Stardate: Unknown
Original Air Date: April 18, 1988
Writers: Robert Lewin and Richard Manning & Hans Beimler
Director: Win Phelps
“It is not our mission to impose Federation or earth values on any other in the galaxy.”
A sun in the Delos System is undergoing large-sale magnetic field changes producing violent, gigantic flares. The Enterprise has been dispatched to study this star at close range, and even though the ship shall be running with full deflectors, the close proximity of this event could create problems. Magnetic fields like this can disrupt various systems, such as communications.
As the enterprise approaches the star, Data notes that the magnetic fields is highly irregular, and Wesley Crusher notices that the X-Ray bursts are disrupting his control panel. While the crew observes a “splendid view” of the magnetic phenomenon, a distress signal suddenly comes through. It is a fuzzy message from someone named T’Jon on the Onaran freighter “Sanction” who claims there is an emergency. He is calling from the fourth planet in the system and he is losing control of his ship as it enters the planet’s atmosphere. However, something is strange, T’Jon seems confused and his messages are unclear. He doesn’t understand how to align a control coil, despite being in command of this freighter for seven years (this is his 26th voyage to Brekka).
The Enterprise attempts to use the tractor beam to pull the Sanction out of orbit, but nearby solar flares are disrupting the ship’s systems. While their freighter begins to disintegrate, the crew of the Sanction beams over their cargo instead of themselves. Lt. Yar manages to beam over four living beings as their freighter explodes. But upon arrival, they are only focused on their cargo. They squabble over the cargo and who will take it down to the surface of Brekka. They possess a strange natural electrical power which they use on each other before an Enterprise security team escorts the guests to the observation lounge. Their names are Sobi and Langor from the planet Brekka and T’Jon and Romas from Ornara. Both of their societies are in a political dispute of some sort over medicine. Ornara is apparently in desperate need of the cure for a plague raging on the planet. However, the plant which yields the medicine felicium grows only in remote areas of Brekka where it is painstakingly harvested and cultivated. Romas and T’Jon want the medicine to cure the plague (the Oranarans appear to be more tattered and working class) but Sobi and Langor disagree (the Brekkians appear to be more clean-cut and upper-class). Both Romas and T’Jon are apparently afflicted with the plague, though Dr. Crusher only finds symptoms of the plague but no cause for this disease.
Meanwhile, Data informs Picard that the only recorded contact with the Delos system was over 200 years ago, a scout ship reported two inhabited planets, one of which was on the verge of acquiring space travel. The Brekkians have developed a sophisticated refinement process of felicium –their only industry. They provide the felicium which serves as a kind of neurotic for the Ornarans, however Dr. Crusher claims felicium is little more than a drug. Without it, they undergo withdrawal “plague-like” symptoms. It cured the plague for the Ornarans 200 years ago, but now felicium merely fulfills their drug addiction. Dr. Crusher wants to find a way to ease their withdrawal symptoms.
The Ornarans grow desperate for the felicium, while Picard and Dr. Crusher “this is not a symbiotic relationship, this is exploitation!” However, per the Prime Directive, Picard agrees not to interfere and he decides not to inform the Ornarans that they are simply drug addicts who are being taken advantage of by the Brekkians. As the Enterprise arrives at Ornara, Picard beams down both the Brekkians and the Ornarans along with the felicium cargo, but he decides not to give them the control coils for their ships, making it impossible for the Ornarans to acquire the felicium in the future, thus ensuring the Ornarans will soon experience severe withdrawal symptoms, but they will not die.
After they depart, Dr. Crusher and Picard discuss whether or not this was the right decision –but Picard defends the Prime Directive as an essential philosophy for their mission. And in the end, he wants to put some distance between the Enterprise and this galaxy. The Enterprise speeds away at Warp 3 to the Opperline System. Geordi wants to head there because he has never been to the Opperline System before.
My Thoughts on “Symbiosis”
This episode offers a fairly complex examination of the Prime Directive and it poses a unique moral quandary –to support the Ornarans and reveal that the felicium is merely an addictive drug? Or follow the Prime Directive and simply allow the Brekkians to continue to exploit the Ornarans. “Symbiosis” ends on an ambiguous note as we will never learn if Picard has made the right decision.
With awkward pacing, continuity errors, and clumsy acting, as well as the unsubtle subtext with a cliché 1990s anti-drug message, “Symbiosis” is a fairly milquetoast episode. The Ornarans are far too incompetent and helpless for believability. Typically, I really appreciate a nuanced Prime Directive episode, but “Symbiosis” features too many silly, simplistic plot inconsistencies to be taken seriously.
Writer/Director
The story for this episode was written by Robert Lewin. He also drafted the teleplay with Richard Manning & Hans Beimler.
This episode was directed by Win Phelps.
Star Trek Trivia:
- The drug trade themes in this episode were inspired by executive producer Maurice Hurley’s work on Miami Vice. He also wrote the “just say no” speeches delivered by Tasha Yar and Wesley Crusher (in spite of voiced objections from the cast).
- The planets in this episode were revisited in an episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
- Sobi and T’Jon were played by Judson Scott and Merritt Butrick, both of whom appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Butrick also appeared in Star Trek III, in both films he portrayed David Marcus, Captain Kirk’s son. Tragically, he was suffering from AIDS at this time, and unable to afford health insurance in the United States, he was offered a role in this episode as a way of helping him. He died of AIDS less than a year later.
It was clear from this episode how much more seriously dramatic the issues of the Prime Directive would become compared to the flexibility in the classic series. There were several Prime Directive episodes in TNG, Voyager and Enterprise that enraged me as to how coldly pragmatic the rules of a Star Fleet way of life can seem. So I always admired Dr. Crusher’s bravery in opposing Capt. Picard on these issues. Thank you for your review.