‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Hero Worship’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is safe to say, that there are a lot of misguided beliefs out there when it comes to how we deal with loss and grief. For some people believe that grief has a timer on it and that after a brief mourning period for those that departed, we should immediately pick ourselves back up and get back to business. Plus, there are others who hold to the notion that in order to properly grieve, we have to remain strong and stand tall at all times. To pay tribute to the fallen and to help train our minds and our emotions to not give into the maelstrom that is building within and well, these are simply some terrible views on how to handle this traumatizing time in our lives for one reason and one reason alone.

In that, there is no manual for grieving when we lose someone that means the world to us, and the only real way to handle it, is to let it run its course as the person who is suffering sees fit. And asking them to be strong or to put a timer on things is the wrong way to get them to heal. Which is a lesson about grief that we are only now coming to understand since science and psychology are finally taking the time to examine what the process actually looks like. But back in 1992, one television series dared to look at grief and loss in a different light than the rest of society by applying modern/forward thinking to the process, and that makes the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a brilliant and powerful hour of television when all is said and done.

A feat that ‘Hero Worship’ accomplishes by having the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise encounter a badly damaged science vessel known as the U.S.S. Vico and well, it doesn’t take long for the away team to discover that the only survivor of this doomed ship is a young man named Timothy and once he arrives on the Enterprise and is patched up by Doctor Crusher, it becomes clear to Counselor Troi that he has a long road ahead. Because everyone he knew aboard that vessel is gone and that includes his parents and that motivates Troi to pull out all the stops to reach him, including having Lieutenant Commander Data spend time with Timothy, since he was the one to initiate rescue and engender trust.

Which is a decision that brings about the exploration in question. Because once Timothy learns that Data doesn’t feel emotions, he decides that the best course of action is to mimic Data and become an ‘android’ so that he too doesn’t haven’t have to deal with the burden and pain of losing loved ones. And rather than be scolded or mocked for doing so, the crew encourages him to indulge in this notion and that allows for him to process the death of his family in his own way. Which in turn allows for him to begin to feel again and when the time is right he even receives a tiny and healthy nudge toward completing the grieving process and well… that’s really how grieving needs to be handled and the show deserves a serious round of applause for being so forward thinking in this manner at a time when the stigmas we made mention of earlier… were the norm.

If anything, it just goes to show yet again… that The Next Generation was incredibly ahead of its time and tackled topics that no show dared to back then, and are barely able to do now. For mental health issues of any kind are still a taboo topic in popular culture, but this episode serves as a blueprint for how to address them in a frank and hopeful and progressive manner. Which makes this particular tale, nothing more than a powerful examination of the human condition and how a little kindness and understanding can do wonders for those in emotional distress and now that this beautiful story has come to a close, the time has come to dive into a story that was also ahead of its time, one that tackles the importance of consent. Until next time.

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