User Reviews

This episode probably wasn't received well by many when it was first aired in 1992, as it addresses homosexuality and inter-sex beings-- topics that were rarely talked about on American TV in the early 90s. Because of this, it was rather groundbreaking. The only serious problem with the show is that at times, especially near the end.

Riker, the intergalactic playboy, is working with a person from Genai. Soren is from a planet where everyone is androgynous--and she is quite curious about human sexuality. She and Riker talk about this quite a bit during their mission together and you eventually learn that Soren is unusual for one of the Genai, she has sexual urges towards males. However, she MUST keep it a secret, as on her planet inter-sex is the only option. And, she is attracted to Riker...and vice-versa. What's going to happen if anyone on Genai learns about Soren's 'perversion'?

The show had a lot of good points and the relationship between Riker and Soren was very interesting. My only complaint is that the show was incredibly unsubtle and preachy near the end--with Riker speechifying instead of uttering dialog. Still, it's well worth seeing.

For 1992 it is pretty risque. I haven't been in school for decades but back when I was in my prime, being gay/non-binary/trans was not something you would see for fear of being bullied or physically assaulted. Seems like a large part of the world (my north american part at least) has progressed from that into a safer place to just put it all out there and do your own thing.

I have to admit that I am a fan of star trek unhappy endings. Is it sad that the society brainwashed Sauren back to non-binary status? Sure is... But I could totally see a society that is programmed to hate gender identity finding Sauren's admission offensive. Unless you have no heart, it would seem impossible to not feel for Sauren's situation and that aspect was adeptly told in a wonderful scene in the shuttle with Riker.

Sure, the idea of Riker falling in love in one episode is a bit contrived but it's Bill Riker afterall! An intellectual and knows her way around shuttle controls? You just put Riker on red alert.

But yeah folks ---- This episode is essentially what society was like for gay/trans/non-binary folks pre 90's unless you were famous.

I'm giving this episode an 8 for having the chutzpah to tell a controversial story (at the time) and give us a terribly sad ending that probably resonates with many unhappy endings for those who would not conform to societies perceived norms back in the dark ages before the internet.

For some reason mirror universe Geordi LaForge shows up on the enterprise with a beard ----- however, this LaForge is only 'kind of nice' instead of 'nice'.

Shout out to Worf being a 'bro' and backing up Riker on the planet, despite Will's refusal to kill Worf an episode earlier. You just have to let some things go when you are BFF.

Spoilers ahead. As an asexual person who falls on the transgender spectrum, this episode seemed to really appeal to me. I loved that the episode focused on a transgender individual in such a strict society (and my biases were rooting for her the whole time.) Yes, there were bits and pieces that could have been done much better, but at the time it was created this episode was pretty good and risky. The ending, with one day of brainwashing fully swiping away her true identity, hit me pretty hard, though. I hope someday this society evolves past their barbaric ways.

ST:TNG:117 - "The Outcast" (Stardate: 45614.6) - this is the 17th episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In another episode dealing with current social issues, as is prevalent during the 5th season of TNG, this one deals with sexuality and its acceptance in different societies and cultures (such as homosexuality). The Enterprise are helping out an androgynous race known as the J'Naii in attempts to rescue their shuttle craft that is stuck in a pocket of null space. When Soren, a J'Naii pilot, joins Commander Riker in locating the shuttle, a friendship is formed between them and soon they become romantically involved.

This is where the conflict arises - because the J'Naii are genderless, what Soren is doing is illegal and she must now be arrested and "cured".

Another intriguing episode in the true spirit of Star Trek.

Trivia note: Riker mentions a new unit of measurement - a millicochrane (named after Zephram Cochrane). Troi, during one of the crew's poker games, notes that the Federation was founded in 2161.

