Two posts in one day? What new spore of madness is this?!
October 15th, 1990, "Suddenly Human"
No fiver
The Episode
CRUSHER: It's Jono, right? Is that what I heard them call you? I'm Doctor Crusher. I'm just examining you for radiation injuries. It won't hurt. I have a son not much older than you. Perhaps you'd like to meet him. Well, Jono, you seem to have escaped radiation damage. Pretty lucky.
I get what Crusher is going for, but it seems too soon for this. Wait until he's completely healthy again!
CRUSHER: It's not uncommon. It was identified centuries ago as the Stockholm syndrome.
JONO: Why do you take orders from a female?
WORF: Doctor Crusher. She is my superior officer.
JONO: Among my people, a female can never outrank a man.
WORF: You are human, and among humans, females can achieve anything the males can.
JONO: I am no more human than you are. I am Talarian.
There are two issues here: whether Klingon women are really equal and how this "women can never outrank a man" thing is supposed to work. The former would require an essay by itself, centered around Gowron's claim that women can never sit on the High Council. The latter would require women to never have a rank at all, another complicated discussion.
Let's just keep it brief and say that the writer heaped way too much on Jono and this alien race to raise questions about whether or not our heroes have to rescue him. Way way way too much.
Presuming that the Talarians aren't a Federation member (a safe bet), we can't force Federation/human values on them. It can't be used to make the decision of where Jono goes, so why is it here? It's a level of hamfistedness that smacks more of TOS than TNG.
TROI: Jeremiah needs to build a relationship with a man, a father figure with whom he can explore his origins. And I think it should be you, Captain.
PICARD: Oh, no, Counsellor! Oh, no, Counsellor, I don't think so. He needs someone who is trained in these things.
TROI: But you are the only person with whom he has shown any connection. If he is to find his humanity then you are the only one who can help him. It's up to you, Captain.
I'm reminded of Charlie X all of a sudden. And that's not a good thing. I think that they went to the "Picard is uncomfortable around children, so lets make him spend time around children well" far too often. Besides, he was pretty mellow with Rene a few episodes ago, I thought he had worked past at least some of his issues. He won't fully be pro children until after "The Inner Light" of course, but this is a journey, not a destination.
PICARD: I notice you haven't taken off your gloves.
JONO: Not here.
PICARD: Why not?
JONO: So that I don't have to touch an alien.
Ugh. Are we supposed to like Jono? Because I really hate this brat and would've turned him over to the counselors and lawyers by now, Troi or no Troi.
JONO: I did not say that. Don't you understand? Pain is not what matters. Passing the tests is everything.
PICARD: Is that what they are? Tests of pain?
I always hate it when they try to justify child abuse. It'll never work.
PICARD: You're probably not aware of this, but I have never been particularly comfortable around children.
TROI: Really?
I hate this exchange. It's Season Four, not Season One, and Troi should know this! To be frank her responsibilities as a counselor should indicate to her that she shouldn't force Picard into this. Picard's mental wellbeing is an important consideration as well. Furthermore, I don't think Picard is the only one who can work with Jono. This would be a great job for Riker or Data.
TROI: Strange, isn't it? You'll travel light years, dodge asteroid storms, brave hostile aliens, and yet when asked to assume a parental role, you cringe. Why do you suppose that is?
PICARD: I'm not cringing. I'm just acknowledging my limitations.
TROI: When you were a child, did you have any friends? Other children you played with?
What does his actions as a child have to do with this? Yeah, this is just '80s psychobabble, but it still doesn't apply! Of course Picard had friends his own age! He doesn't like kids because they're an element that he can't control and his self-image requires him to be surrounded in an environment that he
can control. That's why he hates Q and why Q is so fascinated by him.
PICARD: it's just that ever since I was a child I've always known exactly what I wanted to do. Be a member of Starfleet. Nothing else mattered to me. Virtually my entire youth was spent in the pursuit of that goal. In fact, I probably skipped my childhood altogether.
It makes you wonder how he got to that conclusion. Everyone we've ever met from his hometown likes civilian life. Please don't tell me he went the Kirk and Janeway (when's the last time I read Mosaic, anyway) route and saw the whole thing as a challenge.
