‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘When the Bough Breaks’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It has often been said that the children are indeed our future and there is a lot of merit to that statement. For children are the ones who will inherit the Earth in years to come, and they will be the ones responsible for carrying on our legacy in every sense of the word. But while that gives us cause to nurture and care for these guardians of tomorrow, what matters most in society’s mind in regard to children; is that we find great comfort in the fact that babies are continually born every minute of every day. Because that reminds us that our kind will continue on for generations. But while there is great safety in that thought, some still worry that there may come a day where we cannot produce any more children, and they’ve pondered upon what our world might look like if that happens.

For example, would we devolve into violent monsters when the future of our species has come to a screeching halt? Or would we band together and find a way to keep our traditions and legacies alive, by any means necessary? And it just so happens that the next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation dives into those questions in a supremely unique manner, by having the crew of the Enterprise encounter a species dealing with that exact conundrum. For the discovery of a legendary planet named Aldea in ‘When the Bough Breaks’ reveals quite the heartbreaking truth about a planet bathed in beauty. In that, the Aldeans have lost the ability to procreate, and with their species beginning to die off, they’ve opened up their world to Picard and his crew in the hopes of making quite the disturbing trade.

Specifically, the want to adopt some of the ship’s children, in the hopes of teaching them the Aldean way so that all the beauty and wonder that this world stands for, isn't lost to the void when the old guard fades away. And in return they’ll give the Federation secrets untold in regard to the galaxy. An offer that Picard balks at of course, because… kids aren’t trade goods. But that sure as heck doesn’t stop the Aldeans from just taking what they want as is and threatening the ship with destruction and doom if Picard doesn’t accept the offer. Which leads to quite the scramble aboard the Enterprise, because Picard now knows they have a limited window with which to save the children before the planet disappears again, and that motivates the crew to work hard at finding a weakness in regard to this planet’s incredible defenses.

Something that Data actually finds after doing a little digging, since he uncovers a flaw in the global shield that the crew can exploit to their advantage. And that discovery, along with a sneaky move on Dr. Crusher’s part during a visit with Wesley, who was taken from the ship as part of this Aldean contingency plan, allows for the crew to finally get the upper hand. Wherein they are able to help the Aldeans understand that the ship's children want to go home, and that there is a better way through science, to heal their world and their future and really, all of these elements made for one fascinating tale. One that saw Wesley Crusher step up his game by becoming a leader, since he led a hunger and speech strike in order to get the attention of the kids’ captors and it is also a story that once again… fit into the ‘going the extra mile’ mold that’s been permeating the series as of late.

Because this was another detailed examination of how far a species is willing to go to keep their way of life alive and it was fascinating to see a culture so advanced and so intelligent, stoop to such desperate measures so that their traditions could see another day. But it certainly made for fascinating television none the less because this is an episode that does not waste a single minute of screen time, by providing the audience with an intense and fast-paced story that features high stakes for certain. If anything, it really is wonderful to be enjoying quality episode after quality episode right now, since it just goes to show that something special was brewing here and really, it is best we celebrate this kind of storytelling for as long as we can. Because sadly, this is still year one, and it is only a matter of time before episodes full of pratfalls and missteps, return. Until next time.  

---