The Enterprise has been called to help a species known as the J'naii. One of their shuttle craft has vanished and investigations suggest that it has entered a pocket of null space. If so it will have lost power and it is only a matter of time before life support fails as well. Riker works with Soren, one of the J'naii to come up with a solution. The J'naii are a genderless species and Soren is curious about what it is like to have a specific gender. It gradually emerges that not all J'naii are exactly genderless; some feel more inclined to be one gender than the other and those are considered deviants; Soren inclines to being female and has developed feelings for Riker… and he has feelings for her. Things go smoothly unlit their relationship is discovered and Soren is sentenced to be 'cured'.

This episode is clearly meant as a metaphor for how many in society view homosexuality; and not a particularly subtle one at that. The story is interesting and clearly ahead of its time given how attitudes have changed since the episode was made. Viewing it now though it doesn't appear as daring as it once would have; the J'naii may be genderless but it is obvious that Soren is played by a woman; perhaps having Riker fall for a genderless character played by a somewhat androgynous male would have been going too far in the early '90s; that isn't the biggest problem though; that is saved for the end… the fact that Soren was 'cured' didn't fit at all well with the episodes otherwise progressive ideas. Despite those faults I thought it was an interesting episode with some fascinating ideas. This was helped by fine performances from Jonathan Frakes and Melinda Culea as Riker and Soren; they had a good chemistry and I believed in their relationship even though they hadn't known each other long. The plot about the lost shuttle is decent enough but is clearly just a device to bring Riker and Soren together.

About a month after reviewing many of the original Star Trek shows from the 1960s, seeing many for the first time in more than 20 years, I watched this episode for only the second time ever - the first time since it was shown originally. I cannot understand all the hatred for this episode by other reviewers here on IMDb: it's as preachy and unrealistic as those original Star Trek episodes, and like the original, presents a social issue we are actually dealing with right now in a barely-veiled way. The episode is obviously talking about homosexuality rather than an androgynous and asexual race, and now, almost 15 years after it premiered, it's just as powerful to see Soren using so many of the same arguments that people have had to use for same-sex relationships and marriage equality.

Another reviewer said that he doesn't understand why it's a bad thing that Soren is "reprogrammed", because at the end, she is glad she's been "cured." Ridiculous! Go watch the Twilight Zone episode "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" - she's also really happy at the end after she's been "reprogrammed." Do you think that's also a happy ending?!

This episode is rarely shown anymore, and I have wondered why. Perhaps because of fear that some people will misinterpret as an attack on people who are transgendered or asexual? I'd like to give people more credit than that - surely we can appreciate this pioneering episode for its original intentions in the time it was made.

In my opinion, science fiction/fantasy is at its best when it offers an insight into the human condition. For Star Trek, this is no different as many of my favorite episodes and movies embody this to their core...by focusing on the characters and the aspects that made me as a viewer interested in their stories/arcs. This especially holds true when episodes focused more heavily on societal topics of interest. Next Generation's Season 5 episode "The Outcast" definitely aims to fit that mold, touching on the subject of LGBT relations. However, while the episode holds moments of note given the subject, it also presents the parameters of its premise in ways which detract from being truly memorable.

