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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Each and every one of us, harbor some kind of unique talent or gift. The kind that really does separate us from the pack and when we are able to use it for its intended purpose, we find ourselves riding a wave of euphoria. Because being able to use our talent, gives us purpose and direction and a strange sense of security that we never want to let go of. In fact, it is such an important part of our lives, that we simply cannot comprehend what our lives would be like without it and that is such an unsettling thought, we do our best to keep it out of mind. But storytellers, well they are compelled to investigate the impossible and the uncomfortable when given the opportunity and well, when you’re a writer on a science fiction series where the impossible can become quite possible, you take a notion such as this one and bring it to life.

Which is why this particular fear is on full display in the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Simply because the writers’ room couldn't help but wonder, what exactly would happen if a talented crew member aboard the Enterprise was stripped of their gifts during a time of crisis and was forced to figure out how to function without it, and that made ‘The Loss’ an interesting episode for certain. Mainly because it did a phenomenal job of answering that unsettling question, by putting the crew in quite the dire situation. For out of the blue the 1701-D was caught in a powerful eddy, one that it seemed there was no escape from and being trapped in this quagmire, somehow allowed for Counselor Deanna Troi to lose her empathic abilities.

Something that she thought she could handle early on, since her skill set as a counselor extends beyond feeling the emotions of her shipmates and beings beyond the hull. But once the pressure began to build, since the Enterprise was eventually in danger, Deanna immediately gave into doubt and fear and believed that she was worthless to the crew. To the point where she straight up stepped away from her role as Counselor. And had it not been for a bevy of her shipmates and a patient, pointing out how much she accomplished without her empathic abilities, she might have walked away for good and suffered an awful fate alongside her surrogate family. But thankfully her understanding of psychology saved the day, and as an added bonus, getting the ship away from this strange eddy, allowed for her talent to return. 

Which might not be the strongest plot line that season four of this series has offered up to date since it’s a tad overblown in nature. But that’s okay, because what it had to say about losing our gifts and facing a future without them, is what made this particular tale worth our while. Since it plainly points out that while we do indeed have a special talent that makes us unique and awesome, our actions in the everyday world and how we treat others and how we let our moral core guide us, will also help to define us and our legacy. But even then, that message is obviously a tough one to swallow, since there is a strong chance that our gifts will never leave us. Which in essence just makes this particular episode nothing more than a grand ‘what if?’ tale, one that might be a little out there in nature, but it definitely has some merit for certain.

After all, this is one of those rare episodes that takes the time to put Deanna Troi in the spotlight. Which is nice since this experience really helps us to learn how proud she is of her talents and what she’s accomplished in life and in Starfleet. Plus, by putting her in the spotlight, we also get to see just how talented an actor Marina Sirtis truly is. Since she is able to sell every ounce of fear and worry that Deanna goes through in an earnest fashion and well, in the end, while this episode might not be as epic as ‘The Best of Both Worlds, Part II’ or be as intimate and powerful as ‘Family’, it’s still an enlightening and engrossing tale. One that does indeed let your mind wander in regard to how you would handle a similar situation and you really can’t go wrong with a sci-fi story that plays the game of ‘what if?’, since that’s precisely what the entire genre was founded upon. Until next time.

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