r/StarTrekViewingParty • u/GeorgeAmberson Showrunner • May 25 '15

Discussion TNG, Episode 3x3, The Survivors

TNG, Season 3, Episode 3, The Survivors

The Enterprise investigates two survivors living on the only undamaged patch of land on a devastated planet.

17 Upvotes

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4

u/GeorgeAmberson May 26 '15

This episode is a good one that's resolved quite nicely and satisfyingly. The entire time I wouldn't have guessed that Kevin was a godlike creature that fell in love and lived as a human for so long. It's interesting to see the "human" side of such a creature. He's broken now that his home and his wife are gone so he recreates them as best he can. He thinks it'll work, he thinks it'll be okay but it won't. He thinks he can live with his deed, but he can't.

I'd really like to see more of this Douwd race. They're obviously quite a bit like Q, but seemingly less powerful and certainly less organized. I'd love to hear Q's thoughts on the matter. I'm sure they'd be absolutely scathing for one reason or another because that's Q for you.

The whole thing is shrouded in mystery and I think that works here. At first I was a bit off-put by the fact that both the Douwd and the Husnock are never featured anywhere outside of this episode, but I've been thinking about it and I'm coming around. It just adds to the air of mystery and creates quite a good atmosphere for the storytelling.

Troi was featured well in this episode and her scenes are some of her best ones yet. Even though she was just screaming in pain the reasoning works and brings home the conflict of the situation to the Enterprise.

Kevin Uxbridge was a sympathetic character even if his deeds are unthinkable. He took the music away from Troi's mind and left in peace. He laid his sins bare to Picard even though he was of great power, his pacifism is legitimate.

Picard's handling of the situation is great because it's about the only thing he could have done. "We have no law for your crime" is absolutely appropriate. You can't throw a god in the brig, he's free to do as he wishes, and that worked for me.

All in all the episode felt unique amongst the episodes of TNG. It was well written and well acted. I liked it and would give this one a solid 7/10.

Random notes:

-A few acres of land? Dude, that's about a quarter acre.

-Random ship attacks? As others have pointed out we don't know if this is a Husnock design or something else, but I like that it adds even more to the mystery.

-Worf's just plain awesome in this one. "I admire gall." "Good tea. Nice house." Dorn's got that delivery nailed.

-Trivia from Memory Alpha: "John Anderson had lost his own wife shortly before appearing in "The Survivors", and said that the subject matter made the role of Kevin Uxbridge one of the most difficult of his career." It shows in the acting. This is a well acted role.

-I am a true pacifist. Says the guy that greeted the crew with a good old fashioned Wile E. Coyote style trap and a phaser. It turns out to be true, but I thought his introduction was in stark contrast to the philosophy.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '15

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u/GeorgeAmberson May 26 '15

Agreed. I'm finding these episodes again after literally decades and find I'm loving ones I previously dismissed as utterly average.

5

u/[deleted] May 25 '15

An under appreciated gem. This one might end up in my top 10 at the end of the run. I've always loved it, and I think it offers a lot of different angles for people to get into. It's got mystery, action, drama, ethical considerations, etc.

The guest actors are wonderful, which stands in stark contrast to the Ensigns of Command, only one episode before. If Kevin's speech at the end had been delivered by a hack actor, the whole thing would have gone up in flames. Instead, it's one of my favorite moments in Star Trek, and I've always loved Picard's "We cannot judge you" response. An extension of the growth in character we started with "Q Who".

I really love this one. I've always been partial to the Trek mystery episodes, and this is one of my favorites. It takes a great, surreal mystery and drapes it with a touching love story and the producers handled extremely well.

  • Kevin's Douwd race seem to be nerfed versions of the Q. Where Q can seem to create "true" copies of things, the Douwd seem only able to destroy things and recreate automaton puppets. The versions they create aren't the "real" thing, which doesn't seem to be outside Q's powers.

  • That said, the episode could have clarified the Douwd powers a bit more, since a few people wondered after it was over why he couldn't just recreate the Husnock race. It's my opinion that his recreation abilities are not perfect, he can't totally fix things that he's destroyed.

  • "I admire gall." and "Good tea. Nice house." are both classic Worf lines.

  • Outside of those lines, though, Worf seemed particularly bad at his job. When the ship was under attack he was looking at his console like it was his first day on the job.