A significant part of this comes from the setting focus itself. Much of the interaction regarding the conflict concerning the character of Soren and their/her attraction to First Officer Will Riker takes place among the crew of the Enterprise-D rather than the J'naii, the species of non-gender expressive individuals which the episode focuses on (which is a..weird choice considering that a species that has moved beyond focusing on gender shouldn't care about such categories, but maybe I'm missing something here). As a result, we are given more attention to what crew members like Riker and Beverly have to say about gender relations rather than the J'naii themselves. Cue the traditional comments of women being "pretty, looking for protection" while men are looking for "strong or demur woman"...which provides the image of a Federation that doesn't consider the presence of LGBT individuals among their ranks. Such a thing is truly off-putting given where the episode is clearly aiming to go with its allegory. Such a thing might have been helped more with a focus directed on the J'naii, offering more of a critique of their discriminatory view of gender expression (again, a strange set-up given what I stated previously). That was more effectively put forth in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" in the Original Series of Star Trek, which focused on the subject of racial discrimination, and put more of a focus on the characters of Lokai and Bele and their intolerance for each other's differences as a center. As a result, when the time for the scene of moral attention arrives, put forth through a speech by Soren at their/her trial, it comes across more as an attempt rather than an embrace of its logic....which shouldn't be the case if a show decides to go with a more preachy, heavy-handed approach like this (which is opposite of the more subtle approach, like DS9's "Rejoined", which works out much better as a result) It doesn't help that the J'naii are overall soulless in their appearance or dictations, which compounds any measure of connecting to how they operate as a culture....to say nothing of how the ending makes no sense, as no longer identifying as female due to "re-education" by the J'naii doesn't mean Soren couldn't still love Riker (and of course the touchy subject of "conversion therapy"). Yet another aspect that works against the allegory of the episode.

I could get into other issues, such as the mischaracterization of Worf or how Soren is cast (I see no reason why they couldn't have just presented her as still genderless, yet falling for Riker...which could have allowed for more of a focus on the J'naii's ideas concerning gender expression), but I feel such a focus would be at risk of becoming nitpicky. For its flaws, the fact that Riker is cast as the crew member involved was a true boon...not just for the attempt of broadening the stakes of the episode, but also what it meant for me as a bisexual man. For someone like Riker, an individual that was portrayed on the show typically as a ladies man and a man of men, to be willing to enter into a relationship with an individual of a genderless culture and be willing to stake his entire career over it was truly impactful...not just by showing another dimension of Riker's character that the show didn't further explore (the typical result of single episodes) but also for how impressionable it was to a young man who had heard many cultural stereotypes over how LGBT men were not truly such. I definitely give the show's development team credit for embracing such a set-up, even if the focus of the episode diminished it...especially with the relationship between Riker and Soren itself lacking in chemistry.

Overall, I give "Outcast" credit due to it being a part of Star Trek working to embrace a prosperous future that embraces peaceful differences of expression. If only it did that more clearly.

For me this is one of the most fascinating episodes of TNG as far as the subject it dealt with, perceived sexual deviance, on the part of a majority, which in this case is androgynous and feels that distinctions between the sexes are primitive. But the questions asked by the character Soren during her trial in which she admits being female with urges from relationships with men are so similar to what LGBTQ people are forced by the majority heterosexual population today, and even more so when it first premiered. I am heterosexual, married, and a career military officer, but I am an LGBTQ ally. This show was one of a series of events that caused me to reevaluate how I thought of LGBTQ people and helped me become a better friend to my LGBTQ friends and relatives. The sad thing is that Soren's people reverse her progress and force her into what today would be called LGBTQ Conversion Therapy, something that is discredited and slowly but surely being outlawed in the United States. The episode was aired a decade and a half before Obergfell v. Hodges and the end of the Defense Of Marriage Act. It is a powerful episode.

OK, let's get the basics out of the way first. This is definitely a flawed episode. It is supposed to be an allegory, but it comes off as unsubtle, heavy-handed, and preachy. Even so, the allegory is not a bad one. In this way it has much in common with the original series episode about the half-black, half-white people.

From a plot perspective, the big problem is, as many have pointed out, that it makes no sense for Riker to be so quickly and completely consumed by this androgynous person. Someone else made a very good case showing how they are completely not his type. But even aside from that, even if we allow that he was, for whatever reason, attracted, it is still someone he has known for a very short time, and it makes no sense for him to risk his whole career over it, when usually he's not exactly Mr. Commitment. Hell, he never even married Deanna, the closest thing that could be called the love of his life! But I disagree with the notion that it was also out of character for Worf to join him. I can see Worf joining him. Let's face it, as much as Worf is loyal to Star Fleet and the Federation, you have to admit, he has a pretty dull life by Klingon standards. Here was a chance to go on an exciting, dangerous mission, *and* he could justify it by Klingon honor and values (standing by a friend)! Not so far-fetched that he would seize the opportunity.

