Stardate: 42859.2
Original Air Date: June 19, 1989
Writer: Tracy Tormé
Director: Rob Bowman
“An animal is always at its best when hunting… or hunted.”
The Enterprise is in orbit around Antede III awaiting the arrival of two dignitaries to escort them to a conference on the planet Pacifica where they will be given the opportunity to join the Federation. Few humans have seen an Antedean in the flesh. The strange fish-like Antedeans beam over the Enterprise in a catatonic state, their preferred method of space travel. The Antedeans also arrive with a container of their preferred food, a grotesque slop known as “Vermicula.” Notably, one of the Antedeans is played by musician Mick Fleetwood.
While the Antedeans are put under the guard by Worf, suddenly Deanna Troi’s brazen, overbearing, attention-hungry mother arrives out of nowhere –Lwaxana Troi, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed” (reprised by Majel Barrett). She is representing the Betazed race as an ambassador at the upcoming conference. She is brought over to the Enterprise where we learn she and Captain Picard have had a romantic history. Her valet is also beamed aboard, Mr. Homm (reprised by Carel Struycken).
It quickly becomes apparent that Lwaxana Troi values human men as mere commodities, as she continually compliments Picard on his legs and invites him to a private romantic dinner. As it turns out, she is undergoing a physiological stage known as “The Phase” in which Betazoid females reach their sexual apex (it is amusingly compared to menopause), and it often sees Betazoid women quadruple their sexual drive (at least). Troi continues to misread Picard’s thoughts as if they are expressing sexual desire. However, since she has chosen Picard as her desired mate, if he is to spurn her advances, she will be deeply shocked and offended.
Thus, Picard decides to make himself less available during the remainder of the journey to the conference on Pacifica. He heads to the holodeck for his noir “Detective Dixon Hill” simulation in 1941, however the stories keep getting more violent since the program is limited to the Dixon Hill novels. With Picard gone, Troi decides to aggressively pursue other men on the ship, eventually pledging to marry Commander Riker. They all wind up inside the holodeck wherein Troi falls in love with Rex, a bartender in Picard’s simulation.
In the end, Troi departs without finding a mate but she saves the conference by sharing that the Antedeans robes are lined with a highly explosive substance known as Ultritium –they were planning to blow up the conference, The Antedeans are led away and disarmed on the Enterprise while Lwaxana beams over to the conference, once again shaming Picard for having supposedly ribald thoughts (an ongoing gag throughout this episode).
My Thoughts on “Manhunt”
“Manhunt” is a hilariously ludicrous episode –clearly a filler episode that wanders between an A-plot about two fish-like dignitaries being transported to a convention, a B-plot about Lwaxana Troi pursuing every human male on the ship in search of a potential sexual mate, and a C-plot about Picard fleeing the situation into his favorite holodeck simulation. It’s all a bit silly and ultimately goes nowhere.
“Manhunt” might well have been a goofball season one episode, but something about this episode managed to seem somewhat charming in a “it’s really bad, but funny” sort of a way. “Manhunt” is a mindless, meandering, mostly wasteful episode but it does elicit some laughter and there’s something to be said for these kinds of bad episodes of Star Trek.
Star Trek Trivia:
- One of the Antedeans is played by musician Mick Fleetwood (albeit in heavy make-up) who was a huge Star Trek fan.
- After first appearing in the Season One episode “Haven,” Lwaxana Troi is reprised by reprised by Majel Barrett and Mr. Homm is reprised by Carel Struycken.
- In this episode, Data mentions that judging a being by its physical appearance is the “last major human prejudice” after Wesley comments that the Antedeans are strange looking.
- In this episode, the Betazoids have a custom of using chimes as a means of giving thanks. Data notes that this is unique but similar to the Ooolans of Marejaretus VI who use two large stones which are continually struck together during a dinner until the stones are broken, or the Oligarchy at Atifs IV which requires a young… (he is cut-off by Picard).
- Later, Data relates an amusing anecdote in which he says that by using the square root of pi and multiplying it by nine to third power he was able to accurately calculate the distance between the Omicron System and the Crab Nebula.
- Ultritium is mentioned as an explosive substance in this episode.
- Actor Robert O’Reilly briefly appeared as Scarface in the Dixon Hill holodeck simulation. He later went on to play the Klingon Gowron in TNG and DS9 episodes. His first Klingon appearance was in the fourth season episode “Reunion.”
- Apparently, this episode underwent significantly rewrites, much to Tracy Tormé’s chagrin.