‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘The First Duty’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

We like to believe that a person’s moral core, is forged by good parenting. The kind where moms and dads take the time on a regular basis to teach their kids the gravity of questionable moments so that their children quickly learn the importance of right and wrong and how to use that knowledge to create a morally sound life and well… it turns out that guidance is only part of the equation. For the world is a grey space, one where moral ambiguity reigns supreme and it will tempt even the finest person to dabble in the darkness to see what it is like and where it can take them. Which leaves one to wonder what exactly does move a person to hold to a high moral standard over anything else, and it just so happens that the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation explores that particular process to a tee.

For ‘The First Duty’ sees the U.S.S. Enterprise return to Earth so that Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher and anyone willing to join them, can watch Cadet Wesley Crusher and the infamous Nova Squadron, perform some amazing maneuvers off the rings of Saturn for Starfleet Academy’s graduation ceremonies. Only to learn that Wesley was involved in a fatal accident during a training run over the planet, giving Picard and Crusher good reason to stick around and support him through the forthcoming investigation that was going to accompany this unfortunate turn of events and well, it is a good thing that they do. Because the inquiry in question has a strange air surrounding it, as though someone is not telling the entire truth about what led to the untimely death of a talented cadet and that kind of suspicion immediately motivates the captain to dig deeper.

To the point where he enlists the help of Geordi and Data to examine the evidence and well, what they and the Academy’s forensic scientists uncover is quite unsettling. In that, the accident wasn’t caused by the off-the-wall claims of Wesley’s teammates, instead it was prompted because the leader of Nova Squadron, a cadet named Nicholas Locarno, saw an opportunity to do something amazing for graduation. In that, the squadron could potentially pull off a dangerous aerial stunt not seen for decades and well… his poor choice led to disaster, and it motivated him to push Wesley and the others to keep the truth a secret, out of some strange sense of honor and teamwork. Something that Wesley bought into because those are honest and just elements that his former shipmates stood for, but it was the wrong line of thinking and Picard made it clear what needed to happen next.

In that, Wesley had a choice to make. He could either trust his moral center, the one his mother and Jean-Luc helped to forge and see through the lies and manipulation that Locarno was sending his way… and do the right thing or bury himself in the grey area and let the captain bring the truth to the light. Which would lead to far worse trouble and thankfully, Wesley chose the right path and took his lumps for doing so and that in turn, brought forth the answer to our burning question about what forges a good person. As it turns out, it involves a choice. For one must choose to be bigger and better, regardless of the cost that decision might bring forth in a situation such as Wesley’s and that really was quite the poignant message to inject into what turned out to be one incredibly engrossing and downright powerful story.

Because this one really did a wonderful job of explaining how hard it can be to take the high road and the importance of honesty in all things and that makes this an episode grounded in the fundamentals of the franchise, one that is so thorough in its exploration of the power of the truth, that it truly stays with you for quite some time after it has ended. But what’s amazing, is that the wonder of this tale doesn’t end with its commentary on our morality. For this is also a keystone episode of sorts since it features actors that would go on to play important parts in the future of the franchise. Since Ray Walston would reprise his role as Boothby twice more in Star Trek: Voyager and of course, Robert Duncan McNeil (Locarno) would go on to play Lieutenant Tom Paris in that series as well. If anything, this is just a stellar episode when all is said and done, one that hopefully won’t be overshadowed by the goofy mess that follows it since the next story, is another low point in season five. Until next time.

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