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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There are a great many things that mankind collectively fears. For none of us want to get supremely sick and watch our bodies wither away since we believe that we are the ones who are firmly in command and control of our bodies. And of course, we fear death, especially when we feel as though we’ve accomplished very little in life, and a great deal of us also worry about ending up alone because we definitely want to share our lives and our experiences with someone special. But of the many things that we are terrified of, there is only one thing in the universe that truly rattles us to our core: change. Because there is nothing that we love more than the status quo and when that is altered or challenged, we feel absolute terror. 

The kind that quite frankly, motivates us to do some dumb and horrible things, such as harm others in the hopes of keeping the status quo going. But despite our best efforts, when real change arrives, it simply cannot be stopped, and the only thing that we can truly do when it arrives is figure out how to accept it and live with it and all of this is relevant to our discussion today, simply because the power and the terror that comes with change was explored in the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the most unique way imaginable. For ‘Transfigurations’ examined this notion by plunging the crew of the Enterprise into a grand mystery, one that involved quite the miracle for certain.

For while the ship was exploring an uncharted portion of space, they came across a crashed escape pod, one that was host to a badly injured passenger. But with a little love and care from Doctor Crusher, the aptly named John Doe (since he was suffering from amnesia) was able to heal at a record pace. To the point where he was able to dedicate his time to discovering his true identity and where he hails from. A simple act that produced a touch of panic when John came to realize that he harbored quite the special power. In that, he could instantaneously heal anyone that was wounded or recently deceased and that particular power terrified him to no end because he simply didn’t understand it, and he wasn’t the only with concerns about this particular gift.

Because his people, a species known as the Zalkonians, saw John’s power as a threat to their way of life and their outright civilization, and their fear and attempts to end John’s life is what put him in his current situation. But the stress of being hunted once again, allowed for John to regain his memory and it also allowed for the exploration in question to get underway. For John finally recalled the fact that his people were undergoing a fundamental evolutionary change, one that was of course as unstoppable as the wind itself. And rather than embrace this change, those who had yet to experience it, feared it and reviled it. In part because it would allow for the ruling class on Zalkon to lose control but also because they didn’t understand it, or its benefits and it took the completion of John’s metamorphosis to make it clear that the final form of this mysterious species offered up freedom and beauty and that twist clearly has quite the message embedded within it.

For it speaks volumes to the fact that often times, change is a good thing. Since it can allow for wonderful things to happen, provided that we accept it of course and well, that message and every other element present in this story, made this quite the pleasant episode for certain. Because this one was also big on why it’s important to offer kindness and a helping hand to others since we never quite know where such an act will take us, and of course… it really does offer up some wonderful thoughts on change and how we need to be better about embracing it in modern America, since it is indeed on the horizon whether we like it or not, and its best to let it wash over us now and enjoy what it has to offer instead of continuing all this silly infighting. But all messages aside, what matters more is that we were able to enjoy another uplifting tale at just the right time. Because dark days are ahead for the crew of the Enterprise, thanks to the fact that the Borg have finally arrived in Federation space. Until next time. 

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