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Half a Life

What rating would you give Half a Life?  

4 members have voted

  1. 1. What rating would you give Half a Life?

    • 5. It?s great, I loved it!
      1
    • 4. It?s good.
      2
    • 3. It?s average.
      1
    • 2. It?s not that good.
      0
    • 1. I hated it.
      0


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Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season: 4

Episode #: 22

Production #: 196

Episode Name: Half a Life

Original Air Date: 05.06.91

 

Review not yet available.

 

Cast:

 

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes as William Thomas Riker

Brent Spiner as Data

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn as Worf

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

 

Guest Cast:

 

Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien

Majel Barrett as Lwaxana Troi

David Ogden Stiers as Dr. Timicin

Michelle Forbes as Dara

Terence McNally as B'tardat

Caryl Struycken as Mr. Homn

 

Director: Les Landau

Teleplay By: Peter Allan Fields

Story By: Ted Roberts and Peter Allan Fields

 

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An "issue" episode, partly connected to Euthanasia.

 

Imaginative and insightful.

 

The first episode to feature Lwaxana in a non comedic role which gave her character depth.

 

Very good and an unhappy ending, which I like.

 

Rating = 3

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I gave it a 5. David Ogden Stiers in a fanatastic role. Neat premise regarding a civilization that has a mandatory "retirement " age. The parable regarding Euthanasia couldn't be more obvious which works here due to the seriousness of the subject. One of the more memorable eps from season4.

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4. I love how the opening line with Deanna making a log set the initial tone: "My mother is visiting." Excellent work from David Odgen Stiers, formerly and better known as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III from "M*A*S*H". Forbes, of course, would come back in a more memorable role. While this was an interesting euthanasia story, there was also something hinted at about retirement homes in this one that makes it interesting too. Good stuff.

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I give it a 4 as an interesting look at an alien race with a different solution to population stability.

 

Memorable Quotes

"Counselor Deanna Troi, personal log, stardate 44805.3. My mother is on board."

- Deanna Troi

 

"Mrs. Troi, I must protest your unauthorized presence on the Bridge.."

"What does this little one do, Mister Woof?."

"Please, Madam! That is a torpedo launch initiator. And it, uh... it is Worf, Madam; not Woof."

- Worf and Lwaxana Troi

 

"That man's in a lot of trouble."

- La Forge to O'Brien when Lwaxana and Dr. Timicin have left the transporter room

 

"Oh, this is Mr. Homn. He doesn't say much."

"How can he?"

- Lwaxana Troi to Timicin and La Forge, quietly, to Data

 

Background Information

Notice that the first scene in which Picard exits the turbolift and peeks around the corner in fear of encountering Lwaxana is mirrored in the Deep Space Nine episode "The Forsaken", when Odo, then Lwaxana's love interest on Deep Space 9, does the same thing. Yet eventually he, like Picard in this episode, fails to avoid the confrontation.

 

Michelle Forbes' performance in this episode was instrumental in her casting as Ro Laren later in the series.

 

A blooper survived the final cut of this episode. When Deanna and Lwaxana are talking in Mrs. Troi's quarters, Majel Barrett walks past a mirror, in which you can briefly see a microphone boom.

 

An homage to David Ogden Stiers' time on the series M*A*S*H was made during Timicin's test. The camera is focused for long stretches of time on a display titled "Composite Sensor Analysis - 4077" - a callback to the 4077th unit number of Stiers' MASH days.

 

Awards

This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) (Dennis McCarthy).

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