But I think a number of people have missed the point in complaining that the episode somehow copped out. That it should have had a male play the love interest, or addressed homosexuality more directly. People, it's an *allegory*! It's NOT a story about homosexuality or transsexuality or any of that. It's a story with broad philosophical implications that can then *be applied* back to issues like homosexuality or transsexuality. Are you people *so* concrete-bound that you think it has to have *actual* homosexuality* in it to be of any value? Had they cast the love interest with a male actor, it would have made zero sense. First, this was supposed to be an androgynous character who none-the-less identified as a female. So why on *earth* would you cast such a person with a male? Second, it's hard enough, as it is, to believe that Riker would be so attracted to such an androgynous, even if slightly female, person. There's no WAY he would have been attracted to an androgynous slightly male person, unless one is prepared to suddenly, out of the blue, declare that, oh, by the way, Riker is and has always been bi. Now I'm not saying that a person like Riker couldn't be bi. But for four and a half years there had been absolutely no hint of anything remotely like this (and there never would be again for the rest of the series. Or movies). That would simply have been *bad writing*. You don't radically alter a central character for the sake of one week's episode.

But what I find remarkable is that nobody has discussed what I consider to be the most interesting aspect of the story: the ending. Through the whole thing, we are all comfortable, complacently entrenched in the opinion that government depicted is a horrible authoritarian tyranny. When they assert a benevolent intent, that their intervention really does make the targeted subjects happier, we scoff. But in the end, it seems there's something in what they claim: our protagonist-cum-victim seems to very sincerely be happy and grateful for their transformation. And this raises a really *interesting* philosophical question: does the end justify the means in such cases? Is it OK for the state to deny personal choice if it really will be to the citizen's benefit? Are there, or could there be cases where the state really does know what's best for you, better than you do yourself? Personally, I think the answer is 'no', but the story here makes you at least question and reflect. You can't simply dismiss it. I think it is unfortunate that the episode does not explore this issue more.

The J'naii, an androgynous race have lost a shuttlecraft in what they call 'mysterious' circumstances and they want the Enterprise to help them find it. Considering the Enterprise is really an exploration vessel, they do sometime act like the coast guards of space. But we digress.

In searching for the lost shuttlecraft the Enterprise lose a valuable probe. This makes me wonder whether the Enterprise crew complete an annual stock-check of all lights, fixtures and fittings as well as any additional cargo they might be required to carry and that they would have to justify anything that is used during the course of each mission. "Data lost a $140,000 probe in the null-space region."

Still, the concept of the episode is very interesting. If we can just avoid any love-issues, we might be alright with this one. But are we going to concentrate on the story or the interaction between Riker and Soren.

I have no issue with the idea of this story examining the complex nature of transgender people and it certainly throws up interesting questions as relates to sex. Of course, in the J'naii world it is gender specific people who are the odd ones and suffer ridicule because of this. Grown-up themes for sure.

I like the fact that TNG is trying to explore more complex matters than the basic sci-fi story idea, but once again the episode seems to have disappeared down a dark hole. Lost from the sci-fi and into the personal. Were the rest of the crew working part-time this week?

Unfortunately, the story is a bit too predictable and what did Riker do with the prime directive?

This episode probably had a bigger impact 30 years ago when it was first broadcast.

This Episodes Clue: 1519 Spanish Expedition.

SPOILERS AHEAD: In this episode, the "Enterprise" ends up at a planet where the inhabitants are androgynous. Commander Riker works with one of them, Soren, and they end up falling in love. Problem: these aliens are forbidden to express sexual desires inclined to only one gender (Soren tends towards female behavior), so she is "tried" and taken away for psychological reprogramming when their relationship is discovered.

