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This Story: Season 4 Episode 2 (production code 178)
TNG Overall: Episode 76
Trek Overall: Story 175, Episode 178
Airdate: 1 Oct 1990
Written by Ronald D. Moore
Directed by Les Landau

Notes

• The first time we met Worf’s adopted human parents.
• The first (and only) time we see Picard’s nephew and brother in person. The only other time they’re seen is in a photo in the movie “Star Trek: Generations”, although they’re both played by different people there.
• The only time we see Wesley’s father Jack Crusher.
• The only episode of Star Trek: TNG that does not have Brent Spiner in it.
• The first episode when we get a full name for O’Brien – “Miles Edward O’Brien”, and also found out his formal rank was “chief petty officer”. There’s mild contradictions with appearances before that, but at that point the character was nothing more than a repeat background character, it wasn’t until this point they formally defined who he was.
• Worf’s love of prune juice is mentioned here again as previously established in “Yesterday’s Enterprise“.
• This episode of course follows up the two Best of Both Worlds episodes immediately preceding this, but it also addresses Worf’s discommendation which was established in “Sins of the Father“.
• To that, this feels like a natural third part to the Borg story, but that was not the original intent.  Additionally, Gene Roddenberry didn’t like this story, and didn’t want it made.
• The song sung by Picard and his brother after their fight is “Auprès de ma blonde“.
• The first episode with no scenes set on the bridge in any capacity on the series.  The happens two other times in the series – “Liaisons” and “Dark Page“.
• Riker is shown with his usual rank & pips in this episode. In Best of Both Worlds Part II, he received a field commission to Captain.  It is not established whether that was renounced when Picard returned, or he voluntarily gave it up.
• I lived this quote from Michael Piller about this episode, which comes from the book “Star Trek: TNG Companion“.  It says..  “”I can’t help feeling that after what Picard has been through that being ‘back to normal’ is simplistic and incredible especially for a show that takes such a realistic look at Humanity and life. I must reiterate my feeling that there is a hell of an episode to be explored here. Why not use the next episode to explore Picard’s recovery – bandaged, his face is healing, but there is more than just physical healing to be done here… it is uncertain if he can ever fully recover from the nightmares of his captivity to resume command … and as the Enterprise orbits earth undergoing repairs, Picard returns to his roots to find himself.”

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