Half a Life---wow, I'm impressed

[EnriqueH]

When the episode started with Counselor Troi's log and Lwaxana Troi, my expectations for the episodes were somewhat dashed as I expected it to be a silly, pointless episode.

Nothing wrong with breezy TNG, but I was hoping for something with social issues, serious and entertaining, especially following "The Drumhead".

But I was very impressed.

Once the episode got past the "funny" Lwaxanaisms, I found this to be a very worthy TNG installment, and probably Majel Barrett's best performance as Lwaxana to date.

But the standout was David Ogden Stiers.

He was amazing.

I loved the way he made himself seem "alien" or different from humans without resorting to the weird or over-the-top.

One of the better "guest star" performances in the series IMO.

 

[TV's Frank]

Totally agree. Some episodes that focus too much time on the guest stars, such as "Imaginary Friend", I can find lackluster, but David Ogden Stiers is excellent here. And I love the small role played by Michele Forbes as his daughter, really showing early on what kind of great, committed screen presence she can bring. Top notch, thoughtful episode.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

This episode is generally a top-ten pick of mine for TNG.

 

[tomalak301]

Lwaxana was really good in the serious episodes. Not only this, but I recently saw Dark Page and that was great, and then there was The Forsaken in DS9 and that is an underrated episode too.

 

[Zippo and Flask]

I agree, this is an enjoyable installment, particularly because of the performances given by David Ogden Stiers and Majel Barrett.

 

[Orphalesion]

Man yes! Half a Life is awesome! It's easily my favourite Lwaxana episode as it eally humanizes her. Beneath all this larger than life facade and posturing and "Heir to the Holy So-And-So" it really shows her as a woman with a good heart and mind.

In general I agree with you praises for Season 4, it was easily TNG's peak in quality: Family, Brothers, Suddenly Human, Remember Me, Reunion, The Loss, Data's Day, The Drumhead, Half A life, the Host and In Theory, all excellent episodes in my eyes. And while many plots heavily involved guest characters, they often are guest characters I would have liked to see more of like Ke'hlyr, Jono, Simon Tarses and Ishara Yar.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

That was a very good episode, even though the premise is absurd.

 

[RandyS]

even though the premise is absurd.

It was indeed, particularly in the way it ruined Luxwana's character. Her whole point is to be an obnoxious loudmouth. Giving her "deep feelings" was pointless and unecessary.

 

[Orphalesion]

That was a very good episode, even though the premise is absurd.

As opposed to half the premises in TOS?

Besides I don't see anything absurd about a society strapped for resources euthanizing its aged members. It was a sad reality in some primitive societies and really what do we do with old people today? Lock them away to rot in Old Folks Homes and hospices to the point that many senior citizens actively advocate for euthanasia to be made legal for them. The aliens in the episode at least get to go out with dignity, something our modern society grants pets but not our fellow humans.

Likewise tradition, the other theme of the episode can be something very dangerous if a society allows itself to be ruled by norms and customs that have long since lost any real meaning. It happens today all over the world in small ways and big.

The episode shows how Lwaxana, an aristocratic member of a post-scarcity society reacts to a situation like that and I found her breakdown when faced with these realities to be absolutely realistic.

It was indeed, particularly in the way it ruined Luxwana's character. Her whole point is to be an obnoxious loudmouth. Giving her "deep feelings" was pointless and unecessary.

You are really complaining about character growth? I thought it was completely in character for her, even as far back as Haven there were hints that her over-the-rop behavior is a facade.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ What would be absurd is to just have Lwaxana run around acting like Auntie Mame all of the damn time. Episodes like this are perfect for her.

Best line in the episode, after she walks off with Timicin in engineering:

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

(side note: Is David Ogden Stiers the only M*A*S*H actor to do Trek? There's Rene Auberjonois and Sally Kellerman of course, but they were only in the MASH movie, not the series.)

 

[Seven of Five]

I love Half a Life. Best Lwaxana episode by far, though The Forsaken from DS9 and Dark Page were also good. The rest, unfortunately, are all very hit and miss. It's a shame as Majel Barrett does a fine job here, and in the other two episodes I mentioned.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

"Dark Page" is also often a top-ten TNG pick of mine.

(side note: Is David Ogden Stiers the only M*A*S*H actor to do Trek? There's Rene Auberjonois and Sally Kellerman of course, but they were only in the MASH movie, not the series.)

I expect this is hardly a complete answer, but, if we open it up to guest stars, I recall that John Anderson (Kevin Uxbridge in TNG's "The Survivors") guested on M*A*S*H, as General Addison Collins in the 1983 episode "Say No More", according to IMDb.