The episode is famous, of course, for trying to take on the way gay people are treated in our culture, much as the original "Star Trek" took on issues such as the Vietnam War and racism. A big plus is that, up until the trial, the performances are solid and the writing is very good. As someone else here said, Soren's self-defense speech is rather heavy handed, perhaps making the point a bit too obviously.

However, my biggest problem is with what happens after Soren is taken away. Forbidden from the planet, Riker decides to disregard his Starfleet training and orders so that he can sneak down to the planet and rescue his new love. He also manages to convince the usually by-the-book Klingon Lt. Worf to go along with his plan. This is TOTALLY out of character for both Riker and Worf. This really rings falsely against the way both characters had been developed throughout the course of the series. The writer, Jeri Taylor, really should have known better. She decided to make the Big Social Statement at the expense of Riker and Worf. As a result, Jonathan Frakes gives an unconvincing performance during the last quarter of the episode, totally ruining it for me. The ending, of course, is predictable.

It's good that a television show tries for something other than mindless entertainment. But it can't be done with plot contrivances which go against the grain of the show's premise or its characters, which is what happens here. Certainly not one of the worst moments for "TNG", but far from its best.

From the perspective of three decades ago when this show aired, there appears to be some reverse psychology at work in the story's treatment of the sexes. It's not very subtle, the idea of same gender relationships has become the norm for an alien race called the J'Naii, primarily because there is only one. However, there are those individuals who lean toward either male or female preference, and it's those that are treated as misfits in their culture. The episode's dynamic occurs when Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) begins to have feelings for J'Naii Soren (Melinda Culea), prompted by her inquisitive questioning of the way humans handle sexual matters. I've mentioned in other reviews how Riker's relationship with Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) seemed convoluted at best, and that's given further credence here when Riker seeks her out to share with her his feelings for Soren. They even kiss after discussing the matter, which makes me even more ambivalent of their association with each other. At the same time though, the whole Riker/Soren relationship didn't ring true for this viewer, as it occurred so impulsively and without any real foundation for their brief affair, if that's what you can call it. With Riker willing to violate the Prime Directive by interfering with the J'Naii's cultural mandate to 'cure' Soren's deviant preferences, Soren herself delivers an impassioned speech defending her right to choose her own lifestyle. Not that it made a difference to the J'Naii leader Noor (Megan Cole). By the show's conclusion, Soren was already rehabilitated to the J'Naii point of view on matters sexual. For some viewers, that may have been a copout, but you have to keep in mind that thirty years ago, this episode broached a subject that would have been considered unthinkable at the time.

Possibly one of the worst episodes. For one, I don't understand why Riker always kisses every thing that moves. I guess he is somehow related to Kirk.

I don't understand how Riker fell in love so quickly with the he/she/it or hesheit (I made that up) - enough to jeopardize the prime directive and his career. Moreover, Picard is not even a 'little' phased that his first officer who is all of a sudden thinking of breaking the highest, most important rule of Star Fleet?

And why the hell did Worf join in? That part makes no sense at all (actually, the whole episode makes no sense). Riker's loss of character was not warranted or built-up in any way. Picard's lack of interest in his first officer's sudden loss of control and disregard for rules was also out of character for the captain and destroyed what little the episode had going.

Oh and Geordi has a beard.

As others have said, this episode manages to be both preachy at times and a bit of a cop-out. And Soren was clearly hard to follow because she ... speaks ... so ... quickly, of course! At least one of Soren's monologues was long, not subtle at all, and had soporific effects.

I am not sure how Riker could fall in love so quickly, and it seems unlikely that he and Worf would risk so much to attempt a rescue, being against the Prime Directive for starters and targeting someone whom Riker met only recently. Why is this love interest different from his others, in that it is apparently true love this time? Because it moves along the main (heavy-handed) story.

