"Family" -- one of the most distinct Treks ever

[WarpFactorZ]

I had originally posted this on the Robert/Rene/Dead thread, but I thought it deserved its own airplay.

I always liked the episode "Family" because it was the first time in Star Trek lore that we see the characters actually being relatable as people and, well, human (even Worf). They have lives beyond the Enterprise. They have flaws. They're jerks. They're misunderstood. They have FAMILY -- mothers, fathers, brothers, nephews. They're embarrassed by their parents. Their parents come off as overbearing senior citizens. It showed to someone other than the viewers and Starfleet personnel, these people aren't the cardboard caricatures we see each week. They're real people like you and me who are secretly asking "What the hell am I doing with my life??"

I loved the entirety of Picard's stay at the vineyard. It completely distanced him from "Captain" Picard and made him just Jean Luc -- some guy on vacation, getting drunk on wine at the old family homestead after one hell of a day at the office. Jeez, he even questioned his role in TNG "on camera": maybe instead of this starship captain bullshit, he'll become the next Jacques Cousteau exploring the oceans deep. It was some serious head-play, given the history and stoic nature of TV characters at the time.

To me, it was a paradigm shift for Star Trek. What do you think of the episode?

 

[Trek Survivor]

One of my all time favourites. Everything about it just "worked" for me, especially the Picard storyline. Also liked Guinan's talk with Worf's parents... yeah, the whole episode is easily in my top 5.

 

[Shikarnov]

I agree. This one stands out, for me anyway, as the best of the whole series. There is only one thing that irks me at all:

Worf's embarrassment seems way out of character. Granted, Sergey didn't die in glorious battle, but it's strange that Worf isn't beaming with pride over his father's service and parading him around the ship like a revered dignitary, telling stories of his adventures on the Intrepid.

Beyond that, though, I really loved the Worf storyline -- moreso, even, than Picard's.

 

[DonIago]

I would dispute some of the OP's assertions regarding exactly how remarkable this episode was, but I think it was a necessary episode after the events of BoBW, and I think to go back to business as usual immediately after the Borg attack would have been a misstep.

It's a pleasant bonus that it's a necessary episode that's also handled very well. I think the first few times I saw it Robert just seemed like a horrible person to me, but perhaps I'm mellowing in my later years, as I found him a bit more...not necessarily sympathetic, but not quite as much of a total ogre when I did a recent rewatch.

 

[Makarov]

Yeah this is one of the standout episodes of the series for me. Finally an episode that shows Picard as an average person and gives him some personal ties to the world. This episode is hugely important to my understanding of the character of Picard. Is it just me or were the locations for the outdoor scenes beautiful as well as those painted backgrounds.

I have to wonder what exploring the oceans would actually be like in the Trek world, can't imagine it would be as exciting as Starfleet.

 

[Amaraen]

I thought this was a lovely episode, and as someone said above it was completely necessary after the Borg.

I loved how it was Robert that really set Jean-Luc straight about his life and place in the world. Despite their rocky relationship, and how boorish Robert seemed at times, he did know his little brother very well and really did love him.

I also really like the ending with Rene sitting under the tree, and Robert's line "Let him dream ..."

 

[Terok Nor]

Crazy to think this episode was almost never made. Suddenly Human and Brothers were already on the table and ready to be produced before the writers decided they had to follow up BOBW instead of just moving on. It was filmed 4th in the season and I cannot imagine it not existing. The perfect epilogue to BOBW that almost never happened.

 

[BillJ]

What do you think of the episode?

Pretty dull, outside of Worf's parents.

 

[VORTEX8472]

As the youngest of 3 brothers I can personally relate to the Picard's relationship with his (older) brother. Jean-Luc as the tormented little brother that excelled at school and rose above his families ultra-traditional vineyard lifestyle, eventually becoming a distinguished Starfleet Captain and infamously forced to lead the Borg attack as Locutus.

I agree with many comments made, this was the first episode that truly fleshed out the personal motivations of Picard and Worf, whom up until that point were similarly stoic and seemed unfazed by anything that they experienced in recent months/years. Worf's discommendation was a devastating blow to the character's self-image and the writers perfectly capitalized on those bottled up emotions. Picard's ultimate humiliation at the hands of the borg (essentially being mutilated/brainwashed, etc) was justifiably a major turning point for the character and the producers' intelligently tied BobW events into his story-arc when appropriate.