PICARD: Yes, I certainly did, and I expect it to stay turned off. Would you come down from there? I see you've made yourself at home.
JONO: I cannot rest on your beds. They hurt my back.
So ask for a different bed. You'd think he would have the contact info to Troi or a social worker or whatever on standby.
PICARD: Those are Connor and Moira Rossa. They are your parents. The baby is you. Jeremiah Rossa.
JONO: My name is Jono.
PICARD: Well, you were born Jeremiah on Galen Four.
It's too soon for this. Jono doesn't even want to accept the identity of human, why would he want a different personal identity?
PICARD: Jono, your parents were killed by Talarians.
JONO: It was war. Death is part of war.
There's a whole essay to be written on the subject of acceptable civilian casualties and Jono's unusual acceptance of the hospitality of the people who killed his family.
Captain's log, supplemental. Captain Endar's claim that Jeremiah Rossa is his son is clearly unacceptable. However, to avoid escalating tensions, I have invited the Talarian leader to come aboard the Enterprise so that we may address the issue face to face.
Clearly unacceptable? It seems a bit premature to make judgement on Endar's worthiness as a father without knowing all the facts. To make this decision so casually smacks of racism. Where was Gene?
ENDAR: I lost my son at the hands of humans during the conflict over Castal One. Talarian custom allows me to claim the son of a slain enemy.
Since formal diplomatic relations don't seem to exist, this is another sticky situation. I'd have to know who instigated the Castal One conflict.
DATA: Talarian warships are limited to neutral particle weapons, high energy X-ray lasers and merculite rockets. No match for the Enterprise, Captain.
It's always fun to see the creators try to invent weapons less sophisticated than Starfleet's without resorting to lasers. It doesn't always work.
WORF: Captain, is it worth it, to go to war over a child?
I'd like to think that if one Klingon house kidnapped the child of another, there would be war. I don't think Worf should've been the one to say this. You can't always have Worf be the one to say the nonhumancentric things!
JONO: What is her rank?
PICARD: She is an Admiral.
JONO: She outranks you?
PICARD: Yes.
There really wasn't a MALE relative available?
PICARD: Then it wasn't a dream.
CRUSHER: I'm afraid not. No vital organs pierced, no major arteries.
PICARD: Where is the boy now?
CRUSHER: Worf has him in security. Hold still.
Attempted murder. It's a shame this is so close to the end of the episode, or else we could actually explore the implications here. But we needed time for Jono to act like a misogynistic jerk over and over again.
WORF: Talarian vessels routing power to forward rockets.
I wonder what the diplomatic ramifications would be if the Enterprise defended itself at this point. "Rockets" imply a chemical propellant, i.e. these things are slow enough to be targeted by phasers.
JONO: What matters is that I have attacked a Captain. I am ready to be put to death.
PICARD: You think you're going to be killed?
JONO: To attack a superior is the worst offence. I will die at your hands.
No, I'm pretty sure that attempted murder gets you lots of counselling and time in a penal colony. You wouldn't be very happy with that, Jono!
It's a shame they couldn't have trimmed down some of his jerkish behavior to make room to discuss this suicidal behavior.
PICARD: There was a crime committed on board this ship, but it was not Jono's. It was mine. When we found Jono, it seemed so clear what had to be done. We knew that if only we could persuade him to make the decision to stay, then you would most likely let him. So with the best of intentions, we tried to convince him, and in so doing, we thoroughly failed to listen to his feelings, to his needs. That was the crime, and it has taken a huge toll on a strong and very noble young man. And it must be rectified. He will return home. To the only home he's ever known. And to the father that he loves. To you, Endar.
There's a whole essay here about Federation people trying to force other people to share their values. I'm reminded of that quote about how the Borg are better because they tell you they intend to assimilate you.
Memory Alpha
* There were complaints about letting Jono go back to child abusers, but I thought the episode worked hard to explain that it wasn't abuse, or that at least it wasn't a black and white issue.
Nitpicker's Guide
* In this episode Picard is fine a short time after a stabbing, but in "Who Watches the Watchers" he needed a sling after a simple arrow hit. I can't say I disagree with this nit.