Star Trek: The Next Generation — 2x01 — The Child

Aired 1988-11-21

SpaceOpera.com rating:3

Average reader rating:3.17

Synopsis

An alien entity impregnates Troi.

Remarkable scenes

Worf demands Troi's pregnancy terminated!
Pulaski insulting Data.
Data's interrogation of the counselor as the birthing process begins is hilarious.
Pulaski mispronouncing Data's name and then not really caring. Pulaski: "What's the difference?" Data: "One is my name. The other is not."
Wesley speculating about Guinan's past.
I like the way Picard teases Wesley at the end.

Review

Most people throw more mud at this episode than I do. Maybe I'd hate it more if it didn't introduce so many interesting and cool new things to TNG (see factoids). And Guinan is a damn good counselor. Better than Troi! Funny that she never sought a commission. Oh well. Toss aside the factoids and this episode is somewhat dull and uninteresting. Leaves you with a sense that there should have been more to both plot threads.

12 reader comments

When Hesterdel comes on the Enterprise he inspects the containment field for hours before allowing transport. Yet when the Enterprise reaches the destination for the samples, the Enterprise begins beaming them down immediately. Shouldn't Hesterdel be inspecting the containment field at the destination also?
by DSOmo | 06/10/2007 at 8:07 am

Regarding DSOmo's first comment, see "Thine Own Self". Crusher took the bridge officers' test a year before the first season (8 years before Thine Own Self) because she felt like challenging herself, not because it was needed for her carrier path. Pulaski probably didn't feel the same need.
by Evan | 05/26/2008 at 1:14 pm

If you haven't watched this episode yet - grab some tissues, some chocolates, and a box of tampons because this one is a total chick flick!
by thaibites | 12/03/2009 at 4:55 am

You'll need the tampons to throw at the screen when Pulaski is ragging on Data.
by Anna Lisa | 12/16/2010 at 11:38 pm

I'd suggest as another remarkable moment the way Picard instantly silences the debate once Troi states that she intends to have the baby.
I'm all like "Hell yeah, Jean-Luc!"
by John DC | 12/23/2010 at 4:41 am

This felt like they filmed the first half of a good two-part episode, then never filmed the second half. I'm watching the episode, it seems promising, then suddenly it's all over, and nothing happened! Also, Troi seems to be filled with strong feelings, it is unfortunate that she never explains to the audience what she is thinking during the episode.
In response to radiation making the virus grow: This doesn't seem strange for an alien virus. Radiation contains energy, living things can turn energy into growth. Plants grow when exposed to radiation (light). Even humans can grow when exposed to radiation (in that cancer is uncontrolled tissue growth).
by Christopher Alexander | 03/21/2011 at 3:20 am

Problems: What about O'brien's pips? Why is he a lieutenant? So true about Guinan being a better counselor than Troi! lol
by DanMcCoy | 06/29/2011 at 2:20 pm

Wouldn't it have been more interesting if the energy thingy (looking for someone to grow inside of) chose the hairy man instead of Troi?
Bunch of men talking about what Troi should do with her baby, classic!
The way our new doctor speaks about/to Data makes me want to smack her. Data's questions to Troi during delivery are to awesome for words. Tv birth scenes are always far to G rated, what silliness.
I think the best part of this episode was not the plot or the actors of anything strange like that. The best part for me was how much of the ship was shown and that we get to see for the first time some of the functions of the ship. Blinds going down. The window in ten forward etc.
by Omcn7 | 02/20/2012 at 7:40 am

Re. "radiation makes it grow", photosynthesis is based on just that (energy from solar radiation is absorbed by a specialised molecule which sets off a reaction chain: basically, light energy is converted to chemical energy and stored by the organism). Whether this could work with something as simple as a virus is a whole other kettle of fish. </infodump>
BORING. Troy is mysteriously impregnated: possible threat. Highly dangerous viral strains must be taken onboard: definite threat. Troy has baby. Virus fed by radiation from child inevitably threatens to escape. Baby-now-child dies, neatly disposing of both threats. Troi explains everything in a ten-second infodump which the audience is too comatose with boredom to listen to. Oh, and Wesley's leaving. Wait, no, he isn't. Yaaaay.
I've no doubt this was all very intriguing and exciting for the characters actually living it, in the same way your aunt's Barcelona holiday isn't accurately represented by her 1.12GB of photos of Gaudí's Casa Batlló. Fifty minutes of your life looking at someone else's holiday photos.
You're welcome.
by Arianwen | 12/14/2012 at 3:23 am

Too bad nobody thought to send Troi and the kid out in a shuttle craft a safe distance from the Enterprise. After they offload the cargo, both can come back to the Enterprise, and the kid can stay/grow as long as he wants.
Maybe they should have had the kid's energy "infecting" the warp plasma or something so that it would make more sense that he'd have to leave and never return.
by tigertooth | 03/20/2017 at 4:04 pm

Only Worfs comment at the end "I will assume that duty." saves this one from being a zero 1/10.
by jeffenator98 | 10/17/2019 at 5:09 pm

I like how the new and improved doc treats Data. Aside from a few remarks from Riker in the first episode nobody on the crew ever seems to care that they are working with the only sentient machine in star fleet!
by Amelia Obumhardt | 07/15/2021 at 9:09 am