‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘In Theory’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

If there is one thing that each and every one of us are searching for in life, it would have to be a stable and fulfilling and healthy relationship. One that genuinely provides us with everything we could ever want when it comes to matters of love, and the possibility of having the peace and security and joy that comes with the perfect partner/relationship, motivates us to date often. Simply because we know that we will have to sift through quite a few people in order to find our one and only, and even then… getting into a long-term relationship that appears to meet our criteria, offers no guarantees. Since sometimes, people grow apart or come to learn they’re better friends than lovers.

But what is truly fascinating about dating in general, is how slowly it teaches us lessons about what we really want out of a relationship and what type of partner will actually give us the peace we seek. And what makes that fascinating, is that one would think that one sour relationship would do the trick and teach us everything, we need to know. But instead, we learn those lessons slowly as we go through life, for reasons we pay little mind to and really, those tough lessons in love and why we take forever to learn them, are relevant to our discussion today, simply because they found their way into the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. A feat that ‘In Theory’ accomplished, by having Lieutenant Commander Data take part in a chaotic relationship with one Lieutenant Jenna D’Sorra.

One that quite frankly, put every horrible thing in regard to dating on display here. Since Data got into this relationship for all the wrong reasons, since he was eager to use this opportunity to learn more about humanity. And to compound matters further, Data often tried new programs and personalities to try to be the perfect partner to Jenna, with equally as ugly results and well, while this relationship didn’t last, what it has to say about love and relationships and the aforementioned learning curve, was quite poignant and mature. Since Jenna’s decision to end this mess was grounded in the reality that we are often afraid to try new things and go for people that truly compliment us when we date, and until we do that… the cycle of blasé continues and it was quite refreshing to find that message embedded in this tale.

But while that alone makes for a fascinating story, there was some science fiction to be found in this episode as well. Because while Data and Jenna were trying to figure out what love is all about, the crew was exploring a dark matter nebula, in the hopes of coming to understand how a Class-M planet formed in the midst of such chaos. A question they weren’t able to answer, simply because the dark matter surrounding this mysterious planet, was moving through the void and impacting and damaging the Enterprise from time to time. Which motivated Picard to resort to extreme measures to get the ship out of this mess safely, the kind that saw him piloting a shuttle through the void in order to keep the ship ahead of the game. An act that of course didn’t quite go as planned, but what matters most, is that eventually the crew was free of this mess and off to their next mission.

Which makes this episode a perfectly run of the mill TNG tale when all is and done and that’s just fine. Because you cannot go wrong with a Trek story that explores any aspect of the human condition and has action and adventure that’s exactly the best way to summarize this lighthearted tale. One that quite frankly, was likely selected as the penultimate episode of season four with good reason. Because a fluffy affair was the perfect way to clear our mental palates before plunging us into a powerhouse season four finale. One that doesn’t necessarily to go places as dark as ‘The Best of Both Worlds, Part I and II’, but it definitely features some intense and game changing moments. The kind that would have a lasting impact on the franchise, courtesy of a grand reveal and one ugly conflict. Until next time.

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