise. There are several episodes which, after watching, made me think and shaped my thinking. One such episode is named, “The Family.” No, it is not about a mafia family as the name would imply. It is about:

• the aspirations of the young;
• parenting and the desire to protect the kids and yet let them choose their own path;
• the concern about the future unknowns;
• second guessing ourselves as grown-ups, as parents;
• the nostalgia – for the past and our own place; and
• owning up to our own mistakes

If you are a Star Trek fan, you would enjoy this episode as much as I did. Even if you are not into Star Trek, I am almost sure that you will enjoy watching this. All you have to know about the story backdrop is the following:

Captain Jean Luc Piccard (Stewart) was assimilated into the Borg continuum. That is, the bad guys kidnap the captain and literally wire him into one of themselves. He then causes tremendous destruction to the Starfleet. Several ships are destroyed and thousands of lives are lost. As the Captain in-charge of Enterprise, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes – the bearded man in the uniform) brings Piccard back to the Enterprise and manages to destroy the Borg ship with the help from subconsciously alert Piccard.

Enterprise then returns to Sector Zero – which is Earth – for repairs. Follow the story from there.

I particularly like the part where the brothers fight in the mud, at the end of which Piccard breaks-down and cries (end of part 4 and beginning of part 5). The best lines in the entire episode that chased me for 20 years…

“So, my brother is a human being, after all. This is going to be with you a long time, Jean Luc. A long time. You have a simple choice now. You have to learn to live with it.  You have to live with it below the sea with those. Or, above the clouds on the Enterprise.”

Part 1 of 5

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Part 2 of 5
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Part 3 of 5

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Part 4 of 5

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Part 5 of 5

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