Star Trek: The Next Generation — 7x03 — Interface

Aired 1993-10-04

SpaceOpera.com rating:2

Average reader rating:3.65

Synopsis

Geordi defies Picard's commands in a rescue attempt.

Remarkable scenes

I like the teaser, with Geordi's interface.
Geordi phasering the door with his hand while he's the probe. Nice!
Data attempting to appreciate poetry.

Review

This episode is annoying in that I think the cast was too quick to dismiss Geordi's plan to find out if his mother was really down on that planet. Sure, he was wrong, but he really did have to try. Additionally, his try saved the lives of some aliens, yet this is not considered at all when Picard yells at him in the end! How insensitive! This episode really makes you feel sorry for Geordi. He loses his mother and he gets yelled at all episode! Finally, why do we never see this interface used ever, ever again?

5 reader comments

Did they ever show or explain the probe that Geordi was virtually operating? Was it a humanoid robot? Remote contolled mecha? Ball of energy?
by L | 04/27/2013 at 10:02 am

It's a metallic probe in the shape of a cylinder, about 3 feet high and one foot in diameter. We know, because there is a scene in the episode where Geordi sees "his" reflection while using the interface, and it is actually the probe shown in the reflection. Geordi then jokes about it and says "I'm seeing my reflection in a panel. I forgot what a handsome guy I am". :-)
by OmicronThetaDeltaPhi | 05/14/2013 at 1:44 pm

An interesting side note: Ben Vareen plays Geordi's father in this episode. And Levar Burton (Geordi) played young Kunta Kinte, the father of Chicken George (played by Ben Vareen) in Roots.
by Daniel Antil | 01/11/2014 at 11:40 am

Actually, Ben Vereen played Kunta's grandson in "Roots". however, Madge Sinclair (who played Geordi's mother) was also in "Roots". She was Bell, the wife of older Kunta (played by John Amos).
by Douglas Horton | 08/30/2016 at 3:51 pm

I agree that this episode is annoying. The idea of exploring with the probe was neat, but instead of focusing the episode on the mystery of the alien messages, which could have made a good episode, instead it made the crew more obtuse than usual to create conflict, so it could focus on that. It isn't the worst episode but it isn't that great.
by Christopher Alexander | 04/30/2019 at 8:59 pm