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Homeward (TNG episode)
Encyclopedia
"Homeward" is the 165th episode
of the science fiction
television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
.
Worf
, the Klingon
Chief of Security of the Federation Starfleet
Starship
USS Enterprise
must work with his human
adoptive brother Nikolai Rozhenko, a Federation anthropologist to save a small segment of natives from a primitive alien
culture on a dying planet.
in the process of suffering an atmospheric catastrophe.
Upon arrival, the Federation
observation post is found to be deserted, but force field
shielding has been set up nearby which protects a series of caverns. In an effort to determine Rozhenko’s fate, and aware that advanced shield technology is not indigenous to the planet, Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard
decides to send an away team to investigate. Concerned for his brother, Worf volunteers, and Picard orders him to go alone and be surgically altered to pass as a Boraalan so as to prevent any possible contamination of the planet's culture. Worf transports
to the planet and discovers that his brother set up the shield to protect the local villagers he had been assigned to observe. While relieved that Nikolai is safe, Worf is concerned by what his brother has done and tells him that he has only postponed the deaths of the villagers.
Rozhenko meets with the ship’s senior officers in the observation lounge and describes his plan to save one village of the doomed planet by setting up a concealed artificial biosphere
. Picard replies that there is nothing the Enterprise can do as regrettably the Federation Prime Directive
prohibits any interference with the natural development of the Boraalan civilization; it is not for them to decide that one group shall survive while the rest of the planet perishes.
After sadly witnessing the atmospheric dissipation extinction event
transpire, the crew is puzzled by an unexpected power drain, the origin of which Worf tracks to the Holodeck
. Going to investigate the cause, he finds that his brother has transported the population of the Boraalan village aboard the ship in direct contravention of the Prime Directive and Captain Picard’s wishes. Rozhenko has used the Holodeck to replicate caverns identical to those on the planet, misleading the villagers into thinking they are still on Boraal II.
Rozhenko tells Worf and Picard that he believes offering the Boraalan culture a chance of survival is more important than following the abstract concepts of the Prime Directive. He champions his updated plan of transporting the Boraalans to a new home on a different habitable planet without their knowledge, where their civilization can hopefully grow and thrive. Realizing that Rozhenko has given him no other choice, Picard reluctantly authorizes the plan and orders Chief Medical Officer Dr. Beverly Crusher
and Operations Officer Lt. Commander Data
to find a new home planet for the Boraalans.
Crusher and Data choose Vacca VI as a potential new Boraalan home world, but it is almost two days away at maximum warp
. Ship’s Chief Engineer
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
tells Picard and Rozhenko that the Holodeck program may not run that long as the Holodeck and several of the ship's other systems were adversely effected by exposure to Plasmonic wave radiation generated by the atmospheric dissipation. Rozhenko volunteers to return to the Boraalans and help rationalize and account for any anomalies in the program which the villagers might witness. A mistrustful Picard orders Worf to accompany him, which Worf finds difficult as he is disgusted by his brother’s actions and wants no more to do with him.
Returning to the Holodeck, Nikolai and Worf tell the Boraalans that they will lead them through the caverns to a new home far away from the old one. As they travel, Geordi gradually alters the program so that the terrain more closely resembles the slightly different environment of the new Boraalan home world. Several program errors do eventually occur, but the two brothers cooperate to explain them all away. Worf and Rozhenko have a further falling out and nearly come to blows when Worf learns that his brother has impregnated one of the villagers, and Nikolai tells Worf that he intends to remain with the Boraalans.
The situation becomes even more complicated when Vorin, the village chronicler, manages to find his way out of the Holodeck and suffers severe culture shock
at the reality of the world outside. Enterprise Counsellor
Deanna Troi
and Picard try to help him adjust, offering him the choice of returning to his people or staying and making a new life with them on the ship. Vorin tells them he wishes to return to his people, but doesn’t think he can live the rest of his life knowing and keeping the secrets he has learned, however he also realizes that his people will think him a liar or insane if he tells them the truth. Inside the Holodeck, Rozhenko is devastated by the possibility that Vorin might return and inform the other villagers of the reality of their situation, which would invalidate all the work he and Worf have done and destroy everything the villagers believe in. Ultimately Vorin can’t live with what he has discovered and commits a form of ritual suicide
.
The Enterprise finally arrives at the new Boraalan home, and ignorant of the fact that they have ever left their original planet, the Boraalans are beamed
down to the eventual site of their new village. Worf and Nikolai finally make peace when Worf accepts and admits that the Boraalan race would not have survived if not for his brother’s unconventional methods. Nikolai further assuages Worf by telling him that he is going to finally take responsibility by staying with his intended wife and the villagers and make his home with them as the new village chronicler. Worf replies that he will explain Nikolai’s choice to their parents and convinces Nikolai to let him retain part of the chronicle as a souvenir.
Back aboard the Enterprise Picard muses with Crusher that while their plan for the Boraalans worked out well, he is disappointed and saddened that Vorin wasn’t able to bridge the gap between their two cultures.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
.
Overview
In this episode, Lt.Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
, the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
Chief of Security of the Federation Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
Starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
must work with his human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
adoptive brother Nikolai Rozhenko, a Federation anthropologist to save a small segment of natives from a primitive alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
culture on a dying planet.
Plot
The Enterprise receives an emergency distress call from Rozhenko, currently posted to Boraal II, a class M planetClass M planet
Class M is a fictional classification for planets and planetoids in the Star Trek science fiction media franchise. In the Star Trek: Enterprise series, T'Pol uses the Vulcan term Minshara class, which may be the origin of the later Federation designation.Their atmospheres comprise nitrogen and...
in the process of suffering an atmospheric catastrophe.
