‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘The Schizoid Man’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

If there is one constant in our vast and fascinating universe, it would have to be that everything has its end. For eventually a star will burn out, and the life on the planets surrounding said star, will fade away with the dying light and on our world, endings happen often as well. For the people we love eventually expire and our time to perish will come as well. And while this is a constant that all of us know is a harsh and unfortunate reality, some of us struggle with accepting it, for various reasons. For some, it is related to the fact that there is so much beauty and wonder to see in life, that leaving it all behind seems like a grave injustice. For others, it relates more to the fact that the prospect of what comes next when we die is quite terrifying for certain and well, these concerns have led to some interesting behavior from humanity. 

Because some of the people who have concerns and reservations about the end, will go the extra mile to try and cheat death. Which is why we see fads such as cryonics pop up or see these types of people working hard to make use of every miracle cure and solution out there. But despite their best efforts, eventually the end will come their way whether they like it or not and really, their journey merits greater examination. Because truly, one has to wonder just how far someone would go to cheat our biological purpose in life and thankfully, we have fiction to dive into such matters. For stories allow for any idea to become a reality and it just so happens, that the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, takes the time to explore this conundrum in a fascinating and unique manner. 

For ‘The Schizoid Man’ features a brilliant scientist named Ira Graves, who is able to cheat death by downloading his consciousness into Data’s mind. Which brings about some incredible moments for certain, since the audience watches Commander Data transform into something quite unique before their very eyes, since Ira’s personality takes over every facet of our favorite android. Which means there are sour emotions present with Ira realizes that transferring bodies doesn’t guarantee he is going to get what he wants going forward. And while this part of the story does a fine job of hammering home that we cannot escape the inevitable and that trying to cheat death will cause more harm than good, what this part of the story inadvertently dives into in regard to death and why people fear it in the first place, is what makes this episode so worth the audiences’ while. 

Because we quickly come to learn that Ira feared death not only because it meant he would no longer be able to conduct his incredible research and contribute to the well-being of mankind. But also, because, the man never once took the time to truly live. For his decision to dedicate all of his time to science and nothing more, robbed him of love and moments that fulfill us, which in turn speaks to the fact that people like Ira, who wish to escape death and fear it, do so because they realize they have unfinished business in this life. Which more or less speaks to the fact that we need to live every day to its fullest and experience every opportunity that comes our way, regardless of the final outcome. Because to do otherwise creates an unfortunate panic when our time in this universe comes to a close, and one has to wonder how Dr. Graves would have handled his unfortunate diagnosis, if he had taken the time to open himself up to love and everything else, he craved.

In the end however, this really was quite the incredible episode. Because it really did cover all the bases, since we get a wonderful in-depth look at how cheating death wouldn’t give us quite what we want, since the life we lead and enjoy is supremely special and unique and can never be replicated. Plus, you simply cannot go wrong with a story that reminds the audience to live a little and indulge themselves in things that bring us joy and wonder. And of course, this is a story that once again lets Brent Spiner just put on acting clinic since he does a wonderful job of just ‘becoming’ Ira Graves and this just another fine example, of how close this show is to realizing its potential. Because this is some wonderful stuff to dive into, and it really explores parts of the human condition we don’t think about enough because of how busy our lives can be and well, this one deserves some serious credit for offering up an engrossing story. One that definitely stays with you long after it has come to an end, since it leaves you pondering on the nature of life and if you’re truly getting what you need, out of it. Until next time.

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