Star Trek 255: Suspicions

255. Suspicions

FORMULA: The Ultimate Computer + Journey to Babel + Court-Martial

WHY WE LIKE IT: Jo'Bril walking around with hole in his stomach.

WHY WE DON'T: This story doesn't make any sense.

REVIEW: The first question you ask yourself is why Crusher is hosting an engineering conference, and why she's so convinced Dr. Reyga's metaphasic shields will work. Just where are Data and Geordi? Data has a minimal role here and Geordi is totally absent. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a Geordi story (especially with Guinan coming in to give advice) until Levar Burton got a bad case of measles or something, but no, this was designed as a "Crusher as Quincey" story all along.

Or it could have been an ensemble story. For example, why is she conducting a murder investigation when Worf should be? Beverly is totally mischaracterized is a quantum physics groupie who cares more about Reyga's posthumous reputation than Jo'Bril's life. Picard's advice to her about how to handle losing someone you sent out on a mission seems devoid of the context it should have, namely that he sent her husband on a mission with identical results.

And then there's the plot. Jo'Bril walks away from an autopsy, so it doesn't seem invasive, so why the interstellar incident over Reyga's? (We'll have to wait for Deep Space 9 to see what really happens to Ferengi remains.) The fact that Crusher heroically proves Reyga's theories and find his murderer does nothing to change the fact she still mutilated a body against orders and the Prime Directive. And furthermore, by disintegrating Jo'Bril (does that seem like Dr. Crusher to you?), she has no real evidence that he was the killer.

A nice bit of loyalty from the underwritten Ogawa, a non-comedy Ferengi and a "Death Becomes Her" money shot aren't enough to save this mess of a script. Annoying in every way.

LESSON: The characters aren't interchangeable.

REWATCHABILITY - Low: Crusher's proven herself an engaging detective in other stories, but it still has to make sense in the context of the series. Dismal in the midst of some of the series' best episodes.