Changes: Family (episode)

Revision as of 20:06, 6 November 2006

As the Enterprise undergoes repairs following the battle with the Borg, Picard visits his family home in France.

Summary

With the Enterprise-D undergoing repairs in drydock following the Borg attack, Picard, himself undergoing repairs of the emotional kind following his assimilation, beams down to Earth to visit his family's vineyards at La Barre, France. He has not been home in nearly twenty years, since a falling out with his brother Robert.

Meanwhile, Worf's visiting foster parents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko, are saddened at his coldness, but they are comforted by Guinan's reassurances. They let their gruff but grateful son know they support him as they always have, and they know he did not deserve his recent discommendation by the Klingons.

Dr. Crusher shares the literal ghost of her late husband, Jack, with the son he barely knew by letting Wesley view a stored hologram Jack recorded just after Wesley's birth.

Picard is made welcome by Robert's family and meets his nephew René, a youngster whose dream of being in Starfleet echoes Picard's own wishes at that age. To his surprise, the captain finds himself tempted to leave Starfleet to head up a continent-raising project on Earth called the Atlantis project. However, his brother, following a brawl in the vineyards, reminds Picard that wherever he goes, be it under the ocean or among the stars, he must come to terms with the self-doubt and guilt caused by the Borg incident.

The captain returns to the Enterprise which then leaves orbit, having been far more healed than the ship itself.

Memorable Quotes

"I know who you are."
"Then you have the advantage."
"You're my nephew, Jean-Luc from the starship Enterprise."
"Then you must be my uncle René."
"I'm not your uncle. It's the other way round."
"Too bad, I rather enjoyed the idea."

- René Picard and Jean-Luc Picard

"There's just one thing I don't understand. You were such a rotten swimmer, Louis. (laughs) Think of you working on the ocean floor!"

- Jean-Luc Picard, to Louis

"I was the elder brother, the responsible one. It was my job to look after you."
"Look after me? You... you were a bully!"
"Sometimes... maybe. Sometimes I even enjoyed bullying you!"
"Alright. Try it now!"
"Why did you come back, Jean-Luc? Did you come back because you wanted me to look after you again?"
"DAMN YOU!!"

- Robert Picard and Jean-Luc Picard

"I have all the specs and diagrams at home!"

- Sergey Rozhenko, on Galaxy class starships

Background Information

While not written or filmed until well after the completion of "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", "Family" became the unofficial third installment of the Borg trilogy. While no Borg actually appeared and no action took place in the episode, the story served as a fitting resolution to the action and drama-heavy two parter. It was "Best of Both Worlds" writer Michael Piller who suggested the quiet episode to heal Picard's wounds on-camera, but was rejected by series executive producer Rick Berman until a sci-fi storyline was inserted into the episode. However, that element (one that later formed the basis for the Crusher story "Remember Me") ultimately proved unwieldy and the show's family-themed subplots were allowed to dominate the hour.

The Picard family home in La Barre was actually filmed at two locations (three if you count interior soundstages): The house itself was a private residence in Encino, California and a dryland near Lancaster stood in for the vineyards, which were then digitally inserted into a matte painting.

In a deleted portion of Wesley's encounter with the hologram of his father, Jack mentions his assignment to the Stargazer and Wesley's never heard middlename, Robert. Jack also mentioned horse thieves on Nimbus III, a reference to the planet seen in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

Jack Crusher appears in the hologram wearing the movie-era Starfleet uniform, with a TNG-era combadge, obviously intended to show a transition period.

Brent Spiner (Data) does not appear in this episode - the only episode of the entire series in which he is absent.

"Family" is also the first episode in which no scene is set on the Enterprise bridge; "Liaisons" is the second and only other episode with no bridge scenes.

Robert and René would appear once more, though portrayed by different actors in photographs seen in the Picard family album in Star Trek Generations following their tragic deaths in a house fire.

David Tristan Birkin, the child actor who played René, would himself reappear in the Season 6 episode "Rascals" as Young Jean-Luc Picard.

"Family" not only revealed personal information about the series regulars, Chief O'Brien also gained a full name, Miles Edward O'Brien, as well as a more defined rank, Chief petty officer, though his rank insignia would continue to change throughout TNG.

The bottle of Chateau Picard Robert gives to the captain later reappeared in "Legacy" and "First Contact", as well as in the feature Star Trek Nemesis, albeit with a different label.

The song sung by Robert and Jean-Luc after their fight in the mud is Auprès de ma Blonde, an old and well-renowned French folk song.

Links and References

Guest Stars

References

Atlantis project, Bloom sisters, Drema IV, drydock, Excelsior-class, La Barre

Previous episode:
The Best of Both Worlds, Part II

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 4

Next episode:
Brothers

@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 *The Picard family home in La Barre was actually filmed at two locations (three if you count interior soundstages): The house itself was a private residence in Encino, California and a dryland near Lancaster stood in for the vineyards, which were then digitally inserted into a matte painting.
-*In a deleted portion of Wesley's encounter with the hologram of his father, Jack mentions his assignment to the [[USS Stargazer|''Stargazer'']] and Wesley's never heard middlename, Richard.  Jack also mentioned horse thieves on [[Nimbus III]], a reference to the planet seen in ''[[Star Trek V: The Final Frontier]]''.
+*In a deleted portion of Wesley's encounter with the hologram of his father, Jack mentions his assignment to the [[USS Stargazer|''Stargazer'']] and Wesley's never heard middlename, Robert.  Jack also mentioned horse thieves on [[Nimbus III]], a reference to the planet seen in ''[[Star Trek V: The Final Frontier]]''.
 *Jack Crusher appears in the hologram wearing the movie-era [[Starfleet uniform]], with a TNG-era [[combadge]], obviously intended to show a transition period.