Star Trek: The Next Generation — 2x10 — The Dauphin

Aired 1989-02-20

SpaceOpera.com rating:2

Average reader rating:4.03

Synopsis

Wesley falls for a mysterious young girl.

Remarkable scenes

Picard: "Mr Worf, have our passengers accommodations met with their approval?" Worf: "I doubt if anything ever meets with that woman's approval... sir."
Worf's description of the Klingon mating ritual.
Riker seducing Guinan.
Anya: "I cannot rely on your primitive technologies! Kill the patient."
Worf and Anya coming to blows.
Mutual respect gestures from Anya and Worf in the ending.

Review

If you don't find the idea of shape shifters pretending to be human or a love story centered around Wesley very entertaining, then this is most definitely not the episode for you. There are aspects of this episode that are quite entertaining generally, but by and large the episode is quite routine with very little contention and intrigue.

7 reader comments

At the beginning of the show, Wesley is helping Geordi in Engineering. At this time, Picard is talking with Anya. Before beaming aboard, Anya asks what species they are. From events later in the episode, it is obvious why Anya asked this question. Wesley realizes this fact in one of his last conversations with Salia. But how did Wesley know that Anya asked the question of species in the first place? He was in Engineering at the time, and the question itself is seemingly pointless, not the type of thing to be repeated readily.
As Picard escorts Anya and Salia to their quarters, Wesley steps off a turbolift, carrying the SCM Model 3, and sees Salia for the time. The numbers on the turbolift doors are "22." What is Wesley doing on deck 22? He already has the SCM, shouldn't he be headed back to Engineering on deck 36?
Why is Wesley so offended to learn that Salia could change her shape? I think it would be fun, "Let's try blonde today, maybe a little taller, how about some bigger …." ;)
During the episode "Where No One Has Gone Before," Kozinski states that in the past three hundred years, humanity has charted only 11 percent of the galaxy. Wesley tells Salia that they have charted 19 percent of the galaxy. The Federation has been busy!! (or someone is wrong)
When the Enterprise arrives at Daled IV, the atmosphere of the planet interferes with their communications. The Enterprise can't even talk to these people, and they can still transport Salia down? Isn't the transporter usually the first thing to go? It seems reasonable that transporting living beings would be a lot more difficult to accomplish than communication.
by DSOmo | 06/24/2007 at 4:15 am

I gave this episode a 1.
"The Dauphin" offends my sensibilities for a couple of reasons. First, virtually all Wesley-centered episodes (especially the earlier ones) are terrible and this is no exception. I realize that Wesley is an adolescent, but his actions in this episode are ridiculous. He loves this girl? Please. They've known each other for about, what 3 days? Why doesn't Geordi snatch a knot in Wesley's ass for not having his head in the game when they're performing maintence on the engines? Again, I realize Wesley's an adolescent, but he's also a serving ensign on the ship, and he can worry about poontang when the work's done. Isn't that the very kind of thing he's supposed to be learning? It seems he already knows everything there is to know about the Enterprise.
The Wesley episodes always leave me cold because they're a waste of a character. Instead of doing something worthwhile with the character, they churn out shlock. His wide-eyed boy wonder sthick gets old really fast, and this episode is an prime example.
In additon to the problems already mentioned, I submit the following:
--I don't buy the sickbay scene. If these shape-shifter beings are really some sort of "light energy" beings, are they really in danger from a virus?
--Why is the crew incredulous that shape-shifting beings exist? They act like they've got the Loch Ness monster or Sasquatch on their hands, but this has been established before. Iman's character in Star Trek III is a shapeshifter, and there are a few more examples as well.
--The teddy bear incarnation of Anya is incredibly stupid.
--This isn't necessarily a problem, but it's underdeveloped. At one point, Picard (I think it was Picard, anyway) hopes that the Federation can establish "formal relations" with Daled IV. Isn't ferrying their new leader around the galaxy something that should qualify as "formal relations"? How is it that the flagship of the Federation comes to be the personal taxi service of a planet they don't seem to know anything about at all?
--Is it just me, or does the scene between Guinan and Riker just not jive with Guinan's character somehow?
--Worf's final exchange with Anya is painful to watch.
by JRPoole | 01/25/2008 at 5:58 pm

For some reason, I quite like this episode. There's a decent amount of technobabble like "In a moment, the harmonic resonance from the neutrino clouds will become synchronous"(!!!!!). There are basic mistakes - you already mentioned the sound in space, but how about you can see the planet rotating? It would fly apart if it was spinning that fast. There are bad alien costumes.
But… it works. For some reason I don't find Wesley objectionable in this one, and the love story is quite believable. I like the interaction between Anya and Worf. I'm not claiming it's brilliant, but I'll give it a 6.
by Rob Herbert | 08/25/2010 at 11:52 am

Some of the worst special effects in the history of Star Trek. Even much of TOS was better than this! The shape shifting scenes were embarrassing.
by Jeff Browning | 09/22/2011 at 11:54 pm

Salia's true form somehow reminds me of the Companion from the TOS episode "Metamorphosis".
Also, I agree with JRPoole - Worf's final exchange with Anya WAS painful to watch :/
by Inga | 12/30/2011 at 10:34 pm

Falling in love your first time as an adolescent actually does happen when not even knowing each other and it can happen in just 2 days. I can testify to this from personal experience. :) Other than that this episode is just so wrong in so many ways I don't even know where to start. I gave this one a 1. The last episode was a hard one to follow but this one didn't even make an attempt.
by Omcn7 | 02/27/2012 at 5:40 am

Ah, young love. It's true, adolescent experiences of "love" can seem trivial through the mists of time, but for them it's pretty damn powerful. And yes, it's possible to get very attached to someone over just a few days! Even at 39, I'm not too jaded to watch the scenes between Wes and Salia and feel a little bit of it myself. I think the two actors did quite well together. I even teared up when Wes came to say goodbye, but I'm a sap and I accept that. Kudos to Geordi for realizing Wes was gonna be useless for a little while and validating to Wes how intense puberty is.
I have a soft spot for this ep for a couple reasons, and NONE of them have anything to do with having a huge crush on Salia, nope! How dare you even suggest that!
Worf's rather licentious description of Klingon sex. "what does the man do?" "he reads love poetry. … he ducks a lot." Cracks me up every time.
Guinan's and Riker's (mock?) flirting. Fantastic. Almost sounds like they're reciting a famous play or something. Guinan: "shut up, kid." Thirsty Guinan, rare form!
Guinan's insight to Wes at the end. I've always loved it. "Each one feels different" may sound like a basic lesson in love, but it's one worth hearing anyway. Wes won't feel the same way again, and that's OK. Salia will be unique to him in that way.
It's not a great episode, but I don't think it tries to be. For me it's enjoyable for what it is.
Worf: "do not be fooled by her looks. The body is just a shell." Indeed.
by Azalea Jane | 07/16/2021 at 2:12 am