‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Clues’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The phrase, ‘curiosity killed the cat’, is one that continues to resonate in modern society; simply because searching for the truth can in fact… bring forth all kinds of trouble. For sometimes, the facts we seek are unfortunate and hurtful in nature and uncovering them will break us for certain. But we simply don’t stop in our quest, largely due to the fact that the human mind simply must know the facts when we believe that someone is hiding them from us, and that will likely allow for that phrase to continue to hold great weight in society, until the end of time. And it just so happens that our quest for it and the trouble that comes with it, is relevant to our discussion today; because it served as the focal point of the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

For ‘Clues’ saw the crew of the Enterprise interrupt some much needed downtime so the crew could investigate quite the mystery. One involving an M-Class planet forming in the heart of a nebula. A place where no life sustaining planet should be. But a quick encounter with a surprise wormhole, knocked the crew out for thirty seconds whilst moving the ship away from the planet and for a time, this seemed to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience for the crew. One that they would quickly put out of mind as they moseyed along toward their next destination. But some odd occurrences and changes to the crew’s health began to arise suspicion that perhaps the crew was unconscious for far longer than thirty seconds, a notion that was given credence by Lieutenant Commander Data’s equally as odd behavior.

Because it was clear to everyone that he knew more than he was leading on, since he was unaffected by the power of the wormhole and well… that revelation brought about quite the investigation, one that eventually brought the ship back to its starting point, where it was revealed that Data was keeping secrets to save lives. For this world was occupied by a hostile and xenophobic race. One that was ready to kill to keep their existence a secret, and thanks to Picard’s quick acting… the crew was saved from trouble during their initial encounter; by scrubbing the ship’s logs and having their memories erased, so it seemed as though they were only out for thirty seconds. A lie that Data hammered home under orders. But alas, some sloppy cleanup left clues behind, the kind that forced curiosity to get the better of the crew, and thanks to Picard’s promises and a more thorough cleanup, the crew went through this wild process once more and went on their merry way, none the wiser.

But while that plot does hammer home the dangers of curiosity, all while offering up a juicy mystery… there are some issues to be had with that intricate plot. For example, we know the Enterprise was heading to their next mission when this hiccup arrived, and we know they lead busy lives and they undoubtedly lost several days dealing with this little mess, and still believe they only lost thirty seconds and that will bring about some problems with keeping this alien society a secret. Because eventually, something due on a Wednesday to Starfleet Command, will be late… prompting questions. Plus, an eventual refit or upgrade will catch the chronometer issues, forcing more questions to come into play, and likely… the eventual reveal of the Paxans. If anything, those cold facts make the ending of this episode feel hollow, despite the wondrous stuff that preceded it, and that’s unfortunate since this had the potential to be a supremely strong tale.

After all, it features some fine performances and the mystery really does suck you in. But alas, that glaring plot hole is there, and little can be done about it outside of perhaps a little off-screen resolution. Wherein Data eventually told Picard the truth, as hopefully ordered, so that Starfleet would tighten hazard measures in the area. But outside of that particular complaint, this really is a solid episode. One that is tightly woven and leaves you uncomfortable at the prospect that Lieutenant Commander Data is up to something nefarious and eventually relieved, the instant you realize that he was just acting in the best interests of the crew and it also does a fine job of reminding us of how world class this crew really is. Because they didn’t miss a single clue left behind, and now that this mystery has come to a close, it’s time to move onto the next mission. One that involves a grand exploration of a proud tradition in Starfleet. Until next time.  

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