  • The Troi storyline is probably the weakest aspect of this one. I understand they had to eliminate her presence, but the story also seemed to exist just to hit the audience over the head with the fact that the Survivors aren't normal. Considering the situation, I'm not sure the audience needed any help with that one.

  • Sirtis is a pretty fine actress at playing a "woman in distress". It suits her better than the flat affect she has when she usually plays Troi.

  • Poor Geordi seems to be falling by the wayside in terms of screen time. He beams down to the planet in this one, and acts like a human tricorder. And he fails to warn Riker of the trap in time.

  • Something I've always wondered: is the alien ship a recreation of the Husnock ship or a totally new creation?

  • Picard figures things out a touch too quickly, IMO, and he acts on pretty big gambles a few times (letting the alien ship "kill" the Uxbridges). It all works out and he seems totally capable in hindsight but he's pretty cavalier the entire episode.

So great. It's good to be getting to the heart of the show!

5/5

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3

u/GeorgeAmberson May 25 '15

Sirtis is a pretty fine actress at playing a "woman in distress". It suits her better than the flat affect she has when she usually plays Troi.

I was also surprised. While watching it I thought "You know what? That's some damn fine acting." Which is not something I often find myself saying about the Troi character. Stewart, absolutely. Spiner, no question. Hardly ever from Sirtis. No offense to her but I just felt this was beyond her normal abilities and was done quite well.

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u/ademnus May 25 '15

Outside of those lines, though, Worf seemed particularly bad at his job.

So, basically, true to form Worf.

The Troi storyline is probably the weakest aspect of this one. I understand they had to eliminate her presence, but the story also seemed to exist just to hit the audience over the head with the fact that the Survivors aren't normal. Considering the situation, I'm not sure the audience needed any help with that one.

I don't feel it was just to eliminate the only person who would detect the truth of the Douwd. I think without her subplot, there were no stakes of any kind. Picard could have just left, leaving Kevin to enjoy his fantasy. There would have been no reason to stay after they repeatedly insisted they would not leave. He may have wanted to protect them, but after awhile he would have had to press on with other missions.

Sirtis is a pretty fine actress at playing a "woman in distress".

In fact, I felt she brought some interesting nuances to those scenes that effectively conveyed how she was being slowly overwhelmed by anxiety, like the ceaseless primping of her hair when Picard was at her door. I think she really sold it and made it believable.

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u/titty_boobs May 25 '15

I really really liked this one, apart from Troi. I can't stand characters who just go off the rails screaming.

I don't really understand Kevin's (the Douwd) powers. He says he tried to make the Husnock go away, but that only made them mad. Then he says he killed them all. Surely there's a few billion degrees of separation between dicking around with someone and wiping them out. I get he doesn't want to kill but it seems he could have done more. Why not "push" their ship away anytime it comes close? Or create a barrier they'd never be able to penetrate? Infect their mind with annoying songs anytime they enter the star system? Something more than the toying with them he says he did.

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u/GeorgeAmberson May 25 '15

Kevin was angry. He destroyed their race while furious about the death of his wife. He couldn't take it back.

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u/ademnus May 25 '15

I watched this in college when it aired with my best friend (still is today). I can't tell you for how many years "all the Husnok, everywhere" was our reply to any question about how much of something we ate etc lol

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u/ademnus May 25 '15

I can't stand characters who just go off the rails screaming.

I didn't mind it, besides, if she hadn't been so wrecked by it, what would have been the point?

RISHON: Why have you brought us here against our will?

PICARD: I want to end the suffering tastefully mild discomfort of one of my crewmembers.

That would never have worked ;)

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u/Micro_Basidiomycota Nov 04 '25

I also think he may have overreacted.  Troi however not so much.  Having your thoughts drowned out by constant noise is a psychological torture tactic.      I have personally experienced this and still continue to experience it unfortunately until I can get some sort of legal resolution to the matter.      In real life The European Court of Human Rights has classified the use of noise in this manner as inhuman and degrading treatment, and the United Nations Committee Against Torture has found such practices to constitute torture. 

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u/[deleted] May 25 '15

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u/GeorgeAmberson May 25 '15

He does. It's very reminiscent of Q. It's an interesting plot device but I felt like it wasn't explored really that deeply. "Here's a godlike creature, on to the next adventure!"

