The Best of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - 'The Inner Light'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The beauty of Star Trek as a whole is that it has always celebrated the wonder of life. The people we are, the people we will be or could be and the best parts of what define us as a species were always on display when it came to this show and the finest episodes out of any Trek series were the ones that explored this on the deepest level.  

But of all the episodes that The Next Generation provided us in that particular vein, only one stands out above the rest since the fifth season episode, 'The Inner Light' delivered unto us a powerful and sweeping story that truly allowed for Patrick Stewart to show off his acting chops all while providing us with a stunning look at what it means to be human, what it means to have our minds open to the plight of others and the beauty of life and everything that comes with it, both good and bad.

In this episode, the Enterprise encounters a probe that immediately puts Captain Picard into a coma with an energy beam. When he awakens he finds himself on a distant planet, with a wife and a new identity. Confused and afraid Picard tries to get back to his ship but quickly learns he is in this life for the long haul and settles into his new world, as Kamin. He lives a full life, with a family in fact, but his training in Starfleet cannot be ignored and he learns that his new home planet is dying. But what Picard does not know is that he is still on the bridge of the Enterprise and is experiencing the memories of a world long gone in the hopes of preserving the existence of this fallen species.  

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Really there is but one word to describe this particular episode of TNG and that word is beautiful. This stunning tale strips away the magic of technology that we find in the 24th Century, providing us instead with a simpler life, one where the focus is one another, love and marriage and family and it's fascinating to see Picard quickly adapt to this world and their ways as the episode progresses, and how heartily he embraces the simplicity of personal fulfillment without a greater cause like the Federation in front of him.

​The irony is, it's not a knock against the Federation or the peaceful lifestyle those worlds try to enjoy. This story serves as an allegory for our own world. How that sometimes we need to slow things down a little bit, and appreciate what is in front of us, because it will never come again and the fact that the story forces Picard to walk in another man's shoes is a brilliant stroke as well since it also reminds us to keep in mind that everyone has their struggles in life and that everyone is fighting a particular battle, and we should get to know to them and treat them with respect before any judgments are made and really...that's Star Trek ​at its finest. 

However, the most poignant element to come out of this episode, is that it reflects upon our need for immortality by way of remembrance. After all, by the time this probe finds the Enterprise, the people of Kataan have been gone for a thousand years and by living on in Picard, and letting him see their plight, they achieve that sense of immortality, especially when you consider that more than likely, who they are and what they were was filed away in the Federation archives for all to find by way of the Captain's report. Either way, there wasn't a second of this episode wasted since it was filled to the brim with beauty and it's the kind of story that leaves you pondering in silence, in a good way of course, long after the story has come to its end. 

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