‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘A Matter of Time’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Something that is truly fascinating about the concept of time travel, is how it is regarded as a noble quest. For just about every story involving adventures through the time stream, features a grand push to make something right or to save countless lives from potential trouble, and even the Star Trek Universe subscribes to this notion. Because time and time again, we’ve seen crews from across the franchise, step into the past or the future and accomplish wonders because that’s just what you do when you travel through time. Which in turn begs an interesting question… is it possible to tell a story in that vein that features something nefarious? Because even when there’s a negative motive or villain involved, there’s a hero standing by to save the day.

Well as it turns out, it is in fact possible to offer up a time travel themed story that has no sense of nobility of heroism in the slightest, as evidenced by the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. For ‘A Matter of Time’ sees a time-traveler/historian from the 26th Century named Berlinghoff Rasmussen, come aboard the ship, under the guise of bearing witness to a pivotal historical moment involving the crew of the 1701-D. And his earnest joy and outright passion for the moment, really does make it seem as though this story is instead going to play out in lighter territory. The kind that reminds us that bravery and fearlessness when facing insurmountable odds is one of the many ways to be enshrined in the history books, since the crew is indeed dealing with quite the difficult mission in this tale. Since it is up to them to save a colony world from destruction after an asteroid impact and rescue mission goes terribly wrong.

But an odd moment in engineering, wherein Rasmussen snags a PADD without anyone knowing, arouses suspicion that he is not what he seems. A concern that is further exacerbated by his desire to stick to a schtick over offering anything of substance to the crew and their concerns about the mission. In fact, a powerful conversation that he shares with Picard about the nature and power of time travel is likely what really sells Picard on this man being a fraud since there is no emotion from Rasmussen or any concern about the lives at risk, indicating that this is all about him for reasons unknown and well… in the end, it is discovered that he is indeed nothing more than a con man that came into a great opportunity. For we come to learn that Rasmussen is actually from the 22nd Century and a chance encounter with a 26th Century historian allowed for him to hijack this vessel and swing by 2368 in an effort to steal 24th Century technology and take it back to his time, so he could change his fortunes as a failed inventor.

But thankfully, the crew was on to him sooner than he knew, allowing for him to be taken into custody and for his ship to be lost to the winds of time and for those important items to remain where they belong and well, this really was quite the brilliant story when all is said and done. Since it really did offer up a time travel adventure where the traveler was no hero. Just a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Who used his charm and people skills to vex Starfleet’s finest crew for a moment and that really does make this quite the refreshing tale for certain. Since it proves to the world that stories in this vein are viable and powerful when handled correctly, but alas… its game-changing nature and magnificent twists have yet to catch on since even the grittiest of time-travel stories now, tend to have a hero that serves as a beacon of light in the midst of all that darkness.

However, if the day ever comes that someone wants to tell a vastly different type of tale in this sub-genre, the blueprint is indeed ready and waiting for that creative mind to build upon. But while we wait for that day, we can bask in the wonder of a tale that offered up some fascinating moral discussions on the nature of time travel and featured some stellar performances as well. Since Matt Frewer does a wonderful job of playing the duality of Rasmussen and once again, Patrick Stewart outright shined here. For that impassioned speech he gives Rasmussen in his ready room really does feature some top-notch acting from this master of the craft. Plus, this episode also deserves serious credit for not trying to top or match the powerhouse Spock-centric tale that preceded it. In fact, it’s a fine palate cleanser for certain since it doesn’t require all that much thought and well, now that this standalone story has come to a close, it’s time to turn our attention to a tale that is a touch heavier… one that deals with the complex nature of parenthood. Until next time.

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