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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One thing that we can all agree upon, is that mankind is extremely talented at finding the answers to complex questions revolving around the mysteries of the universe and for proof… just look at our modern world. For our curiosity regarding what made our species sick, led to the discovery of viruses and bacteria and all kinds of treatments and cures, the kind that now save countless lives. Plus, our desire to really know how the universe works, revealed unto us that we are not the center of it, but a part of a great whole… one that spans billions of light years and is populated with countless galaxies and alien worlds. But despite our ability to use science to make incredible discoveries, the more philosophical answers to some of our curiosities still elude us.

Because while we understand the scientific origin of humanity, our capacity for good and our ability to achieve wonders, really does lead us to believe that there is more to our existence that mere scientific luck. There has to be a reason why we are here and why we are able to do the incredible things we do. But alas, there is no answer to that long-standing question and that is why storytelling has no problem exploring such matters. Since it can offer us unique insight and possible answers as to why mankind was put on this Earth and it just so happens, that the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation dives into this in a supremely surprising manner. By first making 'The Chase' appear to be nothing more than a grand murder mystery.

For shortly after begging Captain Jean-Luc Picard to join him on a quest for a grand truth, to no avail, the renowned Professor Galen, a mentor to the captain… becomes a casualty when his shuttle is attacked en route to his next destination. Which in turn motivates Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to not only solve his murder, but to uncover why an archeologist would be marked for death, and as it turns out, the Professor had his hands on some potentially powerful information that was embedded in DNA samples from various worlds. And this information was so compelling, that even the Cardassians and Klingons, and Romulans were interested in learning its secrets and well… in the end… it turned out to be nothing more than clues to bring together a unique message for those that solved the puzzle.

One that informed Picard, and everyone assembled, that all of life in the Milky Way Galaxy, was brought about by way of an ancient humanoid species. One that didn’t have neighbors in the stars like the Federation does, and it was their hope that by seeding the galaxy with their DNA, that they would in fact, live on through other species and give the gift of companionship to their descendants. Which means that according to TNG, our reason for being is to keep the wonder of life going in the galaxy. A reveal that could be considered to be underwhelming, but the show seriously deserves credit for going that route, since it instead asks us to perhaps stop asking that question. For the answer might be simpler than we give it credit and vastly unsatisfying to our philosophical soul.

Which means that instead, we should be celebrating the fact… that we are here and that we are part of something special. After all, despite some minor physical differences, we are all human beings and we all share the same building blocks deep down within and if we took a minute to celebrate that and how there are only a handful of us in the grand scheme of things, we could in fact accomplish wonders and well… those messages make this a shockingly beautiful episode. One that genuinely challenges us in a unique manner, and it was simply wonderful to sit through this episode again and enjoy that message, especially with what is happening in the world right now... and, in the end, this one just serves as a fine reminder that no other science fiction franchise out there, celebrates the human condition and inspires us to do so as well, quite like the Star Trek Universe. Until next time.

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