Upon arrival, the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
observation post is found to be deserted, but force field
Force field
A force field, sometimes known as an energy shield, force shield, or deflector shield is a concept of a field tightly bounded and of significant magnitude so that objects affected by the particular force relating to the field are unable to pass through the central axis of the field and reach the...
shielding has been set up nearby which protects a series of caverns. In an effort to determine Rozhenko’s fate, and aware that advanced shield technology is not indigenous to the planet, Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
decides to send an away team to investigate. Concerned for his brother, Worf volunteers, and Picard orders him to go alone and be surgically altered to pass as a Boraalan so as to prevent any possible contamination of the planet's culture. Worf transports
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
to the planet and discovers that his brother set up the shield to protect the local villagers he had been assigned to observe. While relieved that Nikolai is safe, Worf is concerned by what his brother has done and tells him that he has only postponed the deaths of the villagers.
Rozhenko meets with the ship’s senior officers in the observation lounge and describes his plan to save one village of the doomed planet by setting up a concealed artificial biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
. Picard replies that there is nothing the Enterprise can do as regrettably the Federation Prime Directive
Prime Directive
In the universe of Star Trek, the Prime Directive, Starfleet's General Order #1, is the most prominent guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets...
prohibits any interference with the natural development of the Boraalan civilization; it is not for them to decide that one group shall survive while the rest of the planet perishes.
After sadly witnessing the atmospheric dissipation extinction event
Extinction event
An extinction event is a sharp decrease in the diversity and abundance of macroscopic life. They occur when the rate of extinction increases with respect to the rate of speciation...
transpire, the crew is puzzled by an unexpected power drain, the origin of which Worf tracks to the Holodeck
Holodeck
A holodeck, in the fictional Star Trek universe, is a simulated reality facility located on starships and starbases. The first use of a "holodeck" by that name in the Star Trek universe was in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint", although a conceptually...
. Going to investigate the cause, he finds that his brother has transported the population of the Boraalan village aboard the ship in direct contravention of the Prime Directive and Captain Picard’s wishes. Rozhenko has used the Holodeck to replicate caverns identical to those on the planet, misleading the villagers into thinking they are still on Boraal II.
Rozhenko tells Worf and Picard that he believes offering the Boraalan culture a chance of survival is more important than following the abstract concepts of the Prime Directive. He champions his updated plan of transporting the Boraalans to a new home on a different habitable planet without their knowledge, where their civilization can hopefully grow and thrive. Realizing that Rozhenko has given him no other choice, Picard reluctantly authorizes the plan and orders Chief Medical Officer Dr. Beverly Crusher
Beverly Crusher
Commander Beverly Crusher, M.D. , played by actress Gates McFadden, is a fictional character on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent spinoff films...
and Operations Officer Lt. Commander Data
Data (Star Trek)
Lieutenant Commander Data is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek...
to find a new home planet for the Boraalans.
Crusher and Data choose Vacca VI as a potential new Boraalan home world, but it is almost two days away at maximum warp
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
. Ship’s Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer
In marine transportation, the chief engineer is a licensed mariner in charge of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. "Chief engineer" is the official title of someone qualified to oversee the entire engine department; the qualification is colloquially called a "chief's...
Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Geordi La Forge
Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is a regular character in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its feature films, played by LeVar Burton...
tells Picard and Rozhenko that the Holodeck program may not run that long as the Holodeck and several of the ship's other systems were adversely effected by exposure to Plasmonic wave radiation generated by the atmospheric dissipation. Rozhenko volunteers to return to the Boraalans and help rationalize and account for any anomalies in the program which the villagers might witness. A mistrustful Picard orders Worf to accompany him, which Worf finds difficult as he is disgusted by his brother’s actions and wants no more to do with him.
Returning to the Holodeck, Nikolai and Worf tell the Boraalans that they will lead them through the caverns to a new home far away from the old one. As they travel, Geordi gradually alters the program so that the terrain more closely resembles the slightly different environment of the new Boraalan home world. Several program errors do eventually occur, but the two brothers cooperate to explain them all away. Worf and Rozhenko have a further falling out and nearly come to blows when Worf learns that his brother has impregnated one of the villagers, and Nikolai tells Worf that he intends to remain with the Boraalans.
The situation becomes even more complicated when Vorin, the village chronicler, manages to find his way out of the Holodeck and suffers severe culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
at the reality of the world outside. Enterprise Counsellor
Mental health professional
A mental health professional is a health care practitioner who offers services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental illness. This broad category includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, mental health...
Deanna Troi
Deanna Troi
Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...
and Picard try to help him adjust, offering him the choice of returning to his people or staying and making a new life with them on the ship. Vorin tells them he wishes to return to his people, but doesn’t think he can live the rest of his life knowing and keeping the secrets he has learned, however he also realizes that his people will think him a liar or insane if he tells them the truth. Inside the Holodeck, Rozhenko is devastated by the possibility that Vorin might return and inform the other villagers of the reality of their situation, which would invalidate all the work he and Worf have done and destroy everything the villagers believe in. Ultimately Vorin can’t live with what he has discovered and commits a form of ritual suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
The Enterprise finally arrives at the new Boraalan home, and ignorant of the fact that they have ever left their original planet, the Boraalans are beamed
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
down to the eventual site of their new village. Worf and Nikolai finally make peace when Worf accepts and admits that the Boraalan race would not have survived if not for his brother’s unconventional methods. Nikolai further assuages Worf by telling him that he is going to finally take responsibility by staying with his intended wife and the villagers and make his home with them as the new village chronicler. Worf replies that he will explain Nikolai’s choice to their parents and convinces Nikolai to let him retain part of the chronicle as a souvenir.
Back aboard the Enterprise Picard muses with Crusher that while their plan for the Boraalans worked out well, he is disappointed and saddened that Vorin wasn’t able to bridge the gap between their two cultures.