This episode shouldn't exist as it goes straight against Star Trek canon in every way.
First, since the Eugenics Wars, Earth and Federation law strictly bans any genetic experimentation on humans, so the mere existence of Darwin Station is impossible. In a canon episode, if a Starfleet vessel were to find Darwin Station, it would've been immediately shut down, the specimens and the research data destroyed and the personnel arrested.
If we discount this giant plot hole, there are still problems with the episode. When the Enterprise finds the USS Lantree and they gain remote control over the vessel, they just activate it's beacon and leave it floating in space. They don't inform Starfleet Command, they don't request a medical or science vessel to investigate, they don't order it to follow the Enterprise, they just leave a potentially really dangerous ship out in open space. Not to mention Picard leaves the Lantree with the keys in the ignition, so to say (it is totally empty but otherwise in perfect working order), so it's a prime target for any shady creatures happening by.
The story at Darwin Station is also shaky at best. According to the log, the Lantree left the station 3 days prior to the Enterprise finding it derelict in space. By the time the Enterprise reaches the station, the personnel down on the planet is already showing advanced symptoms, yet in 3 days they didn't put out a quarantine warning or distress signal, they didn't inform Starfleet (or anyone else), nothing. They didn't even try to warn the Enterprise away, they wait for the ship to hail them before they say anything at all, saying they "just declared a medical emergency". Really? It's only an emergency after you age 30 years in 3 days? Also, the Enterprise just shows up at the station unannounced, they seem genuinely surprised to see what is happening on the station when they first hail them. What? They didn't try to contact them through subspace? They didn't even try to call ahead, just straight up show up there.
Also, the standing quarantine protocols seem to leave much to be desired. There is ongoing debate about what to do next all throughout the episode, as if there is no real quarantine procedure at all. If there is a standing procedure, the captain, the CMO and the station personnel should follow it to the letter. But instead they all argue every step of the way as if it's up to debate. Even if that were the case, Doctor Pulaski trying to argue her point to Picard is utterly needless, since the CMO outranks the captain in medical matters anyway. Also, the sense of urgency regarding the "child" specimens is utterly forced and goes against even the simplest disease control rules. Why is it so important to beam them to the Enterprise on the double? Admittedly, they are totally isolated on the station, so they are perfectly safe, there is absolutely no need to move them anywhere until the doctors can figure out what's wrong. It's really reckless and dangerous to move anything out of a quarantine area unless absolutely necessary, which is not the case here. In fact, saying that the "children" are not sick doesn't mean anything, since they still could be carriers, which an accomplished disease specialist like Doctor Pulaski should know full well. Going as far as insisting to "breath the same air and touch them" is simply beyond stupid.
Finally, the ending puzzles me to no end. They decide to blow up the Lantree. This is puzzling for many reasons. First, blowing it up with photon torpedoes is reckless. The remaining flying debris could contain small pockets where the "disease" could hide. So unless they outright vaporize the entire ship, it could be even more dangerous to blast it to small pieces that could later contaminate some unsuspecting salvager. Also the Lantree is a fully functional and, I presume, quite "expensive" (in Star Trek terms) space ship. Not only that, but it's a Starfleet vessel. Now, that they finally found the nature of the "disease", it would be quite easy to set the bio-filters on the Lantree to get rid of the antibodies. If not that, just blast it with a huge dose of ionizing radiation or some other form of decontamination should work nicely. Destroying a perfectly good ship when it can be salvaged is pretty dumb.
All in all, this episode was terrible for many reasons and shouldn't even exist.
First, since the Eugenics Wars, Earth and Federation law strictly bans any genetic experimentation on humans, so the mere existence of Darwin Station is impossible. In a canon episode, if a Starfleet vessel were to find Darwin Station, it would've been immediately shut down, the specimens and the research data destroyed and the personnel arrested.
If we discount this giant plot hole, there are still problems with the episode. When the Enterprise finds the USS Lantree and they gain remote control over the vessel, they just activate it's beacon and leave it floating in space. They don't inform Starfleet Command, they don't request a medical or science vessel to investigate, they don't order it to follow the Enterprise, they just leave a potentially really dangerous ship out in open space. Not to mention Picard leaves the Lantree with the keys in the ignition, so to say (it is totally empty but otherwise in perfect working order), so it's a prime target for any shady creatures happening by.
The story at Darwin Station is also shaky at best. According to the log, the Lantree left the station 3 days prior to the Enterprise finding it derelict in space. By the time the Enterprise reaches the station, the personnel down on the planet is already showing advanced symptoms, yet in 3 days they didn't put out a quarantine warning or distress signal, they didn't inform Starfleet (or anyone else), nothing. They didn't even try to warn the Enterprise away, they wait for the ship to hail them before they say anything at all, saying they "just declared a medical emergency". Really? It's only an emergency after you age 30 years in 3 days? Also, the Enterprise just shows up at the station unannounced, they seem genuinely surprised to see what is happening on the station when they first hail them. What? They didn't try to contact them through subspace? They didn't even try to call ahead, just straight up show up there.
Also, the standing quarantine protocols seem to leave much to be desired. There is ongoing debate about what to do next all throughout the episode, as if there is no real quarantine procedure at all. If there is a standing procedure, the captain, the CMO and the station personnel should follow it to the letter. But instead they all argue every step of the way as if it's up to debate. Even if that were the case, Doctor Pulaski trying to argue her point to Picard is utterly needless, since the CMO outranks the captain in medical matters anyway. Also, the sense of urgency regarding the "child" specimens is utterly forced and goes against even the simplest disease control rules. Why is it so important to beam them to the Enterprise on the double? Admittedly, they are totally isolated on the station, so they are perfectly safe, there is absolutely no need to move them anywhere until the doctors can figure out what's wrong. It's really reckless and dangerous to move anything out of a quarantine area unless absolutely necessary, which is not the case here. In fact, saying that the "children" are not sick doesn't mean anything, since they still could be carriers, which an accomplished disease specialist like Doctor Pulaski should know full well. Going as far as insisting to "breath the same air and touch them" is simply beyond stupid.
Finally, the ending puzzles me to no end. They decide to blow up the Lantree. This is puzzling for many reasons. First, blowing it up with photon torpedoes is reckless. The remaining flying debris could contain small pockets where the "disease" could hide. So unless they outright vaporize the entire ship, it could be even more dangerous to blast it to small pieces that could later contaminate some unsuspecting salvager. Also the Lantree is a fully functional and, I presume, quite "expensive" (in Star Trek terms) space ship. Not only that, but it's a Starfleet vessel. Now, that they finally found the nature of the "disease", it would be quite easy to set the bio-filters on the Lantree to get rid of the antibodies. If not that, just blast it with a huge dose of ionizing radiation or some other form of decontamination should work nicely. Destroying a perfectly good ship when it can be salvaged is pretty dumb.
All in all, this episode was terrible for many reasons and shouldn't even exist.