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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
As a huge Star Trek fan, I have always loved “Evolution,” the third season premiere episode of The Next Generation. The third season was essentially when TNG finally hit its stride, complete with new costumes and a new, character-centric approach to storytelling that transformed the franchise for the better. Additionally, “Evolution” has everything that makes the golden age of Trek so special, which is why I was shocked to find that the creators behind this killer episode thought it was mostly average.
The Plot of “Evolution”
If you’re a Star Trek fan who needs a quick “Evolution” primer, here you go: this is the episode where the Enterprise accompanies an eccentric scientist who hopes to observe and record data from a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic phenomenon only every 196 years. Meanwhile, Beverly Crusher is back on board and trying to bond with her son Wesley, but is too focused on his studies. So much focus, in fact, that he accidentally drops some nannies out and they infect the core of the ship. As the critters evolve, they threaten this time-sensitive experiment, and rightly so TNG fashion, diplomacy with this new life ultimately saving the day.
Speaking for myself, I thought this was a great Star Trek chapter. It’s not the best in the franchise or anything, but “Evolution” is arguably the strongest season premiere, one that looks even stronger compared to “Shades of Grey,” the crapfest clip show that ended Season 2. That’s why I was so surprised that the creators behind the episode had it in common, starting with showrunner and general TNG savior Michael Piller.
Mid Term Start
In spite of the Star Trek showrunner actually write “Evolution,” Piller concluded, “was a B episode.” Declaring that it “worked fine,” he still lamented that “I didn’t like it.” While stressing that he was still “proud of the episode,” Piller summed up his thoughts by saying that the episode “didn’t come off at all.”
Veteran Star Trek director Winrich Kolbe was responsible for bringing this episode to life, and shares Piller’s assessment of the episode’s mediocrity. He first praised the plot about a scientist who “suddenly finds that there are implications he hadn’t thought of” and said he “liked” that there was “some immaturity, nausea, or whatever.” However, he felt that “everyone considered it a children’s show, even the writers,” which led to a “very serious issue” (these nannies could have easily destroyed the Initiative and threatened the Federation) ” that was not handled properly” on the screen.
Kolbe is one of Star Trek’s most reliable directors, and Piller is more or less spared The Next Generation from the death spiral of its first two seasons, but I can’t support their criticisms of “Evolution.” He gave us perfect Original Series setting with the extraordinary scientist and extraordinary space phenomenon, but it really added The Next Generation Twist by having Picard save the day using diplomacy and not violence. We even saw the birth of a new life form, and if “searching for new life” isn’t Trek enough, I honestly don’t know what is.
Star Trek: The Next Generation has had better episodes than “Evolution,” but arguably no better season opener. It’s a stand-alone story that’s clearly watchable, even if the writer and director consider it a B episode. And given how incredibly bumpy the NuTrek era of the franchise has been, it’s not is this “B” episode now appearing to be nothing less than great.