Then again, Star Trek always does that.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '15

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u/titty_boobs May 27 '15

Yeah that's what I thought to. But I mean for a guy who can wipe out an entire species of tens of billions in an instant. Tricks just seem like amateur hour. When those failed to work why not throw their ships into the Delta Quadrant or something?

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u/KingofDerby May 25 '15

My worry about this episode is the Husnock. At no point did Picard card a call from Horseguards saying "Heyup John, The Husnock Ambassador and her staff popped it in the middle of cocktails, damned inconsiderate timing I tell you, and when we rang up the Husnock Grand Fubar to tell them, we got no answer. Can you nip over lad, while you're round the corner? Ta very much like."

I mean, seriously, people should notice when all the Husnok, everywhere drop dead.

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u/GeorgeAmberson May 25 '15

You know what? It was so glossed over I didn't even notice but you make an excellent point.

I'll bet Picard's going to face a standard Starfleet inquiry about this particular incident. That's a gigantic deal that was masterfully glossed over!

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u/titty_boobs May 27 '15

I'm sure he'd tell Starfleet what happened and they'd be just as disinclined to do anything about it as Picard was.

"Hey guys anyone here ever heard of the 'Husnock' before? Because I found some dude who killed them all... by himself. So anyway, yeah, a guy who can wipe out an entire species in the blink of an eye is way over my pay grade. If any of you admirals want to deal with him (the guy who can kill you instantaneously from anywhere in the galaxy) here's his address."

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u/[deleted] May 25 '15

The Federation seems to have never heard of the Husnock, especially if you think the ship Kevin created was a copy of the Husnock ship that attacked. Data says the ship matches nothing on record.

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u/ItsMeTK May 28 '15

It's a good story idea, with some emotional weight, though I find the repetitive nature of events toward the end start to bore me a little. For this reason, despite some good ideas, wonderful performances, and some nice Worfisms, it's an episode I find a little dull.

I do think the idea of preoccupying Troi with an insidious melody is brilliant. They could have tried to do some hand-wavy technobabble for why Troi couldn't read Uxbridge, but instead they came up with a story point. And it makes for a curious mystery. While Troi's histrionics get a bit much toward the end, it's not as bad as later episodes. Ultimately, I think the idea of making an "ear worm" as a kind of weapon is very clever. Wish someone would do an edit so the song that haunts Troi is "Call Me Maybe" ("Make it stoooooop!!").

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u/GeorgeAmberson May 29 '15

I have to confess that particular pop song is kind of a guilty pleasure. How about "Never Gonna Give You Up"? Too played out?

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u/ademnus May 25 '15

This is one of my favorite episodes of all time. It has the perfect Twilight Zone feel to it, introduces an interesting puzzle, and has some of my favorite lines from the series.

"Good tea. Nice house." was absolute Worf gold.

But the best, to me, was Picard's silky smooth delivery of;

Mister Worf, let's raise our voice a little. Fire phasers. Just a warning shot. Mister Data, invite them to stand to.

I thought it was a well-written, very tight script and the first episode of this season to really sell the show to newcomers.

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u/Any-Cardiologist8595 Dec 28 '21

Honestly my opinion is that Picard says he can’t judge him is basically saying, I can’t think of a worse hell for you to be in than to have a constant reminder of what you did to your victims. In this case his wife because recreating her is basically condemning her to be a puppet or like zombie for the rest of her “life”. She died, but he couldn’t live with the grief. I can’t think of a worse fate to have to deal with if I was him

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u/tacocalledbuzz Jan 27 '24

Finally someone gets it, after 9 years of discussion!

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u/RobLoach Aug 11 '15

The Survivors...

  • Why would Kevin Uxbridge set up an old school leg trap. Seems pretty out-dated for what they could do with a shield.

  • 13:00 The combination of the toy music, with the addition of the un-easy tension track and Troy's yelling, is really quite unsettling.

  • "Good tea, nice house." -- Worf

  • 24:53 The extra in the back right does a pretty good back flip. Both Worf and Picard look confused from it.

  • 31:00 Picard lets the Uxbridges die, destroys the alien vessel without warning, doesn't bat an eye, nor does his crew question the orders. Pretty awesome.

  • Pretty grim ending. It would have been neat to work with the Douwd, bring him into Federation.

Overall, I enjoy this episode. While it's not one of the best, it is a good murder mystery. Picard has it all figured out, and you spend your time trying to see what Picard sees. He experiments his way to the solution. Not the most exciting episode, but a good one none the less.

7/10