Stardate: 42477.2
Original Air Date: January 9, 1989
Writer: Jacqueline Zambrano
Director: Larry Shaw
“Turn a disadvantage into an advantage.”
The Enterprise-D has been diverted to the Ramatis Star System to ferry an agreed-upon mediator to negotiate a peace between two opposing factions in a bitter planetary conflict on Solais V that has lasted for fifteen centuries. Starfleet has ordered the Enterprise to only transport the mediator –no interference is allowed. When the Enterprise arrives at Ramatis III, the ship maintains standard orbit and Data is given the bridge. Riker is “uncomfortable” with Picard leading the ceremonial away team to pick up the mediator (why Riker was concerned about Picard is never actually clear). Apparently, the Enterprise has recently left the Lima Sierra System and Picard has been puzzling over why the third planet in the system has such an unusual orbit pattern. Strangely enough, this little investigation is never again revisited in the episode.
We learn that Worf is feeling uneasy about meeting the mediator named Riva because he negotiated several treaties between the Klingons and the Federation in the past. Is Worf angry about peace between the Federation and the Klingons? Why would he be included in the landing party if he is uneasy about it? At any rate, Picard, Worf, and Counselor Troi beam down to Ramatis III while Riker helms the bridge. On the planet surface, they meet an oddly silent and stoic Riva. We learn that he is deaf and has learned to read lips, but he primarily communications through a trio of translators called his chorus. They have developed a “harmonious” mode of communication wherein the translators read his thoughts and intentions in order to speak on his behalf –they are the embodiment of a “scholar,” a “passion,” and “that which binds all the others together.”
Riva comes across as self-assured, condescending, and haughty. Why is he deaf? The gene for hearing is not present on this planet’s ruling line –similar to the House of Hanover on Earth who all had hemophilia, or the leaders of Fendaus V who were all without limbs.
Riva and his chorus beam aboard the Enterprise, and while en route to Solais V, he attempts to seduce Counselor Troi. And strangely enough, she seems quite taken with him over dinner. When they arrive at Solais V, Worf and Riker join Riva and his entourage down on the planet (which is somewhat reminiscent of Vulcan in TOS’s “Amok Time”). But despite Riva’s confidence, the negotiations immediately turn hostile and Riva’s chorus trio are killed. They beam back to the Enterprise and Riva grows irate as the crew struggles to find a way to communicate with him now that he is without his chorus of interpreters. Unfortunately, Dr. Pulaski cannot help him but Data quickly learns five different modes of sign language in order to speak with Riva.
The factions on Solais want to renew negotiations, but Riva declines to participate until after much resistance, Deanna Troi finally convinces him to return and turn his disadvantage into an advantage. Riva changes his mind and beams down to Solais V along with a requested table and torches. As the episode ends, he plans to turn a disadvantage into an advantage by teaching the Solari how communicate via sign language. It will take many months, but Riva claims to be committed to the cause so the Enterprise simply leaves him on Solais V and the episode ends.
My Thoughts on “Loud as a Whisper”
“Loud as a Whisper” is such an odd episode with lots of little plot threads that are never resolved. Why in the world would Worf be compelled to join the landing party on Ramatis III if he is uneasy about picking up Riva? Why is he even uneasy in the first place? Isn’t Worf a supporter of peace between the Federation and the Klingons? In addition, there is a strange subplot in the episode concerning Geordi’s eyesight which is never resolved. And also Picard begins the episode with concerns over an unexplained planetary orbit but this is never again addressed in the episode for some reason.
With that being said, the introduction of a deaf negotiator who requires a chorus of interpreters is a fascinating idea, even if Riva is busy using awkward hand gestures throughout this episode. Riva’s character is fairly unlikelable and to top it all off, when his chorus is killed he seems merely distraught but not in mourning at losing his prized friends who are also a part of him. One would think a mediator would be a better communicator or at least more of a sympathetic, trustworthy figure. And why wouldn’t the Enterprise be informed of his deafness and chorus in advance of shepherding him to another planet? Some critics have made the argument that Riva can clearly hear because he turns his body when called by other characters.
What stood out to me in this episode, was the brief appearance of the Solari creatures. There was something campy and charming about the effects of the Solari shooting Riva’s chorus causing them to disintegrate into skeletons.
Writer/Director
This episode was directed by Larry Shaw and was written by Jacqueline Zambrano.
Star Trek Trivia:
- Worf notes that prior to the arrival of Riva, there was no Klingon word for “peacemaker.”
- If you zoom in on an Enterprise screen in the episode, it reads that Solais V was the site of the historical Battle of Zambrano. This is likely a reference to writer Jacqueline Zambrano.
- Data says the use of gestures and hand signals predates the spoken word in most cultures, the major exception being the Leyrons of Malkus IX who actually developed a written language first.
- In this episode, Dr. Pulaski offers Geordi options for replacing his visor with a regenerated optical nerve with help from the replicator, something she has accomplished twice before.
- Howie Seago, who played the mediator Riva in this episode, is deaf in real life. He is a Shakespearean actor. His wife Lori is reportedly a Star Trek fan. The idea for him to appear in this episode was the idea of his wife, so he approached the show’s producers with the idea of a deaf mediator. The writers originally wanted Seago’s character to learn to speak after his chorus is killed, but Seago was opposed to the idea, as it could perpetuate the practice of forcing deaf children to speak.
- One of Riva’s chorus members was played by Marnie Mosiman, wife of John De Lancie who is famous for playing the recurring character Q in TNG.
- Another member of Riva’s chorus is played by Randy Oglesby, best known for his recurring role as Degra on Star Trek: Enterprise.
- Levar Burton apparently hated Geordi’s visor in TNG.
- According to rumor, there is a story that Will Wheaton met a very rude William Shatner around this time in the series.
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