Star Trek: The Next Generation — 3x19 — Captain's Holiday

Aired 1990-04-02

SpaceOpera.com rating:5

Average reader rating:5.32

Synopsis

Picard's vacation is interrupted by time travelers.

Remarkable scenes

Everyone pressuring Picard to take a vacation.
Picard annoyed at everything during his visit initially.
Picard insulting the Ferengi.
The time travelers' appearance and Picard's sudden interest in the mystery.
Picard thoroughly enjoying punching the Ferengi.
Vash and Picard flirting.
Vash's deception to Picard regarding the treasure.
History fulfilling itself by Picard destroying the treasure.

Review

Welcome to Risa. The infamous pleasure planet. Vash, Sovak, and the time traveling aliens provided a most entertaining story, though It was all a little too silly. A fairly average episode.

8 reader comments

This episode is a perfect 10. It was marvelous to get to see the relaxed, off-duty Jean-Luc Picard suavely romance the beautiful, lady archaeologist. Wonderfully written by Ira Steven Behr, this episode is an homage to the great romantic films of the 40's. Vash is Bacall to Picard's Bogart. Watch Bogart and Bacall in the classic movie "To Have and Have Not" and then watch "Captain's Holiday." Vash's brazenness complements Picard's more sedate personality perfectly. Picard and Vash have a very compelling 'battle of wills' dynamic to their relationship. The characterizations and relationship dynamics between Picard and Vash makes this episode a pure joy to watch this episode.
by Whoa Nellie | 04/15/2007 at 8:45 pm

The Uthat is located in a cave that is twenty-seven kilometers from the resort. It takes Picard and Vash two days to get there. Yet when they leave, they leave their backpack behind. The backpack had their food, drink, and bedding. Did they steal Sovak's transportation? Did they "rough it" all the way back?
by DSOmo | 07/28/2007 at 4:27 am

This is a fun episode, but not a truly great one. I agree with the review above in that it's great fun to watch Picard off of the Enterprise, especially when he "pulls a Kirk" and hooks up with the guest star of the week. I also like the alusions to the films the reviewer above mentions, and the whole episode is good entertainment.
The result of all this, however, is that it's hard to take this episode seriously. If the Uhtat is all it's cracked up to be, it could have been the subject of a seasons-long plot arc. As is, it's largely tossed off. This brings me to another gripe. If the Vorgons are really time travellers from the 27th century, why can't they just time travel again, back to five minutes before Picard destroys the Uhtat now that they know how, when, and where he does it? Like the aliens in "Allegience" a few episodes earlier (who, by the way, look very simliar)
And the Uhtat itself is a little problematic. A crystal? Really? Come on.
All that aside, this is a solid episode if you don't think too much about it. The interaction between Picard and the crew is hilarious, especially at the end, and we weren't subjected to a lame sub-plot about what was going on onboard the Enterprise during Picard's absence.
by JRPoole | 04/10/2008 at 11:56 pm

Why does Riker mention Risa like Picard's never heard of it? Even Archer and crew were well aware of Risa's reputation.
by krs321 | 03/09/2009 at 3:39 am

The dialogues between Picard and Vash were terribly cliched.
by Inga | 01/21/2012 at 6:29 pm

Enjoyable and quite amusing, with an excellent guest character (Vash), but a bit on the silly side. I question the mish-mash of elements composing the main plot: a legendary artifact, star-killing technology, and alien time travelers from the future. Was all of that really necessary to let Picard play Indiana Jones with a sexy woman for a little while?
And what was up with that Transport Code 14 business…?
Some redeeming features to be sure (the Horgon thing was hysterical), but the whole episode could've been streamlined and simplified and polished up a bit.
by Ggen | 03/25/2012 at 1:48 am

I would marry Lwaxana Troi and have 7 kids with her before spending 2 minutes with Vash.0/10
by jeffenator98 | 12/03/2019 at 6:11 pm

When I was younger, I mistook the Vorgons in this episode for the Vogons from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and thought this was some kind of crossover episode. I feel like that would've been more interesting.
It's not bad, though. I enjoyed the crew's efforts to get Picard to go on holiday. I laughed at how annoyed Picard was getting while trying to relax. And it was a more adventurous episode, kind of in the vein of TNG: Starship Mine in a later season. Nothing wrong with that.
Vash is a great character and I'm glad she reappears again later in TNG and DS9.
by Chuck the Canuck | 05/20/2023 at 3:32 am