That Riker was too late to stop the brainwashing was predictable. The technical subplot was a bit unrealistic as well; not sure why the Enterprise would sent its second in command on such a risky shuttle mission. I realize that Riker goes on many risky missions over the course of the show, but that doesn't mean that it makes sense. Apparently, in this case, it was necessary to move the main plot along as Riker apparently has limited time to fall in love!

In "The Outcast" the Enterprise helps an androgynous race locate a missing shuttlecraft. While on the mission, Riker falls for one of these beings who wants to identify as female, something that would put her in grave danger on her home world. When the two form a relationship, her government steps in and puts her through "reprogramming" to "fix" her. Riker tries a daring rescue attempt.

At the time, this was obviously an allegory on homosexuality. Now that society has (mostly) accepted this and moved on, we now have another culture war on our hands: non-binary individuals. It's amazing how topical this episode still is viewed in that light. It feels ahead of its time in that respect.

I'm disheartened to find this episode rated so low. It's a really, really solid episode! People only complain about Star Trek being "too preachy" when it makes them feel uncomfortable in a certain way. The show has always tried to be ahead of the curve and sometimes that's going to alienate some people with more conservative values.

But here we have what I find to be a beautiful love story with a tragic ending. The reprogramming is still something that many people in the world still have to undergo today and it's absolutely sickening that this is still going on in 2020. Let people be what and who they want to identify as... That's what Star Trek would want.

Side note: I wish the androgynous race would have been males like Frakes originally wanted. That turns this into an instant 10 stars... But they pull their punch slightly and I downgraded them accordingly.

Exploring how an androgynous society would function is interesting. As is correlating their treatment of people who identify as male or female to the way that our society treats anyone who does not fit the heterosexual norm.

Unfortunately the implementation was dismal. Riker was not believable in this role. Most glaring was his ridiculous talk with Troi that didn't match with the relationship that we saw onscreen. We have seen Riker become infatuated with many women and talk much more intimately with them than we do with Soren and he's never before talked about any of these women with Troi. Rather than showing us how enamored Riker was with Soren, the writers simply have Riker state it. It would be far more natural if we saw them in much more natural conversation and showing signs of connection. If, while working with Geordie, Riker turns to him and says "Soren is a remarkable woman, I mean person, I mean ..." and proceed to describe how remarkable he feels.

Riker's conversation with Picard didn't feel congruent with his character, nor the ease with which Picard let him possibly violate the Prime Directive.

But the real disappointment is the episode's conclusion: "Conversion therapy works!" Really, is that what you want to leave us with?

This ending wasn't even congruent with the rest of the story. Soren says that she saw a schoolmate tell the school that he was happy but she didn't believe it. She says that she knows many people like her. So, she should know many people who have been caught and forced through therapy. If it truly works that well, then she wouldn't be that fearful.

Perhaps Soren was to be played in the last scene as a robot who had been brainwashed and lost her personality and identity (thus showing how terrible the treatment was) but although there was a little of that, it didn't come across that well to me.

This works initially because the androgynous race is really interesting. I do take issue with the fact that this race is so clueless about conventional male/female roles. Most of the galaxy is probably made up of flora and fauna that function this way. Obviously, there is a mystery as to how this all works and the young Jenaii (Coren) is curious. This person eventually admits that the female side has established dominance. Riker begins to find "her" fascinating. It is explained to him how dangerous it is to admit that you gravitate one way or the other. Of course, Riker falls in love, letting his lust overcome his reason, endangering the person he now loves. Many Star Trek TNG episodes find Riker stomping around like a little boy, not getting his way. He has pushed the envelope on more than one occasion, ignoring PIcard's advice about the prime directive. There is a trial where Coren makes an impassioned speech about individual rights. She finishes and instead of making an impression, she is carted away to be "fixed." Riker tries to take the blame in one of his silly pathetic speeches, but he is ignored. The point is that he never used reasoning to look at the big picture of this world. He is responsible for taking away any chance that things could eventually change. So much erratic, improper behavior really diminishes this episode.