This is one of the more interesting episodes of Star Trek TNG. Again a (then) current controversial research was brought to light in this episode and its pros and cons were weighed carefully.
Enterprise tries to save a planet from imminent destruction by a fragment of a neutron star. In this planet people have been born by selective genetic engineering: blocking out genes with faults and disabilities and creating people for each vocation with the perfect set of traits for that particular vocation. While the team aboard Enterprise try to help this planet the rest of this episode deals with the possible disadvantages of such a genetically engineered society.
In this nobody spends any part of their time searching their souls for what they want to do and what they would be good at - since they are designed and born to fill a particular job (artist, doctor, engineer, diplomat etc.). However their technology has not advanced as much as the Federation has in spite of all this. Geordi makes an insightful remark about this saying may be necessity had been the mother of invention in the Federation's case. If you do not struggle with anything you will not be motivated to find something to fix it. Another ironical situation when the technology behind a blind man's visor helps save a planet where a blind man is not genetically accepted is interesting.
Enterprise tries to save a planet from imminent destruction by a fragment of a neutron star. In this planet people have been born by selective genetic engineering: blocking out genes with faults and disabilities and creating people for each vocation with the perfect set of traits for that particular vocation. While the team aboard Enterprise try to help this planet the rest of this episode deals with the possible disadvantages of such a genetically engineered society.
In this nobody spends any part of their time searching their souls for what they want to do and what they would be good at - since they are designed and born to fill a particular job (artist, doctor, engineer, diplomat etc.). However their technology has not advanced as much as the Federation has in spite of all this. Geordi makes an insightful remark about this saying may be necessity had been the mother of invention in the Federation's case. If you do not struggle with anything you will not be motivated to find something to fix it. Another ironical situation when the technology behind a blind man's visor helps save a planet where a blind man is not genetically accepted is interesting.