The Second Season of Star Trek the Next Generation has often been downplayed due to multiple production and writing staff problems, and several major cast changes. Although of mixed quality, it does contain some outstanding and brilliant episodes. Senior Trekker is extremely grateful to all those people who worked so hard under difficult circumstances to keep it on our screens.
Senior Trekker loved this episode at the time and still loves it now, mediocre ratings be damned! It has a great guest star, a decent story and is consistently good to look at. As a message episode about the special skills of a deaf negotiator bringing peace to warring races by teaching them sign language, it was undoubtedly overstated. Nonetheless, Howie Seago brought such gravitas to the role he made a convincing senior diplomat with no "disability" to overcome..
Having him initially interpreted by a chorus was an interesting science fiction idea, even if it didn't withstand too much examination. These spokespeople were distinct individuals, after all. How would Riva have been able to function if "decisiveness", or worse still "libido", had needed to take a bathroom break at a critical moment? Actor Randy Oglesby can just be spotted as one member of this chorus before being summarily vaporised. He went on to appear in Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, becoming something of a Star Trek fan favourite.
(Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5)
Senior Trekker loved this episode at the time and still loves it now, mediocre ratings be damned! It has a great guest star, a decent story and is consistently good to look at. As a message episode about the special skills of a deaf negotiator bringing peace to warring races by teaching them sign language, it was undoubtedly overstated. Nonetheless, Howie Seago brought such gravitas to the role he made a convincing senior diplomat with no "disability" to overcome..
Having him initially interpreted by a chorus was an interesting science fiction idea, even if it didn't withstand too much examination. These spokespeople were distinct individuals, after all. How would Riva have been able to function if "decisiveness", or worse still "libido", had needed to take a bathroom break at a critical moment? Actor Randy Oglesby can just be spotted as one member of this chorus before being summarily vaporised. He went on to appear in Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, becoming something of a Star Trek fan favourite.
(Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5)