 

[Mojochi]

Ogden Stiers, & Michelle Forbes round out one of the best guest actor lineups of the entire series. Right up there with the guest cast in Sarek ihmo

 

[2takesfrakes]

Michelle Forbes' introduction to THE NEXT GENERATION is really about all that makes this particular episode noteworthy. In order for anyone to care about this Mandatory Retirement Age metaphor people have to actually die from it. Take that away and there's almost nothing to watch here ...

 

[Orphalesion]

^ Not everybody only cares about what "hot" women are appearing on screen. Some of us are capable of caring about retirement age characters.

@Seven of Five: YES! Dark Page is also excellent! I wish they would have gotten around to giving Lwaxana all this character development sooner, she greatly profited from it.
Not that she wasn't entertaining, but I understood her better as a more complex character than as the sex-hungry cougar who just existed to make Picard cringe.

Based on this episode an dark page I see Lwaxana in a completely different light than before. She does not seem to care about tradition much, for instance, so was her over-the-top Betazoidism with the gong and insisting that Mr. Homm preforms the ceremony just a ruse as a way to make Mrs. Miller angry enough to give up and release Deanna from the arranged marriage? Was she, as a telepath already picking up the Wyatt's thoughts about Ariana (and perhaps even Ariana's about Wyatt?) In any case she strikes me as a lady who always has a plan A, B and C.
Likewise in this episode she clearly has difficulties coming to terms with her age and with mortality (explained by the untimely death of her husband and, as it later turns out, daughter). What brings this home to me is when she, competely distraught tells Deanna "60! That's nothing!"
This is a further insight int her over-the-top character, perhaps a lot of her grandstanding and cougar behavior is to distract herself from he inner pain and emptiness. All this really elevates her as a character.

I find it particularly interesting that Lwaxana, in the end accepts Timicin's decision and even accompanies him to his ritual, perhaps it is a sign that she finally starts to accept her own mortality.

 

[2takesfrakes]

The Lwaxana Troi character should've been much more sane and dignified than what TNG fans and TV audiences eventually got - basically a crazed, delusional granny who fancied herself the object of every Man's desire. I always kind of felt bad for Majel Barrett, always being saddled with these strange and awkward female roles in STAR TREK (other than Number One in The Cage). Nurse Chapel made a complete fool of herself over Spock, for example. Certainly, Lwaxana should've been introduced and presented as being someone with dignity and grace, rather than mutton dressed as lamb ...

 

[Mojochi]

Michelle Forbes' introduction to THE NEXT GENERATION is really about all that makes this particular episode noteworthy. In order for anyone to care about this Mandatory Retirement Age metaphor people have to actually die from it. Take that away and there's almost nothing to watch here ...

Am I missing something? The guy dies at the end.

Also, it's not a retirement metaphor, it's an euthanasia metaphor. Jack Kervorkian was in the news at that time.

 

[Marsden]

As opposed to half the premises in TOS?

Don't you mean half the premises in TNG?

Laddie, don't you think you should rephrase that.


Also, agree a good episode. A stand out and it's done so well I never once think of Logan's Run even thought it's basically the same starting place, just at a higher age. And I mean that sincerely, I'm not saying it is ripping off that movie/novel in any way, but the premise is very similar.

 

[Orphalesion]

As opposed to half the premises in TOS?

Don't you mean half the premises in TNG?

Laddie, don't you think you should rephrase that.

Ahem....Charlie X, Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Naked Time, Miri, A Taste of Armageddon, The Squire of Ghotos, The Return of the Archons, This Side of Paradise, Amok Time, Who Mourns for Adonais, the Changeling, The Apple, the Way to Eden, Plato's Stepchildren, Spock's Brain, A Piece of the Action, Patterns of Force, Bread and Circuses etc.

However, an absurd premise does not necessarily a bad episode, that was my point. (However I still don't find this premise more absurd than a society that has replaced war with suicide booths or the Enterprise meeting the actual Greek Gods... or a Human family insisting inexplcably following Betazoid customs, a "de-evolution" virus, people turning into Amphibiand because of Warp Travels etc) compared to many premises in wider Star Trek, the planet in Half a Life is downright sane (in my eyes)

And if we are really honest, then we would have to say "half the premises of Star Trek" doesn't stop it from being enjoyable.

 

[Orphalesion]

The Lwaxana Troi character should've been much more sane and dignified than what TNG fans and TV audiences eventually got - basically a crazed, delusional granny who fancied herself the object of every Man's desire. I always kind of felt bad for Majel Barrett, always being saddled with these strange and awkward female roles in STAR TREK (other than Number One in The Cage). Nurse Chapel made a complete fool of herself over Spock, for example. Certainly, Lwaxana should've been introduced and presented as being someone with dignity and grace, rather than mutton dressed as lamb ...

I apologize to you, I was feeling a bit emotional when I posted that. You are right about Lwaxana and Nurse Chapel. However I think that this episode went somewhat into the direction of improving Lwaxana's character.