‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Time’s Arrow, Part II’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When we last settled in to discuss the wondrous series that is Star Trek: The Next Generation, we talked at length about the show’s versatility from a storytelling standpoint. Specifically, how it was able to sometimes shift away from heavier themes to provide its fans with a good old fashioned science fiction story. One that merely captivates and entertains and that was relevant and important to our discussion then simply because the show exercised that flexibility and that really did allow for quite the refreshing season finale to take place. One that saw Lieutenant Commander Data get lost in the strange majesty of the 19th Century, thanks to a little time travel surprise involving some strange aliens who seemed to have ill intentions for the good people of that era.
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But what matters more, is that both of those elements are still important and relevant. Largely because the season six premiere of this series, expands on all of those elements. For ‘Time’s Arrow, Part II’ wastes zero time in plunging us back into this adventure by informing us of the fact that Captain Picard and his away team have settled into 19th Century San Francisco, so that they can investigate what’s going on with these aliens and hopefully find Data as well and their journey leads to a bevy of fun moments for certain. Since we also come to learn that Picard cannot pay the rent and has to resort to extreme measures to keep his landlord at bay and their journey also brings about some answers in regard to the aliens in question. 

In that, these strange aliens are big fans of the past, because they can use the cholera epidemic of the 19th Century as cover to steal neural energy to feed their own kind. Which of course, clued the crew into the fact that they had to do something drastic and quick in order to stop them from feeding with impunity. But to do that, they needed to find Data and thankfully, a dust up with the aliens and San Francisco’s finest, allowed for everyone to reunite and put together a century spanning plan to defeat the aliens. Because a surprise counter punch on the hungry aliens’ part, severs Data from his head, as history foretold, and in the chaos of that fight, Picard and Guinan were left behind while the away team and Samuel Clemens made their way to the 24th Century.

Which in turn led to a delightful sequence aboard the Enterprise where Clemens learned the value of his work and his vision, since he was privy to a future where mankind did survive its worst devices and forged a galaxy where everyone was treated equally and where malice and greed no longer existed and being surrounded by that, motivated quite the change in Mister Clemens. One where he did his part to bring Captain Jean-Luc Picard home, so that this future could indeed be preserved and thanks to his efforts and Picard’s quick thinking, eventually Data got his head back on straight and the aliens were defeated and most important of all, history played out as it was supposed to, making this quite the satisfying episode when all said and done.

Because you can never go wrong with a self-contained Star Trek arc that wraps everything up in a beautiful and fun manner, and that’s precisely what this one does. It just takes us on a fun adventure through time and space and allows for Mark Twain himself to appreciate the wonder of dreams and striving for a better tomorrow and speaking of Twain/Clemens, a round of applause needs to happen for actor Jerry Hardin, who played this titular icon with a zest and glee that really helps to sell the time travel aspect. Plus, bonus points to this show for the whole Jack London twist and well, now that this mission has come to a close, it is time to turn our attention to the rest of season six, and all the incredible moments and missions that it has to offer. Until next time.

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