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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is definitely safe to say that society’s collective views on grief as a result of loss, are somewhat toxic in nature. Because so many people believe that grieving is a short and simple process, one that can be easily brought to conclusion through encouragement from friends and family and an iron constitution from the person that is grieving and well… those views are utterly wrong. For grief is a supremely powerful and complex experience. One that will end quickly if the person can reconcile their pain… or it can be a long process as those who hurt work hard to put the pieces of their very soul back together, and what those folks truly require in that moment… is incredible support and incredible understanding from the people closest to them.
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But even then, there are no guarantees that such care will bring forth a smooth healing experience. For some will sink low and lash out because of how strong the pain can become and there is little else we can do but wait. Because that’s just how powerful grief can be and everyone will respond to it quite differently, and really… that delicate process and what it looks like when a person is at those low points, and how they eventually make peace is top of mind today, simply because the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation explored all of that in great detail. A feat that ‘Interface’ accomplished, by providing the viewer with a shockingly realistic presentation of the suddenness of death and how easily grief can overwhelm us.

For while the U.S.S. Enterprise was en route to try and help the crew of the U.S.S. Raman, some devastating news came across Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s desk. In that… the U.S.S. Hera had gone missing recently, and there was no trace of her crew… or her commanding officer, Captain Silva La Forge. Who of course, was indeed of relation to Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, by way of being his mother. A reality that at first, seemed to not harm Geordi in the slightest. Since he went on with his duties regarding the Raman and what turned out to be her doomsday voyage into a gas giant. But as the episode went along and strange visions of his mother began to dance in his head, it became clear… grief was overtaking Geordi.

To the point where he refused to believe the reality that his mother had in fact, perished, and where he began to think up outlandish ideas as to how she and her crew might have survived, and that put his shipmates/friends in a tough place. Because they did indeed give him all the support he needed and even the honesty he clearly wanted to avoid. But that did little to assuage him, and in the end… it took a risky moment and salvation for an alien species… for Geordi to come to terms with the fact that his mother was gone. Hammering home, the reality that sometimes all we can do is sit on the sidelines while our loved ones hurt and do our best to comfort them and guide them. But deep down, they have to find closure and they have to make peace and that can be an ugly process, one that also requires forgiveness on our part, so those that hurt, can move forward.

If anything, this is quite the powerful episode when all is said and done. One that definitely hits harder in adulthood than it does in childhood. For a great deal of TNG fans likely saw this as teenagers or pre-teens and didn’t give the deeper themes a second thought. But in adulthood, this becomes a powerful journey, one that is relatable and gives one pause because it is likely a life experience in some capacity now and that allows for one to really appreciate the nuances and emotional beats of this story. One that really does present a simple slice of life that everyone will deal with in some capacity and that is what makes it so brilliant. For the human condition, and experience, and its glory and folly are what this franchise have always been about, and it is always refreshing to encounter a story, that nails what it means to be human… to a tee. Until next time.    

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